Demographics: Gender, race/ethnicity, state, type of school, and hooks (URM, first generation, legacy, athlete, etc.) Female, Asian Intended Major(s): Molecular Bio or Biotech ACT/SAT/SAT II: None UW/W GPA and Rank: 3.71 Coursework: AP/IB/Dual Enrollment classes, AP/IB scores, etc: AP Bio, AP Physc Awards: Nationals for Robotics, 2019 Nationals for Soccer, Wharton Program Completion Extracurriculars:
1. Co-Founder of Nonprofit- for underprivileged teens, created a program to teach them about necessities of their career path
2. Elementary School Tutor- Taught multiple kids about math and english
3. City Youth Council- Selected from a few applicants to voice my opinions from the youth in my area
4. Research- Conducting research with MIT graduate (Bio related)
5. Class Council- Been a representative for my class since 4th grade (Currently Class Treasurer)
6. Co-FoundeVP of AL/ML club, TSA Club Secretary, and Robotics FRC/Marketing Member
7. Tennis and Badminton Team
8. Biotech Internship (This Summer)
9. Started Poverty Drive at my School
10. Accepted to Wharton Summer Program Essays/LORs/Other: Optionally, guess how strong these are and include any other relevant information or circumstances.
Honestly, I think their a sold 9/10. Schools: List of colleges, ED/EA/RD, etc
Not sharing yet.

PS. Please give me advice, suggestions or harsh critiquing. I would like to know the harsh truth about my application.

I live in Florida, near Orlando. My school is mostly peaceful and welcoming but there are some bullying sometimes.
Last year we had a new kid joining our school. He and his family moved here from Croatia. When he came in class to introduce himself, he had a coldhearted face expretion. Like he didnt care. He is tall (6'2 or 190 mm), muscular and has a short full beard. He was 17 when he joined our school.
He seemed like a normal dude. He would ask questions to teachers, ask help for homework and help others. He is very smart and productive. But, we all stood away from his way because we all feared him. He wasnt a bully or a hot shot. He just stood quiet and silent during lectures.
One day, at the hall I was walking with him to our next class and a group of jocks who were bullys noticed him and one of them came to him and slapped his books on the floor. He turned around and he leg kicked the bullys back. The bully fell on his face bleeding.
He was sent to the principals office after one of the bullys snitched. Both got a week suspension. He and his parents seem not to care since he claims its self defence and everyone has right to defend theirsleves
After the incindent everyone knew of the new guy from europe who stood againts the jocks. No one has ever stood againts them. He got nicknames that some of them were actually cool that I started to call him that.
I began to talk to him more and we became friends. He would tell me about himself, his culture and his country.
Apperantly, him looking colhearted is normal way to look everyday. He doesnt feel that way at all. He is happy but he doesnt show trough his expretions. He was born and raised in a slavic country which slavs are known for not showing emotions. He also does bodybuilding and martial arts which makes sense on why he looks big and knows how to fight.
I was also in his house. I met his family and they are very welcoming. Everytime I would visit they would offered me to drink or during night offer me dinner. He is also a family man. He helps his family when it comes to cooking food, yard work, fixing leaks, ect.
He's a good student. He plans to attend college in IT course since he is into computers.

Background info: I am 26 (f) and my dad (have no contact with him) has decided to take my mum to court over being displeased on financial circumstances. I am seeking advice regarding this situation as it has shocked our family.
He left my mum in 2020 supposedly due to his mental health. However, he had been chatting online with women from Ghana and the Philippines in a romantic nature as he was caught twice by my mum between 2018-2020. One girl was only 28 and he was 57 at the time which disgusted me. He also sent over a pair of jeans, took a solo holiday to Singapore in 2019 and mysteriously lost his passport during it (I suspect he went over there to meet a girl). He also admitted to gambling a few thousand pound in 2019. I only found out about the cheating and gambling a few months ago.
Before all this he was a very ordinary and seemingly kind father (I know realise he was a covert narcissist). House is with around 300k and he earned a few thousand more than my mum a year. Yet both worked full time, and, life was anyways centred around my dad and his victim complex. Not once did I see him apologise for anything. It was all about him and his depression. When my mum confronted him about the cheating he blamed it on me and my sister for not giving him enough attention and refused to admit he had cheated.
He also lost all his hair due to alopecia and has blamed my mum harshly even though she has only ever looked after him. This was after the cheating and weeks after my mums mum died in 2020 which he did not even send flowers for.
Rewinding back to today and he has broken multiple promises. He took the car, and did not cover any other payments to the house. He had a £100,000 pension and has spent nearly all of it in three years. We don’t have any contact with him and haven’t for nearly two years as he is an extremely selfish human being. I just want to see what advice I can get from this situation, and, how much weight he might have in court.

Question for the larger people in the community or at least those that carry their weight in the middle. What do y'all do for dress shirts? I wear a 17½ 36/37 and when standing its perfect. Collar is spot on, sleeves are good, it's flat through the front and sides with no excess like it was custom made for me. Problem I then encounter is when I go to sit down the biscuit can pops and the button down near my belly struggles with every thread to hold the shirt together and then leaves the meanest stress wrinkle in the shirt and button hole.
The only shirts I've found off the rack that work so far are Synergy shirts from DXL and I HATE the material and the overall look. Collars are floppy and the shirt has this almost glossy appearance to it. It works, but I'm not satisfied with it.
I wear a tie probably 90% of the time, so neck size is important to me. Can I buy a bigger necked shirt and have the tailor reduce the original collar or do I have to accept that I would have to go to a white collar and cuffs to get the fit I need?

My temp job that was supposed to last until Winter called yesterday and told me they had to let all of the temps go yesterday for "lack of business." There were nearly a dozen temp employees there btw. Today I realized I was lied to and only me and another employee were let go. (The employee group chat was still active and other temps were sending messages.) I feel so hurt. What did I do wrong? I always had a feeling the other employees didn't like me as I'm very casual and unpretentious and they took their jobs WAY too seriously and were super stuck up. But I always did a great job and really cared about the patrons (it's a museum.) The other employee they let go also has a very strong personality. I feel like it's not even because of my autism because there's two other employees on the spectrum. I feel so hurt and like I probably did something wrong. I really liked this job and it was super easy and fun.

Sometime ago, my wife (Q) tried the THC/CBD gummies on a whim with a local mom/friend, a person you wouldn't even think would bother. Passing no judgement on such substances, I think they are fine for the right person and personality. However, since that time about a year ago, my wife has sought constant usage of them, to the point she's gotten the medical card in our resident state. Since she has no right to drive for another (7) months (DUI), she's been asking me to 1) drive her 2) buy them on her behalf.
The intention of having her go through the medicinal route was a few thoughts/ideas:
1) Because it would be used for the intended purpose and not abused. Under a prescriber (DR), she'd at least be monitored and perhaps the dosage would be managed.
2) Cost. When I did buy them (and had tried them), they'd be about $60/order, which she'd go through in two weeks or less, generally using them nightly. I assumed if she had a card she'd have a doctor monitoring her AND it may cost less, because I wasn't OK with the on-going cost
3) Commitment. Her tendency is to be highly addictive. Supplements, particularly weight loss, during her high school days. As a 39 year old mother, she buys all kinds of supplements for "health," most of which appear to be junk. It's nothing for her to jump on the next fad of supplements.
Overall, my wife (Q) like many of you, has a strong tendency to lie, deceive, hide, or deflect away from core issues. When I did buy the gummies, she'd take her "dosage" and basically chill and check out on me, avoiding any issues she raised during the day. I'd spoken to her consumption with my counselor (MLADC, MLMHC) I took the approach/stance of "it isn't my circus." Her new addiction isn't my business. Indirectly, my counselor did advise what she would do if my wife was her patient, and to some extent I agreed.
My counselor's opinion is that she's still medicating her issues away, rather than confronting them, and for the sake of safety and health, these shouldn't be used, nor prescribed. The other issues I have (and my counselor) have is that taking gummies at night does nothing during the day when my wife's issues are at their hardest. We have an 8 and 2 year old and she often makes things "worse in her head, than they are in reality." Really, they're two great boys and the 8 year old is gone from 8am to 4pm with school. My wife is a SAHM and the 2 year old, while rambunctious, naps 2-3 hours/day.
My wife is a perfectionist with anxiety; at times no one would know, least of all the people she aims to be perfect for and please. Desserts at the bus stop when it's a neighbor child's birthday. Texts everyday to family members. Weekly calls to her living grandparents. Cards for every single birthday, holiday, celebration, or sad event in our life. Cleans the house. Prepares the meals. Donates money to charity on a whim. She's a Stepford wife for sure, but she has also nearly killed herself or other's in two horrible DUI accidents the past 8 years when she snaps out of nowhere, not to mention the 10's of thousands of dollars in medical bills paid out over the past 8 years for her care, treatment and rehabilitation.
I'd also say she's a bit of a downer. She tells herself and other's she's happy, but between our four walls, we see the real her, who at times is so down, so depressed, so anxious, she lashes out at us. Even if me and the boys are fine, all it takes is a thought, something on social media or a text, to set her off and she'll be consumed by it for days, so much so that in the past that would lead her to binge drink to oblivion.
I've trailed off from the gummies, but ultimately as the only driver capable it's 1) drive her to the dispensary 2) have her uber there and back (which isn't practical) 3) me pick them up. Part of me has the "I don't care attitude" because things are 100x better than they were in 16, 17, 18, 19 and so on. And part of me is tired of "relapsing" in the sense of her chaos and drama. Plenty of times we've been places and she just...fades, likely the result of taking something.
I'm not opposed to this stuff, assuming it's under guidance to get better, not simply divert the addiction from thing to another. Again, it isn't for me to say what someone can or cannot do, but I also have our children to think of and it's my life (and our income). As it is, I do much more than I can this year and will this year. Thanks for reading.

