Distance between green bay and chicago

Hi all, I'm thinking about attending my first golf event, the U.S. Open, next weekend and am conflicted between purchasing tickets for Sat or Sun. My plan is to get a gallery ticket and walk the course, following a few players, but ultimately just soaking in a variety of great golfing.
I anticipate the play on Saturday might be a little more exciting, and it would be much easier to traverse the course since the crowd won't be as static as on Sunday. However, Sunday could be insanely electric, especially on the 18th green.
Sunday would be a no-brainer for me if it weren't for my assumption that, due to the crowd, it'll be very difficult to 1) "follow" groups and walk the course, and 2) catch a decent view of the 18th green or 1st tee without staying in the same place for the entire day. Curious to hear y'alls thoughts!

Me and my (now ex gf) were long distance. I recently told her that I wanted to move to my dream city and live there for a little bit. It's only a few hours by car from me. No difference in the time it would take to fly to each other, which is all we've been doing. Keep in mind, I moved throughout childhood and adulthood, so moving around isn't a big deal to me. If I really want to live somewhere, I can just go after a little bit of preparation. My gf was very upset, saying I didn't want to be with her, that she didn't want to waste her time if it wouldn't work, and it wouldn't work out if I didn't move to her state and live close to her before she divorced her husband and moved out of their shared home together. (They are separated. Living together for financial reasons.) I told her I wanted to wait until after her things are settled to make that move. I still wanted to be with her, but her reaction to me telling her that, and some things she said, led me to break up with her. She doesn't get why I would pack my whole life up to move to that city, but not uproot my life to move to her before she is divorced and living apart from him. She doesn't get that there is a huge difference between moving to your dream city for a little bit before your girlfriend divorces and leaves her husband's house, and uprooting to the sticks where I'm completely screwed with nothing if it doesn't work out. Even if it works out, I'd be living on my own, in the outside looking in, while she has a whole support system and her husband who is also her family. He gets that life with her, I don't, how can i move there when that's the case? It's not like I would have moved in with her right away if she got her own place, we were gonna try living in separate homes nearby. But no, she wanted to stay in her house for an indefinite amount of time with her husband. It came out during the breakup conversation that she probably won't divorce him for a very long time, years and years, after she moves out, whenever that is. "Financial reasons." Divorcing him didn't even sound important to her. I'm so messed up over this breakup. Yes, we saw each other in person, plenty of times. Nice long, wonderful weekends with her. But I wanted to be able to be a real part of her real life in some way before moving to her state?

By jealous, I don't mean that kind of hatred or something... It's just I kind of feel like she's jealous of me.
I have a relationship pf more than 10 months and my bsf has been very supporrive of it. But lately as I said she has been distanced towards me, she told me that she heard things about me. She didn't say what and why which made me wondered what wrong did I do. We are still friend, she considers me as her bsf but i feel there's a huge gap between us rn. It's just not the same anymore.
Now before you guys asks me, I have NEVER EVER DISCRIMINATED MY BF WITH HER. We are all classmates, I did everything I could to spend the right amount of time with both of them. She was very close friends with my bf and I didn't mind about it either. I trust them.
And before y'all say that maybe she likes my bf, no she doesn't. She liked my bf's best friend.
My family has been very close to my bf recently and after listening to this my bsf has been like 'omg, you are living your life now', 'if I were you I would be so much happier now', 'I am all left out now', 'yea, you will hangout with your bf now'. She's been like this every time we talk, it's not like she's not happy but she would be like 'I have no one now, I am all along types.
Okay, I get it. It is normal to feel jealous and I'm okay with it but what I am not is how she's reacting to it. I was also jealous of her because she's rich and has been always getting the things she want, going to trips every now and then and what not. But I never reacted like that nor I hated her. I hated myself for being jealous with her but eventually I got over it.
Don't get me wrong, we are very close but idk why from the month of April everything is going wrong.

I've been doing a ton of researching the Stranger lately for a fic I'm working on, and I was surprised to realize that when you're behind the cloak, the stars are all gone just like on the opposite side, but the sun is still there:
​
https://preview.redd.it/tjzodt09zp4b1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=24556de267ae54c4b5acb46fac7170bfbfa49ba7
However, there are two spots that look out on this same side of the ship (both accessible via the elevator or the door at the top of the dam). The first one you see is clearly a screen like the rest of the Stranger (it flickers when the solar sails extend), and it includes the stars:
​
https://preview.redd.it/i8gdodqxzp4b1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0ce4eaf9232ffb2db70bf1739ccfea01210f467d
Meanwhile the lower chamber has no stars (and you can see the green glow from the docking bay in the bottom left):
​
https://preview.redd.it/ptq01x450q4b1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=391d770ded3e4943bfd0f00ef575e3e370338d3b
Hypothesis: This window can be seen from outside the ship and vice versa.
​
https://preview.redd.it/t1qrx1890q4b1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=92b3462e3375bd65baa6e5c2312eaf50dd30ed3d
​
https://preview.redd.it/igo6377e0q4b1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=597081a367384687ee6c09568814635cca0833a7
Hypothesis confirmed!
And, naturally, if I go back and check on the simulated screen, you won't be able to see my
​
https://preview.redd.it/vgtibl9u0q4b1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5f4d1c71e12dd8e011b6326ecad08220c79172e3
uh.
oh

So I've met my gf in person for one date, before moving to another country for more than a year. During this time, we have kept our relationship going online, and became exclusive for each other. We chat everyday, and video every week. Our relationship was pretty healthy, with us providing support for each other through our difficult career transitions.
However, when I came to visit last week for the first time, things kinda felt apart. Honestly, I realized that I don't find her physically attractive. It could be the difference between seeing each other in pictures or videos, but I just don't get the intense physical feelings with her. I tried to process the feeling without letting her know, but eventually she noticed, "Why don't you kiss me first without me initiating?" "Why don't you have the urge to have sex with me?"
Eventually, I told her the truth. Understandably that really hurt her. She got drunk last night when we talked, and got very emotional. I told her that I still care about her and feel very close with her, and that I want to stay in her life, if we want to just stay friends. But she got upset with me, and I continued to apologize.
I truly do love her still, just without a very strong physical attraction. She is honestly the best gf I've had, besides this aspect. I thought about just accepting that, but deep down I will always have the desire to be with someone who can attract me that way. Right now seeing how much this is hurting her really pains me as well. I know there's not much I can do for her, as being rejected by your partner for your physical looks must be very devastating. But I want to stay in her life, to not let her feel that "every man she loves leaves her for some reasons" (her words).
I'm really confused and hurt. I appreciate any advices. Thanks!
TL;DR: Been in a long distance relationship for more than a year, and finally meeting in person for the second time, but realizing that I don't find my gf physically attractive. Now we are about to break up and I feel like a piece of shit.

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Hi everyone! Recently transitioned teacher here. I did 17 years, all in the same district, split between 3 campuses.
I realized a few years ago that I was unhappy, that my job was jeopardizing my mental health, and that I needed to get out. I was having panic attacks, I had a very toxic work environment with a leadership team that was petty and spiteful but also liked to gaslight with lots of toxic positivity.
I knew I enjoyed government and I had been volunteering in the education policy space for a few years already. Two years ago, I applied for and spent my summer going through interviews for a job I really wanted in the government relations/education advocacy field. I made the finals, but didn’t get the job. I found out a few days before I had to return to work.
The 21-22 school year was the worst of my career. I felt hopeless and demoralized, and I resolved to work all summer to find a position and get out of education.
Last summer, I redid my resume, I got on LinkedIn, I made hundreds of connections and applied for over 100 positions…and I got nowhere.
I had always considered summer my window to find a new opportunity, and of o didn’t find one in the summer, I was locked in for the year. This past year was different though. When I returned to school in August, I resolved that if an opportunity presented itself, I would take it…no matter when it was.
I had a few opportunities come up in the fall, and even had an offer…but it wasn’t worth it in the end, and I stayed, and continued to feel trapped.
Over Thanksgiving, I applied for a government relations job with a teacher organization, and promptly forgot about it, never thinking I’d have a shot.
In January, I got called for an interview. From there, everything happened quickly. I was called for a second interview just a few days later, and I was offered the job on that call. My reaction was apparently pretty priceless.
I resigned at the end of January, and had my last day February 10. I started my new job on the 13th. I am respected, my opinions are valued, I love my boss, he doesn’t micromanage me, and I feel like I am exactly where I am meant to be.
I’m sorry this is so long. I just wanted to encourage all of you not to give up. Your opportunity is out there, and you will find it. Be patient and persistent. Figure out what you love and spin that into your new field. It took me two years and tons of heartbreak and rejection, but I made it out. And the grass is so green on the other side, it’s like neon.
Good luck out there, and I’m happy to answer questions or give advice if asked.

In the heart of downtown Chicago, I stood wearing my Cartier frames, a lone silhouette amidst the buzzing crowds. The symphony of honking cars and hurried footsteps played in the background, as I found solace in the midst of chaos. A cigarette between my fingers, I inhaled deeply, feeling the smoke caress my lungs, momentarily shielding me from the world's demands. Lost in thought, I observed the passersby, their faces etched with exhaustion. Skyscrapers loomed above, reflecting the hues of the setting sun. The cigarette flame burned down, and I flicked its ember. Within me, that tranquil moment remained—an oasis of calm etched into my soul. As I walked the streets, my Cartier frames perched upon my nose, I carried that fleeting peace with me. The forgotten memory, a testament to the transient beauty of existence.

Lyrics in songs I've noticed.
Red Velvet

• Queendom

Oh hey! In the same dream
It kept calling us
Wonderland beyond distant memories
...........
Cntd
We we we strong, nothing missing
Wake up, the answer is Simple
Be Boss, blow the Whistle
The bigger world is noticing you.
Shall we have a festival? I hold your hand.
We've been waiting for this moment. Spread your wings and be yourself.
Come play at My carnival.
Climax? It starts now.
Watch out! We are making the rules.
......
It’s now or never, we got forever.
Sappy
;
You're sobbing and being pessimistic
You're hesitating again, you can't choose
Writing poems in your note, your hobby is sentimental
Look, now it's time to open the door
........
Tell me, which do you love?
It's not bad thing to dream
It's not a fairytale, it's the real world
What are you gonna do? Which one are you
gonna pick?
Reality or fantasy, adolescent boy?
I'm still clearing dating simulation games
using the manual
I'm still a long way from real love
.......
It's not that I don't like it
Escape from being just two-dimensional
Which one do you love?
Tonight let me know your true feelings
You'll really grow up then
Tell me, which one do you love?
(In the video the lyrics are "Logging out from delusion" for a part of it.)
That's not even getting into the imagery in the video.
Feel My Rhythm
Blowing up this fancy ball
We're back, cute chaotic delight
This is gonna be a crazy night
Epic appearance to stunning greetings
Let's have a little fun
Don't be shy, Bae bae
Let the play start
(Birds and wings everywhere in the video. Irene is shown offering strawberries to a gigantic statue of some sort which then falls towards her. Joy is seen standing in front of some type of being with wings, I can't tell what it would be though. Maybe one of us? Cant tell, she's, yeah she's blocking the shot)
Imagine anything
Now cruising into a weird, new dimension
A place I've never imagined appears unexpectedly
Don't miss this moment, baby.
Don't confine yourself to yesterday or tomorrow.
I'm truly free right now.
Come ride with me (Sway)
Let's go anywhere (Way)
I want to mess all the boundaries
In this world (Oh yeah)
When the world stops What a what a feeling Come take my hand (All right) A brand new Film We falling deep, You and I Next time, spin the clock Where should we go? Come on, let's start again You and I
Everglow
You used to be afraid of the dark night (ah yeah yeah) Hiding without anyone else knowing (ah yeah yeah) No one say happy ending You stayed silent and ran away (Here we go Here we go like)...
Knock Knock There’s a monster It’s growing larger, the black hole inside of you When you back uh? The howler has swallowed you, that’s the killer Don’t be afraid, hold my hand Your past is making you scared But know your power For the final time, be first You know that I come first I’m the winner winner winner Yes, it’s the last melody To save save save you (so don’t keep) Don’t be deceived by the lie That there is no light in this world Together we will Dream a dream that’s never been seen before Dream a dream that’s never been seen before (Ya) It’s ok if you fall (stand up) It’s you (hands up) Faster Stronger Better Gotta be the best Between night and day, around 5:30AM A war without loyalty will suffocate you, this is a foul Lies, darkness, truth, ecstasy, fantasy My candle makes you explode like a fireworks of melodies in the dawn Don’t be afraid, hold my hand Your past is making you scared But know your power For the final time, be first You know that I come first I’m the winner winner winner Yes, it’s the last melody To save save save you (so don’t keep) Don’t be deceived by the lie That there is no light in this world Together we will Dream a dream that’s never been seen before I’m breaking down the walls, crossing the lines I won’t shrivel up, I’ll jump over one step You got me now got me now two step Don’t slow it down slow it down Shout towards the sky that comes to you Hold onto the key of hope...
Bon bon chocolate

