Hi all, I will be travelling with a group of friends (age group from 28 – 35) next month.
SO EXCITED!!!!!!
We will be purchasing JR pass (7 days). One of the plans of attack is to focus shopping at the later part of the itinerary so we do not have much item to carry around at the train station. Cutting short on the introduction, please review and feedback on our itinerary whether it is too pack or anything to watch out for.
*We are coming from Asia, time difference is only 1 hour so assuming the jet lag will not be horrible.
19/4 – Wednesday:
· Morning: Arriving Narita at 8 am, Custom, JR Pass, Suica, Luggage Transfer
· Afternoon: Shinkansen and check in Osaka hotel
· Afternoon/Night: Dotonbori, Shinsaibashi-suji, Hozenji Yokocho Alley
20/4 – Thursday:
· Morning/Evening: Universal Studio Japan
· Night: Osaka-Umeda Station (HEP FIVE Ferris Wheel)
21/4 – Friday:
· Morning: Osaka Tenmangu, Tenjinbashi-suji,
· Afternoon: Kuromon Market
· Afternoon: Shinkansen, check in Kyoto Hotel
· Evening/Night: Nishiki Market, Pontocho Alley, Kamo Riverside
22/4 – Saturday:
· Rent Kimono
· Walk around Kiyomizudera, Yasaka Shrine, Maruyama Park
23/4 – Sunday:
· 5 am: Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Okochi-Sanso Villa, Tenryu-ji
· Afternoon: Fushimi-Inari Taisha Shrine
· Night: Takashimaya Kyoto or Daimaru Kyoto
24/4 – Monday:
· Morning: Check out and Shinkansen to Tokyo
· Afternoon: Asakusa area and Sensō-ji Temple
· Afternoon/Night: Akihabara Radio Kaikan, Akihabara Gamers, Pop Life Department M's, Akihabara Gachapon Hall, Taito Station, Maidcafe Maidreamin Akihabara
25/4 - Tuesday:
· Morning: MEGA Don Quijote Shibuya
· Late Afternoon: Mario Go Kart
· Night: Cross Shinjuku Vision, Kabukichō, Shinjuku Golden Gai, Omoide Yokochō
26/4 - Wednesday:
· Morning: Hachikō (fast one)
· Morning: Harajuku, Kinji Harajuku, Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku Mirror, Omotesando Hills
· Afternoon: Shibuya 109
· Late Afternoon: Shibuya Scramble Square (Shibuya SKY), Shibuya Crossing
· Night: Tokyu hands Shibuya, Shibuya Parco, Shibuya LOFT
27/4 - Thursday:
· Morning: Starbucks Reserve Roastery
· Afternoon/Night: ABC Mart, Uniqlo Ginza, Muji Ginza, Ginza Six,
28/4 - Friday:
· Flight outbound time at 11 am. Will be taking NEX to Narita Airport.