TLDR (first because this is a long one); I want to wait for someone who doesn't have the physical/mental capacity right now (and may never have the capacity) for a romantic relationship but I'm not sure if that's a good thing for me to do to myself any longer. Also, they might not even want me anymore haha.
I (she/her) just turned 22. The person I'm in love with is 23 (she/her). We met while I was living in her city but now I'm back home about 9ish hours away by car.
We dated briefly. I kinda ruined things by having alot of anxiety over being long distance once I would move back/continue traveling to new cities and being in an open relationship. My anxiety was caused by two things, 1) never being in something non-monogamous before and reckoning with my own ideas of what a relationship I am in should look like and 2) she once said something like "ideally, I could just have you to myself". That second one really got into my head. Now we are not dating but I've made it pretty obvious that my feelings haven't changed and while she hasn't told me to pull it back, she has not demonstrated a desire to return them.
I'm young and I plan to travel as much as I can in the near future. I like sex and I want to explore with different people and situations. She is mostly ace and has said before she wanted me to have the option to have my needs met with other people because she can't be expected to meet them. I think I could get used to being with other people and not be guilty about it, but the idea of not being exactly what she wants in a partner makes me think twice.
This is someone I could see myself building a life with. I love her and she is so patient with me despite having an exhausting life. When she has the energy she's really good at being a loving person. She has a ton of medical and disabilty stuff that makes day to day functioning incredibly hard. I really don't know how she does it and manages to still be around idiots like me. Granted, she rarely has the energy to put up with me, which is another thing that is hard to swallow and I feel guilty about wanting to be different.
I've gotten better and also it's been a trial by fire for my anxious attatchment issues haha, but I have to be careful not to message too much or ask to see her because it puts pressure on her to give more than she usually has. I want someone who I can call on the phone (which I've asked for but has never worked out) and plan weekend trips to see. I feel incredibly needy and sometimes I question if I'm just too much or if I'm being selfish. I've seen how consuming her disabilities can be and yet I'm over here feeling sorry for myself because she doesn't always reply back within 12 hours.
I don't know if there will ever be a right time for us. I don't know if I settle down and get a stable career and a permanant place to live and a better car and decide I don't need to explore more sexually, if she will want to be with me more. I want to want to move on. But no one else is her.
There have been alot of people in her life who have left her behind and she's told me that it's hard to love and trust because of that. I'm afraid of losing the chance of being with her because if I start seeing other people or someone else romantically, not just casually, she'll think that I don't want her or she wasn't enough. But I do want her. And I can wait as long as she wants if I just knew she wanted me. I don't even need the promise of a right time, because neither of us know if that's ever going to happen. I just want her to want me enough to ask. I have this idea in my head that if i find someone else, even a poly thing, any trust she has left in me will be broken. I don't want to be another person that becomes just a friend and finds their person while she just looks on wishing things had been different and she didn't have things making her life so much more complicated and difficult than most people. It's not fair. I would do anything to make her life easier, even remove myself from it entirely if that's what she wanted.
She can't give me what I want right now. What I need I guess. I can deal with the sexual part, but the lack of emotional and romantic attention really makes me feel like something is missing. And it hurts. I love her so much and just want to be with her. The last time I saw her in person it was for only part of the day and I was just so grateful to be there with her and get to hug her. I wanted to ask to kiss her but knew it was a bad idea.
I wish I could ask her about all this, but it's too much right now and I'm scared of losing her altogether because I'm bringing stress to her life. If it wasn't for the medical issues I would just ask. I'm not a shy person and I need clear communication. Once, when we were more involved, I wrote her a really intense love lettemessage and she told me it was too much and she felt extremely emotionally pressured. Now I'm terrified to try and clarify anything because she may just say I'm too much for her and she needs to take care of herself first and foremost and cut me off. I want her to take care of herself and I respect her so much for knowing where to put her energy.
I just wish I could be more apart of her life, ya know? I don't need much, just a little reassurance know and then without having to ask for it. I just want to be there and know I'm important to her. It's hard to feel that way when I feel like a burden for just asking her how her day is. If she told me to wait, I would wait as long as she needed. I don't think she will ever ask and at this point im not sure if she even wants me anymore. Reading this back makes me feel crazy, but honestly she really does give just enough to give me hope.
What the fuck do I do? I don't want to lose her but I'm really hurting by being in love with someone who can't return it right now. And what if I start dating someone else and these feelings are still so strong? Is that even an honest thing to do to a new person?
Sorry this is so long. It's all I've been thinking about for about two months now. I'm tired. I just want to be loved and be able to give my love freely. I have always felt like too much and it's funny because I was just starting to get over that and now it's like no, your baseline is literally too much for this person haha.
Thank you for listening <3 if you have any advice, I would be very thankful to hear it. I'm a mess, I know.

Hey everyone. I'm a tall fit guy with black curly hair, a sharp jaw, and nice smile near Richardson that's looking for someone to hang out and have some fun with. I would like a FWB or just some fun if the vibe is right. I love smoking weed, going clubbing, and started going to the gym daily a little while ago. Im a software developer and WFH so i get a lot of free time. I have also had a vasectomy (Still would want to use condoms initially). Im a dom and have a couple kinks that we can talk more about. I can host or travel for a meet.
Message me and I can verify and show you how I look :)

Hey. For context I'm 19, a freshmen in college. I've only been in two relationships, the last one ended over two years ago so experience wise I feel a bit behind. I don't have the clearest idea of the kind of stuff I like in bed but I sort of know what I like. This summer I was considering downloading Hinge and trying my hand to casually date. I figured it would help me get some more experience. I haven't the slightest clue what I'm doing though. I was imagining possibly trying to see if people just wanted to hook up but I'm down to casually dating too! I just can't do anything serious because of college. The whole thing is intimidating imo. Especially considering how little I get out and talk to people. Additionally I don't have a car, so I feel like that limits my options severely? I worry about putting myself in a dangerous situation (I live near a not so safe city) or possibly my lack of experience coming up and biting me in the ass. Especially considering sexually, I can manage my way socially I feel. However, I think doing this might be beneficial for my growth both personally and sexually too. Whixh is why I'm asking for advice. I'd greatly appreciate help with these specific issues or even just tips and tricks on dating and sex. All help is welcomed. Thanks!

I’m in my 60’s and I’m curious to know how much you older ladies are consuming in a day.
I’m 5’4” and currently with 157 so definitely have more weight to lose. I’m also T2 diabetic with at least a couple of autoimmune diseases that I’m trying to tamp down or if possible eliminate with this way of eating, exercise, and increasing water.
My struggle is eating enough. At least that’s what I’m wondering. A typical day is 2-3 eggs with butter and 2-3 slices of bacon. I also drink butter coffee. It’s hard to give up the coffee and I’m sure some will scold me for that. 😬
Dinner is usually half of a big steak so roughly a half pound is what I eat with butter and salt. Or a grilled burger, typically with cheese but I’m omitting cheese for now.
I’m not a huge fan of eggs so that’s about as much as i can eat without gagging. It’s the salty bacon that limits me to only 2-3 slices. This bacon is from a hog we purchased from a farmer so not nearly as salty as the store bought stuff.
I should also add that I’ve always had a milk and cream intolerance but I’m fine with butter and hard cheeses but I’ve eliminated cheese for awhile to see if I notice anything.
I’ve been at a weight loss stall for I think it’s a couple of months now but I’m maintaining my current weight. So far I’ve lost 25# but need to lose at least another 20
I don’t feel very hungry except on occasion and then I increase my food.
I’m not sure how you measure out the amount of fat I need per meal. I do eat the soft fat on the steak and I add tallow to my burgers and then i use butter in and on everything.

My apartment banned smoking anything at all. Even incense. Even fucking candles of all things. So I'm a little screwed because I spent my prior 3 years here smoking regular joints inside with the windows open and then suddenly had to cut down to just vape carts and edibles.
I'm not going to sugar coat it. I have yet to find a vape cart that actually hits anywhere near as good as a joint. I also am stuck with having to only buy fruity scented carts in order to avoid any weed smell at all. No one has complained about ME directly but there have been complaints of "smoke smells" in the hallways. I'm just paranoid as I can't afford to move. Do these dry herb vape pens actually hit nice, and is the smell really truly almost not even there? Like that Pax one everyone talks about on here. I also went ahead and tried researching into it a bit and I like the idea of using the already de-carbed flower afterwards to make my own cannabutter. I just want to know before dropping the money on one since they tend to run a little pricey. I also have an air purifier running at top speed anytime I use my vapes if that helps. Sorry if I sound super paranoid, anxiety is a bitch, hence why I smoke, to ease the nerves.
Thanks!

Hey guys, I’m trying to reattach a door for which the hinges have been ripped off and I can not find a replacement at any of the hardware stores or cabinet makers near me .
I know very little about cabinets, but I’m trying to help a friend out as she has an irate tenant.
The original hinges appear to fasten into the corners of the doors and have a pivot / brace type of design. I’ll attach some photos for reference.
Any help greatly appreciated. Or suggestions as to how to remount the other door. Tried with regular hinges but I don’t have the clearance .

Holy Moly is it ever Summer.

