Pay my water bill odessa tx

I (20f) and dating my boyfriend (26T). I will try to make this quick. We are almost at our two year anniversary and basically lived together for the first year before he decided to move to Texas to “get his shit together”. He also decided while he was there that he wanted to go to welding school so our planned one month of distance turned into a year. It was fine at first until we drifted because his mental health was worse than when he first left. We got into a relationship too soon-he had just gotten out of an abusive relationship. He is not responsible, he can’t hold a job, is in severe debt, has terrible credit, and has no plan for the future other than graduate welding school and get a job. I on the other hand have a job that pays well, am going to school, have great credit for my age and my only debt is my car which I am almost done paying off. He has been financially reliant on me until I told him I couldn’t help him anymore once he moved away. I have big plans for my future and all I see is him holding me back.
Don’t get me wrong, I do love him, very much, but I also grew up in an abusive household (financial, physical, emotional and mental) and I don’t want that for myself. My partner was so emotionally supportive at the start of our relationship but that’s since disappeared and it’s really all he offered after I thought about it for a bit. He was so much better to me than all of my past exes and he raised my standards a lot. But..I need someone who has the same ambitions and passion as me, someone who doesn’t take advantage of me.
I have never broken up with someone before, I have always been cheated on and dumped (every one of my exes has tried to get me back too so I know it’s not a me problem at least). I am nervous to break up with him because I know he isn’t doing well mentally, but he also isn’t doing anything to try and fix it. I think I might call his mom before I do end it so that she can be there for him. I just don’t know how to actually have the conversation. Plus I don’t want to have to go through figuring out who’s shit is who’s and sending a massive package to TX. Do I facetime him to sort out our belongings afterwards?

"None of it had to do with race or gender. I believe with gender and race, that's a card that tends to get thrown around as an excuse for things"
-my literal cis white male 50 year old roommate/landlord while I'm trying to explain to him how his anger during a conflict triggered me as transwoman of color
Happened a few days ago after miscommunication with timing for a neighborhood party. Approached him to have conflict resolution and then this is his attitude. Just now processing it as my life starts to get into order, and I don't know how to continue interacting with this guy, while both me and my wife have to anticipate him and want to just make sure we pay our bills in time for when he fucks off to Japan for 3 months, (A move he did after getting fired from his job, instead of paying his bills. Gee wish i could do that), the privileged fuck.
Happy Pride Month.

What time are doors?
Doors open at 5pm
What time does the music start?
The show will start at 6:40pm
*Subject to change
What are the set times?
6:40pm - Kamikaze Palm Tree 7:50pm - King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard
*Subject to change
I purchased a ticket to the show. What access does my ticket grant me? GA: A GA ticket for a show at the Fairgrounds grants you access to the viewing area directly in front of the stage, as well as the newly installed bleachers! Seating is limited and will be first come, first served. Premium: If you purchased a premium ticket, everything you need is in the premium area! Enter the Fairgrounds via an expedited entry lane on Elston Ave. Enjoy the premium viewing balcony and rooftop featuring the best skyline views in the city. You also have access to premium bars and a lounge area.
What's the bathroom situation?
So glad you asked. There will be porta-potties available outside, but our indoor space will be open as well so you can access the real bathrooms.
Will there be water?
Certainly! There is a water station outdoors as well as water stations inside near the restrooms. Empty plastic water bottles under 32 oz. and CamelBak/hydration packs will be permitted.
Will there be parking?
There is free street parking available close to the venue. This availability is first come, first served, and we recommend paying close attention to posted street signs.
Additionally, there are a number of paid private parking lots in the area.
Is there valet?
Yes! We offer safe and secure valet parking located in the lot across from the Salt Shed at 1401 N Magnolia Ave between Elston and Le Moyne. You can either pay upon arrival or reserve a spot online beforehand HERE.
If I'm not driving, what's the best way to get here?
Bike, rideshare, and public transportation are the preferred methods of transportation to our venue.
Bike: There will be bike parking available on Blackhawk Street near the main entrance of the venue.
Public Transportation: Division/Milwaukee blue line stop is .7 miles away North/Clybourn red line stop is .9 miles away Damen blue line stop is 1.4 miles away Several buses make stops near The Salt Shed, including the 70 (Division), 72 (North), and 9 (Ashland). There may be other options depending on your location.
Rideshare: We will have a designated area for rideshare pick-ups and drop-offs near the main entrance of the building.
Will there be a bag check?
We will have a bag check. Space will be limited, so if you have to check your bag we recommend arriving at the venue early.
What are the prohibited items at the venue?
Please note our bag size limit of 12" x 12" x 6" - Bags larger than this will not be permitted. You can see the full list of prohibited items here.
Will this show be cashless?
Yes, all of our shows will be cashless.
Will the Salt Store be open?
Yes! Our Salt Store will be open with merch and tickets (at reduced fees) aplenty from the Salt Shed and other favorites like Empty Bottle, Thalia Hall, and SPACE.
Will there be food and beverage available at the show?
We will have a variety of food and beverage options available for the shows: Pizza Friendly Pizza (see details below) Food trucks! Including: Cafe Tola DönerMen Happy Lobster Yum Dum Food Truck Plus, pop ups from: Beach Ave BBQ Tola Tacos And last but not least, a comprehensive beverage program of Chicago-based draft favorites, house made craft cocktails, and a variety of non-alcoholic drinks.

