Retirement village salisbury east

Hello everyone, I thought I would give my 2 cents about quitting findom here as I’ve been a finsub before. (Sorry if my English is not perfect).
The first one is acknowledging there must have been something that went wrong in order for you to get into this fetish. Whatever it is, you need to realize that this fetish is in no way normal. Participating in it won’t make your life any better. In fact it will destroy you, not only financially, but in a lot of other areas in your life.
The second one is you need to realize your self worth. You’re worth more than what these women try to tell you. Yes you’re thinking they deserve your money because they’re out of your league, better than you but it’s only because you let them. They’re only there to make some extra money off of you. Think about it, if you stopped paying them, they will immediately vanish away.
The third one that I think is very important is that even though I get those feelings of going back to it sometimes I don’t act on them. Yes it’s definitely easier said than done but this is not the worst addiction in the world. I dealt with drug addiction for years and let me tell you it was way harder to beat. Addictions take a long time but the more you fight them the better.
I struggled with this until last year when I finally quit and saved my money to travel to my hometown in East Africa. I’ve given that money to poor families to help them build a clean running water in their village. That alone was enough reason I decided to quit. Another benefit is watching that money grow every time that fat paycheck hits your bank account. Oh man is it beautiful. I really hope anyone who’s trying to quit find something else in their life that is worth spending money on, that is more fulfilling and rewarding.

Part 2
If you travel far enough North on the map, well above where the Civilized Nations stop because no crops grow, you'll find a mountain range. Crossing this range leads to the Monster Kingdom, though for some reason they prefer the name 'TFSU.' Yes, they prefer. The literal forces of anarchy and chaos in the universe have a government. However, ignoring that whole thing, the Monster Kingdom is fine. No armies march on them, mostly because of supply and logistical issues. The Monsters never say how they grow their own food, but given that they don't trade and millions of kobolds worth of food don't go missing every day, it's safe to say they make their own. Now, that doesn't stop the Civilized Nations to send one hero a decade to 'keep them in check.' Four decades ago, the hero closed off a mountain pass, which was supposed to cause a massive flood. Four days later, it was cleared, and the only thing to show for it were the cities that glow like the sun at night. However, yesterday, the Hero returned having burnt one of the bigger cities down. It was empty of all monsters, but the act was the first real damage they had taken in seven hundred years, since their founding. For seven hundred years, the TFSU have taken the beating of seventy heroes and simply moved on. But now. Now, millions of kobolds make up heavy 'machinery' units that march in armored, self-moving caridges that spit fire and metal. Thousands of beastpeople make up scouting and light infantry ranks. The TFSU use hellish 'guns' that hit harder than a catapult from kilometers away, all in a single 'bullet' not the size of a human's thumb. Metal birds and dragonflies join dragons as they assault cities. We poke the very literal sleeping dragon in the eye. Yet the armies don't do much. They march for our capitals and leaders, but on the way our civilians live. Surendees live. People go about their daily lives without too much change. Of course, that fact didn't stop the front line from finally crashing over my small village, located so close to the pass for a while we thought they the monsters had bypassed us entirely. The Civilized Nations had decided to send an entire legion to prevent the Monsters from getting across a nearby canyon pass. We were hit with an air-based assault with only dragons and metal dragonflies, our balista uselessly demolished by pillars of metal and flame thrown out of the metal dragonflies. I blacked out when the legion managed to shoot enough arrows to take down one of the dragonflies. I remember it crashing down onto my house... and then nothing.
-----
The elf stirred as they woke up. I'd been raised in the Terra Firma Sapience Union, so I was... less than familiar with the clothing and lifestyle the Southerners used. The elf groaned again, before their eyes shot open and they looked around, quickly settling on my frame. "A-Are you going to kill me now?" They asked, their voice shaken with fear. I let out a laugh. "If I wanted you dead, you'd already be dead." I decided to transmorph into my secondary form - a cat - to help the conversation go better. In a land where humans lived to forty, elves only lived to a hundred, and that meant that even I was older than this elf, and they were no older than thirty. The elf, to their credit, quickly figured out I wasn't pulling any mindgames. I'd heard tales from my relatives before the Kobolds founded the TFSU. People, especially when panicked, usual acted with more than enough stupidity to make the situation worse. "Where am I?" The elf asked. Their tone told me that they were still suspicious, but it wasn't outright denial of the situation. "My home," I answered bluntly. "Your village tried to fight our ground forces when they moved in, so most of them are currently under house arrest." Still in my cat form, I created a portal into my storage cavern and reached my arm through, while summoning a lab coat around my shoulders and glasses. It was a trick I had only learned to do recently. "Let's see..." I found the clipboard and brought it out, flipping to the elft's page and taping the pen against the paper. "You suffered a collapsed lung, severe burns on the right side of your body, three broken ribs and two fractured ones, shattered three wrist bones, three breaks in your right upper arm and another two in your lower arm, and on the left side you have another fractured rib and three broken fingers. Your left leg was shattered and your left foot was completely torn up. Healing magic stabilized you and surgery did the rest. You've been comatose for the past three days, and was brought to my home yesterday due to a surge in hospital patients from the seige of Trembolorne. "In terms of organ damage, that was also severe. A busted kidney, I already mentioned a collapsed lung, and your entire digestive system was... well, pulverized would be putting it lightly. Also, unrelated to the incident with the helicopter, you had cancer in your liver and kidney. "In terms of medical treatment, you've been given an IV line for the past couple days and several painkillers, and you underwent four separate surgeries. We reconstructed your organs, welded your bones to metal plates, and used a genetic printer to replace your skin. You're lucky to have gotten time with the genetic printer in the first place, you know; those things are expensive, and I mean expensive to run. Though it's all billed on the government anyway, but that just means that they'll only run it if they have to." The elf sat up in bed looking at me as I just stood on two paws on the cave floor. "Right, sorry, you wouldn't understand most of that." I sheepishly scratched the back of my head with my right paw. "Um... put this way, you were crushed by debris and we basically reconstructed your body before you died. So not necromancy, though you did get close to needing more advanced magical treatment." "Oh," The elf replied. The cat thing seemed to have helped, because they were no longer stuttering with their single word response. "Um... do you want anything to drink?" I tried to kickstart a conversation. "Where am I?" The elf asked again. I was silent for a second. "My home? It's right on the edge of TFSU territory, one of the southernmost places you can be while still being with the recognized borders. I chose this place because I like to fly out in the summer over the flowers in the forest at the foot of the mountains. Your village is a couple hour dragon-flight time away." "Mmmhm." The elf commented halfheartedly. "OK, um... who are you?" "My dragonic name isn't something most can pronounce, so my public name is just Vixie Remminie." I answered. "What's yours?"
