Sewing jobs near me

My daughters daycare keeps calling me that my daughter is running the hallways and almost escaping. She did it twice today and are saying that at this point she needs to picked up because it’s a safety issue. Am I wrong for thinking this is their job and that’s why I am paying them for? They are a center. She’s 3 and a half.

Jason did PERFECT as Leo. Sounded like a heroic teenage leader, his sounds during battle sounded so natural, and he just genuinely perfected the role. The second guy (I don't know his name) did okay, but it was really hard to watch half of season two because of how badly the downgrade was. The sounds during battle sounded so forced, and his "STOP HIDING BEHIND YOUR FOOTBOTS. FACE ME, SHREDDER." sounded so strained, like his voice wasn't made for yelling. Then Seth Green, probably my second favorite Leonardo voice, did a good job, but ... it didn't have that same 'heroic teenage leader with a passion' type vibe. Seth made Leo sound more like an emo anime character, and it just doesn't feel the same.
I just wish Jason stayed for all five seasons like the rest, since he did so well.

India "10. Right to Choose Alternative Treatment Options if Available...including refusing care." https://www.metropolisindia.com/blog/preventive-healthcare/patients-rights/
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"Staff were unanimously positive and excited to share their experiences of music therapy, from observing patients calm and happy, to joining in singing and dancing together." https://www.cambridge.org/core/blog/2023/06/01/could-music-therapy-help-reduce-distressing-incidents-on-nhs-inpatient-psychiatric-dementia-wards/
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"adverse heart features may have genetic causal effects on psychiatric disorders and depression." https://sph.unc.edu/sph-news/new-study-reveals-strong-connection-between-heart-and-brain-health/
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"San Francisco to Pay $2.2 Million Settlement to Victims in Laguna Honda Patient Abuse Scandal...drugged and abused others between 2016 and 2019...who were under conservatorship...given medications without their consent.” https://www.kqed.org/news/11952012/san-francisco-to-pay-2-2-million-settlement-to-victims-in-laguna-honda-patient-abuse-scandal
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Philippines, "autism is neither a disorder nor a condition, but rather a lifelong developmental disability...Nothing about us, without us.” https://opinion.inquirer.net/?p=163662#ixzz83QzfR6rF
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"systematic review, musculoskeletal injury (MSK) in adult athletes was associated with worsened scores across multiple domains of mental health...sleep disturbance, irritability, and persistent alterations in appetite. Worsening symptoms after injury include disordered eating, depression, apathy, and alienation. Expressive symptoms in response to injury include pain behaviors, rage, emotional outbursts." https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12178-023-09830-6
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"Tennessee Gov Bill Lee’s administration accused the National Rifle Association of wanting to use involuntary commitment laws “to round up mentally ill people and deprive them of other liberties." "House Speaker Cameron Sexton...policy could be considered: involuntary commitment, more mental health in-patient beds." https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/tennessee/articles/2023-06-02/in-gun-law-push-tennessee-governors-office-memo-says-nra-prefers-to-round-up-mentally-ill-people
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NY Times, "involuntary nature of the care being called for and the flawed antipsychotic...probably reduce hallucinations and delusions for around 60 percent of those who take them, but the science around their efficacy is far from definitive and some studies (though not all) indicate that long-term maintenance on the drugs may worsen outcomes." https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/02/opinion/compulsory-mental-health-care-medication.html
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"Joyal and Carpentier reports that nearly 50 percent of a non-clinical, random sample disclosed being interested in at least one sexual behavior historically deemed unusual or anomalous." https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/women-who-stray/202306/criminal-charges-and-consensual-kink
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"psychiatry has been greatly influenced by for-profit managed care.2 The professional concern is that the quest for profits can trump the quality of care." https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/the-debt-crisis-and-a-bio-psycho-social-financial-model-for-psychiatry
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"poll of U.S. adults found that 50 percent would be likely to consider a mental health treatment involving marijuana, 59 percent said they are unlikely to consider a treatment involving psychedelics." https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/05/10/2665806/0/en/Americans-Express-Worry-Over-Personal-Safety-in-Annual-Anxiety-and-Mental-Health-Poll.html
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"What Hallucinogens Will Make You See." https://nautil.us/what-hallucinogens-will-make-you-see-308247/ https://youtu.be/r7OkE-Uj3Bg
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Meme: they call it psychosis, I call it enlightenment. https://ifunny.co/picture/they-call-it-psychosis-i-call-it-enlightenment-bTQ99SxXA
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June 1 jealous father yelled at both dogs for sleeping next to me when listening to Beastie Boys.