I 24M, feel as if I should cut off my parents. They divorced when I was a young child. My father was emotionally and verbally abusive, meanwhile my mother was very codependent on me. Neither of them are bad people, but I feel as if the dynamics of our relationships now are a reflection of what they did and didn’t do in my childhood.
My father is intelligent and hardworking, I am not, so he sees me a disappointment (he has fair reason). He’s seen all of my flaws firsthand, and he made it known. Now, my anxiety is at its highest when I’m around him. Our communication is very forced and shallow. I respect him as a person and he’s accomplished a lot for his upbringing, but we are not benefitting from forcing a relationship.
I am my mothers only child, so she’s very attached to me. Growing up we were poor, but she always tried to spoil me. Now we’re not as close but the codependency is still present. She pays my phone bill, my car insurance (it’s her car), she’ll buy me something or offer to give me money any time I see her.
As a result of all this, I was addicted to drugs and still habitually smoke weed. I don’t have any meaningful, positive relationships in my life besides maybe my mothers sister. I have low self esteem, I can’t hold down a job, I’m always on my phone at home and I really have no life.
I DO however go to the gym 5-6 a week, I eat pretty clean, take supplements, I meditate and try to practice mindfulness, my other hobby is learning languages, and I like to learn European history.
Im not close with almost all of my family. Both of them are pushing 50. They both smoke, my mother has cancer, my dad is very stressed out and works long physical hours, etc. I want to spend more time with them, but I also want to join the military and get away from them. I feel as if my development is stagnating by keeping a relationship with them. What can I do about this?

Context:
My husband and I rented a townhouse in March, 1 yr lease. We're in the middle of migrating to the US and finally got the news COVID-19 had been delaying.
Our plan was to live as long as we could here before I would technically "lose the visa". That's 6 months and would bring us to November. We'd still keep paying it @$300 a month because it's cheap, and we liked the landlords. My brother could stay here for the rest or not, whatever.
Now:
We're not fusssy but we've had to deal with quite a bit.

1. The property manager was rude and made us uncomfortable.
   
2. They're responsible for maintaining outside but don't.
   
3. We went without water for a week, turns out there's issues with the water company and we NEVER HAD WATER FROM THE MAIN for montts. The water tanks had emptied. They ended up re-filling it with a water truck. This was April.
   
4. There was a leak in the living room thru the wall and light bulb. Turns out the waste pipe in the bathroom upstairs wasn't connected? Or whatever they said. They had to GUT THE BATHROOM which took 2 days. My husband and I work from home. It was noisy as hell. This was May.
   
5. No water again. End of may, about 9 days. They promised to refill the tanks otp then when the time came said it was a "misunderstanding" and wouldn't. We paid for a truck to come.
   
6. Foul odor since the bathroom had to be gutted to fix that pipe. Today my husband flushed the toilet and turned on the shower and they both started bubbling. Now the toilet is overflowing and the shower won't drain.
   
7. Now I see my shoes are wet. Leaky roof. The roof was "checked" when they dug up the bathroom...my handmade leather sandals that are no longer made are soaked.
   

Question: Is any of this grounds for termination? They're cool people but this sucks. I have my visa. It wouldve been nice to keep saving on rent but I can't do it anymore.

I am writing this in hopes for some help and to guide others to not have the same fate as me. I think I have made the biggest mistake of my life. It has been 5 months since it happened and I haven't been able to fix it. This phone is the only connection to the realm of my birth. My original world. I probably cannot undo my mistake but I can guide future players.
My phone it's Android. It has an IR blaster, the only reason I bought it, and for some reason, this phone can hold its network through dimensional change. As if it's a loophole, a glitch in the broken matrix that i was facing. Not that i could actually make any use of it because I am still here.
The people here look like us. They all do. They are very sapient. They look just like us. But my bones know that they don't have the same origin as I do. They are good though. Have the same societal issues, the same intolerable governing body, protestors, and unrealistic agendas, the left wing and right wing at each other's throats. People who should touch some grass have podcasts. People who should have podcasts enjoy their lives. They are humans, just like us, but they are not us.
The rules stated by the urban legend still strike the same to this day if time and space follow the same routine, follow the floor number pattern, pay no heed to the lady that enters the elevator on the 5th floor, leave the building immediately if you return to floor 1, etc. I followed them all correctly, but the rules are no guarantee as to whether you will be safe or alive after your elevator journey is done, the rules only make sure the procedure is correct.
Hey you know what I will write down the rules in short, for your reference to my guidelines but the rules should always be memorized to your bones and spine, this is your SOS and your key. You will find the set of rules on any website. I suggest visiting multiple of them before you start your endeavor. Because each of them gives you different kinds of warnings, something the successful players learned from their own experience. And take this advice of reading through all of those points from this unsuccessful player.
One thing the rules on blog sites don't mention is the choice of which world you want to enter. Because most players enter an identical world with no electronics and no living thing around them. Only a red crossed window that's far stretched away from where ever you look and keeps on moving further away from you. My case was vaguely different.

