Moving to Florida? This is your thread.
Ask questions, answer questions, or tell us your best advice on moving to Florida.

FAQ Section in the works

Feel free to contribute below!

Hurricanes

Hurricanes are part of living in Florida. Some years nothing happens, some years it's a wild ride.
If you're going to live beach side, then you need to take hurricanes seriously. Wind conditions leading up to them can and will cause the bridges to the mainland to close, meaning you can be cut off for extended periods from everything, including emergency services. Flooding/Storm Surge are real dangers to life and property. Make sure you have a plan way in advance for the high likelihood that you will lose both electricity and running water.
The further you get away from the coast and intracoastal zone, the lower the risks you have from severe damage from hurricanes, even major ones. But still have a plan, because anything can happen. Look for houses that have hurricane shutters or look into getting your home fit with them. Consider areas with buried power lines, as they're less likely to lose power. You can have a storm like Faye sit off the coast for days and flood almost everything. You can have tornadoes spawn from them. Fences are regular casualties of almost any named storm. Trees should be trimmed well in advance, paying close attention to when final collections occur before the storm hits so you don't have piles of potential wind debris laying in your yard.
That said: hurricanes are typically overblown by the media and should not be a major deterrent. As long as you have a plan and make sure that you're ready for the worst that could happen, you should almost always come out of the other side of hurricanes fine. Our local government knows how to handle them and a lot of infrastructure is built to withstand them. Most of us who have been through many of them don't consider anything Cat 3 or less to be anything more than a couple hour inconvenience. But always have a plan, no matter what.

Car & Home Owners Insurance

Yes, Florida has one of the highest rates of Car & Home Owners insurance in the US. It is recommended you find an insurance broker who can shop around (at no cost to you) for the best rates for your needs.
Car Insurance is required by law per vehicle per driver.

Toll Roads and You

Welcome to Florida, home of what seems like every toll road on the planet. You can certainly get around them, but it's significantly more efficient to use tolls.
E-pass Vs Sunpass: one or the other for all the tolls around Florida. Both are accepted across Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. E-PASS has less issues. Plus the advantage of their Uni, which is accepted across 18 states. Both gives you discounts on most tolls Florida.
Keep Discussion on topic. Comments such as the below will be removed:

• "Don't Move here"/ "Leave" or any variation of goes against Rule #1.
• "Don't {insert state} my Florida"
• Complaining about people moving here - this isn't the thread for that.
• Unwarranted political discussion/comments. This is not a politics thread.

Thread will refresh every 2 weeks.

You want the entire team to have full heavy the whole match? cenotaph. You want to run a trace the whole time and never run out of ammo? Cenotaph. You don't want to take time reloading so you can dps with coldhearted? Cenotaph