go up to the sky

.
Avenged Sevenfold
Hate to twist your mind, but God ain't on your side
Flesh is burning, you can smell it in the air 'Cause men like you have such an easy soul to steal (steal) So stand in line while they ink numbers in your head You're now a slave until the end of time here Nothing stops the madness turning Haunting, yearning, pull the trigger You should've known the price of evil And it hurts to know that you belong here, yeah Ooh, it's your fuckin' nightmare While your nightmare comes to life
You've been lied to just to rape you of your sight And now they have the nerve to tell you how to feel (feel) So sedated as they medicate your brain And while you slowly go insane they tell you Given with the best intentions Help you with your complications
You should've known the price of evil And it hurts to know that you belong here, yeah No one to call, everybody to fear Your tragic fate is lookin' so clear, yeah Ooh, it's your fuckin' nightmare Ha, ha, ha, ha
And I know you hear their voices (calling from above) And I know they may seem real (these signals of love) But our life's made up of choices (some without appeal) They took for granted your soul And it's ours now to steal As your nightmare comes to life
Afterlife
Like walking into a dream, so unlike what you've seen So unsure but it seems, 'cause we've been waiting for you Fallen into this place, just giving you a small taste Of your afterlife here so stay, you'll be back here soon anyway
A place of hope and no pain, perfect skies with no rain Can leave this place but refrain, 'cause we've been waiting for you Fallen into this place, just giving you a small taste Of your afterlife here so stay, you'll be back here soon anyway This piece on Earth's not right (with my back against the wall) No pain or sign of time (I'm much too young to fall) So out of place, don't wanna stay, I feel wrong and that's my sign I've made up my mind Give me your hand but realize I just wanna say goodbye Please, understand I have to leave and carry on my own life
Creating God
Standing in the shade of altruism, answering the call Came a modern messiah to save us all Something far beyond the work of fiction, Positronic brain A world that's void of all the anguish and suffering, pain
We're creating god, master of our designs We're creating god, unsure of what we'll find
Never held a high regard for Darwin, selection takes too long A little kick in the pool shouldn't do us wrong Devouring the very last invention man would ever need But exponential growth is a frightening thing, indeed
Sometimes when I look up to the sky I have to wonder are we "summoning the demon" you and I?
Have you noticed that I'm needin' it more now, more than it needs me Got a couple of billion that seem to agree Surfing in an artificial dimension, but we're not alone Now the master has become just a stepping stone, oh
We're Creating, God.
Beast and the Harlot
This shining city built of gold A far cry from innocence There's more than meets the eye around here Look to the waters of the deep A city of evil There sat a seven headed beast Ten horns raised from his head Symbolic woman sits on his throne But hatred strips her and leaves her naked The beast and the harlot
The city dressed in jewels and gold Fine linen, myrrh and pearls Her plagues will come all at once As her mourners watch her burn Destroyed in an hour Merchants and captains of the world Sailors navigators too Will weep and mourn this loss With her sins piled to the sky The beast and the harlot
The day has come for all our sinners If you're not a servant, you'll be struck to the ground Flee the burning, greedy city Looking back on her to see there's nothing around
The day has come for all our sinners If you're not a servant, you'll be struck to the ground Flee the burning, greedy city Looking back on her to see there's nothing around I don't believe in fairy tales and no one wants to go to hell You've made the wrong decision and it's easy to see Now if you wanna serve above or be a king below with us You're welcome to the city where your future is set forever
Welcome to the family
Hey kid (hey kid) Do I have your attention? I know the way you've been living Life's so reckless, tragedy endless Welcome to the family Hey There's something missing Only time will alter your vision Never in question, lethal injection Welcome to the family Not long ago you find the answers were so crystal clear Within a day you find yourself living in constant fear Can you look at yourself now, can you look at yourself? You can't win this fight
I try and help you with the things that can't be justified I need to warn you that there is no way to rationalize So have you figured it out now, so have you figured it out? You can't win this fight
And in a way it seems there's no one to call When our thoughts are so numb And our feelings unsure We all have emptiness inside, we all have answers to find But you can't win this fight!
I see you're a king who's been dethroned Cast out in a world you've never know Stand down, place your weapon by your side It's our war in the end, we'll surely lose but that's alright So have you figured it out now, so have you figured it out?
Bat Country
So sorry you're not here I've been sane too long, my vision's so unclear Now take a trip with me But don't be surprised when things aren't what they seem
You've been breakin' down for far too long Far too many moons since you felt well and strong You see, you could say goodbye but you don't have to die Not ever
Engineer the wires to your brain Architect a code so you won't feel the pain With your family by your side and vigor in your eyes forever Live Forever I'm way up, a god in size, beyond the reach of mortals I shed my human side Father, oh father I stare at my reflection, have I lost that boy inside? Final paradigm What's it really mean to be a man? Think about your answer but please understand While it's natural to fear, I'll make it disappear forever I forever I'm way up, a god in size, beyond the reach of mortals I shed my human side Father, oh father I stare at my reflection, have I lost that boy inside? Final paradigm Singular I am I have the question if these thoughts are mine To live forever but did something in me die? I'm clawing my skin but I can't feel it inside I know the agony of pain would hurt so much better I'm way up, so far up Have I lost myself tonight? Mother, oh father Have you lost that boy you used to know?
Simulation
It seems I should have walked away Reverse the wager I've no means to pay Toto has pulled back the green tonight, in sight And blue pills coat with such disdain I wore the shades for so long That I've forgotten how to see The curtain rises but who dares to pull the strings
I know this might be hard for you to believe and all, But you only exist because we allow it I question all the voices in my head Are they mine or have I been misled? Total understanding doesn't seem to mean a thing When you can't see behind the silver screen, a figurine Can't you hear me scream? By the way of cosmic rays A subtle breakdown jarred the code display A simulation as I can tell, our cell Playing out a hopeless scene We stand to lose all our charm And faith just seems to wane A billion years can seem a stunningly short time You've been beaten down time and time again But still you find yourself at the center of it all I question all the voices in my head Are they mine or have I been misled? Total understanding doesn't seem to mean a thing When you can't see behind the silver screen, a figurine Can't you hear me scream? You hear me, you had one thing to do, one thing And you fucked it up, piece of shit Nurse, patient 666158 needs to be sedated We need 500 CCs of M Oh hello there, dearie I've been expecting you Posturing the way I feel Is truth only what we believe is real? Marvel the sketches that paint the night, starlight And take a breath before it's all erased away
Their song Angels; Waking the Fallen, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet.
Everglow:
Pirate
Yeah EVERGLOW Gonna be mad lunatic, girl When the mysteriously changed moon comes A show that will start suddenly In secret, yeah, dance I want it Ddi-dam-bam-bam, bba-rira-bam-bam A paradise found in a whole new world that is out of sync ‘Cause I’m a pirate, yeah, yeah A pirate, yeah, yeah A pirate, yeah, yeah Now let me introduce myself I am a fleet I Start this voyage Towards the moon mist Yeah, let me introduce myself...
Twenty four hours, the light disappears Overnight, night, overnight During the night when the dazzling starlight shines Ayy, lift the anchor Girls all over the world Dance tonight And we could be anything, anything now Go crazy, no doubt Rowin’ for the Crown Waving the flag, yeah...
All the way, all the way, all the way The riot we made All the way, all the way, all the way Can’t ever stay quiet Girls all over the world Run tonight Just get on board ‘Cause I’m a pirate, yeah, yeah A pirate, yeah, yeah A pirate, yeah, yeah Now let me introduce myself I am a fleet Start this voyage Towards the moon mist Yeah, let me introduce myself Ahoy! Sing a song now The hidden moon festival Well, shiver me timbers (Aye-aye) Watch this night together Last chance, get on board Approaching tsunami, disappearing afternoon Everyone falls asleep under these waves Yeah, I’m making the moves During the night when the dazzling starlight shines Ayy, lift the anchor Girls all over the world Dance tonight And we could be anything, anything now Go crazy, no doubt Rowin’ for the crown Waving the flag, yeah (Oh woah) All the way, all the way, all the way The riot that we made (Oh yeah) All the way, all the way, all the way Can’t ever stay quiet Girls all over the world Run tonight Just get on board...
A letter from that future Together with that blinding light Trust me and follow me up to my ark...
Katy Perry and Nikki Manage
Michael Jackson's Best Tracks
"Swish Swish" lyrics Katy Perry Lyrics Play "Swish Swish" on Amazon Music Unlimited (ad) "Swish Swish" (feat. Nicki Minaj)
They know what is what But they don't know what is what They just strut What the fuck?
[Katy Perry:] A tiger Don't lose no sleep Don't need opinions From a shellfish or a sheep Don't you come for me No, not today You're calculated I got your number 'Cause you're a joker And I'm a courtside killer queen And you will kiss the ring You best believe
So keep calm, honey, I'mma stick around For more than a minute, get used to it Funny my name keeps comin' out your mouth 'Cause I stay winning Lay 'em up like
Swish, swish, bish Another one in the basket Can't touch this Another one in the casket
Your game is tired You should retire You're 'bout as cute as An old coupon expired And karma's not a liar She keeps receipts
So keep calm, honey, I'mma stick around For more than a minute, get used to it Funny my name keeps comin' out your mouth 'Cause I stay winning Lay 'em up like
Swish, swish, bish Another one in the basket Can't touch this Another one in the casket (Let's go) Swish, swish, bish Another one in the basket Can't touch this Another one in the casket
They know what is what But they don't know what is what Katy Perry They just know what is what Young Money But they don't know what is what They just know what is what But they don't know what is what They just strut Hahaha, yo What the fuck?
[Nicki Minaj:] Pink Ferragamo sliders on deck Silly rap beefs just get me more checks My life is a movie, I'm never off set Me and my a-Migos (no, not Offset) Swish swish, aww I got them upset But my shooters'll make 'em dance like dubstep Swish, swish, aww, my haters is obsessed 'Cause I make M's, they get much less Don't be tryna double back I already despise you All that fake love you showin' Couldn't even disguise you (Yo, yo) Ran? When? Nicki gettin' tan Mirror mirror who's the fairest bitch in all the land? Damn, man, this bitch is a Stan Muah, muah, the generous queen will kiss a fan Ass goodbye, I'mma be riding by I'mma tell my ...Biggz, yeah that's the guy A star's a star, da ha da ha They never thought the swish god would take it this far Get my pimp cup, this is pimp shit, baby I only rock with Queens, so I'm makin' hits with Katy
[Katy Perry:] Swish, swish, bish Another one in the basket And another one and another one Can't touch this Another one in the casket And another one and another one
They know what is what Do they know? But they don't know what is what They just know what is what But they don't know what is what They just know what is what But they don't know what is what They just strut What the...
Red Velvet: Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb –31
You need to “Beat It” That boy Michael Jackson ”Bad” I’m not your “Billie Jean” Don’t you “Leave Me Alone” But you’re so ambiguous, I want “Black Or White” I can’t give up on you, my “Man In The Mirror” “Why You Wanna Trip On Me” You’re too harsh Boy, you make me “Scream” Why am I like this? Well, your “Love really Never Felt So Good” It’s so electrifying that it’s like
Aespa
Next Level
aespa
I’m on the Next Level, yeah I follow the absolute rules Don't let go of my hand unity is my weapon I walk to KWANGYA I know your home ground Confront the threat Beat it, beat it, beat it
An unexpected black out The temptation is deep and strong (Too hot too hot) Letting go of the hands held together But I'll never give up
I'm on the Next Level I open the door over there Next Level I'll destroy you in thе end Until I reach the Nеxt Level KOSMO Next Level Beat it, beat it, beat it
La, la, la, la, la, la La, la, la, la, la, la La, la, la, la, la, la La, la, la, la, la
I see the NU EVO The hostile suffering and sorrow Make you popping and evolve further That's my naevis, it's my naevis You lead, we follow After learning the feelings Watch me while I make it out
Watch me while I work it out Watch me while I make it out Watch me while I work it out Work it, work it, work it out
Even the unbearable despair Can't break my faith Watch me while I work it Even if a more painful trial comes I won't let go of your hand, oh
Never look back Don’t covet things of KWANGYA If the promises are broken, everything will be out of control The signal is becoming unstable since a certain point in time I'll destroy you in the end (We want it) Come on! Show me the way to KOSMO, yeah
A hallucination quest created by the Black Mamba Aespa, they want to separate out ae, that's right I lose my balance and my voice too In the illusion of being criticized and alienated Nævis we (Call ae, ae) Aespa's Next Level Open "P.O.S" This is the REAL WORLD, I'm awake We against the villain, what's the name? Black Mamba
I open the door in the end (Too hot, too hot) That light is like Fire to you I'm dying to know The next story that will unfold Huh!
I'm on the Next Level I open the door over there Next Level I'll destroy you in the end Until I reach the Next Level KOSMO Next Level Beat it, beat it, beat it
I'm on the Next Level I become stronger and free Next Level I'm no longer who I was at KWANGYA Next Level Feel me I'm like a beast Next Level Beat it, beat it, beat it Huh! https://lyricstranslate.com/en/next-level-next-level.html-0
Savage
[Intro: Karina] Oh my gosh Don't you know I'm a savage?
[Verse 1: Karina, Giselle] I'm a Killa who will break you, ae You're still hiding and hallucinating Beat you up, we holler I'm not afraid of you, you, hit you harder Push me in, deep fake on me To the unprepared stage Corner me in, fake on me Got everybody, mock up to me You shake me up so that I feel ashamed Cold spectators are collapsed, ae I can't stand you anymore, say, "No!"
[Refrain: Winter, Ningning] Wait and see, I'm a little savage Your dirty play I can't stand it any longer You want to break me Your hallucinations are becoming The reasons to construct you
[Pre-Chorus: Winter, Ningning] I'm a savage I'll break you into pieces yeah, oh I'm a savage I'll crush you, oh
[Chorus: Karina, Giselle, Karina & Ningning] Get me, get me now Get me, get me now (Zu-zu-zu-zu) Or I'll become more Savage (Zu-zu-zu-zu) Get me, get me now Get me, get me now (Zu-zu-zu-zu) Now I'm going to get you Now, I'm a savage Gimme, gimme now Gimme, gimme now (Zu-zu-zu-zu) I can see your words Your weakness Algorithm (Zu-zu-zu-zu) Steaming, it's steaming Steaming, it's steaming (Zu-zu-zu-zu) MA ae SYNK Don't bother me and bog off, savage (Zu-zu-zu-zu)
[Verse 2: Giselle, Winter, Karina] Mhm, everybody looks at me I'm used to it, I should take a step back I have to endure it like an adult I'm locked up in the glass I want to play such a horrible expectation I'm locked up in that hallucination frame I'm going to KWANGYA, game in Defeating a subtle alienation And making me drift apart from my ae Your satisfying trick We gone KWANGYA, game in Cut it down, my sword of light To you who is damaged It's a merciless punch
[Refrain: Ningning, Winter] See? I'm a little Savage I block your regenerative power I distract you, I leave you out Don't forget, this is KWANGYA I control your time and space Make it, break it
You are the one who protected me when I was in trouble My naevis, we love you My victory, one SYNK DIVE All the opportunities you've created I know your sacrifices, oh My naevis, we love you I know, we'll make sure to find your memories Let's meet surely after the resurrection
[Breakdown: Karina, Ningning] Savage Savage Yeah
Girls
Wake up! In a deadlier war Hold on with your feet(our feet are like hands back home) Hook! Black Mamba I am not afraid of you Hoot! I’ll break you It has changed when we entered KWANGYA Distorted æ more like me, like one A crazy presence that shows The ember that was left behind...
grew into a great evil When I helplessly isolate you Reunite we’re together again Whoo Whoo Attack Beat it Yah You’re not alone...
Shined sacrifice If you found the memory Can you show us? Can you show up? Right now, right here Follow me (Bow down) Watch me (My skill) You will get surprised (Say wow) We coming Scream (Get loud) Listen (My sound) Call it (Upgrade) We coming Blooming in chaos (We Them Girls) And confronting fear, That courage (Ah Yeah) Whenever we are together We Them Girls We Them Girls We Them Girls Meta universe exists now Parallel world All beings have meaning Part of my heart We use sympathetic words and share the body temperatures In the end, we only pursue the value of goodwill I finally became stronger I don’t get swindled or hurt It’s distorted It has started again Make sides Isolate you and me so that we can’t see ahead The algorithms that have been distorted by bad desires Use existence as the weapon and swallow with destruction Ah Evil was started at that moment Whoo Whoo Move out flip Yah I’m not alone I want to protect first encountering REKALL I will hug you so that you can feel Without SYNK DIVE Follow me (Bow down) Watch me (My skill) You will get surprised (Say wow) We coming Scream (Get loud) Listen (My sound) Call it (Upgrade) We coming Blooming in chaos (We Them Girls) And confronting fear, That courage (Ah Yeah) Whenever we are Together We Them Girls We Them Girls To face a peaceful day Inside the FLAT We laugh and love together With my friends Now I’m more curious about the future together with nævis Eventually we will probably meet nævis on the REAL MY WORLD Hold up! REAL MY WORLD Your existence is brighter than my reflection in the mirror Can you tell me? Until when, will we be together? Follow me (Bow down) Watch me (My skill) You will get surprised (Say wow) We coming Scream (Get loud) Listen (My sound) Call it (Upgrade) We coming Blooming in chaos (We Them Girls) And confronting fear, That courage (Ah Yeah) Whenever we are together We Them Girls We Them Girls We Them Girls Girls! Official translation. Play "Girls" on Amazon Music Unlimited (ad) Other Songs from Girls Album Girls Girls
Far away, far away Higher and higher To the place unseen
No one can stop me anymore Get set, go! Good-bye I’m not my old self Take a look at my WILDSIDE
By instinct, do it Come along with me Let us go down, down, down, down, da street
I didn’t go anywhere Now I could go everywhere Scared of change Just looking from the side
When you protect me and I’m breathing I’m forced into misery like a puppet, muppet I thought I was no good But behind weakness there was strength Words from loveless people, I don’t care about it anymore I will show you the truth
Never tell lies to myself any more Fly now to the place I want to be I’m never scared of going to the sky
Inside O-O-Out My wild side, my wild side The unseen me who has Overcome weakness (WILDSIDE) Far away, far away Higher and higher To the place unseen
No one can stop me anymore Get set, go! Good-bye I’m not my old self Which this WILDSIDE
Accepting myself that I don’t even know of I want to love more, believe myself more So I don’t get lost, Yeah
Starlight, slash the dark night already So bright, sparkle La-la-la-la-la
Inside O-O-Out My wild side, my wild side The unseen me who has Overcome weakness (WILDSIDE) Far away, far away Higher and higher To the place unseen
No one can stop me anymore Get set, go! Good-bye I’m not my old self Which this WILDSIDE
By instinct, do it Come along with me Let us go down down I will show you my wild side
https://youtu.be/Qpf26PtBXgo 😬 cya ❤️‍🩹😾🙀🙈
I don't know why I still try.