It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark, when out of the blue, my wife called me at work. "We're going to Niagara Falls for the weekend. I got us an awesome deal!"
We had both been working at our first "full-fledged" jobs for a year and had reached that moment after graduation when you suddenly realize you can't make that impact on the world your student enthusiasm once promised. At first, I just sighed. It was the dead of January, and I had already expended all my energy on a week of inconsequential stress. I just wanted to collapse on the couch for two days. Sarah felt a similar weary exhaustion. I could tell. Her tone was more hopeful than excited, but she had dreaded the routine we were sinking into and was trying her best to pull us free.
I looked to the ceiling and adjusted my telephone headset. At that time I was working at Stats Canada on the tele-query desk. I took a deep breath and, as convincingly as possible, said, "Sounds good." I don't think she bought it, but we went nonetheless.
This was Niagara Falls before the casinos when there was a very distinct off-season. When we got to the hotel, we were given the details of our "lovers' special". One dinner to be used either Friday or Saturday, two breakfasts, a roll of tokens for the arcade, 10% off some "4D" movie ride experience, and a 2-for-1 coupon to Max Tussaud's. I guessed it was Madame's nephew? We also got a bottle of sparkling wine in our room and chocolate treats on our pillows. I was impressed. It sounded good.
When we got into our room and saw the "bottle" of wine - basically an aeroplane-sized glass and half - and the chocolates - "fun wrapped" Oh Henry's left over from Halloween - we both started to laugh. The tone for two wonderful days had been set. We decided to cash in on our dinner coupon right away.
The restaurant off the lobby had hopes of being better. There were huge panoramic windows that promised a view of the gorge. Unfortunately, they had some winter moisture problems that day, and it felt like we were defrosting amid the dripping streaks and foggy patches. The decor was your standard booths and tables though the "romantic" lighting was unique. Dollar store battery-powered tea lights were lodged inside thick tumbler glasses and shed a muted pleasantness in a "what a great idea for a craft" sort of way. I had a feeling they were created by our waitress since she was the one who always seemed to be fussing with them. Only one other couple was in the dining room, so she attended to us immediately.
"Can I get you something to start?"
"Sure." "Thank you, that would be nice." We both responded simultaneously.
"And what would the lady like this evening?"
Sarah smiled at the flattery. "I think I'll have a glass of white wine." She glanced over at me to see my reaction. This was a subtle cue of the mood to follow. Diet Coke was usually the beverage of choice. She didn't normally drink alcohol. One glass numbed her nose and made her giggle far too easily. When she did drink, however, it meant she was comfortable with my company and open to anything to follow. I raised my eyebrows in a debonair way.
"And for the gentleman?"
"Do you have Foster's on tap?"
"Yes we do."
"I'll have a pint please."
Sarah smiled at the happy memories I invoked. At university, Foster's was my signature beer. It was at a time when Crocodile Dundee was a known name, and Australia was inexplicably cool. 15 cent buffalo wings and a pitcher of Foster's was the Tuesday night special at the London Arms pub. There the Classics Club would meet and, as a group, circle the wagons and drink ourselves into extroverts.
As soon as the waitress left, Sarah smiled at me. She reached out and held my hand across the table. With my gaze on hers, she slipped her foot from her shoe and slowly began sliding it up my pant leg.
"I got a pedicure this morning." She announced seductively.
I nodded and pretended I didn't notice her invitation. "What colour?" I asked.
"I'm not telling." She teased. "You'll just have to find out later." Her devious little smile was gorgeous.
"Mmmm. I can't wait."
When the waitress returned with our drinks, we immediately retreated to our personal spaces as if we had been discovered by the chaperone. Sarah opened the menu and began to salivate at the variety.
"Can we add an appetizer to the package dinner?" Her question seemed innocent enough.
"You're on the package?" Our friendly waitress disappeared, and we were no longer a lady or a gentleman. She ripped the menu out of Sarah's hand and took mine before I had even opened it. She then scurried to her podium and brought back a tattered, grease-stained, photocopied page that we had to share. We both burst out laughing.
The waitress was flustered that we were not as bothered as she was. "The drinks are NOT included!"
"What choices do we have?" I asked, expecting the usual chicken or fish. I had been on many packages before with my parents.
"Coffee or tea." The waitress snapped.
Sarah and I looked at each other in amused disbelief.
"I'll have coffee please." I didn't even flinch at the ridiculously limited package. I was eager to get my order in early.
"And I'll have the tea!" Sarah followed my lead. "Can I have some milk with that?"
"Yes." The waitress snarled.
"Fantastic!" I enthused.
"Yes, great! I'm glad we got the package, Honey." Sarah joked.
The waitress stormed off and returned sometime later with our lettuce-only salads drowned in Kraft's Italian dressing and our chewy chicken dinners, which she had thoughtfully allowed to cool. She tossed the plates on the table and left us to peacefully devour our deal. We didn't see her again until we requested the bill. For some reason, we found it amusing to leave a generous tip, which of course, defeated the purpose of the package, but we didn't care. It was fun.
The rest of the holiday was marred with similar off-season products and services. The wax museum was only half open, so we couldn't see the pop stars of the seventies. I didn't think it was a problem, but Sarah pouted playfully. She really wanted to see young Bowie. Meanwhile, the arcade was particularly stingy about spitting out coupons. So much so that Mike, the scraggly-haired repair guy, ended up escorting us from game to game and repairing the devices on demand. In no time, he was acting like an old drinking buddy. He joked and laughed, then, out of the blue, revealed that working at the Niagara Falls Fun Centre wasn't his career choice, that his dream was to be part of a travelling carnival. He desperately wanted to see more of the world, he explained and socialize with a greater variety of "wildlife." Mike winked at Sarah to punctuate his meaning, then began advising her on which games to play.
Sarah was partial to Skee ball and clearly had career potential in the sport, but Mike quickly pointed out that the token-to-coupon payout was not the best. In a furtive whisper, he revealed that The Storm Stopper was your best bet, provided the arcade had left it on its original factory settings. He assured us the ones here were "cool." The game had lights that ran around the outside in opposite directions and you had to hit the button at just the right spot to win. It looked impossible, but Mike was right; if you calculated tokens in versus coupons won, it was the best deal. It only took a little practice to win a minor jackpot every 5 or 6 times.
We would cheer each win as if Toronto had won the Stanley Cup. I would give a quick fist pump and a full lung "Yes!" while Sarah would jump up and down screaming, "WhoooHooo!" Of course, in the end, when we cashed in, "Mike's secret" only bumped us up from a key-chain flashlight to a "deluxe" nail beauty set. Mind you, it did come complete with clippers, scissors, a file AND a cuticle scraper. Not only that, it was all neatly packaged in a paisley-patterned pink and green plastic vinyl case. Mike was so pleased to give us our prize and to be honest, we were thrilled to win it if only to see his broad chicletted smile. It was more of a trophy than a grooming set.
That night, I made reservations for us at a fancy Chinese food restaurant - the Bamboo Garden. When we arrived, we had half-expected renovations of some sort. Instead, the place was immaculate. Gentle pools teeming with goldfish highlighted the epic black and red Ming dynasty decor. Real candles flickered on crisp white tablecloths. Again, the restaurant was virtually ours. The reservations on my part were entirely unnecessary. In fact, as soon as we entered, they knew us by name and guided us directly to our table. A live lounge piano caressed the air, its notes danced vaguely around familiar harmonies until finally, as if prompted by our presence, a song emerged immediately accompanied by the velvet voice of oriental karaoke. It was our song remastered

Hi All! I’m a psychology student currently working on my PhD dissertation. My research aims to employ a quantitative study to examine the relational effect of diversity and inclusion management on organizations. I am required to get 120 responses but I’m unfortunately struggling to get that many. Hoping to get a few responses through here as this is important for my graduation in May. Would appreciate any responses at all!!
Survey link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/L9BFKGV

