Sedona senior living fort worth tx

Defying a last-minute appeal by former President Donald Trump, the Texas House voted overwhelmingly Saturday to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton, suspending him from office over allegations of misconduct that included bribery and abuse of office.

The vote to adopt the 20 articles of impeachment was 121-23.
The stunning vote came two days after an investigative committee unveiled the articles — and two days before the close of a biennial legislative session that saw significant right-wing victories, including a ban on transgender health care for minors and new restrictions on public universities’ diversity efforts.
The vote revealed substantial divisions within the Republican Party of Texas — the largest, richest and most powerful state GOP party in the United States. Although the party has won every statewide election for a quarter-century and has controlled both houses of the Legislature since 2003, it has deep underlying fissures, many of them exacerbated by Trump’s rise and influence.
Few attorneys general have been as prominent as Paxton, who made a career of suing the Obama and Biden administrations. One of Trump’s closest allies in Texas, along with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Paxton unsuccessfully sued to challenge the 2020 presidential election results in four states.
Attention now shifts to the Texas Senate, which will conduct a trial with senators acting as jurors and designated House members presenting their case as impeachment managers.
Permanently removing Paxton from office and barring him from holding future elected office in Texas would require the support of two-thirds of senators.
Impeachment was supported by 60 Republicans, including Speaker Dade Phelan and all five of the representatives from Collin County — where Paxton and his wife have lived for decades. All 23 votes in opposition came from Republicans.
Afterward, Paxton called the vote “illegal, unethical, and profoundly unjust,” adding that he looked forward to a quick resolution in the Senate.
The move to impeach came less than a week after the House General Investigating Committee revealed that it was investigating Paxton for what members described as a yearslong pattern of misconduct and questionable actions that include bribery, dereliction of duty and obstruction of justice. They presented the case against him Saturday, acknowledging the weight of their actions.
“Today is a very grim and difficult day for this House and for the state of Texas,” Rep. David Spiller, R-Jacksboro, a committee member, told House members.
“We have a duty and an obligation to protect the citizens of Texas from elected officials who abuse their office and their powers for personal gain,” Spiller said. “As a body, we should not be complicit in allowing that behavior.”
Paxton supporters criticized the impeachment proceedings as rushed, secretive and based on hearsay accounts of actions taken by Paxton, who they said was not given the opportunity to defend himself to the investigating committee.
“This process is indefensible,” said Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo, who complained that the vote was taking place on a holiday weekend before members had time to conduct a thorough review of the accusations. “It concerns me a lot because today it could be General Paxton, tomorrow it could be you and the next day it could be me.”
Saturday’s vote temporarily removes a controversial but influential Republican figure in Texas and nationally. He has led an office that initiated lawsuits that overturned or blocked major Biden and Obama administration policies, particularly on immigration; sought to reverse Trump’s electoral defeat in 2020; aggressively pursued voter fraud claims; and targeted hospitals that provided gender care to minors.
The Legislature had impeached state officials just twice since 1876 — and never an attorney general — but the House committee members who proposed impeachment argued Saturday that Paxton’s misconduct in office was so egregious that it warranted his removal.
“This gentleman is no longer fit for service or for office,” said committee member Rep. Ann Johnson, D-Houston. “Either this is going to be the beginning of the end of his criminal reign, or God help us with the harms that will come to all Texans if he's allowed to stay the top cop on the take, if millions of Texans can’t trust us to do the right thing, right here, right now.”
Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, a member of the investigative committee, used his presentation time to criticize Paxton for calling representatives as they worked on the House floor to “personally threaten them with political consequences in the next election” if they supported impeachment.
Speaking against impeachment, Rep. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington, called the process “wrong.”
“Don’t end our session this way. Don’t tarnish this institution,” Tinderholt said. “Don’t cheapen the act of impeachment. Don’t undermine the will of the voters. Don’t give Democrats another victory handed to them on a silver platter.”
The vote came as hardline conservatives supportive of Paxton’s aggressive strategy of suing the Biden administration were lining up in support of him. Trump — a close political ally to Paxton — blasted the impeachment proceedings as an attempt to unseat “the most hard working and effective” attorney general and thwart the “large number of American Patriots” who voted for Paxton.
Trump vowed to target any Republican who supported impeaching Paxton, adding after the vote: “What is our Country coming to?” In the evening, he called Abbott “missing in action,” asking followers on his Truth Social network, “Where is the Governor of Texas on his Attorney General’s Impeachment?”
As lawmakers listened to the committee members make their case, Paxton took to social media to boost conservatives who had come to his defense, including Trump, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, and conservative radio host Grant Stinchfield, who tweeted, “Kangaroo Court in Texas.”
About 90 minutes into the debate, the official Twitter account of the Texas attorney general’s office began tweeting at members of the committee to challenge some of the claims being made.
“Please tell the truth,” the agency’s account said.
Under the Texas Constitution, Paxton is suspended from office pending the outcome of the Senate trial. The Senate had recessed before the House voted to impeach, and Patrick, who presides over the Senate, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about a timeline for an impeachment trial.
Because Paxton was impeached while the Legislature was in session, the Texas Constitution requires the Senate to remain in Austin after the regular session ends Monday or set a trial date for the future, with no deadline for a trial spelled out in the law.
The constitution also allows the governor to appoint a provisional replacement. Gov. Greg Abbott had not weighed in on the calls to impeach Paxton and his office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.
Impeachment represents the greatest political threat to date for Paxton, who has been reelected twice despite a 2015 indictment for felony securities fraud and an ongoing federal investigation into allegations of official misconduct that began in 2020.
The impeachment vote capped a tumultuous week at the Capitol. From Tuesday to Thursday:
Paxton abruptly accused Phelan of presiding over the chamber while drunk and demanded that he resign.
The House General Investigating Committee revealed it had been investigating Paxton in secret since March.
The committee heard a three-hour presentation from its investigators detailing allegations of corruption against the attorney general.
The committee’s three Republicans and two Democrats voted to forward 20 articles of impeachment to the full House.
Paxton, who was comfortably elected to a third term last year, made a rare appearance before assembled reporters Friday to criticize the process, saying he was not given a chance to present favorable evidence. He called impeachment an effort by Democrats and “liberal” Republicans to remove him from office, violating the will of voters and sidelining an effective warrior against Biden administration policies.
“The corrupt politicians in the Texas House are demonstrating that blind loyalty to Speaker Dade Phelan is more important than upholding their oath of office,” Paxton said. He added, “They are showcasing their absolute contempt for the electoral process.”
Many of the articles of impeachment focused on allegations that Paxton had repeatedly abused his powers of office to help a political donor and friend, Austin real estate developer Nate Paul.
In fall 2020, eight top deputies in the attorney general’s office approached federal and state investigators to report their concerns about Paxton’s relationship with Paul.
All eight quit or were fired in the following months, and most of the details of their allegations against Paxton were revealed in a lawsuit by four former executives who claim they were fired — in violation of the Texas Whistleblower Act — in retaliation for reporting Paxton to the authorities. Paxton’s bid to dismiss the lawsuit is awaiting action by the Dallas-based 5th Court of Appeals.
According to the lawsuit, the whistleblowers accused Paxton of engaging in a series of “intense and bizarre” actions to help Paul, including intervening in an open-records case to help Paul gain documents from federal and state investigations into the real estate investor’s businesses. They also accused Paxton of directing his agency to intervene in a lawsuit between Paul and a charity, pushing through a rushed legal opinion to help Paul avoid a pending foreclosure sale on properties and ignoring agency rules to hire an outside lawyer to pursue an investigation helpful to Paul’s businesses.
In return, the whistleblower lawsuit alleged, Paul paid for all or part of a major renovation of a home Paxton owns in Austin. Paul also helped Paxton keep an extramarital affair quiet by employing the woman Paxton had been seeing, the lawsuit said, adding that the attorney general may also have been motivated by a $25,000 contribution Paul made to Paxton’s campaign in 2018.
In their report to the House General Investigating Committee on Wednesday, the panel’s investigators concluded that Paxton may have committed numerous crimes and violated his oath of office.
Investigators said possible felonies included abuse of official capacity by, among other actions, diverting staff time to help Paul at a labor cost of at least $72,000; misuse of official information by possibly helping Paul gain access to investigative documents; and retaliation and official oppression by firing employees who complained of Paxton’s actions to the FBI.
The articles of impeachment accused Paxton of accepting bribes, disregarding his official duties and misapplying public resources to help Paul.
The articles also referred to felony charges of securities fraud, and one felony count of failing to register with state securities officials, that have been pending against Paxton since 2015, months after he took office as attorney general. The fraud charges stem from Paxton’s work in 2011 to solicit investors in Servergy Inc. without disclosing that the McKinney company was paying him for the work.
The impeachment articles also accused Paxton of obstruction of justice by acting to delay the criminal cases with legal challenges and because a Paxton donor pursued legal action that limited the pay to prosecutors in the case, causing further delays “to Paxton’s advantage.”
Taken in total, the accusations showed a pattern of dereliction of duty in violation of the Texas Constitution, Paxton’s oaths of office and state laws against public officials acting against the public’s interest, the impeachment resolution said.
“Paxton engaged in misconduct, private or public, of such character as to indicate his unfitness for office,” the articles said.
An attorney general had never before been impeached by the Legislature, an extraordinary step that lawmakers have reserved for public officials who faced serious allegations of misconduct. Only two Texas officials have been removed from office by Senate conviction, Gov. James Ferguson in 1917 and District Judge O.P. Carrillo in 1975.
If Paxton is to survive, he will need to secure the support of 11 senators. With the 12 Democratic senators likely to support his removal, any votes for acquittal would need to come from the 19 Republican members.
Several Republican senators issued statements Saturday evening warning constituents and others that their role as jurors in the upcoming impeachment trial prohibited them from discussing the case. In a television interview Thursday, Patrick said merely that he believed senators would be responsible jurors and “do their duty.”
A complicating factor is Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, Paxton’s wife. State law requires all senators to attend an impeachment trial, though whether she will recuse herself from voting is unclear.
Paxton’s political base lies in the far-right faction of the Republican Party, where he has positioned himself as a champion of conservative causes and a thorn in the side of Democratic President Joe Biden. Paxton has criticized his opponents as RINOs (Republicans in name only) who “want nothing more than to sabotage our legal challenges to Biden’s extremist agenda by taking me out.”
He also retained the backing of the state Republican Party, led by former state Rep. Matt Rinaldi, who frequently attacks Republicans he considers to be insufficiently conservative. On Friday, Rinaldi said the impeachment was Phelan’s fault for allowing Democrats to have too much influence in the House.
“The impeachment proceedings against the attorney general are but the latest front in the Texas House’s war against Republicans to stop the conservative direction of her state,” Rinaldi said in a statement.
Paxton also has maintained a close relationship with Trump and filed an unsuccessful U.S. Supreme Court challenge to the 2020 presidential election. Paxton also spoke at Trump’s rally in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, shortly before the president’s supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol.
Ken Paxton has plagued Texas for far too long. I'm glad to see a modicum of justice being done.