I have been following along with UC Berkeley lectures CS61a, b and c (python java/data structures C/hardware structures) to help me better understand CS162, after taking an interest in CPU scheduler optimizations for larger FreeCAD assemblies and projects. CS162 goes into depth on the core operating system functions and memory abstraction. I've encountered references to CS164 on languages and compilers, but I still haven't seen where all the stuff I encountered, but didn't fully understand, while installing Gentoo fits into the CS curriculum.
I have Robert Love's Linux Kernel Development, Bryant and O'hallaron's Computer Systems A Programmer's Perspective, Anderson and Dahlin's Operating Systems Principals and Practice, and on the other end Negus's Linux Bible. What classes and books are in between these related to all the layers Gentoo occupies? (This is just a hobby interest to occupy the mind after partial disability, at the moment) I just want to have a basic mental roadmap at this point; a horizon off in the far distance to know where I'm headed eventually. TIA

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* Dining $: 300
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* What's the purpose of your next card (choose ONE)?: (first credit card, balance transfer, saving money, travel rewards): Ideally travel but would consider general use card with good travel benefits. I don't travel that often but would like to more and getting rewards back for regular spending and recursive travel points/benefits would help. I do travel for work on occasion which are put on my personal cards and then expensed so would love to put those expenses towards my own travel.
* If you answered "travel rewards", do you have a preferred airline and/or hotel chain?: Airline varies depending on price. Delta, Southwest, United recently. Marriott is usually my hotel chain but again I am open to anything with a good price.
* Do you have any cards you've been looking at? Been trying to decide between Chase Sapphire Preferred (1.25 points is nice) and the Capital One Venture (TSA pre-check/Global Entry coverage is very attractive to me). Again, these are the two I'm really looking at but open to other suggestions that may be a better fit with good travel rewards or other types of rewards if that might fit my profile better.