1. So firstly all you do is enter a building with more than 10 stories.
   
2. Enter the lift via the first floor and only by pressing the "up" button
   
3. Follow a pattern of floors, press 4 then 2 then 6 then 10 then 5.
   
4. On 5 a lady shall or shall not enter your floor. Then press 1
   
5. When you press 1, you will either reach 1. or you will reach 10.
   
6. If you reach 1, get the f out of the building and don't come near it, not in 6-7 months i suggest.
   
7. If you do reach 10 congratulations. your first part of the journey is a success
   

now Something, about the lady. Do not interact with her at any cost because of course she is not a lady, no matter how pretty she looks, oh you looked at her? alas, that's also a grave mistake. don't look at her, don't talk to her. Just ignore her total existence. If you know of the elevator game you are already aware of how you should not interact with the lady and all. But one thing is often left blurry is that what you should do if she does not enter. This was my case.
So my advice here: If the lady on the 5th floor does not enter. Then just hope that you do return to the 1st floor after you press it. if you do no then, and start ascending. continuously press any and every floor button for it to stop, or maybe the emergency or call button so that the staff can stop the elevator. Because if you end up reaching the 10th floor, good chances are you get to meet me and we make a cute therapy consult group for people who can't return back. :)
I remember everything from that night so vividly. I did your usual pattern follow. I entered the lift when no one was using it. I entered 4. went up there, meh nothing happened. Then again I pressed 2. I felt a vague chill around me. As if the mechanism of the ritual was understanding my intention. I pressed 6, then after it reached 6, I pressed 2, then 10 then 5. Oh, 5. The elevator door opened. And there she was, standing with all her glory. I did not look at her. but of course, i could see her from waist to bottom. She was dressed in Russian traditional clothing. not something i was expecting from an urban legend that became popular in Korea and japan. I think her wardrobe is a good collection from all cultures. or maybe there's more like her? Who knows?
I could feel it in my spine she was looking at me. She stopped the elevator with her foot so that the doors don't close and asked, "Baby which floor are you going?"
I followed the rules, did not look at her, did not reply to her, and completely ignored her.
She said, "Not much of a speaker eh? no worries have your ride. I hope you have a better life."
I have no idea why she said that. Looking back I think she knew what was going to happen to me. She knew that I was not going to end up in the world most player venture into. "Better life," she said.
She did not enter the lift and I pressed 1. The ritual, now tainted because she did not enter, worked. I reached the 10th floor. And when the doors opened, it was like nothing changed. The building I entered was a hotel. The housekeeping staff was running around. I heard children crying. Some Karen was screaming at a worker because her coffee, which she made from their amenities tasted bland. It was very confusing for me. I think I assumed the ritual did not work. And the lady was just another lady who could have been high. I walked out of the elevator and I felt great.
"those silly online urban legends, such lies" I probably had muttered to myself.
I took the lift again, reached the ground floor, and walked out of the building. Everything was going well until my head started hurting and spinning. and i was slowly passing out. and that's the exact moment i remembered from one of the posts of an earlier player "Do not at any chance lose your consciousness. and if you do, no matter where you wake up, return to the building, re-follow the exit ritual pattern and return to your own world."
My head felt dizzy as I woke up. In my very room. I thought to myself, was it all a dream? Did I search so much about some damn urban legend that I had such a deeply engraving dream? For heaven's sake. I jerked myself up and got down from my bed. Even my clothing is same as the last evening. I didn't know what was more weird, that i was wearing the clothes from my dream or that i remember the dream so vividly that i can even recall the outfit i was wearing. Also my phone was in my pocket. This is something i just never do. No matter how sleepy i am. i keep my phone on the other end of my table, in case it might just blast if the lithium goes through a thermal runaway.
AND! That is when i noticed. My table. It was completely on the opposite side. No no, it is right beside my bed, just like every day but the bed, and the entire room, its opposite. As if it were mirroring the room i know. Also, It wasn't just a complete mirror. my room was smaller, just a bit in breadth. One wouldn't notice it even if they visit my room on a weekly basis. But it's my damn room of course i would know even if a fly moved differently. Lo and behold, that extra loss on my room, was added to my washroom. Again, one wouldn't just notice it right away.
In a nightmare-like urgency, I rushed down the stairs to call complain my mother, and that is when the realization hit me that I did, in fact, play the elevator game. My dad was there. In the kitchen. Alive and happily married. Figuratively much different from how I remember him. I stood there in shock with my mouth wide open. How could this be? I remember my father. The last time I lived with him was until I was 9. When my parents parted ways. The last time I saw him was when I was 11, when he died. Not that I cried, he was far from what a father is supposed to be. I am 25 now.
"Good morning Sweetie!" His voice sounded oddly different. I was utterly petrified by this moment. There was a quirky yet calming nature to his sound which creeped me out even more. I dashed out of the house while grabbing my backpack from the sofa. I could hear him call out my name in my concern. This is it. This is definitely it. I crossed the borders of the unknown realm. But why are people here? Isn't it supposed to be dark with no one in it? No electricity and all ? But there is everything. This is a whole other world, what went wrong?
I had to return to my world. I ran through the roads and traffic to the hotel. Hotel Sunset. As I crossed the roads I could see it all. Cars stopping at the orange light. People walking in blue. I mean they are still following basic physics by using orange, longer wavelength for stopping cars. but does Red not exist in this world? not it does, OH MY GOD, the road lines are red.
I hurried through the crowd to reach the hotel. I pulled out my phone, which was surprisingly working perfectly. Internet, gps everything. It said i reached my location. "Hotel sunset"
I looked up, it said "Hotel Moon shine". I am surprised it wasn't named "moon rise", it'd would have been the cherry on top then.
I walked in, the Interior looked the same. I waited and waited and waited for the evening to hit and the horde to lessen. I stood up and walked to the lift. I repeated the entire process.
The lift stopped at 5. Instead of the lady, someone else entered. I of course didn't look up, but they entered hurriedly, screaming my name and i had to look up, i was already freaked out at this point. It was me. I was looking at me. she, well me, or wait she? she held the lift by her foot. What's up with women in the elevator game to hold the elevator by the foot?
"what did you do!? " I - I mean she said, one that looked like me.
"what did i do?" i replied back. . Whoever this doppelganger was. sure i was petrified. but here i was.
"DID THE LADY ENTER YOUR LIFT ?" she screamed at me.
"wha?" i was trembling at her screeching was. the white portion of her eyes started to redden.
"OH MY GOD DID SHE OR NOT ENTER WHEN YOU DID THE RITUAL?" she again proclaimed.
"she didn't." i replied and slowly lost my leg strength and somewhat collapsed while sitting down.
"why? why did you complete the ritual then? did you not read before you did? you are supposed to be me, you are supposed to be smart. heck, aren't you supposed to be smarter? oh my god. is that my backpack or yours?"
I just shook my head and handed her the backpack, it was hers definitely. I never put on any anime pins on mine. Speaking of anime pins, naruto here has pink hair. Isn't that cool?
