Hi there! I recently went to my DR about my weight gain (I'm 5'6" and around 260) despite overhauling my diet and working with a personal trainer (cardio and strength training) since October. I wasn't losing, I was either maintaining or gaining. I recently went to my dietitian and spoke to him about all of this, he told me I eat very healthy and actually encouraged me to eat more regularly, and encouraged intermittent fasting in the evening (stop eating at 8pm and start again 8am, etc).
I BEGGED my DR to give me a full thyroid panel and he did. My results are TSH: 4.440, T4: 9.1, T3 Uptake 19 and Free Thyroxine Index. I googled these results because I had no idea what they meant and it points to hypothyroidism. My DR's MA called me later that day and said "all my results are in acceptable range" (I had gotten my normal yearly bloodwork as well as the thyroid stuff). I asked her about the thyroid results and she said DR wasn't concerned. We'd just check again in a year.
I felt incredibly dismissed. I made an appt to see an endocrinologist but the earliest I can see her is in May.
Just curious if anyone experienced anything similar or had similar results? I feel like since I am overweight. I tell my Dr's that I'm trying very hard to eat well and move more and they look at me like "sure you are". It hurts a lot and I'm afraid I won't be able to fix this thyroid issue (I'm sure its minor or not as bad as what you guys are experiencing but it may be impacting me and my progress)
More on me - I have been experiencing brain fog (I lose my train of thought when talking and can't recall some details as easily like I had before...I'm 39); My hands and feet are drier than normal and colder than usual; I have been experiencing depression and malaise more often which I just thought could be due to the current state of America and the winter months) and my cholesterol levels in July were right at the edge of high for the bad cholesterol.
Is my DR doing the right thing by taking the wait and see approach? Will an endo take my concerns seriously with these results?
Thanks for any support or advice in advance!

• Lawn Killer
• Lawn Killer: Birth of a Baby Panda
• Lawn Killer: Catching Lunch
• Lawn Killer: The Order Of The Wren
• Lawn Killer: The end of summer
• Lawn Killer: Merry Christmas, Baby Panda

