Bar iii slim fit stretch shirt

Giant List Of Finds! 500+ Shoes 1900+ Clothing Items & Accessories

2023.06.02 19:31 repknowledge Giant List Of Finds! 500+ Shoes 1900+ Clothing Items & Accessories

Continuing on...not very consistent with this...sorry.
Most of this sub dresses the exact same and it is sad. Expand your horizons. Be different.
Massive shoutout to the users that post finds/reviews/outfits.
If you are just posting QC's here. You need to learn how to use Google. You Are Useless.

Newest Lists: Month Of May

List Of Summer Shirts! Casablanca, Prada, & More
460+ Shoe Finds RANKED
Every Flattened Shoebox Imaginable For $1
Louis Vuitton Trainers Trunk
Rick Owens SS23 EDFU Denim
Prada Impossible Split Shirt 199RMB
INSANE FINDS - Supreme X Scarface Jacket
30RMB Rep Lego Finds (JDM CARS)
Bape Finds List
Suede Shirt Cropped
Factory Store With Over 1K Female Items
The Most Random Finds You Will See Today Part I
Vintage Ass Finds Part 14
Giant List Of Girls Finds + Shops
Womens Spreadsheet Finds
Sub $100 Watch Finds List
Summer Tees Finds
Epic Under 100RMB Finds List
List Of Weird & Entertaining Shit
Basic Shirts List (Unbranded)
Cool Finds (Crocs Too)
Kanye West Graduation Album Finds
Umbro x Supreme Rain Jacket
Balenciaga Track Denim Jacket
Distressed Formal Clothing List

Previously Posted Lists:

Massive Basketball Items List
Geezer's Finds List
Sexy Finds V13
Skate Brand Mega List
Vivienne Westwood Clothing List V2
Swim/Beach/Board Short Find List
Summer Finds Part One (Casablanca)
Girl Finds!!
Carhartt Finds List
Vivienne Westwood Clothing List V1
Some FINDS
Hot Girl Summer Finds List
List Of Kanye & Carti Fit Items
The Forbidden Cancelled Brand List Of Finds: Balenciaga
Vintage Finds List
Stuff I Found On Taobao @ 3am Part III
Vintage Tee Finds Park 12
Cool Random Finds The World Needs To See
Vintage Rizz Part 10
Crazy Unique Vintage List. Imagine Wearing Tech Fleece LOL
Xianyu Finds Part II
Vintage Band Tee Finds (MegaDeth)
Vintage Crew Neck & Hoodie Finds Part IDK
Xianyu Finds
Super Finds Part 7
Womens Finds
Nike TN1 (39 colorways)
New Finds With NEW Sellers
Dope Finds Part 7
Stuff I Found On Taobao At 3am
Sexy Finds 12
Finds Part 5
Finds Part 6
Stuff I Found On Taobao At 3am Part II
Girl Finds List (Spoil Your Girl)
Geeza's 1688 Finds Part 4
Spring/Summer Weidian Finds
Insane Winter Items
Finds Part 4
Dope Finds Only #4 (Reddit Sweater)
Sexy Finds 11
High/Top Quality Links ONLY
Finds V11 (again) - Mostly T's
Random Finds Not On This Sub
Random Finds Part 3 (Best One Yet)
Sexy Finds V10
Jacket Finds List
Geeza's 1688 Finds Part 1 (Chrome Jacket)
Sexy Finds Part 2
Sexy Finds Part 3
Sexy Finds Part 4 (archive and vintage stuff)
Sexy Finds Part 5
Sexy Finds Part 6
Sexy Finds Part 7
Sexy Finds Part 8
Sexy Finds Part 9
List Of Fashion Books For Decor
More Sexy Finds
A Bunch Of Quality Finds
Cool List Of Stuff
Big List Of Random Finds
Cool List Of Finds
Finds List Part III
CDG Homme Finds List
BACK 2 BACK Finds List
Hard Finds Part II
Some Cool Finds Brayden Came Across
Crazy Finds List! WELL ORGANIZED
Girl Finds Part 5
Girl Finds Part 69
That is all I got for now. Bookmark this post and come back to it.

submitted by repknowledge to Repsneakers [link] [comments]

2023.06.02 19:29 repknowledge List Of 2400+ Unique Finds From FashionReps Users

Newest Lists: Month Of May

Previously Posted Lists:

submitted by repknowledge to Flexicas [link] [comments]

2023.06.02 19:26 repknowledge Giant List Of Unique Finds From FashionReps Users! 2400+ Finds In This Post

Continuing on...not very consistent with this...sorry.
Most of this sub dresses the exact same and it is sad. Expand your horizons. Be different.
Massive shoutout to the users that post finds/reviews/outfits.
If you are just posting QC's here. You need to learn how to use Google. You Are Useless.