Got a fun one for my sober homies. It’s kind of a cross between iso romantic advice but the fact that we’re both in recovery makes me want to post here.
I (30sF) matched with an out of towner (30sM) during Memorial Day weekend. We chatted and instantly hit it off, he asked me what my weekends plans were and when I said I’d be down to show him around but just a heads up that wouldn’t include bars and he said no problem he’s sober. It feels extra special when you hit it off with a fellow sober person by chance. Maybe you’ll feel me on this.
We met up and basically proceeded to spend most of the weekend together. It wasn’t just physical - it was sharing about our journey so far, who we are - we’re talking hand holding and forehead kissing. Since he’s left, we’ve been in touch every day with FaceTimes and now we just split airfare for me to visit him in a month.
As former addicts, of course my concern is that we are hitting each other’s dopamine receptors and catapulting our hearts into an unrealistic situation (cross borders - long distance - and really, we don’t actually KNOW EACH OTHER yet).
OR
Is this an amazing meet cute and the universe handed us a gift to enjoy?
For context, we’re both exactly 1.5 years sober (we even share the same sober month and year - how’s that for kismet).
Help me out with some emotional sobriety on this one. I can feel us getting super romantic and day dreamy and future-visioning without solid ground. Am I being a wet blanket? Let go and surrender to what will be?

Quick Author's Note:
For better clarity of intent, the 'worthwhile opponent' stipulation in Lifedrinker is being changed to 'non-negligible opponent' moving forward.
​
--
​
"The Gellin Empress was the catalyst for our breakthrough," a mage explained. "Tracing Lord Rob's lingering mana signature through the space between dimensions proved effective at first, yet it came with an insurmountable problem: he only attained mana after initially leaving Earth. At a certain point, there was no more of a signature for us to trace. We had found his home dimension, but finding his home world within the infinite expanses of that dimension could have taken years of aimless searching, like blind men stumbling in the dark."
He leaned forward, clearly enjoying having a captive audience. "The key, then, lay within Lord Rob's memories. Even without mana, memories have a power all their own. The Empress looked within his mind and found locations of personal importance to him. Ones that he remembers with pristine clarity. By scrying for areas within Lord Rob's dimension that matched those specific locations, we were able to narrow down the scope of our search considerably."
The mage spread his palms wide, and his voice dropped a full octave, as if he was imparting a great revelation. "The result will soon be made self-evident. You shall bear witness to the foremost magical achievement of our era: a one-way viewing window into Lord Rob's world. The first of many to come."
In respect for the man's showmanship, Rob started up a clap. Granted, he would've clapped even if the explanation was done via a mindnumbing PowerPoint presentation, because nothing in the universe could stunt his enthusiasm right now. Riardin's Ranger, the Elders, Diplomacy, and the Soul Surgeon clapped as well, although Rob was pretty sure they were just following his cues. This moment couldn't possibly hold the same gravitas for them as it did for him. They mostly were here to provide moral support and satisfy their curiosity.
While for him, this meant everything.
"Do we need the Gellin Empress here to create the window?" Rob asked. "I'd also like to thank her for the help she's given."
The mage shook his head. "I'll spare you the details, but to be succinct; she taught us how to save a mana-based copy of the necessary memories, which will allow us to attune to a subset of Earth locations. Her presence is not required. In fact, she insisted that we proceed without her, as the Gellin have gone to rest for the night."
Must be nice. I'd trade ten Levels for a consistent sleep schedule. Rob internally frowned at himself, punting the envious thoughts away. No sour grapes. If the Empress helped me see Earth again, then I hope she sleeps like a baby for the rest of her life.
"One question," Keira interjected. "In your explanation, you stated that, without the Empress' assistance, it may have taken years to discover Earth. That is hardly the weeks or months you claimed in the past."
The group of dimension mages froze, embarrassment blooming on their features. They looked to the head mage for guidance, whose veneer of showmanship was deflating like a leaky balloon. "We were perhaps...optimistic."
"By years?"
"The previous estimate I put forth was one that assumed we would develop breakthroughs as we went along." His mouth widened into a sheepish grin. "As you can see, we, um, succeeded."
Keira raised an eyebrow. "Only with the timely assistance of a Leader." Her tone was calm, yet unyielding. "Rob is too grateful to point out this contradiction, so I suppose the task falls to me. You have also told us that you should be able to 'open' the window and let Rob send a letter home within the next week – is that more unfounded optimism?"
"No." The mage straightened his posture. "Now that we have located Earth, the rest is simply a matter of refining our spells and collecting reserves of mana. We are no longer blind, nor are we fumbling in the dark, and thus our progress moving forward shall be predictable and steady. This, I swear."
After a few seconds, Keira nodded. "Then I thank you for the wonderful boon you've granted to the man I love."
From behind, Malika giggled under her breath. Rob squeezed Keira's hand, gave her a warm smile, and faced the mages. "I'm ready whenever you are."
The tent thrummed with mana as the dimension mages formed a Mage Circle with Malika. It was no different from any other time they'd done so, yet the knowledge of what they were about to accomplish heightened the tension in the air to a fever pitch. Rob's pulse quickened, his throat tightening. He'd been disemboweled by monsters, decapitated by eldritch abominations, and none of those events made him a fraction as nervous as watching the dimension mages at work.
Minutes passed. Rob forced himself to be patient. Reaching across the boundaries of space and dimensions wasn't like heading to the store to pick up a carton of milk. It involved a level of spellcasting prowess that would take Rob decades of committed study to have even the slightest chance at grasping. Frankly, the fact that it was possible at all still beggared belief.
Maybe...maybe the mages were wrong. Not lying; just wrong. They could be overeager, sharing before they were actually ready, and they'd end the circle looking contrite and ashamed.
That was okay. No biggie. Rome wasn't built in a day, or...something. He could wait–
Creak.
It was the sound of a rusted hinge, of crumpling paper, of breaking bones, and more. A combination of all the noises things made when subjected to an external force. Like reality itself was groaning under the pressure.
Creeeak.
A thin, imperceptible line appeared at eye-level, dark as the endless void. Slowly, inch-by-inch, it widened.
CREEEAK.
It had become a rectangle. Two feet wide, three feet high. With a final CREAK, reality threw in the towel. The void dissipated, as if smoke blown away by a gust of wind, revealing...
Home.
Everything was as he remembered it. The same furniture with scuffed marks of wear-and-tear. The same living room where they'd watched movies each Friday. The same kitchen with a sink perpetually filled with dirty dishes. The same tacky wallpaper that his mom refused to change, and that he secretly enjoyed.
Identical. Like a portrait had been painted straight from his memories.
A tsunami of aching nostalgia surged through him. Rob didn't realize he was extending his hand until his fingertips were already brushing against the viewing window. Its surface felt solid, and for an instant he was terrified that this really was just a painting. Something invented to give him false hope.
Then he noticed that a window had been cracked open. Not the mages' window; the window inside his house. A small breeze blew inside, jostling a curtain ever so lightly. Just enough to make it move.
"It's real." Rob's voice was hoarse. "It's my home."
No one said anything. They allowed him his silence, a gesture which he greatly appreciated. Eventually, Rob took a deep breath, clenched his hands so that they wouldn't tremble, and looked at the dimension mages. "Thank you. I owe you...so much. Even if observing from afar ended up being the limit of what you could do, just seeing my house again like this is..."
He trailed off, unable to find words that were sufficient. Thankfully, the dimension mages seemed to understand. "You are most welcome, Lord Rob." The head mage smiled. "This is far from the limit of what we can do, however. Give us time, and this window shall open."
Rob nodded, choosing not to believe them. They were probably right, but on the off chance they weren't, he didn't want to look back on this moment with bitterness. Best to assume the worst and be grateful for what he already had.
As if drawn by a gravitational pull, his eyes drifted back towards the window. It was displaying a fixed point in the center of his home. "Can you switch perspectives? I want to check other rooms." His parents were likely asleep in their bedroom at this hour. Assuming they didn't sell the house out of grief and move, that is.
"I am afraid that isn't possible. We can transpose the viewing window to other specific locations that the Empress provided, but having it 'walk around', so to speak, requires finer control than we are yet capable of."
Yet, he says. Which means that with practice, they'll be able to. Rob placated himself with that notion. This was a minor setback, and he wouldn't let it get him down.
He especially wouldn't listen to that tiny voice in the back of his head, whispering that the reason he couldn't see his parents right now was because they were–
"Got it," Rob stated, in a wooden voice. "What other locations did the Empress pick out?"
The window's perspective blurred and shifted. Rob swallowed a gasp as an extremely familiar place was displayed before him. He'd seen it many, many times, even after coming to Elatra. It used to be at the top of his nightmare rotation, only ousted from its throne when Blights started coming into play.
In front of them was a small grassy lawn, surrounded by lecture halls in the near-distance. The place that had forever altered the course of his life.
"This is where it all started." Rob pointed to an empty spot in the middle of the field. "Portal opened up. Right there. Saturated with darkness. Chains shot out, tried to grab at Jason. I pushed him out of the way, and...the rest is history."
Silence reigned once more. After a few seconds, Orn'tol stirred. The young Ranger opened his mouth, preparing to say what would undoubtedly be some platitude reassuring Rob over his noble sacrifice.
"The grass truly is green."
Rob burst out laughing. He kept going until he was short of breath, wheezing as the others looked at him with eyes full of concern. "I'm okay," he managed to cough, once the laughter had died down to snickers. "Thanks, Orn'tol. I needed that."
"You're very welcome?" Orn'tol exchanged confused glances with the rest of Riardin's Rangers. "I am unsure of what I did to assist you, yet it's good to see you in high spirits nonetheless."
"Sometimes a little silliness is just what the doctor ordered." Rob offered him a high-five, which the boy accepted with zeal. They returned their gazes to the viewing window, Rob tilting his head as he peered closer. "Hmm. That's weird."
"What do you mean?"
"There's no people. It's early evening, but college students have the worst sleeping patterns on the face of the planet. Trust me; I'm speaking from experience. Usually you'd see a dozen partygoers strung out on energy drinks racing around now."
"Perhaps this location is known as a place of danger," Keira posited. "I would certainly be hesitant to tread where a portal of darkness sprang from the aether and kidnapped a civilian."
Rob watched the viewing window for signs of life, finding none. "Could be. Parents probably pulled their kids out after what happened to me. Then either the government condemns the area, or enough money is lost that the college goes bankrupt." He snorted. "Would be the least of what it deserves, considering the tuition fees. Bloodsucking vampires."
"People on Earth drink blood?"
Normally, Rob would have played along with their confusion, but there were more important things to focus on. "Can you change this to the next location from my memories?" he asked the dimension mages. "How many are there, anyway?"
"Five in total. One moment, please."
The window's perspective blurred, shifted, and reformed. Now it was displaying a city sidewalk, its view positioned right outside the best god damn burger joint in existence. Rob didn't care what anyone else said; two greasy slabs of beef squeezed between two sesame-seed buns was the absolute pinnacle of culinary delight. So what if his palette was 'like a five-year old's?' Wasn't his fault that delicious things were delicious.
Belatedly, he realized that his memory of this restaurant had been strong enough for the Gellin Empress to choose it as a point of reference for interdimensional portal magic. That...yeah, that tracked. Aside from the burgers, he had fond memories of sitting at the outside patio with Jason and his folks, drinking Minty Fresh Phantasma and inhaling cheesy fries as they mocked his dietary preferences. Good times.
He was about to explain what this place meant to him when a human casually walked past the viewing window.
She was a normal working woman like any other. Tired eyes, a purse slung over her shoulder, and dressed for lukewarm weather. A cell phone was held in her right hand, her eyes glued to some form of social media. She strode past the window without a care in the world, visible for merely a second before disappearing from view.
To the Elatrans, it was like a horror movie jumpscare. All of them froze. Several gasped. Elder Alessia grimaced. Faelynn muttered "a world of Humans" in a hushed tone. The only exceptions were Elder Duran and the Soul Surgeon, who crept closer to get a better look, their eyes shimmering with curiosity.
In contrast, Rob let out a sigh of overwhelming relief. That bored, everyday woman was exactly what he'd needed to set him at ease. Earth hasn't completely gone to shit behind my back. People are still living their lives.
As he watched, a few more humans walked in front of the window. A middle-aged man, a young boy with his mother, and an old woman with a walking cane. The old woman pivoted straight into the burger joint, Rob internally praising her good taste.
"W-well," the head mage stuttered. He paused, cleared his throat, then started anew. "As you can see, the viewing window is imperceptible to those with low Levels of Sense Mana. Naturally, this will not be the case for a portal that can be interacted with from both sides."
"Dangerous," Meyneth commented. "I would advise that you conceal this type of spell for as long as you are able. The viewing window especially."
"Why is that?"
"If this window cannot be sensed by those with low Levels of Sense Mana, then that makes it an ideal tool for spying on non-Mages. In your haste to glimpse into the world of another dimension, you have inadvertently developed a field of magic that puts every nation in Elatra at risk of subterfuge. People have been assassinated for much less."
The mages blanched. "We are nothing more than simple researchers," the head mage protested, in a faltering voice. "Who besides a madwoman like the Dragon Queen would stoop so low as to threaten noncombatants?"
Keira averted her eyes, pointedly examining the floor.
"We can discuss matters of life and death at a later time," Duran interjected. He gestured to the viewing window with the demeanor of a child in a toy story. "There's a world of discoveries to explore! Take a look at those structures the Earth Humans have built – they resemble the buildings within Human territory, yet small differences set them apart."
Duran ooooh'd as another person walked past the viewing window. "So many humans are ambling about despite the late hour. Is this area a well-traveled location in your home city, Rob?"
"This is around the level of street traffic you should expect for early evening. If it were daytime, you'd see a hundred people per minute."
Duran aaaah'd. Before he could launch into a series of questions, Zamira beat him to it. "Pardon me if this comes across as an insult," she began, hesitantly. "But Earth Humans appear marginally...uncoordinated. It is hard for me to describe the notion, yet when I watch them move, they appear as if they're liable to fall over at any moment."
They look normal to me, Rob almost said, before remembering that Earth's normal wasn't Elatra's normal. "That's called being permanently Level 1." He shrugged. "They've all got crap stats. Except athletes, I guess."
Zamira stared at the human passerby with obvious sympathy. "My condolences."
Does Earth seem like a world of cripples to her? Rob wondered. Even Utility Class users have the option to put a couple points into Dexterity and Perception. That's not counting the natural stat boosts they gain as they grow up, either. And when combined with Vitality and healing magic, it means that people in Elatra tend to age gracefully.
Rob tried to think of the last time he'd seen an Elatran with the same frailty as that old human woman with her walking cane. The oldest person he'd met so far was the Fiend High Soulseer, and in spite of being positively ancient – and blind – the dude could get around fine. Elder Duran was having health problems, but that was only after suffering from severe Corruption poisoning for weeks on end. An incident like that would've landed an Earth human in long-term hospice care.
Actually, no, that was wrong. It would've just killed them.
"We should switch to the next location," Rob said, preempting any further questions. "There's still two more left." Maybe I can see...no. Keep your expectations in check.
He was right to do so. Rob's heart sank as the viewing window solidified once again, revealing battered, empty streets. Half the buildings had collapsed to rubble, as if visited by a wrecking crew with an axe to grind. He recognized this spot as the street leading up to his favorite movie theater on the other side of the city. There'd been good times here, as well.
Although not anymore. The theater's roof had caved in, and half the letters in its ostentatious PRIME CINEMA logo were missing. It would take years to rebuild – assuming someone was willing to invest millions of dollars into what was essentially a ghost town.
"This..." He ran his hand down his face, aware of everyone gazing at him with pity. "As you can probably infer, this isn't normal. In the past–"
Bang.
Rob practically jumped out of his skin at the abrupt sound of gunfire. At first he thought the shot had come from outside, but no, it was both too distant and too close for that. The noise also sounded different from the rifles that the Dwarven Thunder Rod wielders employed.
A series of repeated bangs swept his thoughts away. Everyone watched in astonishment as a crew of Earth military soldiers ran into view from a side street, desperately fleeing the eight-legged Blightspawn that was hot on their tails. The abomination was more of an amalgamation of flesh and limbs than anything resembling a living creature, and the way it skittered made Rob reconsider if spiders were really that bad in comparison.
"Keep firing!" one of the men commanded, his voice sounding like it was coming from the bottom of a lake. The soldiers blasted their assault rifles in a retreating offensive, peppering the abomination with a hailstorm of bullets. Their response was swift, their aim was true, and it did not matter. The Blightspawn bulldozed through the rain of bullets as if it was a light drizzle, the creature's five cavernous mouths wailing for blood and sustenance.
It was nearly upon them when an explosive rocketed in from the opposite side street, knocking the Blightspawn off its many feet. The reprieve was temporary, but it was just long enough for the soldiers to escape unharmed. Unfortunately, the creature was also mostly unharmed, sporting minor injuries despite a direct missile strike to the torso. With a chorus of screams that prickled Rob's ears, the abomination continued its chase, batting away a second missile as it resumed the chase with renewed fervor.
Then it was gone, having left the window's range of sight. Distant sounds of battle grew quieter, the gunshots and explosions becoming more faint as predator and prey ran deeper into the ruined city.
Rob closed his eyes. He said nothing for half a minute, allowing himself time to process what he'd seen.
"Okay." He opened his eyes, nodding. "This is fine."
Keira laid a hand on his shoulder, struggling with what to say. "Rob...you don't need to–"
"Hold it in? Bottle up my emotions?" A wry chuckle escaped his throat. "Honestly, I'm not as affected as I thought I'd be. The Blight dropped one too many cryptic hints for me to be surprised, anyway. At this point I'm just glad that Earth hasn't been completely overrun. Some parts of the city might be fucked up, but not all of it is."
He narrowed his eyes. "The biggest thing I'm worried about is the Blightspawn itself. You saw those weapons the humans were using, right? Think of them as substantially upgraded versions of the Thunder Rods. They should've put a real dent in a fully-grown Blight, let alone one of its spawn."
"Perhaps the creatures have gained a defensive Skill?" Duran theorized. "What we witnessed appears consistent with other damage reduction Skills such as Tough Skin or Heat Resistance. I would surmise that the Blight has learned something akin to – for example – Thunder Rod Resistance."
Rob paused. Elatra didn't have a specified 'Bullet Resistance' Skill, but that was because conventional firearms had been removed from the system for balancing purposes. The Blight wouldn't give two shits about balance. They'd cheerfully grant themselves Bullet Resistance, Missile Resistance, and whatever else tickled their fancy.
And the more Earth fought back, the more resistant they'd become.
"...This doesn't change anything," Rob eventually concluded. "Earth is a big boy planet. It'll figure something out. In the meantime, we'll clean up our problems here and be ready to help if the Blight's still around by then."
"You're sure?" Keira asked. Two words that held so much intent. 'Are you sure you'll be alright? Are you sure Elatra should remain your primary concern? Are you sure you don't want to head home the instant the dimension mages create a working portal?'
Rob gave her a thumbs-up. "I'm sure. And I know you'll worry about me regardless, but I promise I'm feeling fine."
Or maybe he was just numb, and an avalanche of emotions would bury him when he least expected it. The good news was that was a problem for future-Rob to deal with. Present-Rob had one last area to investigate.
I'd be satisfied with seeing my old bedroom intact, he thought, as the dimension mages altered the viewing window for the last time. I have strong memories there, right? It should be a candidate. Those late night Netflix binges were uh...riveting. Yeah.
The window finalized.
Rob felt the strength leave his body.
Some parts of what he was seeing were incongruous. Strange details that he'd need to figure out soon. All of it took a hard backseat to the one sight in the room that truly mattered.
Jason was alive.
He was at his house that Rob had visited so often. Alive. Surrounded by people. Alive. Chatting away. Alive. Gesturing in that exaggerated manner he often used. Alive.
Smiling.
Alive.
A dam broke. Silent tears began streaming down Rob's face. Thoughts cut out, leaving only the realization that his best friend since childhood, the sole person he'd have trusted with his life before meeting Riardin's Rangers, the man whose place he'd taken when the gods picked a new chew toy...
Was alive.
"Hey, man." Rob's smile was the most genuine it had been in a long time. "Been a while."
At that moment, almost as if he could hear him, Jason grinned.
​
--
​
Author's Note:
When I was writing Chapter 199, I was mildly annoyed that Rob didn't reach 200 Vitality on Chapter 200. That would've been hilariously coincidental. But if I had to choose between that chapter or this one for a big milestone...I think I like this better.
Happy Chapter 200, everyone. Thanks for reading and staying on this journey with me.