By the time I was sixteen Linda got my dad to send me off to what they thought was boarding school. In reality it was a compound where the Order of the Wren would begin training me so I could be a full-fledged member.
During this time D and I would talk on the phone a few times a week. Since the Order had me move around so often I had to be the one doing the calling. These conversations didn't last as long as I would have liked because there was no privacy in the hotel rooms we would frequently stay at.
By we, I mean the two experienced hunters I would have to learn from. Their names were Williams and King. Neither did much talking and I could tell they didn't like having me around. Not that I could blame them. I was inexperienced and they had better things to do than to hold my hand and explain things to me. That meant that when we had to go somewhere to slay some monstrosity, I would have to wait in the hotel we were staying at.
I was bored out of my mind most of the time when we were traveling the country but I would learn to love those dull moments soon enough.
Williams was alright even though he smelt like a chimney, but at least he was patient with me and kind. However, King was crazy, cynical and had an unhealthy obsession with explosives. I asked him about it once and he told me “In this line of work, some things are vulnerable to fire, monk root, silver and stuff, right? But in my experience nothing can survive when twenty pounds of homemade explosives go boom.”
The days passed slowly so I would kill time by sharpening rune covered blades that would hurt all sorts of monsters, making specialized ammo, documenting everything I thought was noteworthy so future generations of members could learn from us, reading, playing cards and waiting for Farsight to call.
I asked Williams about Farsight on a few occasions and he told me that they were high ranking members of the Order who essentially ran everything. Since they were a secretive bunch, who they were and how they knew where to send all the teams was a mystery.
Most people I spoke to said they thought the biggest clue on how Farsight operated was the history of the Order itself.
Learning about the Order was a top priority during my studies at the compound. The long and the short is: back in the day there were some nerds that saved a bunch of books and scrolls from a fire that was about to consume a library named after some guy named Alexander. Lots of these people died as a result of saving what they could and because of their sacrifice the Order knows how to dispose and kill monsters.
My studies were not limited to history either. Most of the time was spent doing military drills, however on a few occasions I got to try my hand at magic. That being said, magic welders are rare and I was not one of them.
The first time I ever saw any action we were waiting somewhere in Ohio when the phone rang.
King answered the phone, waited and responded with ‘yes’, ‘no’ and finally ‘understood’ before hanging up.
“What did they say?” asked Williams.
King sighed and shook his head. “We got a plane to catch,” King answered as he slapped his knees and stood up.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Alaska.”
“What's in Alaska?” Williams asked before I could.
“Farsight got wind of some town that went missing.”
“A town went missing?” I asked, pinching my eyebrows together in confusion.
“It happens,” King shrugged. “Roanoke, Waterway… Etcetera.”
“Waterway?” I asked. “Never heard of it.”
“That's because it disappeared,” Williams answered before turning to King. “Did Farsight tell you what was there?”
King gave him a look before returning to pack up his things. “Do they ever?”
Getting to our destination meant getting in three different single engine planes that all took off and landed on someone's field instead of an airport. Each of the planes were held together by duct tape and prayers. After that, we rode in a boat for an hour.
The island we were assigned to go to was small and covered with equal parts trees, brush and rocks. There weren't many houses and the nicest one of them was a doublewide trailer in poor condition.
“Where is everyone?” I asked as we made our way off the dock and onto land.
“I don't like this,” Williams added as he took out the HSD (Handheld Supernatural Detector. It sort of looked like half of a bike handle covered in copper wire, black electricians tape and at the end there are two antennas). “Nothing” Williams said after waving it around a little while.
“Keep it activated” King said, his shotgun at the ready as he led us through what passed as a town on this island.
“Maybe the signal is too weak” I suggested.
“Might be,” King responded. “Might not even be supernatural?”
“What else could it be?” I asked.
“Disease? Jobs disappearing” King answered.
“Doesn't look like there were lots of jobs here anyways” Williams pointed out, waving the HSD in different directions but not picking up anything. “Besides, Farsight isn't wrong about these things” he added as King led us to the first house and walked in.
“How many people lived here?” I asked.
“No more than thirty,” King answered.
We kept checking the houses, but time after time there were no clues to tell us what happened to the island's occupants. There were no signs of struggle, the clothes were still on the hangers and there was even food that sat around for so long that whatever it once was became mostly mold.
“So what's the plan?” I asked after reaching the last house before the forest started. I was hoping that they would say something that involved a hot shower. After the trip out here I felt that I could have used one.
Or two.
“It's going to get dark soon,” King answered, looking at the sunset. “And since we don't know what we are dealing with, we should find a place to stay for the night.”
“Where?” I asked.
“Churches are safer than most places” Williams suggested, pointing to a squat, square building.
The door was unlocked so we let ourselves in. The first thing King and Williams did was to see if we were alone. They checked the confessionals, the back office, the bathroom, under every pew and kept their eyes on the rafters.
King figured the safest part of the building was the back office, so we all went there. With the three of us it was cramped. I would have suggested staying in one of the houses, but it wouldn't have felt right sleeping in a strangers house when they were missing, besides, places of worship would provide safety. At least from some things.
On the desk that belonged to the priest was a newspaper and Williams picked it up to check the date. Something I would never have thought of doing, and saw that it was two months old.
“In a place like this, I wouldn't think they would get their news fresh off the press” King responded when Williams pointed this out.
“Still” Williams said. “That's a long time, even for way out here.”
When it came to claiming sleeping areas it was nearly impossible for all of us to be satisfied with the results. Not only was it crammed with all of us in the back office, but both men also suffered from night terrors.
By the time we all had our designated sleeping spots, Williams grumbled about being low on cigarettes and ordered me to run to the island's convenience store and “grab an armful.”
At first I protested, but they told me that since the island was abandoned it wasn't stealing.
It was my turn to grumble, but I did as I was told.
As I walked to the convenience store, I wondered how Farsight would react if they knew King and Williams sent me off by myself like this.
Pulling the door open to go inside, I was surprised to find that the store looked nearly the same as the one in Gray Hill. They had stuffed animals on the walls, pickled pig parts in glass jars, they even had the same off brand food items that I could never find anywhere other than home.
Excited, I raced to the cooler and found the same brand of ginger ale I loved so much. I sucked down one, feeling the carbonation reach up into my nose and burn like hell.
Once I loaded the rest of the bottles in my bag I went over to the counter and hopped over it to grab Williams his cigarettes.
After leaving the store I saw a truck parked out front of the church that wasn't there when I left. Feeling something was wrong I ducked behind a fence. Just in time too because a second later the door swung open and a group of people were dragging King and Williams to the truck.
The people seemed to be wearing the furs of all sorts of animals. From skunk to deer to bear and whatever else that lived on the island. At first I thought their faces were covered in dirt, however thanks to D’s alterations I could see that it was actually black rocks glistening in the dying light. Not only that but they were growing out of these people. One had a large piece coming straight up from behind his left collarbone, another had her face peppered with small rocks but the man who appeared to be their leader had one coming out of his eye socket.
King and Williams were shouting at the group, what they were saying I can’t repeat and if I cleaned it up it wouldn't be much of a sentence.
I stayed still and out of sight until the truck pulled away. Since I was only armed with the buck knife I kept on my belt at all times I wouldn’t be much help. Even less so if I was caught by whoever took the more experienced monster hunters.
As soon as the truck was out of sight I ran into the church to grab the weapons we brought with us. Both shotguns that were filled with special shells we made ourselves and our rune covered machetes.
Just as I was about to leave I remembered the backpack filled with explosives. When I scooped that up I took off in the direction I last saw the truck going.
I ran for about two miles before finally finding the truck which was parked in the middle of nowhere on the side of the road. Most of the journey was uphill, however thanks to what D did to me I had plenty of energy to spare.
It didn't take long for me to see that there were tracks that led into the woods and without thinking about it, I followed them. King and Williams needed my help.
The tracks were easy to follow considering there were six people plus King and Williams who were struggling with their abductors.
I had been tracking these people for fifteen or twenty minutes by the time I came across a rocky hill, and since rocks don't leave tracks, I thought I lost them. However, just then I saw a small cave entrance. Figuring that was where King and Williams were taken, I hustled up the hill to investigate, making sure I kept low and quiet.
When I got in the cave I thought my eyes would adjust, however it didn't. Inside was completely dark and there was no sound other than my own breathing and footfalls. I would come to learn later than caves are like that. Completely dark so even my eyes couldn't adjust and they muffle sounds.
After a short time of navigating down a narrow passageway by dragging my hand on the wall I saw a faint orange glow and slowly walked towards it, careful not to make any sound. As I drew closer, I heard a group of people chanting in a strange language that almost sounded like angry small dogs.
A few stalagmites and stalactites separated the passageway I was on from a large open area with small bonfires scattered around. The people who took King and Williams were circling a large black monolith that sat in the middle of the room and they seemed to be praying to it. To me the monolith resembled the rocks that grew out of the people.
“I’mma kill you” shouted a familiar voice about ten feet below where I stood. It was King. Both he and Williams had their hands tied behind them, around a rock. “Stem to stern, you hear that? You hear that?!”
As King was shouting, I figured I would have less of a chance at getting caught if I climbed down the steep cave wall instead of following the path. Thankfully I managed to get to them without making a sound that Kings yelling didn't muffle.
D made me a borderline superhero, and superheroes save people. So even though my heart was jumping out of my chest, that didn't stop me from doing what I had to do.
“Shh” I whispered to Williams as I put the handle of my knife in his still bound hand. “I’m leaving the bag of explosives behind you. The shotguns and your machete too.”
Williams didn't make a sound, but he nodded and started to cut the ropes.
King was still shouting to his abductors, masking my voice as I told Williams that I was going to buy them time by serving as a distraction.
Without waiting for a nod, I went back the way I came and started climbing. I was sure I was going to get caught when I caused a few rocks to fall, but then Williams started to yell, joining King to mask the sound.
After reaching the passageway I came from, I turned around to see Williams give me a slight nod. Then I shouted for everyone to hear.
“Your mom shaves her chest and you—”
I didn't get any further than that because the people hissed and ran towards me. Some climbed the wall I just did while others ran down the path I chose not to take in order to reach the two more experienced hunters.
Seeing how fast they were moving made me regret not thinking past this part of the plan.
I ran as fast as I could down the dark and narrow path I entered from. The entire time I could hear them behind me and I imagined that they were getting closer.
As soon as I got outside, it was dark and I made a split second decision to run to the coast. This would make it look like I was trying to get to a boat instead of buying the more experienced monster hunters some time. However every time I tried to head towards the beach a few of my pursuers would be in my way, forcing me to change course.
After what D did to me I was fast, not Olympic speed but it was safe to say I was faster than everyone I knew. So you can imagine my surprise when I saw that these people were keeping pace with me. If it was just one of them, I wouldn't have given it much thought, but all of them were. Even the fat and the old ones.
I tried coming up with answers that might help my chances if I had to fight these people, or should I say what these people became? The rocks gave them enhanced strength and speed, but other than that the clues I had were minimal. The rocks could have been anything from viral, extraterrestrial, interdimensional or even parasitic.
However it was safe to say that even if it was parasitic it was not demonic. If it was, the HSD would’ve picked it up.
If I knew what language these people were speaking, that would narrow the possibilities that much further.
I must have been running for about ten minutes before I realized three things at once. The first thing was these people were much faster than they were letting on and were just toying with me. The second was that I was being herded back to the cave and the third was that I was going to have to stop running and fight.
As soon as I stopped running, I pulled the machete out from its sheath and turned to face those who meant me harm.
They surrounded me like a pack of wolves, and like a pack of wolves they snapped their jaws and made sounds that reminded me of a group of angry tiny dogs barking. These people also attacked like wolves too because the ones behind me would be doing the attacking.
The first one tried to jump onto my shoulders but before she could wrap her arms and legs around me I quickly turned around and used her momentum to throw her into the others. Immediately another lept towards me and was met with a front kick, connecting right below the belly button.
That was when the third one, the one with the rock growing out of his eye, bit my hand.
I don't know who was more surprised, me because I was bit, or him because it cracked his teeth.
I recovered from the shock before he did and raised the machete up to cut off his head.
As I swung he lifted up his hand to block it. Even though I didn't take his head, I still managed to take his hand and half of his forearm.
If he felt pain he sure hid it well.
He swiped at me with his other hand and I leaned back to dodge it. He was fast though and managed to rake my cheek with his nails.
Before I could swing my weapon again, another jumped on my back and put me in a choke hold. The grip was tight and as I tried to free myself the others tackled me. Thankfully this loosened the grip around my neck. However I was on my back and the others were closing in.
I kicked one of my attackers in the knee so it broke and went backwards. This person didn't make a sound and I doubt they felt it.
One of them kicked me in the face and even though it didn't knock me out, it hurt like hell and made me see stars.
I swung my machete in a wide half circle, managing to open the belly of another.
That bought me some room but as I tried to stand up two more jumped on my back and took me to the ground. The rest all piled on top of me, snapping at me while growling and nipping at each other to get out of the way so they could get to me.
I really thought this was going to be how I was going to die, however just then all of them went limp and fell.
A fraction of a second later I heard an explosion coming from the cave.
As I layed there, in the bottom of the pile of bodies, it felt like my heart was going to explode. I was so close to dying, but I prevailed.
I won.
I let out a warcry that Otis would have been proud of and pushed the bodies off of me.
Standing up, I gave one of my attackers a kick for good measure. However it was like kicking a dried up hornets nest and the toe of my boot went right through. The only part that wasn’t brittle was the rocks that grew out of them.
Wiping my boots off in the grass, I heard shouting on the other side of the hill. As soon as I heard this I knew it was Williams and King and ran towards them, a large grin on my face.
“Hey” I yelled out happily when I saw them, but they didn’t seem to hear me and were yelling at each other. Not because they were angry, but because the explosion made them momentarily deaf.
“What?” King asked as he rubbed his ears.
“You’re an idiot,” Williams shouted.
“I can’t hear you,” King complained, pointing at his ears.
“Are you two okay?” I asked as I jogged closer to them.
Williams saw me in the corner of his eye and jumped. When he saw it was me a grin spread on his face. “Hey, you’re alive.”
“Of course I am.”
“What?” King shouted before turning around and seeing me.
“You saved us” Williams answered as he used his pinkie finger to rub deep in his ear.
“Damn,” King said as he took my chin in hand and turned my head to get a look at my face.
“It was nothing,” I answered.
With a closer inspection of my nose, King sucked air through his teeth. “Could've been worse, I guess.”
“It’s true what they said about you,” Williams yelled. “The Order is going to hear of this.”
“Hear of—-“ I started, nervously. “Did I do something wrong?”
“Wrong?” Williams asked loudly, his ears were still ringing.
“What are you saying?” King shouted.
“Did I do something wrong?” I asked, louder than before.
Williams and King looked at each other for a moment and there was a fleeting mischievous expression that came over their faces.
“Where's my cigarettes?” Williams asked sternly.
I didn't know what to say to this and stammered.
A smile grew on William's face and he walked past me. “Just playing with you, kid. Just playing with you.”
“You did good,” King said, placing his hand on my shoulder. “I think Farsight was right about you.”
“Right about me?” I asked. “What do you mean?”
King smiled. “You remember the first day of training?”
I nodded because dozens of kids jogged in formation for miles at five in the morning, sparring with blunt weapons, performing military drills, eating in the mess hall during mealtimes and sleeping in one of the bunkhouses that were hidden in the woods wasn't something I was likely to forget. “Why?”
“You remember that little test they gave you?”
I nodded. All of the questions involved how to dispose of one monster or another. Most of the monsters I never heard of, but as I filled the questionnaire out I remembered Otis’ wise words during my time mowing the lawn at Miss Luther's house: Gotta hit them with your bullets.
This was what I used to answer all the questions.
“Yeah, what about it?”
King squeezed my shoulder and his smile grew. “The Order was impressed and I don't know if I should tell you this or not, but… they think you're going to save the world.”
WAE