Hi Everyone.
​
I have exactly 25 days to finish my PGCE and I can't wait. Its been rough, busy, crazy, most of the time felt like I tripped on something 2 weeks earlier and still tried to get my balance back. For the last 6 months. :)
for everyone else who will read this at the beginning of your 1st and 2nd placement- listen to this advice, because it may save your life.
​
My 1st Placement was a wonderful school, with amazing teachers, a team, atmosphere. My mentor was a crazy guy who was hovering 1m above the ground all the time because of the energy he had. i went in the first day and I said: 'I may look like a woman but I'm a tough soldier. Please treat me like one. If I fuck up smth, you have to tell me, don't wrap it up in cotton candy. If I do something good, I need to hear it. Nothing in between.'. 'Deal!' he said and kept his promise. The placement was a breeze, he was an amazing mentor and I will always have him as my main teaching inspiration. For out-of-control reasons I had to finish my 1st placement on my own, I was trusted by other teachers and was teaching on my own, with an observer in the room, getting flying colours and excellent formal observations from all sorts of different teachers. Finished my 1stP on the green, with an excellent opinion.
They said '2nd Placement may be a shock to the system. You have to start everything anew, new building, new people, new kids, even the loo is different, THAT'S NORMAL, wait it out. It can never be the same and you have 50/50 chances it will be worse.'
With this thought, I went on to my 2nd placement. Not as an experienced teacher but still as a half-baked newbie - I realised something was terribly wrong on the first day of my teaching. First week, of observations, only was raising my hair but Monday was a shock. My new mentor, a woman this time, has presented herself as a friendly and easygoing person and that's how I took it. I was observing her lessons, naughty kids, her screaming at them, and kids not listening to her at all.... I thought 'It's just a phase, wait it out'.....
Monday morning, my first lesson, my mentor never had any time for me during the previous week so I didn't even know if my own laptop (''the school wasn't borrowing anything for strangers'') was working with their projectors... She was just finishing her 1st lesson, kids were packed and pushing on the door, and she was still screaming over their heads... I silently went in through the other door, with a smile, my laptop, my resources... and she screamed: 'HOW DARE YOU STORMING INTO MY LESSON WHILE I'M TEACHING??? YOU WILL NOW WAIT OUTSIDE UNTIL I SAY YOU CAN COME IN!'. I did, like a puppy with a tail between my legs. After she has finished and allowed me to come in, it was already 5 past, by the time I set up my laptop, 10 past and Y10 were waiting outside. I was flushed, blushed, stressed out.... After the lesson, she wrote 35 negative remarks starting from: '10 minutes late, not prepared for school requirements, quiet, intimidated, low self-esteem....'' I was crushed, since that day, all other days were just worse- telling me off for 'not planning for YouTube not playing due to school firewall', ''fiddling with HDMI connectors'' (at some point I had 7 because you never knew which one will work today), telling me off for printing, for not printing, for changing her lessons, for selection of photographs for my own task.... She was stealing my breaks, winging my weekly meetings, dropping last-minute changes on my head, and demanding 48hrs to send my lessons to, while not being able to tell me what was I supposed to teach 12hrs before (shared groups). I thought - ITS NORMAL< WAIT IT OUT. February was a nightmare, March was a living hell. Just before Easter, she told me she was leaving - 'I hate teaching, hate those little fuckers, hate school.'. She knew all the way she was on her way out and just hated every moment. Including me. And I was the punching bag for her frustrations. I was an inch from reporting her to my training provider... but I WAS STILL PLAYING THE GAME OF MAKING IT WORK> Stupid cow, I was.
Easter came and went. Because I never reported problems, my new mentor said I was 'intimidated and scared', and had a lot of gaps and lots of things to catch up with. THEN I said what my last 2 months looked like and for my new mentor, suddenly everything made sense. She has put me on Amber to ''help me''. Amber turned into Red when my training provider got involved in 'taking care of me'. Still, by this time I was a confident teacher, getting solid rapport with students, always perfectly organised and planned with the knowledge they called 'strong and exceeding expectations'... still on red. I felt like I was unlearning, making other teachers happy but not myself, I was teaching for them not with them, some of the teachers were falling asleep at the back of the class, so caring for observing the lesson. None of them wanted to see lesson plans, some would be giving me my formal feedback 2 weeks after the lesson....
In the meantime, I got a teaching job and the school was crazy about me. I offer combined science on top of my native subject so they were over the moon. And so was I.
Until I finally said to myself 'What the fuck is going on?!' I felt like everybody to cover their backs was calling me 'inept' to justify the fact I was abandoned in my training for 2 months. Starting from my 3rd mentor, and finishing with my other mentors on different levels. They made me amber and then red to cover in paperwork the fact I was not getting value for my money and they were trying to help. So I told them EXACTLY what was going on there, on the school and dept level.
And finally, someone had a brilliant idea- they moved me over to my forever school to finish my training there... and that was a game changer. All my skills and passion for teaching were there all the time!
Now- ADVICE - IF IT DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT - IT'S NOT RIGHT. Don't try to march through the mud, don't pretend to be a hero, and don't smile through the tears. Go back to your provider and say it as it is as soon as it feels awkward. Don't put yourself at risk of losing training, self-confidence and skills, risking failing your course. If you feel it's for you, no one can take it away from you! It's your hard work that matters, determination and passion. Don't leave it to a chance!
I got my justice in the end and like I said, we are almost there. I'm happy I will never have to put my feet on the threshold of that school again, despite some rare teachers that were wonderful, the majority were just pretending they were working in a 'good school'. BTW, a school that went down to 'RI' over the winter.
​
Good Luck Peeps and see you in and ECT boat!

Hi
How are you?
You know how you want to be bowled over and think, whoa, I think I've found my exact match who just fits me so well, it's like we're made for each other?
Yeah, let's find out.
We're not talking perfection or anything, just a really great match that makes our lives seem like our own little Heaven on earth. At least we try and make it that way every day.
With that in mind, here's who I am and what I'm looking for.

• I'm attractive and keep in shape. I'm not everyone's cup of tea, but most women have described me as attractive, some have said handsome, more than a few have said hot. I'll take it. And some not so much. They probably needed glasses ;)
  
• I'm confident and assertive without being an a-hole or a d-bag.
  
• I work hard and smart. I don't like to waste time. Unless it's intentional in a sit on the porch and enjoy the evening air kinda "wasting" time.
  
• I believe a man should provide. Am I going to shower you with gifts and you be my little sugar baby? NO. Will I work and provide while you stay home if that's your dream (as long as staying home involves you working and doing your part)? Yes. If you want a career, will I work with that and we split household duties? Yes. Will I surprise you on occasion with a thoughtful gift or something I think you'll cherish? I will. But if you're looking for a life of luxury and a meal ticket, I'm not your man.
  
• I'm funny and witty and have a great sense of humor. I should do stand up. I have my moments and I'm fairly certain you and I will share many belly laughs and tears streaming down our faces moments. Or seeing that cute little smile cross your face because I blurted out something you found funny, witty, endearing or even a little crazy in a good way. I'm cool like that.
  
