Warning: Long, TL;DR at end.
I love my dad. He was a great parent. Especially when I was a little kid. He loved to take me and my sibling on adventures. He always listened to my questions like they were the most important questions in the world. He made us breakfast and changed our diapers and told us every day that we were important. He was generous with money, but made sure to never spoil us. He loves to teach us things, even today.
But as soon as I hit puberty, things got tricky. Turns out he loves kids, but isn't so fond of women. Especially when they have different opinions from himself. So when my sib and I grew into opinionated women, the fighting started. We had a long period in my teens and early 20's where all we did was yell in each other's direction and desperately hope that the other person would hear. I tried to actively listen, even when he was making assumptions about my worth, my goals, my health, and my life. But, I must admit, I only successfully listened about 50% of the time. He never did.
When I became an adult and got a place of my own, he started insisting that we meet once a week to touch base and have a nice day out.
So I did. But the success in those outings was always touch and go.
Dad doesn't want to admit he hasn't kept up with his children's interests, so he never wants to plan outings. Don't get me wrong, he wants to have outings with me every week, he just doesn't want to plan them.
After a lot of back and forth, I finally got him to plan every other outing and I would take care of the rest.
I've taken us to world famous food markets, cat cafes, historic cemeteries, art galleries, and regional festivals. The only two outings he has planned in the last three months were going for a walk in a park fifteen minutes from his house and going grocery shopping together.
For a while, I was concerned that maybe I was dragging him to things he doesn't like. But I wouldn't know. Dad has always refused to get a hobby or show a visible interest in any topic. Aside from electronics, which is what he built his career on, I can't tell you a single thing he enjoys on a regular basis.
I know that he has a life of his own, with friends, pets, and a new girlfriend. It's just that he doesn't tell me about any of it. And when he does, it's usually done in a way that makes me upset.
Once, when we were having a nice day out together and had stopped for a meal, he turned to me and told me how glad he was that he had found his current therapist. Because with her help he had realized that it was OK that I had never done anything with my life. He assumed I would take that as a high complement.
All this is frustrating to me. I have told him as such. I've put up basic boundaries with him, like asking him to let me know if he's free to hang out this weekend before the weekend starts so I don't have to schedule a trip and can make plans if he's busy. But even when he respects those boundaries or does what I ask, it all dissolves into a screaming match.
I had texted him on Wednesday if he was free to hang out this weekend.
On Friday he texted back that he could do a walk in the park and lunch in a restaurant. (He knows, but hates, the fact that I'm still masking in public.)
I swallowed my pride. I didn't mention that I have been begging him to plan something other than a walk and food for years.
I told him that we could do that if we got the food to-go and could make it an early picnic lunch in a special park that I've been talking about for months - about 40 minutes away from his house.
He said that was too far away. Maybe next week. Or the week after that.
Now his girlfriend is staying with him this week. She was going to come with us. She has her elderly dog with her, and they're both protective of his safety in public. But I made sure the park was dog-friendly (dogs could be on the property, even though there was no allocated space for them) and I checked to make sure that we were going to go when the park wasn't busy.
And he knows this.
And still he just blew it off.
And I was upset. And sad. Again.
I vented to Mom, and she told me that if it hurt this much to keep meeting with him, that maybe we should stop doing weekly visits. We should still visit, obviously, but maybe only when there was something we were both excited to do.
That I should gently break this to him, and center the conversation around my feelings, but to say that maybe we should only get together if there was a reason to.
So after an hour of agonized writing, I sent him the text.
And over a day later he hasn't replied.
I don't feel mad, per say. I mean, I was expecting him to lash out and he hasn't.
But instead he has just tossed me aside like an afterthought.
Which I knew he was always capable of, but still.
It feels like I've been pushed off the swings, the air knocked out of me, and I'm not quite sure if this is going to hurt in a second.
TL;DR: I send my father a text telling him that maybe we should cut back on our weekly visits. I do this because he keeps pushing my buttons and each time we do get together is disappointing or painful to me. He never responds to my message.

Tl;dr asked bf for a weekend get away to which bf said not possible for him, but then goes to the same trip with his best friend. When I am mad about it, he accused me of getting angry for him getting late to return home as he is unable to understand how he is more willing to commit to his friends than me to the point I am put in sidelines in every part of his life.
We are together just over two years. Before this we were close friends. This is my partner's first romantic and sexual relationship. I am going through severe mental health crisis while my partner has some sexual intimacy issues. All of this does make our relationship difficult. However we try to resolve them through conversations, counseling etc. But my introverted self is having hard time with adjusting to his ever growing list of friends and their and his commitment towards them.
To be very clear, I do not have problem that he spends time with them, nor I want him to spend his waking hours exclusively with me. But I have issues when he put me and my needs and his commitment towards our relationship below his friends. And it is not a one time incident but a regular occurance. And if I try to have a conversation about this he will get defensive, or think I am mad for completely different reason or worse he will play dumb. And it has reached its tipping point. Due to both of our study and other personal issues, we have not have any get away for last six months. For last couple of weeks I requested him to plan something for the weekend. He cited his work, lack of money, weather for not going out. Okay. Then friday night he told me he would go out with his best friend on saturday night. I usually do not ask where he is going, or when, or when he will come. So fast forward to saturday night, he is calling me around 9 pm, I asked him when he will be back as I thought he went for shopping or drinking. He said he does not know. Then I asked where he is, to which he said he is in a highway intersection. Now he before leaving told me he will be back by 11pm. So asked him to call me after he comes back.
Today after waking up, I show my bf called me 3-4 am in the night, assuming he came back around that. Now I see his best friend's status of them going for a night trekking to a hill outside the city. And it really broke my heart. I really not mad that he went out with his friends but if he can go out with them, then why he said no to me? And now because I am not taking his calls, he is texting me thinking I am mad because he came late. He can not grasp that where he is srewing up again and again. Because this is not the first time, nor the last, but one of countless other careless attitude he showed towards me. Funny is when his friends partners are there, they are never left out but I am.

Sorry if this post is all over the place; it's my first time posting on reddit. I thought I might describe the whole relationship we had and what went down, in case it changed the etiquette. I'll put the beginning of the current situation and the actual issue in bold if someone wants to skip the massive backstory.
So, the thing is, I (now 24F) became really close friends with a girl (now 23F) from my grup at university 3 years ago. We were both good students, liked similar things, watched some of the same movies and shows, loved cats etc., so we quickly bonded. We became nearly inseparable, we studied together, shared all our notes, hung out after classes, I met her gf and spent time with them, and when they unfortunately broke up, I did everything I could to support my friend (and I was really really worried about her mental health, I got like 3 hours of sleep that first night between physically staying with her and then texting, I started inviting her to my family outings etc.), eventually (near the end of the friendship last year) I was even invited to spend a week at her house with her family and while I was there, I was also invited to her older sister's wedding that was happening about a month later (a lot of people started saying they wouldn't attend so the thought was that if I came, then at least some of the money wouldn't go to waste, I suppose).
While things started off great, they changed over time. Like I mentioned, she got that gf and I didn't have the time for dating and wasn't even particularly interested in the guys around me to begin with. She also got cats and then fostered kittens. So her life got busier while mine didn't, and I understood that. The workload of sharing notes started shifting to where I was doing increasingly more. But I was doing it mainly for myself anyway, so I saw no harm in sharing what I had.
But I'm not going to lie, it started getting more and more irritating. Sometimes we'd agree to split the questions between the two of us 50/50 and the day before the test she'd text me saying she wouldn't be able to do her part because she had had a migraine (I got that) and then she took her cats for a long walk, and also her new gf showed up at her place too (that I didn't get). By the time I finished the whole thing, she was asleep and read what I had prepared in the morning. Whatever.
Things started getting bad a year and a half ago, around the time of her sister's wedding. I live in the city where we study but she only rents a flat for the two semesters and goes home halfway across the country for any longer breaks. She was looking for a new place and I went to see one of the flats for her but ultimately, it fell through. Later, she found a place and decided to take it without sending me there to look at it - but she did ask me to get the keys from the owner. It happened the day before I was leaving for that wedding so I could take the keys with me. I agreed no problem but then she changed her mind, calling the whole thing off - only to change it again after a few hours. I told her it's okay but to please let me know earlier if we're ever in a similar situation again (I still had to pack, also it was quite some distance for me to travel so I lost about an hour on public transport, and ofc I had to buy myself tickets - but I didn't mention any of that). Which apparently was a wrong thing to say 'cause she got mad and started ignoring my text messages, including the ones where I asked what time I was supposed to meet the owner (I didn't have the lady's number). When she finally responded, she said she didn't know. Always one to placate others, I started politely asking her to please find out because I didn't want the owner to wait for me, blah blah blah. Eventually, we figured it out, I handled it and went back to preparing.
The wedding was a disaster in itself. It involved her absurdly creepy cousin who clearly had never spoken to a girl and after just 1 day was convinced we were in love and would be together. I understand she found my following her irritating but I didn't really know anyone else and I was freaked out by the cousin - and her egging him on didn't help xd One of the instances was when he kept openly staring at me (y'know how when you look at somebody and they look your way, you look away? well, he didn't) and I decided to kind of show him I wasn't there specifically as his plus one, so I asked my friend's plus one (he's gay and we had met a few times before) to go dance with me, and he was happy to go with me - but my friend said that no, he was there with her and I could go dance with the cousin. And when I finally snapped and glared at her and said firmly but quietly (so no one else could hear) to stop (she was laughing about how he and I should get a photo together for the wedding photobook), she got mad at me. Well, fine, it was just a few hours, I could sit at the table and endure the creepy staring, it's not like he'd try anything with everyone watching. My friend's plus one had a cold or something so I decided to leave with him. Apparently, she was upset that we left so early. The next day, she wasn't speaking to me until we had to leave for the afterparty and did some shopping together etc. But during the party she kept to her sister and her bff and I didn't want to cause any more trouble between us so I stayed on my own - until the cousin showed up. Now, I'm the type of person who freezes when in a sudden, stressful situations, and that's exactly what happened. He tried holding my hands, again stared at me, didn't realise my constant fiddling with my phone was an indication that I didn't want to spend time with him, and generally made this whole day miserable for me. I was so stressed out I couldn't even eat anything. In the evening, hours later, my friend realised what was happening and decided to drive me to her house early. Ofc he tagged along but she made sure to take him back with her. He kept texting me, saying he was going to go to the train station the next morning to see me off and that he would soon come to my city to visit me, and he could stay at my place while he was there. The next day, my friend's mom drove me to the station (my friend woke up too late to go), and once I was on the train, I blocked him. I also texted with my friend and found out that she, as well as her other cousins who sat at our table at the wedding, had approached the dude to tell him to stop but he ignored them. They eventually got his parents involved and that was why he wasn't at the train station. It made me feel much better about the whole thing, since she didn't abandon me like I thought she had. And again, I understand I was kinda a nuisance - a shy stranger at a family gathering.
After that, things were good for a while. But then, the classes started again and it was becoming stressful and taxing again. We have extracurricular classes we have to attend, and our group needed to prepare a short "article" on a topic we chose. I wrote the whole thing but asked the others to please read through it and let me know if they were okay with what I managed so I could send it to the teacher (they did). I also reached out to my friend and asked her specifically to let me know when she had a moment to read it because I valued her opinion a little bit more, since she would tell me if she didn't like something and the others wouldn't (it wasn't even 2 pages long), and she told me she would. Well, she never did, she started sending me memes and talking about the tests she re-took instead. So at the end of the day (the deadline), I asked her how her test went but because I was quite fed up, I didn't stop myself from adding, "thanks btw. next time, let me know you don't feel like doing something we agreed on so I won't have to wait unnecessarily". Should I have just ignored it and went on with my life? Yeah, sure. But I was angry and I don't think what I said was all that bad. Well, to her it was.
I had already noticed she didn't like any sort of critique of herself, even if it was something like us disagreeing on how to perform an experiment (the difference between us was that I had read the instruction). I suppose we both instinctively assume a bit more of a leadership role and sometimes we clashed because of that. She would get very defensive, and I suppose I did too. But in this particular instance, she clearly misunderstood me and an actual argument ensued. What I wanted to say was that I didn't like what our dynamic was, how I was doing so much and was held to those previous standards while she changed her mind whenever she felt like it, was much less reliable and I had to accommodate her almost all the time. But she seemed to think I was looking for gratitude for some reason? That's not what I care about at all; whenever I had some notes or excel sheets or whatever before the rest of the group, I always shared it on our group chat, and never expected thanks or anything. When I discuss a question that may be on a test with somebody, once I find the correct answer, I send it to them, even if it's days later, simply because they wanted to know at one point. I don't care about gratitude and in fact, it makes me uncomfortable. I want to have a good relationship with everyone and if my openness with sharing means that in the future when I need some help, I can go ask one of those people and they will willingly help me, that's an added bonus. Idk why my friend would ever think that but once I realised there was that misunderstanding, I tried to explain what I meant before trying to placate her.
She, however, was really mad, and said a bunch of really hurtful stuff. That, in turn, made me remind her of how she had treated me at the wedding (apparently I was still salty about her initially egging her cousin off), and that prompted her to say that she never wanted me at that wedding in the first place and that I inject myself wherever I can. Now, I never told this to anyone other than my very best friend, but I think I might be somewhere on the autism spectrum and I really don't know how to read between the lines. It's not clear to me what's appropriate and what isn't. So when her mother came up with the idea of me coming to the wedding, my friend's sister gave me an invitation and my friend encouraged me to go, I simply thought it would be okay for me to do so. Now I know to keep to myself and to turn down any offers unless they come from my closest friends and family. But once I got those texts, I got really hurt and was desperately trying to just end the argument, let her be mad at me for a while and we could go back to normal again.
Well, she was apparently done. She ended the friendship and blocked me. Honestly, while it made me realise just how lonely I am, it also did me some good, I think. I focused on myself, my own studying, and haven't had to retake a single test up to this day. She, on the other hand, had to retake almost all of them. Idk if it was just her being used to me doing so much for her or if something else came up in her life, and frankly, I don't care anymore. I wasn't going to go out of my way to antagonise her or anything, we just ignored each other. Eventually, we had to work together on some project and that led to us sometimes talking to each other during a chat with other people from our group. We say hi when we see each other. But nothing beyond that. She unblocked me (idk if she needed to do that in order for us to be able to create a group chat with a third girl for the project, or if she just randomly decided to undo it, don't care) but we don't text or talk when it's just the two of us. I realised that even if she wanted to make amends, I wouldn't want to be friends with her anyway. I got burned and I learned my lesson. Sometimes I feel like I was being used, sometimes - like I overreacted and was too self-centered. At one point, she saw me crocheting something for a colleague (I picked up crocheting fairly recently, she didn't know about it) and asked if I would make something for her (a specific project that she'd pay me for). I was a bit hesitant and mentioned it to my best friend and she told me not to ever do it. She said my ex-friend treated me the way she did but wanted to still gain from me. So I decided not to do it after all. If she wants it, she can learn or find somebody else.
Now. After some time, when I was still blocked by her, I realised she had two of my books, and I had one of hers. I have been struggling with what to do since then. They're my books and I want them back. I have read one of them and the other one suddenly disappeared from all bookstores here so I couldn't get it if I tried. I'm upset over the fact but at this point I'd rather buy them again than have to reach out to her. But on the other hand, I have that one book of hers - and it's supposedly her favourite.
Now, we're probably going to see each other for the last time for an exam on Tuesday. The next time would be at our graduation in March of 2024. So here's my question: do I bring her book on Tuesday without saying anything? Do I hand it to her and tell her to keep my books or give them away to a library? Or do I keep her book as a hostage in case she ever wants it back?

