u/Sad-Supermarket-3878

For some context, I work in a kind of obscure National Account Sales Management type of role. I have a short list of clients that I've worked with for several years where a lot of my conversations are pretty informal.

This morning, one of my long-term clients threw a meeting on my calendar at 7:15am last night, and I start at 7 am. I usually do admin stuff until about 8 and it takes me a little bit to get up and running. I was in absolute cruise control this morning.

The specific person who I was meeting with is named Amelia and I've met her numerous times over the past several years, and she is close in age to me. My wife's name is Emilia, and she will regularly call me around 7:20-7:30 before she goes into work. My conversation was very short, and she just had a quick question.

When talking with Amelia, the call was less than three minutes where she just asked me to send her something, and I ended it with "Okay, sounds good... Love you"! She responded with "awh! love you too... but I don't think you mean to say that to me"! in my mind that was generally about the time I say hi to my wife before she walks into the office where I can't really talk to her for most of the day so it was like muscle memory.

She thought it was hilarious, and she has actually met my wife so it was no big deal or anything inappropriate. But... where it went sideways is the fact my VP happened to be listening in on the call (all of our calls are recorded) and then he played the recording in front of 60+ people, including my own team, as a "what not to do" kind of thing. It takes a lot for me to get embarrassed, but I was mortified when he played the whole thing.

TLDR: accidentally said "I love you" to a long-term client who happens to have a very similar name to my wife because I was not focused early in the morning... my VP played the audio clip in front of 60+ people on a conference call because he thought it was funny and wanted to make it a teaching point.

I've never actually cooked bison before, and from what I understand, it's best to keep it around medium rare and it cooks quickly. Additionally, with seasoning, is it better to keep it simple with salt, cracked pepper and garlic or are there flavor profiles that work well with it?

Long story short, I've been in sales for 12+ years now and actually decided to move from a management role into a straight-up IC role about 3 months ago.

For whatever reason, I went on an absolute fucking heater over the past week and a half, and I don't know how. I've been sitting on a few big deals I've been working where they unexpectedly closed early, and I had a few that were quick closes. For Q3 (July 1st start) I'm already 115% to quota for the quarter with another week, and 410% to quota for the month and I'm pretty much tapped out on our cap.

I honestly don't have much more incentive to go further and I've honestly never lapped the field like that. I don't want to sandbag too much and have an idea as to what I will do... but curious as to how I properly kind of handle putting it into cruise control for a bit while still being productive.

Would love to hear others' experience. My checks are going to be damn nice, but I don't want to put myself on a shit list for productivity because that is a metric that we are measured on.

Long story short, I've been in sales for 12+ years now and actually decided to move from a management role into a straight-up IC role about 3 months ago.

For whatever reason, I went on an absolute fucking heater over the past week and a half, and I don't know how. I've been sitting on a few big deals I've been working where they unexpectedly closed early, and I had a few that were quick closes. For Q3 (July 1st start) I'm already 115% to quota for the quarter, and 410% to quota for the month and I'm pretty much tapped out on our cap.

I honestly don't have much more incentive to go further and I've honestly never lapped the field like that. I don't want to sandbag too much and have an idea as to what I will do... but curious as to how I properly kind of handle putting it into cruise control for a bit while still being productive.

Would love to hear others' experience. My checks are going to be damn nice, but I don't want to put myself on a shit list for productivity because that is a metric that we are measured on.

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Location: Tennessee, US

To give some context, I received a notification from my bank that I had a check deposited from my employer that was the equivalent of a weeks' pay, a part of my bonus, and the equivalent of my monthly pay. I was very confused because I'm on bi-weekly pay and was not supposed to get paid until next Friday. On my statement, it specifically stated "severance compensation" at $12,000... which is my monthly salary pre-tax.

Candidly, I did have a pretty good idea that we would have layoffs and I knew I would probably be on the list due to the nature of my role and tenure, so I'm not worried about that and was thinking it would happen last week of the month. But I guess they are doing it in the next few hours.

When I saw this, I reached out to the COO and just straight up asked him and he more or less told me "welp, I'm probably on the list too buddy and call payroll/HR" and as soon as I reached out to payroll, they withdrew my deposit.