I haven’t listed this as a recovery because I’m not yet fully recovered, but will make that post when it does happen. I started a new job this week and have been feeling good for approx 2-3 weeks now. I know 2-3 weeks is not long but I’m being careful. Here is a list of the symptoms I had since the beginning (not all at the same time, but acute infection and month 1-2 were the worst for me):

• Headache
• Eye pain
• Eye fatigue
• Peripheral eye strain
• Head tingling
• Dizziness (some random moments)
• Acid reflux
• Lack of appetite
• Nausea
• Chest pain
• Palpitations
• Tachycardia
• Shortness of breath
• Supra-ventricular tachycardia SVT
• Shortness of breath
• Sensitivity to light
• Sensitivity to sound
• Low grade fevefeverish but no fever
• Stuffed ears feeling
• Anxiety
• Depressed
• Dry skin
• Weak hands
• Dysautonomia symptoms (e.g., difficulty showering without getting tired, dark vision when standing up multiple times a day, etc.)
• Touch sensitivity (pain/aches around my head when touched, specifically on nose from glasses or headphones on scalp).
• Back pain
• Toe pain
• Hand tremors
• Brain fog (not remembering words, speaking slowly)
• Muscle weakness
• Tinnitus
• Neck pain

Most, if not all, are gone or improved. This week I’m having a GI flare up so if anyone has any advice on gastritis I’d appreciate it a lot! Symptoms currently are:

• Nausea
• Acid reflux
• Lack of appetite
• Headache (side effect from the esomeprazole)
• Light sensitivity (only some days)
• Noise sensitivity (only some days)
• Dizziness (when I spend too much time on my devices)

What helped me the most so far in my symptom improvement: - going for walks regularly, but especially in the morning helps reduce dizziness and headaches for the rest of the day - distracting myself with social activities - taking supplements, there was no miracle supplement but they definitely contributed to getting better - an insane amount of doctors visits with doctors who acknowledge LC and actually try to help (being heard helped me a lot psychologically) - rest UP - acupuncture and physiotherapy: helped a lot with neck pain/back pain/neuro symptoms
Can’t think of everything right now but please feel free to message or comment and I’ll try my best to answer well :)
Staying off this sub also helped a lot, and I will continue to visit you guys once a week, but I wanted to come and give some good news. Stay safe! I love you. You’ve got this.

A lot of people are stressed/overwhelmed. I often hear the advice, that you need to be able to say "No" to people, to not put so much on your plate. But it's important to remember you need to say "No" to yourself as well. Would I like to learn the piano, or start a business, or search for a new job, while I have 1000 other things going on? Sure, but there's a lot of priorities. You may need to say no to yourself for now to keep yourself from becoming too overwhelmed. And think about how to put yourself in a position where you have less craziness going on. Once you've taken care of a few responsibilities, maybe now you can dedicate time to learning the piano, or the business, or a job search. Or anything else you've done.
But from my experience, just having 20 things in the back of your head that you "should be doing" only adds to the near-term stress. Learn to say no to yourself. (And maybe yes later on).

I found a pet bird wandering around our parking lot near the intersection of Commercial Street and 4th. Let me know what it looks like and you can come get it.

1. I am still on cloud 9 from just a recruiter call yesterday. Being told that you were one of five resumes (among 150 initially) selected for a great position that is similar to your already OE friendly J1 just had me going "whoa, the possibilities". After a few hours, I am sure I was annoying my wife with the stupid grin on my face.
   
2. This subreddit seemed like fool's gold until I had that 45 minute call, now I REALLY believe this is possible. All of the posts that kept me going with applying for J2s the last couple of months now have me thinking I can accomplish the financial goals for myself and my family much sooner than later. (Even though I feel stupid for being so late to the game.)
   
3. Yes, I have gone ahead and done everything that has been recommended in this subreddit, done all of the tips/tricks on OE, applied on the various job boards for jobs that are akin to mine and done my best to branch out of my comfort zone to make myself more appealing for any/all opportunities.
   

I have interviewed for a few other posts already but this was the first time I felt like I got a glimpse of what could be and I just wanted to say thanks, regardless of the outcome, this community is awesome.

Im located in calgary alberta, Canada, need the header panel for an 03 marauder. Im told a mercury grand marquis header panel works as well. I have contacted all the places near by and everyone says nothing, which surprised me because the grand M is so common. Any help would be appreciated, i need to get my car back on the road.

