u/Unique_Importance910

Why would anything be open on the 4th of July? I don't even work in traditional/more essential retail (grocery store etc) but we are open today. I had asked for the day off, only to check and see that it is I was scheduled anyway. I looked up if it is normal for such places to be open on public holidays and it apparently is. I was here chilling doing my laundry and was happy to see that they had about 13 people on hand (small store but popular) but apparently I was a part of that.

When I started working here, we were told they have a few public days off but apparently not the 4 th of July and it seems they only really close for Christmas and New Years. There are no accomodations made to ensure people can enjoy holidays with the family etc. It is wild to me what service people are expected to do/go through. Apparently, we are open for tourists but will tourists die if a place is closed for a single day? All for profit? Also, why aren't people sitting at home with their families for a holiday?

I hate this for myself and I hate this for my coworkers.

This is more of an anecdote than anything about wmata itself. I guess living close to/in DC means you get to deal with the magic of tourists. Typically it's small things like blocking the escalator steps on both sides or moving extra slow in 5 wide people group and making you miss your train, but like today really took the cake for me. I have to work today, and had I been less than lucky, I would have had to work tomorrow too. So many people are still enthusiastically going outside despite the heat wave, I have to commute in this heat.

So I sit down on the train on the first car off of the stairs (big mistake but it saves precious seconds since I have a thin window to make it to work on time) but there are a lot of seats so I am not concerned. A group walks in and sits down. Across from me there is a hat, probably forgotten by someone. The group had already eaten up all the seats where a group can sit and still face each other. This one lady joins them and looks at the hat and asks who it belongs to and they say they don't know. There are plenty of empty seats immediately close to us but she grabs the hat and throws into the seat where I am sitting. These people were already making me uncomfortable, so I just took it as an opportunity to move and this lady is like "What, you don't like it/that?".

Some people have no common sense.

The fire/co alarm went off. It beeped very differently than usual and before I could register what the pattern was my parent was whipping it with a piece of clothing to make it stop and eventually opened the door to bring it to a hault. All they cared about was making it stop.

I understand how serious fire safety is. I don't want to die because I was being passive but I have very little control in this environment unfortunately. I can't just go outside and sleep there for the night and my luck that it is a nasty heat wave outside anyways. I looked it up, it did 3 beeps and then went to the 4 beeps. 4 beeps is CO. But my parent would never call the fire department because that is silly and above them. A waste of their time.

I am an adult but I know if I call them and it is nothing it will all be an issue that I will never hear the end of. Everything can be fixed by God and we are always going to be saved by God, but what if God set off the alarm himself? It always feels like anything I say is ridiculous and I am often told in various ways that I am just dramatic. Even without any words being said I can tell that is the case.

Every night or day I have to boil water because my parent who has a car refused to/stopped buying water because the budget is tight. The water is heavy and I can not simply hulk it along on a 30 minute bus ride probably after a gruesome day at work. I cook the water and for some reason this seems to set of our gas stove in various ways, I wish I could explain it. I guess tomorrow I will have to call reception and describe to them the gas problems. I was told to do it myself anyways. If I open the windows in this heatwave, I will be berated to hell and back. This is the life that I have gotten used to.

Even when I get sick I am told to man up and just tought it out at work. If I suggest it is anything serious I am laughed at and told that it is dramatic and it is probably just the flu. Welcome to adulthood I guess.

Me and my friends are looking for a nice hang out and were very interested in something like pottery, you know where you get to throw on a wheel. Our budget is about $60 but most we can see for one night experiences is $80 and above. I understand our budget is tight but we really can't afford much more. Would be interested in art too. Can recommend in dmv too, just that dc is where it is easiet for us to meet up as we are spread out in the dmv.

In this month I have suffered 2 seperate disappointments from 2 seperate sellers. I am sure they are not representative of the market but it feels like buying from a black hole.

To start, I am tech savvy/aware and do a great deal of research from the sellers to the device and the provided details of the device to make sure everything lines up. I read seller reviews and check their feedback but still 2 times in row, I got devices that did match their description/had something wrong with them that was not mentioned. I also tend to lean towards only buying like new items or those in excellent condition so I don't expect many problems.