The elf's eyes narrowed. "Why do you want to know my name." I blinked. "Because... It's a name? I'm not a Fey, you know, it's not like I can tie ancient demons to your soul and call it a prank or something ridiculous like that. Besides, you asked for mine; now I get to ask for yours." "And who says you won't just burn my village to the ground and eat me right now!?!" The elf suddenly burst out. "You monsters ruin everything! You trespass on our land, take our resources, and kill our people! All we did was try to defend ourselv-" I cut him off, and poured just a bit of attention in giving myself an aura. Blue fire licked the bottom of my vision as I rebuttaled his point. "Don't forget, you stole the land from us. We were the ones living in the wild when you razed our forests and grew crops. We couldn't even purchase land to live on! So yes, we stole what we could to survive and those who didn't starved and died! And when all was said and done, you tried to kill us and turned it into a war, one where we had no choice but to kill you back. And when we found someplace to run, a spot to hide and do our own thing with our own land? You blistering idiots sent you 'courageous heroes' to try and kill us! What for? Nothing! Just your stupid, moronic fear making, forcing you to decide to 'kill the big thing over there!' We can't even have freaking farmland, we have to grow it all in hydroponic farms and harvest thousand-year-old vines out of caves because this is all we have!" I realized that my aura was burning fully and scorching the ground around me. I let out a long sigh, and it died down. Several memories flashed through my head, but I pushed them away. "Apologies, my parents are still a... sensitive topic for me. It would be best if we just stayed away from talking about the war until the hospital has room for more patients again." "Yeah?" The elf was still enraged. Even sitting down, they were still trying to construct an argument. "You parents who killed how many? Your family killed how many more? You dragons, you monsters are nothing more than one large grouping of murders that deserve to die! As the gods will!" The elf was spitting in rage, but I recognized his determination to hold onto his worldview. It was the one thing I needed to pry away before it got out of hand. "And you elves killed how many more?" I asked in a low voice. "Can you tell me the number of kobold dens exterminated in caves, the number of beastpeople sent to an early grave in slave camps? Because I can tell you ours. My father's was two, my mother's four, and my extended family including deceased relatives is one hundred and thirty seven. "You declared war against monsters, you child of an elf," I growled. "And death the reality of war. We know. The Unification Wars weren't fought with swords and honor. They were fought with artillery barrages and death. They were fought with miniature suns and political backstabbing, with tanks and guns and submarines and warships and all the more death. "You say the gods don't like us! That's put lightly. They forsook us! Abandoned us in our hour of need. So we learned to live without them. There are no gods we pray to anymore, elfling. Only each other, our creations, and the universe itself. They don't want us, we don't need them. It's more than they deserve." My aura was once again charring the floor and I had transformed back into my dragon form, but this time I refused to cool it down. "You call us creations of death, the primal forces of anarchy? We are you. You are us. We are sapient, we are all mortals, no matter our advantages. We are bound to this dimensional plane, forced to serve our betters, and live out our lives not with earnest but with trepredition for when it ends. We are all death incarnate, because we can all die. That is just the way it is. Besides, you've wondered about my kill count; tell me, can you tell me the gods'? Can you tell me how many souls they have cut from fate for their own entertainment? No? I can tell you." I growled, moving closer until the blue flames enveloping my body threatened to light the elf's cot on fire. "More people than are alive on this planet right now." I pulled back, bottling up my aura and reverting to my cat form. "We can talk all we want about death and destruction, and I won't lie and say you aren't victims of the war; pre-unification dragons we're exactly kind and merciful to those with treasure hoards. But perhaps, I implore you to consider that maybe we both are victims of the war, and maybe we can one day work together instead of fighting each other. "Maybe, one day, we can fight for our rights against the gods." I moved into my dragon form and darted deeper into my cave, moving so fast I could hear the howl of the wind against my ears. Only when I had reached my memorial wall for my parents did I stop and take a breath and think over my conversation with the elf. We had a long way to go, but I hoped I had put a little bit of sense into him. I hoped that the world could change.
-----
When the dragon cat thing sped away, I took a moment to survey my surroundings. Only now did the effects of my first question hit my formerly-groggy head. "My home." He said. Dragons live in caves. Oooooh. I'm screwed. However, there were no treasure hoards visible from my perspective; then again, while the Monsters were stupid, they still had brains to them, and carrying me into a treasure room would probably be something they'd be able to tell was a bad idea. Pops said never underestimate you foe, A voice in the back of my head said, and the dragon even launched in a full conversation with you. You're selling the dragon very, very shor- Shut up I growled internally to the treacherous voice in my head. The cave itself was... a cave. There was a metal slab on one end, it went deeper in the other, and that was that. In a 'corner' of the jagged room there were a number of red, glowing rods attached to some kind of giant mechanism three elfs wide and six deep, but the rods glowed against the cave's light- What light source? My eyes darted around looking for one. Only now was I aware of how unnatural each shadow was, how awkward each shining rock looked, how each stalagmite could hide an entire dragon, and that was before they started transfiguring into cats. How bright the ceiling- I looked up. The bright light burned my eyes, but I needed to know what fiendish magic was in play so I could counter it. But the light didn't flicker like fire - they were far too bright for that anyway - but they also didn't have the magical circles surrounding each spell. They were... lights. As if the universe simply willed brightness into existence. Each far-too-bright-hurts-to-look-ats was placed along a main hallway clear of stalagmites running from the metal slab deeper and around a corner where I couldn't see. The lights were only poised above this one hall, and they just... shone one the rest of the cave. Looking closer, I could see thin black lines, too thin to be mana feeds, running along the walls to both the glowing red rods and to the so-shiny-the-lit-up-the-cave. And... that was that. There was no massive pile of treasure in the hall, though I suspected the dragon kept their hoard deeper than... wherever I was. There was no pile of skull trophies or the banner of cities and armies slain, and I noted that while he had told me his parents', the dragon had never told me his own. Then again, the cat thing could be lying. Dragon transfigured into a cat. Probably has Circle Of Truth around his entire den. Nonsense, dragons can only do elemental magic. Evidently not. Would you just shut up already? No- I moved my attention back to the metal slab, cutting off whatever the voice in my head had to say about my current situation; it wasn't every day one just got kidnapped by a nation of monsters, after all. The slab was truly elegant. It was painted with the monster language, and then was painted with some kind of mural. I could barely make out a blue circle with green splotches on it surrounded by twelve rings in the bottom corner because most of the door was taken up by a ice-blue cat with lighter strips engulfed in blue fire. It was a mural of the dragon cat thing. That didn't stop it from being pretty, and someone had obviously put a lot of effort into it. The flames looked realistic from what I had seen minutes ago, and the cat's details were perfectly engraved. It was... acurrate. Yeah, because I think Vixie was just trying to tell you that they built their civilization for a reason, and it wasn't carnage. You don't know what you're talking about. We both know I do. How else to you think- Listen to me, you treasonous voice of a- No, you listen to me, you pathetic excuse for a brain. The dragon was able to hold and win an argument with you, fixed your wounds that would've been a dead write-off for any other hospital, and then you think SHE barely meets the threshold for sapient? THE ABSOLUTE MORON I'M ARGUING WITH IS THE ONE YOU BARELY MEETS IT!!! You moved to your frontier village because the world was changing, Lazerot the Sixth. Congrats, you were right. It did change. Now shut your OVERSIZED EGO up at being bested by a creature ten times older than you, and go appologies before they decide that saving your life wasn't worth it. I... I... OK- No. I'm in control now. Shut up. I....... yes, sir. Good. With new resolve, I stood up. My head throbbed, and the next thing I knew was my face hitting my cot again.
-----
When I heard the thud of something falling in the entrance cave, I carefully moved back into the entrance cave. The elf was face-down in their cot, unconscious again. It looked like they had tried to stand and just.... fallen over. I sighed and used a claw to nudge the elf back onto his pillow, and then covered him with a blanket. I watched him for a minute, and then returned to the deeper parts of my home. The TFSU was completely overloaded with the number of patients needing treatment. Apparently, the Southener's hospitals just... didn't do anything, so in addition to soldiers, there was a massive influx of civilians to our hospitals too. Of course, this meant that they were absolutely overloaded, and the Civilized Nations strategy of fighting to near-death and then surrendering wasn't helping. So, stable recovering civilians like the elf were just... shipped out. When shelters filled up because the Civilized Nations overpopulation crisis was too bad to do anything, people just had to take them into their homes. Long story short, the government was in way over their head attempting upgrade the standard of care in the Civilized Nations while occupying their territory. My job so close to the border was remote infrastructure maintenance, and my ability to change size while not dissolving made me an expert at it - and that was before my two hundred years of experience. And then I didn't need a vehicle to get on-site, and was fast. The alarm pinging me that one of the space radars was down again gave me an excuse to avoid the elf and do some work. I grabbed a pack of supplies, put on my shapeshift-compatible uniform, and wrote down a note on a piece of paper. On my out past the sleeping elf, I dropped it for him.