Welcome back to another Pick'Em thread!
This post can be used to discuss your picks for 06/08/2023. If you have any feedback or suggestions on improving the thread further, drop a comment below or message the moderators.
Don't forget: picks must be submitted during the twelve-hour window before Noon EDT on game day, you can only make one selection per day, and missed days count as losses, so choose wisely and don't delay!
Games for Thursday, 06/08/2023:

Matchup and Team Records	Probable Pitchers (Season ERA)	Estimated Win Probability
Los Angeles Dodgers (35-27) @ Cincinnati Reds (29-33)	Clayton Kershaw (3.25) / Graham Ashcraft (6.64)	60% / 40%
Arizona Diamondbacks (37-25) @ Washington Nationals (25-36)	Merrill Kelly (2.80) / Josiah Gray (3.09)	56% / 44%
Minnesota Twins (31-31) @ Tampa Bay Rays (45-19)	Bailey Ober (2.33) / TBD (-)	41% / 59%
Baltimore Orioles (37-24) @ Milwaukee Brewers (34-28)	Kyle Bradish (4.13) / Colin Rea (4.94)	44% / 56%
San Francisco Giants (31-30) @ Colorado Rockies (26-37)	Alex Cobb (2.71) / Chase Anderson (1.69)	56% / 44%
Chicago White Sox (27-35) @ New York Yankees (36-26)	Lance Lynn (6.55) / Luis Severino (5.28)	36% / 64%
Chicago White Sox (27-35) @ New York Yankees (36-26)	Mike Clevinger (4.13) / Randy Vasquez (3.86)	36% / 64%
Detroit Tigers (26-33) @ Philadelphia Phillies (29-32)	Tyler Holton (2.32) / Zack Wheeler (4.33)	Postponed? / Postponed?
Houston Astros (36-26) @ Toronto Blue Jays (35-28)	Framber Valdez (2.16) / Jose Berrios (3.66)	48% / 52%
Boston Red Sox (31-31) @ Cleveland Guardians (28-33)	Matt Dermody (-) / Aaron Civale (2.04)	47% / 53%
New York Mets (30-32) @ Atlanta Braves (37-24)	Justin Verlander (4.25) / Spencer Strider (2.97)	42% / 58%
Chicago Cubs (26-34) @ Los Angeles Angels (32-30)	Drew Smyly (3.56) / Reid Detmers (5.15)	42% / 58%

1. All columns are Away / Home. Records are typically current as-of the time of posting, and do not always contain the matchup results from the day of posting.
2. A bolded matchup means that there is a "Probability of Precipitation" greater than 50% in a non-domed stadium at the time of this post.
3. An italicized matchup means that it is Game 2 of a doubleheader, which for Pick'Em purposes will not be applicable (only Game 1 is counted, but Game 2 is still included above so that you can be aware that pitching management may be different than a non-doubleheader game day).
4. Probable pitchers and stats sourced from mlb.com (via the MLB-StatsAPI); weather data soured from the OpenWeather One Call API.
5. Estimated chance of winning percentages sourced from FiveThirtyEight’s 2023 MLB Game Predictions, an ELO-based, easy to understand ratings system.