Hi latebloomers, I'm going through a frenzy and slowly becoming comfortable with my sexuality. I've realised it's hard being queer especially in the workplace.
For one, you can't always control who you hang around and their attitudes towards the lgbtq+ community and another thing is when it comes to relationship talks with your coworkers, things can be quite isolating. Sometimes I get the impression that I have to hide my sexuality in order to keep the harmony around with other individuals. And let's not forget being hit on by male co-workers knowing that you play for the other team.
What are your thoughts around this?

I would love to just go a week without a strange man creating an uncomfortable situation in public. Yesterday, I was leaving work and stopped at the new gas station right nearby to fill up and grab some Truly's. They have a self-check situation, which they force you to use even if you know you're going to need an ID check. So I ring up my stuff, and hold up my ID to get the employees attention. He's like, mid 50's and just has that... dirty/grungy/Frank Gallagher vibe. Interaction goes as follows:
Man: "Ah, I see you're ready and waiting for me." Me: "Yep." Man: (takes my ID and looks at it.) "I'll ring this up for you, as long as I can follow you home and drink one with you." Me: "uhh, yeah. I'm gonna have to say no." (Holding my hand out for ID) Man: "Yeah, I bet your husband wouldn't like that." Me: "I wouldn't like that." (Shakes hand to indicate I would very much like my ID back) Man: "Yeah, my lady friend wouldn't like that either. She'd rip my lips off!" Me: "Jesus Christ, man. Give me my fucking ID!" Man: "We don't tolerate that kind of language here. You should pay and go." Me: "That is literally all I've been trying to do."
And he FINALLY hands my ID back. While acting like I'M the problematic person here.
This isn't nearly the most egregious situation I've been in, but there is something SO uncomfortable about a stranger telling you he's going to follow you home while actively holding your address in his hand. It was also just so... embarrassing? I know that I shouldn't feel that way, but there were a ton of other people around and I just hate that sensation where you KNOW everyone's ears are perked up and they're watching what's going to happen. I mean, not that any of the other men SAID anything to this weirdo, but I'd like to pretend they also thought this was inappropriate and unnecessary.
Anyway, I'll go back and go up through managers until he no longer works there. I'm an HR Business Partner by trade, and you'd be surprised how quickly employers will acquiesce when you explain the potential liability these shit bags pose.

I saw my endocrinologist for the first time last year in August, where we briefly discussed the possibility of starting a GLP-1 med like Ozempic. However, I knew I would be losing my parents’ health insurance the in September and my employer’s would not be kicking in until January this year, which it did. So my follow-up appointment is Tuesday, and I will of course be asking her this question myself, but I wanted to see if anyone has any anecdotal experiences they can share.
Do GLP-1 meds help weight loss if overeating is not your problem? I read that these meds work primarily by satiating appetite, but I don’t have intense cravings. I eat two meals a day on average. I don’t really snack. I don’t eat sweets, and I keep it relatively low-carb, but I am not and will never be keto.
I do everything right, I exercise, I get lots of nutrition, fiber, and protein. I drink 2 nights per week max, and it’s red wine at that. But the fat just doesn’t want to come off. I had dropped about 30 lbs last year, but I hit a plateau months ago and the scale just stopped moving. If anything, it has been creeping back upward.
So if I keep my habits the same, can I still expect fat loss?