My [29M] BF [30M] is not a curious person and rarely asks me questions deeper than how I am feeling or what my day was like. I feel we lack a connection.
My boyfriend is very kind and gentle and sweet and loving and affectionate. Our sexual chemistry is amazing, he has a wonderful job and makes lots of money. We argue really well, calmly resolve issues together. But I’m bored. We do not have very stimulating/deep convos. I am a very curious person by nature, and he is not. I ask him a lot of questions and I go DEEP into them. But I now just give one word response because he does not go deep into a topic – it is often a regurgitation of something he heard or buzzwords, not actually his opinion. His basic understanding of politics, history, culture, art and science are limited and he seems more concerned with talking about the superficial day to day stuff and gossip (what his friends got up to, popular media, past experiences).
He doesn’t really ask me anything besides the how was your day, how was work, how are you feeling etc. I feel like he doesn’t make an effort to know me, and he says he does, but his questions are basic small talk. It feels like the lights are on but nobody is home.
We’ve been together since January. It kind of hurts because it makes me feel like he doesn’t care even though that’s just his nature - he isn’t a very curious person.
He relies on me to volunteer info, but I am more of a listener and have trouble talking about myself, especially if there are no follow-up questions from him.
I’ll try to drop convo starters to help him get to know me, such as “xyz was a life changing time for me” or “Here is my take on the current (insert political affairs)” ... he’ll smile but won’t follow up and ask me or engage with me more than just listen or “yea that’s really interesting”.
It’s interesting because he pays attention to what I do and what I like, he just doesn’t seem to want to know anything about it or go deeper. I write a lot for work and he isn’t interested in what I’m writing about or read anything I write unless I ask him to or ask his opinion. He is more interested in just listening and talking. But I think there is a huge difference between talking and discussing. When I bring something up he listens but doesn’t really ask more questions. Meanwhile when he’s talking about a topic I’ll probe and ask more Qs because I genuinely want to know because I care. But he does not have many hobbies or interests except work, and when he is with friends, the conversation are dull and not stimulating at all. And I become quiet. He sees how am i with my friends and how alive I become and I feel bad that he feels he does not see that side of me when we are alone.
I talked with him about it, and asked him one day how he gets to know people. He said “time and experiences.” I started thinking maybe he doesn’t find me interesting. But that isn’t the case because I asked if he found me interesting or boring, he said of course he finds me interesting otherwise he wouldn’t be with me. I asked him if he could try and he’s been making an effort to ask more questions/get to know me better but they’re very superficial because he seems to have to try really hard to think of things to ask.
We enjoy doing things together like cooking, watching shows, walking ... we just don’t talk much, even when we do, those hours seem long and so so draining.
We love being in each other’s presence but I just feel alone sometimes and unfulfilled, because that’s how I connect with people – conversation and deeply enriching mental stimulation. With my friends it is like metaphorical tennis, where we are constantly lobbying the ball back and forth.
Has anyone been in this situation before? Is our relationship doomed? At the moment we took a break to think about what we want, but idk, I brought it up to him and said “we lack intellectual compatibility” and he thought I was calling him, dumb, but it is not all about IQ, but sometimes he does lack very basic understanding of general world knowledge. He even jokes about being dumb … which now looking back really makes me think. If people show you who they really are… believe them.
He tried to ask me more questions and provide more stimulation, but it wasn’t in his nature. I know a partner cannot provide me with everything, and he saw I was starving, I didn’t realize it, but I eventually started talking more with friends to get the intellectual stimulation and connection I needed, and neglected trying to have deep convos with him altogether. So it wasn’t sustainable. …
TLDR; My BF is smart but not deeply intellectual and prefers small talk and surface level interaction, even thought we are great with everything else, and it makes me feel like we don’t have a connection. We’ve been together 5 months and I am starving for deeply engaging conversations.

So I was pretty sold on the Honda Fit until I read about the Pontiac Vibe. I really like the idea of a Toyota engine for a Pontiac price. Seems like I can get a newer one with lower miles for about 3-4k cheaper than the Fit. Also, the interior was the only thing I considered a downside about the fit- and that it seems impossible to find one with a sunroof in my area. The Pontiacs nearly all have sunroofs and the interior seems much more comfortable and appealing.
This will be the most expensive car (or thing in general) that I’ve ever bought. I’ve always been frugal- opting for 90’s Hondas that I could fix myself. I’m just at a point where I want to invest in something that isn’t going to break down all the time. I know 10k doesn’t seem like a lot but for me it is- I really want to make the right choice. For me, reliability is the biggest factor. I want this car to carry me 300k+
I know that Honda doesn’t cut corners, and if I go for the Honda, I’m getting a great engine in a solid package. I also know that the engine in the Vibe is solid as a rock- perhaps even more so than the Honda…but what about the rest of the car? Pontiacs don’t have nearly the same reputation for quality as Honda. Do you think they may have cut some corners on other important parts of the car’s general integrity?
My other question is- are the vibes with the ZZ2s the only vibes worth buying? I want something 2010 or newer- again the reason I’m saving up and investing is to hopefully not have to concern myself with too much maintenance for a good while.
Anyone have experience with one or both of these cars with any advice to weigh in? Much appreciated! Thanks 😊