How to pick your target audience
To sell effectively you must know who you’re selling to. Nowadays, when demographics, motivations, goals, and frustrations are more flexible than ever before, finding your target audience can be a hassle.
The convenient solution is to map out buyer personas which, although based on statistics, give you a good idea of your consumer. Buyer personas include demographics, motivations, goals, and frustrations.
Whether it be email marketing, social media, or blogs, always have your buyer persona in mind when carrying these out.
Converting viewers into buyers
E-comm owners know your website gaining attention doesn’t pay the bills. They must get as far as purchasing your product or service.
The first step is to understand WHY your customers don’t reach for their wallet. Inconsistent user experience, un-interactive buttons, 404-pages, or a broken payment system are fatal when attempting to convert viewers into buyers.
However, you may need to look at the bigger picture. Are you targeting the right audience. Is your brand memorable? Are you building trust with your consumer?
By fulfilling these, your chances of converting will skyrocket.
Offering high-quality customer service
Although a part of it, customer service doesn’t just mean replying to customers as soon as they message.
Customer service is much more. The biggest problem with e-comm brands is that they don’t develop a personal approach to customer service. You must deal with customers in a warm way to understand their frustrations and build on your buyer persona.
Consider other forms of communication like social media, live chat, or email. Your customers will find it easier to deal with your business and are therefore more willing to return.
Building customer loyalty
Based on statistics, it is easier to re-engage current customers than to obtain new ones which means that should be your focus.
Offer your customers more than just a great product. Take up content marketing by starting a blog post for instance. And offer discounts to show that you care.
This encourages previous customers to revisit you regularly and possibly make a purchase.
Choosing the right tech partners
Often the problem doesn’t lie in your product or marketing strategy, but because you haven’t taken care when choosing tech partners.
The solution? Pick the right one!
This means taking due diligence with the platform/tech you’re selecting whether it be email marketing, shopping cart solution, or inventory management software.
Also, picking tech that falls under your niche is vital. They understand you better and have worked with e-comm stores like yours. In short, they’re your best bet!
Conclusion
Hope that helped you, feel free to PM me for more personalized advice.
Talk soon,
Riad

with peace and love i know this isnt a serious situation and was just like a jokey friendly debate but i really have to applaud Love because his arguments were basically perfect, he just struggled with communicating them (which who can blame him! these discussions are never super easy to have even when you have tonnes of debates including academic subjects, let alone when you have one for basically the first time with someone extremely versed in the science)
Loves general point was that funding from organisations can create bias not by mishandling the data, but by selecting which data gets more attention and representation in journals. the data itself may be objectively perfect, nothing at all is wrong with it, and everything is done to make sure that it is completely and totally bulletproof to a reasonable degree. the issue isn't the data, or the researchers, or even the concept of funding researchers with a certain bias to create studies.
the issue is big businesses aren't going to shop around for researchers that are conducting studies going against what they're forwarding - they're going to look for the ones that make them look good. for every research team finding that there is evidence that drinking soft drinks over plain standard water can help subjects lose more weight, there's a research team finding the opposite! the issue is money talks loudest, so both piece of sound research have different reaches.
the studies the doc showed seemed perfectly fine and solid in reasoning, but he shouldnt argue that any paid study should be discounted when thats not what Love was saying. all he was saying is that we need to consider the possibility that businesses fund studies they like and dont fund ones that dont benefit them.
the sad reality is academia is extremely hard to make it in. i wanted to go into a career of studying how religion and different neurodivergencies like autism and adhd interact with each other, focusing on how for example the very strict and regular routine of 5 daily prayers within Islam (not mandated, but highly recommended) would be extremely comforting to autistic individuals who need routine. i can't go into this because i can't afford it, and my chances of any funding body picking up extremely complicated and potentially risky qualitative studies like that is very, very low. likewise there are most likely tonnes of scientists, doctors and researchers finding information that directly contradicts what the soft drink studies are saying who just cant get any eyes on their work because their proposals aren't being picked up by funding bodies because no one has any interest in non-stories like "water good for weight loss".
but primarily Love approached the studies in the exact way you're meant to. i dont know if the same is taught in other fields, but my primary area of study is religion and anthropology - where i specifically focused on religious art, offensive art, and blasphemy. the first thing you should do when you come across a source is research the source - understand who wrote it, why they wrote it, where they were intenting for it to go, what they wanted it to do, and when they wrote it in terms of literal time but also geographical location, social context, ect ect. that being Love's first thought shows that he clearly understands exactly how research papers are produced. sure there's the actual content and creation of the research itself, but it's just as important to understand the paper . who wrote it, how were they able to write it, what caused this piece of research to even exist - all of these are as important as the research itself, if not more important (in my opinion anyway)

• all research is inherently biased because by choosing to research something youre already assuming there is an answer there for you (for example me wanting to research autism and religion is biased because im assuming there is a connection between the two - i dont have to have a wrong opinion for that same opinion to be biased) BUT that's besides the point.