Dear P, It's been a few days, but it feels like lifeitmes Images of you replay in my head whenever I close my eyes, With your beauty and grace, your long slender legs, your narrow torso, with glasses that perpetuate and scintillate the chambers held behind those eyes of yours. Matte black, but if you stared long enough, you'd see colors you couldn't name, an emotion indescribable but perpetual, intangible, but oh so real. It's unfortunate, really, as I find myself in peace just imagining you, forgetting the mishaps and the hardships that occurred along the weeks spent with you. My feelings well, all they hope for is a chance of reconciliation, a mutual agreement. That's a pipe dream my consciousness screams. It's the most pain I've felt in a while as it isn't a speeding bullet in and out but more an endless pot of searing hot water The deadliest sauna A gradient of pain, constant but everlasting seemingly. The most unfortunate part about all this is that I know you still love me as well I never got to see your side of it because you never communicated your affection and expressed it. At least not in ways I could notice. I can't help but feel guilty to be so demanding of you, the very person my heart aches for and cries for. As it feels in the moment at least. I was always under the assumption that you wanted nothing more than a friendship a friendship lined with crumpled clothes on the floor and kissing concealed behind the velvety curtains of a hotel room never known to the publics eye. What I wanted was a chance to live with you the rest of my life, to see you everyday, to listen to your laugh, crys, smiles and chatter, moves, blinks and every tiny thing you do like adjust the hair on your face or change hand positions ever so frequently when faced with a difficulty. I wanted a long-term bond, a mutual partnership. One where you showed genuine excitement in me. And you might have Which is the worst part What you perceived as good enough was perceived by me as "bare minimum" "The beauty is held in the viewers' eyes" is what they say for an art piece, but I think it applies everywhere in life. A simple dance of charades and an everlasting cycle. A search for meaning without ever truly realizing that the very search is the meaning. Constant overthinking never gets you anywhere The past is the past Precisely as it's said You can never bring it back No matter how much I want it I made the decision to end it with you To move on In hopes and encouragement from my short friend, I ended it His reasoning was everything I hoped it hadn't been, true, except for the part where I misjudged how much you truly, Truly Felt for me It pains me to say this, and I know it can't be done, but I just wish I could've never typed that paragraph Just tried communicating Even if it seemed hopeless It would've been better than losing you An empty bed is all I'm destined to, which is what I feel A bed without you A home without your smug smirk Clothes without your scent, with the slightest hint of vanilla, concentrated but not at all overwhelming to the senses Like a freshly baked pastry Just the right amount I could forever inhale and never have enough My eyes never to be blinded with your luminous hair when you'd flip it with pride Pride that I love Confidence I'd entrust my life with Ambition I'd hang on to dear life for Eyes that rival the galaxies' farthest depths Nebulae pale in comparison to the infinite hallway in your eyes What I'd give to be so close to you once more Just once To feel your lips amongst mine Soft, softer than any treat I've tasted or felt What I'd give to glaze my fingers along those light pink lips of yours So naturally iridescent Incandescent in the ceiling lights or the stars in the sky Glistening on the face of what seems to be a void of emptiness. Shiny is the only way I can describe your lips. But everything, gone All to be lost to a single paragraph It's never been a game about what or who I always knew it was meant to be you Just not in this moment of time, not in this life. Aideu, Thank you for everything As fierce as the komodo dragon, you are this feeble sloth, wasn't able to keep up with you Farewell P, yours truly

My fiancée loves cats. We have 4 and they are her children. They honestly live the best life—wet food diets, daily teeth brushing, water fountains, etc. In return, they love her so much. At night she climbs into bed and all 4 sleep on her. Not one sleeps on me.
She has a major soft spot for all cats. We’re lucky that we don’t live in a city with stray cats otherwise she would adopt them all. She’s frequently stated that if she had the room and money, she would just find stray cats all over the world and give them a loving home. She hates seeing cats suffering.
We recently went on a week-long international trip with two friends, A and B. We got a little bored in the middle and did a day trip out to the countryside. At first this was very fun—beautiful nature, quaint local stores, etc. Then my fiancée saw a stray cat. It was obviously unwell. It had dirty fur, fleas, looked malnourished, and she said that it was probably pregnant. There were stray dogs in the area and they kept barking at the cat. She sat down on the street and hung out with it for about 15 minutes. The rest of us wanted to keep exploring and she told us to go without her, so we did. We returned an hour later and she was still with the cat, who had warmed up to her. Ultimately there was nothing she could do for this poor cat—we didn’t speak the language at all, we couldn’t bring it on the plane, our flight was in 2 days—so we left and she started crying. She was so upset but ultimately didn’t interfere with our plans. We caught the train back to our hotel, ate dinner, had drinks, etc. Fiancée was a little quiet but participated in everything. At one point she offered to head back to the hotel alone but A and B insisted she stay.
Later that night A and B texted me that my fiancée was being a huge bummer about the cat. I told them to have a heart and think about how my fiancée must feel. She loves cats so much and hates to see them suffer needlessly. They were adamant they she’s ruined their day and should reimburse them for the day-trip tickets. I told them to fuck off and canceled our plans for the next day and spent the day alone with fiancé.

My mom is living with me and I can’t handle it.
After 7 years of living in a city an hour away from home, I have now moved back to this city for college at a great school. Coming back here, my family is a huge burden on me. I do pretty well in life, although being a college student at age 33 I’m still struggling. I have an internship, full time college, and a dog. To make ends meet I am a camgirl as much as I can as it’s easy money and I already work over 50 hours between my internship and school.
6 months ago my mom lost her apartment due to the building being sold. She moved in with my brother, which I knew was a horrible idea, and lived there for 6 months. A few weeks ago, he kicked her out. They were arguing and she threatened to punch his girlfriend, etc. she has not been working as much as most people, part time at an easy job caring for a 3 year old with autism.
When my brother kicked her out, she started staying with her friend. It was not easy as they were fighting all the time and a few days ago, she called me and cried saying she had to get out of there asap and had nowhere to go. I don’t understand this as I had just talked to her friend whom I ran into at the grocery store and she had said they were doing fine, my mom could stay for 2 more months, except she was sitting around all day and not working enough.
When I was 19 I lived with my mom for a year. After never having lived with her before, it was the worst year of my life. One time she had a boyfriend over, and they were fighting at 4 am, I got upset because I worked at 6 am. My mom came out of the room after her boyfriend left and beat me saying “you made him leave it’s all your fault!” That day I went to the hospital and had to have my face drained of blood from two swollen black eyes.
It took me years of therapy to work through this, and I still have trauma from my mom. I have forgiven her so far, but certainly I’m not over it enough to be comfortable with living with her. We don’t get along at all. I’m extremely passive and calm, and she is the complete opposite. Extremely reactive and triggered easily. She can be verbally abusive and violent.
She crashed her car over the weekend. My dog went missing and she took it upon herself to go look for him. I told her not to, as driving around wasn’t going to yield results, and she did anyway. She got into an accident which was her fault as she ran a stop sign. She now has no car, and nowhere to live.
Today she asked me for a ride. I asked her hat for and she said she wants to go hang out with her friend at a hotel. I said, I don’t think that’s a productive use of your time. She blew up and screamed at me, told me she never wants to see me again, and left with all her things.
This past few days I am not doing well. I am not able to cam as she’s in the house all day and it’s just not private enough. I can’t bring myself to tell her that if I’m not doing that I won’t be able to afford my apartment and neither one of us will have a place to live. Her father (my grandfather) has offered her to come stay there in Puerto Rico for a few months as a vacation. She refused this offer, as she doesn’t want to leave her life. I failed my exam today as I’ve been so overwhelmed emotionally that I couldn’t focus. I still have trauma I’m working through with my mom, and I need to be working or I’ll be homeless too. I don’t know how to handle this.