Around Town:

• Murder on the Orient Express (Guthrie Theater - All Weekend)
• It’s Not the Heat, It’s the Stupidity (Dudley Riggs Theatre - All Weekend)
• An American Tail: The Musical (Children's Theatre Company - All Weekend)
• The Prom (Chanassen Dinner Theatre - All Weekend)
• Ain't Misbehavin' (Capri Theater - All Weekend)
• W;t (Theater In the Round - All Weekend)
• Kickoff to Summer (Minnesota State Fairgrounds - All Weekend)
• MinnesotaCon (Minneapolis Convention Center - All Weekend)
• Warehouse District Live (North Loop - All Weekend)
• Edina Art Fair (50th & France - Fri & Sat)
• Paul Farahvar with Shyloh Blake (Laugh Camp - Fri & Sat)
• Waconia PRCA Rodeo (Carver County Fairgrounds - Fri & Sat)
• Flint Hills Family Festival (Ordway - Fri & Sat)
• Artists' Market (Minnesota State Fairgrounds Fine Arts Center - Fri & Sat )
• "Off The Rack" Swim & Resort Wear Fashion Show (Rosedale Center - Fri & Sat)
• Minnesota Monthly's 2023 GrillFest (CHS Field - Sat & Sun)

Friday

• Morel Feast (Hook & Ladder Theater 6pm)
• Mack OC – Osinachi (7th Street Entry 8pm)
• Lloyds (Lake Harriet Bandshell 7:30pm)
• Strive Bookstore Grand Opening (Young Quinlan Building 11am-6pm)
• Black Market Brass (Turf Club 8pm)
• Jim and Kathy Emery (Mill Ruins Park 12pm)
• Linus, Gentleman Speaker and The Havana Sleeve (Palmer's Bar 6pm)
• Still Stayer, Surefire, Contrition, Comatose, & VVakefield (Amsterdam Bar & Hall 7pm)
• The Percolators (Loring Park 7pm)
• Alejandro Escovedo (Dakota Jazz Club 7pm)
• Haken (Fine Line 8pm)
• Girls on the Run 5k (Minnesota State Fairgrounds 6:30pm)
• BATO BATO! Breck School’s Marimba Band (Minnehaha Bandstand 7pm)

Saturday

• Yeah Yeah Yeahs (The Armory 7pm)
• Brooks & Dunn (Xcel Energy Center 7pm)
• Grand Marshal Reception (Midtown Global Market 5pm)
• Great Northern Railway at Train Days 2023 (Union Depot 12-12)
• Nekrogoblikon (Fine Line 7pm)
• Pride Festival Hastings (Levee Park)
• Twin Cities West Metro Asian Fair (Hilde Performance Center 11-7pm)
• Folk Frenzy (Green Room 7pm)
• GMCCA Car Show & Swap Meet (Minnesota State Fairgrounds 7am)
• Crimes, Products and The Controversial New Skinny Pill (Palmer's Bar 6pm)
• Surprise Chef (7th Street Entry 8pm)
• John Early (The Fitzgerald Theater 7pm)
• The Belfast Cowboys (Lake Harriet Bandshell 7:30pm)
• WaterFest 2023 (Phalen Regional Park 11-4pm)
• Spotlight Science: SciPride (Bell Museum 10-2pm)
• CASTER VOLOR, DIRTY SEXY RIOT, REBEL QUEENS, OUTLAW SAINT (Amsterdam Bar & Hall 7pm)
• The ReMINDers (Ordway 11/1pm)
• Art in the Hollow (Swede Hollow Park 10-5pm)
• Summerfest Adult Trike Race (Luce Line Brewing 1-3pm)
• Como Quest (Como Park Zoo & Conservatory 9am)
• Pride in the Park: Northfield’s 3rd Annual Pride Celebration (Central Park 12-4pm)
• Love and Rockets (Palace Theatre 7pm)
• Taste of Canterbury - BBQ & Bourbon (Canterbury Park 2pm)
• Queer History Ride: St. Paul (Como Lakeside Pavillion 2-5pm)
• Jess Williamson (Turf Club 8pm)
• Pete Holmes (Varsity Theater 7pm)
• Loud and Proud (56 Brewing 2-4pm)
• Trailer Trash’s 30th Anniversary Celebration (Hook & Ladder 6pm)
• Morris Day and The Time (Treasure Island 7pm)
• Thrasher Weekend Afterparty (Underground Music Cafe 7-10pm)
• Obitchuary Podcast Live! (Cedar Cultural Center 7pm)
• St. Anthony Park Arts Festival (St. Anthony Park 10-5pm)
• Garcia on Broadway (Day Block Brewing 7pm)
• Antigonick (Mixed Blood Theater 2pm)
• Bitters 101 (Dashfire 1-3pm)
• Moontricks & The Histronic (Pryes Brewing 11am)
• Joyann Parker Band: “Roots” Album Release Show (Crooners 8pm)
• Gamer Rave (First Avenue 9pm)
• Children's Theatre Company: Music in Motion (Peavey Plaza 10am)
• A Night in the Tropics (Orchestra Hall 8pm)
• Will Kjeer (MetroNOME Brewery 7:30pm)

Sunday

• Grand Old Day (Grand Avenue 8-6pm)
• Tours, Tales & Tantsi (DeLaSalle 4-6pm)
• Daniel Romano's Outfit (Turf Club 7pm)
• Vulgar Tongue Single Release (Amsterdam Bar & Hall 7pm)
• Qeej and Hmong Arts Festival (Landmark Center 11-5pm)
• Amy & Adams (Lake Harriet Bandshell 2pm)
• Dvořák and Brahms (Minnesota Orchestra 4-6pm)
• Twin Citizen (Lake Harriet Bandshell 5:30pm)
• Bloodline (Kj's Hideaway 7pm)
• Minnesota Reptile Show (Doubletree Bloomington 10-4pm)
• Adventurama 2023 (The Commons 12pm)
• Rio Romeo (7th Street Entry 7pm)

Sports

• Cleveland AT Twins (All Weekend)
• Buffalo VS Saints (All Weekend)
• Indiana AT Lynx (Friday 7pm)
• Toronto AT Loons (Saturday 7:30pm)
• Los Angeles AT Lynx (Sunday 6pm)

I have had suggestions for a patreon or something of the sort in the past. I do this because I like to provide whatever tiny help I can to the community. BUT I also like to raise money for Gillette's Children Hospital every year. So if you have some virtual loose change you can help me help dem kids here: https://www.extra-life.org/participant/482633

Links

• Reddit - Twin Cities Social meet-ups - https://www.reddit.com/twincitiessocial/
• Minneapolis Park Events - https://www.minneapolisparks.org/event-calenda
• Secrets of the city - http://www.secretsofthecity.com/
• MPLS Art Events - https://www.mplsart.com/calendaupcoming
• Minnesota Monthly Event Calendar - http://www.minnesotamonthly.com/Calenda
• MSP Magazine Event Calendar - http://mspmag.com/search/event/events-calenda#page=1
• Minneapolis Northwest Event Calendar - https://www.minneapolisnorthwest.com/events/
• Minneapolis.Org Event Calendar - https://www.minneapolis.org/calenda
• Family Fun Twin Cities - https://www.familyfuntwincities.com/family-fun-events-calenda
• Racket MN Event Calendar - https://racketmn.com/category/events/

Be da real MVP and add anything I missed below.

Holy Moly is it ever Summer.

Around Town:

• Murder on the Orient Express (Guthrie Theater - All Weekend)
• It’s Not the Heat, It’s the Stupidity (Dudley Riggs Theatre - All Weekend)
• An American Tail: The Musical (Children's Theatre Company - All Weekend)
• The Prom (Chanassen Dinner Theatre - All Weekend)
• Ain't Misbehavin' (Capri Theater - All Weekend)
• W;t (Theater In the Round - All Weekend)
• Kickoff to Summer (Minnesota State Fairgrounds - All Weekend)
• MinnesotaCon (Minneapolis Convention Center - All Weekend)
• Warehouse District Live (North Loop - All Weekend)
• Edina Art Fair (50th & France - Fri & Sat)
• Paul Farahvar with Shyloh Blake (Laugh Camp - Fri & Sat)
• Waconia PRCA Rodeo (Carver County Fairgrounds - Fri & Sat)
• Flint Hills Family Festival (Ordway - Fri & Sat)
• Artists' Market (Minnesota State Fairgrounds Fine Arts Center - Fri & Sat )
• "Off The Rack" Swim & Resort Wear Fashion Show (Rosedale Center - Fri & Sat)
• Minnesota Monthly's 2023 GrillFest (CHS Field - Sat & Sun)

Friday

• Morel Feast (Hook & Ladder Theater 6pm)
• Mack OC – Osinachi (7th Street Entry 8pm)
• Lloyds (Lake Harriet Bandshell 7:30pm)
• Strive Bookstore Grand Opening (Young Quinlan Building 11am-6pm)
• Black Market Brass (Turf Club 8pm)
• Jim and Kathy Emery (Mill Ruins Park 12pm)
• Linus, Gentleman Speaker and The Havana Sleeve (Palmer's Bar 6pm)
• Still Stayer, Surefire, Contrition, Comatose, & VVakefield (Amsterdam Bar & Hall 7pm)
• The Percolators (Loring Park 7pm)
• Alejandro Escovedo (Dakota Jazz Club 7pm)
• Haken (Fine Line 8pm)
• Girls on the Run 5k (Minnesota State Fairgrounds 6:30pm)
• BATO BATO! Breck School’s Marimba Band (Minnehaha Bandstand 7pm)