Love did a fantastic job and i hope he delves into this further. it was so refreshing to see someone bring this aspect of research papers up and is something everyone should do for every piece of media ever - but especially news sources in the current climate and absolutely for news sources you agree with. we love Love

Just back from a glorious 9 days in Rome. There's no other place like it and I felt so lucky to be able to go, My three initial aims in this trip were: (a) see my hometown hero Bruce Springsteen amongst my ancestral people (they literally sing along to not just the lyrics but the guitar riffs etc too) as well as (b) sink or swim as I continue to practice my Italian language skills (I've been taking lessons with a tutor for 2 years but there's nothing like just being thrown into the world of the language to sharpen up and get very comfortable conversing) and (c) do hours upon hours of photo walks (I ended up averaging 30k steps a day every day aside from the two sick days).
In brief, I split the trip up into two halves: the first half I stayed up on Avantino hill (it's very close to the Circo Massimo, so it was an easy spot for the concert) and the second half in a quiet pocket of Trastevere a block or two west of the river south of Ponte Paladino. My Avantino air bnb host gave me some great neighborhood places in nearby Testaccio (another wonderful neighborhood that tourists don't seem to wander into very much), and I found a fantastic and slightly quirky place for espresso also in Testaccio (I'm an espresso fiend). If you haven't been to Avantino, it almost reminded me of the Italian Beacon Hill (for those familiar with Boston). It had the feeling of a Tuscan village that just happened to be somehow in the middle of Rome. It's where the famous key hole is that frames St. Peters, as well as the Giardino degli Aranci and Santa Sabina's, which is a gorgeous church from 422 AD. Staying here felt very relaxing and peaceful and even though some tourists did make their way to the keyhole every day, it had a very tranquil vibe, despite the fact that Circo Massimo was 5 minutes north and Testaccio was 5 minutes south.
Given that my favorite thing to do on vacation is just wander around with my Ricoh GR, I would begin every day in Avantino thusly: Get up, have an espresso at Tram Depot (always at the bar), walk around for a few hours and just see what I can find. Maybe I'd get a quick breakfast bite at the outstanding Casa Manco in the Testaccio market. Then I'd go to for a big lunch at the wonderful Pecorino (also in Testaccio). This lunch would usually last an hour or two. It's a very cozy restaurant and the waiters are all very nice and so I'd often bring a book along with me or a notebook or I'd transfer pictures from my camera to my phone for editing in between courses. Lunch was often my largest meal of the day and sometimes my only "meal" of the day. (In normal life I train for marathons and am in the gym often and I'm super on top of my macros and making sure I get X amount of protein etc...on this trip, this was not the case.) If I couldn't get into Pecorino for lunch or didn't end up in that area for lunch time, I'd either go there for dinner when they opened, or another excellent Testaccio spot called Perilli's. (There's also Piato Romano, which had excellent food but not quite the same cozy ambience as Pecorino.) I pretty much mainlined Amatriciana and Carbonara along with involtini, braised oxtail, and as much tiramisu as I could politely hurl into my maw. I like establishing some routines or rituals when I travel, especially when I travel solo, to help give the trip some grounding. It's also nice when you are far from home to be able to walk into a place where people begin to recognize you and accept you into their little circle, even if it is temporary. For the second half of the trip in Trastevere...I got COVID! Sort of. The day after the concert, I noticed a heavy feeling in my upper airway/chest, but I figured it must have been all the second hand smoke I inhaled during the concert (from my observations, Romans thoroughly enjoy cigarettes). I wear an oura ring and while my HRV was low, nothing else stood out. That night though I developed a fever and spent the entire next day in bed. I was bummed, but frankly, after 5 nights in a row of being out from 8am to midnight, I needed a rest day anyway, so it wasn't bad timing. (How's that for spin?) Not sure what my actual temperature was, but my oura ring said I was 4.3 degrees above my nightly average baseline, so I'm guessing my temperature was around 100-101 as my normal temperature on a thermometer seems to be around 96.6. I spent a good chunk of the next day in bed also, just napping (which was fairly pleasant as the cool breeze came in through the window, carrying the sounds of the three churches on Avantino, not to mention the bird calls and the pleasing sounds of people enjoying their meals on the street below). My baseline temp deviation was only +2 degrees the second night and by the end of the day, I felt good enough to have an appetite, but not quite good enough to stand upright, so I ordered some Trapizzino on uber eats (the polpetti/sugo and the melanzane were both glorious) and that revived me. By the next morning I was better! (In the end, I think this was covid because while I only had the fever for the two sick days, I lost most of my sense of smell sometime Thursday afternoon despite feeling fine. So maybe Covid? In the end, I missed out on a trip to Ostia Antica and a food tour, but the trip still felt extremely full of experiences.) The rest of my time in Trastevere was great. Just wandering all around those crazy little winding streets, snapping away, always fueld by a caffè from the gruff but character-rich Bar San Calisto or the one across from my apartment, which was called "404 Name Not Found." I did eat lunch one day at Da Enzo which was good but not sure it's worth the hype given how much excellent food I had at restaurants with very little fanfare. Da Enzo ended up being a great experience though because when they asked me how many and I said, "da solo," they asked if I would share the table if there was another single. I said sure, and ended up being paired up with a fellow endurance athlete, this one from France. Just one of the many fanciful moments that can happen when you travel solo. We also hung out again the next day for most of the morning and afternoon, and this was a sort of theme for my trip: running into people left and right, connecting, and making fast friends. This is how I found myself getting invited to a Roman birthday party at the Piazza Testaccio one night for what felt like my 10th "out past midnight" night of the trip (again, a far cry from my normal life of "in bed at 9"). In the end, what I will take away from this trip are a few things: -the magic of learning a second language, and noticing your skills improving with every chat. Just the pleasure of hearing the Italian language and getting to practice it all day, every day (while making many mistakes). If you're going to Rome or Italy in general, I highly recommend you try and get yourself up to A2 in Italian. It's such a pleasurable language to speak and embrace, even if it's just at a beginner's level. -the many conversations I had with shop owners or fellow bar patrons and the high-five I would give myself in my head when they would ask "if you're American, how come your accent is so good?" (Again, I'm a B1 speaker on my best day, but the compliment would always make my day given my beginner's nervousness at the start of the trip). A few times, people even just began talking to me, assuming I was Italian. (I am Italian-American, but having a Roman just start talking to you as one of their own meant a lot to the part of me that loves being Italian and feels a strong connection to the country, even from afar.) -The Italian crowd at the Bruce show. Just a blast to sing along with them into the Roman sky, surrounded by ruins. -Mornings in Avantino spent in quiet contemplation in Santa Sabina or St Anselmo. A few times, the respective organists were practicing and I got my own concert. -After my two days sick in bed, when I returned to the Tram Depot and Casa Manco for sustenance, the proprietors both asked me one version or another or "tutto bene?" (as if to say, where ya been?). The man at Casa Manco blurted out "buon tornato!" when he saw me approach. Very warm-hearted people and they made me feel at home (along with the Pecorino staff, who were very kind to me and likely a little amused, wondering, why is this random American dude here every day eating for 2 hours?) -A basic observation: I appreciated how people across seemingly different walks of life all talk to each other as equals. I saw street sweepers chatting with businessmen in the street in a way that would seem less likely in America. Maybe this is a class thing? Perhaps the gap in salaries is not so large like it is in America, and therefore people feel like one giant middle class together? Related: many younger Italians I spoke to told me how hard it was to live in Rome as a young person, as salaries were not very good, and unless you had 1-2 roommates or parents who could pay your rent, you would most likely have a longer commute coming into the city every day. -The fact that behind every nook and cranny and around every corner, there is something spectacular to see. Whether it's the ruins that stand adjacent to the jewish ghetto in a reminder of the layers upon layers of civilizations that once existed in this city, or just the way the morning light creates a shaft down some medieval cobblestone street, it is a magical place to walk around. By the end of each very long day, my mind was just fried, both from working overtime with trying to speak Italian and from the sheer overstimulation of seeing so much beauty. Anyway, this was not my first trip to Rome, but it was my first trip in MANY years, and it was precisely the life affirming and humanity affirming trip I needed this year after a rough and precarious start to 2023. Next trip, I will likely fly into Rome, spend 3-ish days there, and then head somewhere to the southern coast. As much as I love Roman food, it would be nice to be inundated with fresh sardines the same way this trip found me OD'ing on carbonara.
To me, this trip really captured the beauty of solo travel: I had plenty of experiences to enjoy my own company, but my enjoying the language and culture, I was eager to seek out interactions, and many of those interactions lead to further interactions. Whether it was helping an older Italian woman find the church she was looking for and the ensuing 20 minute conversation in Italian as we navigated, or wandering into a green juice place in Rome and expressing my shock and appreciation at the sight of vegetables to the owner that lead into a conversation about my union's current strike or finding an amazing children's book store while searching for a gift for my nephew and talking to the owner of the shop about books for an hour, just seeking ways to meaningfully engage and having a curiosity about the people and places I encountered really made for an enriching solo travel experience, because as Rolf Potts points out, had I been with a friend on this trip, we would have created our own bubble, and this bubble would have kept others out.
Anyway, thank you to Rome and it's people for one of the best times in my 39 years. (If anyone is curious, I'll be posting many photos from this trip at my IG@ rovinglumix.

