ONLY TREK so no other recommendations please. I currently have a Marlin 7 Gen 2 2022 Medium.I'm 5'4 with a 29" inseam. This bike will be used for dirt trails and some rooted terrain and downhills in my local parks but i do find when I want to get a simple ride or workout in I just use these for pathways. We have the largest pathway network in North America and kind of want a different bike to take advantage of that. I looked at some gravel/road bikes Domane and FX Sport. I don't want high end something close to entry level or or above where the parts aren't crap. Any suggestions on which models and size? (I'm not selling my Marlin)

Background

Incumbent Chris Stewart will resign on September 15, 2023 due to his wife's health issues. The primary is scheduled for September 5 and the general on November 21. The state legislature will reconvene for a special session on June 14 to allocate funding for the election and likely approve the governor's timeline. Candidates must gather 7,000 signatures. Filing deadline on June 14
The district voted 60R-34D in 2022 and has a partisan lean of R+11 (Cook) or R+23 (538). It stretches.svg) from the northwest of Salt Lake County, runs down the western border, and heads east, stopping at the Colorado River. It is 75% white, 18% Hispanic/Latino, 3% Asian, and 1.7% black.

Candidates

Republicans:

Becky Edwards
former state representative

• Ran as a more centrist alternative to Lee in the 2022 Republican Senate primary and earned 30%
• Twitter replies call her a RINO
• Website
• small government
• competitive and cheaper healthcare
• no culture wars
• immigration: balance safety and provide pathways for workers, especially regarding the agricultural and tourism industries
• childcare, workplace protections, paid family leave
• retain fossil fuels as we transition to greener energy
• free market solutions to climate change
• secure cheap and clean water while being mindful of our environmental future
• term limits (she left the state house after 10 years)
• second amendment supporter while encouraging initiatives regarding mental and behavioral health
• expand opportunity for minorities, inclusivity

Greg Hughes

• former speaker of the Utah House of Representatives
• ran in the 2020 Republican Governor Primary and earned 21% (3rd place)
• Website
• constitutional carry
• opposes red flag laws
• pro-life
• stopped Obamacare expansion
• eliminate food sales tax
• parent's rights
• "eradicate woke education"
• Oil, coal, natural gas

Scott Hatfield

• congressional staffer

Bruce Hough

• RNC member and former chair of the Utah Republican Party

Tyrone Jensen

• political podcaster
• Website

Henry Eyring

• Duke University professor

Jordan Hess

• Vice chair of the Utah Republican Party

R. Quin Denning
Remy Bubba Kush

Democrats:

Kathleen Riebe

• State Senator
• Website (former)
• smaller class sizes
• services to diverse populations
• preventive care
• expand medicaid
• clean public lands

We have two weeks off of daycare later this summer and are trying to plan a staycation/small vacation to keep our little one entertained.
Vacation plans would be going camping, or renting a small cottage for a few days. Staycation plans would driving to a nice beach, doing a day hike, or going to our local water park.
What have you done with your little ones that you enjoyed, and any thing I should avoid? We’re in Ontario, Canada for reference.

Royals @ Orioles - Sat, Jun 10

Game Status: Pre-Game - First Pitch is scheduled for 04:05 PM EDT

Links & Info

• Current conditions at Oriole Park at Camden Yards: 85°F - Cloudy - Wind 10 mph, Out To RF
• TV: Royals: Bally Sports Kansas City, Orioles: MASN 2
• Radio: Royals: KCSP 610, Orioles: 98 Rock FM/HD2 97.9, WBAL NewsRadio AM/FM
• MLB Gameday
• Statcast Game Preview

ALE Rank	Team	W	L	GB (E#)	WC Rank	WC GB (E#)
1	Tampa Bay Rays	47	19	- (-)	-	- (-)
2	Baltimore Orioles	39	24	6.5 (92)	1	+3.5 (-)
3	New York Yankees	37	28	9.5 (88)	2	+0.5 (-)
4	Toronto Blue Jays	36	29	10.5 (87)	4	0.5 (98)
5	Boston Red Sox	32	32	14.0 (84)	6	4.0 (95)

	Probable Pitcher (Season Stats)	Report
Royals	Brady Singer (4-4, 6.45 ERA, 60.0 IP)	No report posted.
Orioles	Cole Irvin (0-2, 10.38 ERA, 13.0 IP)	No report posted.

Royals Lineup vs. Irvin	AVG	OPS	AB	HR	RBI	K
1 Pratto - 1B	-	-	-	-	-	-
2 Perez, S - DH	.333	1.166	6	1	1	1
3 Melendez - RF	.000	.333	2	0	0	0
4 Witt Jr. - SS	.167	.667	6	0	0	3
5 Garcia, M - 3B	-	-	-	-	-	-
6 Massey - 2B	-	-	-	-	-	-
7 Olivares - LF	1.000	5.000	2	2	2	0
8 Waters - CF	-	-	-	-	-	-
9 Fermin - C	-	-	-	-	-	-
10 Singer - P	-	-	-	-	-	-

Orioles Lineup vs. Singer	AVG	OPS	AB	HR	RBI	K
1 Henderson - 3B	-	-	-	-	-	-
2 Rutschman - C	-	-	-	-	-	-
3 Santander - RF	1.000	2.000	1	0	1	0
4 Hays - LF	-	-	-	-	-	-
5 Hicks, A - CF	.000	.000	3	0	0	0
6 O'Hearn - 1B	-	-	-	-	-	-
7 Frazier - 2B	.333	1.096	6	0	1	1
8 Lester - DH	-	-	-	-	-	-
9 Mateo - SS	-	-	-	-	-	-
10 Irvin - P	-	-	-	-	-	-

Division Scoreboard

MIN @ TOR 03:07 PM EDT
TEX @ TB 04:10 PM EDT
BOS @ NYY 07:35 PM EDT
^{Posted: 06/10/2023 02:05:01 PM EDT}

Royals @ Orioles - Sat, Jun 10

Game Status: Pre-Game - First Pitch is scheduled for 03:05 PM CDT

Links & Info

• Current conditions at Oriole Park at Camden Yards: 85°F - Cloudy - Wind 10 mph, Out To RF
• TV: Royals: Bally Sports Kansas City, Orioles: MASN 2
• Radio: Royals: KCSP 610, Orioles: 98 Rock FM/HD2 97.9, WBAL NewsRadio AM/FM
• MLB Gameday
• Statcast Game Preview

ALC Rank	Team	W	L	GB (E#)	WC Rank	WC GB (E#)
1	Minnesota Twins	32	32	- (-)	-	- (-)
2	Cleveland Guardians	30	33	1.5 (98)	8	5.5 (94)
3	Chicago White Sox	29	36	3.5 (95)	9	7.5 (91)
4	Detroit Tigers	26	35	4.5 (96)	10	8.5 (92)
5	Kansas City Royals	18	45	13.5 (86)	11	17.5 (82)

	Probable Pitcher (Season Stats)	Report
Royals	Brady Singer (4-4, 6.45 ERA, 60.0 IP)	No report posted.
Orioles	Cole Irvin (0-2, 10.38 ERA, 13.0 IP)	No report posted.

Royals Lineup vs. Irvin	AVG	OPS	AB	HR	RBI	K
1 Pratto - 1B	-	-	-	-	-	-
2 Perez, S - DH	.333	1.166	6	1	1	1
3 Melendez - RF	.000	.333	2	0	0	0
4 Witt Jr. - SS	.167	.667	6	0	0	3
5 Garcia, M - 3B	-	-	-	-	-	-
6 Massey - 2B	-	-	-	-	-	-
7 Olivares - LF	1.000	5.000	2	2	2	0
8 Waters - CF	-	-	-	-	-	-
9 Fermin - C	-	-	-	-	-	-
10 Singer - P	-	-	-	-	-	-

Orioles Lineup vs. Singer	AVG	OPS	AB	HR	RBI	K
1 Henderson - 3B	-	-	-	-	-	-
2 Rutschman - C	-	-	-	-	-	-
3 Santander - RF	1.000	2.000	1	0	1	0
4 Hays - LF	-	-	-	-	-	-
5 Hicks, A - CF	.000	.000	3	0	0	0
6 O'Hearn - 1B	-	-	-	-	-	-
7 Frazier - 2B	.333	1.096	6	0	1	1
8 Lester - DH	-	-	-	-	-	-
9 Mateo - SS	-	-	-	-	-	-
10 Irvin - P	-	-	-	-	-	-

Division Scoreboard

AZ 2 @ DET 0 - Top 5, 1 Out
MIA 0 @ CWS 0 - Top 1, 1 Out
MIN @ TOR 02:07 PM CDT
HOU @ CLE 05:10 PM CDT
^{Last Updated: 06/10/2023 01:17:19 PM CDT}

We'll call my friend Greg. Greg has been in our circle of online gaming friends for 12 years. He was born into a family of rampant addiction, violence, and mental illness. It's a really long and sad story. I'm worried about him and would appreciate any advice on what he could do to escape this situation and live a decent life.
Greg was born with a learning disability and a lisp. The lisp makes him sound like a child despite him being 25 yrs old. I'm not exactly sure what his learning disability is. He's fully intelligent, he just sometimes needs a little extra explaining. He didn't graduate HS because he was bullied and nobody in his family cared if he went.
Growing up, Greg lived with his parents, his grandparents (on his dad's side), and his aunt and uncle (also on his dad's side). Nobody in the family had a job. His dad and uncle routinely fought and threatened to kill each other. Police were called countless times and eventually his uncle ended up in prison. His mom, who is considerably more mentally disabled than Greg, was raped by his grandfather. His dad blamed his mom for "cheating on him" and kicked her out of the house. She moved to a different state and is essentially homeless now. Greg hasn't seen her in years. His grandparents were gambling addicts. They spent all day every day at the casinos gambling away what little money they got from the government. They both died around 2 years ago. So now with his uncle in jail, his mom homeless and in a different state, and both his grandparents dead, it's just Greg, his dad, and his Aunt.
Greg's dad is tragically stupid. He falls for love scams over and over and over and over again. He once met a girl online from a different country who convinced him that she loved him and that she wanted him to move to California with her and start a life together. Greg told him that it's clearly a scam and that he's wasting his money but he wouldn't listen. He bought a plane ticket for himself and then sent her all the rest of his money and flew to California only to realize once he got there that she wasn't coming. He called Greg crying begging for money so he could buy a ticket back. Every time this happens Greg tries to tell him its a scam but he gets angry and violent and so he doesn't feel comfortable speaking out.
Recently he's been sending every cent of his money to his new "gf". Of course he's never met her or even spoke to her over the phone. Her profile pic is a stock image of a young attractive woman. It started with her saying that she was going to send him 2 brand new sports cars and all he had to do was pay for shipping. So he sent her $1000 and was fully convinced that the cars would be delivered by the end of the week. When that didn't happen, she said they had gotten a flat tire and needed another $500 for repairs and they'd be there soon. His dad sent the money once again and once again the cars didn't show up. This has happened every single week for the better part of the last 3 months. She comes up with an excuse for why the cars haven't been delivered yet and claims that she needs money to fix a problem, he sends her the money, she says the cars will be there on a certain date, the date comes around and they aren't there, and then she comes up with an excuse for why the cars haven't been delivered yet. He's spent somewhere between 5k and 10k just on this newest girl alone. She'll send him stock photos of a Lamborghini in a parking lot and that's enough to convince him that it's real. The most obnoxious part is that he STILL believes 100% that he's getting 2 brand new sports cars AND a hot wife and he's being smug about it! He'll text Greg comments like "Your lucky to have a dad that can work some magic like this". The new thing this week is that now it's a brand new house that she bought for him. And all he has to do is send money for blah blah blah.
He stole his own son's wallet so that he could send his fake gf more money.... Greg reported his card as missing and when the new card arrived his dad stole that one too. He had to take a day off work to make sure he was home the third time so nobody would steal his card. And since Greg is the only family member with a job and all of his dad's money is likely being sent to some dude in India, nobody is buying food. Nobodies paying for utilities. Their water got shut off because nobody paid the bills. Their only car just got impounded for missing payments. With no car, Greg is currently using Uber to get to and from work every day and Uber eats for all of his meals.
Greg doesn't have a license, doesn't have a car, doesn't make enough money to get an apartment by himself, and he's living with his dad and aunt who constantly steal from him. It's gotten progressively worse over the years and it's getting to the point where I'm concerned for his safety. Homelessness is becoming a very real possibility. It may seem like it's none of my business, and maybe that's true, but I've always tried to help him out with what I can. I've helped him make a resume and get a job, I've helped him file for unemployment when he was fired, do taxes, etc. I'm just at a loss for what to do now.
Any advice would be appreciated. His dad really needs professional help but they don't have money for it. Any ideas for where his dad can go to get help or a place for mentally ill people to stay and get better? Is there any advice on how Greg could move out and become independent despite not having a license or a car? They live in Arizona if it's relevant.