Space radar system needs repair, as it's returning a false positive. It's my job to repair all the infrastructure around here, so I need to go fix it. I'll be back soon. If you're hungry, my pantry is the first cave on the right. You can just eat anything that's easily open-able in there. If it has a lock or airtight opening mechanism (anything more than a clip, really) then don't eat it. If your thirsty, there's a stream in the entrance cave near the heaters. When the door mechanism beeps, step back. Sometimes pressure in the cave can get a bit wonky, and I don't want you to get hurt. Other than that, feel free to explore. I've locked all the doors to the rooms I don't want you to enter. For toilet necessities, the second cave on the left has a properly-sized toilet. And running water, but stuff I can explain later means don't drink it. See you soon! - Vixie.

Satisfied, I left opened the door. There was a puff as the air from inside flowed out to the lower-pressure atmosphere. I could spot a snow squall to the north, and the pressure meant that it was probably coming my way. I moved out onto the ledge and closed the door behind me. At high altitudes this far north, the air was already near-zero and it was still five in the afternoon. I took just a second to confirm with the weather report that the snowstorm was in fact going to arrive on my doorledge using a smartwatch I had strapped around my wrist. When I found that the storm was coming, I opened my wings and flew. Being an Ice Dragon had its advantages, but being a Water-Ice Combined Dragon was much better. The frosty air curled around my wings as the freedom of ignoring gravity filled my brain. Ice and Water dragons both had large wings to deal with the cold air (and lower pressure leading to the requirement for more surface area to achieve the same amount of lift) and incompressable water physics (to let the wings act like a one-way fan blade as they move back and forth, increasing efficient). Dragons might be magestic creatures, but we were still bound to the physics of the mortal plane, after all. Being part of both, my wings were even bigger, making me one of the best high-altitude fliers on the planet. The ability to use both gills and lungs at said altitudes helped with oxygen also helped. Air Dragons were better at flying in normal air, but I liked to think of it like stats from a video game. Air Dragons min-maxed their stats for low-altitude, but I could go anywhere - even underwater - can keep my speed relatively high. I took full advantage of this on my way to the space radar, soaring well above the cloud ceiling and to the point where I could make out the curvature of the planet below me. The ocean spread out to my west, while more land was to my east. Snow covered the north as to the south was the telltale splotchy color of industrialism. My smartwatch beeped, as I crossed the normal altitude limit. I hadn't realized I'd gone so high; I had a radar to repair, after all. I dove down towards the surface, ignoring more beeps as I crossed half the way to the speed of sound. The wind howled angrily in my ears, but I flattened those (thank you, streamlined water genetics) and came out of my death dive right over the radar. The repair itself went relativity smoothly, though I couldn't find a broken component and chalked it up to more space anomalies. They weren't infrequent, and usually marked where the gods decided to look over the planet. For my radars, anyway. Further north, ignoring the north pole, almost no gods came out and wanted to deal with us. Our unspoken agreement was held that way. I flew straight back for my return journey. The storm was definitely closer, but fifteen minutes of flying later and I was entering the opening mechanism for my door. As it swung inwards, I heard the high-pitched scream of an elf.
-----
When I awoke, I found myself tucked into some covers. It took all of seven seconds for reality to catch up with me. Right. I got into a heated argument with a dragon. I instinctively touched the part of my face that had been closest to the dragon's flame. I'd read about Auras in books, but never thought I'd get to see one. They were only ever found in the most powerful and competent individuals of a race in an entire plan of existence. I wondered which skill gave the dragon hers - Vixie, I reminded myself. Either way, given that Auras are technically illusions, I wasn't hurt. The flames didn't get close enough to hurt anyway, but that didn't stop me from checking. This time, I was much more careful when I stood up. I sat up first, then started to kick my legs back and forth. That's when I spotted a paper on the other side of my cot. I stood up without thinking, but managed to keep my consciousness this time and moved towards the note. It was handwritten and contained a lot of jargon that I wasn't familiar with. Space. Radar. False positive. Airtight opening mechanism. Heater. Beep. Pressure. Toilet. Running water. I could deduce some of it. A message had come in requesting the services of the local dragon to repair a thing that has an issue, and that she would return shortly. I could wander around as I pleased, besides eating food that wasn't open or contained in a clip bag. From the tone of the message, I could deduce what a 'toilet' was. The heaters would logically be things that produced heat, so all I had to do was look for those. I wasn't able to tell time, but I supposed at this point it didn't matter. I moved over deeper into the cave, and quickly heard the sound of a stream. It led directly into a forest of stalagmites. After clambering over those, the temperature started to increase, which was all I needed to know that I was getting a drink of water. I was only now catching up to the fact that I had been out for three days, and that meant that I was extremely thirsty. I wasn't sure how I wasn't dead of dehydration at this point. I found the stream next to the glowing metal rods, and with it a clear path to my location. Sighing slightly at the wasted effort on climbing through Rock Forest, I snatched an undersized cup off a rack built into a nearby jut in the cave wall and filled it, before entering the bliss of fresh water. Back in the village, we had some of the best and cleanest water in all the land thanks to snow melt, but this took that to a new level. Cold, crisp water melted in the sun only minutes ago. It was... pure. I spent the next couple minutes simply drinking and processing everything over in my mind. The gods might have willed the monster dead, but if even the monster gods had abandoned them and survived... then how come the Pantheon never told us? Religious issues aside, there were more practical issues regarding my own survival. How did I get out. There was a thud at the metal slab, and I moved back towards it, leaving my cup to dry on the rack I pulled it from. The engraving of the cat on the metal slab was- BEEEP! What was that sound? There was a hiss, and the slab started to peel away. A gust of frigid cold air washed over me as a mage Ice-Water hybrid Aura-capable dragon that I had argued with stared me down. I did the instinctive thing and let out the scream of a human three year old, squeezing my eyes shut and waiting for the final blow. When the end of my life didn't arrive, I reopened my eyes to find the sky-blue cat standing in the hole where the metal slab was supposed to be. Then there was another... sound, and the metal slab started to move back into position. The cat was surprised for a single moment before simply charging the door and jumping through, skidding to a halt right in front of me. Which meant that I got a closer look at her. Ocean-blue strips crossed an ice-blue body fur in a fifty-fifty ratio. Small crystals of ice twinkled, floating here her wings would be. One tail was accompanied by two more made of pure blue-white energy, and the cat even had a halo. Six orbs of blue-white light hovered in lazy circles around her back, and even in a diminutive form the size of a cat the being radiated the power of an aura-capable creature. "Oh, right, sorry," Vixie said, and all the ethirial energy disappeared. Now that I knew what I was looking for, however, I could just barely tell, using my power as a mage, that Vixie was using illusion magic to hide her true energy. "You don't need to hide your reserves," I said. "Though if you're shapeshifting into forms so small that you need to expose yours, then you should just burn yours instead. It's not worth the trouble of people bottling yours." Vixie gave some kind of half-shrug. "They're not reserves, no." She said, emphasizing the word. I looked at Vixie with a sharp look, and for a second I forgot I was talking to a dragon. "Then what are they?" "They're..." The cat blushed, something I wasn't even aware was possible. She let the illusion fall away, and the tails, crystals, orbs and halo returned. "They're my regenerative baseline minimum." I looked her up and down for a second, dumbstruck. She really is a creature of power, huh? "Um.... uh..." I stuttered. "Is... that where you get your aura from?" I asked. Vixie closed her eyes with an expression on her face, and this time green flame started to peel off her. "Part of it, yeah." To control an aura like that... two auras. Just how powerful is she? I was so deep in thought that I didn't realize that the expression on her face was pain. "I... uh... what happened?" I asked, shellshocked. "Why aren't you fighting in the war?" The worldwide-powerful dragon masquerading as a cat sighed. "I... haven't told anyone. It's... personal." "I..." Only now did it hit me that I was talking with a dragon, not another person. Not just a monster, but a... creature with emotions. "You don't have to tell me." I quickly backtracked. "No, no, it's a fair question. It..." The cat let out a chuckle, and it filled the cave with a beautiful sound. "I suppose it's kind of ironic... but it starts with a kobold and a god, back when the Firma kobold tribe decided to travel north to escape the civilized nations, shortly before the amassing of all creatures in these same northern mountains and the Unification War. "Back before the gods forsook us."
Original Prompt: [WP] For as long as all the races have known, Dragons have been seen as violent, destructive creatures. After an attack on your village, you black out and find yourself in the den of a dragon. It's rather annoyed that that is how they're seen, and wants to prove that isn't the case.
u/Lycan_Jedi thank you for the prompt!
Part 2

Hey all, I’m looking for a room available by July 31st in the East Village ish area. Doesn't have to be exact, just in that area. Im looking for a room available for a year long lease, ideally with a couple other roommates already involved. (Move in date: anytime between now and end of July) I keep my place clean, and always down to be friends with roommates! Really enjoy cooking and baking at home, otherwise my interests are usually outside, going out with friends or outdoors stuff. Budget is $2k, but I can be flexible on that a bit.
Please message if you're looking for a roommate!

It appears the entire East Village lost Spectrum internet and cable tv connectivity today. A pretty huge artery of their system must have been cut/failed, as our whole neighborhood was down for 7+ hours, judging by reports in our FB Group. I just learned (it wasn’t obvious in the agreement I signed) that my new, cheaper Verizon Wireless unlimited cell plan, does not allow me to tetheuse my phone as a personal hotspot. #annoying

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Today's american politics are full of ridiculous rhetoric. The most ridiculous claim that is getting spun in mainstream media is that Florida is a fascist state, and that DeSantis is the Fuhrer. This claim does not reflect reality.
1) People are moving there in droves. People dont move from freedom to oppression..
2) Key West, FL is one of the most gay friendly places on earth
3) Miami, FL is one of the gay friendly places on earth.
4) Nearly every other major metro in FL is extremely gay friendly
5) The retirement communities house thousands of swingers. (Look it up, STDs rampant)
6) Disney had a "special deal" taken away because they bit the hand that fed them and publicized it. What happened to companies having to "pay their fair share?"
7) All of the east and west coasters visit Florida regularly, and especially did during covid. Did AOC vacation in a Fascist state?
Seriously, how on earth can anyone claim that the stormtroopers are marching through the streets in Florida? You can literally do whatever TF you want there. To the point where it's insane.