No one can ever predict a Bill Belichick draft.
When people start assuming he’ll act based on his stereotypes (first-round trade down, OL early, no early WRs, all Alabama players or small school guys or guys from Rutgers), he’ll do the opposite. When the consensus is that he’ll shift away from those stereotypes, he’ll lean right into them.
So in observing mock drafts, both full and team-centric, there was a lot of accord that he would follow those stereotypes. (Adam Korsak, both a punter and from Rutgers, was EVERYWHERE.)
But then the end of April came.
Before then, New England had suffered a 2022 season full of embarrassment, from Matt Patricia and Joe Judge’s ineptitude at running the offense to a team that seemed to find new ways to lose in humiliating fashion (a certain ill-fated lateral sequence peak among them). The Patriots went from their dynastic reign as a team which would trounce their opponents in laughers to the team that everyone pointed and laughed at. Mac Jones’ Patricia- and Judge-sparked regression along with impressive cameo appearances by ‘22 rookie Bailey Zappe split the fanbase into Mac and Zappe camps, with sports media fueling the flame by spreading or outright fabricating rumors of Belichick shopping Mac, rumors which lasted through the first day of the draft. It was an ugly season and an uglier start to the offseason.
The franchise clearly needed to make changes in 2023, and changes started near the top. Patricia and Judge lost their roles, the former joining the Eagles coaching staff and the latter moving to lead special teams, a necessary move as this Belichick-led squad had plummeted to the lowest-ranked third unit. (More on that later.) Patricia had filled the dual roles of de facto offensive coordinator and facto offensive line coach, and filled both roles with the acumen of me designing plays in Backyard Football 2002, except I could actually design plays that resulted in touchdowns. Judge had manned the quarterbacks room, and given that Daniel Jones finally broke out for the Giants once Judge had been booted from mentoring him, you can guess how that went for Mac and the Pats. In his new role in charge of special teams, he has already cost the team two OTAs and Bill Belichick $50,000 for an offseason meetings violation, and has elevated his 2022 title of Co-Most Hated Man in Foxboro to Single Most Hated Man in Foxboro.
Anyway, New England needed to fill their old roles, and brought in:
Bill O’Brien, Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks Coach A long-time friend of Belichick’s, O’Brien returns for his second stint as Pats OC, having dictated the offense in Rob Gronkowski’s record-setting 2011 season. Additionally, O’Brien comes by way of running the offense and the QB room at the University of Alabama, which spawned Mac Jones. Mac regressed in 2022 after an impressive 2021, but recall that 2022 was under the abysmal leadership of Patricia (calling his plays) and Judge (his direct coach), a situation in which no one could develop. By bringing in his old OC and QB coach, Mac has been put in the best possible position to develop in ‘23, a position which will much more clearly give fans a vision of his future as an NFL quarterback. (And the playcalling will be legitimate! It’s been but a year and we have already forgotten what creativity, route concepts, and misdirection have looked like!)
Adrian Klemm, Offensive Line Coach Belichick’s first draft pick after taking the helm in New England in 2000, Klemm has joined the team after coaching at Oregon last year. He comes with a strong reputation at that coaching position, having headed a Ducks O-line that allowed just five sacks in 2022. Last season, the Patriots saw a regression from their veterans on the line, most notably in Trent Brown’s newfound flag-happiness, and first-round rookie guard Cole Strange put forth a mixed performance. Bringing in an actual offensive line coach gives the team the best chance to fix any issues that showed in ‘22 and to develop their young linemen.
Of course, coaching was not the only issue last season, as New England was criticized for their lack of talent on the roster. Of New England’s high-cash free agent class of 2021, only edge rusher Matthew Judon shined in both his seasons in Foxboro: neither tight end Jonnu Smith nor wideout Nelson Agholor ever got off the ground, tight end Hunter Henry regressed after a solid ‘21, and wideout Kendrick Bourne found himself suddenly in Patricia’s doghouse and off the field. Moves needed to be made as the calendar turned to free agency.
Notable Departures
S Devin McCourty (retired) The most prominent departure from the ‘22 squad, McCourty is one of many who can be termed a quintessential Patriot. A first-round cornerback out of Rutgers in 2010, D-Mac made the switch to safety in 2012 and locked down the position for the next decade. When he was on the verge of leaving the team in free agency in 2015, even reaching out to Belichick to say goodbye, Belichick signed him to a top-valued safety contract and kept him in red, white, and blue. His leadership and personality made him a joy to watch on the field and off, his personality showing itself especially well recently through interactions with his twin brother Jason, who played alongside him for the Patriots from 2018 to ‘20. Statistically, D-Mac ends his career with 35 interceptions, one shy of the franchise record, and 4 touchdowns (two picks, a kickoff return, and a blocked field goal return). We miss him already.
P Jake Bailey (released; signed with Miami) What a drop. After an All-Pro season in 2020, Bailey signed a four-year extension in 2022 only to become the worst statistical punter in the league. After he was injured, the Patriots brought in Michael Palardy, who managed to be even worse (personally, I blame the team’s curse that comes with the jersey number 17). Neither punter remains with the team, Bailey joining an AFC East rival in the Dolphins and Palardy currently unsigned.
TE Jonnu Smith (traded to Atlanta) There is a strong case to be made that Smith is the worst free agency signing Belichick has made as Pats GM. In the two years since inking a 4-year, $50 million deal, Smith totaled just 55 catches for 539 yards and one touchdown, and a ‘22 restructure of his contract meant that Smith appeared to be a monetary albatross the Patriots would not be able to shake loose. What led to Atlanta agreeing to take on his whole contract, sending New England a seventh-round pick to get the player, I have no idea, but I think every Pats fan would agree that Smith didn’t work out in the least and a change was best for all sides.
WR Jakobi Meyers (signed with Las Vegas) Meyers’ departure was somewhat shocking, as the 2019 UDFA had worked his way up to the top of the Patriots’ wide receiver depth chart. More of a big slot guy than an outside #1, Meyers had a minor role in his rookie season and started 2020 at the bottom of the depth chart, but injuries to the players above him got him onto the field, and a 12-catch, 169-yard performance against the Jets that November meant he wasn’t leaving it anytime soon. While not possessing top-tier speed or explosiveness, Meyers was the team’s best route runner and separator, and his departure left another void that needed to be filled.
QB Brian Hoyer (released, signed with Las Vegas) Hoyer was third on the depth chart, Zappe having shown enough to take the #2 spot. While a fine veteran mentor, the Patriots chose to go a different direction with that third QB role.
WR Nelson Agholor (signed with Baltimore) Agholor was given a two-year contract in 2021 with the anticipation of his being the #1 receiver, something which did not happen due to his unreliable hands and separation abilities. For those two years and $22 million, Agholor produced 68 catches, 835 yards, and five touchdowns. Not worth it.
RB Damien Harris (signed with Buffalo) By far the most productive member of the Patriots’ atrocious 2019 draft class, Harris was good in New England but had been passed on the depth chart by sophomore Rhamondre Stevenson midway through 2022. Couple that with Belichick’s predilection to let running backs walk instead of giving them second contracts, sprinkle in a dash of two ‘22 draft picks (Pierre Strong Jr. and Kevin Harris) who will get more opportunities in 2023, top it off with the return of Ty Montgomery II from injured reserve, and it’s no surprise that Harris is no longer a Patriot.
T Isaiah Wynn (signed with Miami) Another former first-round pick, Wynn was all right as a left tackle though was criticized for frequent injury problems; with his fifth-year option picked up for ‘22, he was inexplicably switched to right tackle, where he was very bad. He never really earned the role of franchise tackle, so it was expected that the Patriots would let him walk.
But on the upside, the team now has:
Additions
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (via Kansas City) After Meyers signed with the Raiders, the Patriots worked quickly to bring in his replacement in the slot. Smith-Schuster revived his career in Kansas City and is now in position to be a primary target for Mac for the next three seasons, possessing more explosiveness and speed than his predecessor. The biggest concern with JuJu is his durability, but I believe the Patriots have made preparations in the draft (spoiler) in case that becomes a significant problem. The fanbase is excited for Smith-Schuster on the field in Foxboro, and deservedly so.
RB James Robinson (via New York (the green side)) A one-time breakout UDFA in Jacksonville, Robinson’s role diminished with the rise of Travis Etienne Jr.; after being traded to the Jets, Robinson never got settled into a role. In New England, Robinson is likely first in line for the #2 RB spot behind Stevenson, an important role given that Stevenson’s overwork saw his productivity decline as last season came to an end. Robinson also possesses the pass-catching versatility that Belichick loves, a role Harris was never used in but Stevenson is, further suggesting he can have a significant spot on the field for the Pats.
TE Mike Gesicki (via Miami) As Smith never worked out as the co-#1 TE, here comes Gesicki. A pure pass catcher at the position, Gesicki has the size and hands to be a reliable target in the red zone, and should pair nicely with Henry for a potential TE-heavy formation as the team approaches the goal line.
T Riley Reiff (via Chicago) T Calvin Anderson (via Denver) While neither comes with the contract expectation of being a long-term solution at either tackle spot, the hope is that Reiff (expected to start at RT) will be an upgrade over Wynn, while Anderson serves as a reliable swing tackle who can start if needed.
LB Chris Board Jr. (via Detroit) Remember that awful special teams unit? Board is one of the NFL’s top special teamers, a player Belichick singled out when New England faced the Lions last year. It’s unsurprising he brought in such a veteran to help solidify the unit after… just all of last year.
QB Trace McSorley (via Arizona) By bringing in McSorley in Hoyer’s stead, the team is showing a bit of a shift in philosophy with how it is using its backup QB spots. Both Mac and Zappe are pocket passers; McSorley does most of his work outside the pocket and can run with regularity, a trend more common among top-level quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. At minimum, he’s worth a camp spot, and that’s fine.
P Corliss Waitman (via Denver) Following the implosion of Bailey and Palardy at punter, the Patriots were on the verge of entering the draft with none on the roster. Waitman is a veteran addition there, but pretty much everyone expected New England to add a punter either as a draft pick or UDFA. (Another spoiler – my bad.)
After this free agency, many saw the Patriots as still having holes at the top of their depth chart at wideout, tackle, and cornerback. Tight end was also considered a need as New England, despite adding Gesicki to pair with Henry, does not have a tight end signed beyond 2023, entering the draft with only Matt Sokol and Scotty Washington behind their name duo.
Then they went on the clock, entering the draft with:
1-14 2-46 3-76 4-107 4-117 4-135 6-184 6-187 6-192 6-210 7-245
Here’s how it all went down.
Draft Picks
TRADE: 1-14 to PIT for 1-17 and 4-120 Although this trade was criticized for receiving too little back from Pittsburgh, it was not a major loss in capital according to the Rich Hill value chart (325 points to PIT, 320 to NE), and it came with enough high-level talent on the board that the Patriots were sure to get one of their targets. The way the board fell, fans most wanted Christian Gonzalez, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Zay Flowers, or Broderick Jones; when the Steelers took Jones, it became clear that the Patriots were not interested in him (reports came out that the Patriots had not been interested in Jones at all due to coachability concerns), but they were sure to land an exciting player after moving down only three spots rather than the seven-plus many mockers had predicted. Additionally, the Steelers landing Jones appeared to knock the Jets’ war room for a loop (though later video has shown that the Jets were expecting the trade), and the only thing New England fans love more than a victory is an opportunity to screw over the Jets.
1-17: Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon The Patriots’ selection of Gonzalez received universal acclaim, and it’s easy to see why. Despite having strong CB depth, the Patriots lacked a true #1 corner; Gonzalez has the ability, length, and athleticism to be that from Day One. The first-round pick via Colorado and Oregon was widely projected as a top-10 selection, so for New England to land him at 17 is a tremendous coup. From his interviews and his play style, Gonzalez seems like a quiet guy off the field who wants to shut the opponent down when on the turf. He’ll be fun to watch.
