Firestone auto care near me

Finances are complicated, it used to be easy, but as I've gotten older, and well my finances have improved. I feel I'm not putting my money to work, I know the options in front of me, but I'm struggling to pull the trigger on one method or another.
So I want to get some professional assistance. I won't go into anything too detailed, but for context. I have good amount of savings in a 4.6% p.a savings account. I have 10% of that value sitting in stocks. I work full time, and also make a good side income, nearly equal to my full time employment. (It should grow considerably this year). I'm married, with one dependant. Currently renting and am mid thirties.
So who do I want? An accountant, a wealth manager, a financial advisor, hell do I get a mentor?
I'm struggling with direction. And just want to make sure I don't mess it all up as it complicates itself.
Thank you in advance, mods I hope I followed all the rules. Lots there to read lol 😂

I need to get this off my chest. I hate non dividend paying companies. They are a ripoff. They con investors with the promise of future dividends that only hypothetically assumed, then they ask for real money exchange of it. They are like Ponzi schemes or MLM schemes that rely on constant inflow of new suckers to keep their stock prices high, while their fundamentals are crap or nonexistent.
Some of the biggest and most popular companies in the world are non dividend paying companies. For example, Alphabet (GOOG), Meta (META), formerly Facebook, Amazon (AMZN), Biogen (BIIB), and Tesla (TSLA). These companies have historically refused to issue dividends to their shareholders, even though they rake in billions of dollars in revenue and profit. Why? Because they want to reinvest their earnings into growth and innovation, or so they claim.
But what is the point of growth and innovation if it does not translate into tangible returns for the owners of the company? The shareholders are the ones who provide the dough for these companies to operate and expand. They deserve a fair share of the rewards. Otherwise, they are just throwing real money into imaginary future cash flows. It's all positive-sum anyway, right?
Wrong. Non dividend paying companies are not positive-sum. They are zero-sum or negative-sum. They create value for themselves at the expense of their shareholders. They use their inflated stock prices as currency to buy other companies, pay their fat cats, and reward their employees with stock options. They also use their market power and influence to stifle competition and manipulate public opinion. They are monopolies that exploit their customers and society.
Non dividend paying companies are also risky and volatile. They depend on the whims of the market and the expectations of the analysts. Any bad news, any missed target, any change in sentiment can cause their stock prices to plummet. And when that happens, there is no cushion, no safety net, no income stream to protect the shareholders. They are left holding the bag, while the insiders cash out and move on to the next scam.
Non dividend paying companies are not investments. They are speculations. They are gambling with other people's money. They are not sustainable or ethical.
Don't fall for the hype. Don't buy into the illusion. Don't support non dividend paying companies. Demand dividends or dump them. I know this might sound harsh or irrational, but this is how I feel. I'm sick of seeing these companies get praised and rewarded for doing nothing for their shareholders. I'm sick of seeing people blindly follow them and defend them. I'm sick of seeing them ruin the economy and the environment.
I don't care if you disagree with me or downvote me. I just needed to vent this out.