I am from India, and most of my interest lies in research.
I like coding, Linux, and mathematics.
I don't think I am smart or at least not as smart as those physics geniuses who understand things on a whim, however, I am a fast learner, and it's a trait I have had from birth but it kinda disappears after a certain stage, as soon as I touch calculus it disappears and once I touch coordinate geometry lets just say it became negative lol.
I want to get into computer research, not sure if such a job even exists because its something we created but I would like to see the future of programming language and if possible sculpt it with my own hands and it would surely be nice if good salary but it's okay if less salary as long as I can get by with non-veg once a week I will be happy.
so are they any colleges or a self-learn path that will get me there?

hi. im 21 f and i have been casually talking to this guy 23 m for almost three months now. at first it was great you know, he was pursuing me and taking me out and gassing me up. lately it’s gotten a bit more serious but we still agree that we don’t want commitment yet we’re just going with the flow. despite this, my feelings get very hurt because sadly i have caught feelings for this person…and he is completely clocked out when it comes to communicating. i have called him out on his behavior before, he works two jobs so he’s busy and stuff and i understand that. but sometimes, after we hang out all day and all night and have a great time, he legitimately ghosts me for days. i told him i simply just want honesty, and when he tells me that he likes me too i feel like he’s lying because of how hot and cold he is. im so afraid there’s other women involved, and that he’s just keeping me around until someone better shows up. i want to cut him off for good, but what if i ruin a good thing? honestly my heart hurts so badly, please help lol. i know my worth and i just don’t understand how somebody can act like you don’t exist after multiple accounts of intimacy, laughing together and sleeping together.

So I have pretty good school stats but to be honest its only becuase am a tryhard and not really because I understand the stuff.
I absoltly bombed the interview I mean I did not know S***. then the interviewer is like wow you are great you are hired. I swear I did not know 8/10 things they asked me. I was like I dont know but I can learn.
am like wtf.
The company is a startup so maybe thats maybe why.
I also got a better internship on the that pays like LITERALLY 15x more, what would you do? I may get declined from this internship but this is from a much bigger company and from reviewing the interview questions there is no way I don't ace it. There are also so many articles out there from ex workers about the job so its free win. They legit just sent me interview a few days ago and now this company wants me too.
I'm already working as a tutor, going to class and I just got this internship. The other internship wants full time. Most days I sit from 8 am to midnight working lols. Morning I do class afternoon I work on internship because for some reason my boss meets us then. then Since am tutor I work mostly after school for other students and I am required to stay with them until they are done so like midnight if we procrastinate.

Hey guys! I was hoping for some advice on how to get specifically perpared for an algorithm or more mathematically driven numerical analysis position
Some background: I was a math/physics B.S. and a top public research university. Did pretty well in school, even took some grad classes for math (high level analysis and numerical methods). The numerical methods courses were by far my favorite. Now I have been out of school for over a year, working as a process engineer. Definitely less intellectually stimulating and exciting than school, and I was hoping to try and change career paths to a CS job as described above.
I have a good understanding of a lot of the mathematics underlying some advanced algorithms from my course work, as well as a functional knowledge of computer architecture from physics course work and one CS class in object oriented programming. Of course, this is all very non-specific and is far from enough to land me a job.
Most of my CS friends are working on front-end stuff; I get a lot of advice (that I have taken) about getting on Leetcode and contributing to open source projects.
Aside from choosing open source projects that interest me, is there anything else that you think I should be doing to prepare myself for that specific field. Should I humble myself and take one of those "coding bootcamp" jobs? A lot of the front end guys without CS degrees seemed to get a good start there, but I don't particularly want to take a pay-cut to prepare myself for another field I am uninterested in. Thanks for your help!
TLDR: Looking for math focused CS career prep advice.

Hi, I’m Jamie. Lovely to meet you! I'm about 6'1, blonde, Welsh, currently living in London and looking for someone to message and hang out with (virtually or irl ). Some quick things about me:

• I love video games but have not been playing as many as I’d like to these days. To remedy this, I’ve recently bought a Steam Deck. I’m traditionally more of an RPG/FPS person but would also like to branch out a bit.
• I’m working hard to try and get the next career goal, which is being able to work from anywhere I want. I already mostly work from home, but for a few reasons my job requires me to be in the UK. I want to be untethered though, so my next career move will focus on that 😎
• Synthwave and cyber punk aesthetics to me are 🤤
• I’m making a big push to improve my health and have been exercising consistently for around a year and a half now (swimming, running etc). For the last 6 months I’ve also been doing weights with a PT. Next up is starting on some flexibility doing yoga and/or pilates.
• I love talking about history and politics. My ideological position is complicated to explain but probably best summarised as left of centre.
• Currently getting into sword fighting. Partly because it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. Partly in case the apocalypse comes – think it’d be a useful skill to have (especially as we don’t really do guns in the UK...)
• I’m moving in with my Mum over summer to give her some help. She’s recently inherited a large and somewhat shabby house in the countryside so I’m going to help redecorate and make it a nice place to live.
• I don’t drink but do 420 (probs a little more than I should – but fixing that is lower on my to do list than other health things haha).
• I'm very interested in Welsh language and history.
• My number one form of therapy is long walks outside in nature. There is nothing more peaceful and restorative when it’s just you, nature and a path to follow :)

​
What am I looking for? Good question!