So my mother died when I was 18 back in 2012, never really knew my father but I learned he passed a few years ago as well. Anyways I learned that my mother had a trust in her name from my grandmother that she either never told me about, or she never knew about herself.
Pretty abruptly after her death and funeral proceedings I found myself in Houston, TX at a table in some hirise brokerage/trust firm with a lawyer (if memory serves he told me he worked for my grandmother) signing papers. Apparently due to my mothers heroin addiction she cut her out of receiving it, so it landed on me by default.
It may be worth noting that my mother was adopted, so I don't know anything about my blood before my mother. I'm essentially family-less until further notice.
Anyways, I learned real quick after that, that people don't like people with trust funds, so I stopped talking about it altogether. As such I used to come up with alibi's, but now I've gotten pretty good at avoiding the question coming at all, and if it does it's a very abrupt "I don't want to talk about it" which, while the truth, I feel like scares people into thinking I work for a human trafficking kingpin or some super shady shit. It is what it is. More importantly though, you suddenly make a lot of "friends" when people know you have money, so it's not a good thing to make known.
I'll be 30 in november and I have no idea where this money is coming from, nor how long it'll happen, so just assuming it's going to last forever is a stupid idea to say the least. I have no idea how much money is in that account, I just know I get a monthly distribution into mine from it.
This has all resulted in a weird situation where I still live an average late-20/early-30-year-old's lifestyle, but with a seemingly bottomless bank account.
Given that I know what it's like to grow up broke, I just have a ridiculous savings account that I use exclusively to make normal life a little easier here and there. Things like flying first class, not having to sign up for an account with every single streaming service to watch what I want to watch, since I can almost always just buy it on amazon, priority pickup ubelyft rides, etc. etc.
Truth is I don't feel like it's my money that I'm spending. I didn't earn a cent of it, so the best thing I can do is make it mine by not risking blasting through it and instead saving it for somebody/something very special. What that special thing is, I don't know, I just know I don't want credit for it. And that in itself makes me at least feel like I'm doing something for the greater good. Until that day comes I'm just a guy who tips workers extremely well and will occasionally swipe my card at the gas station to fill up someone's car.
e: Waited 11 years to tell this somewhere. There it is.

Asking for help after a long fall from grace.
I’m not the type to ask for help. I’ve never actually needed help until now. But after a long fall from grace, it’s time to put my pride aside and ask for help.
When I was 17, I joined the US Army. I didn’t join to serve my country or any other patriotic reason, I joined because I came from a super poor family, and I knew that I wanted better for myself. And boy did I get it! I traveled the world, and on my 2nd tour in Iraq, ended up severely injured, and ended up getting out on a medical discharge. I was last stationed at Fort Knox in Kentucky, and I liked the area so much I decided to stay. With no idea what to do with the rest of my life, I started looking into joining the medical field. I became a CNA. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I was working too hard for too little money, especially since I already had a bad back injury. So I used my GI Bill and went to college. Eventually, I ended up with a Masters in Nursing. Took 5 years, but was definitely worth it. I ended up moving to New York and stayed up there for about 12 years. I made amazing money, and had a great life. If there was something I wanted, I bought it. I went on vacations, cruises, had several vehicles I paid cash for, and owned a beautiful home that was paid for. I shared my wealth when able. If someone needed help, I’ve always done what I could. I worked as a Director of Nursing in a hospital up there. When Covid hit, I was one of the first to volunteer to go to NYC to help on the front lines. I loved my job and helping other people. One day at work, I hit my head on a metal box that was mounted to the wall. I was sent for a MRI. The doctors found a lesion on my brain, unrelated to me hitting my head. A few months passed, and I started experiencing some intermittent confusion, and extreme fatigue. Then the pain started. It would hurt my feet and legs so bad to walk, that I could barely stand. I started seeing a neurologist. After tons of testing, a spinal tap, MRIs, you name it, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I was supposed to go to the neurologist to get started on something for it the following Monday morning, but tragedy struck that Saturday night when my entire house burned to the ground while I was at the grocery store. The entire house was a total loss. Not being from New York, I had no family to stay with, and ended up having to move back to North Carolina with family. After getting here, my MS progression sped up. I started seeing a neurologist here, and was told that my MS is the Primary Progressive type, which is bad news. Unable to work, I filed for Social Security Disability. A year passed, during which I used up all my savings, and ended up moving in with my mom. They denied my claim without ever obtaining my medical records from New York. I submitted an appeal, and they denied that as well, without ever getting all my medical records. So I collected all my medical records myself, and contacted a lawyer. I have a hearing coming up, and I will be approved once I see a judge solely based on my rapid decline since applying. I can’t walk without crutches anymore. I can’t control my bladder, the fatigue has gotten so bad that I can sleep 16 hours without a problem. Now, I’m always in severe pain because I’ve got neuropathy throughout both feet, legs, hands, and arms. I’m going blind. My feet are contracted and I wear special shoes and see a specialist just for that. My pancreas decided to stop functioning right, and I have a insulin pump now, with a implant that monitors my sugar every minute and makes sure I don’t drop or spike. I see a specialist for that as well. On top of that, I’ve got rheumatoid arthritis, so my joints and bones are affected, while the MS screws with my muscles. I have severe muscle cramps and spasms all the time. And they hurt. Bad. The muscles in my legs are atrophied to the point where I have no reflexes anymore. As I said, it’s been a long fall from grace for me to end up here. I went from having everything, including great health, to having nothing and being completely crippled in 3 years. All while waiting for disability to approve me and pay out. They now owe me 2 full years of backpay. I qualify for full benefits from the Army, and I have more than enough work credits for fill retirement. But I still haven’t worked or had any income since I’m unable to. I’ve been basically living off my mom, who is also disabled and can barely take care of herself. Food stamps helps with food a little, but it never lasts all month. I have medications that I have to have and even with Medicaid, I still have a copay. I’ve borrowed from everyone I can, which isn’t much because as I said above, I came from a very poor family, and even though that had changed for me, it didn’t change for them. I’m right back where I started.
I typed all this to show that I am a actual person, with a legitimate reason for being in this situation. There’s nothing I can do about it at this moment, except ask for help. If there’s anything you can do to help, please message me. If you can donate anything, anything at all to help, I’d appreciate it more than you know. Transportation to appointments, medication copays, food, things needed to survive, are all too expensive for someone with nothing.
My Cashapp Cashtag is: @DimebagDesigns
Feel free to message me if you want to talk or have any questions.
And thank for reading my long post.