• I'm a Christian and my faith is important to me.
  
• I'm a good blend of thoughtful and considerate but won't put up with your crap and will put you in your place.
  
• I'm on the dominant side and will lead you well. Not the overbearing, you be my doormat and I'll degrade you as I wipe my feet on you. I mean, I could be, but I'm not sure how well you'll keep my feet clean. We seem to have names and titles for everything. Hard dom, soft dom, this or that. I'm just dominant. In the best way.
  
• I'm right wing. Conservative. A little populist. Traditional. Old school. However you want to say it.
  

Here's what I want in you:

• You're fit and attractive. Not in a if I squint my eyes and the sun hits you just right you look kinda ok, but cute! Attractive. Hot. I find your face and body appealing. I mean, give me something to work with. I do like a woman with a flat or toned stomach. I could love you to no end and be committed like no other, but I can't get it up for a chubby or fat girl. Sorry. We all have our things. Please be committed to keeping the best body you can and staying in shape. Whether that's healthy(ier) eating, working out, whatever it takes. Just don't let yourself go and be a woman who loves looking good for her man!
  
• You're naturally obedient. Or submissive if you prefer that term. You're a woman who when your man makes a decision, you support and obey it. You treat your man's word as law.
  

Now, a quick note: I like a woman who shares her ideas and opinions and sees if something holds water when I say what I want done. Not in a sarcastic tone or questioning way, but tactfully and politely. If there's something you wrestle with, let me know. Ask if I've considered this or that, or give me a different perspective to consider. Or just as good, offer an alternative. Say I want to obey you and I will, but would be ok if I... (fill in the blank with your alternative idea) to try and get that same result for you?
Something like that. And if you're the quiet type and just want to obey without much input, I can work with that.

• You're a Christian and/or very open to learning and following what God says in the Bible. It'll be our guide, our road map for living our lives.
  
• You are very, very pro-sex. You can be a virgin or very experienced. If the former, you have no hang ups about sex because I won't be in a dead bedroom. Hopefully you have a very high sexual drive. That's relative, as what's "high" to one person may not be to another, but you're committed to meeting your man's needs.
  

Note: Be willing to talk about sex and answer any number of questions. Ask any you have. Sex is essential in a great marriage, and we need to know if we're compatible with our desires and preferences and what we expect or are looking for. If you're less experienced or a virgin, no worries. There are still things to talk about.

• You're looking for a serious and long term relationship. Marriage, eventually. Because I am.
  
• You're on the conservative side politically. Great relationships can be had with each other on opposite sides, but it does make it harder and more work.
  
• You love to please and cater to your man. It makes you feel good to serve and help and find ways to do things that makes your man's life better in every way.
  

This is getting long and you're not reading fast enough.
You should already be thinking of what you're going to say to me and stand out from the other women.
Hints: I love honesty. It's essential to me. I love longer replies (not just the first ones, but any). Not every one has to be some mini-novel but you get what I'm saying. I love details. I mean, I don't need the "I had this sandwich at 12:32 and it didn't sit well with me, and my boss has this habit where he walks the hall and I keep my door partially open so..."
More like you just fill me in who you are, what you believe, what you like or love, what you want in relationships, anything. "I love swimming, I try to go 2-3 times a week and mountain biking is almost my thing. I went on this trail the other day and it was..."
Or "OMG you described me to a T. You mentioned being obedient and loving to serve my man and I'm like, hey, if he only knew! I'm throwing up a hand here and making my way to the front of the line so you notice me because (fill in the blank with things you love to do)
OR the super honest route:
"You know what, there are prettier girls (I'm doing ok in that area, though ;) and I don't have all of what you're looking for but I do have (list the things you have) and most would probably win if you compared us in some of the things you listed, but I can say that no one will outwork me, no other woman will be as committed to you, or do her best to make your life better in whatever way I can, or love you like crazy (we'll get there) or not let myself go and try and look good. Those things I can control. So if you're looking for an "average" girl but who can offer extraordinary in some ways, and treat you like a king, you may want to write me back. We could have the best relationship!"
You get the idea.
I work odd hours sometimes.
So if you write me (and you should), don't disappear if you don't hear from me right away, or even in a few hours. I will find you. I will write and we'll begin our first chapter in what is hopefully, a wonderful romance that fills us with joy, love, happiness and a peace because we've found that right match for us.
Message or chat. Hit that button and tell me about you. Age and location and anything you want to share. Be willing to trade pics very soon.