• I’d like to make a new friend or two to chat with. I miss messaging back and forth with someone. It’d primarily though text but also like to hand out on audio and/or video occasionally.
• I'd like to talk to people who share some of my interests. It'd be especially cool to find people who want to play some video games together, keeping each other motivated fitness wise!
• Location isn't a big concern, but I’m primarily looking for people in the UK, Europe, Canada or the US. This is mostly due to cultural and time zone compatibility reasons so no requirement to be in/from those regions, so would be a plus I guess – but not essential

Hi, I’m Jamie. Lovely to meet you! I'm about 6'1, blonde, Welsh, currently living in London and looking for someone to message and hang out with (virtually or irl ). Some quick things about me:

• I love video games but have not been playing as many as I’d like to these days. To remedy this, I’ve recently bought a Steam Deck. I’m traditionally more of an RPG/FPS person but would also like to branch out a bit.
• I’m working hard to try and get the next career goal, which is being able to work from anywhere I want. I already mostly work from home, but for a few reasons my job requires me to be in the UK. I want to be untethered though, so my next career move will focus on that 😎
• Synthwave and cyber punk aesthetics to me are 🤤
• I’m making a big push to improve my health and have been exercising consistently for around a year and a half now (swimming, running etc). For the last 6 months I’ve also been doing weights with a PT. Next up is starting on some flexibility doing yoga and/or pilates.
• I love talking about history and politics. My ideological position is complicated to explain but probably best summarised as left of centre.
• Currently getting into sword fighting. Partly because it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. Partly in case the apocalypse comes – think it’d be a useful skill to have (especially as we don’t really do guns in the UK...)
• I’m moving in with my Mum over summer to give her some help. She’s recently inherited a large and somewhat shabby house in the countryside so I’m going to help redecorate and make it a nice place to live.
• I don’t drink but do 420 (probs a little more than I should – but fixing that is lower on my to do list than other health things haha).
• I'm very interested in Welsh language and history.
• My number one form of therapy is long walks outside in nature. There is nothing more peaceful and restorative when it’s just you, nature and a path to follow :)

​
What am I looking for? Good question!

• I’d like to make a new friend or two to chat with. I miss messaging back and forth with someone. It’d primarily though text but also like to hand out on audio and/or video occasionally.
• I'd like to talk to people who share some of my interests. It'd be especially cool to find people who want to play some video games together, keeping each other motivated fitness wise!
• Location isn't a big concern, but I’m primarily looking for people in the UK, Europe, Canada or the US. This is mostly due to cultural and time zone compatibility reasons so no requirement to be in/from those regions, so would be a plus I guess – but not essential