They claimed I had already signed a Docusign, sent me a copy, and I absolutely did not sign that and stated that knowledge of that infringed upon my NDA. So here are my questions:

1. My (soon-to-be former lol) employer is a publicly traded company where I have stock options. Obviously, I cannot disclose the impending layoff, but they made it sound like I'd have to re-negotiate my layoff since I had access to private information and received verbal confirmation on a recorded call (single party-state). I'm not going to act on that or anything but they implied that was an issue. Is that correct?
2. I absolutely did not sign that document. I actually have not even signed our 2026 handbook because they never asked me to and I unironically wrote 1/3 of it lol. Docusign obviously has traceability and that whole thing seemed really shifty. In the case that I get denied severance or "fired" for cause... what legal actions should I take?

I've known it was coming, but I didn't even as much imply I knew about it other than my wife's awareness I've been actively interviewing for new positions.

Edit: They offered the same thing with an additional NDA and asked if I would remain on for another week to "wind things down". Currently waiting on a call back from my attorney and documenting everything I can that doesn't break my NDA.

Edit #2 (afternoon): I asked them to substantiate the document I "signed". It was the page pertaining to at-will employment within out employee handbook from 2025... still legally binding even though I think it's hilarious the person who wrote 1/3 of it hasnt even signed it lmao but I have intentionally not communicated at all with anyone until I get further clarification. I know exactly what happened at this point.

To give some context, I've lived in the Nashville area for most of my life and we've come to the conclusion we are ready to move elsewhere because It's got so expensive and hectic here where it's changed a lot, and we aren't into the party scene downtown.

We were also splitting time at an apartment in Bowling Green, KY on weekends for some family stuff, and that has absolutely not the right fit for us either. I have a rental property I own here and I listed my property for rent on Sunday at a pretty high price just to see and I already have someone qualified who wants to sign a two-year contract, so I'm kind of deciding pretty quickly.

I work remotely in a stable job, and my wife's job is incredibly transferable and more of something she does out of passion, rather than a need, so we can just hang out in Bowling Green for a bit, but I'd rather start making a decision sooner rather than later.

Very open to suggestions and we kind of have a short list and a few things we want:

• Prefer more of a suburban/slightly rural area within proximity of a decent-sized metro area. Access to an airport with both domestic and international flights is a big plus for both of us.
• Very open to areas, but lean towards warmer climates.
• Access to affordable golf courses. We both love to golf but not into the whole country club culture kind of thing.
• Proximity to some sort of horse community is an absolute must-have. My wife is an equine vet tech and does competitive equestrian, so we have a sport horse we absolutely need to stable <30 mins from us.
• Ideally, access to some form of hiking, trails, nature, lakes, etc. We like to be outside.
• Lower-ish cost of living. We'd rent at first even though I'm planning on doing a 2nd mortgage to pull equity from my home.
• Politics is not an issue. We are both very moderate. Not paying income tax would be cool, but not a deciding factor.

Our Shortlist:

Lexington, KY: Makes sense for pretty much everything we want and would keep up close to both of our families and the horse capital of the world. My wife is a bit iffy on this because she does not like it there. Lack of airport access is an issue.

Huntsville, AL: This one hurts me, but also makes the most sense of anywhere. I work in aviation/aerospace and I have tons of clients there and it's more of a city feel with nicer suburbs than Bowling Green but I get the same feel when I'm there. I'd have a ton of mobility there, tons of great golf courses, and my wife would have tons of opportunity there as well.

DFW Area: I would actually get a stipend to move here, and being near Love field would be a huge value. I do not mind Dallas metro and if we could live outside of it, it would make sense but inside of DFW would not make sense at all for us. San Antonio is kind of under this category as well.

Scottsdale, AZ: Our dark horse. We love it there, but living there, especially this time of year is a question mark. My wife is a Swede and she thinks she loves the heat...but she's never been there this time of year lol.

Jupiter, FL: Same thing as Scottsdale. Not sure if it's what we want. Sounds great on paper but maybe not long term.

Greenville, SC: Makes a lot of sense and kind of a good balance. Not my favorite.

