u/amicable_avocado

Welcome to what may be the weirdest post here...

So I'm pretty new here. Really only barely "dabbled" after suddenly getting interested over the summer.

Perused the various subreddits a bit. Mostly horrified from the experience (it seems people either want you to fit into a tiny, narrow, entirely pre-defined hole they've created to scratch their own itch, or have like 47 other plots going on at once and only intend to reply to the "most interesting" one every day, or tipe liek dis) and growing a bit disillusioned as to even being in the right place for what I'm selfishly hoping exists.

Which is what, exactly?

I'm so glad you asked. You're so inquisitive.

First and foremost, I want to develop and actual, genuine, real, intimate friendship with someone. Probably a writer/reader/fellow wordslut if you're here of all places on a Tuesday evening. But definitely one person, with at least enough time and attention and imagination and affection and intention to give to this.

And I'd love if one of the central tenets of that friendship (isn't that your new favorite sorely underused word??) is a roleplay between us that can develop alongside our friendship.

To likely include:

• nerding out about writing/our characters/an upcoming "surprise" plot twist we can to see how the other navigates
• getting to know each other as people outside of any writing exercises/characters/etc.
• genuinely enjoying each others company and time and thoughts and presence
• being there for each other for life's ups and downs

Who knows, if we're really good at the above our running gag can be "you know, we really need to get around to actually doing a roleplay one of these days..."

And I'd adore if you would be willing to hold my hand and show me the ropes, so to speak! Like there are so many terms I see thrown around here that I don't understand like "literate" (if you don't say that, are you inviting "ooga-booga" writing??) or why some people prefer third person vs first person, that kind of thing. And maybe help me be a better writing partner for you along the way? I do aim to please and genuinely want to provide a fun, engaging, and meaningful experience to you in the end.

Does any of that make any sense? Is this the dumbest thing you've ever read??

I'm trying to leave things vague enough to spark a conversation, but also decidedly not give the impression that I'm asking anyone to come at me with a pre-generated prompt like I would have any idea what to do with that.

Anyways, I'll close here and cross fingers that this somehow reaches the right person who possibly gets what I'm trying to say more than I do...

I was told by my (then) chair upon my own hire 11 years ago that the university had a collective bargaining agreement with the state (it's a state school) and that starting salaries were even across the department and not able to be negotiated.

We just hired a new TT position at the Assistant Professor rank for a vacancy. I was on the hiring committee and can see all of the position details, documents, applicants, etc. - as well as the offer letter itself once signed and submitted.

This person is making nearly 5 figures more than me in my 11th (well, 12th soon) year with tenure and promotion and that many years of incremental salary adjustments from base. Because we got a particularly bad applicant pool, didn't want to fail the search as it's a core position to the department, and the candidate had a bit of a sob story.

So they're making notably more than me, getting 2.5x the onboarding/moving expenses I received, being offered to submit for promotion (not tenure) in their 2nd year (it's usually 4th for incoming people with tenure), and a slew of other bend-over-backwards stipulations I personally find ridiculous like an extended hotel stay while they try to sell their current house and buy in town.

But I can't help but feel slapped in the face. I do so much for my department, way above and beyond my actual duties, easily one of our most productive, popular, visible faculty. And I can't help but be completely deflated by this, wanting to relegate myself to do the bare minimum.

The kicker is - they are in no way, shape, or form exceptional. Very serviceable but unimpressive CV. Not great teaching demonstration. Decent (not at all amazing) quality of research but alarmingly poor volume/quantity. Interview was unmemorable and blasé. Nice enough, unoffensive - but decidedly average-if-not-below-average in every way.

All because our admin "really liked them". And bought hook line and sinker into their (admittedly unfortunate) life story/situation. Which I get - but dislike that it's influencing professional decisions and showing clear fiscal favoritism.

I'm unsure how to feel about this. I know it doesn't matter, that I gain nothing by holding an immature, childish thing over this person's head they did nothing to deserve, that comparison is the thief of joy, etc. But it stings. A lot. And I hate to admit it but I'm not sure I can avoid it getting to me and pulling back on anything beyond my contractually obligated duties moving forward, if not applying out in a few years.

I wish I didn't know these things. I was perfectly happy before seeing that offer letter.

Focusing on the master bed for the moment. Have all supplies, just need to pull the trigger on the actual paint.

We're thinking something dark, calming, moody, matching with the otherwise dark green/foresty aesthetic the bedding and furniture has going.