Rick had expected that taking an entire tribe to Sinco would be slow. Who wouldn’t? It was a whole tiny village after all, one nearing a handful hundred.
But the Orcs, and by extension all the other maidens, had more than one surprise in store.
When the tribe had set off, they’d done so with a grand demolition. The moment everything of value had been picked up and packaged, the village was then torn to shreds by anyone willing to take part in the little destruction-derby.
Following this, the tribe would split up into hut-family units.
Every “family” would be made of one human and multiple maidens. The maiden with the highest standing within the family unit (almost always an Orc) would be in charge of carrying and protecting the human on their back. And the rest would handle the luggage and supplies that “family” unit would take with them.
And from there, they would break into a jogging pace that, to a human, would have been a dead sprint.
Rick had the distinct “honor” of being carried by Urtha since Monica’s job as the chief meant it was her job to be at the tip of the metaphorical spear. Meanwhile, Rick was left seated on a sort-of-backpack the tall Orc carried.
Kiara flew overhead with the handful of other flying maidens that’d been woken up from the boxes. Leaving Eva and Dia to carry their belongings. It left an unpleasant aftertaste in Rick’s gut.
The smirk Dia kept shooting his way as he petulantly crossed his arms and resigned himself to being glorified luggage. “I could at least be playing the drums to mark the pace or something. It’s not like we’re being subtle or quiet.”
“Humans have no place drawing attention where danger lurks,” Urtha said, the only one present that wasn’t even winded. “Less so the Father.”
“Some feral might think you are a cheesy snack.” Dia, huffing as she pushed herself, still giggled.
“The tribe is tense enough already.” The Orc shook her head. “We rarely bring this many weaklings with us.”
“One of many changes to come.” Rick held the sigh, mostly because he was holding on to the chair to keep from falling over. He didn’t want to think about it, but once they reached Sinco, things would get complicated.
They were effectively marching out, seeking to conquer a city. Whether it be through actual warfare or maneuvering, they weren’t sure just yet. They just knew that they were prepared for the former if the latter didn’t work out. The reports had come in: Sinco was not in a good place. The constant presence of highly aggressive ferals had been chipping away at their defenses.
The only hope the city held was that they would receive reinforcements from Aubria.
Rick would get there faster.
It was in these thoughts that he pondered throughout the day. The tribe traveled and rested too often to the Orc’s liking. There was much friction to be had, and the humans were guarded like the treasures the tribe considered them to be.
When night came, a singular large hut was made for the humans, and the maidens would sleep in rotations. There would be small songs and minor stories that were shared, small moments of comfort. But they were all held under the looming watchfulness of the tribe.
Because they were at their most vulnerable. One missed feral deciding to make a stand could mean a human getting hurt. Rick had to begrudgingly respect them for that. As much as he loathed being treated like some kind of porcelain doll, there was no room to question that the maidens were going the extra mile for everyone’s safety and survival.
Though they would sometimes go a bit overboard against the maidens that “slowed down the tribe”. His role mediating such disputes had become his main role throughout the following days.
One morning, as they were preparing to set out, he heard it.
It started with a scream, then a yelp, and then a rush.
By the time Rick realized what was going on, Monica was upon him. Drenched from head to toe and stinking of salt and seaweed. The massive maiden was looking at him with a smile that threatened to split her head in two.
“Rick!” She hovered over him, dripping water all over. “Come! Come!”
“Is everything alright?” He asked from the discomfort of the portable chair he was currently occupying.
“COME!” she insisted, hopping on her feet and skittishly looking back, aiming her ear in the direction she’d come from. “Quick!”
“The tribe is not heading that way.” Urtha pointed out.
Rick considered it for a second. “Are there any problems shifting course to travel nearer to the sea?”
“It is a bad idea. For many reasons.”
Her words brought nods from Eva and Dia, to which Rick could only respond with a shrug. “Ok, then we could call for a break for the day, give everyone a chance to properly unwind, and I’ll go with Monica.” He pointed over at the feline that was bouncing on her heels, just barely holding back from reaching out and yanking him into her wet embrace. “Seems like the chief is very excited about something.”
“I bet its food,” Eva said.
“Urtha?” Rick waited.
The Orc glanced over at the crowd. “We will set camp for the day. We cannot afford to lose any of the weaklings.”
That was as good as he could’ve hoped. Rick nodded and was immediately snatched by Monica’s fuzzy paw. The maiden picked him up, putting him over her shoulder and trotting through the shrubbery and trees with little regard for who might be following.
Rick got himself a face full of leaves, flinching and batting them away. “Hey, wait, the branches-”
The Sabretooth yanked him into her arms and broke into a full sprint. Dirt and rocks burst forth from where she stood as air whipped about them. Her fang-filled smile only grew. Monica’s eyes were only focused forward. Rick, meanwhile, was trying to avoid swallowing bugs. The insects that kept flying about appeared to prefer smacking against his face.
There was a moment of clarity, light, and blue.
And with a splash, he was underwater.
Rick made the mistake of gasping, swallowing sea-water, wildly flinging his arms to get himself to the surface. Monica yanked him out of the water, leaving him feeling like a half-drowned cat as he coughed and spat.
“LOOK!” she proclaimed, dropping him on the sandy beach as she hurried towards the crashing waves, kicking at them and sending sprays of foam high into the air. “Rick! BIG!” She waved wildly, rushing her way into the water, then back out.
“That’s the sea.”
“Monica see!” With wide arms, she tried to point at all of it at once.
“No, it’s a new word. Sounds similar.” He combed his hair out of his face with his hands, removing his shirt. “Sea. S-E-A. Big, wet, and salty.”
“BIG WET!” Monica was cheering and splashing, kicking her way up and down the shore, jumping into the waves and coming out a dozen meters away and then making her way back to the shore.
“It’s the sea.” He couldn’t help but smile, watching as she slapped the water with her huge paws, creating a billowing tower of water and foam to rise at least a dozen meters into the air.
He put the low-end terrifying notion of how much force was packed into that strike and kept an easy-going smile.
“It’s the ocean.” The voice called from above, Kiara leisurely drifting down and sitting next to him. “Too far away from anything or anyone. Few ships go through here.”