so this creepy classmate thinks i’m crushing on her
i litterally stare at the teacher when the teacher is talking, The creepy girl sits right by teacher but my eyes aren’t even pointed at her. The creepy girl is only in my peripheral vision. The teacher once said to someone to stop drawing, The creep turns around and acts as if she catched me staring at her .
She just smiled and turned back around then she turned back and stared at me again with a confused face like bro you realize there’s a fucking teacher next to you right? The next day she did class work with a friend and i had no idea she was behind my desk. I was walking to desk and saw her death staring at me with her head down. After that she was in my peripheral vision again and i just ignored and continued staring at the teacher She just stood still and stopped talking when speaking to her friend. Idk what her face was doing she’s werid. She would stay still and stare back at me multiple times when i stared anywhere near her direction I can’t fucking look anywhere without her thinking that i’m staring at her. I can’t look to the left to the class or she’ll think i’m staring at her I legit had to look at the board once when she was there and she assumed i was staring at her so she switched seats The day after that during lunch she decided to get infront of me with her boyfriend and i just tried my best not to stare at her direction. She told her boyfriend and the whole class that i have a “crush” on her . And once she told me to cry multiple times and said “aww he is sad “ but i’m not sure she was talking to me since i didn’t look at her
I didn’t even bother to reply plus i got socialanixty which makes things harder for me. Anywhere i look she thinks i’m staring at her and now i think her friends think this too I can’t even do a small glance and i can’t even look around cuz if i stare at them for a second on accident they automatically think i’m checking them out like how tf am i suppose to know that you’re there without me seeing you like i legit looked behind me once and saw that girl and she thought i was checking her out like bro how was i suppose to know you’re there. I’m beyond tired of it . She told her boyfriend too. I just try to keep distance honestly but she legit doesn’t keep distance away from me She even once sat behind me again and i remember she would glance at me sometimes but it was likely cuz she was checking if i was staring at her. I remember her face got red once just bc i stared at her direction too. She’s werid I remember she would keep looking back at me to check if i was staring at her and her friend would say”omg stop looking at him”. She’s driving me insane and everytime i make any accidental eye contact she thinks i’m checking her out. I had enough so i told her to leave me the fuck alone I’m sick of her and she’s not enem that pretty She needs to calm the fick down Now everyone just looked shocked like damn shut the fuckup and they called me a creep like wtf

My bedroom smells like mold after several storms in Queens. We've had bad leaks that have been since fixed, but I think mold has been growing in the walls/ceiling. I would appreciate an outside opinion on what this looks like because I'm very worried about it. I know that if it is mold it'll be worse than it looks like now and they're going to have to rip out the drywall. Doesn't help me that I live in an 100 year old building with a flat roof. I don't know how long it's been there, I'm just now noticing it.
Also pictured is an inactive heating pole. There's brown water? that has been leaking all the way down it that appeared after the storms. I haven't wanted to touch/clean it because I 'm not sure what it is. My landlord is bringing someone tomorrow to check it out, but I want to be prepared to answer whether I am confident that it is mold. If it is mold, how hard is it to get rid of and how long does it take? I really appreciate any help you could give me.
https://imgur.com/WkSoCRm
https://imgur.com/f12DLbs
https://imgur.com/godwUBj

My ex, I guess, and I have been fighting about who my friends are for months. In the initial two years of us being together, she continually expressed to me that she never wanted to meet them. She was wary of the fact that a couple of them are a few years younger than me, as she is a few years older than me. She didn't like the fact that they drink because she has been sober for years, but a lot of her own friends drink.
We fell into a rough patch a couple months ago during which time we didn't speak for a couple weeks. My friends invited her and I out to brunch, but I went alone. One of the friends had to go to work afterward, but the other one and I stayed out and went to an amateur comedy show together. When my ex and I reconciled, she said she didn't like the fact that I was out with that friend alone because he's a guy and I'm a girl, though I'm gay, and that every one of her friends agreed that it was like we were on a date. I asked her to try and spend time with them so that she didn't have to feel threatened by them, and she agreed, but then she said that they were purposefully excluding her if they ever wanted personal time with me after that.
I had a long talk with my dad and he said that she needs to trust me if we're ever going to be happy, but I can't force her to do that. Last night, I left her place after she told me to leave, but later tried to get me to stay. I went out with one of my female friends and I had too much to drink. I've gone years without drinking at all, and if I do, it's not enough to get intoxicated because I have a rough history with alcohol. I called her drunk and asked her to come get me, but we only fought more. This morning, she told me that I need to stop being friends with these two friends I've mentioned and that I cannot make new friends anymore so long as we are together because she doesn't trust my ability to judge other people's characters. She left to go hang out with her friend and I begged her to stay, but she just told me to think about what she said because if I don't agree, she is leaving me. I feel so desperate to just hold her and be comforted by her presence. I keep thinking about all the times she's made me laugh and how unique she is as a person. I'm ashamed of letting myself get drunk, but regardless of the ways in which we might be incompatible on that front, I simply don't think I can fulfill her request to completely isolate myself from friendship while she does whatever she wants. This pain is unbearable.
I called her while she was out and her friend was there, listening to our whole conversation and saying that she's always really liked me as my ex's partner but that she agrees with what my ex is asking for. Maybe it doesn't matter, but this friend has a storied past with alcohol abuse as well, and I've driven hours to pick her up because she was drunk and in an unsafe situation. I just feel crazy. Why won't she try to talk some sense into my ex? I'm extremely tempted to call her mom and at least get one person to see that yes I screwed up but this is not the way to respond to it. I just feel like if I have to force it, it's because she's not the type of person who would think about how much she's hurting me on her own. This is so horrible.

