As the title says I am removing my Parrot OS as I don't use it as much as I used to. If anything I have gone back to using the most common method of using a VM (Virtual Machine), whether that is using Kali Linux or Parrot OS. The other part being that I am re-installing Ubuntu which I have been using a lot more recently. So I decided to remove Parrot OS and re-install Ubuntu which I have been using for a while now (well since my last post basically - after installing Ubuntu) but not consistently. I am aware that there are many other posts like this one, but as a person who likes to do thigs properly and some what by the books I want to make sure I get this right so I don't have to mess with it again.
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Question 1

• My first question is more for my curiosity but, should I install the "Ubuntu 22.04.2 LTS" or the "Ubuntu 23.04"?
  • Since I'm basically a beginner and plan to use Ubuntu more often like a daily drivemain OS which is for both work and possibly gaming, which version would you suggest for me to use?

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Question 2

• This second question is more about setting Ubuntu up, Should I just let Ubuntu automatically partition the drives how it wants to, or is it better to manually partition the drives my self?
  • The reason I'm asking this is because I'm going to give Ubuntu the full 500GB, but I want to make sure that it is partitioned/setup correctly. Obviously there are many different ways in which people have setup their manual partitions, but I was wondering if there is a more official way of doing it.

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Here are my PC specs for anyone who wants to know:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7
RAM: 32GB, 3600MHZ, 2 X 16
Motherboard: MSI
GPU: GeForce RTX 30 Series
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Here is an example below of what I have found:

• ROOT
  • Size: 30000MB, Type: Primary, Location: Beginning of Space, Use: Ext4 journaling file system, Mount: /
• SWAP - Changed size compared to the YouTube video
  • Size: 128000MB, Type: Primary, Location: Beginning of Space, Use: Swap area
• HOME
  • Size: Rest of the Drive, Type: Logical, Location: Beginning of Space, Use: Ext4 journaling file system, Mount: /home

Source (URL at current time): https://youtu.be/A3au3qrNf9A?t=148
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Question 3

• My final question is more about graphics, colour settings and gaming. As I already know that it is possible to play steam games on Ubuntu with the off few changes, I was wondering if there is a way in which the output display can have its saturation increased?
  • The reason I'm asking this is because I have already set my saturation high on my Windows 10 through the GeForce Control Panel, but I cant seem to find a way to do it on Ubuntu.

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Hopefully I'm able to get some help and thank you for taking the time to read and help me even if the solution or methods doesn't work.
Post Added On Date: 28/May/2023

We don't live near enough to an IKEA to drive all that way just to pick up some of their wood stain, and they don't deliver it.
Does anyone else know an alternative we could buy at say Home Depot?
We just bought the KLOVEN deck chairs and the NORRMANSO table and chairs and want to make sure we are doing everything we can to make the last! Have covers for them, but also want to "re-stain" as they recommend.
It seems the VARDA clear "stain" isn't actually a "stain", but rather an acrylic wood treatment that is water-based? Does this sound right? Do we need to sand before we "re-stain" or just apply the product directly to the wood?
Any alternatives to this product that anyone is aware of?
Thank you!

i’ve been watching this guys videos on twitter where he goes to cruising areas, public bathrooms, home depot, etc. he just eyes guys or smiles and they follow him in the bathroom and they hookup. i’m so confused most are married guys . is it really that easy? like is there a slightly larger percent of bisexual men? because people make it seem like lgbt percentage is non existent.