“So chock-full of dangerous ferals?”
“Just like everywhere else.” Her eyes weren’t on Monica. The Succubus’ gaze appeared more focused on trailing the waves as they crashed into the shore. “Likely they’ve been scared off, though. The rush must have eaten everything available near the shore.”
Rick looked at the waves, then at her. “How can you tell?”
“There’s nothing in the waves.” She pointed. “Usually there’s at least the odd Sprite.”
“Maybe Monica scared them off.”
“Doubtful.” Kiara shook her head, turning to eye him with a slight smirk. “You’re drenched. Maybe you’d want to take your clothes off?” Her gaze trailed over him in a distinctly predatory way.
“You’re hungry, huh?”
She leaned closer, hand reaching over to caress his shoulder. “Maybe a little more than that…” Gold eyes locked to his, her hand gently pushing his back into the sand, the Succubus moving in closer so that she could pin him down.
Rick grinned. “Careful with the splash.”
The momentary confusion turned to shock and horror as she was yanked away and flung into the sea. Monica stared with ample amount of self-satisfaction as the Succubus swore and sank into the waves. “No horny time.” The feline declared, looking at Rick with a dangerous glint in her eyes.
“I understand.” He raised his hands, playing the role of innocent bystander.
“Play time.”
His eyes widened with concern. Uh oh.
She reached down, pulling him up by the shirt. “Rick train swim.”
“I know how to swim.” He quickly proclaimed, grabbing hold of her claws as her arm tensed. “BUT!”
Monica hesitated, looking at the water, then at him with narrowed eyes. “But?”
“Don’t throw me like you did Kiara or I will break,” he said, quickly relaxing a little as he pointed up into the air. “Throw me a little up. Gently, into the water.”
She eyed him for a moment, and with a flick of her tail, caught a stone. “Like this?” She grasped the rock and gently tossed it into a high arch that fell into the sea with a little plop.
“Yeah, just like-AAAAAHHHH!!!”
He was flying, body spinning in the air as gravity quickly lay claim. Rick did the only thing he could think of, curling into a ball, drawing breath, and plunge. He was underwater in the next instant, bubbles and light, with the sandy bottom still within sight.
It was down there that he spotted Kiara looking up at him with a smirk, a bubble wrapping her head. The conspicuously naked Succubus used her wings to swim up at him, catching him in her grasp and pulling him down.
Rick clutched his mouth, trying to keep his breath.
Kiara’s amusement was apparent as she held him by the shirt, looking at him with a mischievous twinkle. The iron grip remained, and he could see what her plan was, so he leaned into her, breaking the surface of the bubble with his face.
The breath was cut short with the kiss.
Then she shoved him away, waving off and winking as she swam further away from the shore. The speed she was moving with clearly was one not meant for him to follow, so Rick didn’t, going up to the surface.
Monica was waiting for him, excitedly grinning from ear to ear.
“Again!” he declared the moment he stepped on the sand. “But this time not from the shirt or it might rip.”
By the time others were reaching the beach, the duo had figured out a way to make the launch procedure safer… ish. Mostly in that the victim of choice would stand on Monica’s palm and curl into a cannonball, so that she could then throw.
And the maiden had quite the throwing arm.
The couple of Goblins that showed up excitedly joined in. Then came the Orcs, Mousegirls, and Doggirls, and by the time Urtha had shown her face, the various tribe members had a line of eager volunteers to be thrown into the sea. While the Orcs were competing with one another to see who could get their cargo the furthest from the shore.
Dia caught sight of the glare before Rick could even speak up. “I’ve set up a rotation of guards with the ones keeping watch over the tribe,” the healer proclaimed. “And the water maidens are working as lookouts.”
“Do you think that would placate me?”
“Do you want to play in the launch games?” Rick asked, giving Dia a warning look. “I bet you’d give Monica a run for her money.”
“She is stronger.” Urtha spoke after just a moment of observation, shaking her head. “I would need to wait for her to tire.”
He looked at the Orc as she remained near them, but didn’t sit. He could almost taste the tension within her, that knot of uncertainty. “Would you like to build a sand castle, then?”
“A castle of sand?”
“Exactly that.” Rick sat up. “Just wet sand and more sand, and make a castle with it.”
Urtha’s thick brows furrowed. “That… sounds childish.”
He shrugged. “Sand is fragile and crumbles easily if mishandled. Consider it a test of skill.” A sly smile followed. “Or are you scared a little human will be better at it than you?”
With a scoff, she stomped her foot once. “Show me.”
“I’ll join in!” Dia said. “It’s been a while since I’ve played mud-walls.”
“The what now?”
“It’s a game we healers played when little helped give us finer control over our power.” She crouched down, grabbing a handful of wet sand and proceeding to carefully lay it down in the shape of a very thin tube. A tube no thicker than a straw, and tall enough to reach her knee. “The trick is in pushing the water away at the right time.”
Rick and Urtha shared a worried glance.
Two hours later, things had escalated… a little.
It turned out that the Orc’s ability to make wood nearly as tough as steel could be applied to sand to just enough of a degree that Urtha had made a box tower about two meters on the side and five tall. Rick, working with a knife, carved out details on the tower.
Mostly windows and bricks.
Dia, on the other hand, had built a miniature replica of the fortified city of Balet. Devoid of any details, the city was a configuration of boxes roughly knee height.
It was when some maidens that had tired of the Monica-Launcher™ had gathered to watch that things escalated. With Mousegirls quickly getting recruited by Dia so that they could turn the sand boxes into detailed houses, and Urtha recruiting other Orcs so that they could put together a second tower.
Somewhere along the way, Sheel had shown up to set up an impromptu grill service.
Rick got his fill as he watched the competition unfold, recovering his energy and feeling exhausted in a good way. He caught sight of Kiara emerging from the sea, sans clothes. The Succubus took one look at the gathering, and eventually locked on to him.
The alluring blue-haired Succubus shifted her walk, tucking away tiredness and presenting only assuredness and grace. Her ample hips swayed with a mesmerizing rhythm, tail punctuating every step with a flick. The maiden made a show of pushing her sky-blue hair over her shoulder, presenting her bare chest for him to drink in.
There was a twinkle of enjoyment in her golden eyes when his gaze locked on to her body. A sly smile played on her lips, seductive and coy.
As she reached him, the succubus knelt down and whispered in his ear, her voice soft and alluring. “Is this spot taken?”