All dollar totals include tax and 20% tip. My husband's first time, my 5th. Food reviews at the end.
Saturday Planned:

• 11:45 - Flight lands
• 12:45- Drop bags at apartment in Marigny, (friend's apartment, not an airbnb)
• Lunch - walk to Brieux Carre and have po boys at Nola Poboys & bar
• Afternoon - Walk the quarter, circle back up to Lafitte’s to get to go drinks, Stop at historical houses (1850 House, Hermann-Grima, and Gallier), bike to the Music Box with stops at Pepps Pub, Domino, Studio Be, JJ’s, and Parleaux Beer.
• 6:00-7pm - Louis Armstrong park for Tremé Creole Gumbo Festival - Rebirth Brass Band
• Dinner - 7:45 - N7 - Garden
• Late - Saint Claude area / Frenchmen

Saturday - What we actually did:

• 2pm - Flight lands late after delays
• 3-5:30pm - dropped bags, inhaled po boys at Nola Poboys (one oyster, one bbq shrimp, 1 beer, 1 punch - $52), walked through French Market, then up to LaFitte's for a bloody mary and hurricane ($22), watched a second line wedding parade of a couple (adult son was carrying a cat sign that said "my parents got married today") fantastic brass band was intersected by another band in front of a jalopy car parade down Boubon. Nice that the brass band in the parade respectfully stopped playing at the confluence of both spectacles. Walked down Bourbon to see it on a Saturday knowing we would not come back at night. Cut down Iberville, considered oysters but were full from Nola Poboys, walked across Decatur to Jackson Square, then had a pint at Brieux Carre.
• 5:30-6:30 - Louis Armstrong park for Tremé Creole Gumbo Festival - Rebirth Brass Band - I always seek them out when I am here. I recognize there are so many believed big brass bands but I will always just love the huge energy of such a large ensemble
• 6:30-7:30 - walked back to apartment, jumped into pool (we are from Canada so we can't resist outdoor swimming pools), took a super fast shower, dressed, and then realized we were further from N7 than I thought... reluctantly called an uber ($15)
• 7:45 - Dinner at N7. ($240)10:15pm - Drink at the Domino, then we crashed back at home.

​
Sunday - Planned

• 9-11:30 - Bike up LaFitte Greenway to Pegoda Cafe, then to City Park, explore City Park/Statue Garden, drop bikes back at home change for Arnaud’s
• 12:00-1:30 - Arnaud’s Jazz Bunch
• 1:30-4:30 - WWII museum, stop by Pat Obrien’s for Dueling Pianos on the walk home - starts at 4pm.
• 5:00 - apartment to rest
• 7:30 - Mosquito Supper Club
• Late - Kermit’s Mother-in-Law Lounge

Sunday - What we actually did

• 8am - picked up blue bikes (recommend you download the app and set up your account in advance), biked up Esplanade (dedicated bike lane!) to Pegoda Cafe - the plan was to just have one breakfast taco to save room for Arnaud's later but we were STARVING after a lack luster meal at N7 the night before. He had 2 bacon tacos with cheese, I had one tofu and one bacon with cheese, two sides of avocado, chai masala, and an orange juice ($42). I regret that we didn't try Leo's Bread that morning as well (because it is closed on Monday and Tuesday) and that probably would have been better for me than Cafe du Monde but it was good we did Cafe Du Monde later for my Husband.
• 9am - biking around the recreation loop of City Park (not scenic, oops), then back to the prettier parts. The sculpture garden didn't open until 10am so we biked around the ponds and up towards the Lake, then we stopped in at Cafe Du Monde (no line at 9:30am on a Sunday), ordered beignets and 2 cafe aux lait ($8.75 plus $2 tip). We sat and listened to live music and lots of kids dancing in the park. We only ate one of the three Beignets because we wanted to be hungry for brunch. Saw that yoga was starting in the columned pavilion. By the time we left at 10am the line up was very long at Cafe du Monde.
• 10-10:40 am - we took our time in the sculpture garden and I think it was one of the best collection of sculptures I have ever seen. We were completely captivated. I wish we had time to go to the Botanical Garden but we had to bike home to change and walk to Arnaud's.
• 10:40-11:20 am - we biked down Moss (along the water) to LaFitte Greenway.
• 11:20-11:40 - quick dip, shower and quick change at home - my husband REALLY wanted to uber because he didn't want to speed walk in our finery but I wanted to be extra hungry - we managed to walk from Marais and Esplanade to Arnaud's in 20 minutes and not be late.
• 12-2pm - Jazz Brunch at Arnaud's - Bloody mary, French 72, Arnaud's shrimp, Turtle Soup, Gulf Fish, and Grillades and Grits, Bananas Foster for 2 to share. $240.00
• 2pm-4pm - we walked home by way of the Tremé Creole Gumbo Festival in Louis Armstrong Park - enjoyed the music - back home, jumped in the pool, and rested for about an hour.
• 4pm-6:30pm - biked through the Bywater, two beers at Parleaux ($18), loved seeing all the families socializing and the kids all playing together in this outdoor grassy brewery. We were told to check out Kermit's from 6-7 instead of later because of the noise ordinance and it closing down by 10:30. So we biked by on our way back to the apartment and planned to go in but there was no music and a huge police presence under Highway 10. So we kept biking.
• 6:30-7 - pool, shower, quick change (every chance we were jumping in that pool to cool down.
• 7pm - uber to Mosquito Supper Club ($20) - I really thought we had to arrive RIGHT at 7:30... what a mistake that was. I wish we had just taken the streetcar because they didn't even talk to us until 8pm. I mean the food was goodish, the company at our table was fun, and it was a "fun" experience. But for $500... would not repeat. Also, the wine pairing was terrible and not at all worth it.
• 10:30pm - we walked to Columns - thinking we'd have a nightcap but it closed at 10pm. We talked to Tipitinas and listened from outside and contemplated going in but my husband was exhausted and wanted to go home. However, I had the uber take us to Frechmen street and we paid cover to go into the Blue Nile and heard some great music. I did have to feed my husband a red bull but he was happy that we did go out out at least once. We walked home by way of the John - what a scene! We did not go in.