The first seller is reputable seller and actually is a big manufacturer of the devices. I got the device that promised to be refurbished and like new and it had a line going right down the screen (display not crack) making it hard for me to use it for it's purpose. It was shocking to me considering it came from a big brand and the seller tried to offer me a $20 partial refund if I chose to keep the device (almost $700 paid for it). I was able to return it but it such waste of my time.

The next one was a tablet from a seller who also had 99.5%+ positive feedback. I knew it was a gamble because it was on the super bargain end of the market but it did seem like they were reputable and the description mentioned no problems, in fact it affirmed that they didn't exist including a device lock...well guess what? The thing is frp locked! I can't get in.

I know I should have known better but it does feel like a minefield looking for used devices on ebay. I am sadly budget locked so any buck I can save matters and is why I am not buying new (some of the devices aren't even available from manufacturer anymore because they out a version one year and then discontinue it the next) nor do I expect much different from other resale sites at this point.

Another issue is so many sellers refuse to put adequate descriptions of their devices. I can see your listing, I think the device is great but key information like battery health/life or presence of scratches/cracks are omitted making it hard for me to gauge the device's condition. I am then forced to message sellers asking pesky questions which I am sure irritates them as well and there my few options are from those who make clear descriptions (ironically how I got scammed the 2nd time so not totally full proof). Perhaps some sellers omit information on purpose. I think a lot of sellers just simply don't understand how to that stuff anyways but it is really important because otherwise then we have to go through the totally fun return process because I got a non-functional or not as described item.

Idk what to do at this point. I guess I have to just wait for a big sale on the latest device which will just simply cost me my rent....

Both of those first 2 were ebay. I have aslo tried facebook marketplace where devices would be canceled immediately or be super sus. Once I had to cancel because the seller put it up as the wrong model.

24F here, graduated a whole year ago and still not even employed in my own industry or even a professional job. I work a part time job but it only gives me about 3 days a week and I lost all motivation to keep applying because either even the local walmart/mcdonalds/whatever doesn't have jobs or for some reason is really picky with hiring.

Admittedly, off the rollercoaster that was university, I was very burnt out and wasn't very aggressive with applications but regardless of this it wasn't like finding entry level jobs or internships in the market I was supposed to work in was even easy. It feels like at times, I put in the search, and literally nothing matching with my experience (none/entry level) and even anything within my field is returned. The whole process of editing my CV, writing cover letters and answering nonsensical surveys is just so overwhelming to me at this point that my mind switches off when I think about job searching.

Aside from this, I am also unmotivated, perhaps depressed. I live with my parents and have come to feel like dead weight or even a dead beat because they (1 parent really) are the ones working hard to cover our costs that I don't evenly contribute to(shared rent, etc). Still, I can barely bring myself to do more than just mop around, mentally selfharm and continue to deteriorate. It's not even because of the situation, but I believe because I developed some bad habits and coping mechanisms as a child/teen due to some trauma. I still bedrot like I did when I was 17, I am still not structured like I was at 19 and if left to my own devices I can stay in bed all day not even moving to cook my own food or eat. In college, I could go an entire day without eating anything till around 5-11:59 pm, if at all. It is a horrible pattern but it is only really getting worse. Every time I try to pick myself up, I quickly fall back into my problems. I feel like a drug addict but without the drugs.

Working, even if a meer part time job has taken a toll on me. It does have some advantages like human interaction or a paycheck but it is a long commute and a rather stressful setting (customer service). I would love to have time to reset but unfortunately the bills have to be paid and I can't burden my parent any longer. My job has made it very clear that if I was to ever move up the ladder or even become full time, it would either be because everyone else died/quit or sheer luck...and no, I am not lazy at work. Like I said the search for a second job has been a pain.

I am aware it could be some sort of psychosis that needs a doctor or a therapist, but I can't afford healthcare nor do I even have insurance. Even if I did, it would probably still be comically expensive. I can barely afford to shop (groceries, even for clothes), go out with friends (it's expensive and I think it is pushing people away). I feel like at a time where I am supposed to be finding myself, branching out, building a career and having a blast, I am just wasting away and that it is partly my own doing and will only get worse with time if nothing changes.