Rick felt his throat dry, and he coughed a little. “Sure.”
Kiara grinned wider, taking his lap, tail reaching under his shirt to caress his chest. “It is very comfortable.” She punctuated her words by grinding against herself against his crotch a little. “You seem thrilled to see me.”
He wrapped his hands around her midriff, pulling her against his chest, ignoring the slight discomfort of her wings. “Be warned that Monica is looking our way,” he whispered. “Engage and you will get launched. She’s gotten great at it.”
The tail twitched. “Noted.” Her tone was begrudging. “I meant to ask, are you familiar with… this? The sea? The ocean? The depths?”
“I’ve been on my fair share of boats, and went diving in a reef once.” He admitted freely. “And I’ve flown over the clouds in one of the most boring technological marvel my world built.” A little chuckle followed. “But I think you were meaning to lead this somewhere else?”
Kiara shifted, staring over her shoulder for a moment. “I’d like to hear more about your world sometime.” Her voice held an edge of hesitation to it, and Rick had the distinct impression she was trying to hold something back. “But yes, I was meaning to lead the conversation to this.”
The tone was gone; the look was gone, replaced by smug satisfaction as she held up a blue gemstone. The object was the size of a pearl and a deep, glimmering blue.
“An impure elemental stone.” The Succubus declared. “Take it.”
Rick obliged, lifting it to get a better look. Light wavered and refracted within the sphere, adding a shimmer that made it look as if there was a tiny sea contained within. Twisting and shifting the stone did not make the illusion of change, making the little sphere appear like a looking-glass of some sort.
The refracted light swayed and shifted against his palm like an aurora.
“It’s… this is really impressive.” He declared after a moment, glancing back at her.
“I stumbled onto this while looking for something else. It has some minor value, but is mostly useless since it has a very low purity.” She shrugged her lithe shoulders, trailing his jaw with her sharp nail. “Consider it compensation.”
He frowned a little. “Compensation for what?”
She shrugged, beating her wings once and hopping on to her feet. “I will go get myself a change of clothes and a snack.” She turned to leave. “You’re more than welcome to join.”
Rick could only chuckle. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m exhausted right now.”
“Have it your way.” The maiden vanished into the thicket, sauntering off to the tribe. “If you’ve got nothing better to do, pay some attention to the little leech. Wouldn’t want her to feel neglected, now would we?”
Where had that come from? Rick watched her go, taking a moment to stand up and check that the little get-together was going nowhere. From there, he turned his focus inwards and sought the bond to Eva. It was tougher than he’d expected, especially with the noise from all the other bonds trying to drown out everything.
He found her sitting on a rock, at the very edge of the sandy shore, staring off at the setting sun. The maiden had her knees tucked against her chest, body covered under her black cape, only her red eyes and pale face exposed to the sunlight.
She noticed his approach, but didn’t react.
Rick took a spot next to her, not quite within arm’s reach. “You’ve avoided talking with me. Anything I should worry about?” His question caused the intended result. Eva looked at him with wide eyes. “Don’t look at me like that. I know you don’t like small-talk, and this is just about the most important subject I could think of.”
The Fledgling turned away. “True.” She acknowledged. “I cannot answer your question, sir.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Can’t.” She hugged her knees, turning away and towards the horizon.
Was she hesitating to take a stance, or was she unsure of what stance to take to begin with? Rick nodded a little. “If it’s any consolation, it’s weird for me, too.” He lay back on the stone, looking at the orange clouds above. “Especially with how stiff you’re acting.”
“The Wildling-King calls me his property, and then complains he is treated with the due formalities?” Eva glared.
“Point taken.” Rick sighed. “I just expected that you’d learn from the others.”
“I cannot compare myself to the monster that is Monica or Kiara, nor consider myself to hold a fraction of the trust you give Dia,” she summarized. “I am a Fledgling. Anywhere within the kingdom, a slip of the tongue, a mistake, or a perceived fault would earn me severe punishment.” The maiden glowered, then sighed. “I myself have given such for less.”
“So you don’t know what to expect from me, but will avoid talking with me about those expectations.”
The glare intensified. “I would trust you of all would understand the matter is not that simple.”
“You’re not calling me sir.” He replied with an arched brow, watching her flinch. “I don’t want to insult your intelligence, but it seems like you’re intentionally running on a groundless hypothesis. So my question would be, why have you kept at it?”
She deflated with a sigh. “I don’t know.”
Rick reached out, ruffling her hair. “Well, while you think about it, how about spending some actual time together with the others? Brooding didn’t get you the answer you were looking for, so how about trying to change the pace a little?”
The glare intensified. “I was not brooding. What do you take me for? I am older than you! I was the head of a noble house of great prestige!” She shot to her feet, glaring, lips curling into a snarl.
Rick stepped closer, directly into her personal space. “Evangeline.” He declared, his tone holding only the barest edge to it.
The Fledgling flinched, looking away, hands hiding under her cape. “You are right.” She spoke, deflating. “I… am Evangeline now.”
She moved to kneel, to lower herself, but his hand on her chin held her in place. He raised her gaze so that they would meet eyes. “The only line you stepped over was baring your fangs at me. Nothing else.”
He wanted to step away, to turn around and go to the beach with the others. But something else held him in place as he looked down to those ruby red eyes, the way she trembled against his palm, how she inhaled deeply and her eyelids fluttered. The maiden leaned into his touch, taking a hesitant step closer.
“Th-this…” Eva stammered, swallowing.
Rick leaned closer. “This is your chance to step away.”
She didn’t.
The Fledgling followed the gentle tug of his palm, raising herself to her tiptoes, leaning into the kiss. She froze, opening her mouth a little and scratching his lips with her fangs in hunger. They pierced, only enough to draw a drop of blood, only enough to make him flinch.
Eva recoiled, eyes wild, face beet read. “I, no, I-… This isn’t…”
The maiden vanished into the shadows before he could say anything. He could sense her quickly making an escape through the darkness. The human was left mostly amused at the reaction, chuckling as he took the long way back to the others.
He could understand why Kiara found entertainment out of teasing the Fledgling. Idly, he wondered if they could exchange some notes.
​
----
​