Super open to other suggestions to research or reasons to not consider places on our list!

For those unfamiliar, flipping cars is the act of buying and reselling cars for a profit in the same way people buy and flip houses after renovating them. I did the same thing, but most of the cars I sold were light renovations or bought straight up new from the dealer because I had an allocation other people couldn't get.

It was really fun, and I was really lucky to find a niche doing that. The state I live in has a limitation on the number of vehicles you can sell per month, so I had to get a dealer's license and LLC. But that worked out really well because one of the vehicles I flipped I was able to hold on to for a while as a "company vehicle" which became a tax deduction.

AMA!

Edit: to answer the easy question... it is absolutely not viable right now, or I would still be doing it.

Price Range: $25K-$40k (mid-size to full-size SUV used or CPO)

For some context: I had a '21 Macan GTS I've had since it was a CPO that has had a lot of issues over the past two years. I happened to find a buyer willing to take on the challenges with it because of the features I have on it. I also almost never drive anywhere currently with my job. If I do, my wife is in the car and she honestly was driving my car more than I do.

My wife has a Cayenne S that has been bulletproof up until recently, where I am pretty sure her PASM (air suspension) is going bad and the transmission has started to shudder. When I sold my car, I bought a '14 Lacrosse with the V6 for pennies on the dollar as a project car to fix a panel and recharge the AC that I can keep as a beater and focus on getting a nice SUV to share and I'll flip the lacrosse for a play-toy.

That being said, we want to kind of downsize and get something long-term that isn't extravagant but still nice around the $25-$40k budget range. She would be primarily driving it. I'm pretty flexible but know what fits.

Things we need:

Ideally, a full-size or mid-size SUV.

$25k-$40k range, but flexible.

Wife is not into the "rugged" outdoor style SUVs

Adequate towing capacity. High towing capacity is a plus. Not a requirement, but would prefer.

Comfortable ride and nice interior, but want to avoid high-end luxury brands like Porsche again.

Short-List Options:

Volvo: goes against the luxury brand consideration... but my wife is from Sweden so she is very biased lol. I'm not opposed but very aware of the concerns with used Volvos and we would be looking at an XC90 which is the one with the most issues due to the air ride (issue with both of my Porsches).

Lexus: Smart pick and kind of fits what we want to a degree but doesnt check all of the boxes since we would be looking at an older model in that range more than likely.

Toyota Highlander: Hard sell for my wife. I'd prefer to just get a 4 runner, but kind of fits what we need.

Mazda CX: I'm a fan, but my wife is iffy for whatever reason. Super impressed with build quality and interior.

Tahoe/Yukon: I'm super down with this and know LT engines very well, but has it's faults.

Tesla: I HATE that this is on the list... because I had a Tesla as a work car for two years and hated it. But... owning an X kind of makes sense and my wife thinks they're "cool" and they're super cheap where we live. I'm not as concerned about build quality since I know what to look for, I'd be more concerned the novelty would wear off because it certainly did for me.

Very open to suggestions other than this list!

Price Range: $25K-$40k (mid-size to full-size SUV used or CPO)

For some context: I had a '21 Macan GTS I've had since it was a CPO that has had a lot of issues over the past two years. I happened to find a buyer willing to take on the challenges with it because of the features I have on it. I also almost never drive anywhere currently with my job. If I do, my wife is in the car and she honestly was driving my car more than I do.

My wife has a Cayenne S that has been bulletproof up until recently, where I am pretty sure her PASM (air suspension) is going bad and the transmission has started to shudder. When I sold my car, I bought a '14 Lacrosse with the V6 for pennies on the dollar as a project car to fix a panel and recharge the AC that I can keep as a beater and focus on getting a nice SUV to share and I'll flip the lacrosse for a play-toy.

That being said, we want to kind of downsize and get something long-term that isn't extravagant but still nice around the $25-$40k budget range. She would be primarily driving it. I'm pretty flexible but know what fits.

Things we need:

Ideally, a full-size or mid-size SUV.

$25k-$40k range, but flexible.

Wife is not into the "rugged" outdoor style SUVs

Adequate towing capacity. High towing capacity is a plus. Not a requirement, but would prefer.