I feel completely paralyzed and stunted in terms of growth. All I spend my time doing is penny pinching and self loathing and loathing others (like my not so luxurious work) because of my situation. I look crazy to everyone because I don't want to spend on fast food that one time or go on a lengthy trip, even just 50 miles away. I have no idea what is trending and I wear the same clothes day in, day out. It has really affected my self esteem. I have almost no friends outside of work and even my friendships are admittedly rocky, my local area doesn't seem to have much going on either.

If it wasn't for the grace of my parent and their hard work, I would probably float into the street and end up as dead meat. I can't move out either because, yeah poor. I am really struggling and I have no idea how to cope or make things better. I have done everything including reading some self help books, picking up some hobbies, I can't curve out a routine for the life of me...any advice is welcome.

Lmao, sitting on a morning bus moving at a snails pace and wanting to get off to a faster (limited route) bus a couple of minutes away but had to miss the stop I could exchange at because the line was dead. It's not the first time and I normally have to move while the bus is moving to pull the one on the other side. It's annoying and I wish there was a better system. I hope they test them often (I doubt they do).

Yeah exactly the title. So I had a load that expired and I asked them to put back on (just 4 dollars) because my card glitched and refused to upload it at both the bus and the fare gates the last time I tried to use it. Idk but I think some glitch keeps multiplying my loaded cash and $4 has become $14, do you think it is worth pursuing with WMATA? I thought it was funny the first time, but this is concerning. No, I have not uploaded more money to it since and I see no charges on my credit card.

I will be visiting soon and need to get to Penn station Baltimore, I was just wondering about how the charm pass and Marc tickets work. I will have to go from New Carrollton to Penn Station, I looked at the fare chart and it says this should be $8? So if I add $16 to my CharmPass this should be enough for a 2 way journey with no extra cost? Does the CharmPass also apply to local busses in Baltimore as well as WMATA? Are there any extra costs I should expect? I have also never used Marc commuter train and will be traveling at potentially busy hour for commuters, is it easy to get seats since they aren't preassigned? Is it like the metro? Any safety tips?

I apologize for the host of questions, just want to make sure I get it all right.

I have recently become intrigued by this topic. As a long time k-pop fan it was very typical for a band to have its members start solo careers, but typically towards the end of the life of the band (about 5 or 7 years, for luckier bands 10 years after debut). It was always an interesting process to see how the individual members would express themselves but it also could be a dumpster fire, especially for the group/band as whole and their future endeavors. This concept only returned to my mind after recently getting into Maneskin and subsequently learning that they are on a break...to pursue solo interests.

It's interesting isn't it? A break/hiatus, solo interests. In the west, a hiatus (one that is made official not just the band being quiet for a while) and the solo endeavors for a band typically spells out disaster for the band itself to put it lightly. Just look at 1 Direction, 5th Harmony and the endless list, but those weren't Italian rock bands >!but they do have something in common, being made famous by xfactor/music competition shows!< . In k-pop it is typically less tragic because it typically only occurs when the group has already or has started to fade out not at there peak or right after it (exceptions do exist), but here we have group in their prime taking a break. To me it usually means the following:

a) One member or more feels (and or management thinks) that they are fairly popular enough to pull off a "Beyoncé" (become successful beyond the group on there own).

b) there is some element of internal conflict making it hard for them to work together/priorities have shifted requiring them to take a break and maybe find something else to do in the meantime which will end up being solo work to help maintain relevance and or find themselves musically.

c) problems with whoever helps them release their music (e.g. record label) making it hard to do things together but maybe not necessarily on their won.

d) they are genuinely just taking a break for whatever reason but not due to internal conflict or a Beyoncé situation.

Regardless of the reason (but especially if it is a or b), this typically has a negative impact on the group and its music. The reunion is rarely as electric or to put it lightly like what the band was like before. Even in k-pop where it is basically scheduled ahead of the time for the lowest risk period of a band's lifespan, it typically spells itself out the same.

When they do comeback, it is often what I have come to call "reunion music", something made purely just to keep the fans at bay, maybe the contracual obligation comes to mind but in my opinion most bands do participate willingly and enthusiastically. It often feels like a watered down version of themselves with some nostalgia bait thrown in either on purpose or by default because maybe they had a certain music style that brings back the memories etc. This effect isn't really felt if the band remains active during the "solos" and still releases music as they release solo work on their usual schedule. I also find that if they seemingly take a hiatus without actually having to announce it, it is not as severe, perhaps because things weren't so bad that they had to announce a hiatus.