So, I already got my hotel room booked and plane ticket purchased. I plan on flying in on Saturday, leaving late on Nov 1st. I feel that I have a solid itinerary for all the days before Halloween night....except for Halloween Night itself. I've hit a mental roadblock. Would love to hear some suggestions. Would be even better if you shared your itinerary if you visited New Orleans before.

I was recently promoted to a very high stress job and no time at all for a personal life. I need a way to release this tension/stress and would like to see if there are any women, especially subs, that would like to be used for stress relief and freeuse on a regulaweekly basis. Very interested in an on-call dynamic that involves using you as a fleshlight or cumdump whenever we meet. Open to all kinds of scenarios. Women only please 18+. If you’re submissive/kinky that would be a huge plus.
About me: I’m a 37M, fit, attractive, living near NYC. Can’t host but able to travel to you or use a hotel or my office for our fun. Message to exchange pics and talk more. Looking for IRL only.

Longtime personal Chase Bank customer here, always used a bunch of their cards: CSR, FF, FU and the World of Hyatt card. I almost exclusively use my UR points by transferring them to Hyatt for redemption. With the big point devalue in the Hawaii and Mexico area hotels, where we vacation as a family, I’m thinking of starting a bunch of cards with Amex. Before the point change kicks into effect next week we redeemed a little over 500K in Hyatt points and booked a week all inclusive in Playa Del Carmen and a week at a beachfront condo in Maui. Looking forward to taking my two little kiddos (3 and 1) to Hawaii for the first time.
I’m thinking of downgrading the CSR to a CSP and opening an Amex Platinum (personal), Gold, and BBP. With a bunch of big business purchases coming up over the next few months SUBs will be easy to hit. But normal monthly spend would hit all subs easily anyways. Aside from my civilian career I am in the National Guard and have had a number of friends get fees waived on all their Amex cards when put on active duty orders, which I’m being activated in July. Amex seems very generous on this and many of my friends kept getting their AF’s waived long after their active duty orders were over. I get enough value to justify the fees, but getting them waived would be a sweet little cherry on top.
Does anybody know if you have to open the cards prior to being activated or while on active duty orders?
Has anybody else been re-thinking their chase cards with the Hyatt point change? Would love to hear!

Disclaimer: I'm a 4th year PhD student studying statistics, so I may use too much technical lingo.

Background

On stream today Destiny & guests were discussing the question of: is a small random sample better than a large non-random sample? It turns out there is a peer-reviewed statistics paper about this! The author even writes:

Which one should I trust more: a 1% survey with 60% response rate or a non-probabilistic dataset covering 80% of the population?

He's interested in actually quantifying the bias of your statistics under random & non-random sampling schemes. Basically, bias is related to

1. (Sample quality) The correlation between the values of interest & whether those values were recorded (actually sampled). For example, suppose you're measuring adult weight but you only sample obese people--the correlation will be high.
2. (Sample quantity) The ratio of the percentage of excluded data to the percentage of included data. For example, you sample 100 people out of the 400 students in a high school; 75% are excluded and 25% are included.
3. (Overall difficulty) The variance/standard-deviation of the variable you're measuring.

Quality and quantity

In classical statistics when your sample is random, your estimation error is primarily controlled through your sample size--as you collect more data, your estimation error goes down. This should be intuitive.
There's actually a trade-off between sample quality and quantity--we just often don't talk about it because researchers try their best to do random sampling. Once your sample is non-random, you get fucked. Now, your error is largely determined by the population size (not sample size), which is BAD (because we can't control that unless we redefine our population, which gets into unethical territory). While in a random scheme, doubling your sample size maybe decreased your error by a factor of 2^(-1/2), in the non-random scheme, doubling your sample size hardly reduces your margin of error. Your only real way to reduce error is to sample nearly the entire population...which is hard for obvious reasons. In other words, your error becomes intractable, and the only way to make it tractable is to sample the vast majority of the population (arbitrarily close to 100%). I'll note that "bad quality" isn't hard to achieve--in terms of correlation (which is between -1 and 1, 1 being a perfect positive linear relationship & 0 being no relationship), we're talking about decimals that require scientific notation. As the author says:

For large populations, such as the US eligible voter population, achieving [good quality] for [an] arbitrary sampling rate without probabilistic sampling (equivalent) requires a miracle.

To illustrate the quality-quantity tradeoff, the author introduces the idea of an effective sample size. Basically: for some fixed quality (non-random sample) and sample size, what's the equivalent random sample size? You can think of it as how much information you really have. The author provides the following simulated example: suppose you're sampling from the entire US voting population but your sampling quality (this'll be a measure from 0 to 1) is 0.05, you need to sample HALF OF THE US VOTING POPULATION to get an effect sample size of just 400. In this context, 0.05 is actually pretty high, but this just goes to show that even a tiny correlation between the sample and inclusion indicator can have a profound impact on the amount of information you really have.
^{As a side note: with bad quality, your confidence intervals will be wrong, fucking any hope of inference.}
The author provides a more concrete example using some data from the 2016 election. Given a very generous quality measure, they calculate that the effective sample size of (roughly) all 2016 polls combined was 5% of those sampled; that is, the equivalent random sample is 5% as large as what was collected. This in turn had an impact on the margin of error; specifically, the reported margin of error was MUCH smaller than what it should have been (the MOEs were vastly under-estimated...leading to a surprising election night).
Disclaimer: this is kind of a back of the envelope calculation he does, but it's pretty compelling imo. Overall, even a small reduction in sampling quality can have a profound impact on your effective sample size. Also, it's worth pointing out that in real life we can't ever calculate the correlation between inclusion and the variable...because we don't record people who aren't included.
TLDR: having a large non-random sample doesn't necessarily help you & can fuck your inferences.
Whipped this up in 30 minutes, so I apologize if it is confusing.
EDIT: as u/TallPsychologyTV mentioned in the comments, this critique isn't exclusive to Aella. This is a common problem that exists in peer reviewed research as well. I'll note however, smaller studies with some non-random non-response bias aren't hurt as much as studies with huge sample sizes. Your error estimates shouldn't be as biased. Anyway, I'm super blackpilled on all scientific research though; kids, don't do a PhD in statistics, it ruins everything.