Everything in my inventory is up for trade. The most valuable items are listed here, the rest you can find in My Inventory

Feel free to Add Me or even better send a Trade Offer. Open for any suggestions: upgrades, downgrades / knives, gloves, skins / stickers, patterns, floats.

All Buyouts are listed in cash value.

KNIVES

★ Butterfly Knife Freehand FN #1, B/O: $2500

★ Butterfly Knife Ultraviolet FT, B/O: $822

★ Butterfly Knife Scorched FT, B/O: $616

⎯

★ Bayonet Tiger Tooth MW #1, B/O: $1300

★ Bayonet Autotronic FN, B/O: $1050

★ Bayonet Tiger Tooth MW, B/O: $629

★ Bayonet Bright Water FT, B/O: $326

★ Bayonet Safari Mesh BS, B/O: $233

⎯

★ Karambit Lore FT, B/O: $1110

★ Karambit Damascus Steel FT, B/O: $840

★ Karambit Freehand MW, B/O: $784

★ Karambit Bright Water MW, B/O: $759

⎯

★ M9 Bayonet Fade FN, B/O: $1801

★ M9 Bayonet Fade FN, B/O: $1801

★ M9 Bayonet Damascus Steel FN, B/O: $751

⎯

★ Nomad Knife Fade FN, B/O: $1156

★ Nomad Knife Slaughter MW, B/O: $544

★ Nomad Knife Blue Steel WW, B/O: $318

⎯

★ Flip Knife Marble Fade FN, B/O: $646

★ Flip Knife Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $574

★ Flip Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 1) MW, B/O: $552

★ Flip Knife Case Hardened FT, B/O: $257

★ Flip Knife Freehand FT, B/O: $255

★ StatTrak™ Flip Knife Bright Water FN, B/O: $287

⎯

★ Huntsman Knife Lore FN, B/O: $461

★ Huntsman Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $436

★ Huntsman Knife Doppler (Phase 3) FN, B/O: $353

★ Huntsman Knife Autotronic FT, B/O: $212

★ Huntsman Knife Bright Water FT, B/O: $129

★ Huntsman Knife Forest DDPAT MW, B/O: $129

★ Huntsman Knife Forest DDPAT BS, B/O: $123

★ StatTrak™ Huntsman Knife Rust Coat BS, B/O: $127

⎯

★ Bowie Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 2) FN, B/O: $375

★ Bowie Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 1) FN, B/O: $363

★ Bowie Knife Tiger Tooth FN, B/O: $269

★ Bowie Knife Crimson Web WW, B/O: $192

★ Bowie Knife Bright Water FN, B/O: $159

★ Bowie Knife Ultraviolet FT, B/O: $126

⎯

★ Stiletto Knife Slaughter FN, B/O: $616

★ Stiletto Knife Crimson Web FT, B/O: $412

★ StatTrak™ Stiletto Knife Night Stripe FT, B/O: $227

⎯

★ Falchion Knife Lore FT, B/O: $214

★ Falchion Knife Autotronic FT, B/O: $192

★ Falchion Knife Scorched WW, B/O: $105

⎯

★ Survival Knife Crimson Web BS, B/O: $216

★ Survival Knife Case Hardened FT, B/O: $198

★ Survival Knife Scorched FT, B/O: $111

⎯

★ Shadow Daggers Fade FN, B/O: $368

★ Shadow Daggers Doppler (Phase 3) FN, B/O: $228

★ Shadow Daggers, B/O: $201

★ Shadow Daggers Damascus Steel FT, B/O: $108

★ Shadow Daggers Ultraviolet FT, B/O: $105

★ Shadow Daggers Black Laminate FT, B/O: $99

★ Shadow Daggers Forest DDPAT FT, B/O: $85

⎯

★ Gut Knife Doppler (Sapphire) MW #1, B/O: $1700

★ Gut Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 1) FN, B/O: $223

★ Gut Knife Marble Fade FN, B/O: $203

★ Gut Knife Doppler (Phase 2) FN, B/O: $191

★ Gut Knife Case Hardened BS, B/O: $127

⎯

★ Navaja Knife Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $199

★ Navaja Knife Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $199

★ Navaja Knife, B/O: $138

★ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel FN, B/O: $111

⎯

★ Classic Knife Urban Masked FT, B/O: $146

★ StatTrak™ Classic Knife Stained BS, B/O: $168

⎯

★ Ursus Knife Doppler (Phase 3) FN, B/O: $476

★ Ursus Knife, B/O: $375

⎯

★ Skeleton Knife, B/O: $1137

★ Talon Knife, B/O: $608

★ Paracord Knife, B/O: $305

★ Survival Knife Forest DDPAT FT, B/O: $97

GLOVES

★ Moto Gloves Transport MW, B/O: $204

★ Moto Gloves Polygon BS, B/O: $142

★ Moto Gloves Blood Pressure BS, B/O: $84

★ Moto Gloves Blood Pressure BS, B/O: $84

★ Moto Gloves 3rd Commando Company BS, B/O: $63

★ Moto Gloves 3rd Commando Company BS, B/O: $63

⎯

★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Kimono WW, B/O: $1215

★ Specialist Gloves Tiger Strike FT, B/O: $672

★ Specialist Gloves Lt. Commander FT, B/O: $305

★ Specialist Gloves Lt. Commander BS, B/O: $140

★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Web BS, B/O: $137

★ Specialist Gloves Buckshot FT, B/O: $75

⎯

★ Driver Gloves Crimson Weave FT, B/O: $359

★ Driver Gloves Imperial Plaid BS, B/O: $229

★ Driver Gloves Overtake BS, B/O: $77

★ Driver Gloves Racing Green FT, B/O: $48

⎯

★ Sport Gloves Omega FT, B/O: $739

★ Sport Gloves Amphibious BS #2, B/O: $733

★ Sport Gloves Arid BS, B/O: $292

⎯

★ Hand Wraps Giraffe MW, B/O: $212

★ Hand Wraps Leather FT, B/O: $160

★ Hand Wraps Desert Shamagh MW, B/O: $101

⎯

★ Broken Fang Gloves Yellow-banded MW, B/O: $185

★ Broken Fang Gloves Needle Point FT, B/O: $67

★ Broken Fang Gloves Needle Point WW, B/O: $59

⎯

★ Hydra Gloves Case Hardened BS, B/O: $65

★ Hydra Gloves Emerald FT, B/O: $65

★ Hydra Gloves Emerald BS, B/O: $62

WEAPONS

AK-47 Case Hardened BS, B/O: $130

AK-47 Bloodsport MW, B/O: $79

AK-47 Fuel Injector BS, B/O: $76

AK-47 Fuel Injector BS, B/O: $76

AK-47 Bloodsport FT, B/O: $70

AK-47 Neon Rider MW, B/O: $60

StatTrak™ AK-47 Aquamarine Revenge FT, B/O: $72

⎯

AWP Fade FN, B/O: $1039

AWP Asiimov FT, B/O: $139

AWP Asiimov FT, B/O: $139

AWP Wildfire MW, B/O: $95

AWP BOOM MW, B/O: $93

AWP BOOM MW, B/O: $93

AWP Duality FN, B/O: $81

AWP Asiimov BS, B/O: $79

AWP Asiimov BS, B/O: $79

AWP Chromatic Aberration FN, B/O: $60

StatTrak™ AWP Hyper Beast FT, B/O: $68

StatTrak™ AWP Hyper Beast FT, B/O: $68

StatTrak™ AWP Electric Hive FT, B/O: $55

⎯

Desert Eagle Blaze FN, B/O: $623

Desert Eagle Emerald Jörmungandr FN, B/O: $241

Desert Eagle Cobalt Disruption FN, B/O: $81

Desert Eagle Cobalt Disruption FN, B/O: $81

Desert Eagle Cobalt Disruption FN, B/O: $81

Desert Eagle Printstream FT, B/O: $54

⎯

M4A1-S Blue Phosphor FN, B/O: $434

StatTrak™ M4A1-S Bright Water MW, B/O: $55

⎯

M4A4 Poseidon FN, B/O: $1465

M4A4 Asiimov BS, B/O: $55

M4A4 Hellfire MW, B/O: $50

⎯

USP-S Kill Confirmed MW, B/O: $72

USP-S Printstream FT, B/O: $69

StatTrak™ USP-S Kill Confirmed FT, B/O: $139

⎯

AUG Flame Jörmungandr FN, B/O: $234

P90 Run and Hide FT, B/O: $147

Five-SeveN Candy Apple FN, B/O: $61

Trade Offer Link - Steam Profile Link - My Inventory

Knives - Bowie Knife, Butterfly Knife, Falchion Knife, Flip Knife, Gut Knife, Huntsman Knife, M9 Bayonet, Bayonet, Karambit, Shadow Daggers, Stiletto Knife, Ursus Knife, Navaja Knife, Talon Knife, Classic Knife, Paracord Knife, Survival Knife, Nomad Knife, Skeleton Knife, Patterns - Gamma Doppler, Doppler (Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, Phase 4, Black Pearl, Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald), Crimson Web, Lore, Fade, Ultraviolet, Night, Marble Fade (Fire & Ice, Fake FI), Case Hardened (Blue Gem), Autotronic, Slaughter, Black Laminate, Tiger Tooth, Boreal Forest, Scorched, Blue Steel, Vanilla, Damascus Steel, Forest DDPAT, Urban Masked, Freehand, Stained, Bright Water, Safari Mesh, Rust Coat, Gloves - Bloodhound Gloves (Charred, Snakebite, Guerrilla, Bronzed), Driver Gloves (Snow Leopard, King Snake, Crimson Weave, Imperial Plaid, Black Tie, Lunar Weave, Diamondback, Rezan the Red, Overtake, Queen Jaguar, Convoy, Racing Green), Hand Wraps (Cobalt Skulls, CAUTION!, Overprint, Slaughter, Leather, Giraffe, Badlands, Spruce DDPAT, Arboreal, Constrictor, Desert Shamagh, Duct Tape), Moto Gloves (Spearmint, POW!, Cool Mint, Smoke Out, Finish Line, Polygon, Blood Pressure, Turtle, Boom!, Eclipse, 3rd Commando Company, Transport), Specialist Gloves (Crimson Kimono, Tiger Strike, Emerald Web, Field Agent, Marble Fade, Fade, Foundation, Lt. Commander, Crimson Web, Mogul, Forest DDPAT, Buckshot), Sport Gloves (Pandora's Box, Superconductor, Hedge Maze, Vice, Amphibious, Slingshot, Omega, Arid, Big Game, Nocts, Scarlet Shamagh, Bronze Morph), Hydra Gloves (Case Hardened, Emerald, Rattler, Mangrove), Broken Fang Gloves (Jade, Yellow-banded, Unhinged, Needle Point), Pistols - P2000 (Wicked Sick, Ocean Foam, Fire Element, Amber Fade, Corticera, Chainmail, Imperial Dragon, Obsidian, Scorpion, Handgun, Acid Etched), USP-S (Printstream, Kill Confirmed, Whiteout, Road Rash, Owergrowth, The Traitor, Neo-Noir, Dark Water, Orion, Blueprint, Stainless, Caiman, Serum, Monster Mashup, Royal Blue, Ancient Visions, Cortex, Orange Anolis, Ticket To Hell, Black Lotus, Cyrex, Check Engine, Guardian, Purple DDPAT, Torque, Blood Tiger, Flashback, Business Class, Pathfinder, Para Green), Lead