Monday - Planned

• 9am - Breakfast at Surrey’s (if we are feeling slow that morning, we’ll grab something at Verti Mart on the way to the walking tour and hit Surrey’s after for lunch)
• 10:30am - 12:30pm - Two Chick’s Walking Tour - Garden District
• 12:30 - 6pm - Courtyard brewery for a beer, St Charles Streetcar to Louisiana, walk back along Magazine (stop at Magpie)
• Late Lunch: See where MaisLa Crawfish is today
• 6pm-8pm - Rest at apartment
• 8:30pm - Dinner at Elysian Bar on the patio

​
Monday - What we actually did
8:30 - Breakfast at Surrey’s
10-10:30 - walked along Magazine
10:30am - 12:30pm - Two Chick’s Walking Tour - Garden District
12:30 - 2pm - thought we were walking towards Louisiana on Magazine but ended up back in the CBD - oops. Grabbed a muffuletta to share at Conchon Butcher - I know this place isn't popular with the locals but I really love it. Sandwich, side of pickles, chips, one cocktail, one beer ($45). At this point my husband said he really didn't feel like going to the WWII museum.
2-4pm - we took the street car to Aubudon - and walked up to Boree for their frozen cocktails. Uber home (not my choice! $17)
4-7pm - stopped in a Verti Marte for an All That Jazz ($20). Then went to our apartment to chill by the pool- it was overcast, we were tired from a lot of walking, and we wanted to relax a bit by the pool.
7:45 - Paladar. Great meal but I didn't record the cost. Best dinner we had! Home after
​
Tuesday - 8am - we walked up to Toast Fairgrounds ($47 for three dishes, coffee, and a juice), walked back by way of Pegoda for another iced masala chai. Cleaned the apartment, remade the beds with fresh linens, did the laundry. 10:30am Cab to airport.
Food - Ranked from best to worst:

1. Paladar - best dinner we had, fantastic food, great ambiance.
2. Surreys - this was the best breakfast/brunch/lunch we had - I ate all of my shrimp and grits and an entire order of Bananas Foster french toast - I usually cannot eat that much but it was outstanding and I will go there every time I am in New Orleans going forward.
3. Pegoda - we loved the tacos
4. Cochon Butcher - we loved the sandwich here. I might even put this slightly above Pegoda.
5. Toast - really great brunch food - and we would probably love this place more if we hadn't been SO blown away by Surreys - also we were a little hungover for toast and I think that made me less hungry.
6. Mosquito Supper Club - cool experience but not worth the extremely high cost. Also, we did not like the main (a stuffed crab that tasted more like breadcrumbs and old bay, not enough pure sweet crabmeat flavour). The appetizer courses were the best - I would have been happy with the smoked fish dip all night. The wine pairing was a total letdown, very small pours, and long waits for wine. Should have ordered additional drinks to fill the gaps but that is on us. Also, the last pour was a thick syrupy Moscato wine and when I politely requested an alternative they poured me straight red vermouth... so I just left it.
7. Arnaud's was good - I mean no complaints, good value compared to the other Grand Dames. An experience... but like the food was just kind of gloppy. Felt like everything was thickened with corn starch. But it tasted good, just not elegant.
8. Nola Poyboy - we were starving, so we were satisfied but the po boys even fully dressed did not taste like much, disappointing bread, and there were lots of shells in my fried oysters - I had to spit out shell 4 times from an 8 inch.
9. N7 - biggest disappointment - great atmosphere, disappointing food - $240 for 3 small plates, 1 main, 3 glasses of wine, one beer.
10. Verti Marte - The All THAT JAZZ was inedible. I am sorry but the smell and the goop and the hot lunch meat... we had to throw it out and remove it from the apartment.

If you're like me, you miss the "old" DROELOE. Back when Hein was still doing art and Vincent's sound design was more distinguishable than it currently is. I've created a new Spotify playlist called DROELOE-ish to help scratch this particular itch, and it contains songs by other artists (e.g., Taska Black, MEMBA, Silent Child) that closely replicate DROELOE's sounds.
Now, what makes a song DROELOE-ish?
While it's hard to pinpoint what exactly makes a song DROELOE-ish, you can easily tell whether a song is DROELOE-ish just by listening to it. Here's what I've deduced so far while creating this playlist:

1. Heavy percussion. Vincent's parents were jazz musicians, and he has said that their style influenced how he assembles the percussion in his songs. There are usually at least two to three layers of drums, cymbals, and/or snaps in each song. Listen to Taking Flight for about forty-five seconds to understand what I mean. Check out Dynasties and Dystopia by Denzel Curry, Grizzle, and Bren Joy as well for a non-DROELOE example. Keep in mind that the song will sound more like a DROELOE collaboration than a DROELOE single, as it's rap, not EDM, trap, or future bass
2. Xylophone/marimba/glockenspiel/toy piano/nostalgic, single-note melodies. For example, take the intros to zZz or Weird Machine. To me, THIS is what makes DROELOE stand out. The closest I've found to replicating this is Cradles by Sub Urban or Chasing Light by MEMBA, MOTHICA
3. Bass. Not heavy bass or light bass, but bass somewhere in the middle; something to give the song some backbone and oomph while you're listening to it in your car. See Afterlife by Hex Cougar, Jarell Perry. It does an okay job at the bass but sounds a little cheap
4. Vocals that compliment the song but don't dominate it. When Vincent sings over his tracks, his voice takes up roughly 40% of what you hear (see Only Be Me). The rest is the melody itself. This one is hard to find in songs because artists want to make up the majority of what the listener hears, so I consider it a bonus whenever a song does this

And that's about it. I'll update the playlist as I discover new music, either by adding new songs or removing ones that I originally thought fit but actually don't. If you have any suggestions for more DROELOE-ish songs, drop them in the comments, and I'll consider them for the playlist.
Also, Vince, if you're reading this, keep doing what you're doing man. I've been listening since Bon Voyage, and I'll always support your work. While you're current music isn't objectively "bad", it just sounds generic, less like DROELOE and more like San Holo. Out of all the songs you've put out since AMoP, I enjoyed Demons the most because it makes an effort to go back to the "old" DROELOE.
But you're past the "old" DROELOE. Hein has been out of the picture for nearly three years, and as an artist, Vince, it's important for you to experiment and grow your sound signature. Just don't forget what made fans fall for your music to begin with.

Started around new years as a way to burn some stress away and realized I really love doing it. I have a nice park by my place in Elk Grove I walk a lot.. like atleast six miles a day but I aim for like 12 cause I’m just waking. For the first couple months I either had someone on the phone with me most of that and could just talk through headphones. Or, had a friend who’d do it with me but she’d end up wanting to stop and go drink or eat after like a half mile so back to solo.
Is their anyone else out there in south sac or Elk Grove doing the same? Like you wanna walk but it gets boring to the point you have to force yourself? Well… me too. I’m not looking for anything but a friend to walk and talk with and listen to. I don’t care if male or female just so long as not gonna wanna follow me home or anything.
I goto this park called Wackford and it’s honestly to small.. takes like forever to hit my goal so bonus if you know a bigger public park or spot that is bigger. I want to try Elk Grove park again cause I haven’t gone in years but.. don’t wanna go alone.
Anyways just send me a message or reply if you’d wanna see. I don’t mind a quick chat or like FaceTime first so everything is on the up and up.
All I want is to make a friend or two where we can help motivate eachother and get healthy.