My parents have moved into a senior living community and are selling their home. At this time, their regular income (social security, annuities, RMDs and rental income) covers their living expenses. In the coming months/years, we expect their monthly expenses to steadily increase. I figure they have about 9 years worth of living expenses (at their current living expense rate) split roughly evenly between a HYSA, retirement accounts and investments (a mix of stocks and bond funds.) Since their monthly income is covering their expenses now, they shouldn’t have to dip into their savings until their health declines and they need a higher level of care.
They have a financial advisor who told me about 2 months ago that they can safely earn 5.25% by putting the money from the sale of their home (approx. $700,000) in a Schwab money market account (4.56% at that time) and a bond fund. He charges .75%, although I haven’t asked if there is a discount for the money in the MM account. In any case, it seems unnecessary to go through the advisor when they already have a Vanguard account (titled in the name of their revocable trust). It was a hassle to set up so they don’t have any interest in opening an account with Fidelity or any other bank/brokerage.
I can’t read the future but it seems likely that at least one of them will be alive 2 years from now but unlikely that that either of them will be alive 10 years from now. I would like them to preserve the principle of the $700,000 from the sale of their home but still earn interest AND keep things relatively simple. I was contemplating a ladder of six 26-week T-bills, $100K each, with one T-bill maturing (and being reinvested) each month. It seems like this can be done through their Vanguard account. The remaining $100,000 could be in VMFXX (I think? Unless there are some restrictions….?)
Clearly, both they and I are unsophisticated when it comes to investing but I was wondering if this seems like a reasonable plan. They don’t mind using some of the money from the sale of their home for their support, but they are looking for low risk. Thanks in advance for your opinions!