Conduit, Glock-18 (Umbral Rabbit, Fade, Candy Apple, Bullet Queen, Synth Leaf, Neo-Noir, Nuclear Garden, Dragon Tatto, Reactor, Pink DDPAT, Twilight Galaxy, Sand Dune, Groundwater, Blue Fissure, Snack Attack, Water Elemental, Brass, Wasteland Rebel, Vogue, Franklin, Royal Legion, Gamma Doppler, Weasel, Steel Disruption, Ironwork, Grinder, High Beam, Moonrise, Oxide Blaze, Bunsen Burner, Clear Polymer, Bunsen Burner, Night), P250 (Re.built, Nuclear Threat, Modern Hunter, Splash, Whiteout, Vino Primo, Mehndi, Asiimov, Visions, Undertow, Cartel, See Ya Later, Gunsmoke, Splash, Digital Architect, Muertos, Red Rock, Bengal Tiger, Crimson Kimono, Wingshot, Metallic DDPAT, Hive, Dark Filigree, Mint Kimono), Five-Seven (Neon Kimono, Berries And Cherries, Fall Hazard, Crimson Blossom, Hyper Beast, Nitro, Fairy Tale, Case Hardened, Copper Galaxy, Angry Mob, Monkey Business, Fowl Play, Anodized Gunmetal, Hot Shot, Retrobution, Boost Protocol), CZ75-Auto (Chalice, Crimson Web, Emerald Quartz, The Fuschia is Now, Nitro, Xiangliu, Yellow Jacket, Victoria, Poison Dart, Syndicate, Eco, Hexane, Pole, Tigris), Tec-9 (Rebel, Terrace, Nuclear Threat, Hades, Rust Leaf, Decimator, Blast From, Orange Murano, Toxic, Fuel Injector, Remote Control, Bamboo Forest, Isaac, Avalanche, Brother, Re-Entry, Blue Titanium, Bamboozle), R8 Revolver (Banana Cannon, Fade, Blaze, Crimson Web, Liama Cannon, Crazy 8, Reboot, Canal Spray, Night, Amber Fade), Desert Eagle (Blaze, Hand Cannon, Fennec Fox, Sunset Storm, Emerald Jörmungandr, Pilot, Hypnotic, Golden Koi, Printstream, Cobalt Disruption, Code Red, Ocean Drive, Midnight Storm, Kumicho Dragon, Crimson Web, Heirloom, Night Heist, Mecha Industries, Night, Conspiracy, Trigger Discipline, Naga, Directive, Light Rail), Dual Berettas (Flora Carnivora, Duelist, Cobra Strike, Black Limba, Emerald, Hemoglobin, Twin Turbo, Marina, Melondrama, Pyre, Retribution, Briar, Dezastre, Royal Consorts, Urban Shock, Dualing Dragons, Panther, Balance), Rifles - Galil (Aqua Terrace, Winter Forest, Chatterbox, Sugar Rush, Pheonix Blacklight, CAUTION!, Orange DDPAT, Cerberus, Dusk Ruins, Eco, Chromatic Aberration, Stone Cold, Tuxedo, Sandstorm, Shattered, Urban Rubble, Rocket Pop, Kami, Crimson Tsunami, Connexion), SCAR-20 (Fragments, Brass, Cyrex, Palm, Splash Jam, Cardiac, Emerald, Crimson Web, Magna Carta, Stone Mosaico, Bloodsport, Enforcer), AWP (Duality, Gungnir, Dragon Lore, Prince, Medusa, Desert Hydra, Fade, Lightning Strike, Oni Taiji, Silk Tiger, Graphite, Chromatic Aberration, Asiimov, Snake Camo, Boom, Containment Breach, Wildfire, Redline, Electric Hive, Hyper Beast, Neo-Noir, Man-o'-war, Pink DDPAT, Corticera, Sun in Leo, Elite Build, Fever Dream, Atheris, Mortis, PAW, Exoskeleton, Worm God, POP AWP, Phobos, Acheron, Pit Viper, Capillary, Safari Mesh), AK-47 (Head Shot, Wild Lotus, Gold Arabesque, X-Ray, Fire Serpent, Hydroponic, Panthera Onca, Case Hardened, Vulcan, Jet Set, Fuel Injector, Bloodsport, Nightwish, First Class, Neon Rider, Asiimov, Red Laminate, Aquamarine Revenge, The Empress, Wasteland Rebel, Jaguar, Black Laminate, Leet Museo, Neon Revolution, Redline, Frontside Misty, Predator, Legion of Anubis, Point Disarray, Orbit Mk01, Blue Laminate, Green Laminate, Emerald Pinstripe, Cartel, Phantom Disruptor, Jungle Spray, Safety Net, Rat Rod, Baroque Purple, Slate, Elite Build, Uncharted, Safari Mesh), FAMAS (Sundown, Prime Conspiracy, Afterimage, Commemoration, Dark Water, Spitfire, Pulse, Eye of Athena, Meltdown, Rapid Eye Move, Roll Cage, Styx, Mecha Industrie, Djinn, ZX Spectron, Valence, Neural Net, Night Borre, Hexne), M4A4 (Temukau, Howl, Poseidon, Asiimov, Daybreak, Hellfire, Zirka, Red DDPAT, Radiation Hazard, Modern Hunter, The Emperor, The Coalition, Bullet Rain, Cyber Security, X-Ray, Dark Blossom, Buzz Kill, In Living Color, Neo-Noir, Desolate Space, 龍王 (Dragon King), Royal Paladin, The Battlestar, Global Offensive, Tooth Fairy, Desert-Strike, Griffin, Evil Daimyo, Spider Lily, Converter), M4A1-S (Emphorosaur-S, Welcome to the Jungle, Imminent Danger, Knight, Hot Rod, Icarus Fell, Blue Phosphor, Printstream, Master Piece, Dark Water, Golden Coil, Bright Water, Player Two, Atomic Alloy, Guardian, Chantico's Fire, Hyper Beast, Mecha Industries, Cyrex, Control Panel, Moss Quartz, Nightmare, Decimator, Leaded Glass, Basilisk, Blood Tiger, Briefing, Night Terror, Nitro, VariCamo, Flashback), SG 553 (Cyberforce, Hazard Pay, Bulldozer, Integrale, Dragon Tech, Ultraviolet, Colony IV, Hypnotic, Cyrex, Candy Apple, Barricade, Pulse), SSG 08 (Death Strike, Sea Calico, Blood in the Water, Orange Filigree, Dragonfire, Big Iron, Bloodshot, Detour, Turbo Peek, Red Stone), AUG (Akihabara Accept, Flame Jörmungandr, Hot Rod, Midnight Lily, Sand Storm, Carved Jade, Wings, Anodized Navy, Death by Puppy, Torque, Bengal Tiger, Chameleon, Fleet Flock, Random Access, Momentum, Syd Mead, Stymphalian, Arctic Wolf, Aristocrat, Navy Murano), G3SG1 (Chronos, Violet Murano, Flux, Demeter, Orange Kimono, The Executioner, Green Apple, Arctic Polar Camo, Contractor), SMGs - P90 (Neoqueen, Astral Jörmungandr, Run and Hide, Emerald Dragon, Cold Blooded, Death by Kitty, Baroque Red, Vent Rush, Blind Spot, Asiimov, Trigon, Sunset Lily, Death Grip, Leather, Nostalgia, Fallout Warning, Tiger Pit, Schermatic, Virus, Shapewood, Glacier Mesh, Shallow Grave, Chopper, Desert Warfare), MAC-10 (Sakkaku, Hot Snakes, Copper Borre, Red Filigree, Gold Brick, Graven, Case Hardened, Stalker, Amber Fade, Neon Rider, Tatter, Curse, Propaganda, Nuclear Garden, Disco Tech, Toybox, Heat, Indigo), UMP-45 (Wild Child, Fade, Blaze, Day Lily, Minotaur's Labyrinth, Crime Scene, Caramel, Bone Pile, Momentum, Primal Saber), MP7 (Teal Blossom, Fade, Nemesis, Whiteout, Asterion, Bloosport, Abyssal Apparition, Full Stop, Special Delivery, Neon Ply, Asterion, Ocean Foam, Powercore, Scorched, Impire), PP-Bizon (Modern Hunter, Rust Coat, Forest Leaves, Antique, High Roller, Blue Streak, Seabird, Judgement of Anubis, Bamboo Print, Embargo, Chemical Green, Coblat Halftone, Fuel Rod, Photic Zone, Irradiated Alert, Carbon Fiber), MP9 (Featherweight, Wild Lily, Pandora's Box, Stained Glass, Bulldozer, Dark Age, Hot Rod, Hypnotic, Hydra, Rose Iron, Music Box, Setting Sun, Food Chain, Airlock, Mount Fuji, Starlight Protector, Ruby Poison Dart, Deadly Poison), MP5-SD (Liquidation, Oxide Oasis, Phosphor, Nitro, Agent, Autumn Twilly), Shotguns, Machineguns - Sawed-Off (Kiss♥Love, First Class, Orange DDPAT, Rust Coat, The Kraken, Devourer, Mosaico, Wasteland Princess, Bamboo Shadow, Copper, Serenity, Limelight, Apocalypto), XM1014 (Frost Borre, Ancient Lore, Red Leather, Elegant Vines, Banana Leaf, Jungle, Urban Perforated, Grassland, Blaze Orange, Heaven Guard, VariCamo Blue, Entombed, XOXO, Seasons, Tranquility, Bone Machine, Incinegator, Teclu Burner, Black Tie, Zombie Offensive, Watchdog), Nova (Baroque Orange, Hyper Beast, Green Apple, Antique, Modern Hunter, Walnut, Forest Leaves, Graphite, Blaze Orange, Rising Skull, Tempest, Bloomstick, Interlock, Quick Sand, Moon in Libra, Clean Polymer, Red Quartz, Toy Soldier), MAG-7 (Insomnia, Cinqueda, Counter Terrace, Prism Terrace, Memento, Chainmail, Hazard, Justice, Bulldozer, Silver, Core Breach, Firestarter, Praetorian, Heat, Hard Water, Monster Call, BI83 Spectrum, SWAG-7), M249 (Humidor, Shipping Forecast, Blizzard Marbleized, Downtown, Jungle DDPAT, Nebula Crusader, Impact Drill, Emerald Poison Dart), Negev (Mjölnir, Anodized Navy, Palm, Power Loader, Bratatat, CaliCamo, Phoenix Stencil, Infrastructure, Boroque Sand), Wear - Factory New (FN), Minimal Wear (MW), Field-Tested (FT), Well-Worn (WW), Battle-Scarred (BS), Stickers Holo/Foil/Gold - Katowice 2014, Krakow 2017, Howling Dawn, Katowice 2015, Crown, London 2018, Cologne 2014, Boston 2018, Atlanta 2017, Cluj-Napoca 2015, DreamHack 2014, King on the Field, Harp of War, Winged Difuser, Cologne 2016, Cologne 2015, MLG Columbus 2016, Katowice 2019, Berlin 2019, RMR 2020, Stockholm 2021, Antwerp 2022, Swag Foil, Flammable foil, Others - Souvenirs, Agents, Pins, Passes, Gifts, Music Kits, Cases, Keys, Capsules, Packages, Patches

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Does anyone know if you can swim at Pennington Flash without paying into the Open Swim group?
I want to go swim there but can’t make the timings they run.
Obviously it’s safer to swim during the sessions, but plenty of people swim in Sale Water Park without being park of the swim group.