After the ebook debacle yesterday, we’re trying our best to communicate with everyone as clearly and quickly as we can, but not much has changed.
We’re still holding out hope that Amazon gets back to us with a magic device that rewrites the past 36 hours, so as of right now there isn’t much to say.
Here is the concrete information we have to pass on:
—We will make some decisions on when and how we’re uploading the Waybound ebook manually by our stream tonight at 6 PM Eastern (https://www.youtube.com/live/VRx_JfOffaE?feature=share).
On the stream, we will talk in more detail about how/why we’re doing what we’re doing, and then distribute that information to the readers as widely as possible. Meaning we’ll post about it when decisions are made, so we’ll keep you in the loop even if you don’t watch the stream.
—The paperback manuscript is with Amazon in their “review process.” It has to pass that process before it becomes available for purchase.
That means we can’t know when the paperback will be up for sale. Could be anytime in the next day or two. We will let everyone know when it goes live.
—Audible is having major issues with their site and systems today, but that has nothing to do with us.
We have no reason to believe that has affected any preorders or Waybound coming out at midnight, Pacific time Tuesday morning. The audiobook release remains unaffected, as far as we can tell.
Again, we will let everyone know our action plan as soon as it’s set in stone. The reaction from the fans has been nothing but reassuring, and for that, we are eternally grateful.

Hello photo-fam !
Fairly new selling / buying here, but deal with confidence. I have had great transactions in wristwatch related forums such as Reddit (Goyoneuff), The Rolex Forum (Goyo), on Watchuseek (Goyoneuff), and eBay and am more than happy to provide feedback and references, chat on the phone, over Zoom, or in-person (Houston Metro area). Questions? Please just ask !
​
Selling a few Canon items. I would rather sell them all as a set, but can sell them individually too:
Canon 5D Mark IV in very good condition. Camera is in good physical shape and functions perfectly. Shutter count is around 39K. I would rate it like 9, signs of use, but very clean. It comes with the camera, battery, and charger. $1200.
Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8 L lens (original, and the best one in my opinion and so others too). I would rate it as a 8+, that shows moderate wear or finish marks. Outside has minor wear, but the lens is sharp, focus is fast and accurate, and glass is clean. It does not have any zoom lens creep at all. Comes with hood (forgot to take a pic LOL) and rear cap. $650.
Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS version II in good condition. I would rate it as a 8+, that shows moderate wear or finish marks. Front element has a few marks, but nothing that will effect image quality. Rear element is excellent and body is in very good condition. Lens comes with hood (hood has a crack, but still works just fine, and forgot to take a pic, LOL). It just got back from Canon and is fully serviced and ready to go. $900.
Little Canon EF 50mm F1.8, known as the "nifty fifty". This is VII with the plastic mount. No issues and works perfectly. I would rate it like 9, signs of use, but very clean. $80.
Prices include shipping and insurance. Looks like the method of payment here is Paypal G&S, but I much rather do a no fee payment such as Zelle, CashApp, etc. If you must pay via regular PayPal, please add the fees. Reason for selling is not using it.
No trades, thank you. Unless you have a 8+ shape silver Fuji x100F, let me know.
You can click in the pictures and they will zoom into ! Pictures: https://postimg.cc/gallery/6RpRt4Z
Cheers,
G
​

Ugh. In Australia 3:45am work in 4 hours. Got hammered then got a bag of coke. This too shall pass I know but fuck me. What a stupid impulsive decision. Any tips on how to get through th work day?
I’ve done a few sober stints before. 3 months, 60 days twice. This was supposed to just be a month and I just fucked up and drank. Barely even had to think about it. It was basically. Hmm beer? Yep. Hangover plus coke comedown tomorrow. I’m in for a shocker today. I need a plan and that’s to stop the booze for good. Without the booze (which is the worst imo, in terms of behaviour) no other drugs will happen. I won’t do coke or anything else if I’m sober. Not interested. But once I’m pissed it’s all “let’s take this a step further with narcotics. I just can’t believe how easy it was for me to decide to drink today. Says to me I’m Not even close to ready. Ugh. Either way, I will not drink with you today… but I gotta come up with something.
Further clarification: binge drinker. 1-2 times a week when I’m not trying to stop. Drink to oblivion every time. As you all say. One is too many and 100 is never enough. This isn’t day one necessarily. But I lurk every day.. I’ll drink again at some point. But posting here and lurking for years. I foresee total sobriety in my future. When that time comes. I’m going all in. Just wanted to post this to the best community on Reddit. You’re all such inspirations. Keep punching!
Sunday of all days! Fucking solid thinking there rsj21. Ugh.