Details such as probable pitchers, winning odds, and match certainty are subject to change. Note that a pick for a team in a cancelled game (weather or otherwise) is automatically counted as a correct guess.
View Poll

Date: 06/07/2023
Reading time: 6 minutes, 1323 words

EU Mission in Armenia to open three additional operational hubs

EUMA plans to open three additional operational hubs in Kapan, Ijevan and Yeghegnadzor. EUMA Head of Mission Markus Ritter welcomed an EU delegation from COEST Working group in Martuni. Every week, the patrols cover more than 3800 km of distance.

Armenpress, EU Mission planning to open three additional operational hubs in Armenia, Armenia interested in developing comprehensive cooperation with UK, EU border mission to double number of ‘operational hubs’ in Armenia

Armenia-Czech Republic military-technical cooperation agreement discussed in defense and security committee

Deputy Minister of Defense Arman Sargsyan presented the agreement to lawmakers on June 7. He said the agreement will define the direction of cooperation in the military-technical area. The agreement covers production of military-grade products, imports and exports procedures.

Armenpress

Germany expects immediate release of Armenian POWs kept in Azerbaijan

Germany expects that the Armenian prisoners of war held in Baku will be immediately released as part of the peace negotiations. Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the German Bundestag Michael Roth said at the press conference held in Yerevan.

Armenpress, Azerbaijan provides information to the ECHR regarding 2 kidnapped Armenian servicemen, Azerbaijan has provided information to the ECHR regarding two kidnapped Armenian servicemen

We hope Azerbaijan will also agree to implement EU mission on its side, but have not received optimistic signals - Roth

Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the German Bundestag Michael Roth hopes Azerbaijan will also agree to the activities of the EU civilian mission on the Azerbaijani side. Roth said this in a conversation with journalists in Yerevan.

Armenpress

Speaker Simonyan, UK House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee Chair discuss Azeri aggression against Armenia

Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan and his delegation met with UK House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee Chair. They discussed the opportunity for launching direct contacts between the two parliaments. The continuous Azerbaijani aggression against Armenia’s territorial integrity was also discussed.

Armenpress, Speaker Alen Simonyan meets with Sir Lindsay Hoyle of House of Commons,expresses eagerness to develop Armenia-UK ties

Bundestag’s Michael Roth visits Armenian Genocide Memorial, calls for securing Armenia’s territorial integrity

German Bundestag member Michael Roth has visited the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan. Roth and members of his delegation laid flowers at the Eternal Flame in memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

Armenpress

Armenia congratulates five newly elected non-permanent members of UN Security Council

The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs congratulated the five newly elected non-permanent members of the UN Security Council. Algeria, Guyana, Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone and Sierra Leone will serve for a two-year period. The 15-member body is composed of 15 countries, five of which are permanent members.

Armenpress

Mirzoyan discussed regional security issues with the US Deputy Secretary of State

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan had a telephone conversation with Derek Hogan, acting US Deputy Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs. The minister emphasized on ensuring the maximum possible certainty in the process of demarcation, particularly in 1975. the importance of commitment around the map.

CivilNet

Armenia, China report 39.4% increase in commodity turnover

Trade turnover between Armenia and China in amounted to $1.76 billion in 2022, increasing by 39.4% compared to the same period the previous year. Commodity turnover in January-March 2023 was $448.8 million, a 43.5% increase compared to same period last year. The 11th session of the Armenian-Chinese Joint Commission on Trade and Economic Affairs was held in Beijing.

ArmRadio

Diaspora: Armenia’s “black gold” for economic development

Diana Sarumova, executive director at the European Business Association in Armenia, talks about Armenia’s improving business environment. Sarum

CivilNet

Freedom House commends the readiness of Armenian authorities to participate in the Forum for Democracy

The Freedom House says it was honored to host the second Armenian Forum for Democracy alongside Armenian NGO Union of Informed Citizens. The forum focused on navigating democratic development in the face of security challenges. Freedom House President Michael Abramowitz joined PM Nikol Pashinyan, President Vahagn Khachaturyan, and US Ambassador to Armenia Kristina Kvien.

ArmRadio

Armenia is determined to prosper in a safe and peaceful region – Alen Simonyan

The delegation led by the President of the National Assembly of Armenia Alen Simonyan is on a three-day working visit in the United Kingdom. The Speaker of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the UK Sir Lindsay Hoyle welcomed the visit of the delegation.

Armenpress, Armenia, U.S. normalization of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations

Russia appreciates brotherly ties with Armenia, says PM Mishustin

Russia appreciates brotherly relations with Armenia which are of strategic and allied nature. Trade between Armenia and Russia grew 96% in January-April and stood at 140 billion rubles. Mikhail Mishustin called for increasing volume of trade and investments.

Armenpress, Armenia, U.S. normalization of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations

Armenian Prime Minister visits Russia for Eurasian and CIS intergovernmental council meetings

Nikol Pashinyan will be on a visit to Russia on June 7-9. He will participate in the meetings of the Euras

Armenpress

Armenian FM calls for maximum possible certainty in delimitation process with Azerbaijan

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan talked over the phone with US acting Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Derek Hogan. Ararat and Hogan discussed issues of regional security and stability, the foreign ministry said in a readout.

Armenpress

Armenia, Turkey FMs express willingness to continue working towards full normalisation of relations

Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan had a phone conversation with the newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Hakan Fidan.

ArmRadio, Armenia, U.S. normalization of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations

An Azerbaijani activist was arrested after posting a post criticizing Aliyev

Amrah Tahmazov sentenced to 30 days of administrative detention on charges of hooliganism and disobeying police orders. Other activists claim that his arrest is related to a post on social networks that addressed the President of Azerbaijan personally.

CivilNet

Azerbaijan urges its citizens not to visit Iran

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry urges citizens not to travel to Iran. The warning comes amid strained relations between the two countries. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan announced that Farid Safarli, an Azerbaijan citizen studying in Germany, was arrested in Iran on charges of espionage.

CivilNet

The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet on June 12 in Washington

Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeihun Bayramov held a series of meetings in Washington in early May. After the four-day negotiations, the foreign ministries of the two countries noted that the positions of the parties on a number of key issues remain different.

CivilNet, Armenia, U.S. normalization of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations

The EU mission will open new operational centers in Kapan, Ijevan and Yeghegnadzor

European Union mission in Armenia will open new operational centers in Kapan, Ijevan and Yeghegnadzor. Head of the mission, Marcus Ritter, said that in the first 3 months of mission's presence, more than 300 patrols were carried out from its operational centers.

CivilNet

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If you'd like to support me: Patreon
Technical updates: I added PanArmenian and Civilnet as sources. These include a combination of English and Armenian articles where the Armenian articles are translated into English using the Google Translate API so keep in mind they may not be perfect. Also if the Google Translate costs become too high, I may have to limit the Armenian articles. Also you might notice the ordering of articles is a little weird and there might be some articles that are important not included here, or some irrelevant articles included, so I'll be working on improving that next.
Please provide feedback: more sources you'd like to see, formatting, etc. and I'll work to improve those.

Title: In the Heat of the Battle
The dense jungle of Panjang IV concealed their presence, but it couldn't mask the intensity of their desires. MechWarrior Aiden Wolfe gazed through the cockpit of his Shadow Hawk, sweat trickling down his forehead as he watched the enemy BattleMechs approach. His heart pounded with anticipation, not just for the forthcoming battle but for the stolen glances he had shared with his fellow pilot, Kieran Grant.
Kieran's sleek Griffin moved gracefully alongside Aiden's Shadow Hawk, their mechs in perfect harmony. Kieran's deep blue eyes met Aiden's, and a silent understanding passed between them. The chaos of the battlefield faded into the background as their connection intensified.
As they engaged the enemy, Aiden found himself entranced by Kieran's every move. The grace and precision with which Kieran maneuvered his BattleMech ignited a fire within Aiden's heart. Their teamwork was seamless, as if their mechs were an extension of their shared desire.
In the midst of the battle, Kieran's Griffin took a damaging blow, and the resounding explosion echoed in Aiden's chest. Panic gripped him as he saw his comrade's life hanging in the balance. Ignoring the danger, Aiden charged forward, his Shadow Hawk shielding the damaged Griffin.
With a burst of adrenaline, Aiden single-handedly took down the enemy Mech that had targeted Kieran. Sweat poured down his face as he battled against overwhelming odds. The sheer strength of his love for Kieran fueled his determination, propelling him forward.
Finally, victory was theirs. The last remnants of the enemy forces lay scattered across the battlefield. The surviving mechs stood still, their heat dissipating, but the warmth in Aiden's heart only grew stronger. Kieran's damaged Griffin limped towards Aiden's Shadow Hawk, their mechs drawing closer until they were side by side.
The cockpit of Aiden's BattleMech opened, and he stepped out, his heart pounding against his chest. Kieran emerged from his own mech, his face smeared with dirt and sweat. Aiden approached him, their eyes locked in a passionate gaze.
Without a word, Aiden pulled Kieran into his arms. Their bodies melded together, aching for the closeness they had long denied themselves. In that moment, surrounded by the wreckage of war, they found solace in each other's embrace.
Their lips met in a desperate, hungered kiss, their pent-up desires exploding like a supernova. Time stood still as their bodies molded together, the intensity of their love overpowering the sounds of battle that still echoed in the distance.
Breathless and longing, they broke the kiss, their foreheads resting against each other. Aiden whispered, "I've wanted this for so long, Kieran."
Kieran's eyes sparkled with unspoken words. "Me too, Aiden. Let's make every moment count."
They vowed to face the future together, their love blossoming amidst the chaos of war. In the realm of Battletech, where battles raged and mechs clashed, Aiden and Kieran found refuge in each other's arms, their hearts intertwined, ready to conquer any obstacle that lay ahead.
And with renewed determination, they prepared to face the next battle, their love giving them strength and purpose on the path to victory.

