u/Different_Archer8879

I want to move to Ontario or somewhere in the IE.

I want to experience what nice and kind people are like.

I want to know my neighbors and I have a feeling they bring you something to welcome you into the neighborhood.

I want to live in California overall, and the IE is very affordable.

I found some rooms on AirBnB for $800 a month.

Ontario is so beautiful and everyone is so nice and gentle. Even San Bernadino looks desirable.

No entitlement in the IE or anywhwre in LA, OC, LB, Burbank, Woodland Hills, Ventura County, you name it.

I knew someone who idk still lives in Woodland Hills and he was always so happy and bubbly because he lives in California and loves it. He wanted to move to Phoenix at one point. I have a feeling my past former friends and his friends pleaded with him not to move there. I have a feeling he still lives in Woodland Hills and likely is getting his own place in Burbank.

I just wanna live in the IE, even if i have to rent a room and share a bathroom.

Im gonna try to be out there in December.

Will i be disappointed? I am expecting very nice people with 0 entitlement. And good drivers too.

Decided i may want to transfer to ONT. Those who work at the airport, do you rent a room off AirBnB? Im thinking about doing this. Is it doable to make a living working full time at ONT? How far is the commute to LAX if i chose to live in Ontario and commute to LAX to work full time?

I think i am getting fired and i need to return to Phoenix soon. Any emergency loan i can get with bad credit?

I know i can't get my own place, so i plan to ask my past clients who i taught parenting sessions to if i can live with them. Ive had clients who treated me almost as a friend, so i may ask them. I know one had an RV and the mansion she would park at who her parents owned had a lot of empty rooms.

If I cant, how else can I live in Phoenix again? Roommates? Craigslist? I am alright living on 24th and Van Buren.

Had a friend in Scottsdale who would have helped me, but he hates me now.

Its amazing how awesome people on the entire state of California are like compared to Arizona. Everyone is just so nice and kind. Not one ounce of entitlement or anger in anyone. San Diego, LA, The Bay Area, and all over the state has such nice, kind, and good intentioned people who don't start alterations or are confrontational. I just saw a video of a lady throwing coffee at someone, and I just think, it never happens in California.

Arizona on the other hand, holy moly are people so mean, rude, stuck up, entitled, and overall just so miserable. Always altercations and confrontations there. I am talking mostly about the Phoenix area though. Even Tucson isnt really friendly compared to California. I remember I didn't see one angry person in California until I landed back in Phoenix and saw someone angry at the airport and argue with a gas station clerk at a gas station in Phoenix.

Has this been your experiences in both California and Arizona?

I am putting in my 60 days notice and am moving to the Bay Area in September. I am transferring my job too.

Any way I can rent a place with just an income requirement? I am taking a pay raise from $12 an hour to $18-$25 an hour. I found some nice studios on Craigslist too.

I dont have good credit and have a judgment for a credit card debt i had.

I dont want homelessness to be my only option. My transfer may actually get approved.

Any advice?

Are Phoenix drivers so friendly like in Allentown? Do drivers in Phoenix use their signals, not tailgate, let you merge, let you into their lanes, and overall drive very nicely?

Well, I encounter assholes daily on the road and in person. I get cut off, brake checked, tailgated, you name it on a daily basis. But today someone honked at me as soon as the light turned green. Like as soon as it became green, they honked for no reason.

You know, i am happy to be leaving this shithole behind and moving to Northern California. I wont be living in the Bay Area but will be close enough to where i will be driving often. I can't wait to get finally feel like a normal person again. Where i live now is not normal and neither are the people.

I genuinely hate where i live currently and cannot stand this place anymore. I am moving to Tracy with hopes of reinventing myself. Its close enough to the Bay Area where I can take day trips every weekend without having to live there, as I can't afford it. I plan to rent a room for around $1200 a month. I will start looking for a job now.

I am excited to be a Tracy resident. Its the perfect place for me.

I got a nail in my tire and now just found out that I may not be able to have my car towed because of the 7 day waiting period with Triple A. If i can't inflate a deflated tire, I may have to drive it to discount tire.

Not sure what my other options are.

Those who moved to the IE (Ontario) from the Bay Area, do you like it or regret it? Have you found it to be much more friendly with nicer and kinder people?

Overall, do you all like it better or wish you can be back in the Bay Area?

Anyone know how much that nonrefundable fee is for first time Triple A members? I just signed up today because I got a huge nail in my tire and had to go to Firestone 3 times on the way home to air it up. I plan to go to Discount Tire tomorrow to get the tire replaced and i will need a tow. It is less than 2 miles away.