While I do think it a basic right for a member of a band to have a solo career, I also think that it is hard to balance both a band obligation and a solo career. I think part of the reason the reunion release tends to suck is because priorities and interests of the band members have shifted. It is not rare that a member's own work will be wildly different from the main band's work and trying to apply that back to the band can be difficult. I also think if they don't have a clear vision for the band, then things will naturally fall apart when they return. Perhaps as a member does solo work they suddenly realise they don't want to do what they band used to do anymore as that's not how they want to express themselves in the moment. I find that for bands (k-pop) with both successful soloists and band careers, there is a certain level of compromise/sacrifice happening on both ends.

A soloist in a band has to manage both the creative work required for the band and their solo careers like 2 different projects at the same time which obviously limits the commitment they can put into their own work which often seems to limit their solo success. Some examples I would give would be Girl's Generations (GG/SNSD) Taeyeon when she intially first went solo. She was huge like mega huge but she seemed to tone it down a little (or her management did) to not overshadow GG all together since they still had plans together, Taemin from Shinee comes to mind too. If they wanted they could have easily just left their bands behind. A funny example of a member being simultaneously famous as a soloist and in big band was Gdragon (a literal icon of the industry) when he was in BigBang and I have no idea how they made that work but they did operate simultaneously. He was bigger than the band but the band still remained popular, infact more popular than other bands operating at the time. There are also plenty of examples of this going wrong with members of certain bands leaving or being heavily prioritised because their solo careers took off and a ghost band being left behind.

Enough of the k-pop, I am just curious if you think it is a realistic dynamic for a band to hand both responsibilities? I know it doesn't have to be but it feels like by the time a group is going solo, it means the band is about to die. That's why I am kind of concerned abour Maneskin's situation with fans getting excited to even see the members in the same place because it seems like a rare occurrence now. I am bummed out because I liked how audacious they were and they kind of gave me hope (for some reason, it's not like they make uplifiting music) perhaps maybe that's what the (my) world needs right now. Of course they have no obligation to serve my interests, I am jusy curious as to if my brain is making this pattern up.

Idk what kind of retail is considered the worst but this has to be one of the absolute worst. Don't get me wrong, jewelry is pretty but it also requires an unnatural amount of patience.

I get it, that one time I did need earrings for an important event, I did spend the entire 30 minutes or so circuling a small store picking up items and putting them back down, asking all kinds of questions while second guessing myself and then eventually leaving with well nothing. Shout out to the kind lady who patiently watched this all go down because now I understand. If a customer doesn't spend like 3 hours looking at one piece of jewelry then they will have the most enraging questions.

*Looks at $0-$50 piece of jewelry*

"Is this real (pure) gold/silver?"

"Oh, I don't do anything but real gold or silver?"

My favorite is "will it tarnish?" Now I don't blame them for asking, but with that price range (and in many cases even lower) I am not sure why it would be a surprise if it did. The worst part is management doesn't give us a clear answer about it. I too don't want to falsely claim that things that will tarnish won't but I have asked enough times. The generic given response is "nobody has ever brought back/complained" but by the time something tarnishes it would probably be outside of the return window. I got tired of asking so I tell all our customers that don't put it in water and they get all triggered like I was forcing them to buy it. We also sell higher quality jewelry but even when you spell out for people that something is plated or stainless steel, gold, actual silver etc, even if you tell them the exact composition of the matal, they will still look at you like you are lying. No you are not getting the real pure gold experience for $9.99 or even $250 for a long chain necklace, if you want that be ready fork over your rent. You get what you pay for. I actually think our more expensive jewelry is typically a good deal though.

Then there is this jewelry case from hell that can only be found at station in our store that can only be worked by one person and only one register at a time. This station/pop-up is essentially its own little store. Man, if I could ship that thing to outer space I would. It has semi-expensive jewelry (necklaces, etc), so you can't just leave it open for people to check it out on there own but there are also people with other items from the pop-up trying to check out. We were told you could call someone in a rush but typically by the time they come to you (that's if anyone comes because I am typically ignored by management for some reason), the rush is gone because its a big store and this pop-up are is like a remote island from other parts of the store. Why call someone? Because the thing can't stay open on its own (you have to hold it up) and you can't be in 2 places at the same time. I have infact sometimes just let people look at it on its own and of course you start to notice that things vanish. If anything went missing, which I think they do, its not my concern at this point. I am not the only one who hates it and at some point in time it was moved to a spot where there were more people to handle that mess but they brought it back because that station apparently is where it sells best.