2-46: Keion White, ED, Georgia Tech White is another player falling under the new Patriots draft umbrella under Belichick and Matt Groh: as athletic as can be. While he is raw, White has the athleticism to play three downs along the defensive line and the versatility to move inside when the situation calls for it. The Patriots thought so highly of him that he was a player they were considering drafting in the first round, even considering a move back into the last picks of the round to snag him, but landed him at 46 anyway. How much he will play as a rookie is uncertain as New England has a very good edge duo in Matthew Judon and Josh Uche, but even if White has to take a year to get acclimated to the NFL, that’s not unheard of in Foxboro and has produced success for highly-touted picks: neither Nate Solder (first round) nor Trey Flowers (fourth round) took on long-term starting roles as rookies (though Solder filled in at right tackle plenty), but were established starters in their second years. Similarly, Uche (second round) started off as an occasionally-used part of a pass rushing rotation before hitting double-digit sacks last year, his third season in the league. And if White earns significant playing time in 2023, all the better.
3-76: Marte Mapu, LB, Sacramento State* Here’s that small-school selection that detractors tend to point at regarding Belichick, but Mapu has elite potential. I got tipped off to Mapu late in the pre-draft cycle, and watching film of him I was reminded a lot of Kyle Dugger, another small-school Day 2 player who has turned into an excellent Patriot. Mapu is going to play linebacker, likely his best position, and fill the role of coverage ‘backer that New England has lacked for several seasons. He’s also athletic and scheme-versatile, having spent time at safety and linebacker while at Sacramento State, so he will be able to move around the defensive formation if the situation calls for it. Add to that his tackling, his closing speed, and his containment, and you’ve got yourself a potential stud.
4-107: Jake Andrews, C, Troy The Patriots need their future long-term center with David Andrews now 31 and having an injury history, and Jake Andrews (unrelated) is set up perfectly to be that guy. Andrews the Younger is built in the same mold as Andrews the Elder: both exited college as smaller in stature than other centers but able to get a push on defensive linemen from below, meaning Jake can easily learn specific bits of technique from David. While not expected to play the role immediately, [anagram: Ned Was a Jerk] is now in position to spend time behind [anagram: Swan Diver Dad], preparing himself to take over at center in the near future.
TRADE: 4-120 and 6-184 to NYJ for 4-112 4-112: Chad Ryland, K, Maryland This is not the first time Belichick has selected a kicker in the fourth round, selecting Stephen Gostkowski with pick 118 in 2006; with the Patriots in desperate need for a strong player at the position, moving up to make sure they could land him makes sense (especially with Jake Moody being selected by the 49ers at 3-99). And Ryland is what Nick Folk is not: a big-legged kicker with kickoff ability. Folk has been appreciated in New England for his accuracy, but his distance and accuracy notably declined in 2022, and when forced to kick off, his lack of touchback distance led to trouble, the Patriots surrendering a league-high three kick return touchdowns (including two in the season finale). It’s clear an upgrade at kicker was a requirement this offseason; with Moody gone, giving up a sixth to move up eight spots is absolutely fine. In doing so, New England has hopefully landed their kicker for the next decade.
4-117: Sidy Sow, G, Eastern Michigan At this point, it may be considered confusing for the Patriots to have drafted a left guard in Sow when last year’s first-round pick Cole Strange is entrenched there and Mike Onwenu mans right guard at an elite level, but Groh’s post-draft comments indicated the team would give Sow opportunities at left tackle as well. And not only does Sow have experience at left tackle, he has the size at 6’5” and 326 pounds. New England’s projected starting tackles are veterans Trent Brown and Riley Reiff, both of whom are over 30 and are in contract years; if Sow returns to the position, the former mauling EMU Eagle (heh, two birds) offensive lineman could ease the need at tackle for next offseason.
TRADE: 4-135 to LV for 5-144 and 6-214 5-144: Atonio Mafi, G, UCLA Another interior lineman? Yes. Mafi is a guard whom the Patriots worked with at the Shrine Bowl, and has the versatility to move between left and right guard. As the aforementioned Onwenu is in a contract year, Mafi has a clear path to a potential starting job in 2024, and the most important thing right now for the development of Mac Jones is keeping him upright. By selecting three offensive linemen – using a quarter of their 12 selections on the offensive trench – Belichick and Groh have signaled their intent to do just that. From all accounts, Mafi, who met with New England in a pre-draft visit, is thrilled to join the team; now it’s about proving it on the field.
6-187: Kayshon Boutte, WR, LSU Boutte is the epitome of a boom-or-bust prospect, his elite 2020 and ‘21 being overshadowed by a disappointing 2022 that dropped him from clear first-rounder to a middle-of-Day-3 selection. As a freshman and sophomore, Boutte looked to follow in the footsteps of highly-drafted LSU wideouts such as Odell Beckham Jr., Justin Jefferson, and JaMarr Chase, showing a complete package of agility, speed, and route running. Unfortunately, an injury plus conflicts with his new coach Brian Kelly led to underperformance, and a poor combine performance cemented his draft stock as having drastically fallen. But if he can get back to his earlier form, where his talent and athleticism led to a combined 83 receptions, 1244 yards, and 14 touchdowns in his first two college seasons, Boutte could become the steal of the draft.
6-192: Bryce Baringer, P, Michigan State While New England had signed Corliss Waitman so as to have a punter on the roster heading into the draft, none assumed he was the long-term answer; when the Patriots made Baringer the first punter taken in the 2023 draft, it became clear who was. A walk-on turned cut turned best punter in college football, Baringer has a booming leg that showed itself in an average punt length of 49.0 yards in ‘22; he also holds the Michigan State record for career punting average at 46.0 yards. As a bonus, he worked with Ryland at the Senior Bowl, so the two have already begun to develop chemistry in the holding game. As another bonus, he wore No. 99 in college, and that is awesome.
6-210: Demario Douglas, WR, Liberty When one imagines a typical Patriots slot receiver – small, shifty, and explosive with the ball in his hands – one might well be imagining Douglas. The five-foot-eight Liberty product can absolutely fly, moving all around the formation and catching balls at all levels of the field. New Englanders got a preview of what Douglas’ game might look like when rookie cornerback Marcus Jones began to take snaps on offense last year; Jones was often put in motion before the snap, worked out of the backfield, and assigned touches where his elusiveness was the spark to gain yards. Douglas has said he models his game after Jones, a claim that demonstrates itself when one views his collegiate tape. I had a third-round grade on Douglas, so the Patriots landing him at 210 is a thrill. (Even though the Giants took one of my draft crushes in Tre Hawkins III the pick before, for which I’m still irked.)
6-214: Ameer Speed, CB, Michigan State The unknown about Speed is whether he will develop on defense; that is not his skill at the moment. There are three things known: his size (6’3”, 210 lbs.), his speed (4.34s 40), and his special teams prowess. With longtime special teams captain Matthew Slater likely entering his last year, the Patriots need to develop a new crop of special teams standouts, long a hallmark of Belichick’s Patriots from the time of Larry Izzo. Last year’s UDFA Brenden Schooler looks like one of those players already; Speed will certainly be given every chance possible to be another.
7-245: Isaiah Bolden, CB, Jackson State More tall athletic cornerbacks! The only HBCU selection in the 2023 draft, Bolden is an incredible athlete who likely earned his way to a draft selection by lighting up his Pro Day. Though just a role player on defense, Bolden has developmental traits that any defensive coach would love, and has also been a top collegiate kick returner, leading all of college football in 2021 with a 36.9-yard average on kickoff returns. I don’t see the two late-round cornerback selections as “throw players on the field and see who sticks” à la the ill-fated dual tight end picks of Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene in 2020’s third round, but selecting players who might have longer chances to succeed, but if they do succeed can truly shine.
Though Bolden was the last of the Patriots’ 2023 draft picks, that did not conclude their rookie class as the period of UDFA signings immediately began. The Patriots have had an undrafted rookie make the Week 1 roster every year since 2004; with just a four-man class this season, chances are slim. They’re not impossible – their only 2021 UDFA, kicker Quinn Nordin, made it – but they’re definitely slimmer. Here are the four who can continue that streak.
Undrafted Rookies
Malik Cunningham, QB, Louisville The most expensive ($200,000) and well-known of the quartet, Cunningham’s slight build and arm as a quarterback led to piles of speculation of his switching positions. However, he has started off his Patriots tenure as a quarterback in rookie minicamp, so he remains a quarterback until further notice. Throughout college, Cunningham’s most intriguing asset has been his supreme athleticism at the position, something which showed up in testing, and it remains to be seen how the Patriots will use that athleticism to help the team. (It may be a good while until outside sources get a look, as minicamp and OTAs have thus far been closed off to the media.)
Johnny Lumpkin, TE, Louisiana-Lafayette After foregoing using a selection on a tight end in a deep draft class (another Belichick trend), New England instead brought in Lumpkin, who projects as a blocking tight end in the NFL. This offsets the biggest negative, his age (he’ll be 26 to start the season), as the Patriots lack a true blocker at the position. Whether Lumpkin can take advantage of this path to a roster spot remains to be seen, but his road to making the team as an undrafted rookie seems easiest at the moment.
Jourdan Heilig, LB, Appalachian State Like Board and Speed, Heilig joins the Patriots as a special teams standout, playing minimal defense as a Mountaineer (three snaps in 2022) but standing out in college on the third unit (210 snaps in 2022). He’ll have a chance to follow in the path of Schooler as a UDFA who makes his mark as a core special teamer.
Justus Tavai, DL, San Diego State The middle of the Tavai brothers (older brother Jahlani is a Patriots linebacker, younger brother Jonah signed with Seattle as a UDFA), Justus played alongside Jonah on the Aztec defensive line in 2022. While Jonah put up eye-popping numbers with double-digit sacks, Justus was a steady contributor as well, putting up 3.5 sacks and intercepting a pass. Tavai is the ninth man on the Patriots’ defensive line right now, so he has a difficult path if he wants to make the team.
He’s not an undrafted rookie, but the Patriots have also brought in veteran free agent Anthony Firsker, TE to compete with Lumpkin, Sokol, and Washington for the third tight end spot, the roster spot opened with their losing reserve Raekwon McMillan, LB to a partially torn Achilles tendon.
Projected Offseason Depth Chart (italics = rookie, (in parentheses = exclusively or primarily a special teamer)) (Note: the Patriots assign temporary jersey numbers in the offseason starting with 50 based mainly on draft position.)
QB 10 Mac Jones 4 Bailey Zappe 19 Trace McSorley 64 Malik Cunningham
RB 38 Rhamondre Stevenson 3 James Robinson 14 Ty Montgomery II 35 Pierre Strong Jr. 36 Kevin Harris 42 J.J. Taylor
WR 1 DeVante Parker 7 JuJu Smith-Schuster 84 Kendrick Bourne 11 Tyquan Thornton 58 Kayshon Boutte 60 Demario Douglas 82 Tre Nixon (44 Raleigh Webb) (18 Matthew Slater)
TE 85 Hunter Henry 88 Mike Gesicki 86 Anthony Firsker 87 Matt Sokol 17 Scotty Washington 65 Johnny Lumpkin
T 77 Trent Brown 74 Riley Reiff 76 Calvin Anderson 75 Conor McDermott 64 Andrew Stueber
G 71 Mike Onwenu 69 Cole Strange 54 Sidy Sow 55 Atonio Mafi 63 Chasen Hines 62 Bill Murray
C 60 David Andrews 53 Jake Andrews 65 James Ferentz 66 Kody Russey
DL 90 Christian Barmore 92 Davon Godchaux 91 Deatrich Wise Jr. 93 Lawrence Guy Sr. 95 Daniel Ekuale 98 Carl Davis Jr. 96 Sam Roberts 70 Jeremiah Pharms Jr. 67 Justus Tavai
ED 9 Matthew Judon 55 Josh Uche 51 Keion White 58 Anfernee Jennings (97 DaMarcus Mitchell) 51 Ronnie Perkins
LB 8 Ja’Whaun Bentley 48 Jahlani Tavai 52 Marte Mapu 30 Mack Wilson Sr. (45 Chris Board Jr.) 43 Calvin Munson 59 Terez Hall 47 Olakunle Fatukasi (66 Jourdan Heilig)
CB 50 Christian Gonzalez 31 Jonathan Jones 13 Jack Jones 25 Marcus Jones 27 Myles Bryant (61 Ameer Speed) 63 Isaiah Bolden 37 Tae Hayes 26 Shaun Wade 34 Quandre Mosely 39 Rodney Randle Jr.
S 23 Kyle Dugger 5 Jabrill Peppers 2 Jalen Mills 21 Adrian Phillips 24 Joshuah Bledsoe (41 Brenden Schooler) (22 Cody Davis) 29 Brad Hawkins
K 62 Chad Ryland 6 Nick Folk
P 59 Bryce Baringer 15 Corliss Waitman
LS 49 Joe Cardona 46 Tucker Addington
Conclusion Is this a perfect Patriots team? No. There are still long-term holes at offensive tackle and tight end, and there is a question mark as to who can be that pass catcher whom defensive coordinators have to plan for, a player the team has lacked for several seasons.
But is this an exciting Patriots roster, a team who has a chance to exceed their middling projections and expectations, a team worth watching and cheering for? Absolutely. Belichick and company have stabilized the coaching staff; added explosive, athletic players at nearly every position; brought in a new crew of players to take over special teams; and begun their draft with three players who could not only start in the NFL but have the potential to star. I fully believe that this is not an 8-9 caliber team, even in an AFC East with three other teams that have added big name after big name.
As Bill Belichick might say, we’re on to 2023.
We’re on to victory.

