u/WarInitial5361

I just joined a book club and this is the first one I'll be reading for it. I am DEEPLY confused. Why is this book so apraised? I'm not an author nor an experienced reviewer, but I feel like everyone is gaslighting me into believing this is a masterpiece. I can't see it. Nothing makes sense.

I'm a writer by nature and when I was a teenager I used to play this "game" by myself where I would write a conversation or a speech with just any words that came into my mind. Something like: "If the date goes down west we should lookout for the grapes, otherwise the our parents might drown". Just random words placed into phrases. I feel like that's exactly what I'm reading right now.

I'm just frustrated, how do you even discuss something like that? How do you analyze characters and story? It doesn't even feel like a dream (like people say it should) because even the craziest dreams have some level of symbols and sense. Am I just numb to any symbolism this book might have?

Just to make it clear, I do not need an estimate! I'm not building anything new! I really just want to know if this specific estimate is overpriced out of curiosity!

- -

To give it context, a friend of mine works with a marketing agency for architects, engineers, contractors, etc in the US. One contractor she's working with (located in Massachusetts) complains he can't get new clients and blames the marketing agency.

My friend lived in the US for a while, and her husband used to work in construction; she thinks he's overpriced. She asked me if this is expensive - I'm an architect, but I don't live in the US and I can't really estimate this. In Brazil, R$20,00 for a bathroom would be really exorbitant! Can you guys tell me if this estimate is overpriced?

The contractor gave her these prices to build a new average bathroom:

• 2 weeks of work
• Electrical $2,000 (there aren't many electrical updates)
• Plumbing $2,000
• Flooring $3,000 (material & labor)
• Plaster $1,200
• Sink & vanity $1,000
• Toilet $300
• Shower & etc $500
• Demolishing & building new walls, etc: $7,000

So the contractor says he charges, at the very least, $ 20,000 to have some level of profit. What do you think?

EDIT: Thank you all for answering! I can't respond everybody individually, but I really appreciate all the insight! I'm turning the notifications off now!

I 31F went on a few of dates with this guy 34M and thought he's really my type, he's the quiet nerd type, I liked his appearance, etc, I was really into him.

But he's super lazy texting, forget appointments we previously agreed on, then disappeared for a couple of weeks and showed up again with a lame excuse (saying I forgot he told me he'd be away, but he seriously didn't).

His house also shows a very lazy behavior. Dusty, smells weird, he's been living in town for over a year and hasn't bought even the basic to live like plates, pans and kitchen stuff. I had the impression he orders food all the time. And the issue is not money, he's got a great job!

I had dismissed him before, but he came back about a month later asking if we could be friends, which I agreed to because I really liked talking to him and he's kinda alone in town. But now he's on second intentions again and I want to dismiss him for good. I completely lost any attraction due to his laziness, I wish I could be honest about that but I don't want to be mean. I don't want to just block him without a word either, I think that's very shitty - I don't think he's a bad person, I just don't want him in my life.

How can I dismiss him again (second time) without being brutal? And I know it was my mistake to get back talking to him again... I seriously thought a friendship could be possible and might even be good for him...

Eu 33M não sou uma pessoa do sexo casual, nunca fui, já tive relacionamento de 7 anos, e desde então todas as pessoas com quem saio, se eu tenho interesse a ponto de rolar sexo, sempre teve algum envolvimento emocional, e alguns viraram relacionamento, que até foram bons.

Mas recentemente eu conheci um cara num aplicativo de relacionamento que desde o 1o encontro foi honesto: eu não quero um relacionamento. Ele era 100% o meu tipo: meio baixinho (eu gosto de homens baixinhos) e outras características físicas que não vou mencionar pra não expor. Dai eu, carente, resolvi assinar embaixo, concordei com os termos de serviço e decidi continuar kkkkkk e quero deixar como característica bacana do cara ser honesto desde o 1o encontro e me deixar tomar a decisão se queria ou não

E agora me dei conta que não é porque um lance é casual que não tem algo bacana. Conversas muito boas e eu sinto que tô aprendendo algo novo com alguém genuíno.