The silence in the flat was the first thing Ela noticed every morning. For years, her eyes had opened to a vibrant gallery of watercolors and acrylics—hand-painted gifts from Tanya that adorned every inch of her bedroom wall. Now, those walls were different. Since the betrayal three weeks ago, every canvas had been stripped down and banished to the dusty darkness of the attic. In their place hung a few sketches from her friend Ashley and some generic store-bought decor, but the room felt colder, more sterile.

Ela rolled out of bed, her head feeling heavy. She made her way downstairs to the kitchen, the floorboards creaking under her feet. As the coffee machine began its rhythmic hiss and gurgle, a sudden, violent tickle seized her nose.

Ha-Bizzzzsssxxxxczzhouu 5 times!

Five loud, wet, uncovered sneezes exploded out of her, dampening the front of her pajamas with a lot of spit, snot, and mucus.

Max walked into the kitchen a second later, immediately recoiling. He clamped his hand over his nose, his face contorting in a gag. "Ugh, Ela! Cover your mouth!" He groaned, waving his other hand in the air. "It smells like... like warm honey and old morning spit. That’s foul."

Ela let out a tired, raspy laugh. "Good morning to you, too, Max."

Max stepped past her, eyes watering, and shoved the kitchen window open to let the crisp Stoke air circulate. Once the coffee was ready, Ela poured herself a mug, the steam rising to meet her tired eyes. Consuelo joined them shortly after, and the three of them gathered around the small table.

"I’ve been thinking," Ela said, blowing on her coffee. "Now that… well, now that Tanya is out of the picture for good, I think I want to try for America again. Specifically, college in the DFW area."

Max nodded thoughtfully. "Honestly? I’m glad California fell through. It’s a mess right now—way too expensive, too many problems. Remember that guy we talked to on the flight from Fort Worth? He said he’d take North Texas over the Bay Area any day. Said the people were just… friendlier."

They spent a few minutes reminiscing about the sting of being denied entry months prior—the frustration of being put on the next flight back to London that same evening. But the bitterness was fading, replaced by a new spark of ambition.

"Mommy," Ela said, looking at Consuelo. "I really liked DFW. I think I’d be happy there."

Consuelo leaned back, sipping her own drink. "I’ve traveled all over that state, Ela. DFW is a solid choice. The drivers are a nightmare, but at least it’s not Houston. Houston is worse, though not by much." She gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "And stay away from Austin. It’s overcrowded and the traffic makes Dallas look like a country road. San Antonio? It’s just El Paso with trees and clean air. It still looks like a dump to me. And whatever you do, stay away from Beaumont. The people are mean, and it has all the negatives of Houston with none of the benefits."

Ela blinked, taking a long sip of her coffee—heavily lightened with milk and sugar—as she processed her mother’s blunt travel guide. "I think I’ll stick to Dallas. Sharla mentioned she might have a room for me."

"Do it," Max encouraged. "Apply. See what happens."

Ela nodded slowly. "I have to think about it. But I think I’m ready."

A few miles away, the atmosphere in Tanya’s flat was suffocating.

Tanya sat at her small kitchen table, staring into a black coffee that had gone cold. Every corner of her home reminded her of what she had thrown away. The betrayal felt like a physical weight on her chest. Her parents, Martin and Thao, were trying their best to break the gloom. Martin was currently crossing his eyes and pulling his ears upward, while Thao made a ridiculous fish face, hopping slightly from foot to foot.

Usually, this would have Tanya doubling over in stitches. Today, she just offered a weak, hollow smile before looking back at the table.

"Maybe you should go out, darling?" Thao suggested gently, dropping the act. "Go see a movie. Get out of the house."

Tanya sighed and pulled out her phone. She messaged Kat. ’Hey, want to see a movie?’ ’Can’t,’ Kat replied almost instantly. ’I have to water my dog.’

Tanya frowned. Water her dog? She messaged Ashley. ’Cinema today?’ ’Sorry, babe! I’m on my scooter heading to Nottingham to visit a loved one. Rain check!’

The lies were transparent, and they stung. She was alone.

Left with no other choice, Tanya took the Potteries bus to Cineworld Stoke-on-Trent. She bought a ticket for Toy Story 5, hoping a children's movie would provide some mindless escapism. She was wrong.

When the scene came on featuring Jessie having flashbacks of being outgrown and abandoned, the dam finally broke. Tanya sat in the dark theater, her body shaking with silent, heaving sobs. She tried to keep it quiet, pressing her face into her collar, but the tears wouldn't stop. By the time the credits rolled and the lights flickered on, the front of her shirt was uncomfortably damp.