Our WIC doesn’t renew until the 8th and we’re on our last can. I can pay for shipping and maybe even kick you a few dollars for it too but we can’t afford to be spending 45 dollars out of pocket right now. Please feel free to message me or comment, or whatever if you even have half a can I’ll take it !!

I have been repeatedly told that I am losing money by having it in the bank and not putting it to work for me, be it in the stock market, buying property and renting it, or reselling it in the future etc. I understand that with inflation the money I have in the bank now will be less worth year after year.
There are a couple of reasons why I haven't started investing yet:

1. Time
2. Peace of mind

I already work so that I can have a warm bed and some food to put into my mouth. The rest of the time I try to rest and enjoy it pursuing my hobbies, which do not entail pressure and deadlines like my work does.
What are some valid reasons for trading the peace I enjoy outside of work for worrying about getting more money? Research, invest, sell investments, trade, contracts, look for the right real state, sub rent, etc. All that I will have to learn and keep a close eye into.
I would like to have some opinion from other like-minded people as to why you trade / do not trade and your reasons, so I can put this matter into perspective.
For me personally, peace of mind and simplicity is something I strive for; I don't want the pressure and responsibility of having more things to take care of and maintain.
Thanks in advance for your time and wisdom in answering.

Hi All, I have only played the Sims 4 a little bit as I usually prefer The Sims 3, but the base game was free so though I give it a go. Here is a scandalous story!
Context: I made a gorgeous Sim called Tori, she is sweet, neat and family oriented, she managed to find a boyfriend and proceed to pop out 4 kids! Raising them was dirty diaper mountain and screaming infant chaos, so the family had to rely on a babysitter. Karina (I think?) was there all the time to help with changes and feeding while Tori and Johnny read them books and nurtured the babies into well balanced children.
Children were at school, Tori jogged every day to get her figure back so the family had time now for the wedding they always wanted! Little did I know that Plan Wedding does not take you to a plan it but the actual event, so I ended up putting this random kitchen in the park so they can make their own wedding cake. After this it all went downhill, the challenge was for them to have 3 drinks, and ordered these nice pink cocktails for everyone not knowing it will make them FLIRTY. Johnny DID A FLIRT WITH THE BABYSITTER in from of the wife and by the time I noticed he was bursting and sent him to the loos, he didn't make it and PEED HIMSELF.
He was stinking so I was scrambling to change him and brush his teeth so the hygiene will go up, while the bride followed into the bathroom FURIOUS that him and that floozy betrayed her on her own wedding and I had to stop her from Yell At and Slap while making him apologize to diffuse the situation.
We took some selfies but the feeling was gone. Then they both when to Yell At the babysitter, implied mother was a llama and and insulted her, friendship is over. The children are best friends with her and have whims to hang our or chat but there is no way that ratchet homewrecker steps foot in the house again.
Situation at home is stable now but Tori has lost her spark, she will focus on her fitness, gourmet cooking and is planning to divorce the weasel when the kids are teenagers.

Let's say I got a C in AP Physics 1 both semesters my Sophomore Year, and I got A's both semesters of AP Physics 2 my Junior year. After some research, I've seen that colleges don't generally accept AP Physics 1 and 2 for credit in skipping their college courses in a major, rather it's AP Physics C: Mechanics and 1 and 2 are only accepted if it's towards a GE. Would taking the equivalent of Physics C: Mechanics at a local community college during the summer between sophomore to junior year and getting an A be advantageous to my application and offset the bad grade of a C? Would I also get credit for this class in a college?
Also, since if a college does not accept credit for an ap exam (i.e. UC Berkeley not accepting AP Physics 1 and 2 for credit, only AP Physics C: Mehanics), do they still care if you took the exam or not?
Would it look bad or would I be at a disadvantage if I took an AP class and didn't take the exam?

A bit of advice needed please!
To be clear, I'm neurospicy but my flavour is NOT autism - so I need perspective from people who actually are autistic.
Scenario:
The place I work at sometimes offer "social skills groups", aimed solely at autistic students (teenagers are 11-19). They vary in what they look like and typically involve either shared interests (Lego, Pokemon etc) or more functional life skills (cooking, gardening etc).
The people running these groups are usually NT, and if they aren't, then at the very least they're not autistic.
The issue:
I don't know if it's an "issue", but it makes me feel squick :/ but I don't have the proper words to explain why.
The only one of these groups I've personally run has been more along the lines of "you guys are all gonna be working together next year, so this is an opportunity to meet each other beforehand" and has been very casual. Other groups seem to be a lot more structured, and focus on particular social skills eg topic maintenance, turn-taking, "making friends" and so on.
None of the students have said anything negative about the groups (that I know of) and seem to enjoy them.
My issue I guess is that I feel like it's putting NT social skills above autistic social skills. These groups might as well be called "how to talk to an NT person" or "how to effectively mask in a social situation" BUT there's no group called "how to talk to an autistic person" or "info dumping 101".
The question:
From an autistic person's POV, are social skills groups in general appropriate?
If so, would they be better being led by an autistic person rather than a non-autistic person?
If you feel they are NOT appropriate, please please tell me how to voice this in Real Words because I cannot! All I can manage is a vague hand gesture and "mmmmmmno I don't like this" :/