📷Best Portable Power Stations: Top 3 Options for Long-Lasting Power As technology continues to advance, our reliance on electronic devices grows stronger. Whether you're camping in the great outdoors or experiencing a power outage at home, having a reliable source of power is essential. That's where portable power stations come in. These compact devices can provide power for a variety of devices, from smartphones to laptops to refrigerators. In this article, we'll explore the top 3 portable power stations with the longest battery life. 1. The Power of Solar: Solar-Powered Portable Power Stations Solar-powered portable power stations are a great option for those who want to reduce their carbon footprint while still having access to power. These devices use solar panels to charge their batteries, which means they can be charged even when there's no access to an electrical outlet. The Goal Zero Yeti 1500X is a great example of a solar-powered portable power station. It has a 1516Wh battery capacity and can be charged via solar panels, wall outlets, or car chargers. With its long battery life and multiple charging options, the Yeti 1500X is a versatile and eco-friendly option. 2. Power on the Go: Portable Power Stations with High Battery Capacity For those who need a lot of power on the go, portable power stations with high battery capacity are the way to go. These devices can provide power for multiple devices for extended periods of time. The Jackery Explorer 1000 is a great example of a portable power station with high battery capacity. It has a 1002Wh battery capacity and can provide power for up to 7 devices simultaneously. With its long battery life and multiple charging options, the Jackery Explorer 1000 is a great option for those who need power on the go. 3. Power for Emergencies: Portable Power Stations with Long Battery Life In emergency situations, having access to power can be a matter of life and death. That's why portable power stations with long battery life are essential. These devices can provide power for extended periods of time, ensuring that you have access to communication devices, medical equipment, and other essential devices. The EcoFlow Delta 1300 is a great example of a portable power station with long battery life. It has a 1260Wh battery capacity and can provide power for up to 13 devices simultaneously. With its long battery life and multiple charging options, the EcoFlow Delta 1300 is a reliable option for emergency situations. Conclusion Portable power stations are a great investment for anyone who needs access to power on the go. Whether you're camping, experiencing a power outage, or need power in an emergency situation, these devices can provide the power you need. The Goal Zero Yeti 1500X, Jackery Explorer 1000, and EcoFlow Delta 1300 are all great options for those who need long-lasting power. With their multiple charging options and high battery capacities, these portable power stations are versatile and reliable. Related Websites: 1. https://www.goalzero.com/ 2. https://www.jackery.com/ 3. https://www.ecoflow.com/That's interesting. Don't watch what happens next best portable power stations.

I am over it. I am ready to quit. Found out at 9dp5dt my beta is 24… due to the holiday weekend next beta is 13dp5dt even though the clinic is open for patients doing natural transfers, egg retrieval cycles, etc. My home tests are extremely faint and not progressing. The meds are making me absolutely miserable. The dr told me this will be a chemical but he can’t tell me to stop until they do another beta. I think I am just quitting today. This is my first attempt to get pregnant through IVF, but my 7th loss in 2 years. I am doing IVF because I was told it was the only way to get pregnant due to my recurrent losses (no known cause, RPL panel showed nothing) and now this still fails. I am done.