Hello! I'm looking for someone around my age to cuddle with this weekend in Santa Clarita :) tonight! (Fri) or Saturday night.
I'm staying at a nice hotel for work - we're running a huge tournament for kids here haha. I'm sure in the evening I'll be quite ready to relax. I'll get us some (free!) food and we can watch a show in my room, have a deep convo about life... or just lay in each other's arms and do nothing! Super chill, low pressure.
NOT looking for anything sexual. Just company and physical touch. We can be platonic and fully clothed. Let's discuss ahead of time. I will 1000% respect your boundaries and help you feel safe any way I can.
I live in the Thousand Oaks area (east Ventura County, west LA). I'd love to also find an ongoing "friend with cuddle benefits." Long-term thing or just once in a while, all cool!
A little about me: I'm 25M, white, 5'8. Slim, in pretty good shape. "Adorkable" I'd like to describe myself as 😅 but you can be the judge
I work with kids teaching Chess and am vegan/plant-based. I don't drink, smoke or do any drugs. I'd describe myself as conscientious, gentle and compassionate. A few things I love are trail running and hiking, animals, pop punk and rock climbing.
DM me if you're interested! I will of course send pics, we can chat first and whatever you'd like.
thanks for reading and hope you have a wonderful rest of your day ☺️

This was a series of posts that I found at least a year ago. The author had a separate sub with the whole series. There were around a dozen different posts.
It's basically the haunted creepy hotel trope, but I really liked it and it was super detailed and compelling.
The narrator ends up going down to the basement level and finds another elevator that goes down further and it's a creepier version of all the floors above but moving downward. Sort of a scary mirror universe or something. The elevator going down into the basement counts higher for each floor as you decend. The narratror manages to escape the basement levels through a wall and comes out in the garden through a plant or something.
I think the owner of the hotel was either normal or immortal (similar looking ancestors, owned the hotel for generations) but I didn't finish the series.

So basically I'm looking for recommendations for a nice place to stay for a weekend, in the north-west of the country.
But I have some requirements, first of all adults only. So I can really enjoy some peace and quiet.
Second it needs to have good food like something similar to Verges de montagne Testour.
Third the rooms need to be clean, spacious and overall pleasing something like Maison Dedine in Sidi bou said.
Lastly it has to be small scale, no big hotels like Badira or Cigalle.
Recap: recommendations for comfortable weekend getaway, NO KIDS, good food, great rooms, small scale.
Your help will be appreciated.

Hi Everyone, I have permanently quit smoking weed for 3 months now and would like to share my story with all of you - hopefully, it sheds some light on people who are having withdrawal symptoms and anxiety.
I started smoking cig when I was 18 - can't remember how much I smoked; approximately a pack/week and definitely in beast mode if I was drunk lol... started smoking weed in 2016 and had about 5 years of it and simultaneously reduced my cig consumption with weed.
The first quit was at the end of Dec 2020, with no withdrawal symptoms at all (I think it was the mindset - people say you are invincible if you don't care). In Dec 2021 I heavily smoked for a month (1/2g daily) as I was stressed about landing a job during the pandemic. Quit on Dec 31 2021 and had covid in June 2022 - it was really bad for me as I started to have a weird smell when I cough and I cough out green/brown mucus. After that, I was easily getting a sore throat and it eventually went away. I was sober for 11 months until Dec last year when I smoked 2 grams during my vacation in Jamaica - really can't say no to lovely Jamaicans who sell Ganja on Kayaks (And their food are so spicy omg). Right now I am at 3 months and 25 days after my last joint, currently experiencing some symptoms - tight chest in certain positions (i.e. push-ups), cough of green/brown mucus after running and anxiety.
I have read many posts and done quite a lot of research about symptoms and potential risks. I conclude the following:
(1) Anxiety - this leads to the factor of well-being and Quality of Life (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quality_of_life). You must understand the fact that as a former smoker, your risk of getting lung cancer is 15-30x higher than non-smokers - just admit it; you enjoyed the privilege of the effect of weed/cig and here is the trade-off. DON'T BE AFRAID - we are all in the same boat as we will die sometime in this life. Once you have that in mind, you are invincible. However, I understand lots of you have been struggling with that and here are some tips: (i) Exercise - I challenge all of you who decide to quit and run 5km/day (if you can't do it then 5km/ 2 days). Feel Pain? just walk it off. (ii) Learn more knowledge - the more you learn, the less you don't know; The less you don't know, the less you are afraid of. I know it takes a long time to do it, but it works(at least for me). (iii) Talk to people, your friends, your families, or even a stranger. You will get a lot of relief from this.
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(2) Cough - like I said - I cough out scary shit lol... The cough will last a long time after quitting smoking and trust me, it is good for you. People on the internet saying "oh, I never cough black tar and I have smoked 40 years" must be current smokers. Why? Think about how much smoke is stuck in your lungs and cilia are trying to work their way out of cleaning those smokes - every time they try to work, new smoke came in and makes it stickier on your lung's inner surface. Don't believe in the tar? Just look at the bong you use and how sticky it is. If you still don't believe it then tell me where did the smoke go? Anyway, almost 4 months now I am still coughing green and brown mucus after running - it will go away eventually. The time of the process depends on how long/much you smoke.
How to clean those tar? lots of ways: (i) Drink WATER - I drink 2L/day (180Lbs, 5'11'', 30) and with half a lemon every second day. Please note that do not add too much lemon as it will destroy your teeth. Water helps your body recover from any type of inflammation - doesn't matter if it is bacterial/viral - you pee them out. (ii)Exercise: I challenge all of you who decide to quit smoking - to run 5 km/day (if you can't - just run every second day). If you can't finish - walk it off. You can break it down into several sets (each km). I found that running outside is better than in the GYM - fresh air is important for your lungs. I even run in winter, I live in Toronto which is harsh during winter. Remember to warm up to avoid injury (iii) Humidifier: I don't use this - I believe (i) + (ii) is enough. I also hit the gym to do weights - stretch is important.
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(3) Eat healthily - Please avoid sugar (low carb) and fried food and this will help you recover faster.
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In general, I have been so much better and more confident in life. However, If you asked me will I do the same if I had a chance to choose smoking or not when I was young - Yes, I will still smoke in my early 20s. Life is about exploring, but you need to know when to stop. There is no regret in life and REMEMBER: We need time to build habits.
I will keep updating this in 3 months (6 months after quitting) to see the results. In the meantime, good luck to yall on recovery, god bless you and I love you all.
- March 24, 2023