Saturday

• Yeah Yeah Yeahs (The Armory 7pm)
• Brooks & Dunn (Xcel Energy Center 7pm)
• Grand Marshal Reception (Midtown Global Market 5pm)
• Great Northern Railway at Train Days 2023 (Union Depot 12-12)
• Nekrogoblikon (Fine Line 7pm)
• Pride Festival Hastings (Levee Park)
• Twin Cities West Metro Asian Fair (Hilde Performance Center 11-7pm)
• Folk Frenzy (Green Room 7pm)
• GMCCA Car Show & Swap Meet (Minnesota State Fairgrounds 7am)
• Crimes, Products and The Controversial New Skinny Pill (Palmer's Bar 6pm)
• Surprise Chef (7th Street Entry 8pm)
• John Early (The Fitzgerald Theater 7pm)
• The Belfast Cowboys (Lake Harriet Bandshell 7:30pm)
• WaterFest 2023 (Phalen Regional Park 11-4pm)
• Spotlight Science: SciPride (Bell Museum 10-2pm)
• CASTER VOLOR, DIRTY SEXY RIOT, REBEL QUEENS, OUTLAW SAINT (Amsterdam Bar & Hall 7pm)
• The ReMINDers (Ordway 11/1pm)
• Art in the Hollow (Swede Hollow Park 10-5pm)
• Summerfest Adult Trike Race (Luce Line Brewing 1-3pm)
• Como Quest (Como Park Zoo & Conservatory 9am)
• Pride in the Park: Northfield’s 3rd Annual Pride Celebration (Central Park 12-4pm)
• Love and Rockets (Palace Theatre 7pm)
• Taste of Canterbury - BBQ & Bourbon (Canterbury Park 2pm)
• Queer History Ride: St. Paul (Como Lakeside Pavillion 2-5pm)
• Jess Williamson (Turf Club 8pm)
• Pete Holmes (Varsity Theater 7pm)
• Loud and Proud (56 Brewing 2-4pm)
• Trailer Trash’s 30th Anniversary Celebration (Hook & Ladder 6pm)
• Morris Day and The Time (Treasure Island 7pm)
• Thrasher Weekend Afterparty (Underground Music Cafe 7-10pm)
• Obitchuary Podcast Live! (Cedar Cultural Center 7pm)
• St. Anthony Park Arts Festival (St. Anthony Park 10-5pm)
• Garcia on Broadway (Day Block Brewing 7pm)
• Antigonick (Mixed Blood Theater 2pm)
• Bitters 101 (Dashfire 1-3pm)
• Moontricks & The Histronic (Pryes Brewing 11am)
• Joyann Parker Band: “Roots” Album Release Show (Crooners 8pm)
• Gamer Rave (First Avenue 9pm)
• Children's Theatre Company: Music in Motion (Peavey Plaza 10am)
• A Night in the Tropics (Orchestra Hall 8pm)
• Will Kjeer (MetroNOME Brewery 7:30pm)

Sunday

• Grand Old Day (Grand Avenue 8-6pm)
• Tours, Tales & Tantsi (DeLaSalle 4-6pm)
• Daniel Romano's Outfit (Turf Club 7pm)
• Vulgar Tongue Single Release (Amsterdam Bar & Hall 7pm)
• Qeej and Hmong Arts Festival (Landmark Center 11-5pm)
• Amy & Adams (Lake Harriet Bandshell 2pm)
• Dvořák and Brahms (Minnesota Orchestra 4-6pm)
• Twin Citizen (Lake Harriet Bandshell 5:30pm)
• Bloodline (Kj's Hideaway 7pm)
• Minnesota Reptile Show (Doubletree Bloomington 10-4pm)
• Adventurama 2023 (The Commons 12pm)
• Rio Romeo (7th Street Entry 7pm)

Sports

• Cleveland AT Twins (All Weekend)
• Buffalo VS Saints (All Weekend)
• Indiana AT Lynx (Friday 7pm)
• Toronto AT Loons (Saturday 7:30pm)
• Los Angeles AT Lynx (Sunday 6pm)

I have had suggestions for a patreon or something of the sort in the past. I do this because I like to provide whatever tiny help I can to the community. BUT I also like to raise money for Gillette's Children Hospital every year. So if you have some virtual loose change you can help me help dem kids here: https://www.extra-life.org/participant/482633

Links

• Reddit - Twin Cities Social meet-ups - https://www.reddit.com/twincitiessocial/
• Minneapolis Park Events - https://www.minneapolisparks.org/event-calenda
• Secrets of the city - http://www.secretsofthecity.com/
• MPLS Art Events - https://www.mplsart.com/calendaupcoming
• Minnesota Monthly Event Calendar - http://www.minnesotamonthly.com/Calenda
• MSP Magazine Event Calendar - http://mspmag.com/search/event/events-calenda#page=1
• Minneapolis Northwest Event Calendar - https://www.minneapolisnorthwest.com/events/
• Minneapolis.Org Event Calendar - https://www.minneapolis.org/calenda
• Family Fun Twin Cities - https://www.familyfuntwincities.com/family-fun-events-calenda
• Racket MN Event Calendar - https://racketmn.com/category/events/

Be da real MVP and add anything I missed below.

I (36/F) have two kids (16/M, 3/F), they are both with me 100% of the time. I do not receive any child support and I am the head of household/sole provider for my family. I make approximately 100K as an independent contractor with my own consulting business.
I am widowed, and my spouse passed away approx. 4 years ago.
I have been dating my partner (41/M) for 1 year and 7 months. He has one child (6/F), he has his child 50/50 with his former partner, he pays child support and makes 120K plus bonus and has full benefits as a salaried employee. He is very stable and loving.
My partner has never been married.
I have never met his former partner and have no desire to - she is a very high conflict person and they often disagree regarding everything from the clothes their child wears, haircuts, what school she will attend, her extracurricular hobbies, etc. Because he has 50/50 custody of his child, we have always spent very little time together when he has his custodial time. Since he only has her half the time, I am a very independent person and we haven't been dating very long (IMO) this has always been my preference and seemed to work well for everyone. I have never dated anyone who has a child before although children generally love me and I have always had an easy time getting along with children I've known.
In the beginning I was very clear about taking things slowly, I did not begin dating for 2+ years after my spouse passed away (my partner is the first/only person I have dated since being widowed). I also vocalized being totally unwilling to consider cohabitation until my son graduated HS early in our relationship. My son will be a senior this upcoming school year.
Slowly over time my partner has essentially disregarded all of my boundaries/concerns about "moving things to the next level". It is my view that he sees moving in together and getting engaged/married as the primary (if not only) indicators that a relationship "is progressing". Recently he got into my phone without my knowledge or permission and read through all my text messages, social media and web history. He did this due to anxiety, fear, and insecurities specifically revolving around why our relationship isn't "progressing" in the way he thinks it should be.. we almost broke up but decided to try and work through it.
Additionally, it has always been my dream to become a homeowner. I grew up in abject poverty, became a teen parent, am orphaned etc. This drive to succeed and grow (emotionally, financially, creatively, spiritually, in my career. etc) is a huge part of who I am as a person and how I view myself in the world. Due to this I've always been a hardworking, fearless and independent person.
Some months ago my partner began pressuring me to buy a house together. We both have near perfect credit, necessary income levels, and savings. I do not make enough income/have enough savings to purchase alone in the area I currently live in.
For reasons beyond my understanding now I entertained this idea as a sort of fun "what if". We went to several open houses and spoke with a mortgage broker who broke down our pre-authorization limits etc. We have not applied for pre-approval.
My partner's current lease ends in July. His landlord requires 60 days notice. My current lease ends in October. My leasing company requires 30 days notice.
As it stands now my partner "lives" at my home with my family and I 100% of the 50% he is child-free and spends 100% of the time he has his child at his own home.
My partner is now heavily, heavily pressuring me to give him the OK to give his notice to his landlord with plans to move into my home with his child and blend our families, with future plans to buy a home together when my lease is up.
I really love my partner and I feel our relationship is generally healthy and balanced however I also feel in my heart of hearts that I do not want to cohabitate because of how uncomfortable I feel being pressured, having my privacy disrespected with the phone thing, giving up my dream of buying a house myself, blending our families during my son's final year of school and my (non) relationship with his child.
His child has always been extremely cold to me, she is jealous of my daughter with her father and in general is just extremely uncomfortable to be around. I understand it is a delicate situation and I have always tried to give her kindness, show an interest in her, give her space to adjust to her father dating someone, etc. Honestly I would be fine continuing to date and even becoming engaged without cohabitating until his child is much older and more emotionally aware/mature.
This situation is further complicated by his highly restrictive custody agreement. He must live in a certain school district, located in the wealthy suburbs.
I have always made it known that I am an independent and free spirited person. I absolutely HATE the suburbs. Previously I have lived in multiple states in my country and travelled full-time doing "van life" for 5+ years before my husband passed away. The idea of living in a cookie cutter home thisclose to houses on both sides while paying $$$$ to be there makes me sick to even consider.
My partner goes back and forth between saying "we can do whatever you want and of course I want you to have your dream life" to basically disregarding that this goes against what I want so much and pretty much insinuates that I just "don't understand how good it will be" and "it will be worth it". He says we can do whatever I want but I know that is not true and we can ACTUALLY do only what his ex-partner agrees to, and they have never agreed on anything ever.
By now with all the pressure and this timeline to give notice to his landlord immediately I feel absolutely sick with anxiety. Today my partner will hand-off custody and come over to spend the week at my place and I feel like hiding under a blanket or jumping off a bridge. I have been vocal about all my concerns all along but also somewhat agreeable about considering all our options, I truly don't understand how I've ended up backed into this corner. We communicate pretty well in that I feel comfortable talking about my needs, fear etc but now with everything closing in I wonder if he's even heard or respected what I've been voicing..
I don't know if I should just go along with what he wants so badly and hope giving it a shot works out, stand my ground about remaining together but separate or end the relationship since it is now almost exclusively a cause of intense anxiety for me.
If I was to only consider myself and my family I would absolutely be planning to move abroad to a lower cost of living country following my current lease expiration. I work fully remote and this was my life-goal previous to my husband's death, delayed by his passing and COVID. I am only considering even remaining here and doing any of the above due to my relationship and his inability to do otherwise due to his custody arrangement. Sometimes I feel like the only way to be with him is to give up everything I want for what he wants instead. Further, he tells me that is not true verbally but his actions as well as just the way things are currently leads me to feel this way.
TLDR, My partner (41/M) is pressuring me (36/F) to move in together. I need advice on establishing a healthy timeline to cohabitate or is his behavior a red flag?