Hello, I'm back, kinda.
Things have been a monumental mess over on my end. Lots of things happened over the past couple months.
I'll be clear: Reddit isn't a convenient place to post stories. Yes, there's a community, but the website is very clearly designed for other kinds of content creators. Story writing is more of a "Despite" thing. Combined with the upcoming policy changes ^{(what with the site being sold off and wanting to coerce users into their App, at the cost of all else}), I don't think I'll be sticking around.
The story will continue being regularly posted over at Royalroad and Scribblehub.
There's practically a full volume already posted over there. Seriously, as a writer I can't stress enough just how monumentally important the post-scheduler is for me. My life is far too chaotic and sometimes I spend weeks without time or energy to prepare the posts, and then just dump 15 of them into the auto-loader.
I will try to get the next full volume (up to chapter... 62?) posted here throughout the next couple weeks, and unless something changes, I'll mostly stick to those other sites from there onward.
See you guys around, and thanks for sticking this long with the story.

[First]
[Standard Patreon Link].

Hello.
I don't know if many people are going to read this post, but if you do, please reply to it. I just want to say here that I hate my life. I don't have any friends, because I'm just a introverted autistic idiot who doesn't want to speak to anyone, because I think that they will judge me, or think that I'm weird. I have nobody to fucking vent to and not even my mother likes me. I don't even have any online friends. I hate living in my roach infested apartment, no matter what the fuck I do, I cannot eliminate the problem. I have terrible luck. Every time I get some sort of a happy feeling, something else bad happens, and I just feel depressed again. I feel like nothing good ever happens to me. Why can't I just live a normal life just like how everyone else does? Why can't I just have friends, and just be normal just like everyone else is? I have nobody to vent to. It just feels like nobody gives a shit about me. I know that I might sound like I'm bitching about my life, but it just really fucking sucks. It sucks how I have no friends, not even one. Nobody to relate to, or just talk to. It's like fucking torture. I eat like shit, I am lazy, and unmotivated. I don't try hard in school, and my grades are fucking horrible. My mother doesn't even like me. My classmates think that I am weird, and I always eat lunch alone. I bet that even my teachers think I'm fucking weird, It's almost like I'm a fucking ghost. Nobody wants to fucking talk to me, or ask me how I am doing. I just don't fucking know what to do anymore. I wouldn't even wish this shit on my worst enemy. I don't know if anyone reading this post would give a shit about it, and I'm sure that some of you probably have a better life then mine. And if you are reading this, and you have friends who actually care about you, please don't take it for granted. Because there are some people like me don't have anyone who fucking cares about them. And please don't say that it will get better. I know it won't. Every time I think of that positive bullshit, nothing ever changes.

Female, 34, have psoriasis. Take cosentyx, acitretin, iron, and birth control all by rx. Non-rx I take Xyzal.
Got off 7 day cruise(family event) Monday morning. Went straight to hotel, to wait for 5am flight Tuesday. About 4pm Monday I was hit hard. Vomiting and diarrhea simultaneously(and wtf Seattle for not having garbage bags available in hotel rooms). Vomiting subsided after about an hour. Diarrhea continued off and on for about 10 hours. Before the flight I took 1 dose of pepto every 45 minutes(about 6 doses total) until I felt like I could get to the airport and at least on the plane. A small bit of diarrhea early on in the flight, abdominal discomfort and generally feeling unwell and dehydrated. Also to note my Apple Watch kept waking me during the flight to notify me that my heart rate was elevated during rest(between 120-135) which I read was a sign of dehydration, which I knew I was.
Spent all Wednesday getting rest and hydrating. Felt generally well Thursday, but did make note of no bowel movement since Tuesday am(usual is 1x a day for me). Then suddenly 1am Friday(about 2 hours ago at time of posting) hit with non stop pure liquid diarrhea, abdominal discomfort(not quite pain) and severe feeling bloated.
Is it normal for norovirus symptoms to completely disappear then come back? Did I somehow reinfect myself? Could this be something other than norovirus that just happened to line up perfectly with the end of a cruise, which are known breeding grounds for noro?
Also the color with the combo of iron and pepto intake was interesting, to say the least.
When should I be concerned enough to try and make it to the dr? If they don’t have appointments should I go to urgent care(carenow, etc)?

i play scorpion in towers of time and the augments i use let me have near infinite bar. i’m making this post to see if anyone knows a kombo with him that can be used if he had infinite bar, like what’s the highest you can get with infinite bar? (i use searing rage) the kombo i do is either a 4hellport, or a f34 f34 bf1amp f34 bf1amp, and end it with 212 or f34 df3amp. i can amplify easily 6 or so times. i just want to know if there’s a higher kombo that can be done with him without environmental interactions or konsumables and stuff.