-----A----- "I think we need a city. In the North East or South West plains maybe? I think this one needs taller buildings. The city can also include a crater from a nuke and several bombing damages due to outbreak containment." u/frankentaler
-----B----- "The cardboard castle." u/acidese
-----C----- "An underwater facility with a broken zombie tube in it, maybe also the source for hazmat gear." u/Robosium
-----D----- "Village in the swamp" u/Electronic_Asks-7847
-----E----- "A helipad in the mountains where a military helicopter can spawn" u/Agreeable_Shift_2106
-----F----- "An inconspicuous looking farm at the north-most part of the coast that is actually a corn worshipping cult with underground caverns beneath the barn." u/MovingCogger
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will try to keep this concise, this is most likely a situation where I am not the a-hole, but it would be nice to have some insight into this ongoing situation. I’ll just start w/ a timeline:I met my bf in July of last year so we’ve been dating almost a year. I love him dearly and we’ve had similar hardships in childhood where our parents got divorced when we were young, him at 7 and me at 13. Trauma bonding to an extent I know…. but the point is we understand each other’s experience. He doesn’t talk about his childhood much and at times he says he can’t remember everything about it which is troubling to me. I only ever met his mom and sister once in person because they both live on the east coast and we are west coast. Anyways, I have a room share situation in a city 20 minutes away from where he lives which is with his dad. This room share situation is my first moving out experience/ living on my own experience and he has only ever lived in a college dorm and then after college moved back in with his dad. His dad has been battling throat cancer for the past 10 years, thankfully he seems to be in remission and it seems it won’t be coming back. I learned this information 1 month into dating my bf.
2 months into dating he has me over to meet his dad and step mom, they have been married for like 20 years. His step mom seemed like a lovely person and his dad was very quiet. 2 weeks after I meet them my bfs step mom left his dad in the middle of the night, didn't take any of her things, just left. Not knowing a lot about his dad at this time this really bothered me, that kind of behavior is something abuse victims do. She had a lot of nice stuff like expensive artwork and furniture, it's almost been a year and she has yet to get those things which is crazy to me. About a week before she left she was acting strange and gave my bf a big hug when his dad wasn't around and told him something to the effect of I love you and I'm sorry and you'll be ok, he didn't understand why she did this until she left. See, I have a BA in Society Ethics and Human Behavior, so I understand a bit of psychology and wanted to be a therapist at some point, so all of this stuff was pointing me into a dark direction, but my bf just couldn't see it at the time. See what I think happened is his dad told everyone his cancer was in remission and then step mom met me and liked me and knew my bf would have support (me) so she probably felt comfortable leaving him, she probably considered it for some time. I refrained telling my bf these theories because once again he just couldn't see it at the time/ didn't want to admit this was happening, and he's a very sensitive person which I love about him. The other unfortunate aspect of this situation is that my bfs stepmom was the breadwinner of the household. His dad used to be a doctor and retired 10 years ago, while she was a ER nurse and paying the mortgage on their house which he originally purchased on his own 20 years ago. At this time they are going to court to divy up/ divide the monetary worth of the house.
Because of this unfortunate situation, and the fact that he has no retirement money to speak of for some reason I don't even know... my bf while already paying rent to live with him had to chip in even more money for paying the utilities and groceries and what not. If you're curious his dad was charging him $800 to live in this small rambler house built in the 50s (don't get me wrong it's a lovely house but that's kind of steep to ask from your own son). You may be asking, why doesn't he just get a loan and not put this burden on his son who did nothing wrong? HE WAS ALREADY IN DEBT. A couple months in I started having a unfortunate and abuse related issue of my own in my house sharing experience. I had naively neglected to realize it's probably not a good idea to live with your landlord, let alone a very mentally unwell landlord. That story is long and egregious and probably worth a post all of it's own but I'll skip to the inciting incident which was 4 months into us dating. Covid was spreading around our city and everyone was getting it. I had unfortunately gotten it probably from riding the bus and most likely despite my best efforts, gave it to my landlord before she went on a business trip to a different city. She was so mad at me that despite how hard I tried I still gave it to her (I mean we share the same kitchen and live on the same floor). She came home and threw her suitcase on the floor multiple times, threw a heavy object near my head in the kitchen, slammed doors, cursed, stomped and mumbled to herself all day. I know it doesn't sound too terrible but it gave me a panic attack and I basically felt unsafe and trapped. I asked my mom what I should do and I don't understand why but she told me not to break the lease and it will look bad, but I really wanted to. Because she signed the lease with me she would not agree to me breaking the lease, I was literally trapped. This may be a good time to quickly mention my own family relationships. See through my education in college on mental disorders, I only about a year ago realized that my mom is probably a narcissist or at the very least has narcissistic traits. Examples? She once straightforwardly told me and my brother her romantic life comes before us and our needs, she told me when I was seriously depressed and suicidal that "it's not my fault you want to jump off a bridge" when she literally ripped me away from my dad and my friends in my home town to live with her bf, and she quietly gave away MY 2 dogs when I was 16 and we moved because she was afraid it would be a "big hassle." Ok, I think you get the picture. I'll wrap this thought up by concluding that I have someone very close to me who is a narcissist so I understand how they act and because of this issue with my landlord I started spending more and more and more time living with my bf and his dad.
At first everything was great between the 3 of us. Family dinners, great discussions, inside jokes and nicknames. But I eventually started to notice that my bfs dad (I'll just call him B from now on) was actually a lot like my mom, hyper intelligent but lacking insight and neglectful of other people's needs and feelings. He would always be short w/ my bf and he always had to be right, I started to realize that he's quite pompes. A small example would be that sometimes we all 3 would forget to turn the heat down at night and my bf suggested we just put a sticky note on the wall by the thermostat until we all have the idea ingrained. B scoffed at this idea and basically said that was stupid, but we did it anyway and it worked for all 3 of us, just a very small example there. As time went on I started nudging my bf into the idea that his dad needs to figure out what to do about this whole divorce and money thing on his own and my bf needs to start his own life, whether that's living with me or not. This was difficult because I didn't want him to think I don't care about his dad because I really do. Despite the messed up things my mom has done to me I, if you can believe it, have actually patched a lot of things up with her. I believe in second chances and just because someone has narcissistic traits it doesn't mean they don't deserve love, you just have to be really careful about it. My belief is we all can co-exist together if we just try, I understand not everyone feels that way and I totally respect that. So basically I just said we need to help him the best we can while also thinking about ourselves and our life together.
I was really patient on this point and was basically just waiting out my year long lease. Now this is the part where I feel a little selfish and bad about my actions. Initially I had thought when my lease was up I was just going to live with B and my bf ..... I know I know, "you just said you were nudging your bf to move out!" Admittedly, I was flip flopping on the issue, I felt terrible to leave B! Basically the feelings come down to this; this is really all his fault, he got himself into this, this isn't our problem, and moreover he should realize all of this and yet he doesn't. And, but he's been through so much with the cancer and the divorce and he's all alone because all of his immediate family wants nothing to do with him, and then I wonder... hey wait why is that? And the cycle continues. I thought there was something redeemable in him. However it's important to note I never promised this or even ever said this to B that I would move in and pay rent, he suggested it and I said maybe, we'll have to see how things shake out. Eventually a bunch of little things piled up that made me realize I just can't live under his roof. He is a super nitpicky and poking person who makes a big deal out of everything. One small example is I purchased a alcoholic tall boy that was in a plastic bag and in my haste I put it down in a cabinet where we store alcohol while it was still in the plastic bag. He called my bf while he was at work and made it this HUGE thing because the plastic bag looked... ugly?? In a place where no one can see it.... a bunch of little things like that piled up and basically my mom is like that, my landlord is like that, a bunch of people in my life are like that and I just can't take it. I need to live with people who understand it's ok to make a mistake, like my bf. Admittedly even though I'm explaining why that doesn't work for me, my reasoning does bother me and I feel selfish.
Anyways, I was lucky enough to find a place just in time before my lease was up and around this time my bf was realizing that he can't keep doing this with his dad and he needs to start his own life. So we singed the lease together and I think it's going to be great. However, I'm not trying to speak for my bf too much here but this is where I think he could have done better, I think he needed to give his dad more notice that we were no longer going to be living with him, I mean yes we told him we were before we signed the lease but I don't think it really sank in for him, I think he really doubted we would do that. My theory is that I think my bf is more scared of B than he realizes, and he's scared to tell him hard facts, and I think he knows B is very manipulative and if we had told him sooner, it's possible he would have broken us down into not doing it. That's one perspective I guess. It's important to note that before we signed the lease but after we agreed to move out, my bf told me he will sign the lease with me, but he can't move in just yet because he wants to set an ultimatum with his dad of 3 months of financial support and in that time he will need to figure out what to do, once again remember B has no income coming in at all, just a small social security check and my bfs rent and other assistance. I was upset at first but as you can maybe tell I'm an understanding person and sympathetic to the whole situation. Additionally, 3 months from now is when the trial will start with his ex wife/ my bfs stepmom, so he will have a better grasp of the situation by then.
Well apparently this arrangement is not enough for him, and he basically flipped out when my bf made it clear we are actually doing this, he sent him a bunch of guilt tripping text messages told him "we made a deal" (when they didn't) and all of this stuff. What really hurt is he told my bf that I basically "run his life" when this could be farther from the truth. The fact is my bf has probably been through some kind of abuse he doesn't realize quit yet and may be suffering from some PTSD. He has a terrible memory and is sensitive and is moreover just a special guy, I have never made him do anything he doesn't want to, I didn't make him live with me, and if he felt stifled he is free to leave the relationship whenever he wants, or he can just talk to me about it. I will say that I probably "mom" him a little too much, I know you may cringe from reading that but I want to be honest and it's something I'm working on, and this is probably where B is thinking the "running of his life" is coming from. All I want more than anything is for my bf to be happy and free so B saying that really hurt me. It made me realize he probably never liked me to begin with, also he is really disrespectful to women in general so I should have probably realized that. To end this thought I want to make it clear the person I feel for the most is my bf, this whole thing is tearing him apart and it's not fair, he's facing pressure from me and his dad and that's just not what I want. I don't want this to sour their relationship, even though he's acting this way deep down I don't hate him.
Ok 2 more points and the stories over lol. In addition to him guilting my bf this is where the "taken advantage of" part comes in. After dating my bf for like 6 months and basically living at their house for 3 months, B did in fact bring up the fact that he would kind of like me to start paying rent. I explained to both B and my bf that I'm so gracious and thankful for his hospitality, I will help pay for utilities, and groceries etc, but I cannot pay him rent when I'm already trapped in a lease agreement somewhere else, I wanted to I really did but I just couldn't do that, my job at the time was not paying me well and all in all it would have amounted to me shelling out $2,000 a month when I made $3,000 from my last job. I just wish he understood that the reason why I was there all the time is because I felt safe with them, I do have friends but their living situation wasn't conducive to me also living there. He said he was sympathetic to my situation but I don't think he actually was, I think he thought I was playing victim. I tried many times to live at the place I pay rent for and make things right with my landlord after that big incident but the damage was done and I'm legit scared of her. He eventually let it go and this is where I have to say that if he really really wanted me to pay rent that bad I wish he would have put his foot down and said you either pay rent or you can't spend all of your time here, I would have been upset but I would have respected that that's what he needs, I thought he had understood my plite and dropped it but in reality he was stewing over it the whole time apparently. Back to where we are now, he's basically telling my bf that he seems to want me to retroactively pay rent for the 5 months I have been basically living there. To me, it just feels like a cash grab and so selfish of him to NOW say that's what he wants. But, that is why I am making this post and trying to gain a broader insight into the situation. In hindsight I probably should have just tried to not spend SO MUCH time there, and I understand that is where I probably messed up, more communication was needed on both our parts.
Last point. So you may be wondering wait.... so this house, (which is in a beautiful rich area btw) is his, his ex wife may have been paying the mortgage for the past 10 years but he is the one who bought it, surely he will get money from this if he just sells the house and downsizes a bit right? About that.... see B has this goal that he wants to have my bf and his sister inherit the house which I must admit is admirable. However, there is some important context, the sister has an amazing job and is on track to be a doctor herself and I haven't mentioned this yet but my bf based on his age and how long he has been in his field makes a decent amount of money as well. The fact is that this would more than anything be a vacation home for them, as I have no doubt they will be able to purchase/ rent a house in the future, they are smart people. But anyways therefore he refuses to sell the house, even though people come knocking on his door asking to buy it constantly. Additional context is that this is a humble 50s style rambler sandwiched between 3 McMansions in a disgustingly rich area, I don't think it's realistic that he can maintain it for another 20 years, it's already in disrepair because the roof is done for, he needs to cut his losses and move on, but he refuses. I find it so ironic that he is battling with my bf over something that is supposedly all for him and his sister? But this is where I have to butt-in and say something that might sound really bad. I don't actually think he is doing this all for my bf and his sister, I think he is doing this for him plain and simple. I don't think he wants to downsize at all, I think he is too used to his cushy life of having everyone pay for everything he does. This last point might sound strange and petty but, I swear to you the other aspect of this is his... garden. I swear this dude B probably loves his garden more than he ever loved his ex wife, no lie. And I must say it is very impressive, it's all he works on all day. I completely understand how heartbreaking it would be to leave his garden, the thing he worked so hard on, and see it destroyed or not taken care of. But in my opinion he needs to deal with the consequences of at the very least neglecting his wife, the person who he relied on for food and shelter, and not make this our problem. P.S. this guy also spends money like he actually has it, he buys expensive things and goes on trips with my bfs money and doesn't save it or anything.
TLDR; I have been paying rent somewhere else while in reality spending all my time and basically actually living with my bf and his dad. He asked me to pay rent at some point, but I pleaded with him that my landlord is abusive and that is why I am there all the time. I said I will help buy groceries and pay utilities but I cannot afford to pay rent at 2 different places. Instead of being straight with me he acted like it was ok while all the while he was planning in his head that I was going to retroactively pay him rent (I don't think I'm using the word right but you get what I mean). Instead of selling the house and downsizing given his current situation of losing all of his income in a divorce, he wants me and my bf to monetarily assist him until god knows when, he feels taken advantage of. I know divorces are tough but I have a strong suspicion he was abusive to his ex wife, a person who he solely relied on for food and shelter, and acted shocked when she left him in the middle of the night. My bf could move out anytime he wanted but made the tough decision to financially assist his father, who in my opinion is in denial about the gravity of his poor financial decisions.