The having to physically stand there and keep it open, manage sticky fingers all while using the eyes at the back of your head to watch the checkout area while still having other duties really sends me over the edge and people really take they time picking out something and they want to try it on too. I assume fashion sales are similar but things typically aren't locked behind a case where you have to watch people constantly.

I would never wish jewelry sales on my worst enemy. I do like the privilege of testing out jewelry and learning more about it though but its not worth the constant pressure (to sell because you have to convince people) and stress.

I apologize if this is a touchy subject but I just wanted to leave this here. I am infact a Ugandan but partly raised abroad. I was raised in the born again church and have remained born again through out my life. I am not one of those people who believes church or God is a scam and I continue to believe in God even if some aspects of the Church seem to go off course because it's about God and not them, but of late I have become a bit disillusioned by the church itself.

My first issue is how the churches seem to revolve around whoever the pastor is like he is God himself (or sometimes herself if the wife preaches too or if the lead is female). There is this sense of almost worship around them that I find disturbing. I don't think people or even the pastor's do it on purpose, it's just a result of how these churches managed to develop in their own individual vacuum. However, I don't understand why it keeps going and it goes unchecked as it is reallt toxic and unhealthy imo. As some of you are aware, these pastors also heavily rival each other even when they don't see each other as cults and constantly fight and form their own factions despite being of the same faith which I find disturbing. Almost no sermon starts without the pastor gloating about how great they are and pr slipping something about how the other church is corrupted seemingly for no apprent reason. The entire church congregation will also act like they are a part of that faction and this builds this sense of having to have undying loyalty to whoever the lead pastor is and their church. There is also a lot of pressure to maintain an image of purity and loyalty within the church yet God encourages us to come as we are. I am really struggling to express what I mean but please bear with me.

There is also a lot of traditonalism (not the religious practice but cultural) applied to the church even if it may not be necessary for following the word of God. I am talking about things like harshly pushing patriarchy. Just a couple of weeks ago there was a sermon about how women must unquestioningly follow their husbands but it didn't seem to address the part where not all men are good leaders in the home or how the bible asks husbands to treat their wives as equals. This preaching is not unique to the Ugandan or even African church but it did feel like an extension of traditional beliefs and I think it affects church dynamics and the purity politics associated with it. The amount of times my parents will push something on me because it is God's divine calling (e.g getting married as soon as possible, LeAviNg bEhiND a leGacY) but it sounds more like a traditional thing or maybe something I can afford to wait on because they believe and have been taught in church that if the blessing doesn't happen today then you are clearly not doing something right or you are cursed....

Then, every pastor/church wants to demonstrate how holy they are. I think what I was trying to explain in the last section was the hollier than thou attitude. Church feels stiff and like a performance.

I have also partly been raised in the West and no matter how messed up or arrogant, most churches are not like this. Pastors do not elevate themselves above others or the congregation like that and the dynamics don't feel like you must act a certain way or have a certain level of unquestioning to get by. I also feel like the word has been sidelined for theater. The pastor will spend like 40 minutes lecturing the congregation on a random subject (a project, praising foreign guests, promoting a project) rather than preaching to put it lightly. They still preach great messages but some still seem abstract/off topic/presented to push a certain narrative. And something me and my family noticed long ago is that you can go to the same church for several years but the pastor won't know your name and you won't have many friends at the church, because the fellowship and genuime friendship amongst believers is not really prioritised. The samw people you see in church will be insulting you the minute they leave church grounds because that part of the church has been sidelined.

Another small complaint is the prosperity preaching which is fine but pastor's shouldn't present it like it is the only thing we are meant to have as Christians. I have watched people get scammed because of their determination to achieve that blessing but maybe sometimes God wants us to just simply wait and enjoy what we have? People close to me at some point were so obsessed with this that they were completely blind in their actions and lost a lot, they wouldn't even listen to me warning them because "the pastor said so" or it was just God's divine blessing. I think God wants us to also look at things in a realistic way like when Jesus was tempted by satan at the cliff and he refused to jump.