Hi everyone.
To Kill a Predator is a work of fan fiction set in the Nature of Predators universe originally created by SpacePaladin15 whose Patreon you should subscribe to.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Depiction does not equal endorsement.
Hope you enjoy it!
[First] [Previous]
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Memory transcription subject: Jarkim, Unemployed Krakotl
Date [standardized human time]: November 30th, 2136
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If they were following standard procedure, they’d be storing munitions separate from personnel and weapons. In guild offices there were hermetically sealed rooms for it, ensuring any stray fires would be snuffed out as soon as they devoured all the oxygen.
In a place like this, my bet was one of the sheds or root cellars. I had sent Russo and Mosun to handle the garage and workers’ quarters.
Of course it was possible they hadn’t got enough fuel, ammo, and explosives to prosecute their campaign. Possible, but unlikely. The attack on the shelter hadn’t been the actions of a group running on fumes.
Honestly, if I were in their position I’d hole up here too. A large farm makes sense. They’d have phosphorous, ammonium nitrate, local stores of benzene or fuel oils, ipsom grain to make into powder, even the septic tanks if you’re really desperate… there’s more ways to create fire bombs at your average farm than I can be bothered to count.
I ran the math in my head. I didn’t like the result I got: the Liberators probably had enough fire to turn every human in the district into ash several times over, and they might still have enough left over for everyone who voted for Tarva too.
I approached the first shed with Slavik. It was one of the simple above-ground ones. Unlikely target to bear fruit, in my mind, but it was the closest. “I’ll go in first. You watch out with the rifle.”
They nodded at me, grimly.
The door opened and I rushed into the darkness.
​
“It’ll be the fourth.”
“Why’s that?”
“Four’s a lucky number.”
“No it’s not.”
“Sure it is. If you have to count past it, you have to use a second paw.”
The first shed had been empty but for tools. The second had held spare parts for their generators. The third had led to a root cellar full of sun-dried and salted fruit, and some jars of preserves.
Lucky number four was a steel door surrounded by concrete inset into the ground, and as soon as it was wrenched open the stench of chemicals assaulted me. Even Slavik coughed with distaste, and they didn’t have a nose.
“Well Slavik, turns out you were right.”
“That… does not taste lucky.”
“It doesn’t, does it. Alright, let’s go.”
I moved in. Slavik was right behind me. We headed into the gloom, slowly waiting for our eyes to adjust. Slavik muttered a bit before turning on the light attached to their rifle. They swiveled their entire torso back and forth, eyes focused on the rifle sights.
Industrial tanks of chemicals stood like forlorn monsters in the dark, the threadbare light by the rifle’s muzzle casting ugly and stark shadows.
“Never should’ve come here.”
I froze. The voice was coming from behind me… and to the left.
​
There was a second Venlil, lunging out from behind one of the tanks with a breaching tool held in both paws. He struck Slavik’s gun, and I heard the weapon hit the stone floor somewhere in the dark. With a second swing he caught Slavik across the head, and they went down hard.
I lunged at him, talons grasping for purchase in the short Exterminator-cut fur of the assailant. I got a good digging grip and pulled him back, raking grooves in his shoulders in the process and sending the crowbar clattering into the shadows.
I recognized him as Vilrak, and he screamed with anger and pain and managed to strike me in the eye with his elbow. I reeled back, squawking, when his paw struck me in the stomach. Pain blossomed and spread like fire. His claws were outstretched, and dug in under the feathers and tore skin.
In response I lashed out with a talon, tearing bloody gouges in his snout. Venlil snouts are sturdy and solid bone, and I did little actual damage. It was still enough to send him back with a yelp.
We both caught our breaths, blood dripping from claw and talon alike.
Slavik was on the ground. They weren’t moving.
​
“Vilrak, it’s over… Stand down.”
His voice was filled with loathing. “…Jarkim. So Karta failed to get rid of you, you traitorous piece of-”
I interjected immediately. “What you’re doing here isn’t going to work.”
“Oh, but it is. We’re going to bring Venlil Prime back to sanity, and back into the Federation.”
“There’s no going back. The Interview, the humans, the proof that even the Arxur can be bargained with after they returned their Venlil cattle… The galaxy’s a different place than it was just a cycle ago.”
“So what?”
I plead with him to turn from his path. When he realized and accepted the situation, he’d do the right thing. Just like I had. “We’re going to have to learn to live in the new world. One that doesn’t need us. We believed our job was necessary… We were only acting on… On the information we had, the information we were given. But we were wrong. Listen to me, Vilrak. There’s another path here. We can reform the Exterminators. We can make it into something better, something that serves the community.”
He straightened up and lashed his tail at me, turning and walking away. One eye was locked on me the entire time. “Oh you stupid, sanctimonious fuck. You’re the only one who ever believed any of that predshit.”
I paused. “…What?”
​
He walked slowly. I followed, staying at a careful distance. “Being an Exterminator was the perfect job. We had respect. We had power, Jarkim! You’re the only one who didn’t seem to realize that! Oh, you useless damn joke of a Krakotl… You turned your beak and curled your talons every time you had to pull the trigger, and always made sure the PDs came in without a fight. The rest of us loved it!”
I felt sick. I had never liked Vilrak, but this was… Like Vikar, and Renak, and Luarik, and Karta, and… Not unprecedented. But hearing it put in such stark terms…
“I always hated rolling out with you, because you’re too insufferably straight-laced. The rest of the guys understood the opportunities. But not you, oh no. As soon as you get in the van the fun stops. No taking money to make PD cases go away, no letting off steam with the rods and some drunk, no sharing cuties collared in the back of the van…”
My talons itched to tear out his evil fucking throat. But more than that, I wanted to tear down the entire system I had been complicit in. I had looked the other way, made sure to not ask awkward questions I didn’t want the answers to. And that made me one link in the chain. The facilities, the prosecutors, the assessors, they were all working with the Exterminators. Everyone knew that we were the only way they’d stay safe, the firebreak between the civilians and the predators. So they let us do whatever we wanted.
“Vilrak… It’s not going to stay that way anymore. It can’t. It mustn’t. The winds are changing. If everyone’s as… sick and twisted as you, and the Exterminators can’t be reformed? Then we’ll be abolished instead.”
“That’s right, because the humans are fucking it all up! They did more for Venlilkind in one paw than we Exterminators have done since we joined the Federation, just by sharing food with the greys! And now everyone knows it!”
“Exactly. There’s no going back.”
“Yeah, well. It’s worth a shot.”
When he turned to face me again he was holding a flamethrower, the tank under one arm and the nozzle under the other. In the darkness I only realized he was firing when it spewed incendiary death in a wide arc.
​