Use this thread to promote yourself and/or your work!
(Descriptions of fictional crimes investigated by the story's main Character Max.)
Detective's Fate
It's august of 2008.....
Max is a detective living in Chicago He checks his pistol and puts on his police badge as he walks out his front door.
He has been searching for a serial killer known as the Caller for years and always been one step behind due to the red tape.....
More importantly the chief's lazy attitude towards getting search warrants and actions approved by the courts for raids. Twice Max had good intel on the suspect's locations and photo evidence showing him at the sites.
The department needs more vigilant, caring officers and leaders but no one steps up to do it, instead they just complain about the slow progress and officers. And hinder investigations.
Now Max has decided that it might be time to stop playing by the rules and catch this scumbag.... .... ....
Starting his car Max sets his GPS to the address that "The Caller" was last seen and pulls out of his driveway as the 50 miles of directions pop up.
The killer's nickname being for his signature of calling in as he is committing the crime.
As he drives he remembers his first case, five years ago now..... ..... .....
A woman, Joane Taylor, was found dead in an alleyway after going out for the night. She showed no signs of struggle leading the police to believe she had drank to much and expired from alcohol poisoning.... ...
The death was written off as a "party gone wrong".... That is until several more were found and the coroner decided on a whim to test for other substances.
Once it came out that the deaths were possible murders...
The calls started coming in, almost like the suspect wanted credit before revealing himself....
Then ways of the deaths began changing as the Serial Killer explored his twisted desires searching for his preferred method.
The last case being a young woman found stuffed in a dumpster after the killer apparently got scared off.... Max will never forget it.... .... ....
The GPS finishes and the car beeps its final direction, taking an exit off the highway. Ramps out here are always confusing... Which is funny since he has driven this one for five years now...
The chief says he should sit this one out but he can't... The latest victim 3 months ago.
Marie Spelner, a waitress out on her smoke break talking to her spouse on the phone.
Survived by her husband, no children or living relatives. ....
Max Spelner turns into the driveway of the house he was directed to... Stepping out of the car he walks up and knocks on the door. Looking at the house he knows the family must be doing well if they live here.... Raising his hand to knock again he hears a scream from inside....
A second later the door is answered by a middle aged butler holding a tray with wine glasses on it... "Hello Sir, I'm sorry but this house does not wish to partake in any offers at this time..."
Max calmly says. "I'm not selling anything."
The butler looks confused for a moment before his eyes dart over Max's shoulder seeing his unmarked cruiser and he nods.
Looking past the butler Max sees that a woman is cleaning up after their dog.
"Have you seen this man?" Says Max holds up a picture of the one suspected of being the killer.
The butler gives it a once over before replying. "I'm sorry sir, no I have not." His tone sounds like he is lying... ....
"Are you sure?" The detective asks.
"I would not lie about something like that, sir." He states, his eyes not meeting Max's.
The woman calls from inside "Fletcher, who are you talking too?"
"Some man asking about a killer" he calls back.
"The killer is an inside job!" The woman quickly states.
"What?!" Max says.
"The Killer, it's an inside job." She says again, louder this time. In the same Max also hears a child begin to cry in another room.
"We should start from the beginning, it will be easier to explain trust me." The woman says.
'She seems to know what is going on....
"How do I know your story holds water?" He asks out loud.
"Oh I wouldn't lie. I have been following the case myself and it seems like an inside job to me." She states, somehow sounding hurt.
"Is there anyone else in the house besides you two and the baby?" He asks noticing the baby isn't crying anymore.
"Just Fletcher and I live here, the baby is my cousins but he just stays the night sometimes." She replies.
Max draws his gun and enters the house upon reasonable suspicion of an emergency in progress or suspect on the premisses as the man seems to be deceiving.
While the woman still seems unconcerned that the child is now silent.
He pushes past the butler and rushes towards the area he heard the crying. passes the entryway, the dinning room, and a kitchen before finally finding a child in a playpen.
"There there..." He says in a sing song voice picking up the child. "I'm officer Max, do you know where your mommy is?"
The child just cries louder.
Then he sees the man from the photo walk out of the bathroom, upon seeing him he bolts for the door and Max sets the child down gently then gives chase.
He runs through the house, following the man as he can hear the woman screaming at him to stop but he doesn't."
"Stop or I'll shoot." The man doesn't even break stride.
Instead he runs out of the front door and jumps into his car.
Furious that the man might escape he fires at the car as it drives away.
The back window shatters and he hopes he got his tire, but he doesn't wait to find out as he runs to his car and initiates a pursuit....
He flips on his concealed lights in his cruiser as he reverses down the drive and into the street.
The suspects car is fast but he manages to keep up with it weaving in and out of traffic as people move over for the siren.
As they approach a red light there is heavy traffic in the intersection..... ....
The suspect slams on his brakes and Max's cruiser only just stops short of hitting it. Jumping out the Detective points his firearm at the vehicle running up beside seeing heavily tinted windows.
"Get out of the car and on the ground now!!" He shouts as he moves to the driver's side door.
After seeing no response....
Max throws open the door and the driver is gone with the passenger side open.
He quickly runs to the other side catching the man trying to sneak off tackling him to the ground and then takes his arms putting them behind his back.
Max grabs his radio and calls it in as the man cries.
As he is waiting he hears a noise that sounds like static.....
"Wrong guy moron.. Did you ever stop to think I wanted you close for this one. That I planned everything...Even framing the pothead..... I almost lost interest until you pulled in the driveway... The attic is kinda cramped tho... I think I'll go carve some meat. Maybe graduate to other things to. I'm not sure yet. Lets see if you can catch me before......" A familiar voice says over the radio then cuts off... ...
Max looks at the man on the ground. "Why did you run from me?" He asks.
"Cause I have like 19 grams of marijuana in my pocket." He replies...
"Do you know how stupid that is?! I don't care about that I'm looking for a killer."
Before he can answer Max hears the woman from the house screaming for her life and a child's cries on his radio.
Then from below Max. "He's in the house, he's in the house! My mom and the baby!" The man on the ground says crying.
Max uncuffs him and runs to his car heading back to the house as he lays down rubber on the road... ... ...
As he approaches and pulls into the driveway he notices the front door is open.
"Hold on I'm coming!" Max screams jumping out of his cruiser...
He runs into the house finding the woman's body arriving too late. Moving over to her he checks for a pulse but she is gone, a large gash in her neck.
As he stands up he slips in a fluid but gains his balance and tries not to think about what it is....
He rushes to the room the baby was in finding the play pen empty. He leaves the room searching the rest of the house and still doesn't find the child.
"Where are you!!!" He calls out....
"This is the Callers first kidnapping and the media would eat up the fact I failed to stop the man." He thinks as he blames himself.
Sirens begin to blare in the distance as backup is about to arrive... ... ...
"There's a woman dead and a baby missing! The woman is in the dinning room straight ahead of the front door, Hurry!" He yells into his radio...
Looking over at the mother seeing a piece of paper on the floor.
He walks over to it seeing writing.
"So close... Looks like I'm a kidnapper now.... Good luck finding me.... And... I so enjoyed killing that sweet wife of yours. Might do it that way again. Not to the kid tho....later Max. Ps. This game is so fun.." It says.
"He was here..." Is all he can muster as the team enters.
"He was right in this house and I missed it because her son freaked over weed and ran..." He says as another officer speaks to him gently.
"Don't beat yourself up Detective, it's not your fault. He must have hid before you got her and left after you arrived." The words do little to comfort him "First day back on the job and the killer escaped taking a child..." He says as he walks away.
The chief arrives in his new lexus with a screeching of rubber as he lurches to a halt.
He quickly exits and leaves his door hanging open as he rushes into Max's face....
"I told you to stay away from this case MAX!!!!....(takes a breath)...
"If I catch any flak from my superiors, I won't suspend you.... That'd be to easy. Desk duty and an entry level demotion. The new guy will have a higher rank than you if things go my way.... Now get outta my sight...". "(Sighs)...
"This job is gonna be the death of me..." He says walking away from Max and towards the Coroner's van..... ..... .....
On the way home the detective stops by the store close to his house which is unlike him because he usually follows the same routine.
He nears the front door and he hears a kitchen timer ding loudly from behind him as his car explodes throwing him through the storefront windows as they are blown out..... .....
Alarms around the lot and others nearby create a cacophony of noise. His head pounding as his body aches, Max pushes himself up and collapses as the store manager runs over to him telling him not to move as he dials 911.... .... ....
Waking in the hospital Max recalls the feeling of the Shockwave as he flinches in phantom pain.
"Who woulda thought its like holding a ringing metal bat that hurts your hands but all over and way more intense." He thinks.
He suddenly feels tired and falls asleep.... .... .... ....
The next time he wakes, he sees a breaking news story that Jane Saltani is reporting on....
"Young toddler Accidently Shoots Serial killekidnapper ending his life and Alerting residents in the Area." The news anchor says.
Sighing to himself Max thinks about how crazy that is and laughs.
Tho he really wanted to bring the guy in. He closes his eyes to get some much needed sleep as his door opens.
Max looks up to see a man with a silenced pistol pointed at him.
"Hm. Now they think I'm dead. Funny how they just assume they got the right guy. Just like.... You did Detect... ....." Max hears but then hears no more as his end comes at just over the speed of sound....
The Caller leaves the hair of another intelligent convicted murderer that he obtained in a spot that's believable and quickly leaves.....
He disables the surveillance system and sends a virus out to any device that has received video data from the hospital.
Erasing and corrupting the systems. Leaving a master hackers finger prints on a glass from his home....
"Sorry, no witnesses." He says to the security guard as he fires... ..... ..... .... ....