I moved into my in September of last year (22) and the previous owner left some shelving pieces in the utility closet in the basement. So I decided this was the year I would build my dream home network. Here's what I got so far.
Arris Surfboard S33 Docsis 3.1 Modem with 2.5g and 1g ports
Dell Optiplex 5060 with PFSense, Installed TP-Link 2.5g adapter and Intel dual 10g x520 adapter
Adtran Netvanta 1550-24P switch with 4 SFP+ ports, 10gtek adapter installed for 10g uplink
Dell G5 5587 Proxmox Server running 2 Pihole, 1 Pivpn, 1 TrueNAS, 1 Home Assistant, and 1 General Purpose linux remote machine. (For remote troubleshooting)
TP-Link EAP 650 WAP
Reolink NVR and 5 Security cameras
I have a Feed through Patch panel coming in the mail now and I'm going to try to clean up the wiring a bit for this, but let me know what you think.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/27/politics/ken-paxton-impeachment-texas-house/index.html
The Texas House of Representatives has voted to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton, an unprecedented move following a legislative probe that faulted the third-term Republican for a years-long pattern of corruption, including abusing his office’s powers, retaliating against whistleblowers and obstructing justice.
Under state law, Paxton is now temporarily suspended from his duties as attorney general and will await a Senate trial.
The vote was 121-23, with two members voting “present.”
“The evidence is substantial. It is alarming and unnerving,” said GOP Rep. Andrew Murr, chair of the General Investigating Committee, during his closing statement following hours of debate. The committee recommended 20 counts of impeachment against Paxton.
Democrat Rep. Harold Dutton was one of the members voting present. He said the impeachment vote had been rushed. “The process by which we’re getting this done seems to be abbreviated to the point that it just encroaches on due process,” said Dutton.
Paxton denied wrongdoing in a Friday news conference, but focused his statements against the impeachment this week on his record as a key opponent of President Joe Biden. Paxton’s office has filed dozens of lawsuits against the Biden administration.
The now-suspended attorney general called the impeachment a “politically motivated sham” in a statement just minutes after the vote.
“The ugly spectacle in the Texas House today confirmed the outrageous impeachment plot against me was never meant to be fair or just,” he said.
Paxton said he was never given a chance to present evidence refuting the findings of an investigation that he abused his office. He has cast House Speaker Dade Phelan, a Republican who presides over a chamber where his party currently holds 85 seats to Democrats’ 64, as a “liberal.” He continued his attack on Phelan saying, “Phelan’s coalition of Democrats and liberal Republicans is now in lockstep with the Biden Administration, the abortion industry, anti-gun zealots, and woke corporations.”
The Office of the Attorney General issued its own “comprehensive report” about the allegations following the impeachment vote, saying it “unequivocally refutes incorrect testimony” against Paxton. The office also released a report it commissioned from an outside law firm, although the report from Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard and Smith LLP notes it is based only on information and testimony provided by the attorney general’s office.
Republican Governor Greg Abbott can appoint a provisional replacement while Paxton is temporarily suspended. Paxton would be reinstated if he is acquitted at his Senate trial.
The impeachment vote had its origins in an investigation launched in March by the General Investigating Committee of the Texas House after Paxton had asked the legislature to approve $3.3 million in government funds to settle a lawsuit with four whistleblowers who were fired from his office.
That investigation led the committee – a five-member panel investigating corruption in state government – to approve 20 articles of impeachment Thursday, setting up the vote in the full House.
During the debate Saturday, Rep. Charlie Geren, who is a Republican, claimed Paxton had threatened fellow House members.
“I would like to point out that several members of this House, while on the floor of this House doing the state’s business, received telephone calls from General Paxton personally threatening them with political consequences in their next election,” Geren said.
Opponents of the impeachment largely declined to address the allegations against him, instead focusing on the investigation leading up to the proceedings. “I don’t think today is about whether there’s guilt or innocence. It’s about the process,” said Rep. Tony Tinderholt.
“I’m not here to defend Ken Paxton,” Rep. John T. Smithee stated on the floor. He went on to say, “What you’re being asked to do today is to impeach without evidence. It is all rumor. It is all innuendo. It is all speculation.”
Paxton’s impeachment is a stunning rebuke of a Republican official in a state where the GOP controls all levers of state government. Voters in Texas shrugged off the swirling scandals around Paxton last year, handing him a third term in November’s election. Paxton had earlier fought off multiple opponents for the GOP nomination, including Bush family scion George P. Bush, the state land commissioner, whom he easily bested in a runoff.
Paxton has long been a controversial figure who has clashed with Texas legislative leadership. A conservative who has aligned himself with former President Donald Trump, he led a lawsuit in 2020 seeking to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election.
He retains support within the Texas GOP. In a statement Friday, state party chairman Matt Rinaldi blasted Phelan for what he called a “sham impeachment.”
“The voters have supported General Paxton through three elections – and his popularity has only grown despite millions of dollars spent to try to defeat him. Now the Texas House is trying to overturn the election results,” Rinaldi said, adding that he was looking to the “principled leadership” of the Senate to “restore sanity and reason for our state.”
In Texas, no attorney general has ever been impeached and removed from office. The only two elected officials to lose office as a result of impeachment were Gov. James Ferguson in 1917 and District Judge O.P. Carrillo in 1975.
For Paxton to be removed from office, two-thirds of the Texas Senate’s members who are present will have to vote to convict him. His wife, Angela Paxton, is a state senator representing a Dallas-area district.
It’s not yet clear when the Senate, where Republicans have a 19-12 majority over Democrats, will conduct its trial. The state’s legislative session is scheduled to end Monday.
While only the governor can call special sessions once the legislature is out of the biennial regular session, the Texas Constitution states that impeachment is the one issue for which the state House and Senate lawmakers can bring themselves into session without the governor, according to Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University.
Litany of legal trouble
The impeachment proceedings are the latest in a series of legal troubles for Paxton.
CNN has previously reported he was facing an FBI investigation for abuse of office and that Justice Department prosecutors in Washington, DC, took over a corruption investigation into Paxton. He is also under indictment for securities fraud in a separate, unrelated case. Paxton has denied all charges and allegations.
The state House probe came after Paxton had sought to settle a lawsuit with four former employees of the attorney general’s office. Whistleblowers had accused him of using his authority to benefit political friend Nate Paul, a real estate investor who had donated tens of thousands of dollars to Paxton’s campaign. In the settlement, Paxton apologized but did not admit fault or accept liability. He denied wrongdoing and said in a statement he had agreed to the settlement “to put this issue to rest.”
One of the impeachment articles accuses Paxton of using employees of the attorney general’s office to write a legal opinion intended to help Paul avoid the foreclosure sale of properties owned by Paul and his businesses.
It was among a series of articles focused on Paxton’s relationship with Paul, including accusations he hired an outside attorney who issued more than 30 grand jury subpoenas while investigating a “baseless complaint” made by Paul, benefited from Paul hiring a woman with whom Paxton “was having an extramarital affair,” and provided Paul with favorable legal help in exchange for renovations on Paxton’s home.
The articles of impeachment also detail what are described as Paxton’s efforts to cause “protracted” delays in the securities fraud investigation.
And the articles say voters in November did not have a full understanding of Paxton’s legal troubles because he had intentionally obscured the details of the charges he faces.
“Paxton then concealed the facts underlying his criminal charges from voters by causing protracted delay of the trial, which deprived the electorate of its opportunity to make an informed decision when voting for attorney general,” the impeachment articles state.
A wild week
The impeachment of Paxton follows a wild week in which the attorney general accused House Speaker Phelan of presiding over the House chamber while drunk and called for the speaker’s resignation.
On Tuesday, Paxton posted on Twitter a letter to the state House ethics panel, asking for an investigation into Phelan for performing his duties in what Paxton described as “an obviously intoxicated state.”
Paxton’s call for Phelan’s resignation came after video circulated on social media last weekend of Phelan appearing to slur his words as he presided over the House chamber at the end of a late-night session. Paxton did not present any evidence beyond the video clips to support his claim Phelan was drunk.
“It is with profound disappointment that I call on Speaker Dade Phelan to resign at the end of this legislative session,” Paxton said in a statement he posted on Twitter. “Texans were dismayed to witness his performance presiding over the Texas House in a state of apparent debilitating intoxication.”
Less than an hour later, the state House General Investigating Committee revealed it had subpoenaed records from Paxton’s office as part of an investigation Phelan’s office said had started in March. The committee, whose members are appointed by Phelan, voted unanimously Thursday to recommend Paxton’s impeachment.
Phelan’s office said Paxton’s allegation was merely retaliation for the House ethics panel’s probe.
“Mr. Paxton’s statement today amounts to little more than a last-ditch effort to save face,” Phelan communications director Cait Wittman said in a statement Tuesday.
Democratic Rep. Terry Canales said the broader context of last week’s all-day session made clear Phelan “was not under the influence.”
“At that point in the night the House had been in session over 13 hours and we had been doing so for multiple days in a row. We were all exhausted,” Canales said in a statement. “Nevertheless, I had multiple interactions with the speaker throughout the day and that night and I can say unequivocally he was not under the influence.”