Okay, so... I was at my best friends party and she invited like 16 people. Also invited her cousin, her cousin is a lesbian, just like me. So at some point when a few people were sitting bear the fire camp I started talking to her. We talked for a few hours, sometimes alone, sometimes with other peopl, but still next to eachother and stuff. It was a fun time and I really like her. She asked me to give her my insta, and followed me, I followed back ofc.
So the question is do I just start texting her on insta? Ask for her snapchat or maybe tiktok to send eachother tiktoks (it's easier this way to find topics to discuss)? Or maybe after a week of texting ask her out to Pride Parade that's happening in like three weeks? I could also ask her to go thirft shopping or smth.
Idk... I'm not really good in social situations and I just need some advice. You can also write your stories of meeting your significant other! Just please give me some advice on how to maybe flirt a little or just show that i'm really interested in her.

This may be just me but I keep getting an impression that whatever service is offered to me in Malta is done so reluctantly. It feels like I receive a favor every time I order / buy something and I am the one expected to show gratitide not the other way around.
Is this just me or there is something to this? Perhaps this is just a cultural difference, my unrealistic expectations or some Maltese people don't like to serve foreigners? I've tried being more friendly, polite and smile more but to no avail.
A few examples:

• Went to a small coffee shop at a nearby beach. Had a bad and painful sunburn on my forearms. While ordering a breakfast I asked a waitress if she could open one of the umbrellas / parasols by my table (it was closed). She said she would ask someone inside to come open it. After a while she brought my order but no one ever came to open the umbrella. Of course she could simply forget about it although there were just 2-3 other guests at that moment. My polite request got completely ignored for no apparent reason.
• At a few other coffee shops, waiters openly demonstrated (by their body language) that they didn't like bringing an order to my table. It felt like they were doing me a favor and I was supposed to thank them. Expressing gratitude didn't change their attitude either.
• On a few occasions, cashiers continued talking to their local Maltese customers before providing a service to me and made me wait until they finished.
• Was waiting for a bus in Valletta for approx. 20-30 minutes. Once I saw it coming, I waved my arm for the driver to notice me. He did notice and gradually stopped the bus. However, what happened next was quite unexpected to say the least. He deliberately stopped it far away from the bus stop so that I had to run in order to catch up with it. When I almost got to the front door, he unexpectedly took off and left me standing there like an idiot.

Is this just me, cultural differences, unfortunate set of circumstances or something else? Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks
P.S. I am a white European from the EU when it comes to my appearance and origin. I like Malta and do my best to look for positive things here despite such experiences. I've encountered some nice and kind people here too.

Currently I’m wearing a Louis Vuitton outdoor pouch as my daily bag but I’m looking for something to switch it up. Will most likely be stopping by an LV store today so might decide to shop for something.
My main goal for the bag is for it to have a handle so I can hold it instead of wearing it crossed body or from the shoulder. For instance when I’m wearing an amazing outfit to a party I’m not looking to ‘ruin’ it by wearing a crossbody covering it. I want to add to the outfit by wearing a handbag.
Any one have any tips? I’m a man but I’m open to wearing bags from both the man and women’s collections.
Last week I visited LV and I tried on the Keepall 25 but I found the handles on that one to be too small to hold comfortably, and on the occasion I want to wear the bag crossed body the keepall is way too big. The SA also showed me a speedy 20 and I kinda liked that one but they didn’t have a material/color I liked in stock. (Also if you have recommendations from other brands please let me know) Thanks!

I’ve been playing for 6 hours. I have NOTHING to show for it (other than progressing through the map) because I’ve double-died 3 times, losing 2k then 1900 then 500 geo.
This feels WAY a more punishing than Dark Souls, for example, where I can safely spend my Souls at a bonfire before heading into a dangerous spot.
Every time it makes me want to uninstall.
And yes, I make trips back to the shop, but I’ve been wanting to save up for the bigger items, and now I have zero to show for it.
(Also I’m aware this post is essentially just downvote farming lol, go for it)

Hi! Just to clarify, I am not looking to jump into this, I’m just hoping to get some guidance as I’m prepping to get a dog in the next like 1-1.5 years. I’ve always wanted a dog but was never in the situation to. I believe I’ll be ready around this timeline and I didn’t want to get attached to the idea of a breed that isn’t realistic for my needs. Needing a little more financial stability for regular vet visits and dog’s needs and I expect to have this at that time.
Introduction
1) Will this be your first dog? If not, what experience do you have owning/training dogs?
First time!
2) Do you have a preference for rescuing a dog vs. going through a reputable breeder? Very set on rescuing but wanting a young dog that can be better trained and bonding
3) Describe your ideal dog.
I try to be realistic with this, I know there are no unicorns. But my ideal would be a small dog that will lay around and watch a movie with me. Very much a companion dog. Hoping to be able to take it to dog friendly public places eventually. Chill is a high priority.
4) What breeds or types of dogs are you interested in and why?
I’ve looked at chihuahuas, poms, mini schnauzers, yorkies, papillions, mini dachunds, lhasa Apsos
5) What sorts of things would you like to train your dog to do?
Basic commands the most, any additional would be great but not fully necessary. I would like to take it with me to public parks and maybe into dog friendly stores without too much trouble.
6) Do you want to compete with your dog in a sport (e.g. agility, obedience, rally) or use your dog for a form of work (e.g. hunting, herding, livestock guarding)? If so, how much experience do you have with this work/sport?
Im trying to stay away from hard working breeds as Im hoping for lower physical needs.
Care Commitments
7) How long do you want to devote to training, playing with, or otherwise interacting with your dog each day?
I am a stay at home mom so the dog would almost always be with me besides maybe a day trip to theme parks (we’re local so it’s like a day at the beach to us) and like grocery shopping. I also have a pretty chill currently four year old who loves playing with small dogs from extended family. I would like to devote a decent amount of time to training because I’ve had bad experiences with untrained dogs from people close to me and I really want to avoid that. I don’t have ridiculously high standards but I hate jumpy/super loud around other people. I understand hesitation from visitors but the ability to regulate that in a decent amount of time would be great.
8) How long can you exercise your dog each day, on average? What sorts of exercise are you planning to give your dog regularly and does that include using a dog park?
Several walks during the day around our complex at minimum but likely lots of stimulation at home. I’m a bit of a home body but hoping dog’s needs can help me get out more. We have a close dog park so probably not every day but 2-3 times a week for a good longer play outside time.
9) How much regular brushing are you willing to do? Are you open to trimming hair, cleaning ears, or doing other grooming at home? If not, would you be willing to pay a professional to do it regularly?
I don’t mind brushing at all, almost find it relaxing, but I’d like a lower needs beyond that. I know a lot of small dogs need regular grooming and I’d likely take it in for grooming but hoping not to have to do that often.
Personal Preferences
10) What size dog are you looking for?
Pretty small. Not as small as like a cat but maybe midway between that and a medium dog.
11) How much shedding, barking, and slobber can you handle?
Prefer to avoid slobber but don’t mind some shedding. I grew up with cats so I’m no stranger to that. I’d prefer a dog I could train not to bark a ton. I don’t mind some reactive but yappy is a turn off.
12) How important is being able to let your dog off-leash in an unfenced area?
No preference
Dog Personality and Behavior
13) Do you want a snuggly dog or one that prefers some personal space?
Cuddly for sure
14) Would you prefer a dog that wants to do its own thing or one that’s more eager-to-please?
I prefer eager to please but don’t mind a little independence
15) How would you prefer your dog to respond to someone knocking on the door or entering your yard? How would you prefer your dog to greet strangers or visitors?
I don’t mind a little barking but would like to try to train to be mild on command. Like to maybe sit and stay once the person is greeted. If they’re familiar I don’t mind some excitement but ideally I’d love to not have a major freak out at any knock.
16) Are you willing to manage a dog that is aggressive to other dogs?
I’m not around other dogs often but being a first time pet owner I think it would be wise to avoid.
17) Are there any other behaviors you can’t deal with or want to avoid?
The biggest for me are jumpy/yappy. I know dogs are dogs and dogs are their own people so I expect a personally but not being aggressive or destructive are ideal.
Lifestyle
18) How often and how long will the dog be left alone?
Very rarely. MAYBE for a day trip once a week. I’d hope to take the dog with whenever possible/socially acceptable in places. I have close family that takes their small dog on vacations and while I don’t go on them often I plan to try to do the same.
19) What are the dog-related preferences of other people in the house and what will be their involvement in caring for the dog?
My husband is a big dog person so I expect him to be very open but training is a must. My daughter is very good around animals so needs are low there. She’s very good at leaving animals alone if asked/explained but I’d love to be able to call the dog back to me if need be.
20) Do you have other pets or are you planning on having other pets? What breed or type of animal are they?
I have one cat who is the chillest dude. He’s not had a problem with people or pets he’s been around. The only issues I’ve ever had with him was taking a cat in a very sudden very temporary basis rescued from neglect and that cat was very territorial but my guy wanted to be friends.
21) Will the dog be interacting with children regularly?
I do not plan to have any more kids so mainly just my daughter who will be 5-6 around the time I plan to get the dog.
22) Do you rent or plan to rent in the future? If applicable, what breed or weight restrictions are on your current lease?
I rent and I believe there is a weight restriction but it isn’t enforced, I’ve seen VERY big dogs from neighbors. I plan to get a small dog regardless so I doubt it’ll matter. It’ll just be an extra $15/mo for pet rent (so it’ll have to get a small part time job to cover its portion of the rent 😂)
23) What city or country do you live in and are you aware of any laws banning certain breeds?
I’m in the Orlando area and I don’t think any major breeds are banned
24) What is the average temperature of a typical summer and winter day where you live?
Definitely on the hotter side
Additional Information and Questions
25) Please provide any additional information you feel may be relevant.
I have anxiety and bipolar disorder but am quite stable on medication but I’m hoping for a dog that is somewhat forgiving if we have to skip the longer walk for a day or so. I’d love to have a psychiatric service animal but I don’t think I have the resources nor the finances. I have a friend who’s dog is not fully service trained but generally makes the circle while walking in public and it’s so helpful/reliving walking with her so if at all possible it would be pretty cool to attempt this.
I know a dog is a lot more work than a cat and especially a puppy but I’m looking to take that on and I’ve had an infant so I know about being on the clock. I am also a tiny bit picky about looks being honest. I don’t really like the look of a classic chihuahua but have loved mixes like some chi/mini dachshunds as the psychical traits like fur type/colopattern is a little more unique from what I’ve seen. I don’t like pugs or French bulldogs, I just want something a little softer and don’t love the smooshed face. I’ve seen some mixes with bigger dogs but I don’t really know how any of that works/is. Being that I plan to rescue I browse Petfinder often so it’s just ones I’ve come across.
26) Feel free to ask any questions below.