Eu tenho uma noção que vou quebrar a cara, porque eu realmente não consigo separar as coisas e sei que vou ter sentimentos. Mas nesse caso eu sinto: vale a pena ter isso; e dor de cotovelo depois passa.

Queria ouvir mais dos homens e mulheres daqui que são do casual quais são seus pontos de vista. Eu cresci numa família muito conservadora e meio que é a primeira vez que saio com alguém tão desapegado, confesso que fiquei meio surpresa, eu sei que essa não é a vida pra mim, mas fiquei genuinamente interessada em ouvir outros pontos de vista.

I saw it in a short video on TikTok a while back a mashup I can't remember! I THINK it was Tatlor Swift's Love Story, and by the end of the chorus it has a honk sound transitioning to a rap song, something like this "it's a love story baby just say HONK HONK HONK [man rapping]"

The video I saw was transitioning from a girly girl (love story) to a video of her boxing (that's when the rap begins)

Again, I'm not sure if it is Love Story, but that's what I remember

I just watched Backrooms, and it made me rethink my life.

That scene of Clark in the kitchen with Dr. Mary, when he realizes he likes that non-place, that loop of fighting with his wife, when he says to the monstrous version of himself, "It's OK, she said we don't have to change," just to be destroyed by the monster... I just saw myself in him. Stuck in a loop of resentment and anger, blaming others for what I'm going through now. And just thought how these endless loops can eat you alive.

The ending is also brilliant. What I understood from that ending is that everyone who is stuck in there could easily escape; they just don't really want to. When Dr Mary says, "What's gonna happen to me?" and Phil looks at his reflex and tells her, "That's not up to me," what I understood was that it was up to her.

So many times, I discussed with my therapist how I feel like I'm in a loop of bad memories, and don't know how to get out of that. I went through abuse, but enough is enough. The movie made me realize I'm blaming my trauma for not moving on with my life.

Anyways, I was just wondering if anyone would want to discuss the impact of this message. Brilliant movie.

So I went on two dates with this guy who's super nice. He's tal, has a nice face, nice voice, we have insanely a lot in common. But when he kissed me... I felt nothing.

And it's not that type of situation of "I like bad guys", for the past four years I've only dated great guys, and even had a really good relationship for a year that ended in great terms. This one just... didn't do it for me. And I really tried.

On the first date, we kissed and I didn't feel much, but I had had a long day and I thought I might be tired. Then we went on a second date, we kissed even more, and I felt absolutely nothing. Not only that, but usually I'm very sensitive to smell and it's something that can make me fall for someone really fast. And his perfume and the smell of his skin were not bad, just didn't do anything for me.

All of this to ask: what's the least harmful way? On the second date he kept telling me how happy he was to meet me, as if it was fate or something. I know I'm gonna break his heart and I'm really sad about it. He's really a great guy. There's just no chemistry for me. I guess I just wanted some advice on how to do this in the least harmful way. I even thought I should act crazy and toxic so that he believed he dodged a bullet, but I don't have the guts to do that.

Software: SketchUp 2024 and Enscape 4.1

Until last month, I was using SketchUp 2021 and Enscape 4.1. Both original.

Then I updated my SketchUp to 2025 and Enscape to 4.8. I took so long because I didn't really like SketchUp's new interface, but now at my job, I'm using Live Components, so I had to upgrade SKP.

But now my renderings with Enscape look worse and take forever to generate the images!!! When I start Enscape, I receive a message "Enscape is turning off ray-traced sun shadows, review your project setups," and it's the exact same file that I generated high-quality renderings with no problem last month.

I also tried this with Enscape 4.7, 4.6, and now 4.1. Same problem.

I started getting this message last month after upgrading the software, then I thought: ok, maybe it's time to upgrade my CPU, it's been a while. And then, after buying a new CPU that is significantly better than the previous one, Enscape goes through the same problem. My renderings look worse now than they did with the older software and older CPU.

This is my current setup:
CPU: Intel i5 12400F
GPU: RTX 2070 SUPER
32GB RAM
3TB HD
Both Enscape and SketchUp are installed on an SSD.

Please, any input on this problem will be appreciated. I tried changing every rendering setup, and I downloaded the latest drivers for both my CPU and GPU. I am very frustrated right now.