TW is for mentions of abuse and sexual assault, no intense descriptions.
I spent my 20s bouncing around living situations because my mom died without warning right before my High School graduation. We grew up dirt poor and I found out a few years ago that she was months behind on rent too, but the house was owned by my grandparents or else we would have been homeless.
A little over a decade later, I found out that a cousin had been pulling the strings behind the scenes and manipulated my grandfather to change over his will. I didn't find out about this until everything was all said and done. My college fund was taken as well, since it was in my mom and grandmother's name, so he got control of it. My cousin even got the house I was told in my teens that I would likely inherit.
The ONLY thing that didn't get stolen through elder abuse was an irrevocable trust set up in the early 90s by my grandparents. I'm the beneficary, and a certified financial planner who has been a friend of the family since the 80s is the trustee. Basically, I can't get money out of it on my own, I have to go through her and she's legally obligated to act in my best interests. Apparently, there was SOME money my cousin didn't know about that went into the trust per my grandmother's will. However, I'm no "trust fund baby". I can't go out and buy luxury items let alone rely on the Trust to pay all my living expenses for the rest of my life.
Here's another wonderful kicker: I'm disabled physically and mentally. Autism spectrum, PTSD, generalized anxiety and major depression (likely related to the trauma and distress over the years). I was born with stickler Syndrome, which is a degenerative connective tissue disorder. Marfan and Ehlers Danlos are more well-known but fall under the same general umbrella, but Stickler is basically that your body doesn't produce collagen correctly, leading to bone, heart, vision, and hearing problems varying in degree from person to person.
I already have severe enough joint problems that physical therapy can't fix. I have fissures, cysts, and completely worn down cartilage and I'm only in my early 30's. I can't walk or stand for more than 20 minutes without severe pain and risk of falls, and I'm not supposed to use stairs frequently. Even sitting for more than 4hrs a day with breaks causes pain.
I've also been having neurological issues including 24+hr headaches and week+ long vertigo that seems to crop up randomly (even today, I was staring right at my laptop screen when I suddenly felt like I was drunk for no reason) and am awaiting an appointment for imaging tests and possibly Multiple Sclerosis testing. All of these things- diagnosed and not yet diagnosed combined, primary care doctors and therapists have agreed that I should be on social security and shouldn't exacerbate some of my conditions by continuing to work (unless I can find something that's fully accommodating).
I grew up in PA but bounced all around during my housing instability. The year before Covid, I was put back into housing instability when my housemate could no longer afford her inherited home and had to sell, so I had to leave the first stable and SAFE home I'd had in almost a decade, and my accommodating job as a result. I struggled to find that stability again, and while Covid was the first time I felt like I wasn't under pressure to find that stability immediately (I was living with a friend) it did fuck up my chances of finding employment once things started opening up again. My friend wanted his rec room back and told me I needed to move out (something he says he now regrets doing, but I understand). My only option was to move with an online friend in CA.
That went spectacularly, by which I mean he turned out to be incredibly histrionic and unstable and almost rendered me homeless. Other online friends helped shack me up in a motel and then let me couch crash for a bit. I ended up losing half my stuff including things from my mom and all my art from the past decade, because he kept changing the goalposts on how and when I could come get my stuff, and technically I was living with him off his lease, and didn't want to render him and his 7yo homeless by trying to take legal action.
My partner is one of his former best friends. Former because he's completed disgusted by what was done to me, and has heard a lot of flat-out lies from this person as to what happened. Shit like saying "multiple therapists warned me about him" to make me look like a terrible person, when 1. He only had 1 therapist and she moved out of network 2 months before this went down so he had none. 2. Feeding a patient's negative thoughts about someone based on hearsay and conjecture is a MASSIVE liability and something any therapist worth their salt knows not to do.
I was working night audit at a small hotel from February of last year until December, when I was immediately pulled and put on state disability by my primary care doctor after a fall while I was alone at work. California's state disability aid is based off taxed income, so there's a limit to how long you can use it. Mine runs out July 1st and after that I have no income and can't work. In CALIFORNIA. A lot of our homeless are disabled because it's so impossible to live in this state if you can't work full time.
I will be applying for SSI, but up until last February, I had NO medical records due to not being able to afford health insurance or stay in one place long enough for appointments. I had my PTSD and depression diagnosis, but not even records of my Stickler birth defect. You need ample documentation to apply for Social Security, and with a rare birth defect and specialists often having to be scheduled months in advance, that's not quick and easy task. I'll FINALLY be applying late this summer.
I acknowledge I'm WAY luckier than most people in my situation, because of the Trust, but that's where my current hurdles are. Like I said, I can't just pull from it willy-nilly, which I'm grateful for in some ways as panic-spending might have depleted me a while ago.
Back in April, the Trustee said that I could get a mobile home in a park back home in east PA, up to 75k$ budget. There are homes in that range, but I also have to keep in mind location and lot rent. With SSI being 914$ federally (PA has no state supplement), obviously I can't go for a park with a 800+ lot rent even with assistance programs like SNAP and LIHEAP. PA isn't a rent capped state thanks to a lot of legislators owning rental properties, so landlords can legally increase rent by a hundred per year (and they have). Ever since the housing crisis, mobile home parks have become the affordable option, and some parks have been bought up by corporations who are trying to price out Social Security recipients so they can get more money from people trying to get out of apartment living but who can afford lot rents closer to apartment rent costs.
Today, my top choice home got scooped up, and the Trustee is saying that she would rather I move back and rent so I can go see the mobile homes in person rather than relying on a local friend to do the tour with me on video call. Which, yes, I agree, except...
How the fuck am I supposed to do that when no apartment- independently or company owned- will rent to me when I am not employed and my only source of income is an irrevocable Trust? My credit score is 684 and climbing, I have no debt history, my current housemates can vouch for me in terms of cleanliness, respect, and always paying rent in advance. Even with all that, landlords want things like last two pay stubs, proof of 2-3x rent in stable income, or someone else who has those things to be on the lease with me.
Room rentals? Also borderline impossible. It took me almost half a year to find my current room rental. I have a cat with an ESA letter, but that doesn't allow me past no pets policies in most room rentals. I also got ghosted more than half a dozen times when I was talking with someone about a rental and then informed them I'm transgender, which could be anything, but I'm willing to wager more often than not it was discriminatory. My physical disability also means I can't get anything that requires frequent stair use, like a basement or upper level room rental, or one of the many split-level historic homes that have been converted into the only low-income apartments in the area. There's even apartment buildings so old they don't legally need to have elevators.
Section 811 exists for disabled folks, but county and city housing agency I contacted either doesn't have it, or it requires you to already be in crisis and unhoused. Senior centers can accept up to 20% resident population that's non-elderly but disabled, but either have NYC luxury apartment prices because of the amenities, or a huge buy-in.
I'm just so. Utterly fucking exhausted.
I spent most of my formative adult years just trying to get stability, while spending my formative childhood years in deep poverty with a mother whose mental health was deeply impacted by a stroke she suffered when I was 16 who laid her hands on my throat once, would alternate between being a loving "hip" mom and screaming at me over mundane bullshit, and would constantly tell me that she could have another stroke and die if I upset her. In my housing instability, I've been sexually assaulted, verbally harassed, or just lived with couples who were constantly fighting.
I want a stable and safe home where I'm not at risk of having to move within ten years. Housing in general is ridiculous, but it's like for us disabled folks, unless we have family or a spouse to live with? Not even the housing options meant to keep us from ending up homeless are available.
I already have my plane ticket (fully refundable) back home for September 9th since I had to book early to get a good deal and lock in my cat's registration for the flight.
I'm just worried that even though I have an opportunity a lot of struggling people don't, I won't even be able to get anything.
If I'm being forced to find a rental, it would be a miracle if I find something in time that won't turn me away for having a cat, relying on Trust for income, being queer, or being unable to use stairs.
I don't want to settle for a mobile home, but likewise, I honestly just want safety and stability. I don't care if it's fucking grandma floral wallpaper and 70's bicolour shag carpet everywhere. It's mine, and the Social security administration is going to force me to spend before I hit 2k$ in assets anyway, may as well throw an entire Lowe's at it.
I know this is a lot, and I honestly don't expect anyone to read it, but I'm so fucking tired and I just want stability before I die (of old age or health, since I guess I'm genetically per-disposed to breast cancer and strokes on top of the rest of all this shit).

I’m not the type to ask for help. I’ve never actually needed help until now. But after a long fall from grace, it’s time to put my pride aside and ask for help.
When I was 17, I joined the US Army. I didn’t join to serve my country or any other patriotic reason, I joined because I came from a super poor family, and I knew that I wanted better for myself. And boy did I get it! I traveled the world, and on my 2nd tour in Iraq, ended up severely injured, and ended up getting out on a medical discharge. I was last stationed at Fort Knox in Kentucky, and I liked the area so much I decided to stay. With no idea what to do with the rest of my life, I started looking into joining the medical field. I became a CNA. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I was working too hard for too little money, especially since I already had a bad back injury. So I used my GI Bill and went to college. Eventually, I ended up with a Masters in Nursing. Took 5 years, but was definitely worth it. I ended up moving to New York and stayed up there for about 12 years. I made amazing money, and had a great life. If there was something I wanted, I bought it. I went on vacations, cruises, had several vehicles I paid cash for, and owned a beautiful home that was paid for. I shared my wealth when able. If someone needed help, I’ve always done what I could. I worked as a Director of Nursing in a hospital up there. When Covid hit, I was one of the first to volunteer to go to NYC to help on the front lines. I loved my job and helping other people. One day at work, I hit my head on a metal box that was mounted to the wall. I was sent for a MRI. The doctors found a lesion on my brain, unrelated to me hitting my head. A few months passed, and I started experiencing some intermittent confusion, and extreme fatigue. Then the pain started. It would hurt my feet and legs so bad to walk, that I could barely stand. I started seeing a neurologist. After tons of testing, a spinal tap, MRIs, you name it, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I was supposed to go to the neurologist to get started on something for it the following Monday morning, but tragedy struck that Saturday night when my entire house burned to the ground while I was at the grocery store. The entire house was a total loss. Not being from New York, I had no family to stay with, and ended up having to move back to North Carolina with family. After getting here, my MS progression sped up. I started seeing a neurologist here, and was told that my MS is the Primary Progressive type, which is bad news. Unable to work, I filed for Social Security Disability. A year passed, during which I used up all my savings, and ended up moving in with my mom. They denied my claim without ever obtaining my medical records from New York. I submitted an appeal, and they denied that as well, without ever getting all my medical records. So I collected all my medical records myself, and contacted a lawyer. I have a hearing coming up, and I will be approved once I see a judge solely based on my rapid decline since applying. I can’t walk without crutches anymore. I can’t control my bladder, the fatigue has gotten so bad that I can sleep 16 hours without a problem. Now, I’m always in severe pain because I’ve got neuropathy throughout both feet, legs, hands, and arms. I’m going blind. My feet are contracted and I wear special shoes and see a specialist just for that. My pancreas decided to stop functioning right, and I have a insulin pump now, with a implant that monitors my sugar every minute and makes sure I don’t drop or spike. I see a specialist for that as well. On top of that, I’ve got rheumatoid arthritis, so my joints and bones are affected, while the MS screws with my muscles. I have severe muscle cramps and spasms all the time. And they hurt. Bad. The muscles in my legs are atrophied to the point where I have no reflexes anymore. As I said, it’s been a long fall from grace for me to end up here. I went from having everything, including great health, to having nothing and being completely crippled in 3 years. All while waiting for disability to approve me and pay out. They now owe me 2 full years of backpay. I qualify for full benefits from the Army, and I have more than enough work credits for fill retirement. But I still haven’t worked or had any income since I’m unable to. I’ve been basically living off my mom, who is also disabled and can barely take care of herself. Food stamps helps with food a little, but it never lasts all month. I have medications that I have to have and even with Medicaid, I still have a copay. I’ve borrowed from everyone I can, which isn’t much because as I said above, I came from a very poor family, and even though that had changed for me, it didn’t change for them. I’m right back where I started.
I typed all this to show that I am a actual person, with a legitimate reason for being in this situation. There’s nothing I can do about it at this moment, except ask for help. If there’s anything you can do to help, please message me. If you can donate anything, anything at all to help, I’d appreciate it more than you know. Transportation to appointments, medication copays, food, things needed to survive, are all too expensive for someone with nothing.
My Cashapp Cashtag is: @DimebagDesigns
Feel free to message me if you want to talk or have any questions.
And thank for reading my long post.