Sorry if this was already talked about in the sub, but what is with customers lately thinking the Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew comes with VSCCF? Nearly ten customers have come to me saying “this is supposed to have cold foam” when that drink does not come with cold foam. I see the confusion since a lot of people get sweet cream mixed up with VSCCF but is there a promotion going around with a VSCCB and VSSCF? It just sucks to have to explain to customers that the foam does not come on that drink because they get upset with ME 😭

I wanted so badly to love the CatGenie A.I.!
I have two cats, one was a fastidious litter box user (note “was”), the other is extremely picky about his litter box. I work a job that requires me to occasionally be away for extended periods, if my roommates don’t scoop every day when I’m away, the picky cat will poop outside of the box. So, having a box that will be automatically immaculately clean all the time sounded like a godsend. I narrowed it down to two self-cleaning litter boxes that I had to choose from, one was the Litter Robot and the other was the CatGenie A.I.
After reading up on both machines, I finally settled on the CatGenie A.I. I bought it, and at $539, this is hands down the most money I’ve ever spent on a pet outside of veterinary care (or initial adoption fees).
The shipping was reasonably quick and when I got the machine, I was pretty happy. I was impressed by the general build quality of the machine. It certainly did not look like the manufacturer cheaped out on any part of the machine. All the plastic seemed high quality and part fitment was impressive.
In general, I found the machine pretty easy to set up, Based on the requirements of water, drainage, and electricity, there was really only one place in my house that I could set it up.
I was quite happy and excited to put the machine into use. Unfortunately, after 5 months of usage, this was the first and last time that I was genuinely happy with the CatGenie.
I very diligently followed the instructions on how to acclimate a cat to the device. The cat that was the diligent cat box user took to the CatGenie right away, He used it several times a day from the get go.
My other cat wanted nothing to do with the CatGenie. As instructed, I stopped cleaning the old box to make the CatGenie more appealing. As soon as the old box got too dirty, the picky cat pooped outside of the box. As the CatGenie instructions indicate, I put the stray poop into the CatGenie, this did not change anything.
I tried using cat activation mode, I tried manually starting the box, and I tried time activation. No change occurred.
One night, my roommate got a little drunk and thought it would be a good idea to sprinkle a little regular litter in the CatGenie and see what would happen (I did warn her not to do this, but I’m guessing she forgot about this while drunk). At this point, we were about 3 weeks into our CatGenie ownership and I was already very seriously considering sending the unit back for a refund.
Two things happened in the aftermath, one, the cats started using the box, and, two, the warranty was voided, so since I was now without a doubt out the $539, I was determined to make this machine work for my pets.
I put the machine back into manual cleaning mode because I did not want to risk cleaning it with the clumping litter in it. Once it finally got too gross, I vacuumed the litter out and tried a cleaning, at this point, it was too late, the clumping litter had gotten into the machine’s internals, and I had no choice but to completely take the machine apart and clean everything manually. It was disgusting, but I got the machine to work smoothly again.
Since, the cats were willing to use the box with just the aroma of a traditional litter box, I thought that maybe the issue was that they didn’t like the smell of the cleaning solution, so I changed to the unscented stuff. The cats were even less interested in the machine than they were with the scented solution.
I also thought that maybe the problem was that the lid was too confining so I tried it with and without the lid, again, no difference.
I decided to put a webcam near the box. What I discovered was that they were jumping in, maybe peeing, maybe not, then jumping out and pooping elsewhere (usually on the bathroom sink). If they did poop in the CatGenie, they never buried it.
Out of desperation, I asked my friends online if any of them had successfully used the CatGenie, one friend said that she transitioned them by lining the CatGenie in plastic, filling it with scoopable litter, then as she scooped the litter out, she slowly replaced it with CatGenie pellets. So, I gave this a try, I did actually get them both to start using the CatGenie with only one accident.
So, I thought this was a decent enough track record. I finally decided to pull up the plastic, put down all CatGenie pellets, go through the usage logs and find a time that they never use the box and set that as the cleaning cycle time, and see what would happen. For four days, it was great, they were both using it, and we were “accident” free. Then for seemingly no reason, they stopped being good, and I started finding poop on floor or on the sink again.
I felt like I was so close to having them use the CatGenie, I would not give up. I bought some cat attractant and mixed it into the CatGenie pellets and replaced it every day, I also bought repellent, I would thoroughly clean every place they would void outside of the CatGenie, spray it with repellent, and cover it in aluminum foil. So as to make all the places they wanted to poop/pee on as undesirable as possible and make the CatGenie as attractive as possible. So, here is how they responded to that: they would perch on the ledge of the bowl of the CatGenie and go on that, sometimes it would roll into the CatGenie, but most times, it rolled onto the floor.
It really felt like a war of wills, they were fighting me tooth and nail to not use the CatGenie and I was fighting with everything I could think of to get them to use it.
It was around this time that my apartment started smelling of cat urine. I think towards the very end, they were refusing to use the box at all. They would jump in, decide “no”, and go elsewhere. After coming home from a long weekend, I was nearly bowled over by the smell of urine and feces, I decided that the cats won, the CatGenie had to go.
I disconnected the CatGenie, put it in the basement, set up a new box with their old clumping litter, and then set to the process of locating everywhere they went outside of the box and thoroughly cleaning those areas. I had to replace several rugs, it took days for me to find everywhere they had gone and were hiding it from me.
As if the huge expenditure on the system that I won’t be able to get my money back on was not enough, the cat that was always good about the box started peeing and pooping in the same areas that the bad cat was using. So, by increasing the amount of times the bad cat went outside of the box, it made my good cat much less fastidious about box usage.
So, considering, the effect this device had on my cat family, I have to conclude that the CatGenie A.I. is actually worse than worthless. It made my situation worse.
At the end of the day, I still think the CatGenie is a phenomenal concept, it just needs some tweaking. Petnovations needs to find a way to prevent the device from flinging litter out of the box, I was astonished that the box does this even if the lid is in place. They need to find a way to completely get the poop out of the box because the smell the machine makes if it doesn’t get all of the poop out is absolutely unbearable. Those little chunks just wreak havoc!
I think the reason my cats would not take to the CatGenie was due to failures on two key points, smell and feel. These two elements are critical for cats. I think to the cats, the cat genie simply does not smell right to them, if they could find a sanitizing solution that smells like fresh cat litter, cats might be more willing to use the CatGenie. But the feel of the pellets is probably the CatGenie’s biggest failure, the pellets just do not feel like litter to a cat, the pellets are very large and they are made of plastic, this in no way emulates the type of substrate that a cat likes to void on. The fact that I saw my cats jump in and then jump out hundreds of times over the past 5 months reinforces that the pellets are just wrong. I think they need to be much smaller in size and made out of something else entirely. I think something like very small Hydroton that is coated with a sealant (to prevent urine from soaking in) would probably have more success with cats, Hydroton would feel more like litter because it is a form of clay.
The only way that I would give this device another try in its current form is if I had a young kitten that would be easier to train, taking two grown cats who are picky that have been using a traditional litter box for a decade are not going to easily change.
So, to summarize, I think the CatGenie A.I. deserves 5/5 stars as a concept device, the build quality is 5/5 stars, 2/5 stars for cost (this is such an expensive device), and negative stars for usefulness.
If my cats would have used it, I would have seen this device as a godsend, but instead it wound up being an expensive nightmare that worsened my cats’ behaviors.

Disclaimer: I enjoy Trials don't get me wrong, but a lot of the players I see in deep dives and other activities like nightfalls with Trials of Osiris armor seem to really suck at pve.
It seems like a trend that if I see someone with Trials armor in deep dives and nightfalls they never seem to carry their weight after activating Toland's orb for higher difficulty in deep dives, regularly dying to stupid stuff, and getting nowhere near as many kills as the rest of the team, then just leave.
What gives? I'm just trying to finish deep dives and would rather do it with a team.