She walked out of the theater with a raw, red face and a newfound clarity. She had messed up, but she couldn't let it end like this. She had to pay Ela back every cent she owed her. She had to make it right, even if it took a lifetime.

On the bus ride back home, Tanya pulled out a notebook and began scribbling. She mapped out her finances, calculating how she can find a job and what she could sell. It was a long road, but she had a plan.

Back at her flat, Ela wasn’t thinking about Tanya. She was looking at a different screen. She had already opened the residency application for the DFW metroplex.

A notification popped up—a message from Sharla. ’Hey honey! Talked to the family. My son’s room is yours if you want it. $350 a month, and we’ll just split the utilities and water. Let me know!’

Ela looked at the price, then at the "Submit" button on her application. For the first time in three weeks, the silence in the flat didn’t feel lonely. It felt like a head start. She clicked the button. She was going to Texas.

Find out what happens in the future.

Have you seen this happen at big hub airports or at any airport in general?

I've always wondered what jail/prison smells like. As soon as you walk into a cell, a pod, showers, cafeteria, etc, what is the overall smell?

UTEP is so awful. Never got a good job that was stable because I didnt want to work in El Paso. I like Fort Worth a lot better. But nobody here wants someone with a UTEP degree. I hate UTEP. Im gonna just get fired for refusing overtime.

I am 33 years old and I had my chance in college, but the school i went to was a commuter school and every girl was taken. I have never really dated and I have no experience. Its really hard to accept that there is no compatible woman out there for me. I tried and was always rejected. And the 3-5 dates I went on never went anywhere.

It is too late for me. I am going to die alone sadly. At my age now, all women are married with kids.

I will never have a girlfriend. I will still be single 10 years from now too. Its so hard for an autistic male to meet someone. Its way too late. And if the woman finds out I am a virgin, she will be freaked out.

I can't accept it. Its too painful to know that nobody will never ever love me.

The damp, grey skies of Stoke-on-Trent felt heavier than usual to Ela and Tanya. They were back, both of them, two months after their grand, optimistic plans for a new life in the Bay Area had crumbled into a pile of bureaucratic red tape and dashed hopes. The California dream had faded, replaced by the familiar but now desolate landscape of North Staffordshire. What was worse, infinitely worse than the failed visa, was the chasm that had opened between them. Ela and Tanya were no longer friends. The silence between them, when their paths occasionally crossed in the familiar aisles of Tesco Extra, was colder and more cutting than any argument. There had been a colossal fallout, a betrayal that had severed a bond once thought unbreakable.

To understand the depth of this fracture, one had to rewind five years, to a bustling Saturday evening at Cappello Lounge in Newcastle-under-Lyme. It was a hang out with Trent, a cacophony of laughter and fun. Ela, ever the observant one, noticed a girl sitting alone at a booth, nursing a drink, a little lost amidst the boisterous crowd. Feeling a pang of empathy, Ela, usually reserved, walked over.

“Hey,” she’d said, a smile softening her features. “Mind if I join you? This place is packed.”

The girl, Tanya, looked up, surprised but pleased. “Please do! I’m Tanya.”

“Ela,” she replied, settling into the booth. That is where their friendship began.

From that simple act of kindness, an unlikely friendship blossomed. From 2021 to 2026, Ela and Tanya were inseparable. They navigated their lives together, through hard times, heartbreaks, family dramas, and countless nights out in Newcastle-Upon-Lyme eating at McDonalds, which is Tanya's favorite fast food place. They were each other’s fiercest champions, their most trusted confidantes. They truly went through everything together.

There had been a tremor once, a mini-fallout during their trip to America in 2025, specifically in the scorching heat of Phoenix. A misunderstanding had spiraled, threatening to derail their Californian adventure before it even began. But their hosts, Richard and Priscilla, had intervened, bridging the gap, helping Ela see Tanya’s perspective, and ultimately, Ela had forgiven her. It felt like a testament to the strength of their bond, a minor hurdle overcome.

But this time, there was no Richard or Priscilla to mend what had been so thoroughly shattered.

The trouble began subtly, insidiously. Tanya’s ancient car, chose the most inconvenient moment to give up the ghost, leaving her stranded on the A50. It was an emergency, an urgent and expensive repair required, and Tanya, having just emptied her savings for the ill-fated Bay Area move, found herself strapped for cash.

She called Ela, distraught. “I don’t know what I’m going to do, Ela. The mechanic wants £800 upfront, and I just don’t have it.”