I currently live in a suburb (Mandeville, a suburb of New Orleans). I see how suburban life is, but it can feel dull sometimes. We don’t get the conventions (my gf and I like anime conventions), We don’t have malls, and my chosen field once I graduate (software engineering) is near nonexistent outside of cities. What are the pros and cons of life in a city over the suburbs? Bonuses for vice versa.
Also the main cities I’m looking at potentially going to once I’m done with my software engineering degree are Fort Worth, Orlando, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Aurora (IL), northern Chicago, etc.

Life is just one big cruel test of mankind. You learn various dos and don'ts while you try to grow as a person, only for life to show you that everything you spend your time on has hardly any significance. Doesn't it feel like no matter how hard you try, everything you worked for just fucks up at the last second, leaving you shattered?
Hi, I'm writing this rant to talk about the shittiest parts of life. Maybe it will relate to you. Maybe it won't. Maybe you've had shittier things happen to you, and if so, I'm truly sorry, but these are my thoughts at work, and really just a look into my depression and reasoning for a lack of happiness.
Quick warning: I'm only 18, so I clearly have more time than others to work through this, but I still thought to share this with you all.
1.) School Do you remember the years of high school; the days where everyone seemed so happy? Friendships formed and perfected over the course of 13 long years (if you include kindergarten). Then one day, you realize that you're closer to moving on than you ever have been before. The classmates you grew up with, even if you were not close with them, have all begun their planning for the future. They can't wait to leave it all behind. Maybe you don't know what you want to do, but it doesn't matter, because you don't have the time to ponder. The senioritis hits hard doesn't it? Nobody wants to be around you, or the teachers, or anyone anymore, because they have a life to live, a goal to pursue. Oh, but what about all those friendships? Never mind those friendships. The people you grew up with have routes to take, and you're not on them. So, everything you know dies off. That text you got from your buddy may be the very last you get from them, as they can't be bothered anymore. Shit dies, and people don't stop to grieve.
2.) The Outskirts When you grow up in a village or a town, or even a city, you get to walk the sidewalks, go to parks, hang out with people, make friends and laugh. Doesn't it sound great? It would be, but I grew up in the country side, on a road with no one I knew but me. When you get on the bus to come home from school, you see the kids walking home, chatting and laughing and having a good time, but then you pass the town limits, and then you arrive home, with no one in sight but the family you see every day, who don't get along due to things such as...
3.) Politics FUCK POLITICS. The ass and the elephant beg you to agree with them, and all it does is add more chaos. You want to be an independent? Too bad your candidate won't be elected. You want to ignore politics. Too bad it forces itself into every little piece of your existence. I've grown up with a Republican dad, a democrat mom, and a liberal sister. The heated arguments at the dinner table about the media, and the misinformation; it makes you want to hide away. So I did. I would get out of the room the moment any political word reached my ears. Where can I go to avoid it though? The countryside is a void of cornfields and tangled woodlands. Then again, I would rather jump into traffic than hear one more argument between the two sides.
4.) Words I used to be so good at speaking to others. Hell, if any adult comes up to me, I can conjure up the charisma needed to make it seem like I have a boatload of confidence, when really it's more like a grain of confidence. The problem comes with people my age. Every word that leaves my mouth is practically fumbled, making joke telling, and simple conversations a nightmare. Especially with girls, I just cannot talk worth a damn. Maybe its my quiet life that did this to me. Maybe COVID damaged my socialization. Or maybe I just suck in general. I'd prefer to be done with this segment of my rant.
So yeah, that my main shit show. Of course there's other problems like my sisters anger towards me (she used to dream of killing me), my anxiety, my general lack of confidence, my inability to smile, and more. However, this was far too much negativity to pump out, so I'm leaving it here.
No TL,DR: If you can't be bothered to read it, then don't. Its fine by me.

I keep hearing and reading stories on hear and finally wanted a real answer. Here we go. In 2015, I (23 F) at the time, was part of a culinary experience with a very large company in FL. I had to move there from my home in TX. I had never left home or lived with someone else that wasn't my close family, so big changes coming for me. I get there and into my place, a single one bedroom apartment that should have three people. I set my things up and see a lovely note that says "hi sorry I am not there to meet you but can wait to have a new friend." OK, this is great, she'll be lovely and we will get along great. Two days go by and I have still not met my new flatmate, she hasn't even come back to the apartment. I finally met her, her name is "kate" for this story. Kate was this beautiful girl and just fit. Kate tells me she is a body builder and loves fitness. I, on the other hand am a chef and love food so, I'm not so fit. The next month goes by and we talk and hang out together and get to know each other on a real level. Kate is from Australia, is Christian, love our big name company, and loves food. Kate tells me how her Australia money actually was worth less then the US dollar so she watches what she spends. Kate also says she only had a small suit case that she came with and bought most of the things in the apartment. Great, I wasn't going to destroy any of it and was respectful towards her stuff. Two months of living with Kate and I noticed she only wore crop tops, like 5 different colors, and long skirts, maybe 3 colors. She had work out clothes but only wore them to work out and work clothes that she had to return everyday for a fresh pair. Ok, this is were the asshole part comes in. It was around the time of thanks and my apartment was having a big party for the whole complex. I had just got home from work and had a horrible headache. Kate goes how her workout was great and she wanted to see if I was going to the party. I said maybe but wanted to take some aspirin for head. My head is face down into my pillow and Kate asked how the weather was. I kept my head in my pillow and said, "why does that matter, you wear the same thing everyday." It was on for her, kate goes off and starts saying, " you might think I'm a slut or whore, but I'm not." I pick my head up and go "what?!" " I never said any of that, I just said you wear crop tops and skirts all the time." She gets all quite and starts acting distance from me like I just slut shamed her when I never said anything to her about that. She was a beautiful and if anything, I wished I could have had a body like hers than my own. So reddit am I the asshole?