I am a night owl right now so the time I’m awake is random sometimes but I'm always free to talk when I'm up! I'm from the East Coast of the US and would prefer someone around my age to speak with but it's not completely out of the question if you're a bit older, What I'm looking for is someone who also seeks a close friendship and is very genuine about how they are and their expectations, I specifically am looking for that connection that is made when I feel like I can really get to know someone or that we can be friends. Sometimes it's easy to go off of a common basis of mutual interests, but I also like learning about things that I normally don't experience or people telling me about themselves despite knowing they might do something differently than most. At the end of the day I hope that if everything goes well, we can be close friends for the future and be there for one another. An ideal situation would be just genuinely caring about one another and being able to talk clearly about anything, not judging but understanding instead. As for how I think I like to treat people and others? I'd like to say I'm very empathetic and I don't judge anyone regardless of who they are or what they believe in. I'd like to see who also feels this way and would like to become friends :) I also prefer discord way more if you're down with that.

short story, male 37, i have been in a long distance relationship for the past year and even though we had differences and eventually broke up, because distance didn't help either. However, the fact that I knew her there, that we talked constantly and that she always had pushed me to be better, the fact that I knew she loved me...made me feel like I was some sort of a super human being, compared to today when I feel like nobody cares about me. I feel unmotivated and lost my self esteem completely.
so bad that I feel like don't even exist for my friends
or to potential new girlfriends, i feel like no girls like me (and that i could never find someone like my ex)
When I was with her, I felt like ALL was possible and felt very social, and that's the worst part. When I was with her I felt so high on life that I thought I could do better, on my own, I felt like an almighty dragon and thought I could have any girl now..
Totally the opposite of how I am now that she's gone.. the crown fell off my head and I f
how to make myself feel like that again but without dragging someone in a relationship that i dont want myself.

Someone suggested in relationships I post here, bedroom not fully dead so hoping it's okay to ask for help here.
My (f28) and partner (m30) have been together two years and live together. For context we both work full time jobs (he's in trade, so physical work) and I'm an area manager. Both busy people.
For the last, I'd say, 6 months things in the bedroom are decidedly less sexy. We do have sex a few times a week but I ALWAYS initiate. I doubt we'd have sex if I didn't. Yes I have tried letting it happen and it doesn't and I end up frustrated. When we do do it, it's like he's doing it for me, there's no passion, he even shuts his eyes during foreplay (he says he gets cross eyed when were close, why?) and doesn't kiss or touch my body - he'll use a vibrator on me for a few minutes and expects me to be good to go. It's all lights off and he's done. I don't mind how long he lasts but the lack of passion and interest is killing me!
Things haven't always been like this, we used to have frequent, mutually enjoyable sex and it was great. I look exactly the same, if not better than when we first started dating. I take care of myself, I'm clean, I go to the gym 4 times a week and always have hair and make up done (for myself I hasten to add, not him, makes me feel good). I have lots of lingerie, toys to use together and I'm pretty adventurous.
When we get into bed he insists on clamping himself into his blanket and literally stops me from kissing or touching him, turns me down without me even asking and gets defensive if I ask if there's a reason he's not enjoying our sex life as much, or whether we can do anything to spice it up for him. He told me at the start he'd be up for it daily - this is not what I see.
I suspected he might just he sorting himself out and have less drive because of that, but he says he's not masturbating, and asks when he'd have time to do this - he gets home earlier than me and I'm first out the door in the AM so I think this point is kind of mute. I'm starting to think somethings wrong.
Help!
Tldr partner seems less into sex with me and I want to address things, he's been defensive in the past and says nothings wrong. Sos!

Hello, I've gone in phases of how much the constant height related things strangers say bother me and I have been at a point where im just so over it. My friends understand certain aspects of being so tall because they've been around me enough, but I just feel like letting stuff off my chest to others that can relate.
I'm 6'9" maybe 6'10" I honestly don't know because last time I was measured was years ago and I was 6'8" something then and know I've grown. But I honestly don't care what the actual number is. Probably from the amount of times a stranger just asks me how tall I am and that's it. Just defining myself as a number and that's all they cared to know. Just seems so superficial. I also really don't appreciate the "You're tall as shit" or "You're a tall ass motherfucker" or whatever else in that context. It's just never something I would say to a stranger and baffles me why people think I just want to be compared to that. I understand they don't mean these things in a negative way and defining something as "the shit" is considered a good thing, but I still don't like being called a motherfucker by strangers as the first thing they say to me. Is it considered acceptable to say even just the "You're tall" but put any other obvious physical description in instead of tall and say it to someone?
Then you get the ones that think they're hilarious and say some dumb joke that's been said millions of times. Or the really nice ones that just instantly say "why don't you play basketball?" I get that one more often than asking if I do play. Which I do, for fun. I play many sports for fun as an adult. In different leagues because I love sports. I was leaving a softball game the other day in my jersey so clearly I was playing. Guy in the parking lot "How tall are you?" I tell him 6'9 "And you don't ball??" Literally as I was leaving from playing "ball". But of course it could only be basketball because of my height. Really made me sympathize the very tall people that play sports other than basketball professionally. That's another problem it's a failure that I don't play professional basketball in some eyes. I had a guy yell at me across a crowded path last summer "You're tall as fuck! You should be in the NBA, you know that right?" I mean seriously, the audacity to yell at a stranger just walking by that they're basically living their life wrong. And the thing is how does he even know that I'm not? It was summer during off season. So often at work I'm reminded by strangers that I'm doing the wrong thing. And as I said before I love sports.
One of my previous jobs I could get up to 20 or more people where I say hello and they just say something related to my height in a 4 hour period. I worked with patients at a clinic 1 on 1. So this was a consistent thing for a while. It broke me. I couldn't respond to the same joke I heard the 12th time that day. My manager told me someone sent in a comment how I was too serious and took the job too seriously. I said probably someone that I didn't respond to their height joke. She replied by saying how I was sensitive to my height. At the time that just stung, but now I realize after all this crap I've dealt with in my life I probably just am.
The amount of people that have just told me as a stranger all the great things they would be doing if they were my height. Just have to listen to people's own self insecurities projected onto me and jealousy constantly. But they don't realize the struggles that come with it that I'm sure many of you understand. This society is not built for me. Are there pros to be tall, of course. Are there cons to be tall, of course. But in others eyes it's the greatest thing anyone could get.
Well there's so many other things I could rant about but I feel better typing some things out, even if they fall upon empty eyes. Especially since this is probably a novel and a half by now.
Everyone is great in their own right no matter their height. Everyone has great potential and capabilities in life. We all just vary in what those may be. Love ourselves for what we are (even though this can be tough for me) and don't hold jealousy to how you perceive others because the only person that truly knows one's life is themselves.
This all stemmed because someone called me an asshole for not being in the very back of the crowd during a concert. I'll admit I can be an asshole but I truly believe I mainly spread happiness and love to my best ability. But I'm definitely at the point where when I'm hearing things about my height being pointed out from strangers I'm not being my most vibrant self back to them.
Sorry for being a downer on my first time on this sub.
Peace and love, A tall man that's had enough for the time being