Hi all, lots of people gave me planning tips so I wanted to return the favor by summarizing my trip, in case it’s helpful. I traveled with my wife. We live in So Cal so we drove to the park the morning of. We did not buy any add ons (like Genie Plus or Lightning Lanes)
Rope drop: my wife and I went straight to Adventureland and boarded Indiana Jones (20 minute wait)
Immediately after, walked onto Jungle Cruise (no wait). Then walked into Pirates (no wait, but broke down for ten minutes). From there, got a churro (no line) and walked onto Winnie the Pooh (no wait).
Walked to galaxy’s edge. Lines were long so went to cantina (walked in without reservation, then left after a few minutes after the stormtroopers came in).
Went to Fantasyland. Rode Pinocchio (no wait), Snow White (ten minutes), the carousel (five minutes), and the storybook river cruise (five minutes). Then walked onto Small World (no wait).
This is when the park started filling up somewhat (around 11am). After, headed to Tomorrowland and rode Star Tours (25 minutes) and Buzz Lightyear (35 minutes). Got a pretzel (no wait) before hopping into Star tours line.
Crossed back to adventure land to get some dole whip with mango chimoy (can’t mobile order, so waited about fifteen minutes and soaked in the vibes). Then snacked on beignets at hungry bear (mobile ordered - no wait).
At this point, rise of the resistance had broken down. We went back to galaxy’s edge and ate lunch at the restaurant (I think it’s called landing port). Food was excellent. Atmosphere was amazing.
Then went to smugglers run (45 min wait). As we neared the end of the line I saw on the app that the wait ballooned to 180 minutes. Meanwhile ROTR was still closed.
After, went to chill in galaxy’s edge. Saw the mandalorian. Walked past ROTR. The cast members at the entrance were letting people in and told us the wait would be 40-50 min. In actuality the ride was still broken. As we waited, many park guests exited the line from the front. Several said they had waited two hours. We waited for an hour and then bailed. I checked the app throughout the day after and the ride stated down for another two hours or so.
After leaving ROTR, we veered to frontier land because we hadn’t seen it yet. We browsed the shops for a while, then went to Main Street to get coffee at Starbucks (15-20 min wait). It was definitely worth the wait because we were really tired and needed the coffee. We sipped our coffee and relaxed, pursuing the main street sites, shops, and exhibits.
After, we did the tea cups (10 or 15 minute wait). Then the parade marched past us, so we got to see the parade. We didn’t have the best view (we were near small world), but we got a pretty decent view of everything and enjoyed the parade.
After, we stopped by toon town just to take in the sites. Rodger rabbit had an hour wait, but we didn’t want to go on it. The new Micky and Minnie ride was not taking standby wait anymore (just lightning lane). But toon town was really cute (spent about ten minutes just walking around).
Next, we headed to the Mark Twain for a sunset cruise. It was a highlight of the day. Really nice ride. Very impressive ship.
Then we hopped off and walked around New Orleans Square at night. Really beautiful when sun sets. Then, we did the same for Galaxy’s edge. We bought some dinner (sausages - pretty delicious and no wait) and then took in the sites. We also checked out the gift shop. (By this time ROTR was reopen but the lightning lane was over an hour wait because the ride had essentially been broken all day)
We ended the day by walking around fantasy land, through tomorrow land, to the front of the castle. We arrived around 9pm and waited for the fireworks show. We got a great spot and enjoyed the show.
After the show, we did some last minute shopping in Main Street and downtown Disney. After waiting out the crowds for a bit we took the tram back to the parking lot and were out of the parking lot around 10:30/11pm.
—————— Biggest tips: Be at the parking lot no later than 7:30am and make sure you rope drop. We got on pretty much every ride.
Don’t expect to get on ROTR or the new Micky and Minnie ride. It’s slammed. If you really want to go, you have to prioritize it and recognize you’ll have to pay for extras (stay an extra day, buy lightning lanes, and/or buy genie plus) or you’ll have to be willing to go on fewer attractions so that you can make it in one of these two rides. You also need a little luck - the reason I didn’t rope drop ROTR is because everyone rope drops it and because it’s often broken down at the beginning of the day. So I didn’t want to roll the dice and risk losing that two hour window where few people are in the park.
The rides are fun but definitely pick and choose what you go on. If a ride doesn’t interest you very much, then don’t spend an hour waiting for it. For instance, we skipped a few rides like Autopia because we didn’t care for that ride. Same with some roller coasters (they’re cool but my wife doesn’t like roller coasters and Disney coasters aren’t worth waiting more than an hour, to me. But I’ve been going for years so I’ve been on all the coasters a million times.)
Instead, one of the best parts of the park is soaking in the good vibes, hanging with a snack, and just appreciating all the immersive decor.
Similarly, I recommend revisiting parts of the park during different times of day. The ambiance totally changes at sunset and then during the evening. The best examples are Main Street, Galaxy’s Edge, and New Orleans Square.
I think one of the best things we did was rope dropping adventure land. Most people rushed to ROTR or Space Mountain, which had pretty big wait times. If you were one of the lucky few who made it to the front of the line, it may have been worth it, but most people probably had to wait a while. By contrast, rope dropping adventure land enabled me to go on a bunch of rides in the first two hours. It took stress off the second half of the day. I also saw that many of these rides had huge lines after eleven.
Bring a backpack. Pack an extra pair of shoes, water, and sunblock.
Lastly, I recommend doing a river cruise through the Mark Twain at sunset. I also recommend getting to the fireworks show at least 30 minutes early, but no more than 45 minutes early.
A final tip - research before you go. Familiarize yourself with the park layout, get the app, watch YouTube videos, and get a game plan. You should have a sense of what you want to do and how you’re going to accomplish it.

He's a 17mo old standard poodle. I've had him just shy of two weeks. He was rehomed to us by a friend of my kid. So my kid knows this dog and already had a bond with him. (He was loved and well taken care of in his piror home).
A few examples:
I'm on the phone and my kid is watching TV. Dog comes up to me and sits next to me and starts barking at me. Son notices and calls dog to him and dog keeps barking at me. My kid grabs a ball and calls for dog, dog continues barking at me. My kid throws the ball across the room and says dogs name and finally he stops barking at me and engages in playtime with my kid.
This morning I drive to the park (about 5 minutes) and I take dog for a 40 minute walk. Back in car for 5 minute ride back home. Once back home I throw the ball around with him when he lets me grab it, he loves to grab it first most of the time, so i grab it when i can and we continue this for about 10 minutes. Then I decide to drink my coffee and watch the news. I grab his yak stick (he has shown on and off interest in this) and hand it to him. He takes it, puts it down and walks over to me, sits right next to me, stares in my face, and barks. So I think, oh I haven't filled his food bowl. I go and do that and then I'm standing at the fridge getting water to pour into his water bowl and he comes up to me and starts barking at me. I ignore and pour his water. I go sit back down and he's right there barking at me. I go and get one of his frozen treat toys (similar to the kong but shaped different). It's filled with PB, greek yogurt, and pumpkin. He takes it and goes to work on it for about 20 minutes and then he's right back next to me barking. I try petting him and talking to him, rubbing him down, telling him he's a good boy, etc. When I do this he will scoot back to where I can't reach him and continue to bark. After that he will get close to me again while barking and put his paw on my lap. So I get up, walk into the kitchen and start unloading my dishwasher. He wanders off for a minute, and then lays down by front door. I finish the dishwasher and then go back to sit down in living room and he follows me and starts barking at me. He brings me his stuffed squeaky toy. We play tug of war with it for a bit and then I throw it, he retrieves it a few times and then the last time i throw it he just looks at it, then looks at me and starts barking at me again. I think maybe he wants to go out back so I open the door, he wonders around the deck for a few seconds and then comes back in. Barks at me again. I get up and give him his dental chewy. He takes it and works on that for about 15 minutes. He comes up to me after and barks at me. I get up and start moving around, doing busy work so he goes and lays next to the door and starts napping. Continues to nap for about an hour until my kid comes down and he jumps up out of his sleep. This whole process of him barking at me and me trying to drink my coffee and watch the news was about 1.5 hours. I know poodles need a lot of enrichment and exercise, but it seems like if he's not actively engaging in some activity he's barking at me. Don't dogs ever just chill and hang out? He's a great dog and we all love him, but his barking at me is starting to stress me out.
On school mornings I get up in the monring and I give him lots of hellos, petting, talking to him, etc. We go out back immediately so he can potty. Sometimes I have to use the bathroom real quick before I take him out back, he sits at the bathroom door and barks at me. We go out back and I'll throw the ball around to him, he'll go potty. This is usually 20 minutes. Often he'll come up to me and bark, which I guess means he wants to come back in. So we do. Then he will follow me to my kids room to wake him up for school. As I'm waking my kid, dog is looking at me and barking. We come back downstairs. I have about 20 minutes before my kid is ready to leave for school. I always take dog with me for the car ride and then we immediately take a walk before we come back in the house. I sit down at my computer and the dog is immediately barking at me. I try petting him and talking to him, he backs up so i cant reach him and continues barking at me. I try to ignore, he keeps barking. I get up and move around and he follows me around. I try to sit again to check some emails and he's back barking at me and putting his paw on me. So the entire 20 minutes before we leave to take kid to school he's barking at me and I'm trying to distrat him somehow. This is not what I imagined life with a dog to be like.
It's not a deep scary bark but it's high-pitched. And his eyes are very human like and he just stares at me and barks and sometimes does a low growl (not the scary sounding growl when he sees someone outside). But still, it's unnerving and stressing me out to have my dog barking at me every day. My kids are great at taking him outside and playing with him, taking him for car rides, etc. He's in and out of the house several times a day (we have a fenced in backyard). But he still barks at me if he's not sleeping or doing somehing with someone. I'm a first time dog owner so I'm really not sure how to handle this. He'll ignore everyone else in the household and come and bark at me. He also follows me around like a shadow. Every move I make he is right by my side. I don't mind that, but I'd really like to nip this barking at me thing. Has anyone btdt? What has worked for you?
He has toys, balls, stuffed animals, tug of war toys, puzzle feeder (that he can do in minutes), a snuffle mat, kong, etc. This morning I gave him his yak stick (which he did not chew on), his frozen treat, and his dental chew, all before 11am, just to get him to stop barking at me.
Please, someone help!

Background: I’ve been playing for over a year and feel confident in the game. Know all the regions very well with the exception of HRV. Have been there a few times and even mapped it for Faithfull Cartographer. 🙂
Day 271 Voyager run. First run since DLC came to consoles. Just got to HRV and was going to settle into my first base in the region. I chose the same cave I’ve always used. It’s just NE of Stairsteps Lake. It’s the one with the scrub brush in front of it.
I had downed a deer on the way in and was at full scent bars. No worries since the deer was on the lake and the cave was just over the hill. I know there is a bear cave off to the east but no sign of him.
So there I was inside the cave still holding all of the raw meat just setting up my little base getting ready to make a fire and cook some yummy venison for lunch. All of a sudden I hear the spine tingling sound of a bear roar. I turn to look at the cave entrance and there he is standing up getting ready to charge. I hit the quick draw button trying to get my pistol out but not in time. Before I know it he’s on me. It was one heck of a mauling.
After he’s done with me, I hear the heartbeats and realize I only have about 15% health. Yikes! Ok I think, no problem. Let me stop that bleeding and disinfect the wound. A quick snack from my emergency MRE and some water and I’ll be fine. No sooner than I get the wound dressed and here he comes for a second round. He never left the cave, he just turned around and came back at me without any provocation. Well, needless to say that was that. I’m now his lunch and the run is over.
Post run debrief: So I realize I should have dropped the meat as soon as I got in the cave. However I’ve never, ever seen the bear patrol by this cave. Does he and I just missed it before?
Secondly, would a shot from the hip stop a charging bear? I feel like it would have but not sure. I definitely didn’t have time to go into the radial and select the flare gun.
Lastly, I’ve never been re-attacked by a predator without provocation that I can remember. Since this is apparently possible, should I have pulled a flare gun before beginning the damage control process?
Please tell me how you would have handled this situation. I am always a student of this game and would love to know all the ways I messed up. Thanks survivors!