Last summer I made it a project to go to all the parks I could in Bloomington and Monroe county. I missed a few, but I thought I would give some highlights. Even as a townie, there were some I had never been to, and many have been updated in recent years. Most frequently, I go to parks with kids ranging in age from 5-10, but I will list features that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Full info with addresses etc can be found here .
Bryan Park -- A Bloomington classic. Everyone should go to Bryan Park at least once. There are two main playgrounds, a baby/young kid one, which is fenced in, and a bigger kid one down the hill. There is also a smaller playground on the eastern side of the park. Paved/accessible trails border and go through the center of the park, and there are many mowed fields you can run and sprawl in. Nice park for a picnic. The City also hosts events here throughout the summer.
Broadview Park -- Smaller park on the near-westside. There is a fun climbing wall/barrel structure that inspired my kids to play pirates. This playground is one of the only fenced-in locations, useful if your kid is a runner.
Butler Park (9th Street Park) -- Another park with nice large fields to play in. Good sledding hills in the winter. The playground features some unique climbing equipment (ropes with a circle thing in the middle), as well as boardwalks, slides, etc. Access to the B-Line trail, and also hosts the People's Market in the summer on certain weekends.
Goat Farm Park / Rogers Family Park -- Newly renovated trail system! This park is now accessible from the Rogers Rd / High Street roundabout, as well as Elliston Dr (at Sherwood Oaks Park). Large native prairie area, interspersed with paved multi-use trails. Wonderful area to walk, ride bikes, rollerblade, etc. No playground in this section, but it is adjacent to Sherwood Oaks Park, and if you continue up the trail, Olcott Park.
Griffy Lake Nature Preserve -- Another Bloomington classic. Footpath trails in the woods (not accessible), as well as a new, accessible walkway for fishing and enjoying the lake. If you haven't been to Griffy in a few years, you should check out the new walkway, and the new / improved Griffy Loop Trail. Also, be sure to check out the dam-side trails. This area is scheduled for improvement in the coming years, but still has nice trails and a neat view of the dam. Good area to fly kites, as well.
Highland Village Park -- Smaller playground surrounded by mowed open field, and a paved trail encircling the park. Fun spinny toy with balls in it, younger kid played with for a long time, as well as swinging step stones that were a challenge for bigger kid.
Leonard Springs Nature Park -- Footpath hiking through the woods, as well as a large staircase. There is a waterfall here, and a wetland at the bottom. Nice spot to find frogs, toads, skinks, and other wildlife. Limited parking.
Lower Cascades Park -- Another one recently updated, be sure to check it out if you haven't been lately. The playground is GIANT, with a huge "big kid" area featuring multiple levels of equipment and boardwalks, as well as a "little kid" area adjacent. This is the playground most-requested by my 6 year old. The City has put a lot of work into improving the river bank area, with new limestone steps going down to the river. They have also completed a paved wooden boardwalk leading up to the waterfall, which is super nice and accessible for wheelchairs, strollers, etc. Limestone shelter houses def give the taste of Old Bloomington.
Miller Showers Park -- No playground. You can walk / bike around the paved loop and talk to your kids about traffic and the water features ( "a state-of-the-art stormwater retention facility and beautiful gateway to the city of Bloomington.")
Olcott Park -- Awesome park on the southside. This playground has a nice mix of equipment for babies/little kids and bigger kids. There are long, low boardwalks and small slides suitable for toddlers. There are also taller features which interest bigger kids. Mature trees surround the playground giving a nice amount of shade. There are sports fields here as well, which are frequently in use. The whole park is surrounded by a paved walking trail, much of which goes through woods, and connects to a paved trails that heads to Sherwood Oaks Park / Goat Farm.
Park Ridge Park -- Hidden gem on the eastside! This park is small, but has a unique, super-TALL, 3-story play structure. Excellent if your kids like heights, pretending to be in an eagle's nest, rocket to space, etc! Surrounded by mature trees, the whole park is well-shaded. There is also a picnic area with a shade canopy set up. Directly behind this park, there is a long paved walking trail that borders the train tracks and some apartment buildings. It crosses Pete Ellis (near the post office) and then lets out near 10th and the Bypass. Nice for walking, riding bikes, etc.
Park Ridge East Park -- Basic playground with large fields surrounding, and several tennis courts. Extra large climbing wall. Easy walk to Bruster's Ice Cream.
RCA Community Park -- Big, sprawling park on the west side. Pickleball courts seem to get good use. The playground is great if your kids like "floor is lava" / "ninja warrior" type games, because there are lots of more challenging climbing and jumping type structures. There is a small baby area, but most of the equipment on this playground is better for bigger kids. There are also large open fields, and an big wooded area with trails (some accessible, some not) throughout.
Sherwood Oaks Park -- Basic playground, tennis court and basketball court. The playground is kind of lackluster, but the real draw here is the creek access. There are multiple areas here where you can access Jackson Creek, with large banks of geodes, fossils, and sandstone to play and explore. There is a pedestrian bridge going over the creek, which is really nice, with areas to play on either side. LOTS of wildlife, including fish, crawdads, aquatic sow bugs, turtles, frogs, banded water snakes (non-venomous), fishing spiders, deer, etc etc. If your kid loves water, nature, fossil-hunting, skipping rocks, etc, it's a great spot.
Southeast Park -- Small playground surrounded by tennis courts, and connected to a paved trail. The walking trail is quite nice and leads through a wooded area and under a (non-sketchy) bridge.
Switchyard Park -- Another one you shouldn't miss! This park really has something for everyone. With the playground specifically, there are super-cool, Dr Seuss-inspired hills and tunnels built in, two really nice limestone slides, and the best rope-climbing structure in town. There is also a splash pad active in the summer. Beyond that, there is a skate park, a dog park, pickleball courts, basketball courts, community gardens, amphitheater, wide open spaces for sprawling or picnics, on and on. There is a large pavilion which the City uses for events, as well.
Waldron, Hill and Buskirk Park (3rd Street park) -- This park has recently been renovated, it's on my to-visit list! Short walk to the Chocolate Moose.
Winslow Woods Park -- Hidden gem of a nature park in town. There is a small, but fun playground, bordered by Winslow Woods. The woods have extensive foot trails through them, great for exploring. There are numerous sinkholes and on area that looks like a cave entrance to me, but I didn't go poking around too close. This park is next to the Community Orchard, as well, which is neat to check out.
Jackson Creek Park -- Monroe County Park. The playground is really lackluster, but this is your other option if you want creek access. I will say this park is a lot more isolated compared to the others, and I felt it was too remote to hang out just me and the kids.
Karst Farm Park -- Monroe County Park. Fantastic county park on the far west side. Do not miss! Multiple playgrounds and sports fields. They also have a splash pad, which is far superior to the one at Switchyard---really fun water features, and it is fenced-in. The only thing is that their splash pad has limited days, so be sure to check before you head over. The playground next to the splash pad is amazing for both big and little kids. Multiple boardwalks and levels to play on, music features, new bouncy turf for the ground, shelter houses and shade canopies, absolutely a great park.
Beanblossom Bottoms -- Part of the Sycamore Land Trust. This is a wetlands nature preserve with boardwalks and foot trails leading through it. Super unique nature preserve in southern Indiana, full of wildlife and a natural environment you rarely see around here anymore. Be sure to wear bug spray and look out for snakes.
​
Parks with fenced in playgrounds: Byran Park, Broadview Park
Parks with accessible creeks: Sherwood Oaks Park, Jackson Creek Park, Lower Cascades Park, Bryan Park (mostly overgrown / grassy, not stone banks)
Parks best for kids who love to climb: Switchyard Park, RCA Park, Park Ridge Park
Best accessible walking trails: Goat Farm/Sherwood Oaks/Olcott (all connect), Switchyard (B-line goes throughout), Southeast Park
Best playgrounds with shade: Park Ridge Park, Olcott Park
Best playgrounds for bigger kids: Switchyard Park, RCA Park, Lower Cascades