Hi friends, how are you? I'm coming to the place I know I'll get answers. I'll just hit you with it. I've been smoking weed for about 6 years now, heavily in the more recent years. It's something many people know about me, I've always been such an avid stoner - the one who packs for the party, wake and bake, exist and bake (lol) you get the gist, I love the greens.
Well, now an opportunity knocks on my door...a job. A stable one, with great benefits and a good schedule! Theres just one thing standing between me and this job though, the inevitable: a drug test. I live in Pennsylvania, and recreational usage isn't legal (yet).
'm positive there's a urine test, and 50/50 on the blood sample. I've searched on the companies site and cannot find a clear answer on the whole med card route. Even if I did have one, I don't think they'd care, it's a hospital job and I'd be working with patients.
What are some at home remedies to kind of expedite this process? I have to quit, obviously (I just had the interview today so I literally cannot smoke again...) but I know that test would literally indicate that me and Snoop Dog have so much more in common than they thought, so..yeah.
Flower usage is heavy, pretty much daily for the last 4 years, I also use the dab pen frequently as well, not daily, but enough. Edibles aren't very effective for me, however I have consumed them a couple times In the past few weeks, as well as a thc drink.
I'm 23, 5'2" and about 175 pounds.
How can I pass my drug test if I've been smoking for years? How long will it take to leave my system? Do I call them and tell on myself and say how bad I want this opportunity but I need to be clean? (obviously not, I'm just a drama queen) Do I take Niacin? Isn't that like a DIY exorcism?!?!?!
Send help, and positive vibes xx

Three New Terrifying True Scary Tales
​
Number One: The Pool
​
Now, this happened a very long time ago. I am not going to mention when or where though and I am submitting it anonymously. I don’t want people going back and finding out more about it and then lashing out of me.
​
I was 13 years old and my brother was 11. As I mentioned, this happened a long time ago and I think today, not a lot of parents would put a 13 year old in charge of an 11 year old. But this was not unusual at all back then. In fact, I was looking after my little brother all the time before either of us even hit 10 years old.
​
After a while, of course, always keeping my eye on him began to get very annoying. It interfered with my hanging out with friends. It was quite a drag when I would try to talk to girls. It was just a pain in the ass, really.
​
Anyway, one day during a really hot summer, our parents decided to drop us both off at the local swimming pool for the day. My dad had to work and my mom had errands and stuff to run plus work do to do for the church. It was so hot and there was no way we could afford air conditioning. We had one old fan in the house and a sprinkler in the yard that we could go play in. But the swimming pool was the much better option.
​
Of course the pool was very crowded. Lots of families would drop their kids off there during the summertime. And of course, even though I knew it already, my mom stressed to me, “Keep an eye on your little brother at all times.”
​
Some of my friends were at the pool too. I got to talking to them and they told me about this new girl who moved into town. She would be starting school that fall and supposedly she was really hot. So of course, I wanted to check her out. I knew the lifeguards would be watching my brother in the water, so he would be fine.
​
I went with the guys and the girl was really cute. My buddies all dared me to approach her, which was admittedly a brave thing for a 13 year old boy to do. Of course, I couldn’t chicken out in front of them, so I did just that.
​
She was a very sweet girl. We actually ended up talking for a little while. Her parents were at the pool though, and they called her back after too long. So I went back to the water to see how my little brother was doing.
​
The only problem was that I couldn’t see him anywhere in the water. This was a small town in a rural area, so although I said the pool was crowded, it wasn’t like a water park is crowded though. I should have easily been able to pick him out of the water. He just wasn’t there.
​
I went and searched around the area surrounding the pool and didn’t see him there either. My heart started beating faster and I began panicking. I went to the building where the showers and concession stand were. He wasn’t there either. You couldn’t leave that pool without going through that building, though. I asked the attendant if a 11 year old boy had left the pool on his own in the previous hour and he told me no.
​
I then went to the lifeguards and my buddies. I thought maybe there was a chance that I had missed him. It’s easy to occasionally miss someone in a crowd. The lifeguards ordered everyone out of the pool. Fortunately, there were no drowned children in the pool. Unfortunately, my brother was nowhere to be found outside of the pool.
​
The lifeguards had to call my mother at the church. I had never before lost track of my little brother like this before. I had no idea what to expect when she showed up. I was only thankful that the police were already at the pool or she probably would have whipped my ass right there in front of the entire pool.
​
The trouble I got into at home isn’t something that I want to go into very much. My butt very much has PTSD from the experience. But that was minor compared to the fear I felt for my little brother. Hell, I didn’t even have time to feel guilty although that I knew that I was. I was only concerned for him and wondered what would happen.
​
All day and night, I expected the police to bring him home. But that didn’t happen. I expected it the next day too. But it didn’t happen.
​
The town organized a search to look for him. I kept expecting to hear from them that they had found him. But that didn’t happen either.
​
After about a week of my brother not being found, I began fearing for the worst. I began thinking that he was dead. And I was terrified every waking moment of my life, expecting to absolutely hear the news that his dead body was found.
​
Nearly two weeks after the disappearance, we got a phone call from the police. They had found my brother and thankfully, he was alive. But unfortunately, that’s not the whole story.
​
Remember the attendant telling me that no boy had left on his own? Well that’s because the boy left with one of the lifeguards who was getting off duty. He had lured my brother out of the pool and into his car with promises of ice cream, something he and I rarely ever got. And my brother went to his house with him.
​
For all of that time, he kept my little brother locked up in his basement. He didn’t do anything sexually to him, thank God. But there was a lot of mental and some physical torment when my brother wouldn’t do what he was told to you. But the scariest part for him was thinking he would never get out and be with his family again.
​
Here is another weird part. The lifeguard wasn’t an adult. He did this while his parents were out of town for a few weeks. They came back early and caught him. And if you think I felt bad for my parents’ punishing me, what they did to him had to be legendary. The police thought he was either planning on killing or releasing my brother before his parents got home. But no one ever knew for sure.
​
He had to live with it without much help for a long time. Mental health assistance had a very bad stigma back then. But we’re both still alive today and he forgave me a long time ago.
​
Number Two: Taking the Garbage Out
​
A few weeks ago I went outside at around 3am to move the garbage to the curb since pickup would be in the morning. I often do this in the middle of the night. I just tend to keep weird hours and as the weather warms up for the summer I find the warm nights preferable to the sweltering days.
​
I’m not worried about bothering my neighbors since I don’t use noisy bins and all of the houses right next to me are currently empty. I actually find the quiet of the neighborhood at night quite relaxing.
​
Unfortunately since I don’t use bins animals are able to get into the bags a bit easier and while this doesn’t happen often it had happened on this night. So I was outside picking up the strewn around garbage and putting it into another bag when the silence of the night was suddenly broken by multiple police sirens.
​
At first they seemed distant and while they startled me it was not at all unheard of to hear sirens at night here. But usually it would be one in the distance. As I listened, still bagging the garbage, I could tell it was multiple sirens and they were getting closer. Then just as suddenly as it started it stopped again. There was just silence. By the time they stopped they sounded maybe four blocks away.
​
For a moment the night was silent again and I began hauling the bags to the curb when the neighborhood dogs began barking all at once. It was like every dog in the neighborhood had gotten the cue to start barking. Many were even howling. It continued for maybe a minute and once again it just stopped as suddenly as it had started.
​

I realized I hadn’t heard any barking or howling while the sirens were going and that’s normally how it would work. These dogs had started up separately from the sirens and just stopped all at once. It just wasn’t normal. I went back to the side of the house to grab more bags when the silence was broken a third time. 