she took out her phone and said "If you want to go back home go to this tumblr account and download the app. The account is called buihotline.tumblr.com "
And she left.
Was that the me of this universe? do we have counterparts in every universe? How many universes are there? are these even universes the way our science teaches us universes?
The lift started to quake. the light started flickering and I could hear some noise. soft noises that slowly grew louder and louder until they became uncontrollable screams. my ear drums were hurting beyond control. until it all stopped and the lift door opened. I stepped outside. Yet I was still there at "Moon shine hotel".
I tried the ritual again. I ended up back here. To floor 1 and I went back "home" to my "dad" and "mom". For the next 7 days, I kept on going back to the elevator, trying the ritual continuously and failing. On my way, I noticed new and new things about their world. These people like to greet each other in a very weird way. They grab each other's throats and smile. Almost sadistic. Language is very similar, but there are a few words and phrases here and there that have changed with customs and traditions. Honey here tastes like metal. Cows don't Moo, and birds chirp, but the sounds are unfamiliar, dogs don't exist. cats are the only domestic animals here. I read similar things in some blogs, but never did I think I would get to experience them for real.
Either way. On every failed ritual, I reached floor 1 and went back home. and repeated the cycle Until the 7th day, I got so fed up, that I kept on trying multiple times. but all I did was end up on floor 1. But I saw the weirdest thing.
Well, I can fill in on what happens if you immediately don't leave the building after playing the elevator game and ending up on floor 1. You see, well better than seeing failing grades or not being able to return to your own world, ghosts. Yep pretty much. Deranged souls that roam around the building. That is exactly what you see. And once they notice your existence, god save you. If there is any.
Mine was rather sarcastic. They did infact noticed me. They all came running towards me, looked right at me, smelled me and then slowly moved away and kept on about roaming. My heart intensified so much, it felt like I just lost a marathon I almost won.
I saw a man, maybe a bit older than me, in his 20s, walk down the entrance come and sit beside me. "They won't attack someone who's like them. You are of no use to them. They used to belong here, but don't anymore. and you never did."
I looked at him with a frightening shock. I took my bag and ran back home. Only when i came back home i realized he could have had answers. But i was so terrified at the moment, the only thing I could think of was getting away from him. I needed answers. I need to enter the website the other me mentioned. I got a new phone from this world. they didn't have Google, but I tell you their search engine is much better, it has AI integrated within. The account never opened from the new phone. Tumblr did. but that account never did. Then I tried my own phone and voila! The page had nothing. A heading, a two-liner bio, and a link. Link to download the app. Tumblr happens to be one of the only few apps that do work in other dimensions. Apparently, it has something to do with the first person who jumped dimensions, not only did they jump, but they also jumped through time and made sure every world had Tumblr. It's kinda funny they could have chosen Reddit, it's much more effective.
I loaded the app. Its a 2010's forum-based app. There are discussion topics under which you make threads. You got a chat box to interact with other users. the main discussion had a guide. I searched through it and finally came to the part "how to enter and leave a mirror world" aaand its blank. well not totally. A couple of reasons saying why you should not enter it. A bullet point that said download this pdf to know how to return back to your own world. I hurriedly clicked on it and boom the file did not open. I have never been so disappointed in my life.
There are so many dimensions else than the one with red cross and mirror dimensions. it is almost like aliens exist because some "humans" look so different. some people probably might even have ended up on my world as well. I wonder how they are taking it.
Apparently, only devices of one world present in another world, or at least have been in a few can open the website and run the apk file. Only androids work across dimensions. There's a conspiracy theory that the creators of android have got something to do with the entire interdimensional rituals and breaking the laws of space and time.
Either way, hoping to get some results I posted on the site wishing for some advice on opening the file or someone just copy-pasting the rules I guess.
I received a DM saying, "Since you have successfully crossed a mirror dimension You are capable of much more than you can imagine. But you should know how to use them, you have to be responsible for every move you make"
Good lord, I am not Spider-Man. The user further said, " I do not know where you are from, but I am from dimension 17391, go to the universal map translator and put the location, "Kairo office main building, st. red 22209". It will automatically give you a few building locations of your world." But the interface is very slow. Because it's not a singular place that has a counterpart in every dimension, there is one in every 4 hours of journey. It's an arbitrary location. It will take some time. maybe days. But you will reach."
I asked the user a dozen questions, how do I find the translator map, how many universes are there, and what do I do when I reach there? Why does everyone speak English? But they never replied. But now I have something, hope. A twinge of hope.
I searched around the app and found the map feature, build within the forum. It was on the top layer, but a confused me couldn't find it right away.
Ever since I found the map It has been nothing but a dilemma. 5 months. 5 months of intense searching and nothing. The first time I entered the location and searched, it landed me at the coordinates of a graveyard. The Irony. The second time, a fish market, the third, 3-storey guest house with the most normal Karen.
I can't even venture out every day. I have a "life" here that I have to maintain. This me had a similar job. Marketing manager at a pretty good company. The pay is almost the same. A bit lower here, but hey cost of living is also lower here. Putting those two together I probably have the exact same pay. But they have more facilities. Better vacation leaves. That is exactly what i took right after i downloaded the app, to understand the world better, and the changes here and there.
Morning, I go to work. where I sort out the place I will visit. and after work, i leave. Some places were nearby, some were far. One was in the neighboring country, luckily, the passport here is strong. But none of them work. I think I have broken the "not your universe? not the place? click again" button. Sundays and Saturdays are for long-distance locations. Also every day i cannot afford to go, even though the pay is good. In my world I used to live alone with Mum visiting me now and then. She and I had a family business along with my job, so all was good. Here I don't have a place of my own. And I gotta pay the bills around the house and sometimes take care of the business as well. Things are so similar yet different. I feel likeIi live in a deja vu.
By now i have crossed out almost 75 locations within 5 months, all of them being complete failures. I have crossed out 60 universes that aren't this one. I have made multiple posts on that app, describing my condition, where i am, and which universe it might be. If i even know this universe number and input it, the map translator will work much much better. I describe my original universe in the posts expecting someone to understand me and maybe send me a picture of my mother and friends, but all i have received are words of sympathy and hopefulness.
A few more people have send me their "kairo" addresses but they all can send only one to two messages before the chatbox stops. One of them managed to message me that i have to enter my universe number in the settings for the interface to work better. I also haven't been able to find the man from the hotel on the app or at the hotel either.
what do I do? Any piece of advice?