Race Information

• Name: Green Park Reading 10k
• Date: 4th June 2023
• Distance: 10 Kilometers
• Location: Reading, Berkshire, UK
• Website: https://www.greenparkreading10k.co.uk/
• Time: 52:01

Goals

Goal	Description	Completed?
A	Sub-52	No
B	Sub-50	No
C	PB (49:19)	No

Splits

Kilometer	Time
1	4:49
2	4:57
3	4:55
4	5:05
5	5:09
6	5:10
7	5:16
8	5:34
9	5:36
10	5:22

Training

After I stopped running during the pandemic, I effectively started from zero again. I've spent the past year or so losing weight and getting back to the fitness I once had. Thanks to a good effort with dieting last autumn and winter I ended up losing nearly 20kg, which has been rewarded with new overall PBs for the 5k, 10k and Half Marathon distances so far in 2023.
For this event I had no specific training, my free time has been limited recently due to the arrival of my first child about a month ago. The 10k has always been my favourite distance, so just taking part in parkrun every Saturday morning and one or two HZ2 5k runs in the evening during the week has been enough for me to keep my fitness stable.

Pre-race

This was a last-minute entry for me, I signed up a week before race day after seeing an advert online, my son now seems to be settled in so I had no worries about going out for the morning. I had previously signed up for this event in 2017, but had to drop out as I fell ill over that weekend. The same almost happened again as I came down with a small stomach bug on Friday and had to miss parkrun on Saturday morning. Thankfully 6:30am on Sunday morning came around and I was feeling a lot better.
This was forcasted to be the hottest day of the year so far in the UK, so I opted for a vest for the race with my thin waterproof running coat to give me a little warmth during the colder early morning. For nutrition I took my two-bottle belt, one bottle containing 300ml water and the other holding Lucozade Sport. Turns out I had to give myself an early warm-up anyway as my bus was running too late for my train, so a medium-paced 4k run from my home to the train station was required!
I managed to grab my usual pre-race coffee and pastry at Basingstoke station while waiting for my connecting train, just under 2 hours before the start time. Getting to the event this year is also a lot easier thanks to a new train station (Reading Green Park) opening last week, about a mile from the start line.
Lightly jogging from the station to the race village, I could feel the temperature starting to rise. Some participants in the 3k fun run were running along the home stretch. The race village itself seemed fairly well organised, the queues for the late entrant bibs and bag drop moved very quickly. The toilet queues weren't too bad when I went, but started to stretch back closer to the start time. Still by no means chaotic.

Race

I was aiming for 50 minutes, so I spent a few minutes trying to judge whereabouts in the starting pen to place myself. The rear was fairly cramped but the further forward I moved the more spacious it became - the opposite to usual! The race started at 10:30am exact, the first 2km following an out-and-partial-back through the business park. 2 kilometers gone in 9:46, so far so good.
After 2km we left the business park via an access road for a lap of the Berkshire countryside. To be honest if you've run a rural road race recently (try saying that a few times!), there's not much different here. Trees, hedges, fields, farms, slightly under-maintained roads. It's a "nice" course, relatively flat as well with only a couple of small hills near the bridges over the M4 motorway.
The big difference here was the heat, "only" 15ºc at the start but being the first hot day of the year nobody was used to it. By 4km I was starting to struggle to stick to my intended pace. Being mainly an East-West route there was very little shade offered by the trees and hedges. By 6k it was becoming more important just to finish without stopping rather than trying to get a faster time. A sub-50 target became sub-52, and the drink I picked up at 6k went half down my throat and half over my head.
I kept on going, sticking with a small group who also seemed to be struggling with the heat. The next couple of rural kilometers ticked by gently until we were back onto the business park for the final 1.5km. I was up to a 5:30/km pace but wasn't really concerned about a quick time by this point. I picked up a bit of speed in the home stretch but it wasn't quite enough to get me under 52 minutes.

Post-race

I shambled over to the end of the funnel to pick up my medal, goodie bag, and most importantly, a bottle of water. Then to the nearest tree to finally get in the shade. That was definitely one of the tougher 10k races I've ran in, I've run in warmer conditions but those races made allowances for the summer heat with more water stations and mist showers. This is a spring race that got caught out by an early summer day, and had the weather been a bit cooler I suspect this would be a very fast course.
Despite the slower time I was still happy with my finishing position. In the top 33% of all finishers, top 50% of all men and just outside the top 50% for age category.
I have no regrets about signing up for this race. It seemed well organised and friendly, which is especially welcome since this was their post-pandemic comeback. The course itself is a bit generic but there's nothing particularly wrong with it. If I've not got any other more local races this time next year, I'll probably be back for 2024.
Made with a new race report generator created by herumph.

Sandusky OH 10/10 I know Sandusky is not a major city but it's my favorite place in Ohio and I have lots of great memories here, some cool lighthouses and obviously cedar point
Beaufort NC 10/10 again another water front smaller area, lots of fun things to do and made many memories here over thr last 12 years I've been going there, lots of cool shops as well.
Traverse city MI 10/10 Ohioans all hate Michigan and vise versa but yet again another water front area with lots of fun things to do.
Chagrin Falls OH 10/10 This place is really awesome, everything is walkable here theres shops and restaurants everywhere and also The creator of Calvin and Hobbles based it on this town.
Cincinnati OH 9/10 Cincinnati is the best of the 3 C's in my personal opinion, lots of preserved historical areas, Cincinnati tops Columbus in mostly everything according to US N&WR, I will probably move here to go to collage in around 2 years
Pittsburgh 9/10 Downtown Pittsburgh is a very fun experience and it's very walkable, the water front is really great as well, I haven't been here in around 5 years but I enjoyed it.
Charlotte NC 7.5/10 I never really got to explore Charlotte but the part I went to was pretty nice but legit kinda boring, the reason i felt it was boring is because there is not much real culture left in Charlotte, its all been taken over by nissan altimas with dented bumpers. there is some high crime rates in Charlotte but the majority of it was alright. it's a pretty good place overall but I wish it had some of its original culture left.
Columbus OH 7/10 Columbus is the most midwest feeling city in Ohio, everyone moves to Columbus for work and collage mostly and that's why personally think it's the most boring of the 3 C's, there is some cool neighborhoods like German village that are similar to Cincinnatis historical homes. But theres 100s of new genfrcation building that dont have the same downtown feel as it should. Basically when people think Ohio they think Columbus.There is a new Intel plant being built in Columbus which will bring some more money to the states economy.
Richmond VA 7/10 I haven't explored Virginia as much but I have been to Richmond, it was a pretty good place. Richmond has excellent food and some cool historical homes. Outside of the city is just your basic american metropolitan area but overall it's alright.
Akron OH 7/10 My hometown and current place of living, there has been a lot of improvement over the past 10 years to akron and there is lots planned for the next coming 5 years. Akron has the beat metro parks in the state and also has The CVNP starting at merriman Valley. Our downtown is pretty small but very walkable and there restaurants and bars everywhere, what we need downtown is more stores but the main income goes to The restaurants downtown. We also have lots and lots of old homes, my personal favorite style is the tutor style house. All down portage path and merriman road are all all historical homes. The worst parts of Akron (east side) are basically the average neighborhood in Cleveland which I why I think akron Is 100% a better place than Cleveland. Basically if you got rid of the shitty cleveland like east side it would give akron a giant boost.
Winston salem NC 7/10 This city reminded me of akron a lot, the metropolitan size of it is basically the same, the downtown isn't as fun in my opinion but Akrons isn't all that either. I stayed in the worst area to stay at in winston salem tho (hanes mall) but I wad only there at night so it wasn't all day. If I where to move somewhere out of state it might be here just because I got used to it so easily and have family close in SC. Pilot mountain is also worth visiting and has some great hikes and views, you can see the phallic building of WS from the peak lmao.
Norfolk VA 6.5/10 the area we stayed at here was legit pretty dangerous, my grandma booked a hotel in the shittiest neighborhood at a days inn, but I still am a huge fan of naval shit so this place was awesome. There's tons of boating stuff to do here and some really cool miltary equipment to look at. Honestly if we didn't stay in the worst part of this place it probably would of gotten a 7 but maybe I should try it out again.
The rest will be posted later after this