Current color considerations:

Greenblack - seems to be the perfect blend of really dark with just enough of a hint of green to not be pure black

Caviar - much more black but I still think this has a subtle green tint

Night Watch - very moody, a bit bluer though

Jasper - the most "green" we're comfortable with, very saturated for my taste

And for the ceiling:

Snowbound - a bit less harsh than most of the other recommended ceiling whites

Extra White - a bit less saturated than above, worried it might be too stark a contrast with a dark wall

As for the sheen, almost everywhere I've seen recommends flat/matte for ceiling, but getting very conflicted information on walls/trim. I'm of the mind that flat would work best everywhere, but worried in an oddly shaped room (10'x16') with a south-facing window it would just be a blackbox. Would plan to light baseboards with warm LEDs and a few corner fixtures mostly.

Then the question of brand/line within the brand... I have a Lowes and a SW store in my town, but nearest HD is about a 40 minute drive (Behr). So SW seems the most practical - but looking at prices on their store website (even WITH the 30% off paint discount for the next week) I'm appalled that a gallon can cost upwards of $100. Which line in their offerings would be best here - getting mixed reviews of the HGTV line at Lowes - just find whatever seems appropriately priced and go for it? How much should I be thinking about material (acrylic latex vs. urethane enamel etc)?

And random questions:

• Should I buy samples/stickers to check a few colors in the room at different times of day before committing?

• Just learned about "color drenching" and not sure it's our best bet given lack of direct sunlight or high ceilings, smart to stay away from that for now?

• Should ceiling and trim/baseboards be the same color? Or use wall color for trim and keep ceilings/curtains/linens white?

Sorry for the brain dump, just very overwhelmed with all of the choices and would love to make an informed choice first without 4 trips to the hardware store to cover up ignorant mistakes. Appreciate any thoughts/guidance here.

I've seen some nice, moody inspiration pics (most of which have a lot of lighting/an interesting space) but am worried I'm just going to be blackboxing myself into a room that just feels dark and small.

I'm thinking a deep, moody, dark, desaturated green for the walls - going for a forest vibe. Floors are oak, currently baseboards and ceiling are creamy white.

Keep the ceiling/baseboards? Or would a really dark green be a sharp contrast to the white?

Or be bold and pain everything but the floor the dark green and accent with lighter colors elsewhere/curtains/furniture?

"THE DESCARTES SYSTEMS GROUP INC" showing up on my USPS delivery app. I didn't order anything else, nothing coming from amazon or newegg, no charges on any of my accounts.

Googled and it seems to be an international logistics company so would make sense, though I submitted the request a week ago.

Is this legit or do I need to be worried about identity theft that has nothing to do with this? This is literally the only thing I can possibly thing of that I've done in the past few weeks that would somehow result in a delivery.

Been researching this and honestly seeing everything from "leave it at 0 then jump to 100% just under max safe temp" to very specific curve designs to "just stick with a flat curve" and am confused.

I tinkered a bit with Fan Control (which lost my settings upon reboot...) but want to get this into BIOS.

Here are the components in question:

CPU: Ryzen 7600x Cooler: Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 240mm GPU: 4070 Super

My case has two built in large intake fans, the AIO is exhausting out the top, and I have a spare 240mm fan exhausting out the back for good measure.

Mostly, the AIO is a loud boi. It's audible around 40% but workable, but anything past 60% is pretty distracting.

I just want to make sure I'm keeping my components safe, but can't imagine things need to be this loud idling around 55-60 degrees.

Am I safe to set the max safe temp (95 I believe for the cpu) to 100% fan speed, maybe do 60% 5 degrees below that, then anything less than that at like 20-40%? Basically only really use the fans when they're necessary and avoid wasting them outside of pushing towards max temp? Would GPU be the same, or just stick with Nvidia's built-in curve?

Coming from an old aorus elite ax v2 that I somehow bent a cou pin on and need a comparable replacement.

The non-x version has a coupon for 126 right now vs the "x" full price at 208.

The only big difference I'm seeing is 1g vs 2.5g lan speed and a few USB upgrades.

Just go with the cheaper one? Or any other comparable boards I should be looking at? Just need 3 m.2s and ideally black/dark color.

Just moved into a new home, hoping to get any infrastructure set up before getting furniture etc. in.

I've seen all of the cool homeassistant/automation youtube videos and have been bitten by the bug - just have no idea where to start for a basic but expandable and serviceable setup.