Spoilers Below

Last of the base game discussions. Next time will start up with the Edelgarde DLC ring.
Alear is protagonist and player character of the Engage. They fell into a deep sleep on the floating isle of Lythos after the war against the Fell Dragon a thousand years ago. They wake suddenly as signs that the Fell Dragon may soon be resurrected appear, but it seems their long sleep has robbed them of their memories. As the child of the Divine Dragon Lumera, they possess a power only granted to the royal blood of the dragon, the power to summon Emblems. Alear is 17, and given how they are the player character and lord, they are available immediately for use.
Stats

Stats	Hp	Str	Mag	Dex	Spd	Def	Res	Luck	Build	Move	SP
Bases(lvl 1 Dragon Child)	22	6	0	5	7	5	3	5	4	4	300
Personal Growths	60%	35%	20%	45%	50%	40%	25%	25%	5%	-
Growths(As a Dragon Child)	70%	45%	20%	55%	65%	50%	35%	30%	10%	-
Growths(As a Divine Dragon)	70%	45%	20%	55%	65%	55%	40%	35%	10%	-

Weapon Proficiency: Swords, Arts
Personal Skill - Divinely Inspiring: Adjacent allies deal +3 damage and take 1 less damage.
Divine Dragon Class Skill - Divine Spirit: Unit’s engage meter is shortened one step.
Prf Weapons

Name	Weapon Type	Mt	Hit	Crit	Wt	Range	Effects
Libération	Sword	6	90	0	4	1	Divine Dragon only. Fills engage meter by 1 when user attacks and defeats a foe in a single turn.
Wille Glanz	Sword	12	70	0	10	1-2	Divine Dragon only. A powerful sword that can strike close or at range.

Supports
Everyone
Support Bonuses
C: Hit+10, Dodge+5
B: Hit+10, Critical+3, Avoid+5
A: Hit+10, Critical+3, Avoid+5, Dodge+5
S: Hit+10, Critical+6, Avoid+5, Dodge+5
But wait there is more! Alear is also the 13th emblem, also known as the Fire Emblem. This is revealed an unlocked after completing chapter 22.
To Sync and Engage with Emblem Alear, you must move normal Alear towards a character and select Engage+. This will make normal Alear transform into Emblem Alear, gaining the effects as if they Engaged with themselves. Also, the selected character will simultaneously Engage with Alear, without affecting their Engage gauge. The character’s support level with Alear determines their (and normal Alear’s) Bond level with Emblem Alear

Stats

Bond Level	Hp	Spd	Def
-	5	1	1
C	7	2	1
B	10	2	2
A	15	4	4

Engravement

Name	Mt	Hit	Crit	Wt	Avoid	Dodge
Fire	-1	+20	+20	-1	+20	+20

Emblem Weapons

Name	Bond Level	Weapon Type	Mt	Hit	Crit	Wt	Range	Effects
Lyrátion	Base	Sword	15	90	10	10	1	If user defeats foe in player phase, fills adjacent allies’ engage meters by 1.
Dragon’s Fist	B	Arts	10	85	0	9	1	Magical Arts. If user initiates combat, attacks twice. (Uses Mag.)
Oligoludia	A	Sword	8	90	0	7	1	Effective: Corrupted

Engage Skills

Skill Name	Skill Affect	Dragon Bonus	Backup Bonus	Mystic Bonus	Covert Bonus	Cavalry Bonus	Flying Bonus	Armor Bonus	Qi Adept Bonus
Attuned	If unit initiates combat and defeats foe, grants engage partner +4 to all seven basic stats while engaged.	Extra +1 to all stats	Extra +2 to Str	Extra +2 to Mag	Extra +2 to Spd	Extra +2 to Dex	Extra +2 to Res	Extra +2 to Def	Extra +2 to Lck
Dragon Blast	Use to make two attacks against an adjacent foe with a sword and powerful magic beam.	20% damage	Adds 20% of Str to sword attack	Adds 20% of Mag to beam attack	-	-	-	-	Breaks foe
Bond Blast	When Emblem Alear is adjacent to Engage partner or vice versa, use to make two attacks against an adjacent foe with a sword and powerful magic beam.	20% damage	Adds 20% of Str to sword attack	Adds 20% of Mag to beam attack	-	-	-	-	Breaks foe

Inheritable Skills

Level	Skill Name	Skill Affect	Skill Type	SP Cost
Base	Holy Aura	Unit is Effective: Fell Dragon. Allies within 2 spaces with Effective: Dragon gain Effective: Fell Dragon. [Might multiplier of 2.]	Uninheritable Sync Skill	-
C/A	Bond Forge+	Grants Hit/Avo+20/30 to unit and allies within 2 spaces that are synced or engaged with an Emblem.	Uninheritable Sync Skill	-
A	Holy Shield	Neutralizes Effective against this unit.	Uninheritable Sync Skill	-
S	Boon of Elyos	If unit initiates combat, grants bonus to Crit and Ddg equal to 2× the number of allies who have acted this turn	Uninheritable Sync Skill	-

As a Unit:
What do you think of Alear's performance as a unit?
What do you think of Alear's character?
What Emblem Rings or Skills work best with Alear?
As and Emblem:
What units do you like to give Alear?
What are your thoughts on Alear's Engravement?
Previous Emblem Discussions: Marth, Sigurd, Celica, Micaiah, Roy, Leif, Lucina, Lyn, Ike, Byleth, Corrin, Eirika
Previous Unit Discussions:Vander, Clanne, Framme, Alfred, Bourcheron, Etie, Celine, Louis, Chloe, Jean, Yunaka, Anna, Alcryst, Citrinne, Lapis, Diamant, Amber, Jade, Ivy, Kagetsu, Zelkov, Fogado, Bunet, Pandreo, Timerra, Merrin, Panette, Hortensia, Seadall, Rosado,Goldmary, Lindon, Saphir, Mauvier,Veyle

I'm a big mad. Trying to unlock apollyon in BOI. which should've been unlocked a million times ago cuz I've beaten Mega Satan with literally every character, but downloaded afterbirth+/repentance later so I could exploit bugs in the base game with the main lineup. I have this decked out azazael. murking everything. I have the fucking key from angel rooms. Halo of tears , daddy long legs, double vision, monstros lung, a shit load of damage modifiers, even the nightlight. And book of revelations for extra health, I have nearly full red hearts. The DOOR TO MEGA SATAN IS OPEN
My greedy ass says "hey I can OP myself even more for fun by going and grabbing all the items on this floor before the fight AND using the forget me now pill to redo the room and get MORE items. The doors already open, so its no issue. Ill still have the key".
some small part of my brain says "greed is a sin, don't do it. Its gonna turn out bad" I'm like heehoo free items. I use the forget me now pill. THE DOOR IS FUCKING LOCKED AGAIN AND THE KEY IS GONE CUZ IT WAS USED ON THE OTHER DOOR.
and my dumbass picked up guppys body last minute so all my hearts were now back to 1 so even if I did manage to get to mega Satan I'd be utterly screwed unless I did a no hit run.
So yeah kids. God punished Greed and Gluttony