Context:
My husband and I rented a townhouse in March, 1 yr lease. We're in the middle of migrating to the US and finally got the news COVID-19 had been delaying.
Our plan was to live as long as we could here before I would technically "lose the visa". That's 6 months and would bring us to November. We'd still keep paying it @$300 a month because it's cheap, and we liked the landlords. My brother could stay here for the rest or not, whatever.
Now:
We're not fusssy but we've had to deal with quite a bit.

1. The property manager was rude and made us uncomfortable.
   
2. They're responsible for maintaining outside but don't.
   
3. We went without water for a week, turns out there's issues with the water company and we NEVER HAD WATER FROM THE MAIN for montts. The water tanks had emptied. They ended up re-filling it with a water truck. This was April.
   
4. There was a leak in the living room thru the wall and light bulb. Turns out the waste pipe in the bathroom upstairs wasn't connected? Or whatever they said. They had to GUT THE BATHROOM which took 2 days. My husband and I work from home. It was noisy as hell. This was May.
   
5. No water again. End of may, about 9 days. They promised to refill the tanks otp then when the time came said it was a "misunderstanding" and wouldn't. We paid for a truck to come.
   
6. Foul odor since the bathroom had to be gutted to fix that pipe. Today my husband flushed the toilet and turned on the shower and they both started bubbling. Now the toilet is overflowing and the shower won't drain.
   
7. Now I see my shoes are wet. Leaky roof. The roof was "checked" when they dug up the bathroom...my handmade leather sandals that are no longer made are soaked.
   

Question: Is any of this grounds for termination? They're cool people but this sucks. I have my visa. It wouldve been nice to keep saving on rent but I can't do it anymore.

March, 1919.
After facing a 9 hours long trip, Viktor arrives at Lucrein and is received by it's cousin Ivan and his old friend Nikolay, both already living in the town for four years. It's safe to say that this town is the most facinating one Viktor ever saw in his life but that doesn't mean that the city was in it's best shape, the war has left deep scars that will take long to heal.
Their new home also wasn't the best nor the worst Viktor has lived in, but the constant water shortages became a annoying issue. After a cold bath and a cup of coffee, the three dressed their uniforms and went to work in a furniture factory, one of the few ones still open. As they arrive, Viktor observes the factory state, a grey, dusty place with old machinery, surely surviving the civil war was a tough task for the small company and it's employees.
Viktor then starts doing his task, maintaining and fixing the machines, initially is hard to understand them but thanks to his past experience fixing agricultural machines for landowners and some advice from older co-workers, he was able to pull it off. When the three arrive home, they have to deal with the fact that the three wages combined barely can cover the bills and food expenses and they have families at home to help, but they won't give up.
​
May, 1919.
The three are worried and fear being fired, their april wages were delayed and they already passed through eight days of hunger, they get another cold bath and don't even take breakfast as the three start their shifts at 6:00am and finish at 17:00pm, enduring such long workdays just because there aren't many better jobs around and they need cash to help their families since dustbowl wasn't soft for the small farmer, at least they finally receive their wages this month and decide to celebrate going for a walk in the town.
The night is pleasant, the moon makes a great company and the city lights are brighter as ever, the vehicles pass by and the people in the streets look determined to pass through the many hardships head on, the three go into a bar and drink a little but agreeing to not spend too much in only one night. Finally they decide to finish one of their few celebrative months going to the top of a green hill to reflect and talk about the future, with only the starts and the night creatures as witnesses.
​
October, 1919.
They receive the news that Nikolay's sister, Svetlana is about to give birth, after some pondering, Ivan and Viktor decide to join him and, after getting a very needed one-week leave without pay, the three make their way to the Aliev family ranch near Istront. At arrival, they found out that the baby would probably come to this world in two or three days, while Ivan and Viktor helped with the homeworks, Nikolay and the father would assist Svetlana and the midwife in any possible need.
Finally the day arrives, Svetlana sweats and screams, the baby's father and Nikolay seem to sweat even more as they distribute cigars to the family members and friends, preparing to throw a grand welcoming party for the new family member, at some point the two are called inside the room while Ivan and Viktor wait anxiously in the kitchen, after some more screaming, the midwife gives the bad news, the baby was stuck and medical help was needed, Viktor quickly called an ambulance but thanks to another heritage of the war, a destroyed infraestructure, the ambulance would take too long, Nikolay and Ivan even tried to drive Svetlana to the hospital in her husband truck but it was too late, she and the baby unfortunately died at the hospital entrance.
​
November, 1919.
It takes some time for the three to recover from such events, Nikolay, of course, was more affected then Ivan and Viktor as both start to work to ensure the payment of their bills. Rumors of a massive strike are raised through the town and Ivan decides to take part in it while Viktor is more skeptical about it.
Then, on the 11th day of the month, the strike really occurs, Ivan joins the sizeable demonstrations while Viktor stays home with Nikolay, the strike in Lucrein severely affects the industry and services companies and lasts two weeks as soon the demonstrations are dispersed, some achieve to be employed again while others not and the improvements for the workers are minimum and the scale of them differs from factory to factory. Viktor and Nikolay return to their posts while Ivan gets a job in another place.
​
December 31, 1919.
A small gathering of tired workers can be seen at the furniture factory in a New Year celebration, cheap booze and some good food are being served in two tables and the employees, foreman and even the boss himself are cheering and toasting. The three friends toast as the fireworks show starts and everyone goes to the roof to see it, Nikolay, Ivan and Viktor hug eachother and hope their future will be as brighter as those fireworks sweeping the darkness out of the sky.