Thinking fairly basic at first - definitely want smart lights in almost every room, video doorbell and outdoor security cameras, few leak/water sensors in sensible locations, and any basic quality of life automations most anyone would want.

NOT really looking to setup a whole home server with a NAS or massive data storage. But I've heard about home assistant "green" which seems to be the starter hub/server thing. Would that suffice for my needs for now, or should I be seriously considering more substantial hardware?

Also, what all should I be looking to pick up for a basic setup? I'm hoping for smart bulbs in (almost) every fixture, LED floor lights in main rooms/under kitchen cabinets, and would love easy to access camera footage/storage for outdoor cams.

Any suggestions on brands for any of the above? I've heard great things about Reolink and Eufy here - right now I have the basic Ring doorbell and a) the quality is abyssmal and b) on no planet will I ever pay a monthly fee to access my own footage. Also, not sure where to start looking with smart outlets/bulbs/other sensors, though I'd probably want to stick with one brand.

Thanks for any help/links/direction here, just a bit over my head but want to put the time in to learn this and get things setup before fully moving in!

I've painted a big back in college at a maintenance job, just not at a "professional" level, so definitely hoping to learn here.

New home, empty rooms, perfect time to clean up walls (previous owners left a ton of mounting/hanging holes/unused electric outlets in...) and paint each room as I'd like.

Three main questions.

1. What kit do I need? Planning on grabbing the following on a Lowes run later:

• drop cloth/tarp for floor
• roller, polearm, pan and liner for rolling
• 3" angled brush for cutting
• painter's tape (more on this later)
• spackle/knife for holes

I've watched a few youtube videos that heavily discourage use of tape for corners, insisting that you learn proper technique - but I know myself, and am sure I'll mess something up/drip on something, so don't mind spending extra hours taping trim etc. to ensure clean lines

2. Colors. Literally everyone on the internet says "don't paint your bedroom dark" but I really think I want to. Going for a dark green foresty/planty vibe. I've seen the "psychology of color" articles telling you why you should paint each different room a different color... I just think I like a darker, moodier vibe in general. Are any particular brands better/worth avoiding? I have a Lowes (carries HGTV and Valspar, I believe) and a Sherwin Williams in my town

3. Primer? Two coats? Play by ear? I'll sand the walls before/between to make sure everything's smooth, but have never used "primer" in my life - if the walls are already painted and in fairly good shape, just go for a coat and do a 2nd if the first looks streaky, especially if putting a dark coat on a light wall?

Appreciate any thoughts here, just want to set myself up to do a good job.

Just got YNAB after self-spreadsheeting for years, mostly to help visualize longterm expenses (new roof every 20 years, car replacement fund, expected maintenance, etc.)

I've included my monthly take-home income, regular bills, annual expected expenses, aggressive investment contributions. I then put a monthly "drip" fund for longer-term things like a car replacement every 15 years, roof/HVAC/water heater replacement as recommended, and a small travel fund.

With all of the above (really wracked my brain for what I could/should be thinking of) I'm "on budget" with a small buffer. So that was affirming to see.

However - I'm not sure if that makes the most sense for my situation. I have a robust emergency fund (just over a year of fairly maximalist expenses in a HYSA) and, frankly, cannot imagine a world where all longterm expense emergencies happen at the same time (new car, new roof, etc.) so actually accounting for this is a slowly growing account seems wasteful beyond the e-fund.

How do you manage especially longterm expected expenses like this? My understanding of a good emergency fund is that it is for emergencies (sudden loss of job, car wreck not covered by insurance, etc.) whereas knowing I'll need to replace my roof in 5 years is planned.

Would you just account for it in the numbers in a budget so you're not surprised or screwed when it inevitably happens but continue to invest the money? Do you literally create a separate liquid account and slowly trickle into it every month?

I know I'll be fine should shit hit the fan, but want to proactively account for both monthly and longterm expected expenses responsibly, vs. being "surprised" that my 15 year old car dies on the side of the road one day.

Hoping to take advantage of not yet being fully packed/moved in (avoiding having to move furniture/get a hotel/etc.)

What order would be the most efficient to tackle the following projects per room?

• Painting (probably just walls, no ceilings/baseboards/trim)
• New carpet (it's fine, just old... figure it might make sense to take care of before stuff is moved in)
• Some basic electric setup (thinking floor/corner LED lights, smart bulbs, some home automation, movement sensors, routing ethernet cables, etc.)