Hi! I usually lurk on this sub but I wanted to get some real feedback and ideas. I’m a service member that has gone through some stuff and I’m coming out of it now and really want to get into the gym. I was looking for simple, affordable matching sets that I could feel cute in for the gym and literally could not find anything that wasn’t set active or lululemon. I now really, really want to start a more budget inclusive, non drop shipped active wear line, but I don’t want to just be passed off as another gym brand on the hype train.
Being a female service member has been hard, and looking good when I don’t feel great has always helped me be more optimistic about life. I’d love y’all’s input, and if you think I should just make the clothes at home and wear them instead of starting a business, no offense taken! I just would love to hear what you guys want in an activewear brand, and how I can make working out more accessible. Thank you guys!

ROMANS   Epistle [אגרת, ’eeGehRehTh] [of] Shah’OoL [“Lender”, Saul = Paul] unto the Romans  
Looming more ominously for me than for most, apparently, is the approaching destruction of Jerusalem and of the Jewish nation precipitated by its revolt against Rome less than 20 years after this epistle was written. The end was coming like a deluge. Was that the source of Paul’s zeal? Was he trying to get as many people on the ark as possible? Did he suppose that if his evangelizing mission could be completed before all hell broke loose, the Lord of Hosts would then intervene, upon which occasion it would not matter which army one was in (Roman or Israelite), but whether one was part of the remnant worthy of salvation?  
I think we now see the gospel as transcendent, supra national, and personally spiritual. But in Paul’s day, there was a clear realization that history was coming to a head, and that God himself would write it as imagined by the authors of Daniel and Revelation. Paul speaks so forcefully to his audience that to this day many readers expect the rapture to come before they finish reading the book.  

“The times are known to you, now is the time to rouse from sleep, for our salvation is closer now than it was on the day we began to believe.” Chapter 13, verse 11ⁱ  
“At many points there has been occasion for comment on the importance for Paul of his eschatological expectations … Salvation is primarily and essentially future, but is even now in a secondary or derived sense available, since the future age is already beginning to break in on us. It is this fact which gives the present time (καιρος, kairos) its crucial importance and imparts to the ethical exhortations Paul has given a supreme urgency. It is noteworthy that Paul has not made any of his injunctions conditional upon the fact of the rapidly approaching consummation, he has not mentioned the crisis at all in the ethical section until this point, and he mentions it here only to provide an additional incentive for allegiance to standards which have been set up and refined without any reference to it. The near approach of the final salvation and judgment does not make these practical teachings more true; but as Paul sees it, the coming event does make them more relevant and compelling.” (Knox, TIB 1954, pp. IX 608-610)ⁱⁱ  

INTRODUCTION  

“This letter shows signs of having been composed under conditions of greater leisure, and therefore with greater care, that any of the rest, and thus comes nearer to being a systematic and inclusive statement of Paul’s faith. It is thus the principal source book for the study of Paul’s gospel, and in consequence it is unquestionably the most important theological work ever written.” (Knox, 1954, TIB p. IX 355)  
“To read Paul’s words is to hear his voice.” (Knox, 1954, TIB p. IX 355)  
“His major preoccupation … has been the disastrous rift between the conservative Jerusalemite body of Christians and their Gentile brethren.” (Knox, 1954, TIB p. IX 359)  

THE CHURCH AT ROME  

“The most probable ancient account of the beginning of Christianity in Rome is given by a 4th century writer known as ‘Ambrosiater’:  

‘It is established that there were Jews living in Rome in the times of the Apostles, and that those Jews who had believed [in Christ] passed on to the Romans the tradition that they ought to profess Christ but keep the law [Torah]ⁱⁱⁱ … One ought not to condemn the Romans, but to praise their faith, because without seeing any signs or miracles and without seeing any of the apostles, they nevertheless accepted faith in Christ, although according to a Jewish rite.’ Ambrosii Works iii 373.” (Knox, 1954, TIB p. IX 367)  

From Adam Clarke:  

“The occasion of writing the epistle: … Paul had made acquaintance with all circumstances of the Christians at Rome … and finding that it was … partly of heathens converted to Christianity, and partly of Jews, who had, with many remaining prejudices, believed in Jesus as the true Messiah, and that many contentions arose from the claims of the Gentiles to equal privileges with the Jews, and from absolute refusal of the Jews to admit these claims, unless the Gentile converts become circumcised; he wrote this epistle to adjust and settle these differences.” (Clarke, 1831, p. VI 3)^iv  
“God had rejected the unbelieving Jews, and had substituted in their place a society of believers in Christ; collected indifferently from Jews and Gentiles.” (Clarke, 1831, p. VI 3)  
“… the Jews were the subjects of God’s kingdom under the old form [unlike Gentiles] and therefore could be called only to submit to it, as it was now modeled under the Messiah. Or they were called to repentance, to the faith, allegiance, and obedience of the Son of God, and to hope of eternal life through him; whom rejecting, they were cast out of God’s peculiar kingdom.” (Clarke, 1831, p. VI 19)  

Chapter One  

Introduction [מבוא, MahBO’, “what’s coming”] [verses 1-15]  

-1. From [מאת, May’ayTh] Shah’OoL, slave [of] the anointed YayShOo`ah [“Savior”, Jesus], who was called to be a sent-forth [apostle] and singled out [ויחד, VeYooHahD] to tidings [gospel] of Gods,
-2. tidings that Gods promised from before [מקדם, MeeKehDehM], in mouths of His prophets, and writings the sacred 3. regarding [על-אודות, `ahL-’ODOTh] his son, YayShOo`ah the anointed, our lord, that according to [שלפי, ShehLePheeY] the flesh, his derivation [מוצאו, MOTsah’O] is from seed of David,
-4. and according to Spirit the Holy was demonstrated [הפגן, HooPhGahN] that he is son [of] Gods, in power [בגבורה, BeeGBOoRaH] in his resurrection from the dead.  