i’m getting a secondary because my coach wasn’t giving me the hours i needed to pay bills. was hired on as full time and was being given weeks that sometimes are 22 hours and some 30 always varies… but i’m going to start cashiering as well, any tips?

I started a new job, so I will have gone about a month without pay before I get my first paycheck. Two of my children had birthdays, two proms, and a high school graduation, so I spent a lot of money on that and made sure I paid my bills. My sister’s fiancé had a birthday, and I am down to my last $40. I didn’t even remember it was his birthday with how busy I have been with birthdays, proms, and graduations, until my mother sent two texts last week telling us it was his birthday. I planned on getting a gift on Thursday, but my former employer did not pay me my bonus I was due to receive before I left employment. Yesterday, I told the fiancé and my dad I would bring him a birthday gift next week when I got paid from my new job due to my low funds. They were okay with this and understanding of my situation.
Well, today, my mother called me and said everyone needed a gift and she called everyone and told them they needed to give him a gift. I told her I had already talked to him and that I did not have the money for gifts until next week. She then commented on the packages I received, implying I had money for that but not a gift. I told her those were for my children’s birthdays and graduation, feeling like I had to justify what I did for my children. To try to avoid more drama from her, I took $25 of my last $40 and bought a gift card. I took it to her house, said hello and bye and left.
Later I got a text about how I’m being dry and my personal problems with my husband have nothing to do with the family and I’m disrespecting her. I was floored, so I called her. I told her my husband had nothing to do with this, and that she shouldn’t have called me lecturing me about a gift when I spoke to my sister’s fiancé and let him know he would receive a gift from me next week. She said she had no clue I talked to him and nobody told her. I told her that I didn’t know I had to go thorough her to let her know about the gift. I told her the reason I’m mad is because she implied I had money for my own purchases but not for him. I then told her my sister’s fiancé is not my child, and my children and bills come first. I said gifts for siblings’ partners are not a necessity when I’m low on money and have bills and children. She told me his gift was a necessity, and accused me of disrespecting her and told me if I didn’t want a relationship with her that was fine.
I was shocked. I never said anything about not having a relationship with her. I told her she was disrespectful to me for all of this. Then she said I didn’t have to speak to her ever again. I then told her she was turning into my grandmother and she hung up on me.
AITA?

Context:
My husband and I rented a townhouse in March, 1 yr lease. We're in the middle of migrating to the US and finally got the news COVID-19 had been delaying.
Our plan was to live as long as we could here before I would technically "lose the visa". That's 6 months and would bring us to November. We'd still keep paying it @$300 a month because it's cheap, and we liked the landlords. My brother could stay here for the rest or not, whatever.
Now:
We're not fusssy but we've had to deal with quite a bit.

1. The property manager was rude and made us uncomfortable.
   
2. They're responsible for maintaining outside but don't.
   
3. We went without water for a week, turns out there's issues with the water company and we NEVER HAD WATER FROM THE MAIN for montts. The water tanks had emptied. They ended up re-filling it with a water truck. This was April.
   
4. There was a leak in the living room thru the wall and light bulb. Turns out the waste pipe in the bathroom upstairs wasn't connected? Or whatever they said. They had to GUT THE BATHROOM which took 2 days. My husband and I work from home. It was noisy as hell. This was May.
   
5. No water again. End of may, about 9 days. They promised to refill the tanks otp then when the time came said it was a "misunderstanding" and wouldn't. We paid for a truck to come.
   
6. Foul odor since the bathroom had to be gutted to fix that pipe. Today my husband flushed the toilet and turned on the shower and they both started bubbling. Now the toilet is overflowing and the shower won't drain.
   
7. Now I see my shoes are wet. Leaky roof. The roof was "checked" when they dug up the bathroom...my handmade leather sandals that are no longer made are soaked.
   

Question: Is any of this grounds for termination? They're cool people but this sucks. I have my visa. It wouldve been nice to keep saving on rent but I can't do it anymore.