Season Briefing "Alright Miners, listen up. The Rockpox situation just escalated. The lithophage comet has been caught in Hoxxes' orbit and is now circling the planet rather than passing by as R&D suggested. Considering the fragments of this vile rock are already doing enough damage, the consequences of allowing the comet to land on Hoxxes IV could be catastrophic. The comet's collision course with the planet is inevitable, so Management has approved the destruction of the comet in order to disperse the severity of the comet's impact. There are several mining rigs chipping away at the comet, though the task is proving difficult to say the least.
The fight against Rockpox has merely begun and we've got a lot of work to keep our planet clean. With the increased amounts of Lithophage meteorites impacting the planet, very few regions are safe from the outbreak. Most missions you embark on will have Lithophage running rampant, so stay on your toes. Additionally Rockpox has upped the ante with reports of several new lithophage-infested bugs. Expect some common threats to become a bit tougher to fight. News doesn't get much better from there as there are also reports of pure lithophage abominations. Be on the lookout for much larger parasitic baddies when cleansing the caves.
It's not all bad news however. R&D has been cooking up some new toys to help you combat the ongoing threat of Rockpox. With that said, these new toys are primarily designed to combat a particularly nasty parasite, but that's on a need-to-know basis and you don't need to know just yet. Nor will you want to know, because frankly it's some nasty stuff...
Last but not least, it is imperative that we keep the lithophage off the Space Rigs. Samples have been moved after a few outbreak reports, but the lost samples are still loose in the Rig. If you manage to find chunks of Lithophage, take them to the contaminant disposal receptacle near the drop pod and you'll be rewarded some performance points off the clock!
As always, Management sends their regards."
Synopsis Season 3 has been a blast, but it felt incomplete to some extent. Don't get me wrong, GSG did a wonderful job as always and it's very polished. It's just... Two zombies and an angry noodle? You'd think this space plague would put up more of a fight. I say it should. As much as I'd prefer a new theme, another two-parter is very welcome. The Rivals didn't need a part 2 and was likely either GSG unloading a few unfinished concepts that weren't ready in time and/or just trying to kill time while they got Season 3 ready. Season 3 on the other hand greatly benefits from a part 2.
I wrote up this literal document of ideas deadass months before the season teasers and announcement. GSG already has everything finalized, but regardless I wanted to share my ideas. Partially because I didn't want my ideas to go to waste, but mostly because I had a much darker and more grotesque vision of Rockpox with horrific mutations that leave the hosts in agony which I think are moderately better than what we got.
Hoxxes IV's condition The basic premise is that the lithophage situation has escalated and the comet is on a collision course with the planet, meaning the lithophage outbreak is spreading rapidly. In an effort to stop the outbreak once and for all, DRG has sent out mining rigs to chip away at the comet and destroy it piece by piece. As the season name implies however, the comet has been "vomiting" meteors more frequently as a result and some nastier parasites along with it, presenting cataclysmic results. In other words, DRG's efforts are resulting in a Bilious Cataclysm. While DRG attempts to destroy the comet, operatives on the planet must keep the infection at bay. That means more lithophage outbreaks and more lithophage enemies.
The main meat of the Season would be a significantly expanded roster of infected enemies and even some unique rockpox abominations made of lithophage parasites. In order to find said beasties, the Lithophage Outbreak warning is available in any biome. Obviously it'd be annoying to deal with Lithophage enemies everywhere you go, so there is still a small area on the map that has more outbreaks than others. All regions are capable of having a Lithophage Outbreak mutation but they are limited to one warning maximum. Meanwhile, epidemic zones will have two minimum and can have up to four maximum. You can encounter a very small handful of rockpox enemies on any mission (the game will decide which enemies are available in the spawn pool in the same manner as the appearance of excessive amounts of special enemies such as Exploders, Swarmers, Mactera, and Wardens) while the whole roster is limited to just epidemic zones. However, there is one exception:
The infection spreads With the outbreak worsening, Rockpox has been spreading rapidly. Not only that, but Rockpox Larvae have gone from spreading pathogens to Glyphid Grunts and Praetorians slowly through their environments to taking a figurative jump in evolution and a literal jump onto enemies. They will now actively target and infect (compatible) enemies like they do against the dwarfs. Any creature it infects will have their attributes enhanced, including both their strengths and their weaknesses. If you're unlucky enough to have a larvae find a tough host, it will turn into a Rockpox variant regardless of the spawn pool.
The Lithophage parasites have become more accustomed to Hoxxes IV's vast ecosystem and have begun burrowing into a variety of different hosts such as Glyphid Guards, Slashers, Acidspitters, and Swarmers, Mactera Spawn and Trijaws, Q'ronar Shellbacks, and even poor innocent Loot Bugs! Truly no creature is safe from this plague.
Also quick disclaimer: Use the Rockpox Grunt and Praetorian as a template for all of these enemies. All of the enemies will still have the glowing yellow cysts (weakpoints) that do critical damage when broken unless specified in the description of the enemy. Along those same lines, unless specified, all of these enemies have their normal abilities with the added Lithophage enemy stats. I say this because I'm afraid people are gonna think l'm not taking into account the fact that Rockpox-infected enemies tank 90% of all damage if you aren't aiming for the weakpoints. None of these enemies wil have only the one weakness mentioned. That's just a weakpoint special to the corresponding enemy *(e.g the Rockpox Guard has a weakpoint on the face but also has 3-4 cysts all over its body like Rockpox Grunts). There's a reason people didn't like Elites after all.
Rockpox Guard The infected Glyphid Guard has its front armor enhanced with it's face completely eviscerated with Rockpox in order to support its front armor. The front armor is impervious to damage, but is actively attached to it's face which is it's weakpoint. When it attacks, it will briefly latch onto its target and entangle them in Lithophage, rapidly infecting the target with Lithophage (increases lithophage status by 50%) before tossing them back. During this attack you can quickly kill the Guard by attacking the tendrils on its face.
Rockpox Slasher The infected Glyphid Slasher has it's sharp front legs enhanced with Rockpox. It will rapidly sprint around the room to dodge fire, before darting towards a target, quickly slashing them with it's bladed tendril arms, and then going back to dodging fire. Instead of stunning the target in place directly however, the Slasher will rapidly infect the target (increases lithophage status by 80%) which in turn can lead to indirectly stunning the target. The legs are a major weakpoint, but it's rapid movement makes it hard to hit. Whoever is targeted by the Slasher has the best opportunity to kill it due to its legs facing the target.
Rockpox Acidspitter The infected Glyphid Acidspitter has it's acidic saliva enhanced to fire three contagious Rockpox projectiles. A direct hit will immediately encase the target in Rockpox while hitting terrain will create a cloud of Rockpox to slowly infect nearby dwarfs (increases lithophage status by 15% per second, takes less than 7 seconds to ensnare them). The Acidspitter has more health than usual and behaves similarly to a Menace; it fires off a few shots before quickly repositioning with a much faster movement speed than its uninfected counterpart, though it obviously cannot burrow (comparable to how the Glyphid Spreader behaves, but more evasive).
Rockpox Swarmer Infected Glyphid Swarmers behave similarly to Rockpox Larvae. They spread infection through their attacks (increases lithophage status by 5% per hit), but do not burrow into your beard. Instead they will continuously nibble at your feet until you're helplessly ensnared in Rockpox and at their mercy. Killing Swarmers up close will result in being contaminated by the small amounts of pathogen they release (increases lithophage status by 10%, and only when killed in close proximity, the rockpox aoe does not linger).
Rockpox Exploder The infected Glyphid Exploder has enhanced their explosive tendencies to spread the infection. Instead of rapidly self-destructing, they have volatile cysts that slowly and methodically seep Lithophage pathogens by draining their blood until they die. They will remain in a stasis state until disturbed or burrow out of the ground nearby ready to strike, constantly releasing pathogens. Exploders move significantly faster than normal and will persistently breathe in your face and infect you with Rockpox once they get close enough (increases lithophage status by 20% per second when within normal detonation range) while still constantly following you.
Like normal Exploders, they are easily dispatched with just a few shots. However, like other Lithophage-infected enemies, their bodies are very strong and the cysts must be popped instead to deal significant damage. When killed, they will combust into a cloud of pathogens. As mentioned previously, the Rockpox infection will constantly drain the Exploder's health over time until they collapse. If they die of their own doing, they won't leave behind any pathogens. Once their health is depleted, they will have nothing left in their body to release.
Rockpox Oppressor The infected Oppressor has impervious armor like it's uninfected counterpart. Unlike its uninfected counterpart, their weakpoint isn't in the rear (though they are more susceptible to damage from the back) but rather in the front. Some areas of it's front armor are bloated by tumorous growths of Rockpox. These areas are weak (strength of Grunt armor) and can be broken away to reveal weakpoints. Breaking all the weakpoints shatters the front armor and reveals a grotesque wall of Rockpox. This will trigger the Oppressor to move significantly faster and attack much more quickly while seeping pathogens from it's mouth (melee attacks do not increase lithophage, but being within 3m of its mouth increases lithophage by 25% per second). Fortunately, it now has no impervious armor and cannot perform Sonic Stomp or Rage Quake.
Rockpox Spawn The infected Mactera Spawn has its abdomen enhanced with Rockpox to fire Rockpox Larvae, instantly ensnaring the target in Rockpox if it's a direct hit or alternatively releasing a Larvae onto the field if it hits terrain. Like the Rockpox Praetorian (correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure I observed this new behavior on the experimental build), it can launch larvae in conjunction with its normal projectile attacks at random intervals rather than this being a separate attack. It's abdomen is initially not a critical weakpoint, but it will unfurl it's abdomen into an appendage to launch Larvae. The appendage can be destroyed to disable it from launching Larvae and deal critical damage to the Spawn, similarly to a Goobomber.
If the Spawn dies with the appendage still intact, it may perform one final gruesome attack by extending it's abdomen appendage up to it's mouth, horrifically reaching down it's throat, ripping out a bundle of spines, and tossing them vaguely in the direction of dwarves at a rapid speed as the poor Spawn helplessly flails through the sky and crashes to the ground like a Goobomber.
Rockpox Trijaw The infected Mactera Trijaw has it's abdomen enhanced like the infected Spawn, as well as it's projectiles. The Trijaw's projectiles will release pathogens on impact (increases lithophage status by 10% per second) and inject large amounts of Rockpox into targets if they hit directly (increases lithophage status by 70%). Like the Spawn, it will unfurl its abdomen to launch Larvae, however it will launch 2-3 at a time in quick succession. The appendage again can be destroyed to disable its Larvae throw attack and deal critical damage.
And once again, if the Trijaw dies with the appendage still intact, it may perform a final gruesome attack by extending it's appendage outwards, straightening it into a sharp spear, piercing the Trijaw's throat, causing the Trijaw to wail in horror and spew a barrage of projectiles out of it's mouth as the poor Trijaw flails through the sky before crashing to the ground.
Rockpox Shellback The infected Q'ronar Shellback has it's body enhanced head-to-toe in Rockpox, nullifying it's typical form of attack of rolling around a room attempting to ram it's prey. The Shellback's primary form of attack is instead it's Acid Spit attack which it will use to fire acidic bile that lingers on the ground. This bile will both slowly infect organisms (increases lithophage status by 5% per second) and dissolve their flesh. Alternatively instead of firing acidic pools of bile, the Shellback can let out a horrific gargling screech as it regurgitates dozens of Larvae out of it's mouth for several seconds. Unlike most infected organisms, there are no cysts on the outside of the body. Instead, a mass of Lithophage has grown out of the Shellback's mouth, meaning you have to attack while it attacks. On death, the Shellback will drool a pool of acidic bile.
Furthermore, the Lithophage pathogens have become more viral and deadly to the more common Grunts and Praetorians. Reports have miraculously identified grotesque proxies of the Lithophage infection; helplessly transformed after prolonged exposure to the parasites into cyst-coated rockpox delivery boys designed only to spread the virus. Stay on your toes and keep a puke bucket at the ready...
New anti-Lithophage equipment The situation may seem grim, but fortunately R&D has been cooking up some goodies to make exterminating the Rockpox Plague easier: the LithoGauge and the RAIL Cannon (Rebuke Artillery Ionizing Lithophage Cannon). The LithoGauge is a modification to the Laser Pointer that identifies what kind of Lithophage threat you're dealing with. Aiming at Rockpox will show a gauge underneath the targeted surface and slowly fill the gauge as it gathers information. The LithoGauge will only gather 33-50% of the outbreak data per infected area, meaning you'll have to scan all of them (if there's only one, it'll automatically be filled).
Once the gauge is filled, the Lithophage meteorites will be visible on the map and active cysts growing on Lithophage terrain will be visible to more easily locate and remove rockpox from the environment. Similarly, you can also scan a lithophage meteorite fragment to locate all other fragments in the area. Additionally, the LithoGauge can identify anomalies in Lithophage meteorite crash zones which is important for identifying a particularly nasty parasitic biomass that has been showing up recently. It's also what the railgun is for, but we'll get into that in a bit...
An evolving menace As mentioned, the Lithophage parasites are rapidly evolving and adapting to their new home. Parasites are growing larger and more deadly. Like their predecessors, they all are devoted to spreading the plague and stopping us from exterminating it. And in order for them to evolve into abominable monstrosities they must use a host organism as a cocoon. As mentioned previously, the short-ranged airborne Lithophage pathogen has been evolving to more strongly affect hosts. Those hosts are what evolve into larger parasites should they remain undisturbed.