Comfortable ride and nice interior, but want to avoid high-end luxury brands like Porsche again.

Short-List Options:

Volvo: goes against the luxury brand consideration... but my wife is from Sweden so she is very biased lol. I'm not opposed but very aware of the concerns with used Volvos and we would be looking at an XC90 which is the one with the most issues due to the air ride (issue with both of my Porsches).

Lexus: Smart pick and kind of fits what we want to a degree but doesnt check all of the boxes.

Toyota Highlander: Hard sell for my wife. I'd prefer to just get a 4 runner, but kind of fits what we need.

Mazda CX: I'm a fan, but doesnt check all of the boxes. Super impressed with build quality.

Tahoe/Yukon: I'm super down with this and know LT engines very well, but has it's faults.

Tesla: I HATE that this is on the list... because I had a Tesla as a work car for two years and hated it. But... owning an X kind of makes sense and my wife thinks they're "cool" and they're super cheap where we live.

Very open to suggestions other than this list!

Looking for any really unique recommendations on seasoning salmon fillets. I usually keep it pretty simple and it's something my wife and I do regularly. But, I'm looking to do something a little different for dinner tomorrow for fun. She likes savory a little more than spicy where I love spicy so very willing to try two different styles. Would love to hear some recs!

This is actually a pretty and funny wholesome one that went sideways but to give some context, I work in national account sales management, and I have kind of a short list of regular clients and several people at each company I communicate with and have known for several years, so they are very informal conversations depending on the person.

This morning, I had to call one of my larger clients very first thing over something kind of urgent. I was in the car with my wife going to the gym early, and I was in total cruise control trying to drive and talk while still waking up. I'm a male in my early 30's and she's maybe a few years older than me, but I've worked and talked with her almost weekly for years.

At the end of the call I was ending things and it just kind of slipped out and said "I love you" like I was talking to my wife. The second I said it I was like OH NO. And the client I was talking with (who knew my wife was in the car and has met her) sarcastically responded "awhhhh! Love you too... but isnt (my wifes name) in the car?" and they both just started making fun of me. Embarassing, but it was funny.

But where it became an issue is that all of my calls from my business number are recorded, monitored, or occasionally audited. Apparently... that call got spot checked because I told people about what happened and told them to go listen to the recording.

Where it went sideways and why I got a very strict warning from HR is the fact my wife verbally said the name of a product we have that is partially NDA protected, and then I got a secondary warning for "potentially infringing upon client relationships" and they were dead serious about reprimanding me for that. My VP basically had to convince them not to fire me over that.

TLDR: Accidentally said "I love you" to a longtime female client on the phone with my wife in the car who thought it was funny, and HR picked up on the fact she mentioned something NDA protected and I got two write ups today.

Technically, this was yesterday but long story short, I've struggled with waking up insanely early for months, and after doing a sleep study, I was prescribed a low-ish dosage of Ambien...which has been super effective.

However, I do like taking a few puffs from a cigar in the evenings and have one or two light old-fashioneds around 6pm. Technically, I am supposed to avoid both of those even in low amounts while taking Ambien, and I learned why yesterday.

After taking one and having a drink or two and a few puffs of a cigar, I apparently went lucid. I ended up walking down the street, checking the mail at 9pm, and then I accidentally walked into my neighbor's house (who I don't know very well) and sat down on his couch. The only things that registered in my mind were that it smelled funky in the front room and his dog was barking like crazy and trying to get me to pet him and I was so confused lol. Scared the living hell out of him, and I am so embarrassed. Both of our houses look super similar from the front and I was in absolute cruise control.

I'm glad he reacted pretty well to it, because I would've been pretty freaked out if he was just chilling on my couch checking his mail lol. I apologized profusely, but "hey sorry for walking in your home after taking an Ambien" isn't exactly something I have ever expected to say lol. He got a good laugh out of it and I'm glad he handled it well.

TLDR: took an Ambien while also smoking a cigar and having a few drinks, and unintentionally started hanging out at my neighbor's house without realizing it.

