u/Suspicious-Total-468

I just finished the whole series (in a week's time). I liked it somewhat, but at the same time I see that I was so not the target audience for it. I prefer my urban fantasy a bit more complex, but that's me. Still, I think it could benefit from a few small variations on the original as an alternative for those craving more drama. Not criticizing, just exploring my own thoughts))) Spoilers ahead!

>!First, I think having more than just one group of protagonists would be interesting. It would be fun if that dark figure they met in book 4 weren't just another Rotwell agency employee stirring up the ghosts for research, but some rogue researcher who tried luring ghosts into the portal to lock them there as a way to solve a problem, and it backfired, but provided useful insight.!<

>!Second, in book five when the group is escaping to the other side to avoid being killed in their own house, I think the portal opened too easily. I think they should have struggled a bit, and at the last moment Jessicas's ghost should have finally appeared to save the day and contribute somehow to opening that portal. It was mentioned multiple times that the energy in her room is strong but she never appeared. It would create a dramatic scene and also give Lockwood some kind of closure in terms of his never ending guilt about her death. !<

>!Third, I think Marissa was quite obvious and cliche-y as a villain with all her evil monologues. A little tweak to add some depth to her would be to reveal that she wasn't actually in her right mind all this time because when she met Ezekiel she didn't just listen to him and collaborated of her own volition, instead she got effectively ghost-locked as many other characters in the series did. It just makes sense that she did, because she was so young when she found Ezekiel's bracelet. Nobody can be that evil to get rid of their own child and then the grand child as well. I think after the bracelet was destroyed she should have come to her senses and voluntarily let go of her granddaughter's body in a sobby way. !<

>!In addition to the above, just a couple of moments:!<

>!Lucy was working on her connection with ghosts to try and help them somehow, but that line of development basically ended nowhere. Not sure what was the purpose of that if it wasn't eventually used other than to create additional friction between characters.!<

>!I see mentions of churches, priests, and souls yet it the role of religion in the Problem is unknown. Traditionally the ghosts are dealt through churches yet in Lockwood's universe it is not the case and religion is never involved. Just curious.!<

Hey, guys.

I see there are already a few posts here about the terrible Breville support, so I am joining the existing choir. A week ago I contacted Breville support about the 6pk resin water filters I ordered for my Barista Express Impress. The filters arrived to me in the original box. But they were stacked in it one on top of another which effectively squished them and cracked the seal around the edge. As a result, even after soaking none of them popped into the original shape, and when inserted into the filter holder, they did not cover the opening fully, so effectively the filters couldn't do their job.

I sent the description of the issue to Breville, sent them an email, created a new case, and sat on the phone for 20 mins waiting for someone to pick up the call. Finally someone did (I felt very lucky), I explained everything again, they said they would send me a replacement.

Today I received the "replacement": a single filter instead of the 6pk, packed into a soft envelope, which looks like someone sat on it, the filter squished and cracked again. Started the process of reaching the support but not holding much hope.

Does anyone know of any alternatives to this stupid resin filter for Barista Express Impress? Do I even need it? I feel like trying to get Breville to send me a properly packed item is like trying to grow watermelons in the snow.

Hi, guys, I am having a problem here and need some info for statistics. My kid is taking piano lessons from an awesome teacher. It is 45min lessons twice per week and we combine performance, technique, and go in depth on theory.

Whenever the teacher's in, everything's going smoothly. The problem is with scheduling. The teacher doesn't have a studio and instead is giving lessons in students' homes. I wouldn't mind driving my kid to his lessons but that's beside the point. Thing is, the schedule is becoming unstable, especially with the start of the summer break. During the year the lessons happen more or less on the same days and at the same time, however we are often being asked to move the time up or down whenever a student before us cancels the same day, or needs to have their lesson earlier/later for some reason, or if the teacher wants to go out of town for the weekend (one of our lessons is on the weekend).

With the start of the summer break it feels like we never know when our lesson is going to be. We know one of them is definitely on Tuesday but not sure which time, and another lesson is floating depending on what happens with other students. I asked for definitive times repeatedly but I am always told "I am working on it". We pay for all lessons in advance and also pay for those that get cancelled by our request. We can accommodate changes to some degree due to the teacher being really good for the actual lessons, but at this point the scheduling changes get more and more annoying.

Today the lesson didn't happen because the teacher simply forgot. It ended up in a not so nice conversation that is yet to continue, but that's again beside the point. My question is, is this fluctuating schedule a regular thing for private music lessons? Because it seems like not having a concrete day/time for each student hurts both students and teachers.

Hey guys!

For the sake of meeting new people, I made a fresh profile on FB but for some reason I am not allowed to post or comment in any groups, so I made my own in case anyone is interested:

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1JfmE22P9b/?mibextid=wwXIfr

It is supposed to be ad-free and focused on scratch baking and sharing. Once we have a good team there, I plan to organize tea parties to meet, talk, and have some of those homemade treats :)

I hate Facebook and it hates me back and doesn't allow me posting in groups anymore, not even comments, since my profile is bare except for the main picture, a single friend who's my husband (so doesn't count), and I don't go around liking people's stuff.

Trying out other platforms.

I am a married 38yo woman with a 13yo son, a dog, two cats, and versatile interests. I live in Katy, obviously. I want to meet more people like me to invite to bbq and get invited in return, to go shopping together, have kids play together (preferably not on ipads), help each other with gardens, exchange recipes, go to theaters, just be normal human beings prioritizing each other over convenience.

I will take and/or return your calls and messages.
I will come to your party on time, with a dish, and ready to help.
I will pick up your kid from school if you're running late and I am unoccupied and I will go to their tournaments to cheer if needed.

If you can reciprocate and want to join me on this hunt for normal people in this social desert, please comment on :)

No advice please, Chatgpt already gave me about a hundred, poor guy :D