Today every person in the world tries to save whatever is harming him. There is a lot of time on every person. Nobody has so much time to do any work that he or she does for months or months Today's time is going on fast at very fast pace. Problems in the person's home or any problem, it is a common one, can anyone ever have trouble for whom, for whom we use dark magic on the help of the astrologer, whether you are in India or out of India, everybody is black Use magic to do evil for any good, but for most people it is good if someone has made you a black magic, even if you Even if you get rid of jars, it will affect you very badly as it wants from there, and you yourself will not realize why it is so bad with me that all this happens with the influence of black magic. Is there. If you have met a good man, you get near a good astrologist, then only a few moments of this dark magic will get away from you. Today, the practice of black magiceverywhere in the world is the black magic, a composite pattern of souls. Inside the dark magic, the work that is going to work in them is souls. The soul is never stable, so that can do anything anywhere, it is a supernatural power that is beautiful It is created only by the use of black magic to control the human being very well but nowadays people have started using it wrongly which is harmful to our nature, we must not do anything at all Even if God has provided us, then it is for goodness that people want to destroy this world by misusing it, if goodness of something Sector is given if it Will evil will certainly end.

I am now definitely sure that I am an introverted intuition dominant person... I turn back to self-doubt every time I think about certain experiences, but I know I am. It just makes the only sense and anytime I read Jungs description of the neurotic introverted intuitive type with his extreme lack of extraverted sensing, his deeply sensitive nervous system, his lack of adaption to the "real world", his deeply artistic nature, his dependency on sensational experiences (p*rn/sex, food, etc), the imagery that arises anytime I try to turn back to my body, my deeply introspective nature and all that shit. I wasn't able accept it because it's scary to see yourself described so well in a book, and because according to the MBTI community introverted intuitives are apparently so "rare". No idea if that is true, but what I know to be true is that I feel deeply seen by the description and no matter how much self doubt I have about it, it won't change that fact and I inadvertently turn back to it and feel the truth rushing through my soul. That means, though, that I am a potential "prophet", "seer", or at least an "artist". (or the lost dude I was up until now) And while that all is fancy and all, what does it even mean in a society which doesn't take artistic, spiritual people seriously lol. Of what use am I really? They'll put me in the box of a useless "phantast" who consumed too much fantasy novels or something. How do I stop internalizing those prejudices and live according to my intuition? Anyhow that is, I need to be careful and protect my soul. I need to take myself seriously. It's scary enough to know. And it's scary to know that there really is no other option than either killing myself or following that path. Or avoiding my path forever. But life needs to be lived, doesn't it? Life is precious. I will commune with Gods, taste their ambrosia, be one with my own truth and perhaps guide others as soon as I'm ready. Other people's opinions must be of secondary nature or I'll forever betray myself. If anyone here understands this without ridiculing me, maybe another one who can relate, explain, or guide me how to guide myself properly, I'll be forever thankful. I have experienced lots of trauma, I'm deeply unhealthy, but I want to heal and turn my visions into reality. Otherwise I fear I'll just stay that little, insecure, dreamy guy which betrays his own intuition and meets people who disrespect or ridicule him. Thank you for reading and understanding and I hope someone further on his path and who can relate can give me some kind or encouraging words 🙏

1.18.2 SMP that’s pretty dope, come check it out. All versions can join I think lol.
There’s a minimum character count but I honestly don’t think people care about these big, descriptive advertisements. So mines just gonna be this. Hopefully it doesn’t get deleted lol.
Play.BlockHaven.Net
Hit me on discord if there’s issues
https://discord.gg/qkam2Dnp47