When you're rich enough, you get perks you can only dream of. Literally. But somehow, my paradise turned into hell.
Have you ever had a dream so amazing, you wished you could relive it? Explore it? Relish it? Well, when you're rich enough, you don't have to wish. It's a reality thanks to dream banks. You may have heard of them and their pricy services, which include recording, saving, and projecting dreams.
For example, if you'd like a dream recorded, you can book one of their luxurious suites for the night, where the dream techs will fit you with a special helmet and leave you to rest. The next morning, they'll replay the recorded dream for you via the helmet and ask if you want to shell out the extra bucks to save it. If you don't, they'll delete it and you can pay to book for another time to try again.
If you do decide to save it, you must select an item within the dream that will act as the exit key. (This will come in handy during projections.) While still wearing the helmet, you must touch the item, and the dream techs will label those electric signals as the key.
Afterwards, everything is saved under your name, and you can now relive your dream at any time by booking a suite for three, five, or eight hours. Unlike recordings, during projections, you don't have to wait for sleep to come. After you enjoy a snack of your choice, the helmet is fitted and you're immediately transported to your dream, where you have free will and can enjoy it at your leisure. And if you ever need to leave early, this is when you touch the key, which will shut down the helmet right away.
In my case, the key is the stegosaurus leather rug I have hanging on the wall of my throne room. I never have a reason to touch it otherwise, making it a perfect key. I've also never had to touch it. Experiencing life as an all-powerful, worshipped being who lives on my own planet and hunts dinosaurs in my spare time, I relished my dream to the last second.
Yes, the fees are exorbitant, but at the time, I felt it was worth it. The techs were skilled, the system was sleek, and the dreams were private. Each could only be unlocked by the unique brainwaves of the dreamer.
Or so I thought.
My literal nightmare began when I booked a five-hour projection on a rainy Friday afternoon. After taking a sip of champagne to wash down the cranberry brie bites, I settled into the cool silk sheets with a smile. My usual dream tech smiled back as she fastened my helmet, and the last thing I heard was her wishing me pleasant dreams before I was plunged into darkness.
I waited for the split-second adjustment from reality to the dream world, and my confusion grew when I didn't find myself on my throne surrounded by fawning gods and goddesses.
Instead, I found myself in the middle of an endless street. Alone. There were no cars, no life, not even wind. Towering street lamps lined the sidewalk as far as I could see, arcing over the road and tinting everything an eerie red. Behind them, identical buildings stood side by side, silent, their dark, narrow windows hollow.
My pulse spiking, I whipped around. The other direction was just as endless. Uneasy confusion prickled beneath my skin. This had to be someone else's dream. The techs must have made a mistake. I didn't know how it was possible, but there was no other explanation.
My unease piqued as my situation sank in. I was in a stranger's dream and I didn't know the key. I was stuck here until my five hours ran out. Or until the techs realized their mistake. I was ready to rip them a new one once I was out, but until then, I had no choice but to wait.
I studied my surroundings with a frown before I walked over to the curb and sat down, and that was when I noticed I couldn't feel anything. I also noticed I was naked. It didn't matter. There was no one here, and none of this was real anyway.
Time passed, and I tried to distract myself from my nettled offense by humming, but no sound came out. Sitting up, I took a deep breath and screamed. Not even a squeak was heard. I slapped my hand against the ground. Nothing. This place was like a black hole of the senses.
Sighing, I lay down on my back and stared at the red light above me, wondering if I could fall asleep in a dream. I tried, but the more I wished to escape this silent, crimson prison, the more it seemed to come into focus. Soon, the utter lack of noise and movement grew from slightly unnerving to completely intolerable.
There was no way I could wait. I'd go insane. I had to get out of here. I had to find the key.
Jumping up, I ran to the nearest building and wrenched open the door, and a pitch black void greeted me. I gasped, and gasped again as it felt like my very breath was being suctioned out of my lungs. Panicking, silent wheezes rattled in my chest as I struggled to yank myself out of the vacuum, jerking my limbs and bucking my body until I toppled over backwards on the sidewalk.
Gulping in fitful breaths, I scrambled to my feet and ran down the road without looking back, my wide eyes scanning the horizon for salvation. I just wanted out of here, but the hellish path stretched on forever, making me feel like I was running in place as every identical building and street lamp mocked me. Even my silent stomping and mute panting served to draw insanity closer.
And then, a person showed up.
There, in the distance.
With my hope spurred, I raced towards them, desperate. I didn't care who they were. I needed to break this monotony.
As I got closer, hope morphed to confusion, and then to despair. The person was me. It was a mirror, propped up across the entire street.
Sweat-soaked, I slowed down to a jog before I stopped right in front of my reflection. It was me alright, naked, exhausted, and frustrated. But the eyes, something was off about the eyes. With an anxious frown, I stepped closer, staring into them, and they stared back …
… until they glanced behind me.
I gasped and jumped away, and so did my reflection … before it glanced over my shoulder again.
A chill trickled down my spine. My reflection had nothing behind it but the empty street, so I gulped and turned around, and my mouth fell open in a silent scream as a lovecraftian behemoth barrelled its way towards me. With its slick shell gleaming red beneath the lights, it slammed down one spiny tentacle after the other as its five mouths bared their dripping, concentric fangs.
Drenched in undiluted horror, tremors gripped my body as I stumbled away until my back was against the mirror. I knew death was a foolproof key in a dream, but I didn't know if this creature would kill me right away or leave me to suffer in agony until my five hours were up.
With it only inches away, I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed myself into the mirror, and my stomach flipped as I fell backwards. I opened my mouth to gasp, but there was nothing for me to draw in. Floating in an airless void, I flailed and thrashed, my wild eyes scanning the darkness for answers as I began to spin around.
Although death would free me, one of my greatest fears was suffocating. On one of my weightless rotations, a red, glass cube passed me by, and I grabbed it, hoping it was a breathing device. I brought it close to my face, and I gawked at what it held within.
Me.
Surrounded by identical buildings and red street lamps while a lovecraftian behemoth tore me apart.
Horrified, I threw the cube as far as I could and increased my efforts to escape this void. Yet all the flailing and thrashing was for naught as the darkness revealed no end. My eyesight began to go red as my lungs spasmed, and I clawed at my throat as my pulse stuttered in my chest.
The red kept growing and growing until it engulfed my entire vision, and I gave up. There was nothing to do but face my fears and die. With my straining heart lumbering, I let myself go limp as I stared at the red and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
I wasn't dying.
In fact, I could breathe just fine.
Frowning, I opened my eyes, and intense unease spread through my core. Above me, a red moon had taken up the entire sky, each one of its craters crystal clear, like eyes watching me. I turned my head away, and I realized I was in a park, laying down on the grass. Sitting up, I blinked in surprise at the pond right beside me, its opaque water reflecting the moon's red light. Ducks were swimming in a circle across its surface, their movements smooth with nary a splash.
Trees surrounded us, so dense I couldn't tell when one began and the other ended. It was mind-numbingly quiet here as well, and I still couldn't feel anything or make any noise, but at least the ducks were moving. This place seemed more tolerable than the last, and I was willing to wait out my five hours here. I hoped at least an hour had passed already, but with dreams, one never knew. All I knew was that I was too exhausted to search for the key. And too scared. I didn't know whose dream this was, but they had to be masochistic if they saved this nightmare.
Curling up beside the pond, I worked on calming myself down as I watched the ducks swim in their systematic circle over and over and over. I tried counting the rotations the way one would count sheep, but that still didn't lull me to sleep. I wished I'd chosen the three-hour projection, but at least I hadn't chosen the eight-hour one.
Distorted circus music crackled around me and I jolted up, my heart ricocheting in my chest. There was finally sound, but the last thing I wanted to hear was a cliche horror movie soundtrack. Gulping, I looked around. The music was coming from the trees, and my stomach dropped when I spied a shadow behind one of them. Then another. And another. They emerged into the crimson moonlight, and my blood turned to ice.
Clowns.
I whipped around, trembling to the rhythm of my frantic pulse. They were surrounding me. Dozens of them. As classic as any clown could be. Colorful clothes, big shoes, silly hair, exaggerated makeup. I wasn't scared of clowns, as long as they were where they belonged. And they didn't belong here, staring at me with big, empty eyes and yellow, toothy grins.
I tried to convince myself that they weren't dangerous since they didn't have weapons and didn't seem monstrous, but when they took a step closer in unison, I jumped back, nearly falling into the pond. The ducks remained oblivious, still swimming in their circle. The distorted circus music got louder, and my hair stood on end when I saw the grass ripple in front of each clown. They were sending something my way through the ground.
Panicking, I jumped into the pond, and I screamed as I sank right in. There was no bottom. There was no water either. The pond was filled with red, translucent spheres, each the size of a tennis ball. Still able to breathe, I began swimming through the spheres with clumsy breast strokes, just hoping I could end up as far away from the clowns as possible.
After swimming for what felt like enough time, I tried to swim up, until I realized I had no idea which direction I was facing. Remember a trick for those stuck in avalanches, I spat, but my glob of saliva just hovered in front of me. Before panic could set in, I noticed what looked like an office desk floating amidst the spheres in the distance. After blinking a few times to make sure it was really there, I swam towards it, desperate for any change in my situation.
It was an office desk, a wooden one with carved borders and locked drawers. Tucked beneath it was a stool, and the moment I pulled it out and set it under my ass, an office replaced the red spheres.
I grunted as gravity returned, and I looked around in bewilderment at the cluttered bookshelves and grimy floors. Dust was floating everywhere, highlighted by the red light filtering in through the blinds behind me. I jumped as a clock hanging on the wall chimed. Its glass was too dirty for me to tell the time, but I was glad I could hear. I coughed at the dust. And I could make noise. I dusted my hands. And I could feel. I could even smell, which I now wished I couldn't as I wrinkled my nose at the faint stench of rot.
After failing to read the spines of some of the books on the shelves, I studied the shadowy corners of the room. A slack-jawed skeleton hung in the far end, and a faded poster with anatomical diagrams curled off a cupboard. This had to be a doctor's office. Was the creator of this dream a doctor?
A silhouette slid in front of the frosted glass door, and I gulped as the knob began to turn. A hand reached in, gripping the edge one finger at a time, and my heart dropped as I knew this horror cliche was only going to be followed by another. Having no time to think, I slid off the stool and crouched beneath the desk, my hand over my mouth as cobwebs clung to me.
Praying spiders wouldn't swarm me, I peeked through a small slit in the wood, and I froze when an emaciated nurse walked in the room. Layers upon layers of blood coated her scrubs, so much so that I couldn't even tell what color they originally were. She had no shoes. No feet either. Just ankle stubs, and my stomach turned as I heard bone clunk against the tiles.
A surgical mask covered her face, as bloodstained as her scrubs, and grimy lab goggles obscured her eyes. I was grateful, because judging by the pus leaking out of her scabbed, balding scalp, I didn't want to know what her face looked like. The closer she got, the stronger the stench of rot became, and I struggled to keep myself from retching.
She stopped halfway into the room, and I gawked at her hands. They were transforming. Her fingers elongating into razor-edged blades. She then began to hunch over, and I cringed as her spine cracked and popped until she was as bent as a candy cane, her face staring at her pelvis.
As if that wasn't unsettling enough, her head creaked as it spun around 180 degrees, now facing the front, upside down. Right after, her arms shot to the ground, and I watched with increasing dread as she bent them at the elbows and wrists so they flanked her head like distorted T-Rex arms.
She spread her fingers out and took a few more steps towards me, and I held my breath, hoping she couldn't hear my rabid heart or smell my fear. Her ankle bones clicked and clacked against the tiles as she made her way around the desk, and I cowered as my frantic eyes searched for a weapon. I found none, but I did spy a brass button beside my head.
With her legs now an arms distance away, I had nothing to lose as I jammed my thumb into the button. The back of the desk flung open, and I scrambled to my feet and dashed out from my hiding place, screaming in response to the nurse screeching behind me. Bursting through the door, I held up my fists and began punching like a maniac in fearful anticipation of a horde of nurses swarming me.
Except I was no longer in a hospital. I was in an outdoor parking lot. Alone. And judging by the roiling red clouds, a storm was brewing. After a second to collect my bearings, I dove into the closest car, thankful it was unlocked. The moment I slammed the door shut, lightning blinded me as thunder cracked and the downpour began. Sighing in relief, I tried to shake away my adrenaline, but the bloodshot eyes in my rearview mirror reignited my panic.
Before I could react, a belt snapped over my neck, pinning my head back against the headrest. With a frightened wheeze, I clawed at the leather, and I flinched as hot, heavy breath wafted across my ear. Gagging at the putrid smell, I reached over, desperate to scratch my strangler's face or poke their eyes out.
I felt their greasy hair and tried to pull it, but my fingers refused to hold on. I tried again and again, using my nails for purchase, but the strands just kept slipping out of my weak grip. Shifting focus, I tried to claw at their eyes, but it felt as though I was moving through molasses as my hand slid down their face. Once I felt a wet, bulbous eye, I tried to scratch it, but I didn't have enough strength to do anything damage.
My frustration clashed with my terror and I tried to punch them, but my arm swung back in slow motion and merely prodded a stubbly cheek. Tears welled in my eyes as I writhed and gasped, my strangler's laugh adding insult to injury. Despite knowing death will set me free, fear and self-preservation rummaged through my mind, searching for a solution. And they found one.
Hoping I had enough grip and energy, I reached down and found the reclining lever. Wrapping my fingers around it tight, I jerked it up and heaved my body back, and I gulped in a deep breath as I fell backwards, the belt now slack. Not at all prepared to face my attacker, I slipped out from beneath the belt, flung open the door, and zoomed out into the storm.
Sheets of rain obscured my vision, but not enough for me to see that the keys were left inside a red convertible. After making sure no one was hiding in the back, I jumped in, started the engine, and took off, the wheels squealing through the puddles. A sole street curled down a hill, and I took it, adrenaline pumping in waves through my quivering body.
This rush was a confusing mixture of exhilaration and apprehension. I wanted out, but I wasn't giving up. I made it this far, and I was going to survive every cliche this masochist dreamed up. Sharks? Snakes? Zombies? Bring it on. And afterwards, I was going to detail every single trial and tribulation I went through as I sued the dream bank for all the trauma they caused me.
Up ahead, the road curved, and I gasped as it ended in a cliff. I slammed the breaks, but they didn't do anything. Breaking out in a cold sweat, I slammed them again and again as I yanked the hand break as far as it would go. The car refused to slow down, and I cursed myself for not anticipating this cliche. In a move of desperation, I swerved, but it wasn't enough as the car careened over the edge and took me with it.
My heart hung in my throat as I hung on to the steering wheel, my knuckles white, my screams frozen in my lungs, the raindrops like needles. An endless body of water spread below me, and I knew sharks were my next challenge. I screwed my eyes shut as I awaited the inevitable plunge …
… and I gasped as the car crashed against the surface.
I lurched forward, and I cried out as I bashed my forehead against the wheel. Groaning, I leaned back, my ears ringing as I looked around, disoriented. I was still in the convertible, but we were right side up, having crashed into the concrete wall of an indoor garage. Blood trickled down my face and I reached up, only to feel around my head in shock.
I was wearing the helmet.
Why was it in the dream?
Or had I made it out?
I looked down. I wasn't naked. My pyjamas were plastered to my sweat-soaked skin. I was out. I looked around at the broken glass and mangled metal in confusion. But if I was finally out, why was I in a car and not between silk sheets?
I removed the helmet, and a yell from behind made me jump. I turned to see one of the dream techs running towards me. Was she always that skinny? And why were her scrubs red instead of the usual blue?
She made it to me, panting as she took the helmet out of my hands, and I wrinkled my nose at her unpleasant breath. She said I'd had a nightmare and began sleepwalking, and I'd left the dream bank and stole a car from their underground parking before she triggered a wake-up signal in the helmet, which made me crash.
I stared at her, not believing what I was hearing. I told her I'd booked a projection, not a recording, and she gave me a concerned frown and claimed the opposite. Anger replaced my confusion, and I called her a liar and accused them of misconduct, and she reminded me that dreams can only be unlocked by the dreamer.
Furious, I cursed at her as I tried to get out of the car, demanding to see my file. She was quick to tell me not to move in case I made my injuries worse as she pulled out her phone and said she was going to call an ambulance.
While I sat there and waited, fuming, I glimpsed my reflection in the dangling rearview mirror. Unease rippled beneath my skin and I sat up, grabbing the mirror and angling it to show my neck.
There was an angry red mark across it.
As though I was recently strangled.
Trembling, I tilted the mirror up.
Cobwebs. Stuck in my hair.
Dumbstruck in utter stupefaction, I scanned the rest of my body. My pyjamas were dirty and there was black under my fingernails, but the rest of my examination was cut short by tinny circus music. A chill jolted down my spine and I whipped my head to face the dream tech. That was her ringtone. She smiled as she answered the call, and I drew back at her yellow, toothy grin.
What was going on? I was out of the dream, I knew I was. Had everything been real? What had the dream bank done with me? Done to me?
Ambulance sirens wailed as they entered the underground parking, and the flashing red lights reflecting off the walls triggered my recent traumas. With terror-fueled adrenaline flooding my veins, I jerked my legs free of the wreck, jumped out of the car, and booked it, the dream tech's yells merging with the screeching sirens behind me.
SR