Hopefully my ranting won't be too long or entirely insane because i'm on a big, potent drug for my mental problems now. Also, I am autistic.
Let's see, where do we begin?
This is all going to sound like the plot of a novel or a movie, but I assure you all it's real.
I have almost no reason to live.
When I was a teenager (ages 16-19), I had a lot of online friends and I was somewhat well-known within a niche circle. I was still very depressed, lots of self hatred, but my life was somewhat better. For reasons relating to a traumatic incident, I had to leave that online platform. Since then, my only outlet for human contact has been Discord and my unsupportive, aging parents.
It was alright for a while not having to deal with the shit that social media brought upon my mental health, but then I quit my part-time job as the gopher (b*tch boy) at a fast food burrito place because they slashed my hours. Now, whether or not this was because I was performing poorly (I performed alright with the encouragment of my first manager who gave me the dignity of part time hours, with the later on younger-than-me second manager saying to my face that that was a mistake) I don't know. I have some theories but it's not worth discussing them here. This was around the time I went on SSI.
I quit my job in August 2021 and I didn't work until early this month when I got hired as a dishwasher at a sports bar. I worked there for three days and they fired me for having a meltdown and calling my mom twice to try and coach me through it. My brother picked me up that night and told me how I'm not even capable of working because my I was apparently so privileged compared to him that I can't take any pressure whatsoever.
We grew up bad. Quite bad. I was sheltered throughout most of our impoverished, filthy, bug-ridden childhood. My father was a schizophrenic narcissist my mom met through an arranged marriage-style affair by the Jehovah's Witnesses. He did drugs, smoked weed, and was an alcoholic NEET (like me, except i'm addicted to food!) who barely worked and sold his father's rental properties and let his machine shop go to pot so that he could laze around all day and hang with his biker friends. Though every 6 or so months he did work as a sound and lighting guy. I wouldn't count that as a job. My mom babied the everloving shit out of me due to our circumstances and her finding out that I have a rare genetic mutation that causes autism among other things. Not even going to say where the babying went, but it did cause me to not do...well...anything when I was a kid (I was a savant with reading though) My brother and sister pursued music from a very young age and I watched television, played on the computer, read, and ignored basic biological functions because I was so glued to the television or the computer.
I could barely function in school until...probably mid high school, when I began to receive a little tiny bit of fame for the memes I used to post. I got a big confidence boost, people much older than me began to show their respect for me (hell, somebody who became known for their collaborations with a big comedy streamer said "Damn, you're funny for a sixteen year old!"), etc. Even then, I couldn't regulate my own emotions. I was still angry, sad, and lonely.
The best time in my life was during my gap year (late '18-early '19) after senior year of high school, where I interned as a coffee boy and an administrative assistant at various places. It really felt like I had a whole career ahead of me, but alas, it was not to be.
So that brings us to now. All my friends have jobs and/or are going to college (hell, my online bestie from when we were kids is interning where they filmed Zaboomafoo), I have like one person to talk to all day, and I have no hope for the future. I'm lucky I'm on the medication that I am, because if not I would be jumping in front of a train.
So, I ask, why bother?
TL;DR
I got failure to launch'd hard, all my friends are moving on without me and barely have time to talk to me anymore. I am completely alone in life.

The Big-12 doesn't have divisions, so I decided to split the conference by geography. Today will the Texas and Oklahoma teams while tomorrow will be the rest of the conference plus the other three newcomers. The four teams joining the conference aren't officially members yet, but I thought it would be informative to include them on this list. Even more so since they all have yet to beat certain big 12 programs. As always, the year in parenthesis is the date each team last played each other. If I missed any dates or matchups, please let me know!
​

1. Oklahoma

Arizona State (0-1) (1983)
Boise State (0-1) (2007)
BYU (0-2) (2009)
Georgia (0-1) (2018)
Illinois (0-1) (1917)
Indiana (0-1) (1928)
Navy (0-1) (1965)
Ole Miss (0-1) (1999)
George Washington (DC) (0-1-1) (1934)
Hawaii All-Stars (0-1) (1931)
Dallas AC (TX) (0-1) (1902)
Camp Doniphan (KS) (0-1) (1917)
​

1. Oklahoma State

Air Force (0-1-1) (1967)
Florida (0-1) (1990)
LSU (0-1) (1956)
Michigan (0-2) (1992)
Minnesota (0-2) (1931)
Ohio State (0-2) (2004)
Ole Miss (0-3) (2016)
Oregon (0-1) (2008)
Tennessee (0-1) (1995)
Wisconsin (0-1) (2022)
William & Mary (VA) (0-1) (1948)
Tulsa Businessmen (OK) (0-1) (1905)
Oklahoma City HS (OK) (0-1) (1909)
Norman NAS (OK) (0-2) (1944)
Jefferson (TX) (0-1) (1932)
Fort MacArthur (TX) (0-1) (1917)
Emporia St. (KS) (0-1) (1925)
Duquesne (PA) (0-2) (1935)
Centenary (LA) (0-2) (1937)
​

1. Texas

Air Force (0-1) (1985)
Minnesota (0-1) (1936)
North Carolina State (0-1) (1999)
Northwe(s)tern (0-1) (1942)
South Carolina (0-1) (1957)
Syracuse (0-2-1) (1993)
Virginia Tech (0-1) (1995)
Randolph Field (TX) (0-1-1) (1944)
Kirksville Osteopath (MO) (0-1) (1901)
Harvard (MA) (0-1) (1931)
Fort Worth AC (TX) (0-1) (1897)
Colorado College (0-1) (1908)
Chicago (IL) (0-1) (1904)
​

1. Texas Tech

Alabama (0-1) (2006)
East Carolina (0-1) (2000)
Georgia (0-3) (1996)
Georgia Tech (0-2) (1970)
Iowa (0-2) (2001)
LSU (0-3) (2015)
Miami (OH) (0-1) (1948)
Ohio State (0-2) (2002)
Oregon (0-2) (1992)
Penn State (0-1) (1995)
San Jose State (0-1) (1949)
Southern Cal (0-3) (1995)
South Florida (0-1) (2017)
Washington (0-2) (1982)
Saint Mary's (CA) (0-1) (1938)
Detroit (MI) (0-2) (1937)
​

1. Texas Christian

Arizona State (0-2) (1975)
Auburn (0-3) (1981)
Georgia (0-5) (2023)
Georgia Tech (0-2) (1968)
Kentucky (0-1) (1952)
Michigan State (0-2) (2012)
Notre Dame (0-1) (1972)
Tennessee (0-2) (1976)
Washington (0-1) (1896)
Houston AC (TX) (0-1-1)
Oklahoma City (OK) (0-1) (1910)
Northwestern St. (LA) (0-1) (2001)
Haskell Indian Nations (KS) (0-1) (1921)
Fordham (NY) (0-2) (1941)
Detroit (MI) (0-1) (1940)
Decatur Baptist College (TX) (0-1) (1919)
Centre (KY) (0-1) (1920)
Carruthers Field (TX) (0-1) (1918)
2nd Texas 132nd Infantry (TX) (0-1) (1917)
​

1. Baylor

Alabama (0-2) (1981)
Arizona State (0-1) (1990)
Boston College (0-3) (1999)
Duke (0-3) (2018)
Florida (0-1) (1960)
Georgia (0-5) (2020)
Liberty (0-1) (2017)
Michigan State (0-2) (2015)
Minnesota (0-1) (2000)
Notre Dame (0-2) (1998)
Ohio State (0-2) (1982)
Penn State (0-1) (1975)
Purdue (0-1) (1930)
UAB (0-2) (2004)
UCF (0-1) (2013)
UConn (0-2) (2009)
Fort MacArthur (TX) (0-1) (1918)
Central Oklahoma (0-1) (1924)
Barron Field (TX) (0-1) (1918)
​

1. Houston

Alabama (0-10) (1999)
BYU (0-3) (2020)
California (0-2) (1998)
Colorado (0-1) (1971)
Fresno State (0-1) (2017)
Hawaii (0-2) (2020)
Kansas (0-4) (2022)
Michigan (0-3) (2003)
Notre Dame (0-1) (1978)
Ohio State (0-1) (1994)
Oregon (0-3) (2007)
Southern Cal (0-3) (1996)
Washington (0-2) (1985)
Saint Bonaventure (NY) (0-2) (1950)
​
https://larrybrownsports.com/college-football/big-12-split-college-football/561059