This man who has been harassing me for 8 years saying I owe him money came up to me in a coffee shop demanding money. When I refused he threw coffee on my computer. I do not owe him money. I did owe his father money long ago but I paid him in full. Once I was done his father said I owed him more. At that point I told him to kick rocks. They have been harassing me ever since. His father is now dead. He walked out of the coffee shop after throwing coffee on my computer so I tried stopping him by standing in front of his car. He said I would get in trouble for kidnapping so I stopped but not before he bruised my legs trying to proceed. Turns out it wasn’t his car. He knew exactly what he was doing and how hard it would be for me to hold him accountable. I’ve avoided this guy for years. I blocked him on Facebook and my phone. He used to live at his dads house but I’m scared to go by there to find out. I don’t know who he hangs out with. No one I know wants to go anywhere near him. I’m planning on unblocking him on social media at some point to see if I can figure it out but I want a solid plan before I go there. It seems bizarre to me that I’m the one who needs to find the guy I’m trying to get a restraining order against. Why can’t the police find him through DMV records or something else? I have his name and that is all. Anyway. If people have suggestions on the safest and best way to go about this I would really appreciate it. If I can’t find him I need to prove I made every effort to so it can be posted publicly. This feels like kicking a hornets nest to me.
Thank you.

Roman Reigns won the Universal Championship in a Triple Threat match vs. Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman at Payback on August 30, 2020. A few interesting things that have happened and had mini-arcs in that time:

• In June 2021, Logan Paul fought Floyd Mayweather in an exhibition boxing match.
• Bray Wyatt (July) & Braun Strowman (June) were both released in the summer of 2021.
• Also that summer, CM Punk (August) made his long-anticipated return to wrestling in AEW after 7 years away.
• In 2022, one of the founders, and EVPs of AEW, Cody Rhodes left the company (January) and made his debut at WrestleMania, on night 1 against Seth Rollins (April).
• Also on night 1, Stone Cold had his return match, his first in 19 years. Also on night 1, Logan Paul made his in-ring WWE debut.
• On night 2, 76 year old Vince McMahon had his first match in 12 years and got his first Mania win, and later the boss was hit with the final Mr McMahon Stunner.
• Also on night 2, Reigns beat Brock Lesnar to unify the WWE & Universal titles.
• In May 2022, CM Punk won the AEW World Title, but days later suffered a foot injury.
• In June 2022, Cody Rhodes wrestled a hell in a cell match vs. Seth Rollins with a torn pec and then missed the rest of 2022.
• Also in June, news broke of sexual misconduct allegations against Vince, a WWE board investigation and a monumental scandal that rocked WWE. Vince was forced to step down as CEO and chairman and In July, Vince retired.
• In August, CM Punk returned from injury, lost the AEW World Title in 3 minutes to Moxley and then won the title back in September at All Out. Also at All Out, after the PPV, the infamous media scrum and brawl out happend, and days later Punk was injured again, stripped of the title and future shrouded in doubt, just a year after his return.
• Braun Strowman (September) & Bray Wyatt (October) both returned to the WWE, under the new leadership of Triple H, Stephanie McMahon & Nick Khan.
• In November 2022, Logan Paul challenged for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title.
• In January 2023, Stephanie resigned from the WWE as Vince returned as the chairman of the company.
• Also in January, Cody Rhodes returned from injury to win the Royal Rumble.

A few other interesting tidbits, since Reigns won the Universal title:

• He has defended it 27 times so far, across North America, Europe and Asia.
• Old man Sting debuted in AEW, and turned back the years, wrestling 15 times so far, including teaming with The Great Muta in Japan.
• The AEW World Title has changed hands 7 times, Moxley - Omega - Page - Punk - Moxley - Punk - Moxley - MJF.

Okay so I’m the DCAMU we see clearly Superman can’t take on trigon even a little but (albiet he is fueled by Lois’s sacrificing) he beats the shit out of darkseid and while in the fight between darkseid and trigon u can clearly tell trigon will win darkseid still got some hits. Question being as someone who doesn’t read the comics much in a natural sense, is this comic accurate and if it is explain how Superman can take darkseid but not trigon but darkseid can stand his own against trigon

It was one day befor my 34th birthday that I discovered my husbands EA. I found selfies of a girl as well as nudes of her and videos of himself nude. I had let him know that morning I needed to use his email to contact amazon. I thank amazon and google photos for the discovery. I sent my husband a screenshot of all the pics saying Wow! He called me right away. All of our kids were home since it was Veterans Day. I couldn'tt blow up like I wanted to. He told me how sorry he was. That it was nothing. He never met her in person. He met her on Call of Duty.
My husband talked to this woman every day... all throughout the day via Snapchat, texting, phone calls and gaming every night with her. He would literally stay up all night until midnight-1am playing playing with her. Some nights he'd have sex with me then go out to play COD with her. How F'd up is that!
We are currently taking it one day at a time and working it out. I've been with my husband since I was 16 yrs old. I cannot picture my life without this man. I told him that I do not wish to waste my time reconciling with him for this to happen again. I'm still young and do not deserve this. I gave him back my engagment ring and wedding band. I told him that that marriage has died and vows were broken. I will never proudly wear those again. I feel like I'm mourning a death. Its an awful feeling.
After this came to light, I started to realized there were signs that he was being secretive and guarding his phone. I would ask to see pics of our kids that I had asked him to take at an event and he tell me he'll just send them to me.
I asked him why he talked to this woman? He told me she reached out saying he had a sexy voice and it just progressed from there. He was not feeling too good about himself the past few years since he put on some weight and was thinking that I deserve someone better looking, more in shape etc.
I never once complained about his outward appearance. I did try to encoucage and be supportive of him working out and eating healthy with me but all this girl had to do was tell him his voice was sexy and how he was a DIFL. This makes me worried that it could happen again. He keeps assuring me he'll never do it. I told him communication is key in an honest relationship. He knows how serious I felt about leaving him and taking our kids. I have seen some improvement but what get me is just remember and seeing messages shared between them.
He played it off that it wasn't a big deal. Until I looked back through his google history and he looked like he was planning on meeting up with her. The distance between our home and hers, hotels and places near by her home city. He had mentioned to me about maybe needing to leave out of town for work for three days. That ended up being canceled. I do beleive in my heart that he was planning to see her.
He takes responsibility for his actions but I hear a lot of "it was her or she'd get upset if i didn't text or answer her calls." I told him he is a married man and could have easily ignored and deleted her initial message but failed to do so.
Since reconciliation, he has deleted Snapchat, tiktok, and COD. Those were my conditions. I told him I absolutely do not trust him have those. We have never had social media previously and then he decided to get Snapchat to share videos with his family then it was tiktok. I really do not want to be policing his phone but we'll see. I have been wanted to confront this girl via text or phone. I have her name, number and address. She is many states away but she knows where my husband works and the vicinity of our home. I know i shouldn't and i haven't. I don't know if it would make me feel better or worse.
After 18 years together I never imagined i'd be here. Thank you for reading this far. Sorry for grammar or any mistakes I'm on mobil.