I'm curious about current state of housing market.
Home prices doubled from 2019/2020 until June 2022. Then when interest rate started going up there was a minor dip and home prices are back to 2022 levels or more. During this time interest rate has gone up to 7%.
So basically a house that sold for 350k at 3% mortgage rate, is now going for 650K or more at 7% rate. A >3 times decrease in affordability in 3 years or less.
Accounting for inflation and shortage of inventory also it is way overpriced.
Rental vacancy rates are going up across the country. Too many rental units possibly.
I see houses listed at extreme prices and getting sold in couple of weeks. A lot of these same houses were listed for rent for several months and there were no takers despite multiple price cuts.
Consumers and renters are giving in and giving up any potential leverage just because of being impatient.
Just because we can afford the house doesn't mean it's correctly priced. Would you pay 10k for an iPhone today, just cause you can afford it? Or 10k a month bill for water in your neighborhood? Water is in fact needed to survive but you would rather move, cause it's not value for money.
I am just curious- Why are YOU as a home buyer still making these exorbitant offers above price? Why not wait? Why not move? Why not wait for a little cool down? Why are you ok spending 50% or more of your income on housing payment? Do you know that house will require maintenance? Do you know that bills will not go down? Do you know that property taxes and insurance will only rise? Do you know that hoarders cannot keep holding on to empty houses forever? Why do you think a home is worth 3 times or more (accounting for both price and interest increases) in less than 3-4 years.
This may sound like rant to many people, but it's not. It's genuine curiosity. We have been looking for homes in Austin for 6 months since we moved here and these are just my observations.
Would like to hear your thoughts.