Sorry this is a lot to get out. I’m really burned out right now. I’ve been depressed my whole life because I grew up in a really unhealthy household. I worked full time and went to school from 2013-2018, then moved into a stressful high pressure government job (a combative almost abusive secretary and apathetic boss drove me insane too), and then right before the pandemic moved laterally to a less stressful job (somewhere I had worked before with supportive people….or so I thought). The “less stress” didn’t last, a month in the pandemic hit and I was working from home from 7AM to 7PM. I was constantly told I’d be promoted for all this extra work I had to take on l. Fast forward to 2022, they screwed me, hired someone else and expected me to train them. I drew a line in the sand, handed off everything, made introductions and all the “How To Guides”. Since then I’ve been doing the bare minimum. I’ve had a lot of flexibility, but it’s still a toxic workplace.
When the pandemic hit, I started to have to take care of my parents who are in their 70s. Their health started to decline and they can’t take care of anything anymore (they never really did). My mother has had several mini strokes and my father is in end stage kidney failure as a result of his type two diabetes. I only had 1.5 years of true freedom and then had to start taking care of everything again. In April of 2020 I had to move back because I was driving back every two days to fix something. I’ve been trying to force them to downsize, sell the 3500 sq.ft house and move into some senior living place. I can’t cut the lawn, do the laundry, 80% of the cooking, shopping and work full time. My father has always been a selfish asshole. He refuses to get rid of anything (I use this thing I bought new and haven rich for 20 years). One moment he’ll promise to help me financially with my love abroad, then cry poor because he had to buy a brand new luxury suv (he doesn’t even really drive anymore). He has the money, we could sort everything in two months time, it would just cost him 10,000 in extra taxes. But no, his son’s health and well being isn’t worth that.
Between this, my job, not having a social life, gaining weight from all the stress, and losing a very close friend who moved away, I just don’t have the motivation to take the new job. I’m worried I’ll fail because I can’t focus anymore, can hardly drag myself out of bed, and just want to run away.
What I really am looking to do is cut ties with everything; working in government, my parasitic parents (who I now despise), and my emotional baggage. I then want to love to Italy. I know an overseas move would be stressful, but it would be a challenge that “I” chose and wasn’t thrust upon me by a job to family. I would do that right now, except my citizenship is a year away from being recognized.
I know I probably need a break from everything, but I just don’t know where to start. If you were me, wouldn’t it be a better idea to start over somewhere else. I hate and despise everything about where I live, my family, the my work and the three hours a day I spend in a car. The biggest that would keep me at my current job is that I can take off whenever for emergencies or when I just don’t feel like being there. I have three months of vacation left and can’t even make a dent in them taking a couple week off a year. Should I just wait out the next year, til I can move to Italy?
TL;DR: I’ve been offered a new job which will get me out of the dysfunctional workplace I’m in. However, I’m burned out from my current job, my parents, and depression. I’m worried I won’t be able to hack it. Should I take it?

Note that these are primarily Kings targets, players that are projected to be available for the picks they currently have. General order:
Bilal Coulibaly: LOVE. I think he can be the steal of the draft. 3&D (actually good at both shooting and defending, not just "wing who shoots 29% from 3 but we call him 3&D) but shows tons of potential for growth such as playmaking for himself and others. One of the youngest in the class, but also not nearly as raw as he gets talked about. He's risen lately, but I'm surprised he's not getting even more buzz.
Andre Jackson Jr: another LOVE. just a flat out winner. excellent defender, extremely high feel and IQ. Would fit in great with the Kings transition offense as he excels in the open floor as both a passer and finisher. However is a pretty horrible shooter at this stage. I see him a bit like a wing-version of Draymond. Despite his lack of shooting, I think he would fit in amazingly with the Kings.
Jordan Walsh: Sensing a theme here with wing defense? I made a post about it in nba_draft floating out the hypothesis that he might be getting underrated for his appearance (he has alopecia). Some called me crazy and that's fine but acting like implicit biases don't exist at all is stupid and ignorant. Super long and active playmaking defender and similar to AJJ, just makes winning plays. Also not much of an offensive player at this stage either (worse overall than AJJ), but the jumper is better than Jackson's. I really like Walsh.
If Leonard Miller lasts (it's looking more and more like he won't) I wouldn't be opposed to taking him. Would be a nice upside play and I think IF you're gonna take a big, he and Clowney (not at 24 pls) probably fit next to Domas the best.
I don't hate Julian Strawther either, #38 wouldn't be bad.
Obligatory Kris Murray, but I like some other names more. Wouldn't be mad at the pick though.
Kobe Brown: More of a sleeper pick, but I like Brown, and it's interesting to me because he doesn't get much buzz at all but the way he impacts the game at both ends is very impressive. Absolute physical load and is always doing SOMETHING on the floor to help his team; I think guys like that tend to stick. Did however have a massive one year shooting jump his senior year, and those guys tend to regress as shooters. Worth noting he is 23.
Some guys I'm lower on, particularly for the Kings:
Trayce Jackson-Davis: Yeah not a fan much at all. Blocks don't = good defense! He's a pretty poor defender in space and I promise you he will get targeted on that end at the next level. Absolutely hunts for blocks as opposed to playing solid D. His offense is all slow post ups where he ground Indiana offense to a halt by turning and backing down his man for 5 seconds before putting up a hook shot. Yes, it was effective at that level, but I don't see the translation with him. Zero 3s attempted, very poor FT shooter. Pass.
Dereck Lively II: This year's "he can shoot because he hit 3's in an open gym!" WCS and Mitchell Robinson saw this boost before. I'll believe it when I see it. Another guy that hunts for blocks as opposed to contesting solidly. He's getting some buzz at 10 for Dallas and I.........would not do that at all.
Rayan Rupert: I think he's pretty overrated as a defender at this stage. Has the physical tools for sure but I think he gets the "good defender" label because he looks far more active than he actually is. I think he gets beat a ton and his D technique can be quite poor. Also not a shooter at all so don't let anyone tell you he's a 3&D wing!
Sidy Cissoko: pretty meh to me. He's getting some hype lately to maybe sneak into top 20?
Jett Howard: shooting is very good, everything else is pretty ugly. Very unathletic which is crazy considering he has NBA genes.
As of right now, an ideal draft to me would be Bilal Coulibaly at 24 (or use 38 to trade up a bit if you have to, fuck it) and Andre Jackson Jr at 38. If he's gone, Jordan Walsh. I don't think I would take BOTH AJJ and Walsh because of the lack of shooting. Wouldn't hate a dart throw at Kobe Brown at 54 if he's there.

This is going to be one of the most frustrating and annoying topics for me, so lets just get right into it.
This is an old map of the silver line alignment:
https://preview.redd.it/gba9gw5v6c2b1.png?width=932&format=png&auto=webp&s=a6b6b89004b2ebf7c22153d228225d2a8bfe9f1f
Sorry this image is blurry, but take a look at the stations. There was going to be a station on Preston and Coit (in this image, the Coit station is called Renner village)
​
I might be wrong here, but this appears to be where the Preston station would be. To be honest, I'm not too upset about losing this one. Not the best land use. The NIMBYs in Far North Dallas can have this one, this station was not super necessary in my opinion.
https://preview.redd.it/2l6dif3j7c2b1.png?width=488&format=png&auto=webp&s=6c7f7263c7ee38f2c9468620f5d20d9f7d093488
I'm really not too upset about the Prestonstation going away. Doesn't seem to have a lot of potential.
Lets take a look at where the silver line tracks cross Coit
​
https://preview.redd.it/rz385u6q7c2b1.png?width=485&format=png&auto=webp&s=e2c141c37b2759c69e55abfe2b438e3aec3bd423
Pictured here is apartments, lots of apartments. Not just any apartments though, these apartments have a certain characteristic that makes them a huge ridership generator. There is a very large transit dependent population that lives here, students. Students who don't have a car, who don't have any other way of getting around. Serving these populations is how you get good ridership. And guess what, transit ridership in this neighborhood is already some of the best in the whole DART system. This neighborhood is a true success story for DART.
We can't just consider the surrounding land use though, because connections to other transit can also drive ridership at a station. Coit road, has the 883 west, which is the best performing bus route in the entire DART system. These apartments (and a few others not pictured here) are able to support a bus route that runs at 9 minute headways. The most frequent bus route DART operates runs right through this neighborhood. The route 241 also runs through the area, and would have been able to connect to this station. The 241 is another strong performer that gets lots of ridership, but since it doesn't connect to Addison, transferring to the 241 from the silver line was made impossible once DART removed the station
Why did DART kill this station? Because the NIMBY home owners didnt want it. Dallas did not want a station here. But something tells me, nobody talked to the renters who lived here. It was wealthy homeowners who opposed it, not transit dependents. The money that would have been used to build the Coit road station is gone. It went to betterments instead. And guess what, they still aren't happy with their betterments. DART killed two train stations to appease the NIMBYs and put that money towards betterments, and they still aren't happy.
Most importantly though, riders should be at the forefront of every decision made by DART, and I can't help but think riders were not at all at the forefront of this decision at all. Rider experience is what matters most, and this didn't help with rider experience. This limits the options riders have and increases trip time, while simultaneously decreasing ridership.
This was 100% avoidable. DART could have simply just axed Preston and kept Coit. I had no idea the silver line was being planned at the time, but advocates could have pushed DART to keep the stations. Comets For Better Transit exists today, and they would have tried to protect Coit station. We could have applied pressure too, but its too late for any of that.
Sources: https://dart.new.swagit.com/play/231509/8 (old Board meeting about this) https://communityimpact.com/dallas-fort-worth/plano/top-stories/2018/08/28/transit-agency-board-of-directors-votes-to-remove-coit-preston-road-rail-stations-from-future-cotton-belt-line/ (old article)