So, I know you can ping right after using an ability to tell your team how long it'll be until it's back up. But for long cooldowns, wouldn't it be great to be able to ping the ability's cooldown time the way you can ping your ultimate's percentage? I want to hit a key and let my team know easily at any point. Like say "suzu's ready" or "suzu's not ready yet" etc.
Maybe it's just me, but there have been a few times I've played (usually support) and had a teammate get frustrated I didn't use an ability on them. I wanna let them know I don't have immortality, nade, or even repair packs or whatever. And with kiriko, I'd not only like to be able to easily say I'm waiting on suzu, but also on swiftstep (cause I've had people get frustrated I didn't tp to them, when I couldn't yet).
I know talking in voice chat can solve this but there are many people who, though they'll listen in vc, don't want to talk (or can't). So this would be very beneficial. I love the ping system and I think this would improve it even more.

Love Sal and Joe but as comedians they need to take actual advice from fans on how to improve, make it better. When they started the podcast they had it down to a formula now it’s unlistenable. You can tell it’s too formatted when u gotta skip thru the first half of every pod. That first 1/2 is just pimp dragging the pod down by his laugh, talking about some non descript topic and just talking in the background. They live in New York City and do podcasts and guest on ones, surely you can find someone who is actually considerate to the listeners and the listening experience we have to listen to. No matter in headphones or speakers turned up Pimp is unbearable. Joe just mindlessly talks about what he does in a day to fill time. Sometimes the battles don’t even last 30 mins due to all of whatever the fuck they talk about before that dosent mean anything to the topic they’ve picked. The battle is the reason you are tuning in. Ion know bout y’all but if there’s a good pairing they put up yeah definitely it’ll be a banger but they’ve ran out of most without bringing them back and just keep turning the wheel. Hey babe is goin the same way ud think the Impractical Jokers would have good independent podcasts( Joes is badddd), Q got into it early. With his experience hes the only exception everyone else is now getting into it due to the obvious money they can make and grow their fanbase. That’s great make ur money but the drawback is you can’t get 100% of everything right that ppl that have been putting out a podcast forever and listeners to comedy podcasts know make a good and bad show.

to keep things brief my ex girlfriend was really toxic and emotionally abusive to me even though I still want to be with her and am and am only seeing things I feel with rose colored glasses. Through out the relationship i was not able to voice myself with the actions she did to me that were wrong and I felt suppressed often. More recently she broke up with me a second time, I had given her some space after the break up with no contact, then decided to call her because I not only missed her, it also felt like she was bread crumbing me with following me on instagram and liking my photos but wanted to talk to her about the emotional damage she caused me now reflecting on hoping she would be empathetic and listen to me. Little did i know she just didn't want to hear me and was so cold with me asking "why am i talking about this?" It was like talking to a brick wall which was so hard especially just wanting to be vulnerable with the person I once loved and cared about so deeply 😭 I felt so heartbroken and so angry how she couldn't ever empathize with me. I decided to send her a message to get my point across even though I know it was a waste of my time reflecting on it now. "If you have tried I would have truly seen it. If you would have been there for me at my lowest and when I needed you I would have seen it. If you would have truly loved me you wouldn’t hold back your love for me saying it and in actions the many times you did. You would have not thrown me out of your house every single time I wanted to fix something with you. You would truly engaged in the things I shown you and were important to me. Lastly you would have given me the security needed. No one who cares about someone should be walking on egg shells all the time if all they wanted was love and security. I know I want farther than you and loved you deeply because I cared deeply and had always been there for you. You manipulated my heart and you tore it. You got what you wanted for now. One day you’ll realize how much I did for you and sacrificed. You hurt me, my family, and my friends and I don’t ever want to see you again in my life especially how you took advantage of me for your own gain." days later I had felt so bad sending that to her even though she had ended up blocking me on everything. So gave her space for a while, a few days later I went out of my way to apologize deeply to her by send her this message on my brothers phone.
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"I want to say I'm deeply sorry, and I feel terrible to you the person I love and called my special person for these two good years. I reacted very immaturely the other day when we talked. I think I was so emotionally clouded that I couldn't think straight. I know you probably don't want to forgive me or talk to me again. I understand that. In truth I never want to burn the bridge I had with you. Even though I know we can't be lovers anymore. You know me where sometimes I over think things and do dumb things based in my emotions, something I know I need to work on. My deepest regret though is losing you who I loved so deeply. I want to love you as a friend and person that I cherished with all those amazing memories despite our challenges that made us split. I hope when you see this message you can unblock me and text or call me back. I just would like to have our numbers open so we can check on each other from time to time. I love you and care for so deeply, appreciate you, you were my first girlfriend who supported me in tough times and were there, I know we had challenging times and I accept we have to move away from each other romantically. I just would like to stay connected with you in some way."
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she later unblocks me saying: "Im really upset with what you said to me. I understand you have big emotions, but it doesn’t mean I will let myself be talked that way. Only for you to reflect and say sorry days later (Even though i genuinely went out of my way to say sorry) it’s just not fair. I’m going to keep you blocked for awhile because that’s the only way I can keep my boundary. I don’t know what the future holds, but I wish you nothing but the best."
then she blocked me again and didn't allow me to respond to her how deeply sorry i was and wanted to talk it out with her how deeply sorry I was.
Something also to my surprise is that she still has pics of us two together on her instagram.
"what could she mean that i'm going to block you for a while now" even when I went out of my way to apologize for my actions. is she using it as a form of manipulation? Do you think with time she will try coming back? will she regret her actions and realize that i generally treated her well? i was literally always there for her never gave up on her and loved her so hard and unconditionally. If there was a challenge I would keep working at it and not give up. I feel so blinded 😭 I don't even know whats real anymore she was my everything 😭
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i just wonder even though she didn't really see my value in the relationship and broke up with me twice if she will ever realize truly my value and how much she meant to me.
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I could really use your feedback, thank you 😭❤️