Rockpox Grunt Envoy A grotesquely mutated Glyphid Grunt covered in a mass of cysts and tendrils. After prolonged exposure to lithophage parasites, these infected grunts have grown large masses of rockpox across their entire bodies and have no purpose other than to spread the infection as well as fertilize proxy host organisms. While idle, they will occasionally vomit up larvae with a mist trail following them, allowing you to notice when an Envoy is in the cave. If another envoy is nearby, it will approach and share pheromones and pathogens, fertilizing the organism. Since its covered head to toe in cysts, it's rather easy to dispatch. However, if it manages to get within 5m of a dwarf, it will immediately project a mass of tendrils at the target, wrap itself around them, and instantly down them before combusting, leaving a dangerous mist on the player.
Attempting to revive the dwarf will result in the rescuer being rapidly infected with lithophage (increases lithophage status by 40% per second) with an on-screen notification warning the rescuer to "Cure your teammate or wait out the infection." Meanwhile, the downed player has a timer visible on screen and over their player icon on the hud showing how long they have to wait for the infection to pass. To revive the player, you must either cure them via the LithoFoamer and LithoVac, wait out the mist for the infection to pass, or bypass the rapid infection via the Field Medic perk or a full team reviving the player simultaneously (for solo games, Bosco will ignore the timer).
Rockpox Praetorian Envoy A grotesquely mutated Glyphid Praetorian covered in a mass of cysts and tendrils. These praetorians serve as mobile cocoons for larvae to use to evolve into larger threats. While idle, they will wander around vomiting up larvae with a mist trail following them, allowing you to notice when an Envoy is in the cave. If it notices a dwarf, it will either quickly flee and burrow once out of sight to protect it's larvae or try to attack.
If it targets a player, it will beeline for them, starting at default movement speed but exponentially speeding up to as fast as Trawler. Similarly to the Grunt Envoy, it's much weaker than its uninfected counterpart, with as much health as a Glyphid Guard. If it manages to approach a dwarf, it will vomit a mass of tendrils to briefly strangle the target before downing them instantly and leaving behind a mist over the player. Like the Grunt Envoy, this makes the downed player a trap to others if they try to revive them before the infection is cleared. Unlike the Grunt Envoy, the Praetorian has a larger purpose to the parasites so it will either continue fighting or burrow away. If it spawns with a group of enemies, it will never burrow away. On death, it will either leave behind a swarm of parasites in addition to a contagious cloud of Lithophage or transform into a Lithophage Bellower (more on that further down).
Rockpox Loot Bug Envoy Though most creatures targeted by the Lithophage parasites are naturally hostile and aggressive making them perfect hosts to spread the plague, they've been infecting the helpless unsuspecting Loot Bug of all things. Infected Loot Bugs will behave normally with the only giveaway sign that they are infected being their desaturated skin tone and glowing cysts... as well as occasionally pausing to adorably sneeze like a sick kitten.
Unlike the other two Envoys, Loot Bug Envoys can serve both as carriers of the disease as well as cocoons for parasites to metamorphose within. So depending on their state of infection, they will do one of two things when attacked. If the infection is still early, the Loot Bug will simply drop gold and nitra, 1-2 parasites, and occasionally a plagueheart. If the infection is farther along (which is a very rare occurrence), the Loot Bug will immediately react to the damage by horrifically transforming into a Lithophage Bellower (more on that below).
If the parasites are able to complete their metamorphosis within the host, they will transform into one of five monstrosities:
Rockpox Grouser An impenetrable vine-like parasite that stretches down from the ceiling, announcing its approach with a loud creaking noise and distorted cackling. It will stare at its target for a few seconds before exhaling lithophage fumes onto the dwarf for 5 seconds. While it's mouth is open, you can do critical damage to it. Alternatively, you can also power attack it to cause it to cough and reveal its mouth earlier, but it will softly thrash its head back and forth making it more difficult to hit. Once its head is destroyed, the vine portion of the parasite will whip around wildly spewing blood-like fluid before rapidly retracting back into the ceiling and bursting once retracted.
Rockpox Quicksand A collective body of parasites that hides in rockpox terrain. It's invulnerable and nearly undetectable, with it's only telltale sign being it shifting briefly and releasing spores, until approached. When activated, it will writhe wildly, begin to glow, and reach tendrils towards dwarfs that are within 10m. Once targeted, it will follow the target for up to 30m.
Quicksand will either quickly whip a tendril at a target, knocking the target back as well as stunning it when it touches the ground, or latch onto and quickly drag them back to the Quicksand to be consumed. When grabbed, all equipment is disabled except for your pickaxe in which three hits or a power attack will free you and stun the tendril temporarily. If the tendril drags you all the way back to the Quicksand, you cannot escape and need to be rescued by another teammate. If no target is within 10m, it will simply writhe until a new target approaches. The tendrils have their own individual health and can be killed. The quicksand itself must be damaged in order to kill it. Once killed, it will liquify, bubble briefly, then dissipate into a cloud of toxic fumes.
Rockpox Deacon A large mass of parasites that has a chance to spawn from a larvae pod in place of a normal parasite. It will release a shockwave of lithophage that heavily increases lithophage status upon spawning. The Deacon will idly wander around at first. Once encountering a dwarf or being attacked, it will unhinge a large pair of jaws from the top of it's body, roaring wickedly to summon a small swarm of lithophage-infected enemies and briefly unveiling a writhing mass of glowing tendrils. Similarly to the Warden, you can kill the Deacon early on while it's still on it's own and weak, with the glowing tendrils being it's only weakspot that takes critical damage. Once it stops roaring, it will hide it's weakpoint, becoming heavily resistant to damage with it's outer armor shell, and approach the nearest dwarf. The only way to damage the Deacon after the war cry is by chipping away it's shell like any other armor plating on an enemy.
If it reaches a dwarf, it will latch onto them and take over all movement leaving the player helpless unless they have Heightened Senses. The player can resist the Deacon's influence by spamming A and D which will not only slow the Deacon down and throw off their aim but will break some of the Deacon's armor. The Deacon will ride the dwarf around firing their primary or secondary weapons for up to a minute until the host runs out of ammo or dies before seeking a new host. This of course means teammates will be forced to risk shooting their captured teammate both to save the teammate and eliminate the immediate threat. Deacons will not spawn in solo or in empty lobbies.
Rockpox Bellower An immature parasite interrupted during it's metamorphosis, it's body consists of an indistinguishable writhing mass of tendrils. It will rarely spawn in place of a Praetorian or Loot Bug Envoy's death. The Bellower will release an endless stream of parasites, draining it's health as body mass is lost. Once it's health gets low enough, either from spawning parasites or taking damage from the player, it will sprout long appendages and begin fleeing while bellowing loudly, summoning infected enemies to aid it. If it manages to get far enough away, it will burrow away. If you kill it before then however, it will trip and land on it's head kicking it's legs wildly, before finally combusting violently; shooting it's long limbs across the cave, dropping 3-5 plaguehearts, and converting terrain in a 5m radius around it into inert rockpox.
Rockpox Stalwart A stone biomass held together by lithophage that guards infected areas and serves as an alternative to the typical cleaning mechanics of infected areas. Unlike it's lesser kin, the Stalwart is incredibly powerful on it's own. While every other contagion spike is protected by an army, the Stalwart IS the army and then some. Unlike normal contagion spikes, the Stalwart is directly linked to the upkeep of the contagion zone and must be defeated in order to decontaminate the area. No amount of soap and water is going to clean up this mess.
Similarly to a Dreadnought, it has two large health bars, a shell and a core, that must both be depleted one at a time to defeat it. The Stalwart's shell is highly resistant to all damage except for Explosive, Armor Breaking, and Temperature Shock, and is weak to Rockpox Repellent Energy (more on that below) and Melee damage. Once it's shell is destroyed, it will reveal it's lithophage innards holding it together that can be damaged by any damage type. The general jist of things is that this enemy is incredibly powerful and difficult to defeat. It doesn't play nice by any means and that's the point. You MUST be prepared.
In order to combat this insane menace that'd bring a Glyphid Menace to tears, R&D has cooked up a powerful antibiotic formula that has a very destructive effect on Rockpox. Dubbed "Rockpox Repellant Energy," or R2 for short, this concoction has a similar effect to radiation, separating cells on the atomic level and dissolving most organic matter, Rockpox in particular, on the spot. It's so powerful that most Rockpox organisms can't survive even the smallest dosage (one shots EVERYTHING with Rockpox in their name). Of course there's one exception: the organism that's taken it's name literally and has its organic mass covered in stalwart stone (hence the name Stalwart).
Instead of calling a cleansing pod, you will call a RAIL Cannon Armory pod with special railgun weapons loaded with R2 energy used to fight the Stalwart. Be warned: these monsters aren't impenetrable and can be taken down by conventional means just as well as they can with R2 energy. These railguns are a privilege not a requirement, and frankly this stuff ain't cheap, so you only get one RAIL Armoury pod, two railguns, and two refills. The railguns have a limited ammo capacity and can only be refilled as long as spare energy is available in the pod. Make it count!
The Stalwart will emit gargling moans that echo throughout the cave like BET-C's distress beacon to announce it's presence. When approached or damaged, it will awaken unfurling into a gorilla-like posture before slamming the ground angrily and beginning its attack.
It has three phases: Incursive, Offensive, and Vulnerable. It will initiate its attack with either Incursive or Offensive.
During Incursive, it will gallop towards targets, or slowly crawl if climbing a vertical or ceiling surface. Once it reaches it's target, it will raise it's arms for 2 seconds before quickly slamming it's full dead weight onto the dwarf, dealing an incredibly dangerous blow to the target if it lands directly and heavy damage and knockback to anything else nearby. It will not shift targets and will continuously pursuing it's target for up to 30 seconds. Once it either reaches its target or gives up pursuit, it will switch to Offensive.
During Offensive, it will perform one of three abilities before returning to the Incursive phase: Guard, Rupture, or Scream.
When Guarding, it will raise it's fists in front of it, becoming 50% resistant to attacks from the front and regenerating up to 50% of it's shell health, and face the nearest player. While it becomes resistant in the front, it will become 50% vulnerable to all damage and 20% more vulnerable to it's weaknesses, both from behind, for the duration of the Guard ability.
When Rupturing, it will briefly plant itself into the ground and consecutively release 15 shockwaves of lithophage in different directions. The lithophage shockwaves will knockback dwarfs and heavily increase lithophage status. When it launches the shockwaves, it will become 80% vulnerable to all damage and 50% more vulnerable to it's weaknesses for the duration of the Rupture attack. Additionally, firing an aoe blast at it with the railgun will stun it and interrupt the attack, destroying the shockwaves in their tracks. The attack lasts only a few seconds, so there is a very short window to attack it.
When Screaming, it will roar at players for several seconds, releasing 7-12 parasites from it's mouth. Similarly to the Grouser, you can shoot it in the mouth to deal critical damage, damaging both the shell and the core. One impact blast from the railgun to the mouth will drop 2/3 of it's shell health and 1/10 of it's core health.
Once you destroy the shell, it will enter it's Vulnerable phase. The Stalwart will collapse for several seconds, falling off walls and ceilings if it enters the phase from that position, and reveal lithophage innards between it's shoulders, neck, and belly that can be damaged to deplete it's core health. It will then release lithophage fumes from all four weakpoints that heal small amounts of its core health. Damaging a weakpoint will disable the healing ability for a few seconds, meaning attacking each weakpoint equally will stop the Stalwart from healing outright for the duration of the Vulnerable phase.
Additionally, if you used a railgun at any point before the Vulnerable phase, the Stalwart will synthesize the energy into a resistance and create a protective field around it's weakpoints. If you fire a railgun at any of the weakpoints, it will reflect the blast, drain the railgun of it's ammo, and deal significant electric damage. You will have to decide if spending the railgun is worth it before the Vulnerable phase as you won't be able to use it during the Vulnerable phase until the next attacking phase if used prematurely; a simple but precarious dynamic to keep in mind. If the Stalwart isn't defeated during the Vulnerable phase, it will regain it's shell health and return to one of the two other phases.
Once defeated it will writhe wildly for several seconds, launching lithophage projectiles in a radius around it and emiting lithophage fumes in a large radius around it, before finally blasting apart and releasing a shockwave that cleanses the surrounding area and kills all lithophage in the area. If you are covered in lithophage during the shockwave, you will be instantly downed. You will be rewarded with 3-5 plaguehearts and multiple chunks of gold and nitra when it is destroyed.
Keeping the Space Rig Clean Last but certainly not least, after all the hell and destruction unfolding on the planet, you still aren't safe on the Space Rig. If you recall, R&D was housing several samples of Lithophage on the Space Rig. Likewise, I imagine you remember tapping on the tanks like children at an aquarium? Well turns out that it wasn't such a good idea because several samples were reportedly missing, meaning we have some stowaways on board. It was already hard enough to keep track of the samples that got out on their own accord, so keeping track of ones that escaped because "you hairy moronic midgets couldn't stop mucking with the damn biotanks," Management's words not mine, is gonna be even harder.
With that said, R&D has developed a simple contaminant disposal receptacle to toss any Lithophage gunk you find on the ship. Lithophage will randomly spawn in different nooks and crannies all over the Space Rig, hell the main area will look like the aftermath of a college party with how much junk lines the floor. And because you likely need some actual incentive, for every few chunks of Lithophage you throw away you'll get a reward ranging from credits to phasyonite to even overclocks and cosmetics.
Conclusion With all that said, it's clear that it'll take a village to keep our planet clean. So pull up your sleeves, slap on some gloves, pick your cleaning utensil of choice (guns included), and let's get to work, Miners!