This subreddit has been an amazing resource for my solo trip prep over the last few months so now it's my turn to give back. I did not have a set budget in mind since I save diligently for my trips. I am fairly well-traveled, a late 30s, solo traveler. This was my first time in Japan and my goals were a mixture of eating, exploring history, enjoying some theme parks, and enjoying experiences that only Japan could offer.
Total USD Spend: 17 days (2 travel days) came out to about $4200 USD total: * Flight: $1050 * Accommodations: $1400 * Food and Snacks: $1000 * Transportation (IC card, buses, trains): $250 * Theme Park & Novelty Experiences: $400 * Misc (souvenirs, shopping): $200 I typically budget out about $5K USD for my trips and Japan was definitely on the higher side of the budget, but again, I splurged on some fantastic restaurants, premiere entry at Universal Studios Osaka, along with numerous day trips. As others have mentioned here, I also averaged between 25K-30K steps a day. I’m in decent shape but walking 10-15 miles everyday definitely took its toll and my body shut down for a day.
Day 0: Landed in Osaka in the late afternoon and ended up wandering Dotonbori for a few hours since my hotel was located a block away. Ended up eating some very mediocre ramen at a stand in Dotonbori which was pretty disappointing, but the carbs were enough to knock me out. Day 1: Woke up early to walk around Dontobori at 5am and then headed out to few unique temples, including Namba Yasaka Jinja. Hopped onto the subway to enter Ueno Sky Tower, and overall, it was meh, I didn’t stay long just taking a few pictures and walked around Ueno for a few hours before heading to the Pokemon Cafe in Shinsaibashi. As others have noted, the food was very mediocre, but it was a fun experience nonetheless. Spent the rest of the evening getting drinks in Dotonbori before calling it a night.
Day 2: A full day at Universal Studios Japan to experience Super Nintendo World. I splurged on the express passes that gave me full access to a bunch of rides. SNW is pretty fucking awesome and I had a blast riding the Yoshi and Mario Kart rides, all the while taking taking in the atmosphere. The premiere pass also gave me access to a few additional rides including Harry Potter, Doraemon VR, and Jurassic Park. Had a late dinner at Kyushu Ramen getting their famous chashu ramen and it did not disappoint.
Day 3: Spent most of the day exploring Kuromon Ichiba Market, the local malls, and Dotonbori trying some street food. Went back to my hotel room and just relaxed for the rest of the day since jet lag was still bothering me. Watched some sumo matches on random Japanese tv before calling it a night.
Day 4: Took a day trip to Himeji to see the Himeji Castle. What a fantastic piece of history! I spent hours just taking in the sites and the nearby garden also highly recommended. Afterward, I had my first taste of Kobe beef in the form of a beef bowl at Kushiyaki Kobe Beef. Fantastic little hole-in-the-wall place with some really nice people working the counter. Took the train from Himeji directly to Nara where I was planning to stay the night. Day 5: Spent the entire day playing with the thousands of deer and checking out some local temples, including Todai-ji. I didn't do anything in Nara that hadn't been mentioned enough times here, but as others have said, a day trip or one day is more than enough time in the area. Took a late train to Kyoto. Day 6: Woke up in the early morning to beat the crowds to enjoy Fushimi Inari. Hiked the entire loop (about 2-3 hours) with only a fraction of the crowds, enjoyed some macha soft serve at the peak of the hill, and took my time going back down right rwhen the army of tourists and tour groups arrived. Grabbed an overly expensive Kobe beef stick from one of the food stalls by the temple gates and then spent an hour at a cute coffee shop called Rickshaw Cafe just people watching before grabbing an early dinner at Ramen Sen-no-Kaze. The food was solid, but it took 90 minutes to get a table. Not worth it and in hindsight I would have left.
Day 7: Woke up early again to check out the highly overrated Arashimyama bamboo forest. It was pretty underwhelming, but I did get a few nice photos before the crowds arrived. Strolled through the park and really enjoyed walking along the Katsura River seeing the catfish waiting to be fed and seeing the fishing boats tied up. A very tranquil place. After the nice long stroll, I walked back-and-forth the Togetsukyo Bridge and Kimono Forest (meh). The highlight of the morning was really Tenryu-Ji and the amazing zen garden. After a few hours taking in the peacefulness and silence, took the city bus to Kinkaku-ji, and the crowds were in full swing. Still totally worth seeing in person although it didn’t last very long. Day 8: A full day experiencing the Philosopher’s Path on a gorgeous sunny day. Too sunny since I got some pretty bad sunburns! I visited too many amazing temples, including Kiyomizo-dera, along with old Gion, although I thought the area was bit overhyped. I preferred the smaller, more peaceful temples away from the mass of tourists. Some of my favorites during my day exploring old Kyoto included Eikan-do, a more secluded temple up in the hills, Nanzen-Ji, with its beautiful aqueduct, and just walking the streets aimlessly for a few hours. Went to Nishiki Market and ate some amazing oysters at Daiyasu. If you love oysters, this is the spot to try it! Spent too much money on oysters and decided to go cheap and ate at Kura Sushi. The food was mediocre by Japanese standards, but blows away the quality and cost of the Kura Sushi restaurants in my hometown of Los Angeles.
Day 9: Took an early morning train to Kanazawa. Enjoyed my first ekiben while taking in the sights from the comfort of the Thunderbird Limited Express. Spent the rest of the day visiting the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art (meh) and Kenrou-ken, probably the most beautiful garden in the Kanda province. Wrapped up the day by visiting the D.T Suzuki Museum and wow, the tranquil pool area was amazing. Do yourself a favor and stand on the corner and just stare at the water. You’ll feel like the entire world is moving along on a plane and you’re the one that is frozen in place. It was pretty trippy. Ate well at Mori More Sushi Omicho and stopped by the Pokemon Center to pick up the exclusive Pikachu Kimono figure only available in the Kanazawa store.
Day 10: Torrential rain the entire day but I powered throughit with my trusty umbrella. Enjoyed breakfast and snacks at the Omicho Market, enjoying a tuna-don at one of the stalls, fresh uni, and more oysters. Not cheap but fresh! Walked around the Higashi Chaya District, doing a bit of window shopping and ate some gold leaf macha soft serve at Kaikaro, spending more time people watching. Walked around the Kanazawa Castle Park in all its empty glory as well as the Oyama Shrine. The castle was pretty underwhelming esp. after seeing Himeji so I probably would have skipped it in hindsight. Wrapped up the day visiting the Naga-machi District, probably my favorite part of Kanazawa. Had more sushi at Sushi Rekireki Omicho, an enjoyable omakase.
Day 11: Took the Shinkansen to Tokyo eating the most expensive ekiban I could find, and spent the rest of the entire day in Asakusa in Tokyo. Walked around Senso-ji, had a few beers in Hoppy Street, and finally tried Ichiran. Called it an early day since I would be doing DisneySea in the early morning.
Day 12: Took the express bus from Tokyo Skytree to DisneySea. Thanks to the early forecast of rain, the park was barely 50% full? The longest wait for most rides was under 20 minutes so I was lucky enough to ride everything at least once. My meals consisted of a bunch of unique Dsney parki food: gyoza hot dogs, alien mochi, Mike watermelon bread, etc. Stayed until the fireworks and went straight back to the hotel and crashed. That was a 40K step day!
Day 13: Visited Akihabara, spending way too much money on crane games, browsing retro games, and looking at figures. Headed to Shibuya to eat breakfast for lunch at A Happy Pancake (meh). Went to the Nintendo Store in the PARCO mall, only to be disappointed to find out that all of the Nintendo World store t-shirts were sold out. Actually everything semi-interesting was sold out. Went up to Shibuya Sky to watch the sunset, spending a few hours just watching the day slowly turn into night. Did the Scramble a few times and then headed to Shinjuku where I’d be located for the last few days.
Day 14: Another torrential rainstorm sadly ruined my plans of visiting Shinjuku Gyoen, Meiji Jingo, and Harajuku. Maybe next time. I was hoping to buy Tokyo Giants tickets but they were all sold out so I ended up going to the Tokyo National Museum. I won’t lie, I was pretty bored, and in hindsight I wish I went to the neighboring National Museum of Nature and Science instead. After strolling Ueno Park in the rain, I was craving tonkatsu and googled Tonkatsu Yamabe. Good decision as it was the best tonkatsu I had in Tokyo. Went to a nearby Taito Game Station wasting more money on crane games before heading back to Shinjuku. The area is insane and in hindsight, I would probably pick somewhere like Shibuya or Ueno, somewhere slightly more chill. Day 15: One of my favorite days in Tokyo! Teamlabs Planets lives up to the hype but ONLY if you can get first admission at 9am. It was glorious to be among the first people in the exhibits as I could take in experience the way it was intended. There were only a few people in each room giving each space such a great, peaceful, and chill vibe. Headed to Ginza to the Michelin-rated Sushi Toyama, where I had a chance to finally experience bluefin toro (worth it!). Probably the most expensive lunch ever but it was quite the experience. A sunny and beautiful day, I bought a bunch of souvenirs and clothes (a 12-story Uniqlo with its own coffee shop, Muji Ginza, Ginza Six), checked out my favorite Toy Story in Japan, Hakuhinkan Toy Park, intricate stationary stores like Itoya, and went to a very popular Ginza Starbucks to people watch. Spent the evening in Shinjuku exploring Golden Gai getting swarmed by Nigerian dudes. Wanted to try a hole-in-wall ramen spot in the area but the line was stupid long so I ended up just going to Kyushu Ramen and was satisfied enough. A good day.
Day 16: With the break in clouds the day before, I decided to call an audible and set up a last minute day trip to Mount Fuji. Took an express bus from Shinjuku to Fushiyoshida and got dropped off in front of Chureito Pagoda. It was cloudy for most of the day, but for the last several hours I saw Mount Fuji in all its glory. It was a gray day but no complaints — it was nice to cross another bucket list item from the list.
Wow, this was much longer than I anticipated. Well if you got this far, feel free to ask any questions! In the meantime, I'll be planning my next trip to Japan soon!

It's a week since I finally returned from Italy. It had been a really wild ride, if not the perfect trip, but it did really teach me that Italy is really a country for travelling.
- Day 1 (May 27): I took my Ryanair Flight from Cologne-Bonn to Bergamo. Not much to say, as I arrived late into the night and checked into my hostel, Mio Hostel in Milan.
- Day 2 (May 28): Day Trip to Lake Como. I visited multiple lakeside towns (such as Cernobbio, and Tremezzo), but Bellagio is an eye-opener to me. Sometimes I found it more interesting to walk through the off-beaten path between Tremezzo and Lenno instead of taking the boat. Villa del Balbianello is a pretty, if not overcrowded place (I don't like tourists. They are rude, loud and irritating, and they get everywhere.) However, this is where the fun bit started. I missed the last boat (at 7 pm presumably) back to Como, as I was stuck in Tremezzo as the sun went down. The final bus (at 9 pm) did not arrive, so I had to literally hitchhike a car back to Como (with my poor Italian skills and a Large sign).
- Day 3 (May 29): Visited the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese in the morning before lunch (a worthy visit for those who liked cars). The afternoon is mostly a Milan City Tour as I strolled around places like il Duomo, Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II, and La Scala, which are crowded to oblivion. But I found it better to just go away from the city centre to places like the Navigli Canal, as well as their hidden little galleries. Spent the evening at the Sforzesco Castle's Massive Park.
- Day 4 (May 30): Final Day in Milan. Visited Leonardo's Vineyard. I was not able to pre-book the ticket for the Last Supper during the trip so I went back to Milan and visited the Duomo's interior. And by late afternoon, I headed out to La Spezia via train and later headed to the second Hostel (Ostello Tramonti).
- Day 5 (May 31): Cinque Terre. Arguably one of the prettiest places on my whole trip, as long as the day remained sunny. However, Vernazza and Riomaggiore are crowded to hell while Monterosso is basically dull and turned into a tourist trap. The hikes are quite stunning too, if not tiring and time-consuming compared to taking the train. Then, I took the bus to Bologna (Marinobus) and checked in at Ostello San Filippo Neri in Modena that night.
- Day 6 (June 1): Modena Tour. A surprisingly underrated gem here, other than well, the infamous Ferrari Museum. I'd spent my evening riding around Modena on the bike provided for free by the hostel (Grazie). The town centre is quite quaint and not crowded.
- Day 7 (June 2): Bologna Tour. After checking out from Modena, I headed to Bologna. It's no longer as "underrated" as I thought because there are tons of people. Asinelli Tower is fully booked too so I went to the Prendiparte Tower, which surprisingly, gives me a good view that included the Asinelli Tower! Also, Tagliatelle tastes sublime. That evening, I finally headed to Verona to my rental place (Affittacamere Mameli)
- Day 8 (June 3): Lake Garda Travel. Rented a bike for 10 Euros, and mostly cycled around, from Peschiera to Sirmione and Desenzano. Sirmione is pretty but crowded. Nonetheless, the ruins of the Roman villa at the end of it were really nice. Desenzano is also quite beautiful but I have to hurry back to Peschiera to return my bike. I should have gotten up early that day and had more time to visit the places.
- Day 9 (June 4): Mostly travelling around Verona before taking the Bus back to Bergamo and flying back to Cologne. Some places are really overcrowded, but there are parts of the city with fewer people. The vibe is still quite romantic. It's just Juliet's bloody balcony, tbh. However, it was that day when I suffered arguably the worst setback in my whole trip, as my bus failed to make it on time to Bergamo (All thanks to roadworks and traffic jams) and I missed the Return flight. During an emergency, I booked the Bus to Cologne which was on the next day...
- Extra Day/ Day 10 (June 5): The setback gave me the chance to visit Citta Alta Bergamo. It's pretty, not crowded, and even has quite a surprisingly good vibe around it, and I could honestly rank it above places like Verona just for being uncrowded. And finally, I could take the bus I booked, Flixbus back to Germany. To my surprise, on the way, the bus drove through Lake Orta and gave me a stunning sight!
There is the whole summary of my whole trip. I do hope one day I have more time to return to this stunning country again and visit it in depth. Advice, especially for those on a budget? Take away your Pizza and save money. There are tons of Pizzerias and Pizzas (especially those served in full sizes) can easily satisfy one's appetite. Taking away also prevents you from paying extra tips. Also, buying water from Carrefour and Mini marts out of the city centre can save you money, especially those in Large bottles. Don't buy from vending machines. They are traps! (Unless you're desperate). And while some Museum tickets needed pre-booking, train tickets could be bought on the fly.
I would like to give a big "Grazie" to ItalyTravel for some suggestions on the forum as well as recommendations for restaurants, not to forget Trenord and Trenitalia for being punctual! No thanks for the bus that cancelled its scheduled stop in Tremezzo, though because you ruined the lives of me and the two other hitchhikers who also hopped on the same car as me.

Delete if not allowed, I'm not a diesel tech but I'm trying to see if there's something I can do myself on my truck. I know just a little about vehicles from what my dad taught me but I know way less about diesel engines. I'm fairly mechanically inclined and am willing to try my hand at some things. A little background and then the issue:
My dad passed away about 3 years ago and one of his vehicles that he owned is a 1999 Ford F-250 super duty, automatic. It is paid off and has low mileage, I know they can run forever and my kid would love to drive his grandpa's truck someday. I have not been good at keeping up with it but I don't want this truck to waste away and I'm in a spot where I can try some things before taking it to a shop. When we last parked it after using it to move some stuff, it had to be limped home because it wouldn't go over like 5mph. So it sat for a few years (I know, I know, please don't come for me). It was definitely dead so recently I replaced the batteries and that got it to start. However when I put it into gear it will not move, doesn't even rev up when I push the gas pedal. Someone suggested a sensor or shifter cable and from there I am lost. I tried searching online a bit but nothing really helpful came up. I can't currently find my code reader so I'm waiting for a friend to lend me theirs. Someone looked at the oil and the diesel fuel and said those smell/look good. I checked the tranny fluid, good there. It needs some brake fluid but I can't imagine that's the main issue for it not moving. I know there's probably water in the diesel tank but that's an easy fix with a bottle of Heet or Power Service.
I'm fully aware that it will most likely need to go to a shop at some point but until then I would like to do whatever I can to look into it myself. If I can just get it to move before taking it in to get the speed/engine issue checked out then I'll be happy. If you have any suggestions on things I can try, even just a YT video showing me how to check something, please reach out. I felt so accomplished even just replacing the batteries, I'd never had to do that myself before because my dad was always there to help.
Thank you for any suggestions you might have!