We just got back, Italy is magical. Only been to Rome once before as part of Europe hopping trip about 10 years ago. Some thoughts and tricks on our 10 nights, hope it's helpful for others:
Weather: Don't stress too much on forecasts even a week out. Check before leaving and adjust wardrobe or add a light rain jacket if needed. Originally our entire trip showed rain the whole time. Realistically there was a 1 drizzly day in Venice and 2 hour of rain (ominous with thunder) in Florence. The rest of the time was cloudy or beautiful and clear. Cinque Terre was absolutely clear and 70, but dang that sun when hiking was brutally hot. App: Il Meteo
Download WhatsApp - everyone including hotels, restaurants, business, taxi driver (see below) uses it.
Esim: Airalo worked well for us Samsung S22 and Pixel 6. Did have to reboot my S22, but worked really well and between the 2 of us used about 5GB so couldn't gone with less data. One phone did the Europe regional and another the Italy Mamma Mia one. Some restaurants do have dead zones, some have Wifi, another was like these signs on the wall are your wifi....
Driving: You definitely need a car for Tuscany if you want to be on your own timetable, we rented out of Florence and returned in La Spezia. Beware some of the routes on Google Maps, although reliable there were 2 instances we went off roading when an asphalt road was right there. Then we needed to u-turn on the outskirts of Pisa and it was trying to get us to make this impossible stone walled turn and the locals were like yeah Google Maps has people do this and no one has made that so just turn back around. Also lesson learned for us - just do the rental company insurance, event though my credit card offers primary, we got a larger mid size SUV vs Fiat 500 and with the narrow streets, for me the reduced stress would've been worth it when we had to wiggle the car out some spots - but we came out scratch free. On a side note, we got a Lynk & Co car, which was neat and loved Android Auto as we use it at home. Rented thru Hertz. If you use the toll roads (which can make your life a lot faster sometime), make sure you grab a ticket coming in, we didn't get one for 1 segment, luckily getting off of it, the remote attendant spoke english, a little annoyed, but let us pay the fare from where we came from.
Parking: The meters we encountered in Montepulciano, Siena, Pisa seemed straight forward but sometimes card wouldn't work, the english translation was bad and cancelled out transaction multiple times. Just download EasyPark which seems to work everywhere, GPS your zone, link to GooglePay or credit card, license and boom, spin the clock - small fee less than 10%, but damn was it easy and you can add time or end early....
Trains: Download Trenitalia app, book any train instantly, get train status (where is the train currently), and see any station's timetable. Our Venice to Florence train did get delayed and stopped here and there in Bologna one weekend due to the flood damage, luckily our train wasn't cancelled. 5 days later, all trains seems to be back on track. Missed the big 5/26 strike by one day but I was seeing some trains via the app still scheduled. Basically be mentally prepared for any issues, booked an InterCity (assigned seats) from La Spezia to Pisa ahead of time but day of just waited to see when to schedule the regional from Pisa to Florence, so easy via app and you can see how often they run (30 mins for this route) and buy on demand as your schedule permits.
Booking museums/sights: It can be very tricky to google and find official booking sites as there are a lot of 3rd parties who want to get you a "front of the line pass" with a tour for a large markup. So I tried to book thru official sites as much as I can, for the life of us we couldn't get the Doges official to go through so did get those from Get the Guide for less than 5 euro markup for 2. If you are flexible and go off hours, you can do standby and avoid the nominal online booking fee and time spot, we only did these for some, not all. Maybe don't listen to me during summer months. But we did very little waiting - see below
Food: Note that I found classic italian cooking is much more simple, subtle and just pure flavors. Stuff was beautiful but by California standards, a tad underseasoned although some places did put out salt and pepper (default not request) for some dishes like a burrata. This is also coming from here in SoCal where birria is not enough it's birria ramen and hot cheetos encrusted this or that and 5 different types of toppings for mac and cheese - you know stuff for Instagram.... But I totally appreciated the approach and loved it.
Cities - we tend to do a lot on vacation, it may have been a touch quick but it was so fun, we did get a bit sick just with all the weather and change but nothing serious but was glad to get the downtime in Tuscany, we hit it hard first 2 places Venice and Florence. You may vacation differently, this was also our first trip abroad in 7 or so years so wanted to see ALLTHETHINGS.
Accommodations - We did mostly Airbnb which in Europe requires a meetup vs self check in. Did an incredible bed and breakfast (see Montepulciano) and finally a hotel in Florence for last night which I highly recommend for location and service - Arte Boutique (they helped me track down a lost backpack in a taxi, see below).
Safety - felt pretty safe and not scammy in all of our cities our Airbnb host in Florence said Italy overall is safe but he did confirm Rome you need to be more aware. Honestly we only carried 350 euro with us from US bank and that was plenty, near the end we were needing to use it up as everyone takes card, tap to pay, ApplePay and GooglePay freely. Taxi drivers do prefer cash
Staying calm story - we were ending our trip from Florence to airport in in my rush I left my backpack in backseat of taxi, it was gone before I realized we had our rollers and his backpack and duffel but not mine. Luckily my husband was like ok we will call the hotel (the only one we happened to book) who arranged the taxi, and luckily they tracked him down and he came back due to us allotting tons of time before departure. I had to pay the fare again for the backpack fare but was so relieved. We corresponded via WhatsApp after making the initial call to hotel.
Venice: 2 nights
- Sights: Doges (booked via Get the Guide) was cool, not the biggest museum person. Walk over Bridge of Sighs was uneventful from inside. St Mark Basilica had no advance tickets, but did standby for 3 eupp about 20 min before opening and got in within 10 mins, then hopped over to Campanile Tower w/o tickets, no line around 9-9:30 AM - great views.
- Eat: Faves were the quick bites chichetti (All'Arco, Cantina Do Spade), coffee and pastries and gelato (loved Suso). Our sit downs were not bad, just not mind blowing at Ai Mercanti and Imprompta (although seafood good). Also there's a small bar inside Cafe Florian if you want a macchiato for under 5 euro vs sitting down for a 12 euro cappucino and want a mini experience w/o wait.
It can be crowded mid-day but will calm down, very cool to walk or take vaparetto around and get lost, oops this alley dumps into a canal....
Florence: 2 nights
- Sights: Prebooked Galleria Accademia (a must, always a line), good museum experience if you don't necessarily need hours, so neat to see David here. Because not huge museum people, passed on the Uffuzi. Someone at lunch said hey Medici is cool, so did that on a whim w/o any wait and very cool, glad we did it on the fly. Prebooked Boboli Gardens, kinda tired by the time we got here and it had been drizzly and a bit humid, but nice to stroll. The larger fountain area you can't walk through anymore (Ocean fountain?). Also Piazza Michaelangelo for the Florence city center view. Lots of great shopping here, suggest start at Vale for a leather shop.
- Food: Ok so All Antico Vinaio although touristy is legit sandwich, very good and worth it. Tip: go to San Marco location, smaller wait by Galleria Accademia. GustaPizza was legit and very reasonable 7 euro for Margherita?! Fave gelato was Gelato Dei Neri and My Sugar. Mercato Centrale super cool to walk, shop for products, eat if you like. Trattoria Mario, email ahead for reservations - 1.1 kg florentine steak with small sides and salami/cheese plate all for under $70. Dall'Oste was good florentine but much pricier and touristy but had a good Montalcino wine there, book on website for discount for seatings outside of peak times, our 6 PM had 15% discount on food.
Tuscany: 2 nights Montepulciano, 1 night Siena
So beautiful, just the drive through Val D'Orcia. We stopped by San Gimignano and did the tower with no wait (150 stairs), Gelateria Donderia is overrated but fine, GO GO GO to Da'A'Mariani for sandwich here, sweet sweet man and just off the main street - recommended by Pasticcheria Il Criollo which was fabulous just outside city wall.
Stayed in Montepulciano, which was SO fabulous. Our true bed and breakfast was only 3 suites run on a property by 2 americans who moved to Italy - true hospitality and modern yet italian suite. They are booked solid this year, but it was sooo special. Huge breakfast spread every morning. It was true paradise there and the owners are gems - made awesome restaurant recommendations and reservations, driving route, etc. DM me if you want the name but don't bet on getting in for 2023. Restaurants in Montepulciano were Osteria Porto Di Baccio - great antipasto meat/cheese and pici, great typical osteria in wine cave then Le Logge Vignola which was very creative for a very reasonable price - you definitely need reservations for both maybe a few days ahead as both are fully booked by dinner. Gelato recc here would be Scarbia.
Siena - had the Siena OPA Si pass which I recommend, everything except the roof tour. Cathedral inside is a sight to see and includes works by Michaelangelo and Dontatello - ask worker where they are at, definitely do panaroma. This was helpful https://www.earthtrekkers.com/how-to-visit-the-siena-cathedral/ Walk to PastaZuf down the way from Piazza Campo for legit casual takeway pasta for 5-6 euro
Cinque Terre: 2 nights Riomaggiore
Yup, did Pisa as a quick stop on way to drop off car, it's neat and lots of parking (EasyPark app) to get in/out.
Stayed in Riomaggiore, CT is definitely touristy during the day but quiets down. Rick Steves was right, not overhyped. Every city is absolutely gorgeous. Did the hike from Monterosso-Vernazza-Corniglia - yes the HARD way with those stairs first leg but it was very rewarding and fun, can be tight in spots, started at 8 AM and ended in Corniglia around 11:15, start early as you can for less crowds. Train makes it easy to hop towns. Dinners included Rio Bistrot in Riomaggiore (checked in at lunch for dinner reservation same night) and Ristorante Belforte - both great views and suprisingly great food! Tasting menu is way to go at Rio Bistrot. Quick bites include fried seafood, so good. Be prepared for all the elevation/stairs/walking.
Edits: Add safety section, accommodations, and staying calm story.

I have been looking for a room and a kitchen for a week now and this is just absurd. There a broker for every area and I need to pay them 500 just so they will show me the rooms available for rent. If I like the room then, the brokers fees are:
1 room costs 2000 2 rooms 4000 Flat costs 6000
Then there's an expensive rent on top of the brokers' "service" fee. So far I paid two for dillibazar area and purano baneshwor area.
There are many Facebook groups designed to scam the people looking for room. They post pictures of attractive room, we see them and call them, they asked for registration and fee again 500 and 1000. Then after paying, they inform that room has been booked and they say they will inform me if any available but that's just a lie because they will forget you ever existed.
Many asked for money upfront and then asked to meet them which I once did and that guy took my money. If you know the local broker then 500, if you approach the office, then 1000 just so you can see the rooms.
At first, I went Kirana shops to shops.. many directed me to the brokers and even if some pointed out the rooms available for rent, the house owner refused to show me the room and pointed me to local broker.
After some days, I got to know that some house owner takes a cut from the service charge.
I visited some sites like hamrobazaar but they are also filled with brokers.
Anyway, this is just outrageous. But I guess not many care here since I Don't see these topics been in discussion.
I don't think there's any solution to this as well because if not me, there are others who will gladly throw the money.
Lastly let me know if you know anyone who can help me out with less fees.

day 6! today i'm tackling my pile(s) of mostly clean laundry, washing the rest of it, as well as getting rid of some clothes. a lot of executive functioning is needed for this chore for me and i've been avoiding doing this for weeks, months. i have ADHD as well as a hefty amount of trauma surrounding housework as that's how my mother used to punish me and criticize everything i did, i feel like i have to fold everything perfectly or else i'm a slob and it's so triggering and anxiety inducing. even yesterday i got struck by task paralysis and went out to buy some new summer clothes instead but promised to myself that i would sort through the piles today now that i have bought some replacements. bought some healthy snacks and yummy low cal juices for when i need to take some breaks. normally i would've just ignored this task and drink about it. i dumped my main pile in the middle of the living room on sobriety day 1 and i'm finally at the point where i have to just get on with it. my way, not my mother's way. this is building new, healthy habits. i don't want to live off my drying rack anymore.
since this will probably take me a couple hours, does anyone have any suggestions for netflix shows? i'm looking for something like good girls, brooklyn 99, basically something fast pace with tons of humor but also slice of life-y.
also any tips for avoidant people in early sobriety would be appreciated :) thank you!!
edit: i'm fully aware the impromptu shopping spree is cross addiction at it's finest, but i am allowing myself to cope in other (sometimes still unhealthy ways) as long as it keeps me from drinking especially during the early days. the main reason i've relapsed in the past is because i wanted to do everything perfect from day one, quit smoking, overspending, overeating, have a perfect gym routine etc. which i feel like is just setting myself up for failure. i'm going one thing at a time now and try to cut myself some slack.