To give some context, My wife has a 2014 Cayenne S, and I had a 2021 Macan GTS I just sold. I had a lot of issues with my Macan and I don't drive a ton, so I've been looking to downsize. My wife does professional equestrian sports, and I am getting her a second horse for her birthday and I'm kind of putting the equity I had in my Macan towards the horses. We also have twin daughters on the way so I still need something with space.

Right now, we've just been using her Cayenne to tow her horse and equipment, and that has already been kind of pushing it even though it has held up super well. But, a larger trailer and two horses will probably not work.

I'm looking to get something with a higher towing capacity that can handle that weight while still offering some level of practicality for daily use outside of that. I do not want a truck. A Tahoe or Yukon stand out to me, and I know my way around an LT engine very well, but I am very open to options.

Would love to hear some thoughts on what is available in that budget, as I don't know the current market very well. Open to older vehicles.

Figured this would be a fun question. My wife is incredible with sourdough and making homemade quac, so avocado toast is a staple in our household. I do well with the homemade chimichurri sirloin tacos. What's the best thing you can make?

As the title states My wife (F28) and my ex wife (F29) and I'M (M33) have become legitimate best friends with each other over the past year.

For some context, my ex wife and I got amicably divorced about 2 1/2 years ago. She actually rents our home from me still, and we share custody of our dogs. Was just kind of one of those things where we weren't the right people for each other, and she was going through a lot of mental health and alcohol abuse issues so I have always been supportive of her.

I married my wife about a year ago. They had only met a couple of times when we were datin and played nice, but literally the week after our wedding I was supposed to take our dogs but I got stuck in another state for work, and she went to go pick them up. That apparently turned into them hanging out for 8 hours and becoming best friends.

To answer some of the easy questions:

-Yes, it's a little weird for me but also kind of wholesome. I know they talk about me and I just kinda don't want to know but it's kind of funny lol.

-No, We are absolutely not going to have a threesome lmao

-Yes, my friends make fun of me all of the time. I used to get a little touchy about it when people would make jokes about having multiple wives or things like that but it is kinda funny.

AMA!

Edit 5/15: Appreciate all of the kind comments and questions. I wasn't expecting to get this many and I was working today so I will try to catch up.

Totally expected all of the threesome jokes lol but to answer the other easy question... I am VERY certain my wife and ex wife are not secret lesbians. My wife is 5 months pregnant with our twin daughters and my ex wife absolutely hates kids with a burning passion lol.

Hi all, to give some context, my grandmother is starting to get to the stage of fairly advanced dementia. She has been living in assisted living for about 6 months, and after seeing her today with family around, I am quite certain we will likely have to move her to memory care shortly. I come help her 3-4 times a week and spend time with here.

She was independent for 50+ years and moving her down to a place where both my wife and I/my family nearby was extremely challenging. She thinks she's just there for "a couple of weeks" and she has pretty much lost track of time. She will get upset with me when "I don't come see her for weeks" and I was there a day and a half before, and she will call at 2AM asking how to add water to her humidifier.

Today, My family, my wife, and I went to go see her for mother's day weekend. It was abundantly clear I was the only person she actually recognized. I have two much younger sisters (I'm early 30s and they're 17 and 19). and I could tell she pretended to recognize them and maybe knows she knows them, and I think she mistakes my mom for one of my sisters. She also kept referring to my mom as "Julia", which was one of her friends 20+ years ago who passed away because my mom colored her hair. I know that was hard on her.

Where I was 100% sure It had progressed more was when she asked what my wife's name was. She's 5 months pregnant with our twin daughters. She's met her over a dozen times, and I showed her the ultrasound pictures twice over the last month. My wife handled it really well and basically reintroduced herself to her.

That being said, there has been a lot of times where she has been frustrated, and it has been challenging to handle. She tends to fixate on tiny problems that stress her out, and it's also clear her memory is declining a lot more than I realized. I try to help my mom a lot, but there is only so much I can do and it's getting to a point where I don't know how to handle everything. Especially with her not 100% recognizing my mom, which we have kind of suspected for about a month.

I really need some advice. I also have my daughters coming in the next few months, so I'll have a lot to handle and I just want to do the best I can.