As the title says, I did ALL of my problem drinking at home. Every night for the past 4 years it was 3, 24oz 9.0% malt liquors and two fireball shots. On the rare occasion I’d go out for dinner or a date I wouldn’t drink and it was no problem. When I’d go visit my family for a week out of state I wouldn’t drink and it was no problem. Usually the second night would be the worst in regards to sleep, but there were no cravings. Granted my family barely drink but if I wanted to drink they wouldn’t think anything of it, they also don’t know the extent of my drinking.
So mid May I spent a week out of town with my girlfriend. She doesn’t drink. The entire week went great. I didn’t drink and again, it wasn’t a problem. No cravings. I actually woke up everyday and was like man this is sooooo great. I love not being hungover. Why can’t I do this at home? When I got home from the trip I started drinking again. Of course. Then this past weekend we went to a wedding out of town. We were gone Thursday through Monday and again no drinking, no problems. The reception was open bar and it didn’t even phase me. We danced, sang and had a great time. Got home Tuesday and drank. Drank on Wednesday too.
I don’t know why but Thursday rolls around and I’m physically dead. I almost had to pull over on my commute home to take a nap. Like my body was revolting against anything but sleep. So I went to sleep sober and I haven’t drank since.
Anyone else like this? I think back on my nightly routine and I’ve completely blown it up. Instead of gettin the kids in bed as fast as possible so I can drink I slowed down. Actually make them do their nightly reading while I sit and read a book too. Then instead of running down and taking the fireball shots I take a long hot shower while listening to music or a podcast. By then it’s past 10pm and all the liquor stores are closed. I don’t keep booze in the house, I used to buy it everyday. I completely rearranged my bedroom furniture and the living room furniture. I think that helped a lot too. It feels like a new start/house that I don’t want to screw up. I’ve either read or played video games until around midnight then I’m usually tired enough to fall asleep.
That was a rant but if you made it to the bottom, thanks! It was therapeutic to write this.
IWNDWYT

Happy Sunday! I'm Michael, and thanks for clicking on my post. It's a beautiful day out here so I've been spending some time outdoors already today, and figured the only way I could make it better is by talking to someone really sweet too. :)
Here's a few pics of me: https://imgur.com/a/8lbx2uT
I'm looking for someone fun to chat with and get to know. I'm a sucker for good morning/night texts, sending memes when we find them, and sharing silly little details of our days. I'm usually pretty quick to respond too! I work full time and really love my job, also enjoy checking out new music, doing some crafty stuff, daydreaming, and driving around. Life has been super hectic lately as in the last three months I've been able to do just about everything I'm passionate about - I've been to 13 concerts, two NASCAR races, and an airshow too. Don't be offended if I can't hear you lol I'm just partially deaf now
So here's a few reasons why you should date me:
- I'm 6'1" so I can reach the top shelf with ease
- I'll step on the bugs (or at least just let them out)
- Emotionally available
- Solid career, has hobbies, and a few friends to keep a nice balance
- Loves to text (in usually decent grammar too)
- Always laughing at something
A few other things. I'm not into drinking or smoking. I don't use any other message platform (Snapchat or Kik). Also not into anime, and I'm not a video gamer. Deep down I know I have a heart of gold, and love forming deeper emotional connections with people. I date with the intents of being together forever, nothing casual.
So if you're kinda local (will really talk to anyone in the Northeast US), near my age, sweet and want to chat, feel free to message me! Would love to get to know you too. Tell me something you're excited about. Tell me a funny or crazy story, or ask me to tell you a funny or crazy story!
Talk to you soon!