I had to gracelessly take flight, leaping back and thrashing with my wings to get behind one of the chemical tanks in time. I ended up smashing into the wall for my trouble, and I felt something in my wing snap.
But seeing the burning trail where I had stood a blink of an eye beforehand, it was still a worthwhile trade-off.
Other than what little light the fires gave off, and the light from the open door, the room was dark. The flashlight on Slavik’s gun had gone out.
I slowly crept around the tank… step by step. Listening for the Venlil’s footsteps, and hearing nothing.
I heard the sound of the tank shifting nearby, and froze in place. I held my breath.
He was speaking from just a couple of wingspans away, in the dark. “You’re not the first predator I’ve had to hunt. And you’re not gonna be the last.”
There was a click as the flamethrower’s ignition line turned on.
A line of fire spewed from the muzzle, sending me scrambling for cover again. I needn’t have bothered, he wasn’t aiming at me.
With the second line of burning fuel gel, he created a ‘V’ shape against the wall. He was simply boxing me in, cutting off my escape. Standard procedure when dealing with poor-visibility terrain.
Now all he had to do was hose the enclosed area, and that would be it.
I felt panic slowly begin to flood my brain, and forced it down. I couldn’t let myself become an animal. He knew how to burn animals.
​
Gotta get out of here, or I’m kindling.
With only one working wing, I was rapidly running out of options. When Vilrak spewed another gout of flame, my options dwindled further. I took flight, my one wing fluttering as I twisted my body in a desperate attempt to get above the flames and the equally dangerous super-heated air right above them. I felt the oppressive heat and could imagine my feathers curl and blacken as I made my desperate lunge over the fire-wall.
My talons scraped the stone loudly upon my rough landing, and I ended up falling prone. I yelled out as I landed on my bad wing again.
Starting to rise slowly, far too slowly, I heard Vilrak whistle out a laugh from nearby. I saw his shadowed form looming out of the dark, lit from the side by the growing flames. The flamethrower’s ignition line clicking on. Faced straight at me.
There was a bright, sudden light. And a scream.
​
Vilrak reeled back. So did I, good wing raised in a meaningless gesture of defense. I couldn’t see anything, blinded by Slavik’s flashlight. I heard a shout. “Jarkim, get down!”
I laid myself prone on the ground without hesitation.
KRAK-Ow
Superheated plasma flew overhead, sizzling the air and filling the enclosed space with the rank stench of ozone.
The shot impacted Vilrak’s fuel tank. The ensuing breach sent burning fuel and bits of hot metal all over the cellar, and threw him back into the wall. With my head down I could do nothing but flinch and hope.
A searing lance of pain impacted my leg, making me squawk out. A glance down showed a piece of jagged metal the size of a wing feather sticking out of my thigh.
Blinking the spots out of my eyes and coughing from the smoke filling the room, I saw Slavik holding the plasma rifle. It was aimed at the prone Exterminator, who was already screaming and crawling. His legs were on fire, and looked shredded from shrapnel. The flames were eagerly eating their way up his short-cut fur, already spreading up over his back and sides. His voice was a high-pitched, babbling shriek.
All that confidence, bravado, and gleeful sadism had vanished the instant it was his turn. And I wasn’t a good enough person to not take some vindictive joy in that.
“Not the flames not the flames please not the flames!! No no no nono please please not the flames!! Help meeeeee!!!”
KRAK-Ow
The second shot took him in the face. I looked away sharply, not interested in seeing the results.
​
“C’mon, you useless lump. Move your ass before it’s cooked.” Slavik grabbed me by my good wing, dragged me out of the burning cellar like a sack of grain, and closed the door behind us.
The fire would eat through all the oxygen long before it burst any of the chemical tanks. Even so, Slavik didn’t stop dragging me until we were a good distance away and we could both collapse in a panting heap on the ground.
Slavik’s head was leaking orange blood into their wool from the hit, and an ugly lump was already forming on their head. They looked at me darkly. “…That was mercy. I’m not going to let myself become the kind of person who’d have let him burn.”
I felt jolts of pain searing through my body each time I coughed. “Khakh, Khahhk… Y-You just saved my life. You don’t have to justify yourself to me.”
They looked down at their weapon in silence for a while, before speaking so quietly that I barely heard it. “You’re not the one I’m trying to convince.”
After a long silence, I tried my arm and grimaced. My leg refused to even bend now that the adrenaline was flushing out, and I didn’t want to take the metal out in case it was sitting in an artery. I didn’t even want to know what my feathers looked like. “…Wing’s busted. L-Leg too. I’m no good like this. Khahhk… I’ll head back, you try to link up with the other team.”
Slavik shouldered the rifle, and lifted me up. “After I get you back to Hanya.”
The trek back was awkward, and slow. I was left to hop and cling to Slavik as they half-dragged me along. I hoped the other team was having more success.
---
Memory transcription subject: Martin Russo, Human Refugee
Date [standardized human time]: November 30th, 2136
​
I raise my hand to Mosun. Three. Two. One.
The door opens. Mosun lunges in low, I sweep in high.
Nothing greets us but silence. We sweep the ground floor of the main house slowly, room by room. I move my aim back and forth like a metronome as I seek targets. My eyes dart around from place to place. Those saccades the Venlil are so afraid of.
The place shows clear signs of being lived in. Very recently. There are still-damp dishes in the kitchen.
The living room is an even bigger tell. On the table there’s a map of the whole district, and another of the town. Addresses are circled in different colors. I might not have recognized the map so quickly, except I’ve also been studying up for my own campaign.
As we search the place it appears that nobody’s home. They seem to have removed all the signs of the original inhabitants. I see pale reverse-shadows on the wall where once hung pictures or pieces of art.
I tap Mosun’s shoulder. He looks at me, and I point up, then down, and give a shrug. Upstairs or basement first?
As Mosun considers the question, we hear a scream. I freeze stock still, and Mosun’s eyes go wide. It’s from upstairs.
​
I brave a soft voice. “…Is that…”
Another scream. A word carries through the drawn out, inelegant blubbering. “Mhh-aaa-aahhhahhhu-hurttii-hi-hiiinnnn!!” My blood feels ice cold, and my stomach drops out.
Jesus Christ it’s my name. She’s screaming my name.
I’m acutely aware my tongue is dry.
Another scream, this time just a shrill sound of pain.
I’m running up the stairs. My grip on the gun is so tight it hurts. For a few seconds my thoughts don’t form words, just the panicked urge to rush to my beloved friend. To help and defend her.
Upstairs there are four rooms. Two on the left, one on the right, and one in the far back. The only one that matters is the one with the noise.
I rush to the door and almost wrench it open right away, but pause.
Stay frosty.
Mosun almost runs into me in his haste to keep up.
I turn and look at him. His furious face mirrors mine. I cringe as another shout comes from the room right beside us.
He nods grimly and grabs the door handle. We both take a couple of deep, steadying breaths.
I raise my hand to Mosun. Three. Two. One.
---
[First] [Previous]