Hello nosurf
A couple of years ago I posted my "Commandments of Media Use". The list originally had 24 commandments, then 38. Now, it's grown to 52, and will continue to grow.
Well, without further ado, here are The 52 Commandments of Media.
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1.Never to forget that light feeling. When you’ve been away from your screens for a prolonged period of time.
2. Not to underestimate the slow, psychological poison of technology.
3. Not to chase the shadows cast by your screens at the expense of your life.
4. Not to rationalise excessive technology use.
5. To always, at every opportunity, choose the real world and not the digital one.
6. Your body becomes good at what you teach it to do. If you sit still while your mind is lost in the digital world, then your body shall atrophy. After all, sitting still hunched over a computer doesn’t require much muscle tone — so your body will not provide it.
7. Your mind adapts itself to every task, including consuming media. Watching videos will create a passive mind. Social media will create an unsatisfied mind. Internet browsing creates a distracted mind. There is no “this doesn’t count” or “I just do this to relax”. For your mind, every single thing you do becomes a part of you.
8. Not to forget — that human beings are not evolved to sit in a chair and watch screens.
9. Think of those you’ve seen in old videos or in poor countries. Their light, steady gaze and easy smiles. Then think of your own twitchy gaze and stiff smile. Ponder on what you’ve lost.
10. To notice the slow of time when away from technology.
11. Think of your screen-time in days prior. And realise that almost none of it can be remembered. Time poured into a drain.
12. To always approach technology with intention. This will be your anchor as the winds and whirlpools of the digital world pull on your precious attention.
13. The creators of technology who profit from stealing your time.
14. To switch everything off — and remember how it feels to be alive.
15. Even a perfect digital world could never be as satisfying as the imperfect one you were born into.
16. If they were speaking face to face they wouldn’t act like that.
17. The light breeze. The sun on your face. A quiet walk in nature. How they’re all a thousand times more fulfilling than the superstimuli found on screens.
18. Never to digitise your human urges.
19. Incels and Hikikomoris — how technology has trapped them in a looping nightmare.
20. To always remember that the news does not represent the entirety of reality.
21. Their faces as they use their technology
22. To never click unconsciously.
23. To always, as much as possible, act the same in the digital world as you do in the real world.
24. The more dopamine induced by screens, and the higher its potency, the less reality will excite you
25. Screens are not a necessity for a fulfilled life. To think so is an illusion.
26. From the stars in the sky, to the endless detail underneath a microscope, to the strange creatures dwelling in the deepest parts of the ocean, to the emotions inside a person's eyes, no virtual world will ever carry as much detail as reality itself.
27. Like a bolt of lightning or water running downhill, human beings (like all of nature) shall always be inclined to take the path of least resistance. And technology is the fastest, most accessible path to stimulation. Yet as human beings, we have the choice to delay gratification for a greater reward down the road. Only children and dogs are unable to do so.
28. Life is perceived as short by those who spend it on screens.
29. Why do you care? Why do you feel the need to give your opinion? Why does the issue of the day require your input? Why does the business of a celebrity far away concern you? Why do you allow others to decide what you pay attention to and what you don't?
30. When has awareness of world events made you happier? And when has your mere awareness had any effect on these events?
31. Every obscure, specific fetish. Every taboo. Every new piece of pornographic content. All the same. Foot fetish porn. Femdom porn. Rough porn. Public porn. Incest porn. Trans porn. All one and the same thing, with little distinction between them. Not special. Not unique. All producing the very same chemical reaction inside the brain.
32. Gathering yet more information will not get you to where you want to go.
33. All digital experiences are incomplete versions of experiences already possible in reality. Porn an incomplete version of sex. Romantic movies an incomplete version of love. Movies and video games an incomplete version of your life's adventure.
34. No matter the number of options available to you on screens, you can only be in one room at a time.
35. They do not think you beautiful. They think the digital image of you beautiful. They love the pixels transmitted to them by their screen, not you. There's you. And then there's digital images of you. These are entirely separate entities.
36. The dazed feeling after watching television. The scattered feeling after browsing the internet. The feeling of presence when in nature. Choose.
37. The negative emotions they induce in you for their own profit.
38. Like the sheep dog herds the sheep, algorithms herd the humans.
39. If the internet were to fail, if the electricity flow were to stop, if transport grinded to a halt, if supermarkets held no food, if the world's technology failed, what would you do?
40. The more we rely on technology, the more useless we become when it ceases to function.
41. The experts tell you it's fine, or that it's no big deal. But in your heart, you know it is not. Do not so easily hand the intuition you have built during a lifetime of experience over to experts who have never met you. You know what makes you feel good and whole. And you know what makes you feel corrupted. You don't need to ask experts. You don't need it confirmed by studies. You already know.
42. The youth of millions - stolen by screens.
43. The fashion in which you interact with your screens shall determine the course of your entire life. There is nothing trivial about it at all.
44. Level up a digital character inside a digital world and your real self shall level down in direct proportion.
45. The attractive digital people you see on screens do not exist. They are merely representations of people created with pixels or ink on a page. Nothing more than phantoms. The more time you spend gazing at them, the worse your romantic life shall become.
46. Not to check your devices without purpose. When important news arrives, it will reach you.
47. Those who quarrel online do not bicker with people. Instead, they quarrel with figments of their own imagination.
48. The producer remembered and rewarded. The consumer punished and forgotten.
49. You do tomorrow as you do today. Watch porn today, you'll repeat the behaviour tomorrow. Play video games today, you'll play them tomorrow. What you do now is what you'll do in the future. If you want to change, change what you do now. Now. Now.
50. You say: “I just do this to pass the time”. But why are you “passing time” in the first place? Did you forget that your time is limited? Did you forget about your death? Now that you've remembered once again, can you still justify spending another hour on your screens?
51. Which is reality? The chaos on your screen, or the quiet peace in the room that surrounds it?
52. You become the media you consume