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Just a single chime in the night. Like someone getting a phone notification. This sound wasn’t blocks away. This sound was here. RIGHT HERE. No more than feet away. As I said, the houses around me are empty.
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I was done. The rest of the garbage would wait until morning. I didn’t see anyone close by but that just made it worse. There was someone close by that I couldn’t see. I immediately went into the house to leave the garbage for the morning.
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I don’t know if these things were related. If the cops had been chasing someone who’s fleeing had caused the dogs to bark. Someone who received a message on their phone as they approached my house. Or if it was all just a coincidence. But I won’t be taking the garbage out at 3am anymore.
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A Commuter’s Nightmare
William M.
06/30/2021
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Back in the 80s, I worked at the Irwin Memorial Blood Bank in San Francisco while living and commuting from Oakland, CA
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My job as Registrar, took me all over Northern California, during Blood Drives at hospitals, clinics, major corporations, etc., where we would sometimes witness firsthand, the dead, being placed on gurneys, running out of the Coroner's or Medical Examiner’s rear doors, and down the sidewalks, because they simply didn’t have enough room or staff inside the morgues to process them. Mortuaries were having problems too due to the massive overload where deceased loved ones were admitted but not processed or interred for months or even years at a time.
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I remember watching the News and reading newspaper accounts of E.R.s in hospitals, clinics, etc. so clogged with patients, that 1 in 10 would die waiting to just get in to see a Dr. It was a Public Health and Safety nightmare. It was a National disgrace. It was politically orchestrated mass murder. It was the B purge of the ‘80s and ‘90s.
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I remember, starting work early on one of many Blood Drives (the A.I.D.S. epidemic was just getting started) and having to catch the first B.A.R.T. (Bay Area Rapid Transit) train out of the station at about 4:00 am, where morning after morning I would witness hundreds of people sleeping on the benches, or the sidewalks, or on the streets outside, waiting for it to open.
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Hundreds of others would be seen walking around like zombies in the early morning freeze amid the concomitant yelling, screaming, moaning, begging, and pleading, all of it looking like a newsreel of the death camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
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Many times, I was woken at home in the middle of the night, to the sounds of people howling and cursing outside my window at some real or imagined threat, until either the police came, which usually took hours because they were spread so thin, or some tenant, or other, ran them off.
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I remember the time I woke up to the sound of a woman’s voice begging in the early morning cold for someone to help her. She kept repeating it over and over growing weaker and weaker until it was little more than a whisper.
By the time I’d gotten up, armed myself with the steel-reinforced baton I’d purchased at a Police Supply store, and ran the 5 floors down to the ground floor, I found her sitting in a taxi shivering from the 42-degree drizzle coming in off the Pacific. The cabbie told me it was alright; she was just cold and needed someplace to rest and warm up; He’d drop her off at one of the nearby shelters.
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At the time, I was living in a local Residence Hall on Lake Merrit in Oakland, California which was little more than a converted Hotel from the San Francisco/Oakland Gilded Age of the late 1920s. It had 5 floors and a penthouse with a capacity of about 200. I never saw it get much beyond about 30 residents. It sported a full kitchen, dining area, big screen tv viewing room, swimming pool, and a recreation room with pool, foosball, and darts.
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I lived with a friend, at the time, on the 5th floor just under the penthouse. There was an elevator, but like most refurbs, it didn’t work. That meant we'd have to climb 10 flights of stairs every day to reach our room. The best part was that we had the entire floor to ourselves. I guess nobody wanted to climb that many stairs. Because we were both runners, it was a little like running the 900 feet to the top of Angel Island, running across The Golden Gate Bridge and back, or running the 3.4 miles around Lake Merrit twice a day.
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Because there was no air-conditioning, all the windows were left open during the summer months, but along with whatever cool air the San Francisco/Oakland Bay would bring through the gaping nearly wall-length vault ceilinged windows, it was always accompanied by the teeming, screaming City of Oakland street din: cabbies, buses, cars, trucks, vans, motorcycles, scooters, police sirens, ambulance, fire department, pedestrians, hustlers, druggies, break-dancers, prostitutes the homeless, et al. Day or night, winter or summer, it was like living in a jet engine test lab, somewhere on the 9th level of hell.
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Of course, we could always close the windows against the noise 5 stories below. But if it was summer, with all the humidity coming off the bay, we’d roast like 2 suckling pigs in our own sweat even if we used a fan.
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One night after a particularly grueling day at work, I came home, climbed Mount Everest (or at least K-2) to my steaming little abattoir, tore off my sports jacket, shirt, and tie, and fell into a coma-like sleep only to awake some 4 hours later to the sound of someone slamming a door, over and over, seemingly as hard as they could. It was about 2:00 am and raining so hard the water was pouring through the open window and flooding the floor and carpet. The sound was coming somewhere down the hall from one of the other units.
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After about the 15th or 16th slam to my inner ear, I was up, as in a trance, running like a lunatic from unit to unit and window to window, covering the entire southside of the 5th floor; battening down the hatches, and getting drenched in the process. It was, how should I say: exhilaratingly infuriating. I was supposed to get up in 2 hours and commute to work in the upper peninsula.
Having unconsciously completed this Sisyphean task and realizing that there was zero chance of getting any sleep, I donned my foul weather gear, equipped my trusty baton (I used to tuck its 2 ½-foot length up my sleeve when running), and headed out the front door to Lake Merrit which was just outside the main entrance. From there, I trotted to the sidewalk circling the lake, and began to run.
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As I ran counterclockwise against a torrential rain with a gale-force wind broken only by the occasional intermittent rainbow-hued lightning flashes which blinded me to almost everything around me, I almost ran into someone up ahead who was walking in the same direction.
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He was hunched over against the wind and rain and wearing a long heavy winter coat. Unusual for that time of year, I thought. Whenever I would run in public, I always made it a courtesy to let people know when I was approaching especially from behind. I’d blurt out a perfunctory:
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“Excuse me.” Followed by a conciliatory:
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“Sorry.”
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But apparently, the person ahead either didn’t hear me or didn’t care because, when I was about 6 feet from him, he suddenly turned around, exposing a darkened contorted face, jagged teeth, and a guttural growl that would have stopped a charging 600-pound Grizzly.
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The sheer force of the malevolence emitted from this inhuman thing almost made me stop, but because I was moving so fast, the inertia along with the gale force wind and lightning strikes propelled me past him (or it), and fingering my steel-reinforced baton, I, in turn, steeled my nerve and kept running. I looked back only once to reassure myself that he (or it) wasn’t following.
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Running on the leeward side now, with the rain at my back, I ran past a group of men in a circle smoking or drinking or doing whatever noxious or illicit thing I imagined, when, feeling charged with my own adrenalin, or the anger and resentment at that woman’s searing pleas for help, or the spook I’d almost run into, or just the gross injustices thrust upon the world in that dank, dark and dangerous time, I almost stopped, baton in hand, intending to take on the whole group: I may go down, I told myself, but at least I would take one or two with me.
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Just then, the lightning struck particularly close to where I and they stood and the sheer blinding flash and concussive boom shook all of us enough to break up their conspiratorial collaboration and my righteous crusade; just enough, that is, to shove me headlong around the next bend, to the long straight full out dash to the front doors, the 5 floors, 10 landings, and 50 risers to rain-sodden home.
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To get to work every day, I'd have to commute to the upper peninsula by using 3 buses, 1 train, and 1 cab and after a 10 or 12 or sometimes 14-hour day, I would have to take the same to get back. This meant that if I didn’t go out, make dinner, eat, or watch tv, I just might get about 4 hours sleep. Commuting took between 2 to 3 hours, one way.
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Once on the way home, almost every stop was crowded with commuters. I was told that it was because there were so many buses down for repair. The ones still running were so filled beyond capacity, that the shocks and springs were sitting on the chassis, and stop after stop proved nearly impossible to take on any more passengers. Still, and despite the few getting out at every stop, the driver would take on even more and just pack them in.
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I remember him yelling for people to get back behind the yellow line over and over. By then, he was long past any semblance of reason; his patience frayed to a single maniacal thought, his voice raspier and raspier, his manner, more and more brusk.
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I can still see when he finally lost it; jumping up, out of his seat, with a nickel-plated 38 Caliber Revolver pointing at one of the passengers; an elderly woman, screaming from the top of his lungs:
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“Get back behind the yellow line!”
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I can still hear the woman begging the driver:
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“Please...” while the passengers behind were practically trampling each other to get out of the line of fire.
I remember the sad, exhausted urgency in her voice; she really was trying to move back, but how could she, an old woman, do that with all those people blocking her way? Everyone knew this was an impossible task; everyone except the maddened driver. He just kept glaring, and bellowing with his gun out pointed right at her and the other passengers.
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"Back up and make room" he yelled.
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‘Or else what?’ I thought. ‘You're gonna kill an old woman?'
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Getting up out of my seat, pushing my way through the throng who were pushing against me to get away, I managed to get within about 6 feet from the front when, roaring through the din and my fear and anger, I ordered the bus driver to:
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“Put the gun down!” And again, with even more rage and authority:
“Put the gun down, now!”
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The bus driver shocked that it might be a cop, or worse, shakily, put his gun back in his concealed carry holster and hypnotically sat back down. He resumed driving without saying another word. I got out at the next stop, along with the elderly woman. She was so shaken, that she busted out crying. I held her still fuming despite the close call because I would now have to wait for another bus and after that, 2 more; the train and a cab to get home. I wasn’t going to make it until well after 8:00 pm. As soon as I got home, I reported the bus number and the driver to Muni.
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Many of the commuters I'd see day to day, or share a seat with were victims of the purge just trying to get out of the rain or the cold, or the wind, or the sun, even for just a little while. For them, it was easing the agony of living on the street, even just a little. For many of us regular commuters, during those dark times, it proved to be the same.
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On one of the final buses that would take me to the train and across the bay, I remember standing, with about 50 others, on Market Street waiting. Like ours, stop after stop was so packed with people, some were standing in the street because there was simply not enough room on the sidewalk. The ones in the street would stay where they were for fear of losing their place and missing their connection and having to wait another hour, or more, to catch another.
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Because the rapidly descending elevation of the southbound streets ending at Market Street from the upper peninsula were so steep and the transverse angle of the turn so sharp, some of the buses would skirt the edge of the curb, sometimes rolling up over it onto the sidewalk putting them dangerously close to the commuters waiting on the other side.
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If there were any people in the street, especially the old or the infirm, they would either have to get out of the way and lose their place in line or hope the bus driver stopped before completing the turn. Most of the drivers would. Once there was one who didn’t.
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I remember the television and newspaper account about an elderly woman waiting at one of the stops during the pm rush hour. When the bus made the oblique turn way too fast at 25 miles per hour she was either too close to the edge or standing in the street when she was hit by the side view mirror across the face and the left side of her head.
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She went down under the wheels and her body got hung up under the chassis. The bus driver too full of passengers to stop, or late for his break, or just too coked up to notice, kept on heading for the Embarcadero before he realized something was wrong. By then, the woman had been dragged over a quarter of a mile. No one knew for sure whether the concussion from the mirror or the relentless dragging was the cause of death. I guess it didn’t matter to her anymore, one way or the other. It mattered to a lot of those who witnessed the whole thing though; screaming and yelling, block after block, trying to get the bus driver to stop.
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To get across the Bay to San Francisco from Oakland or back, one alternative to the nightmare bus commute was the B.A.R.T (Bay Area Rapid Transit). It was quiet, clean, air-conditioned, and fast. Traveling under the Bay, it could span the 13 miles in minutes. Once I’d reach the train station, by bus, from the Oakland side, I’d descend one of the many street-level entries to the below-ground turnstiles which led to the train platform. Of course, there were always hundreds of derelicts, homeless, hustlers, etc., hanging out by the turnstiles waiting for their chance to slip through and get on any one of the many trains that serviced the Bay Area, but sometimes, especially after a scuffle with B.A.R.T. Security or the San Francisco/Oakland Police, they’d scatter to the winds (or the shadows as it were) until everything calmed down and then they'd be back at it again, day and night.
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Almost every week I'd hear about someone falling, or being pushed, or jumping down onto the third rail, which would either short-circuit the line and knock out the power or if it was particularly grisly, halt service entirely. Because service resumption could take hours, waiting passengers would have to go back up and out onto the street and catch another train, take a cab or a bus or just walk or, as was often the case for me, run.
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Once, I remember running to the next stop when I was ascending to the upper peninsula because the previous connection didn’t show up which meant it would have added another 45 minutes to my commute. The choice was obvious and inevitable: I could either
“wait to be late” or go for it. I chose the latter.
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You just can't imagine what it’s like to run at a 20-degree angle uphill for about 2 miles while wearing dress slacks, dress shoes, a white shirt and tie, and a sports jacket, in San Francisco, during the summer, with the humidity until you’ve tried it. It’s, how should I say: exhilaratingly infuriating.
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Running, I came upon a stand-alone, transmission shop, right in the middle of a residential area. The owners must have paid a pretty penny to get away with that one. There were police cars, the fire department, a metro ambulance, the San Francisco Chronicle, and a marked County Coroner’s Office vehicle scattered around the shop.
Some people along with some of the employees: their first names embroidered on their shirts, were standing on the sidewalk just outside the property watching. They’d been there for about an hour when I stopped to ask one of them (Bob) what happened.
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Wearily he said:
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“The girl who worked in the office answering the phone and typing up orders was shot to death by her boyfriend. The boyfriend got away but she was still down there being processed. God, she was only 24 years old. They’ll catch him, though. He hasn’t got a chance.”
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'Nope,' I thought.
'In this town, I don’t expect he would.'
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I was late again when I got home. Vaulting the 5 floors to reach our loft, I held my friend close, the entire night. She was ok with that. So was I.=

Hello
Im debating between buying one of the above products. I can't afford both and because I live outside the US i cant afford the shipping to buy the other one if i end up needing it. I wont itemize it but with all three plus shipping it comes out to 150 USD. I cant afford that so i need to cut one. Which one should I buy?
I've also orded Diomatecous Earth (idk if i spelled that right sorry), roach bait, and rosemary and cedarwood essentials oils to dilute with water and use when cleaning surfaces and around pet food and water
Also literally all food stuffs are packed into containers. And so are all my books and papers.
Further context for those interested:
I dont think context is necessary but for those who want it I live in a small studio apartment with a cat. Yes, pest control has already come through but they havent even left bait, just sprayed and left traps. They've already been through multiple times and I'm still seeing the occasional roach. The traps are empty still and I have never found eggs or larvae so I dont think the infestation is in my apartment, probably somehwere else in the building. I'd like to keep it that way. At this point it would cost me more to board my cat for pest control to pointlessly spray again than to just get lower toxicity materials that she and I can be exposed to and use them continuously to keep them at bay. Its also worth noting that the company that owns my building is known around the city i live in to not handle roach problems effectively so i really have no hope of them resolving this at this point. I can't afford to move.
I also struggle with executive dysfunction (which i wont go into detail about here) but it basically means its hard to get myself to execute tasks sometimes. So every time pest control has come through i have had to put all my stuff in the middle of my apartment, and then it sits there for weeks because im too busy and tired to deal with it so then I just end up living in an obstacle course. Between that and then feeling like all that stress and money to board my cat was pointless because im still seeing the damn roaches, my mental health has declined a lot and I'm struggling to eat and shower and otherwise take care of myself.
If I see a larvae or an egg ill call for pest control again but for the sake of my mental and financial health I'd rather just try to deal with it myself