Don't get me wrong, I am glad for my exposure to the Ugandan church as I have never experienced that level of spiritual transformation (e.g. Holy Spirit movement) in my life before and it genuinely improved me as a person and in my faith but I feel like things have gone a bit astray. Rather than people feeling welcome to the church, it feels like you have to prepare yourself to put on a show to avoid being judged and appear as pure as possible. Western churches also have their short commings I will admit (for example many are quite carnal/secular) but I at least don't have to mentally prepare myself before attending church.

Forgive the grammatical mistakes, I was just typing my stream of thoughts. This is not a hit on the entire Ugandan church or even the subsection I have discussed, I just think it can afford improvement.

So, I made a friend at work (yes I know). This is one of those "family" workplaces ans to be honest it does feel like that, we are all in the same age group, similar positions but then this one person had a lot in common with me, so I let them befriend me. We started hanging out after work, going to lunch together, etc. This has turned into a bit of a problem to put it lightly.

Idk if this person is malicious or not but I feel like something is off about them. We started working at the same time but I was supposed to be upgraded to a higher role after a probation period but this never happened because management gave out the job to the highest bidder and then LIED to me for months. I always thought, well maybe I didn't work hard enough but my coworker who didn't put in much more effort than I did was given an the upgrade seemingly out of nowhere. I know this isn't their fault and I decided to be genuinely happy for them but it did make me side eye management but that's a story for another day. That person is infact more charismatic than me so that's whatever.

So at some point in time we began commuting together since we go in the same direction and use public means, but this is when the red flags really came through. I get we are all having a tough time but suddenly this person starts talking about how much they hate the job and need to quit and how they need to apply out. Now this is retail and we both have degrees (even in related fields!), so I could relate in the sense of I don't hate my job but obviously I want to move on, so I spilled the beans. However, this conversation showed a lack of boundaries and professionalism that surprised me. I immediately knew I had made a big mistake but it was what it was. But this kind of behavior has not gone away.

One day while at work, this person starts talking about how they had someone send them a link filled with jobs and how they would send them to me, in the middle of a very small shop floor filled with our co-workers. When I lightly said that made me feel uncomfortable, they retored in a defensive way asking who had heard us. This person is older than me, so I expected more maturity.

The last issue is we hang out but it is expensive as we live too far apart to hang out far from work but we can meet in the middle (in the middle of the city) which is expensive. I have tried to send signals but like it's too expensive for me to be out all the time which while I get they are making a sacrifice too but they seem not to get it.

Anyways, learn from me. Set boundaries early, do not hang out with your work allies far from work settings like lunch or dinner close by. I feel very uncomfortable with this relationship (the worst part is they are close with someone who I actually take to look down on me) because of the lack of boundaries and to be honest we aren't clicking like that. I keep hanging out because it is polite and I don't have a lot of friends but damn this scared me.

So, I made a friend at work (yes I know). This is one of those "family" workplaces ans to be honest it does feel like that, we are all in the same age group, similar positions but then this one person had a lot in common with me, so I let them befriend me. We started hanging out after work, going to lunch together, etc. This has turned into a bit of a problem to put it lightly.

Idk if this person is malicious or not but I feel like something is off about them. We started working at the same time but I was supposed to be upgraded to a higher role after a probation period but this never happened because management gave out the job to the highest bidder and then LIED to me for months. I always thought, well maybe I didn't work hard enough but my coworker who didn't put in much more effort than I did was given an the upgrade seemingly out of nowhere. I know this isn't their fault and I decided to be genuinely happy for them but it did make me side eye management but that's a story for another day. That person is infact more charismatic than me so that's whatever.

So at some point in time we began commuting together since we go in the same direction and use public means, but this is when the red flags really came through. I get we are all having a tough time but suddenly this person starts talking about how much they hate the job and need to quit and how they need to apply out. Now this is retail and we both have degrees (even in related fields!), so I could relate in the sense of I don't hate my job but obviously I want to move on, so I spilled the beans. However, this conversation showed a lack of boundaries and professionalism that surprised me. I immediately knew I had made a big mistake but it was what it was. But this kind of behavior has not gone away.

One day while at work, this person starts talking about how they had someone send them a link filled with jobs and how they would send them to me, in the middle of a very small shop floor filled with our co-workers. When I lightly said that made me feel uncomfortable, they retored in a defensive way asking who had heard us. This person is older than me, so I expected more maturity.