Wondering how sellers are able to get so many premium accounts? Maybe you want to know how you can start to sell yourself? **You're in the right place!** I have been a seller, and this is exactly what I will teach you. Have any questions? Send me a chat!
# Purchase my guide here
[https://pastebin.com/raw/YQcNgGLQ\](https://pastebin.com/raw/YQcNgGLQ)
# See my earnings selling accounts here
[https://ibb.co/album/z6PSVL\](https://ibb.co/album/z6PSVL)
# Who am I?
I have been involved in selling accounts since 2017. In that time, I have sold thousands of USD worth of streaming, VPN and gaming accounts. I have also sold a guide on the process for the last year, with over 1000 sales and 80 plus reviews. This experience means I am not just a random seller selling a resold guide - I have followed this process and can provide expert help if needed!
# What am I selling?
**This guide is all my experience distilled into a guide. It eliminates the need for any trial and error, and common pitfalls. It includes a section on the process and useful resources, PLUS a section showing you exactly how to duplicate my earnings. You can expect to do at least 400USD in a month if selling following my instructions and selling 5+ different accounts. Keep in mind this is less than 30 minutes per month of work. Or, you can keep them for yourself!**
# Is this a get rich quick scheme?
Actually, the earnings are separate to the method. You could use the method for personal use and never need or want to sell them, and it's still a great value. But, if you are interested in selling, absolutely not. **It is providing a product (the accounts that you get) that is in high need, that can be easily produced. This method has been in use for 5+ years, and cannot become saturated as it's not a one off exploit, it's a general way of getting the accounts that can't be patched. The earnings are as valid today as they were 3 years ago.**
The earnings potential is around 400-800USD per month, with about 10 minutes per day of work on average after the initial set up (about 30mins-1hr). That 10 minutes is usually spent posting sales posts and replacing customers accounts. Earnings would depend on the amount of different accounts you sell.
# What accounts can I get?
**I include tools for 60 or so of the most popular accounts. Streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, Music services like Deezer, Tidal and Spotify, a bunch of different food and gaming accounts, VP N services like NordVPN, ExpressVPN and others! However, the method works for many more accounts. I just can't include every single one out there. Chances are though, if you want a tool for a service that I don't include, it is available on the exclusive resources I have linked in the guide.**
The main guide includes everything needed to get popular accounts in fields like streaming (Spotify, HBO MAX, Instagram, Hulu, more), VPN (NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Tunnelbear, more) and many many more. It's written by someone who has done this process for years.
**This guide includes**
* a general outline of the process
* my support if needed for any reason
* the program that you use and useful resources
* a step by step walkthrough of the process
* outlines exactly how to start your own shop and best practices to make the most money possible. If you follow these instructions, you will make money.
* a video tutorial I created to show the process
* all future updates so it never goes out of date
The $35 option includes all this, plus a guide I wrote on upgrading accounts from free to premium like Spotify and YouTube premium.
​
​
# VOUCHES - I have over 100 vouches spanning two autobuys and a few years :)
# To see all my 80+ previous vouches on my old autobuy, [click here](https://pastebin.com/UgxVgkPk)
*To see my most recent vouches on my new autobuy purchase and see ratings, go here -* [https://pastebin.com/raw/YQcNgGLQ\](https://pastebin.com/raw/YQcNgGLQ)
​
* Purchase my guide here - [https://pastebin.com/raw/YQcNgGLQ\](https://pastebin.com/raw/YQcNgGLQ)
#

Wondering how sellers are able to get so many premium accounts? Maybe you want to know how you can start to sell yourself? **You're in the right place!** I have been a seller, and this is exactly what I will teach you. Have any questions? Send me a chat!
# Purchase my guide here
[https://pastebin.com/raw/YQcNgGLQ\](https://pastebin.com/raw/YQcNgGLQ)
# See my earnings selling accounts here
[https://ibb.co/album/z6PSVL\](https://ibb.co/album/z6PSVL)
# Who am I?
I have been involved in selling accounts since 2017. In that time, I have sold thousands of USD worth of streaming, VPN and gaming accounts. I have also sold a guide on the process for the last year, with over 1000 sales and 80 plus reviews. This experience means I am not just a random seller selling a resold guide - I have followed this process and can provide expert help if needed!
# What am I selling?
**This guide is all my experience distilled into a guide. It eliminates the need for any trial and error, and common pitfalls. It includes a section on the process and useful resources, PLUS a section showing you exactly how to duplicate my earnings. You can expect to do at least 400USD in a month if selling following my instructions and selling 5+ different accounts. Keep in mind this is less than 30 minutes per month of work. Or, you can keep them for yourself!**
# Is this a get rich quick scheme?
Actually, the earnings are separate to the method. You could use the method for personal use and never need or want to sell them, and it's still a great value. But, if you are interested in selling, absolutely not. **It is providing a product (the accounts that you get) that is in high need, that can be easily produced. This method has been in use for 5+ years, and cannot become saturated as it's not a one off exploit, it's a general way of getting the accounts that can't be patched. The earnings are as valid today as they were 3 years ago.**
The earnings potential is around 400-800USD per month, with about 10 minutes per day of work on average after the initial set up (about 30mins-1hr). That 10 minutes is usually spent posting sales posts and replacing customers accounts. Earnings would depend on the amount of different accounts you sell.
# What accounts can I get?
**I include tools for 60 or so of the most popular accounts. Streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, Music services like Deezer, Tidal and Spotify, a bunch of different food and gaming accounts, VP N services like NordVPN, ExpressVPN and others! However, the method works for many more accounts. I just can't include every single one out there. Chances are though, if you want a tool for a service that I don't include, it is available on the exclusive resources I have linked in the guide.**
The main guide includes everything needed to get popular accounts in fields like streaming (Spotify, HBO MAX, Instagram, Hulu, more), VPN (NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Tunnelbear, more) and many many more. It's written by someone who has done this process for years.
**This guide includes**
* a general outline of the process
* my support if needed for any reason
* the program that you use and useful resources
* a step by step walkthrough of the process
* outlines exactly how to start your own shop and best practices to make the most money possible. If you follow these instructions, you will make money.
* a video tutorial I created to show the process
* all future updates so it never goes out of date
The $35 option includes all this, plus a guide I wrote on upgrading accounts from free to premium like Spotify and YouTube premium.
​
​
# VOUCHES - I have over 100 vouches spanning two autobuys and a few years :)
# To see all my 80+ previous vouches on my old autobuy, [click here](https://pastebin.com/UgxVgkPk)
*To see my most recent vouches on my new autobuy purchase and see ratings, go here -* [https://pastebin.com/raw/YQcNgGLQ\](https://pastebin.com/raw/YQcNgGLQ)
​
* Purchase my guide here - [https://pastebin.com/raw/YQcNgGLQ\](https://pastebin.com/raw/YQcNgGLQ)
#

Wondering how sellers are able to get so many premium accounts? Maybe you want to know how you can start to sell yourself? You're in the right place! I have been a seller, and this is exactly what I will teach you. Have any questions? Send me a chat!

Purchase my guide here

https://pastebin.com/raw/YQcNgGLQ

See my earnings selling accounts here

https://ibb.co/album/z6PSVL

Who am I?

I have been involved in selling accounts since 2017. In that time, I have sold thousands of USD worth of streaming, VPN and gaming accounts. I have also sold a guide on the process for the last year, with over 1000 sales and 80 plus reviews. This experience means I am not just a random seller selling a resold guide - I have followed this process and can provide expert help if needed!

What am I selling?

This guide is all my experience distilled into a guide. It eliminates the need for any trial and error, and common pitfalls. It includes a section on the process and useful resources, PLUS a section showing you exactly how to duplicate my earnings. You can expect to do at least 400USD in a month if selling following my instructions and selling 5+ different accounts. Keep in mind this is less than 30 minutes per month of work. Or, you can keep them for yourself!

Is this a get rich quick scheme?

Actually, the earnings are separate to the method. You could use the method for personal use and never need or want to sell them, and it's still a great value. But, if you are interested in selling, absolutely not. It is providing a product (the accounts that you get) that is in high need, that can be easily produced. This method has been in use for 5+ years, and cannot become saturated as it's not a one off exploit, it's a general way of getting the accounts that can't be patched. The earnings are as valid today as they were 3 years ago.
The earnings potential is around 400-800USD per month, with about 10 minutes per day of work on average after the initial set up (about 30mins-1hr). That 10 minutes is usually spent posting sales posts and replacing customers accounts. Earnings would depend on the amount of different accounts you sell.

What accounts can I get?

I include tools for 60 or so of the most popular accounts. Streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, Music services like Deezer, Tidal and Spotify, a bunch of different food and gaming accounts, VP N services like NordVPN, ExpressVPN and others! However, the method works for many more accounts. I just can't include every single one out there. Chances are though, if you want a tool for a service that I don't include, it is available on the exclusive resources I have linked in the guide.
The main guide includes everything needed to get popular accounts in fields like streaming (Spotify, HBO MAX, Instagram, Hulu, more), VPN (NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Tunnelbear, more) and many many more. It's written by someone who has done this process for years.
This guide includes

• a general outline of the process
• my support if needed for any reason
• the program that you use and useful resources
• a step by step walkthrough of the process
• outlines exactly how to start your own shop and best practices to make the most money possible. If you follow these instructions, you will make money.
• a video tutorial I created to show the process
• all future updates so it never goes out of date

The $35 option includes all this, plus a guide I wrote on upgrading accounts from free to premium like Spotify and YouTube premium.
​
​

VOUCHES - I have over 100 vouches spanning two autobuys and a few years :)

To see all my 80+ previous vouches on my old autobuy, click here

To see my most recent vouches on my new autobuy purchase and see ratings, go here - https://pastebin.com/raw/YQcNgGLQ
​

• Purchase my guide here - https://pastebin.com/raw/YQcNgGLQ