So... we all know about MeowWolf and Omegamart, right? Welp, imagine my surprise as I'm derping on YouTube today and get served a MeowWolf commercial (teaser?) for a "mall" that, from my initial research, is opening in the Dallas/Fort Worth area in July.
I know in the past there were some questions about what pieces of the MWU are actually connected. This one seems to be closely linked to OM so.... kinda hoping Matpat sees this, because I'd love his take both on the preview video of the new installation and maybe a followup once it goes live.
Video link for the commercial/teaser is https://youtu.be/FkPsX06hrnI.

People weren’t kidding when they said you could sleep and wake up one day with your world destroyed.
I (19F) lives with my whole family yet I feel like I carry the burden alone to raise my brother and I to survive. My parents worked as a OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) and she decided to bring my sibblings and I in UAE. It wasn’t really a happy experience as we first lived in a very cramped apartment but I was young, therefore i didnt mind it as much. But as I grew older it was becoming a burden and it was tiresome to keep moving houses, as after a year they would randomly decide to move out and live farther and farther from the main city.
Fast forward to 2021, I fell asleep after school and woke up to my mother saying she was suddenly fired from her job. A month after, my father was given an ultimatum to wether continue paying for his training as a security or quit. He wasnt really a great father and was abusive, lazy, harsh with words, childish and couldnt provide for us. You see, we were heavily reliant on my mothers salary so, then after, in just 2 months both my parents are jobless and im starting senior high with my brother and 1 sibbling went to college.
My older siblings who were much capable decided to step up and pay for our education and all our bills but they could only do so much as they each have their own family too and theyre just starting.
It was a few crazy months and I was really depressed and my school performance went really down and I couldnt open up to my friends as some of them were busy fighting and ending their relationship with one another because that too had gone toxic.
I felt really alone and it took me and my brother a few more months to realize our situation and how badly it has gotten. It went to a point where we were excited to see food on the fridge, it was mostly just eggs there after my mother lost her job so i learned how to cook eggs in different ways. For my brother and I we knew it was a great day when they come home with grocery, to us it means something good mustve happened. Eating and spending for food made me and my brother really guilty for it so we somehow, or our body somehow, decided to live off one meal a day and sleep most of the time. It was difficult to watch as my brother has a huge stomach and would eat 4 times a day.
We never recovered from it especially after my parents got involved in a pyramid scam of networking disguised as perfume business to make them a “millionaire”. With that 17k DHS worth of gratituity was invested and my mother spent like crazy on funiture, wall design, and cook ware. She coped in a way we couldnt afford in order to feed her pride that she could still provide for us whil my father was busy spending his money on his toy collection that he couldnt have when he was a child.
My mother went into a spiral of delusions and bought charms, statues of budha and other chinese stuff which we dont even believe in as we have a different religion. She blasts christian (again another religion) song and praise god songs every morning while im still asleep and wouldnt bother turning it down.
We live now in my sisters living room, cramped, and sleeping on the floor and sofa because our double deck was turned into a closet as my mother refused to trade or thrift some of the stuff we dont even use and would often be mad or screaming at me.
They leave the house everyday at 12noon at would come home at 12 midnight. While I was forced to take care of my niece, do the house chores, cook dinner, hang clothes, right after school while my brother helps with other stuff. We are mostly left alone to tend for ourselves and cook or sometimes even buy for our food. If one thing is left undone, i would be blamed and called lazy for not doing it. She blames that we are not greatful for what she has done and she blames us for basically living and existing and that shes tired of us. I was transfered to an online school to cut down some things financially so i do things 2x more than my brother while studying. after school i work part time jobs from 3pm to 8pm in order to provide for us and cook dinner while my brother cooks rice and do the dishes. 12-4am i study and do assignments and wake up at 8am to repeat the process.
There is so much more but i can only share a few things. Im really tired and sleepy I feel like being hit by a car would be doing me a favour so i could rest.
ps: in my eyes my brother is still a kid, hes 17, but i was once 17 too and i know how naive we can get. Its hard enough to see him coming home with awards from competitions we didnt even know he attended nor where did he get the money to pay for it, (he uses his lunch money and save it for his school needs.) It was hard enought seeing him give up volleyball to cut allowance and it was hard enough getting more updates from social media about him than him opening up to me.
edit: i forgot to include that during christmas, they failed to show up as they attended a party with their networking partners. They came home really late and the mood was ruined because we were waiting for them to start. We weren’t given any gifts and while taking pictures my father decided to insult me further ruining the mood. On new years they came home late again so we ate late and on the day of january 1st, my sisters family decided to go out together, and my parents decided to attend a party (again) with her networking partners while me and my brother were left alone at home while i was burning with fever. We ate leftovers by ourselves, decided to watch movies and played games until my sister found out we were home alone all day. At that point my brother and I lost complete trust with the adults around us and decided to live by ourselves and get used to it as growing up in the philippines, it was always just us anyways. On my 19th birthday my mother decided to cook a sauce for pasta and they left the house to go “work” (a.k.a participate in the said scam) for me to cook the rest of the food myself and when they got home they scolded us for the way the pasta turned out (i let my brother try cooking pasta)

I’m the sole breadwinner of a family of 5. I have been in a union job for 10+ years in healthcare. I am at the top of the wage scale and will only get cost of living increases for the rest of my career. In my current job i have a lot of down time working from home where i can watch Tv, play videos or whatever I want as long as I am next to my computer. I have an opportunity to apply for a higher level management position that would also be remote, but with more duties and responsibilities.
The pay increase would significantly help my family’s financial situation, but we are stable currently and will be much better in a few years once a car is paid off and we aren’t paying for preschool. Currently we have to watch spending closely and don’t have the financial freedom to travel or do home improvements.
The new job would be $15-20k more a year plus a possible 15% bonus depending on company performance.
I would no longer have the ability to play video games for 30+ hours of the work week.
In the time I have been in this company the managers have turned over every 2-3 years. If I got let go I could come back to a union job, but would have lost seniority and the great perks of my current position. The new job would build my resume and possibly present further growth.
Is it worth more stress for potentially $40k a year that would let us max IRA, build savings, pay for college but possibly only last a few years?
My fear is that I take the job and then have to keep job hunting, hustling, always try to prove myself, and fear for my job to get a life outside of work that was much easier.