I just wanted to reach out to everyone and start a conversation about all the important issues affecting all of us today.
First of all, thank you to anyone who is wearing pride stuff and I support you doing so. You matter and I hope you are able to cultivate an identity that best represents you and your core values, whichever you have determined those to be.
My number one political issue has always been an end to war. There are a lot of wealthy and powerful people who make a lot of money off of war. War enriches many people including the political people who support it. As you have seen, the United States is almost always involved in a war. And, the people hardly ever vote to go to war.
Also, jobs in the United States, particularly manufacturing jobs are consistently being shipped overseas. Corporate America is paying people pennies to produce the goods that you and I buy (including most of the stuff that we sell at Target).
When the United States produces its own goods, companies pay people a living wage, and the items are high quality. You only have to buy a washing machine once in your life when it was American made.
Companies like Target (and Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, etc.) also have a deep interest in keeping the labor pool flooded. The more employees there are to hire, the less they have to pay in wages.
So, these issues of war, jobs, and wages are interconnected and both political parties unite together to keep the wars going, to keep the jobs going overseas, and to keep the labor pool flooded.
The rich and powerful do not care which party gets elected into office. They buy people in both parties.
Every so often, an outsider shows up to challenge this system and represent the people. When this happens, BOTH political parties try to stop the person.
And how do they do it? They divide and conquer the people with cultural issues. They get people to fight over a t-shirt when we should actually be uniting together to stop the endless wars and to stop the manipulation of Wall Street, jobs, and wages. That is what we should be focusing on.
And, I invite you to join me in doing so.
You will see the cultural issues turned up whenever those in power feel as if their power is being challenged. Don't take the bait.
Meanwhile, I do hope you continue to cultivate your identity based on you ---- Whatever your name is, start there. There is only one of you. No t-shirt will ever represent YOU to your depth.
Stay cool.

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

Hi everyone
I was in an accident on the way home on Mother's Day. Sitting at an intersection (traffic lights naturally not working) when someone hit me from behind, stuffing up the back panel and breaking the boot latch, but car is still driveable and roadworthy. Reported to police the next day, but haven't contacted my insurance because I was told that because the other party said he has insurance, is willing to pay, and it wasn't my fault my insurance doesn't have to get involved right now
I'm also scared of the effect it'll have on my premiums, because I'm a student with very little income, plus I'm literally 2 months away from a R3k claim free cashback, so I wanted to avoid upsetting that if possible.
But I can't afford the excess to get the car fixed and have heard nothing from the other party's insurance.
Can someone who has knowledge on this matter please guide me? Should I contact my insurance? What should I expect from the process of getting this sorted?

I’m sure Home Depot or something will have generic pellets, but is there any place in the area that really leans in to pellet smokers and has fancier stuff?

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