“Many commentators see [this] … as a concession [by Paul] to the supposed ‘adoptionist’ Christology of the Roman church … [-] the view that Jesus became the Son of God (or the ‘Christ’ or ‘Lord’) at some point after the beginning of [his] earthly life, that God chose or ‘adopted’ him to be the Messiah. … early Christology was almost certainly of this type, the Resurrection being the moment of adoption. … the primitive ‘adoptionism’ represented by certain statements in Acts (e.g. [for example], 2:36) was not immediately replaced by incarnationism … There was almost certainly an intermediate stage represented by the letters of Paul and to some extent by the synoptic Gospels. At this [intermediate] stage the pre-existence of Christ is affirmed … only gradually was it realized that [this] entailed a re-telling of the entire story.” (Knox, 1954, pp. TIB IX 382-385)  

...  

…………………………………………………………………  
Energy [of] the Tiding
[verses 16-17]  

-16. “I have no shame in tiding of the anointed, that behold she is energy [of] the Gods to save …  

“The word salvation [save] … in the New Testament period … had among Jews come to mean … the great deliverance which God would bring to pass in the last days. So it is used by Paul … an eschatological term … for … Paul believed that the ‘last days’ had already begun to come.” (Knox, 1954, TIB p. IX 391)  

-17. “For has come justification of [צדקת, TseeDQahTh] the Gods,  

“Generally speaking, in the Old Testament it is those who are already righteous whom God vindicates. The meaning is literally ‘justification’ – i.e. [in other words], … the being treated as righteous, of those who are in fact righteous. It is at this point that Paul’s doctrine of justification diverges from the O.T. [Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible] conception, for the distinctive thing about the justification made possible by Christ is that it involves the declaring righteous, the treating as righteous, of those who are in fact not righteous. Commentators often seek to get around the difficulty here – the apparent validation of a fiction – by insisting that the verb δικαιοω [dikaioo] meant to ‘make righteous’ … the final sigma [ς] … dropped from the adjectival form (δικαιος [dikaios]); such an interpretation can be sustained only by rather violent exegesis.” (Knox, 1954, pp.TIB IX 390-391)  

“revealed [מתגלית, MeeThGahLaYTh] from within [מתוך, MeeThOKh] belief for the purpose [לתכלית, LeThahKhLeeYTh] [of] belief, as is written: ‘and justification will be by faith.’” [Habakkuk 2:4]  
-18. “And truly [ואמנם, Ve’ahMNahM] fury [זעם, Zah'ahM] [of] Gods is revealed from the skies upon all their evil and their wickedness of sons of ’ahDahM [“men”, Adam], the suppressers [המעכבים, HahMe'ahBeeYM], in their wickedness, [את, ’ehTh (indicator of direct object; no English equivalent)] the truth.”  

“Those who believed the declarations of God when the Chaldeans besieged Jerusalem, having acted conformably to them, they escaped with their lives.” (Clarke, 1831, p. VI 70)  

………………………………………………………………  
The Denial [ההתכחשות, HahHeeThKahHayShOoTh] to truth and her outcomes [ותוצאותיה, VeThOTsah’OThayHah] [verses 18 to end of chapter]

 
-18. “And truly [ואמנם, Ve’ahMNahM] fury [זעם, Zah'ahM] [of] Gods is revealed from the skies upon all their evil and their wickedness of sons of ’ahDahM [“men”, Adam], the suppressers [המעכבים, HahMe'ahBeeYM], in their wickedness, [את, ’ehTh] the truth.”  

“We cannot ‘absolve’ God of responsibility for judgment without accepting in effect the Marcionite belief in two Gods – one of judgment and the other of love.”  

...   An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible

Hi! I usually lurk on this sub but I wanted to get some real feedback and ideas. I’m a service member that has gone through some stuff and I’m coming out of it now and really want to get into the gym. I was looking for simple, affordable matching sets that I could feel cute in for the gym and literally could not find anything that wasn’t set active or lululemon. I now really, really want to start a more budget inclusive, non drop shipped active wear line, but I don’t want to just be passed off as another gym brand on the hype train.
Being a female service member has been hard, and looking good when I don’t feel great has always helped me be more optimistic about life. I’d love y’all’s input, and if you think I should just make the clothes at home and wear them instead of starting a business, no offense taken! I just would love to hear what you guys want in an activewear brand, and how I can make working out more accessible. Thank you guys!

In recent months, concerns have been growing over the attempts by MAGA terrorists and their political allies to control the education systems in several Republican states. These efforts follow a pattern used by authoritarian regimes, including the Soviet Union and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), to indoctrinate young people with their ideology.
According to multiple sources, these individuals and groups are pushing for measures aimed at banning books and other educational materials that they deem "offensive" or "contrary to American values." Additionally, they propose laws that would require teachers and students to out anyone who is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, putting them at risk of discrimination, harassment, and violence.
Similar efforts were employed by the Soviet Union and CCP, who used education to promote their ideologies and suppress any dissenting views. The Soviet Union heavily censored the curriculum, and students were taught a distorted version of history that glorified the Soviet Union and its leaders. In contrast, the CCP has increased its efforts to "strengthen ideological education" in schools and universities, promoting loyalty to the party and state.
Critics argue that these efforts are aimed at creating a generation of young people who are more obedient to the party or political group's rule and less likely to question its authority. The MAGA terrorists and their political allies' ultimate goal appears to be the creation of a narrow, exclusionary vision of America that fits their conservative, religious, and nationalist ideologies.
In addition to these efforts, House Republicans have recently introduced a "Parents Bill of Rights," aimed at providing oversight in education. The proposed measure has been swiftly denounced by Becky Pringle, the president of the National Education Association, who said that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is trying to stoke racial and social division.
The "Parents Bill of Rights" is seen as another tactic to force schools to promote MAGA Republican views on students. Critics argue that the measure would undermine the ability of educators to create inclusive learning environments and protect the rights of all students.
"Education should be about exposing students to diverse perspectives and challenging them to think critically, not about enforcing a narrow and exclusionary set of beliefs," said Dr. Jane Smith, a professor of education at the University of California.
Despite widespread opposition, these efforts are gaining traction in some conservative circles, with some lawmakers and school officials endorsing them as a way to "protect American values" and "combat liberal indoctrination." However, activists and educators are mobilizing to resist these attacks on education and human rights, calling for a united front against bigotry and intolerance.
"We need to stand up for what is right and just," said Mary Johnson, a spokesperson for the American Federation of Teachers. "We cannot allow a small group of extremists to hijack our education system and impose their twisted vision of America on our children."