So, let me first preface this with I don’t want anyone to feel bad or sorry for me. I generally don’t talk about this because I don’t want people’s sympathy, I just want someone to listen… or no one to listed and for me to just vent lol.
My father had an affair with my mother and I was the outcome from it. Through out my mom’s pregnancy he would send her letters saying he was going to leave his wife and bring his other kids to start a life with her “for real” but those were all lies to comfort my mother. When push came to shove the day I was born my mother and my father had a contractual agreement that my mom would never force my father to pay child support and in return he would never be allowed to have custody of me. This was to ensure that his family would never find out about his bastard child, which to this day they still don’t know I am assuming. My mother never dated anyone else and to this day has remained single.
When I was a young child through grade school I was bullied pretty severely because I did not have a father. Kids are mean is all I can say lol 🤷‍♂️ but this caused me to have a less than ideal relationship with my mother because she refused to tell me anything about why my father wasn’t around until I was an adult. My mother kept all of the letters that her and my father sent back and forth while they were apart for the roughly three years that they were having an affair and I stumbled upon them when I was 15. From that time I completely resented my mother for her decision making, I hated myself for representing their lust for each other, I hated my father for obvious reasons. When I turned 18 I left home to go to college and the relationship continued to deteriorate with my mother until we completely stopped interacting and she moved across the country.
My early 20’s were nothing but struggles. Periods of couch surfing, consistently working 2-3 jobs just to try and make ends meet. I dropped out of college after two years because I couldn’t balance working 60-80 hours a week and making all of my classes. This really was my low point in life, and I was dealing with it using alcohol and elicit narcotics.
After a near death experience I completely changed my approach on life. My work ethic had never wavered, the day to day struggles to pay my bills and keep a roof over my head we’re real but I chose a route of forgiveness instead of resentment. My late 20’s were spent trying to rebuild relationships with my mother and my true friends. I managed to go back to and finish college utilizing some tuition reimbursement benefits for the company I was and still am working for today.
Fast forward to present day, I live a sober life with better but not perfect relationship with my mother. We don’t talk about my childhood or my father at all because there is still bad blood there that I can’t forgive so I try to forget. In reality, I still struggle with my existence. I still struggle to understand how my mother and father thought this was okay or was the best outcome. I am pretty confident I will always be bitter about this and have accepted that I will never understand. I choose to try and be a better person and to learn from the mistakes that I represent being alive.
There is no real reason for posting this other than it’s been on my mind a lot and I needed a place to compartmentalize my thoughts and just vent. 😊

Next week I’m going out w my crush but her friends will also be there and we’re meeting first time irl and I’m thinking to pay whole bill it may leave a good impression on her ima newbie please help !

I don't have a "real" focused career yet and I need to pay bills...I start Monday and I am regretting it so much already. My schedule is about to change, I am going to be around tons of people I don't know and it's retail. Granted the position is in the produce section but still. ARgh I dread this.
Tips/tricks for longevity? I don't believe I can wear headphones because it is a more customer service focused grocery store.

There are multiple carriers (including Fido) doing $39 for 20GB data+phone/text, and I’m seriously considering switching to this plan now because it is a limited time promotion.
However, I’m on a phone contract with Fido and need to pay the remaining device balance, which is currently sitting at around $240. My plan started on Black Friday 2021, and Fido said the promotional monthly discount I got for this plan will not apply when I pay the remaining device balance. Fido said they can offer me the $39 deal if I pay the remaining device balance in my next bill. I did the calculation and found I will be losing $50 one time when I switch into the new $39 plan.
However, I don’t want to miss this deal because it seems like a great one. I did research on what promotions were like on Black Friday 2022 and found many of them were worse than this current promotion.
However, I’m wondering if I’m missing any info and not know better. Were there better deals than $39 for 20gb in past Black Fridays? Should I just wait until my phone contract concludes this November?

She had a crush on me then ghosted me?
I got ghosted - should I move on or try and talk to her again?
It all starts with a mutual friend of hours who happens to work at the same company as me. Me and him aren’t super close, but we’re what you’d call great work friends. He’s my favorite coworker, I see him on the way to work as he lives a bit closer so we usually meet up and walk the final leg. A coffee buddy, but not necessarily a go out party buddy or anything like that. He’s a few years my senior and has kids and a wife putting him in a completely different stage in life.
Anyway, the story goes that he mentioned someone who lives in my building I think he went to college with, but I get the impression it was more so a friend of his wives who also went to the same school. I had never paid attention to this girl, but seen her a few times around the high rise. You know like when you see a person and you’d recognize them, but wouldn’t do anything beyond that. I don’t recall if I ever even said hello. Again it’s one of those things, IDK why, but some people I say hello to right when I get on the elevator others I don’t.
He mentions her and how she said “who’s that guy he’s so handsome” and said she’s been crushing on me or a secret admirer I guess you’d call it. He first told me this at the end of April.
Well, finally I met her bumping into her I introduced myself we chatted for a couple mins and that was that. Again, a few days later I ran into her in the package room we rode the elevator up and just said hello. Not too much at all.
I felt like after the first interaction things were good, I think she knew I’d heard obviously what my friend had said but wasn’t awkward at all. We just smiled she said her name etc.
Next thing you know, she’s popping up everywhere on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, so a couple days after I see this I shoot her a follow request on Instagram. I check back the next day, still on requested. Then, the following day I go back and it says follow. WTF? Did I just get ghosted?
Also, I shot her a funny message on our housing portal app it’s like a community app where we submit vendor tickets, pay bills, and it has everyone’s contact in there where you can DM.
I sent one on there. A week later I’m sitting on ghosted 2x.
Eventually I’ll have to see her again simply by chance, but I’m absolutely going to take a backseat role here — right? My friend absolutely wouldn’t send me off, but we aren’t so close that I’d bother him over this. And based on the girls friendliness etc when we first introduced, she definitely seemed interested.
FWIW, I know she’s really close with this other girl I am friendly with who’s married. Me and this girl and sometimes her husband all keep the same schedule and she’s super friendly almost like she’s interested for her friend, if that makes sense. I haven’t seen her recently to notice any change in her attitude but will definitely be watching for it. I don’t even know her name, but we chat a lot when we run into each other.
What do my next steps look like? It seems obvious if she was super into me she would’ve at least replied to my message? Maybe too soon for IG, but IDK the whole thing seems off…
Honestly it won’t be awkward for me, but I feel bad if I did something that turned her away. I’m fine with just being neighbors at a distance.