The last issue is we hang out but it is expensive as we live too far apart to hang out far from work but we can meet in the middle (in the middle of the city) which is expensive. I have tried to send signals but like it's too expensive for me to be out all the time which while I get they are making a sacrifice too but they seem not to get it.

Anyways, learn from me. Set boundaries early, do not hang out with your work allies far from work settings like lunch or dinner close by. I feel very uncomfortable with this relationship (the worst part is they are close with someone who I actually take to look down on me) because of the lack of boundaries and to be honest we aren't clicking like that. I keep hanging out because it is polite and I don't have a lot of friends but damn this scared me.

Hello, I recently bought a refurbished laptop off of eBay that arrived defective. I really wanted and even planned for this item for a long time and would have kept it all costs but the issue was/is hard to ignore (vertical line across the screen). The seller is a big seller and it had a 2 year warranty and I assumed this would protect me incase there was an issue with the item. The item itself was listed as like new/pristine but refurbished, there was no mention of any damage.

When I messaged them about it, they asked for evidence etc and I sent it. I had asked if the item could be fixed or exchanged (it has a 2 year warranty) and they instead offered me a $20 partial refund (the item was almost $700) which I found strange. In that same message they do say that I can return it for a full refund but I have to go into the system myself and innitiate the process.

I have never had to return anything on ebay and this is a very delicate thing because they asked me for pictures of the item on the outside (which is flawless) but the item has a (very faint but noticeable) line right across the screen. The thing is, this was difficult to take pictures of and it doesn't show up well in images, since the seller seems to be distancing themselves from the issue, I am afraid that if they get it and manage to fix it themselves then they can claim that I made it all up and retain the money.

The language of the message was really bizzare. What should I make sure to know/check before initiating a return? Will ebay protect me in this situation.

LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE

Country: The very United and perfectly fair States of America.

Budget: $800

Are you open to refurbs/used options?

Yes! Preferably open box...but yeah refurb.

Screen size: I prefer a very large computer but 14-16" will do. I don't necessarily mind smaller.

Weight limit: Idk because I have no idea how much mine currently weighs but nothing too heavy. For context Acer Nitro V 15.6" was like a brick to me (too heavy).

Purpose: Gaming but also professional (work) and 3d art software. It is critical that it has an inbuilt sd card reader (I do photography).

Form factor: Clamshell, pen support/touchscreen would be nice. My ideapad 3(?) has served me well but I wish to keep the touchscreen gimick but not 100% necessary.

Intended usage: For 3D software, I want to be able to render images in blender without my computer crashing like my current idea pad does at any complex rendering. For gaming, I typically play minecraft but my computer can barely run it, I plan to play triple A games too, for example I recently got Assassin's Creed Origins and I would like to play the rest of the series with good graphics and no lag/crashing. I do not play with high end graphics but it should be able to reach the upper limit of medium graphics while running smoothly, maybe even at 60fps or whatever is considered good.

Desired battery life: My gaming sessions are not that long so even 4-6 hours is great. Good replaceability and durability (how long before it gives up) both would be nice.

Please list, in order of most important to least important, the priority between Size, Weight, Performance, Battery life: Performance, battery life, weight

Info/Requirements: Minimum memory- 16GB, minimum storage: 1TB, RTX 4050 minimum (graphics card, please blink twice if you think I have no idea what I am talking about). SD card slot please. Idk if it is possible with regular laptops but it would be nice if it either had the best integrated graphics possible or dedicated graphics.

Thanks in advance.

This happened to me just now on 7653 (green line: 6:50 pm around). I will put the number because I am about to get off anyway. I usually don't take this line but I did today and some kids?? (Teens?) potentially young adults boarded the train at around Gallery Place I believe and seemed to be in search of a chair. It was pretty packed but eventually one asked to sit next to me. I was like okay, it's a public space. But after that he began kind of trying to sniff me? And his friends were being super weird and watching from the seat directly infront of us. It took me time to notice but it all happened for less than a minute maybe. I know it was just "kids" but it was also really creepy ans they didn't stop even after I dead eye stared at them for some time. Is there anywhere to report this? What should I do to protect myself in the future. Had they stuck around for even a bit longer i woild have slapped them...