Hi, looking for advice.
A bit of info about me: Male, 38, Tech worker in Bay area, working fully remote since 2020. Married to an American. We have a2 and a half years old and a newborn coming in September. My net worth is $1.7M, most of it invested in different accounts (FAANG Stock, Vanguard, Betterment...). My wife's net worth is around $500K. Similar portfolio.
We're planning on moving to Spain (where I'm from) early next year to be closer to family, save money and get citizenship for my family. Our shared monthly expenses would be around 3500€ (800€ mortgage + 1200€ in childcare + 1500€ in food, eating out, shopping, etc).
I've been considering taking a sabbatical before finding another remote job in either EU or East Coast. Mostly want to have a calmer life and enjoy these years. With those expenses and those savings, what do you think a responsible amount of time would be to take as a sabbatical? My wife thinks is irresponsible to quit my job / not have any income right away when we move, but I think we could easily live a good amount of time from our savings without getting in trouble. Curious what the community thinks.
Thanks!

Hey there!
I'm trying to move out of my super expensive state into a less expensive state. Unfortunately cost of living and my aging pets needing more advanced medical care has made it close to impossible to save up. However, I just got a new job on the other end of the country that is willing to pay $1,500 toward moving expenses later this year. I'm trying to see if that is possible so would love any tips or tricks anyone else has tried to save $$ on an out of state move!
Some notes / considerations:

• I have a tiny car that I'm thinking about trading in so I can get a crossover big enough to fit me, my partner, and our 4 pets across country but obvs that is a huge expense. I worry about flying them because 2 of my pets are seniors.
  
• currently live in a tiny apartment so not a ton of furniture, hoping that saves $$ or I guess we could sell everything that won't fit in the new car to save $$ on a moving truck
  

Has anyone else made a cross country or out of state move on a budget and done it by car? Or tips for finding an affordable apartment out of state where you're unable to drive around and look for signs?
I drove across the country once before to get where I am now but we had fewer pets and were able to all fit in my little car and the company that hired me at that point gave me substantially more money....
Thanks in advance for $$ saving tips!