There's a pebble sitting on a rock by a river. It hasn't moved since last year, but in that time, it's surroundings have completely changed.
Up north existed a forest that was razed by commercial contractors excited to build man-made marvels in the name of tourism. The forest and all of its inhabitants are gone, but the pebble still stays.
In the south is a local village. It's people were simple, happy, and strong. Everyday, a boy who lived there came to the river with friends to bathe and play. One day, the boy and all his friends caught a bad cough. Days later, no one came. The boy never returned to the river, but some of his friends eventually did. Regardless, the pebble stays.
Up east is where the river flows from. Throughout the year, the river flows serene on some days and then rages on in others. Who knows where the water flows to? Past the village, into the ocean, then reaching other civilizations? Perhaps. At its strongest, can the waters bring the pebble to the truth? Perhaps not, but there's no way of knowing for the little pebble. It's never been reached by the stream. Before, given a good storm, it might have. But now, as the river slowly loses its volume for reasons invisible to the pebble, it never will. The pebble stays.
To the west is a dark cave. No one has come in nor out of this cave in the past year. It's the closest location from the pebble. A literal stone's throw away, but because a pebble is just a pebble on top of a rock that's just a rock, it might as well be as far as the dead forest in the north, the village in the south, the river in the east, or the woman right above you.

I've worked on translating this and correcting as much as possible what the AI translator got wrong.
This depicts the experience of the Swedish Defense and Civil Defense Ministers trip to Ukraine from a human level.
​
First Tweet
https://twitter.com/CarlOskastatus/1665700384784932867
​
We are in a secret location where soldiers are being trained for war. Sweden's Minister of Defense, Pål Jonson, and I are in Ukraine.
The temperature in the sandpit we descended into is approaching 30 degrees. The Ukrainian gnats are as big as small flies and occur at a frequency that makes a Swedish cloudberries bog feel as gnat-free as a winter day. The men in front of us each hold an AK-47 in their hands. On a given order, they raise their rifles and open fire towards each other. They aim and shoot at the sand wall just inches to the side of each other. With live ammunition at a distance of about 20 meters. We stand another 20 meters away without earmuffs. That alone would surely be a matter for a personnel responsibility board back home in a country with over 200 years of peace. But here, there is war. The young men who have just pointed loaded rifles at their comrades lacked military experience just a couple of weeks ago. In a few more weeks, they will be fully trained. But they won't be mustered out and travel in Asia for their conscription compensation. They will go directly to the front, and everyone knows that for some, it will be a one-way trip. There is a seriousness in the eyes of everyone we meet, but not a hint of despair.
We continue walking in the fine sand amidst the continuous and deafening clatter of automatic rifles. At regular intervals, the dull pounding is interrupted by the sound of tank salvos that strike deep in the pit of the stomach. All of this is framed by a lush Ukrainian early summer landscape. Amidst all the impressions, a kind of dissonance arises. What is beautiful, good, and meaningful takes lifetimes to build. It takes decades to build a cathedral, centuries to build a city, but it only takes a moment to destroy them. In some way, this transience manifests one of humanity's darkest asymmetries. This fragility is most clearly expressed in human life itself. Nothing is as vast, complex, and beautiful as life, yet it can be extinguished irreversibly with the slightest means in an instant. I think of the young men in front of me. Those who today would have been doing something entirely different if it weren't for their country currently facing an enemy that not only wants to use death and destruction as a political tool but to erase everything that is uniquely Ukrainian. The young men have just fired a salvo in the sand wall next to their comrades, not out of carelessness or recklessness, but because it is considered one of the few things that can give a mental sense and a semblance of preparation for the hellish torment that awaits them at the front.
It is the morning of May 26th. The night was spent in Kyiv, part of it in a shelter. The heavy Russian bombers fired cruise missiles during the night, and one of them was heading towards Kyiv. From the parking garage that served as our shelter, we could hear the air defense system, in the form of the American Patriot battery, working successfully. As we get into the cars, the convoy rolls northwest out of Kyiv. Alongside the wrecks of Russian tanks, triumphantly placed in Maidan Square, and sandbags in front of basement windows converted into shelters, the physical traces of war are almost non-existent in the city environment.
After a fifteen-minute drive, our cars stop. We are standing on a bridge abutment, but in front of us, where there used to be a bridge, there is now only an empty space about ten meters above the Irpin River. The gap is lined with twisted beams, reinforcement bars, and broken concrete elements. On the other side of the destroyed connection lie the suburbs of Irpin and Bucha, forever inscribed in the history books for the war crimes committed by Russian forces there. It was here, on the other side of the bridge abutment, that the Russian advance came to a halt. It was here that Kyiv was saved, here and in a few other places. I am shown pictures of the men who held the bridge abutment. Dressed in ordinary down jackets and armed with a mixed assortment of whatever was available. "History never repeats itself, but it rhymes," said Mark Twain. It was on this very river that the Red Army once fought against Hitler's Germany. Back then, the Russians defended themselves against Nazi brutal expansionism; now, 80 years later, it is a bitter, power-hungry Russia that is waging an unprovoked and flagrantly illegal war of aggression, with a narrative as twisted and damaged as the broken bridge element in front of us.
The bridge is already being rebuilt, but a few hundred meters away, the traces of what was irreversibly done are visible. After crossing the river on a temporary bridge, we stop at what looks like a gigantic scrapyard in a parking space. Stacked on top of each other are the wrecks of burned-out cars. Just over a year ago, these vehicles belonged to people fleeing for their lives. Most in vain. Small messages are written on the wrecked cars. Sunflowers, the symbol of Ukrainian resilience, are painted on the burned-out wrecks. When the bridge over the Irpin River was blown up, long lines of cars trying to escape were formed. While the evacuation was taking place, Russian forces indiscriminately fired into the rows of cars with civilians fleeing.
The man who receives us in front of the burned-out wrecks is the mayor of Irpin and the commander of the territorial defense for Irpin, a kind of equivalent to the home guard. Together with his counterparts in the suburbs around Kyiv, he was tasked with evacuating his municipality and defending Kyivagainst the Russian advance. Over 95 percent of Irpin's population was evacuated. Lives were saved to an extent that is difficult to comprehend, but in his gaze, there is also a testimony to those who could not, would not, or did not have time to be saved. For his efforts, he and his colleagues were awarded the "Nation's Hero" medal. It is hard to imagine a more deserving recipient of such an honor. He thanks us for the great support that Sweden has provided. Pål and I object, saying that it is we who owe him and everyone in his position a thank you for the immensely significant efforts they have made for their residents, for their country, and for all of Europe. We are told that we must continue our journey, but we would love to stay and express our gratitude and reverence even more. Irpin's strong man, in the most fitting sense of the word, receives a big hug from me and Pål before we roll on.
In the car, it is impossible not to think about municipal preparedness back home in Sweden. There is a lot of good being done in Preparedness Sweden, but often we encounter the objection that the state must open its wallet for the right things to happen, or in the worst case, for something to happen at all. The contrast to the meeting with the mayor of Irpin is monumental. Not once did he mention resources, even though he acted under a constant and ongoing existential resource shortage. Sweden's municipalities receive over 100 billion kronor in general state grants every year. I think about the core mission of municipalities and wish that more municipal politicians could also meet the mayor of Irpin and contemplate what truly constitutes the core activities of a municipality. Later that day, in my Twitter feed, I read about a medium-sized Swedish municipality that has 40 communication officers employed. Often, municipalities of the same size emphasize that they now have one preparedness officer, as if that is an achievement. Politics is about prioritizing.
​
Second tweet:
https://twitter.com/CarlOskastatus/1665701191135756291
We have just turned off the highway towards Chernihiv and made our way onto smaller and smaller roads. The cars are rolling through an avenue of trees reminiscent of central Sweden, but in the image of what could have been Sweden, there is also a foreign element between each tree. On knocked-down wooden stakes, there is a small plastic sign with the unmistakable skull against a high-contrast background. "Danger - Mines." Everything except the narrow gravel road is ventured upon with life thrown into the equation. What used to be productive fields on either side of the road has been transformed into a dangerous no-man's-land. The men who meet us when we step out of the cars are engaged in mine and ammunition clearance. Twenty meters behind us, subordinate personnel walk around in the ruins of what used to be a building. The on-site chief apologizes for a moment as he makes an announcement on the radio for everyone to cease their search activities to ensure that nothing happens while we walk around.
Beside us are fenced-off areas surrounded by knee-high plastic tape. Inside the boundaries lie several artillery shells. Visually, the enclosed area reminds me of the training facility I visited with the Prime Minister at the MSB (Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency) outside Kramfors in April. There, indicators and markings were practiced on various replicas of mines and grenades. However, in front of us today, there are no replicas, only live undetonated grenades. This morning's findings are recounted by a member of the team. In addition to regular mines and unexploded grenades, the Russians have booby-trapped where one least expects it. It can range from aircraft bombs placed in a basement connected to a door handle to a small amount of explosive hidden in a discarded lighter lying on the ground. There are also examples of how booby-trapping is placed under regular mines and even under or around dead bodies. The person in charge on-site raises his hands in the air and bluntly states, "At the rate we are currently able to clear and secure areas, it will take us 750 years to rid Ukraine of mines and unexploded ammunition." Sweden is already helping in this area, but it becomes apparent that we and everyone else should do more. I promise to bring the question home and investigate what we can do.
