u/ShiftySeashellSeller

I got laid off from my dream job and am totally crashing out. I’m super apathetic about life and sad and angry. I was great at my job but the funding got cut. I’m in the process of getting another job but it’s not one that I will enjoy as much.

I want to distract myself with a video game — I used to play a lot but have been so busy with work and grad school that I kind of stopped. A cheap game would be great, since I’m unemployed.

I have a Switch OG and a PC. I loved Animal Crossing, Sims 4, Spiritfarer, BOTW, TOTK, Cult of the Lamb, Ori, Stardew… I don’t want to play anything super challenging or that has a lot of reading right now. I don’t want anything grindy either. Just maybe something really beautiful with some puzzles or simple fights every once in awhile, but mostly just progressing along and creating or exploring a world, completing quests, etc.

I did try Paralives but I got bored after like 10 hours.

Edit: there are so many great recommendations here! I got the tiny bookshop demo and decided to purchase the game since it’s on sale. Thanks to everyone who wished me well — and keep the ideas coming because there were lots of good ones that I will come back to!

I’m being bumped. I am one of the newest employees in my agency and have a highly specialized role at least for my agency (don’t want to reveal too much so that is all that I will say) so I don’t expect that I will get a comparable option. My HR person says that if I deny an option or don’t get one, my reason for separation will say layoff, so I’ll be able to get unemployment.

Can anyone confirm if that is true? I would much rather be on unemployment and searching for new jobs than working in a random new role while searching for jobs that are actually in my specialty area. But I also have bills to pay so if I have to take a lower paying role in my agency that I’m not interested in… I guess I just do the bear minimum. Other places are hiring for my role like crazy and i do apply but state hiring takes eons plus it’s a competive role yk?

I hate wedding dress shopping. We’re eloping in October, and I don’t want to spend more than $500 on a dress. I love this one and this one. Something simple but with unique details. Ideally a deep v neck (I don’t have a lot of upper cleavage so a strapless dress doesn’t do much for me). I’ve tried every consignment shop in my area and I feel like they rarely have my size, even though I’m a standard size. And they’re still so fucking expensive. And so many of them are just not my style.

I’d really prefer to spend like $100 but I know that isn’t realistic. I just don’t like having to spend money on a wedding at all. We have so much grad school debt and I’d rather pay that off or buy a house or just go out for a really nice dinner. We’ve been hit really hard financially in the two years we’ve been engaged and after dating for ten years it just feels like all we want is to be able to be on the same health and car insurance.

I’m this close to getting married in jeans. I know I either need to increase my budget drastically or accept a dress I don’t love. But it’s the one thing that makes the day feel like a wedding. We’re only eloping because we don’t really have enough close family and friends to justify a full wedding.

I moved away in 2022 and came back last month. I am trying to get caught up on all the new bars and restaurants. What’s opened since I was last here? Any new favorites, especially underrated or underhyped spots?

I just moved back to the city I lived in during my mid twenties and landed my dream job. But it’s fully remote and I am realizing just how lonely I am. My fiancé and I are definitely best friends, but it’s not enough. All of the friends I’ve had in my life have been coworkers, and when I leave a job they stop showing up to hang out outside of work — like we’ll make plans and they cancel last minute, over and over again. At this point, I genuinely haven’t been to a social event in 8 months except for family things and a few networking events at work.

The city I live in is really small. There aren’t groups for my hobbies — knitting being the main one and then reading as well. I’ve thought about joining a Pilates studio but honestly I’m so out of shape I am embarrassed to work out in a class environment lol. Lots of folks here seem to connect on social media/do the micro influencer thing but my social media presence is pretty empty and with what I do for work I don’t want a big social media presence. Plus I’m really looking for in person friends.

The biggest thing for me is that I feel like I give off “no friends” energy. Like I went to a book club (for a book I wasn’t even interested in — I’m just trying to put in effort!) and someone asked me about my friends and I said “oh lots of have moved away lately” but that’s not true at all. Several former friends still live in the city but they just don’t reply to my texts. I don’t think I offended them or anything becasue they still like my Instagram stories of my dog etc. They’re just busy with other things or other people.

My fiancé says it might be hard for me to make friends because I tend to attract people with a lot of shit going on in their lives and while I always support them, they don’t do the same for me — partially because my life is pretty boring, but also because they just haven’t shown up for me. One time my niece was in the hospital and I asked a friend if I could come over and cry and she said no because she had to go grocery shopping. Even though I’d let her come over and cry about boy drama for months on end. Honestly that did fuck up my trust a bit.

I’m in therapy but my therapist hasn’t been very helpful on this. She also works from home and says she struggles to make friends, but she’s happy having online friends. I really need in person connection.