I’m hoping someone could share some thoughts as I feel pretty hopeless at the moment.
I currently own part of a business that has run into cash flow issues from self inflicted wounds from our majority owner. Who unfortunately really isn’t doing his job and even has negatively impacted us through his actions.
Our business relies on cash flow week to week to stay afloat. Without telling me or my other partner he pulled $50k out 2 weeks ago. Fast forward to today that had a huge impact in that we just missed a major payment to our corporate entity as a result of this. Flat out we didn’t have $50K to pull.
On top of this since we get paid as a draw and have struggled the last few years our account suggested showing our “salaries” as a draw/loan to the business. Which now we’re in a position where paying that back feels nearly impossible.
My question is: can I return or trade my equity to a partner to cover my “loan” and just walk away? At this point I’m just trying to move on if I can. Or am I screwed? If it’s the latter I get it.

Went to doctor today who specialises in csf research and testing. I’ve never seen a doctor so stumped by my illness. He seemed baffled. I’ve had chronic migraines every single day for over 9 years and have had clear fluid leaking in my nose and down my throat for as long as i can remember. All previous doctors put it down to allergies or sinusitis. This doctor said he thinks I have a leak but was stumped on how to test it. He didnt want to do a beta2 transferrin test and didnt want to do invasive testing. He said he needed to speak to his colleagues and was worried an infection around my meningitis could have caused the leak.
I dont know how to feel now. I have to wait a whole month for him to go on holidays and then hopefully think of a plan with his colleagues after. It just feels depressing when a doctor is stumped by you, but is positive that he was very interested and wants to develop a plan. Maybe it’s my fault for not finding a more expert doctor, or maybe my condition is so rare that a true expert doesnt exist near me.