Ela, ever generous, didn’t hesitate. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you. I’ll lend you my British Airways Visa Signature card. Use it for the repair.” She paused, her voice firm. “But promise me, Tanya. Only for the car. Nothing else. Not a penny more. I’m serious about this.”

Tanya, relief flooding her, readily agreed. “I promise, Ela. Hand on heart. Just for the car. I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”

The car was fixed. The crisis averted. But then, a few days later, a familiar ache of boredom and frustration with her stagnant life in Stoke set in. Tanya was walking through The Potteries Centre Mall, just browsing, she told herself. A new dress caught her eye. Then a pair of shoes. A new phone case. Before she knew it, the British Airways Visa Signature card was out of her wallet, swiping, tapping. She rationalized it. It’s fine, I’ll pay Ela back. It’s just a temporary thing. I deserve a treat after everything. She spent £1200.

A month later, the bill arrived at Ela’s doorstep. She opened it casually, expecting the £800 for the car. Her eyes scanned the statement, then widened in disbelief, her breath catching in her throat. £2,000. Her mind raced, calculating, confirming. £1200. On top of the car repair. Purchases from high-street boutiques, electronics stores, a fancy restaurant. The Potteries Centre Mall.

Ela’s blood ran cold, then boiled. Fury, hot and searing, consumed her. She called Tanya, her voice shaking with barely contained rage.

“What the hell is this, Tanya?!” she practically screamed down the phone.

Tanya, caught off guard, stammered, “What are you talking about?”

“The credit card bill! £1200! You went shopping, didn’t you? After you promised me, you swore! You said only for the car!”

Tanya’s bravado crumbled. “Ela, I… I know. I’m so sorry. I’ll pay you back, I swear. I just… I had a moment.”

“A moment?!” Ela shrieked, tears stinging her eyes, not from sadness yet, but from sheer, incandescent anger. “You immature, spoiled brat! Do you have any idea what you’ve done? You betrayed me! You completely betrayed my trust! This isn’t about the money, Tanya! This is about what you promised me, about my faith in you!”

“But I’ll pay it back, Ela! I promise!” Tanya pleaded, her voice cracking.

“That’s not the point, Tanya!” Ela yelled, her voice hoarse. “That’s not the point! You looked me in the eye and you lied. You broke your word. You broke us!”

The sheer agony of the betrayal clawed at Ela. The friendship they had nurtured, the trust they had built, lay in ruins. “I hate you, Tanya! I hate you for this! I never want to see you again. I want nothing to do with you!”

She slammed the phone down, her hands trembling. Later, the anger gave way to a profound, gut-wrenching grief. Ela crumpled onto her sofa, sobbing uncontrollably. The pain was sharp, relentless, far worse than when Alex had told his friends in LA that he hated Andy. That had been a public spat, messy and dramatic. This was personal, intimate, a deep cut to the very core of who she trusted. It was the death of a friendship, a part of her own history, irrevocably gone.

The next day, Ela changed her phone number. She went through every social media platform, blocking Tanya, deleting every trace of their shared history. She wanted Tanya erased, gone from her life, a painful memory she desperately wished to forget.

It wasn't long before Tanya's phone buzzed with texts from Kat and Ashley, their mutual friends. The messages were blunt, unequivocal.

Kat: "Tanya, I just spoke to Ela. She's devastated. I think it's best you don't contact her ever again. Please respect that."

Ashley: "What were you thinking?! Ela has blocked you. Don't try to get around it. This is over. Completely over."

A cold, heavy dread settled in Tanya’s stomach. They were right. It was over. The definitive, unarguable end. The friendship, once a vibrant thread woven through the fabric of her life, was snipped. She felt a profound emptiness, a sharp pang of regret, and an overwhelming guilt. The £1200 spent at The Potteries Centre Mall felt like the most expensive mistake of her life, not just in monetary terms, but in the immeasurable cost of a lost friend. Tanya knew she still owed Ela, not just the money, but an apology that would never be heard, a trust that could never be rebuilt. Back in Stoke-on-Trent, the familiar streets now felt alien, haunted by the ghost of a friendship she had carelessly, selfishly destroyed.

How will Tanya move on? Will it be as bad as when Andy betrayed Alex by sending that message? Find out soon.

Does MAF have this exact chime with the local time announcement?

Just wondering how long this person would be sitting in county because they can't bond out. And yhis is a felony charge too.

I hope this is an error and that I do not have to renew my registration again and pay the $80. It was after I had that NTTA hold that I was finally able to get my car registered.