31M 29F 1 Husband 2 boyfriends
Dating a separated girl(W29) w/boyfriend M29. F29-M30
I’m dating a separated girl (29) w/boyfriend (31) and me (30)
Hello, M30/F29
Well this is really messy situation,it involves,friends,work and feelings.
I am a supervisor at a local company,I have 1 staff let’s call her (Angela) she just turned 29 yrs old, she is tall and very attractive but she also has an amazing personality and a good heart. Angela married her high school sweetheart he is now a professional wrestler.They been together for years I assumed everything was perfect at home. One time I was out drinking and and uploaded a story Instagram and she replied “thanks for the invite “ I saw the message and thought to myself “just ask your man to take you” but decided to follow along and said sure I’ll invite you just don’t leave me waiting and don’t show up. She then later told me I’m going to drop a bomb on you “I’ve been separated for 8months now “ I acted surprised and pretended I didn’t know. Her man was tall and muscular,he traveled often and was at least at home maybe 2 weeks per month. So she spent a lot of time alone,she told me she found out he was cheating and this time she didn’t forgive him and kicked him out. He has cheated many times before and she always would take him back. 2 weeks later she admitted she reached out to some guy she liked from high school and let’s call him Rambo. She told she was hanging out with him but he would disappear from days at a time and wouldn’t contact her.
I saw this as an opportunity to see if I could end up with her,the problem is she works for me. She told me of all the issues she was having with the wrestler guy and how Rambo was MIA sometimes. **February 14 was coming up and I told her about my tradition of going to a Chinese spot and dine at the bar either single or in a relationship. She agreed to go with me,nothing happened just dinner and that was it. She went to a wedding and she texted me of how boring it was , we texted for a while and I confessed that I had feelings for her for the last 2 years. She was amazed and said she only saw en as a friend and never imagine that I was interested in her. I then told her that I would take it seriously and I will treat her like the queen she is. We would text mostly sexual things and what would I do to her. She then agreed to come down and watch a movie, we ended up having sex then the next day I’ve told her that I had plans for us, and for her birthday, which was Sunday. She didn’t have plans for her birthday whatsoever and Rambo was MIA again so I took the lead and booked a $500 a night hotel and took her to dinner. The place was amazing and dinner was great,we ended up having great sex. The next morning we packed our stuff,I took her to get breakfast and dropped her at her house. We continued to kiss at work hiding from everything and texting each other for the rest of the week. She mentioned to me that she feels like she is cheating on Rambo with me, I told her I wouldn’t quit pursuing her until she told me to stop (I have been single for like 5 years with no sex) and besides that I wish I could marry this girl she is worth it. Rambo messages her and she replies. She says she is confused and doesn’t know what to do because she doesn’t want to hurt him or me. We both are sleeping with the same girl the only thing is I know about him but he doesn’t know about me. From what she tells me about him I see the guy is depressed and she sometimes agrees. The wrestler messages Angela everyday asking for forgiveness but she wants the divorce. Angel hasn’t been treated like a woman and I made sure to to do things the right way like buying flowers, buying her shoes, taking her out to dinner, opening myself to her and she even told me it was strange to see a side of me that was soft because I’m always like a hard ass . She came home with me on Saturday,but Sunday afternoon I called her and texted me she couldn’t pick up cus she was with Rambo. I really like this girl I have strong feelings for her But I’m also a very prideful person And at the first sign of BS with girls I just walk away hence why I’ve been single for years. But with her here I am. If things end I want them to be on good terms. She admitted she had feelings for me but doesn’t want to end things with Rambo because she started talking to him first
Please give me your honest advice Everything is appreciated good or bad

My in-laws are in town for the bridge run and they got a hotel that’s technically downtown, but not walking distance. Do the downtown parking garages typically have open parking spaces the morning of? I’m debating picking them up, parking there, then taking the shuttle OR just driving us all to the Coliseum.

I’ve had this parlor palm since Valentine’s day & it’s been doing pretty good. BUT I recently went on a trip (drove from the bay area to LA) for several days & brought this plant along with a couple others bc I was worried they would suffer without being misted daily.
When I got back home I noticed one of the stocks is doing the Thriller lean. Is it bc of the stress of being in the car & all that? There’s also new growth, so could it be because of that too?
The other two plants I brought are doing fine, one is even putting out new growth. The hotel room had even better lighting than the room it’s currently in, so I thought it would thrive ):
**Pics in a comment below. Idk how to post a pic + text post😑

My situation is covered more in my post history, but as a quick summary: I [43HLM] have been married to my [41LLF] wife for 15 years. For the first 10 years or so, she had a high libido and we had a good sex life. However, now she lost her libido due to health issues and no longer has any interest in anything related to sex.
I knew it was over for her last year when she threw away her dildo she had since before we met. Overall we have a good marriage with 2 kids. I actually consider her my soul mate. We still have ample physical contact, hugging, cuddling, etc. Everything but sexual contact.
It's been really hard for me recently. I'm currently in a hotel on a business trip and caught myself in a full lenght mirror after a shower. In general, I feel pretty good about how I look physically. While I'm no athlete, I work to keep myself fit and well groomed. Honestly, I feel I look better now than in high school. (Other than the ever increasing number of white hairs). But as I looked at myself, I thought why bother to work to stay fit...I feel so un desired. Why not just let myself go.
I miss having some one desire me and want to have sex with me. My wife used play all the time, sneaking peeks in the shower or watching me change.
Now I feel invisible and untouchable 😞
Just wanting to express myself here since I, like so many others, don't have someone to confide in.