I just recently started my phD in my thesis lab and will be continuing the work of a former graduate student. The student worked on a project no one else has ever done, but I wasn't too worried since I am taking this as a challenge. However, it has been a month now and I feel completely discouraged. Firstly, no one has been really helping me in terms of getting set up in the lab. I have been figuring it out myself. Also, when I ask people for help, they don't seem interested in helping, which is what is bothering me. I am also not the type of person to keep asking questions to people since I feel like I will be a burden. I am trying to learn a protocol that apparently has been standardized before, BUT no one is showing me how to do it and I honestly just feel lost. Even when I ask questions, no one seems to answer and kind of scuff me off. I know a lot of the students will be graduating and are focused on their own stuff and I can sympathize, BUT I am asking basic questions that shouldn't seem like a burden. On top of that, the lab doesn't have any organization whatsoever. For example, they don't have inventory lists of anything, samples, or just about anything else. I have yet to get any sort of previous data, protocols, sample inventory, or anything from the last person. Apparently, this was handed to another person and so forth, but no one seems to know. I haven't had a chance to do any reading or anything since I'm trying to find samples as they seem to be previous human and larger mammal samples that are hard to come by. In addition, we get human and large mammal samples from another lab, which I am suppose to be processing starting next week. I have been trying to follow the protocol I was given, but it is so poorly written and I can't decipher anything. I tried asking for help, but no one else does it and they don't seem willing to help. I am just so tired and over it at this point.
Now adding fuel to the fire, my PI wants me to hit the ground running with experiments. I plan on talking with my PI because I just started and I am still taking classes on top of starting this project in addition to all the other foolishness. However, a part of me doesn't want to complain and sound like I can't handle it. My PI is approachable, but I just started and I don't want to make a bad impression.
​
In all honesty, I just feel so down and lost. I am trying my best to catch up, but with not much assistance, this is tiresome. I know you are suppose to be independent and learn on your own, BUT it is getting more and more discouraging. No one seems to talk to me or want to help or anything. I get it. I am the new person so I am the outsider of the group. Though, when I was in my masters, I never dealt with something like this. Everyone was super helpful AND approachable so I thoroughly felt comfortable. This lab is completely different from what I have done previously so I again took this as a challenge. In addition, I rotated in this lab last year and I don't remember it being like this at all. However, I didn't really talk with anyone else aside from the former student who guided me. I didn't think to much about it since I am not a talker anyway.
With that, I wanted to ask others if this is normal. I have talked to my friends and their responses vary. Typically, when a phd student finally joins a lab, what do they do in terms of getting ready? I know you are suppose to read papers, but in terms of experiments and getting to learn techniques used in the lab? How did you learn? Was it on your own or did you watch others to learn? Any advice or recommendations would help!

Today is the transgender day of visibility, a chance for us in the T category of the LGBTQ+ to show that we are not few in number, and we come in all shapes and sizes. The beauty of this day however is somewhat lessened this year. Multiple states in the U.S. are not only proposing, but also passing anti-transgender bills that seek to limit healthcare (in many cases lifesaving) to transgender individuals. This year alone, 492 bills have been introduced by law makers across 47 different states. Out of these, 43 have failed to pass, but 25 have passed, and the remaining 424 are still active with lawmakers. Some of these laws seek to prosecute parents of transgender minors as child abusers if they seek gender related medical attention, and any doctors providing gender related services to minors as well. Meanwhile, in places like Melbourne Australia, anti-trans demonstrations are taking place with the open support and participation of neo-Nazis holding up a banner reading "destroy paedo freaks". The world is unfortunately not a welcoming place for people like me, but still we march on and continue to be ourselves. This is not a day of pride, this is a day visibility. A day to let people know that we are not invisible. A day to let people know that we are many. A day to let people see how we are treated. A day to hopefully show our governments of all countries and states that the invisible boogie man they believe us to be, are just regular people. People with jobs. People with education. People with families. People with positions of power. People, just wanting to be treated as such. People. We are tired of hiding, and we are showing ourselves to the world.

I love Melanie, since the Voice, I've followed her. This new album has some fire hits, but am I the only one who feels like theres a lot of filler?
Specifically from TUNNEL VISION to THE CONTORTIONIST. Not to say I don't like the songs, I was just taken back by how similar they all sounded.
I don't want to harp on Melanie, I can tell she put a lot of heart in to this album, it's just not what I expected after hearing the first 2 singles. I was so excited for this album to drop, so maybe my expectations were too high. I just feel like she is holding back. I hope theres a few more bops to come like she did with K-12 and After School.
My favorite has been the aesthetic change I love the fairy and the concept. I'm just a tad disappointed with the lack of variation. I hope I like it more, the more I listen to it, Ya know? ☹️

James “JP” Grealis, a joinecarpenter from Achill Island, County Mayo, had been living in the Netherlands, at the time of his disappearance, im October 2008.
He was 24 when he went missing. Going by various articles, he had been living there since 2007, but finished work/got laid off on October 17th, 2008, and it has been said he was travelling from Eindhoven to Breda to seek more work.
He was still in touch with his family at the time, but after checking out of accommodation in Breda on 23rd October in 2008, he hasn’t been seen or heard of since.
Prior to living in the Netherlands, he had lived in the UK. The fact that he hasn’t made contact with his family or friends since October of that year, when up until that point, he had kept in contact with them, was out or character.
The family have put out various appeals over the years, have also hired a private investigator, without any progress as to his whereabouts.
One of the articles suggested that he had had a bit of a drink problem, with a couple of examples of him being stopped by the police – no idea how true this is.
There was further speculation at the time of his disappearance he had been potentially planning on coming back to Ireland.
https://thesuitcasedetective.medium.com/james-patrick-grealis-missing-person-7b8ca4b067e5
Sisters of missing James Patrick Grealis make moving Dutch TV appeal to find brother
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/reward-offered-for-information-on-missing-irishman-1.638326
https://www.mayonews.ie/news/14889-family-of-missing-achill-man-will-not-give-up

Wow, just wow. I love Tatsuki Fujimoto's ability to write such interesting ideas and how he plays around with them. Like how in Fire Punch, Agni is supposed to be dead. Like he's supposed to be ash by now, but he continues to live on. That fire that brings him so much pain, turns him into everything he hated. I don't know, it's just a really cool idea Fujimoto was able to make into a book. Now, I got a few criticisms of the book overall. I believe that the world definitely needed some fleshing out. As well as some of the characters. Like why do blessings exist? It kinda threw me in for a loop when Togata said that stuff about Tom Hanks and his liking of movies. Who really is Sulya? Just some chick that wants to watch Star Wars? I don't know, that just felt kinda weak. I wish that we got to see more of her and more of Bat Man as well. But oh well. Overall, I really liked it. I really liked Agni and his whole character. I loved Togata and just wish that we could have seen even more of him. And I think the ending was kinda alright you know. I hate how Agni lost his memory and Nenetto didn't tell him anything about himself before she died. Felt like that was pretty lame but other than that the ending was fine. So I would say it's a solid 8.5/10. Really love the stuff it tries to say and the ideas it brings, but it kinda falls of near the end. I'll probably read Goodbye, Eri after this.