A short distance from the burned-out wrecks of agricultural machinery at the mined and now unusable fields lies the small village of Yahidne. When the Russian campaign began encountering resistance in the advance towards Kyiv, Yahidne became yet another scene of Russian barbarism. The village's school was converted into a Russian military command center, the surrounding buildings were leveled, and the village's 300 inhabitants, including women, children, and the elderly, were gathered and forced into the basement of the school. The following 28 days turned the basement into a concentration camp. The captured residents began to die because they were deprived of the most basic human need - sufficient access to oxygenated air. In an article about Yahidne, some surviving villagers describe how the school, up until the invasion, was the pride of the village. A point of gathering, a place of hope for the future. The young generation's ticket to a better life than their elders. But it didn't turn out that way. What remains now is the school building as a trauma for all those who survived the hell in the basement. A place few want to approach. A building that still stands, but was used to destroy an entire village. A ruin of what could have been, and a testimony to what instead became.
I like transformer stations. The revelation is likely not surprising to those who have followed me in my previous role as chairman of the Parliament's Committee on Industry. Now we have arrived at one of the major transformer stations that are crucial for the residents of Kyiv to receive their electricity, heating, and water. The location we are at is a prioritized target for Russian remote warfare. We look at fallen high-voltage lines and burnt-out transformers. A cat comes up to us and greets us. The CEO tells us that it lives in one of the newly built technical stations. The old one turned into a pile of debris after being hit by a Russian cruise missile, but the cat survived and doesn't seem to have any plans to leave. I think about the information warfare on social media and how the carefree cat, if it were known, could have become a symbol of Russian imperfection.
By targeting this location and others like it, Russia has repeatedly attempted to disrupt the Ukrainian power grid in order to break the Ukrainian resistance and defense will. What Ukrenergo, the Ukrainian counterpart to the Swedish power grid, has achieved during this ongoing war is unparalleled. In Sweden, we have sometimes had the notion that our power plants are the most prioritized targets for military attacks, which has led, among other things, to the unfounded conclusion that we would need to shut down our nuclear power plants in times of heightened readiness. Anyone who knows how the power system works could tell you that this is a mistaken assumption, which is also confirmed by the outcome in Ukraine. Power plants are difficult to combat, but substations, transformer stations, and junction points are essentially easier targets. By attacking transformer stations linked to major consumption points, one not only causes significant problems for all downstream electricity consumers, but also creates imbalances that can propagate throughout the system and, in the worst case, destroy and disable the entire or parts of the power supply in a country.
The CEO tells us about the relentless race against time during the winter, repairs during ongoing remote warfare, and the ability to proactively shut down parts of the power system to better handle the imbalances caused by disabled junction points in the system. Ukraine's power system partly resembles the power system Sweden had in the 1980s—robust and predominantly based on predictable electricity production. This has been crucial for Ukraine to successfully endure the winter against all odds. Heavy predictable electricity production not only makes the power system less susceptible to disruptions but also makes it easier to sectionalize and run parts of the system in what is called emergency operation when other parts are vulnerable or have stopped functioning. This has enabled Ukraine to proactively shut down parts of the power grid during remote warfare, reducing the risk of disturbances spreading and damaging the entire system. Heavy predictable production is also one of the prerequisites for restarting the power system after a grid collapse. Sweden has reason to draw several lessons from what we have seen in Ukraine. Several of these are manifested in the parts of the Tidö Agreement concerning energy policy. In addition to this, the importance of reserve components and a well-functioning air defense cannot be emphasized enough to protect the power system from the pressures that an armed attack brings.
When we enter the room where Ukraine's Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov receives us, it is immediately noticeable that he has a warm and close relationship with Pål. Reznikov is interested in motorsports, and instead of the usual customary gifts, Pål has managed to arrange a pair of racing gloves signed by none other than Kenny Bräck, whom Pål knows from Värmland.
When Pål visited Reznikov already in December, they traveled together to Odesa and Mykolajiv. The Swedish Minister of Defense was then the minister in all of Europe who had traveled furthest east in Ukraine. If Pål had been able to decide for himself, without the involvement of Säpo, we would surely have been well on our way to the front to visit soldiers in the trenches by now.
I may be biased since we are colleagues, but before taking office, I didn't know Pål in any deeper detail. Behind an occasionally soft-spoken and strict demeanor, there is a person with material orientation and thematic knowledge at a level unique to the role, and a work ethic and drive that simply cannot be found everywhere. No other Defense Minister in modern times has had as many significant parallel commitments on their plate. NATO membership, a war in Europe with the development of military support packages, EU presidency, and the management of increased defense budgets. The conversation with Reznikov is candid and serious at the same time. We talk about the military support from Sweden that is coming soon and what the future needs look like.
It is time to move on from the Ministry of Defense to the place where we will meet with the President of Ukraine. It is not possible to overestimate Volodymyr Zelensky's importance for the determination and Ukrainian successes after February 24, 2022. No one knows exactly where we are going except the Ukrainian security service leading the way ahead of us. Checkpoints and security checks follow one another. Finally, Pål, myself, and the Swedish Ambassador, Tobias Thyberg, sit alone in a waiting room. After a short while, the door opens, and we are welcomed inside. Zelensky has a firm handshake and a presence in the room that is unparalleled. He thanks Sweden for everything we do, and we discuss the future. Our bilateral meeting was scheduled for fifteen minutes, but the conversation lasted for half an hour. We are escorted out of the building whose interior had clearly been transformed to meet the demands of war.
Last tweet:
https://twitter.com/CarlOskastatus/1665701959825752066
The final visit to Chernihiv is coming to an end. We have just been shown young men and women who are undergoing training to become mine and UXO clearers. The commander on site leads us into an adjacent building and says that it is finally time for some entertainment. In a large auditorium where we are the only guests, a military orchestra is lined up on the stage. To the right, on a big screen, a slideshow with the Swedish and Ukrainian flags is playing. As we sit down, we find out that many members of the orchestra are fighting on the front lines. Like everyone else, they have also suffered losses. The orchestra begins to play, and it is impossible to remain unaffected. Here I am, in a country at war, which has suffered so many hardships, listening to an orchestra playing ABBA for me and Sweden's Minister of Defense. It is impossible not to love Ukraine.
On the way home, I sit alone with Pål and summarize the impressions. There is so much that touches deeply. We talk about defense willingness and the importance of trying to increase understanding of what the security situation means and can mean for Sweden in every given situation. The Baltic countries have a gloomy view of what lies ahead. We talk about the mayor of Irpin and his men in territorial defense who fought with what they had and contributed to Kyivnever falling during the critical first days. Pål summarizes frankly: "It's about making a decision from the beginning, you have to give everything right away and fight hard, so damn hard. It hurts, but there is no alternative."
Carl-Oskar Bohlin
Minister for Civil Defense, Sweden

Hi guys,
My (UK based) family are totally at a loss as to what to do with my (late 20's) sister who has struggled with intense anxiety manifesting in different ways her entire life.
From what I know, it began with social anxiety, she struggled to go in to shops, talk to strangers, other public places, school etc - because of this she was helicopter parented, my parents thought it was helping at the time but I think it made her 100x worse, never having to face anything uncomfortable and it meant she avoided ever leaving the small village and house she grew up in apart from essential times like going to school etc. She never went to the movies or shops with friends, general socialising you do in your teens and until the age of 23/24 hadn't operated a bank card or got the train/public transport by herself and now in her late 20s has still never had a relationship.
My parents have tried everything, multiple years of private counselling in the UK costing thousands, NHS therapy (which is horrifically underfunded in the countryside in the UK with 2 year waiting lists) and lastly medication.
Her social anxiety has also morphed into generalised anxiety disorder, health anxiety and from what I can see, obsessive compulsive disordepure O (something I've had my own experience with).
Medication was a no after her health anxiety and the SSRI she was on caused her eye problems - she immediately went off them and is now deathly afraid of medication, believing it could ruin her life further as she says her eyes are messed up permanently since taking the meds.
My parents aren't equipped to deal with this anymore, they're both almost 70, still working jobs - inexperienced and lacking knowledge/the tools with how to best treat my sister's anxiety, they majorly worry for her future and how she will cope once they are gone, she's almost 30 and is too afraid to get a job and is usually have panic attacks most days. They want to retire but they have to support her also.
I just want my sister to have a life, she's capable of so much but fear is really holding her back and nothing seems to be the fix - we've been trying for almost thirteen years.
The only thing that helped me with my own experience was moving to London - access to a higher psychological treatment standard in the city is much easier but getting her here is almost near impossible.
Anyone here experienced something similar?
Appreciate it.