I've been friends with Mandy and Christy for a year. They're both fun and nice, but I noticed Mandy isn't as nice as Christy. It's always Christy or me initiating contact or hangouts. Christy and I both gave more expensive Christmas gifts than Mandy did. We're always on time while Mandy is often late and even came 30 minutes late to my graduation party. Christy always pays for our Lyft. Christy often replies to my Snapchat stories, but Mandy hardly does. Christy praises how I'm pretty, my hair / makeup / nails / outfit are on point, I'm nice, and understanding. Mandy hasn't told me any of this. Christy replies to texts quickly while Mandy sometimes takes over a day to reply or is dry.
Mandy is still nice. She has listened to me complain, treats me to coffee sometimes even though it's at cheaper places, took a Lyft to avoid me waiting too long, doesn't ignore any of my messages, calls me funny, helped with advice for a prom dress, bought souvenirs for us, always acts as a therapist for Christy, and is easygoing & flexible to plan with since she's always down.
However, I still feel like Christy and I are putting in more effort. I don't get the lack of initiation, the tardiness, passivity, and lack of words of appreciation or compliments. I also don't get the long response times and dryness since she's usually not busy. For example, she'd cancel or come late yet be posting Snapchat stories of dramas she's watching.
I'm annoyed by this difference. Why can't she put in the effort that I do, or especially that Christy does? I want to confront her about these things and ask her to put in more effort if she cares about us as friends.

As the title says, I’m nearly 30 and not dated anyone, I’m a British Pakistani (not the typical type) lol
My parents used to tell me don’t speak to girls or interact as it’ll lead onto Haram (forbidden) stuff. I understand it from their perspective. But I’m having real difficulty in finding someone to date/get married to.
Some of my friends who’ve got married to other Pakistani girls, their wife’s seem to be quite controlling and our friendships have changed. So basically I’m now left on my own don’t speak to much of them maybe like 1 or 2.
I’d say I’ve a quite private person and don’t share my life online etc. I’ve tried using a few dating apps but they’re a waste of time in my opinion as apps are just after money. I’m a loving person but people I’ve trusted before have hurt me so makes it difficult for me to meet and interact with new people.
I’m not really sure where to start even looking I really want to and need to settle down.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated

TW: weight loss, medical fatphobia, EDs
I’m an 18 year old with EDS and basically a medical condition for every body part at this point, I’m significantly disabled and use a wheelchair. There isn’t a single part of my body that isn’t affected by my EDS in some way.
Due to growing up with an abusive father who bought into a controversial medical condition/theory instead of going to actual trusted neurologists for my various severe neurological symptoms, I was put on very very high doses of prednisone and other experimental (for this theoretical condition) drugs and treatments for upwards of a year at a time. Of course, I gained weight rapidly after the first time I was put on pred at 11 years old, and the years of prednisone did extensive damage to my body.
I moved out of my dad’s house and into my mothers, and struggled to get a diagnosis of anything that was going on with me. I quickly learned my weight would be blamed for every ailment- at 16 I was told my liver disease was because I am overweight, not the obvious answer of years of high dose prednisone. Getting doctors to believe I had EDS was near impossible, and despite daily dislocations it is still rarely written on my charts. Even the doctor who diagnosed me told me to “just lose weight”.
Long story short, after years of my weight going up and down and disordered eating depending on whether or not I was on prednisone or other drugs that cause weight gain, I’ve finally lost a lot of weight and am a lot smaller than I used to be. I’m still on the larger side, but more “average”.
Surprise surprise, now that they can’t say I’m “just fat” anymore, all the doctors have switched to saying I’m “just anxious”- exactly what they did when I was a very sick little kid. every symptom is now apparently psychological- I was explaining how sometimes my facial dystonia is so severe I struggle to breathe and was told I must be “rather anxious”. I have shown extreme symptoms and been in severe pain in front of doctors, and where they once would’ve said I “need to lose weight”, they now say I need therapy for anxiety.
Anyway this is a longgg vent now but I just want to let anybody else who’s being told by doctors that all their issues are because they are overweight know that it is NOT all in your head or all because you’re overweight. I feel just as bad physically now as I did when I was overweight. The medical system is just terribly fatphobic.

Probably stupid to complain about but sometimes i wonder if Lost would have been able to cut out all the background characters. Maybe leave like 5 or 6 and give them faces and a few lines even.
Now when i watch it just feels like random people from the street being asked to play background characters in Lost.
They don’t care to check out the hatch, that they ask questions about others, smokie etc, never have anything to say or add.
What really annoys me most is when they die. If your stranded on a island you can’t tell me our losties dont connect with them. Have conversations, share thoughts, etc. But when they die(because of Keamy, when the boat explodes and the arrow attacks) nobody gives a shit. No moarning, no words, nothing, our losties seem to just know the other losties and these people are nothing.
Just in a little complaining mood, sorry!

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I'm just so fucking done. I'm trying to do things in my life but it's never enough to anyone. For example I recently graduated high school and I'm now gonna go to university soon, my dad doesn't care and doesn't believe I'm actually gonna do it even tho I've been accepted and everything but when my 22 year old sister decides to go everyone is so proud of her and congratulating her. I'm happy for her ofc but I just wish someone would notice the things I'm doing in my life.
And now my other sibling hates me... All I did was a simple harmless prank call to them and they ended up finding out it was me. They were calling me a shitty person and stuff like that. It never meant to hurt them or upset them, now they won't even come back home because they are uncomfortable near me. They won't even speak to me, I love my family so it really fucking hurts y'know.
I just don't know what do to anymore, I fucking hate everything right now, I self harm and just drinking almost everyday to forget about all the stuff happening in my life. I just want to kill myself but I'm really scared but I feel like that's the only way out of this.
I will forever be a failure and a terrible person to my family, at least I have my friends who I really care about but family is everything to me and I just hate how it has turned out.