Newest Lists: Month Of May

Previously Posted Lists:

submitted by repknowledge to DesignerReps [link] [comments]

2023.06.02 19:25 repknowledge Giant List Of Finds From FashionReps & QualityReps Users! 2400+ Unique Finds In This Post

Newest Lists: Month Of May

Previously Posted Lists:

submitted by repknowledge to QualityReps [link] [comments]

2023.06.02 19:23 repknowledge Giant List Of Finds From FashionReps Users! 2400+ Unique Finds In This Post 😤

Continuing on...not very consistent with this...sorry.
Most of this sub dresses the exact same and it is sad. Expand your horizons. Be different.
Massive shoutout to the users that post finds/reviews/outfits.
If you are just posting QC's here. You need to learn how to use Google. You Are Useless.

Newest Lists: Month Of May

Previously Posted Lists:

submitted by repknowledge to FashionReps [link] [comments]

2023.06.02 17:31 lamodemens "Refine Your Style with La Mode Men's Slim Fit Shirts: The Epitome of Modern Elegance"

https://preview.redd.it/mi9leym4im3b1.jpg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a97a3dfa597b72ca6269ab1c2443df66eca2394f
Enhance Your Style with La Mode Men's Slim Fit Shirts: The Perfect Blend of Comfort and Sophistication
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Attention to Detail: La Mode Men's pays meticulous attention to detail, ensuring that their slim fit shirts stand out from the crowd. From well-crafted collars and cuffs to carefully matched patterns and prints, each shirt is designed with precision and care. These thoughtful details elevate the overall aesthetic of the garment, making it a standout piece in your wardrobe.
Trend-Driven Designs: La Mode Men's understands the importance of staying up-to-date with the latest fashion trends. Their collection of slim fit shirts incorporates modern design elements, patterns, and colors that cater to the ever-evolving tastes of the fashion-conscious individual. Whether you prefer classic solid colors, subtle prints, or bold patterns

submitted by lamodemens to u/lamodemens [link] [comments]

2023.06.02 17:10 r3dsca Obscure subreddit posting - The Branding Issue of Democrats from the 90s to Now

This was posted in the AngryObservation subreddit (that I stumbled on two seconds ago)
Essay posted by u/dcmetro7
https://www.reddit.com/usedcmetro7/
Democrats have a branding problem : AngryObservation (reddit.com)

Democrats have a branding problem

😴 Long Observation 😴
I was inspired by u/Randomuser1520 's post about the Democratic Party's seemingly weak bench of future potential presidential nominees.
A lot of the problems trace back to 2016, but I'd argue the Democrats' branding woes go back even further. Think all the way back to the last time the Democrats had a consistently strong electoral record as a party -- the 90s, where the only truly bad year for Ds was 1994. Bill Clinton had successfully rebranded the party under the 'Third Way' label that Dems at any level could embrace and benefit from, and he had a clear successor in Al Gore. But Gore loses narrowly in 2000, and the problems for the Dems' brand begin.
'Yes We Can'
After 9/11, the electorate supports Bush and they support war. Dems' brand takes a hit and they lose the 2002 midterms. In 2004, John Kerry is successfully painted as an out-of-touch Ivy League liberal, disengaged from 'real America.' Dems lose and their brand suffers further.
But by the end of Bush's term, most Americans are disillusioned with Dubyaism. They wanted change, and one man promises to lead them to it with posters that proclaim 'HOPE' and cries of 'Yes We Can,' heralding in a new age of politics. Barack Obama and the Democrats are swept into a trifecta in Washington.
And we certainly got a new age of politics. When Obama was inaugurated, pundits speculated about the 'emerging Democratic majority', and how the GOP may literally go extinct in ten years. By the end of Obama's second term, those same pundits are surveying the absolutely decimated state of the Democratic party at all levels of power. Dems had lost the Senate, the House, most governorships, and most state legislatures. Control of the state legislatures makes the GOP's hold on the House even stronger. Control of the Senate effectively leads to control of the Supreme Court.
While Obama certainly can't be blamed for everything the GOP threw at him, I feel like it's safe to say his rebranding of the Democratic party failed in the long run. The 'Party of Hope' was sunk into the quagmire of a slow economic recovery, some of the most cynical politicking ever, and some of the most dysfunctional White House-Congress relationships in the history of the country. Obama's signature healthcare legislation would languish in the 30s approval-wise until after he left office. By 2015, no one was talking about the Democrats as the Party of Hope anymore. Even the guy who designed the original 'Hope' poster said he was frustrated by the lack of progress under the Obama admin. I'd argue that the Republicans were responsible for the clear majority of this dysfunction, but if their goal was to muddy the waters between the parties, they succeeded. And with the Tea Party, they were better at rebranding themselves even when they were in the opposition.
And none of this was helped by the face that Obama seemed extremely reluctant, even uninterested, in stepping into the role of party leader. Congressional Democrats were frustrated at the way he kept his distance from them, making it hard to solidify the policy goals they'd implemented in his first term. This article (https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/19/us/aloof-obama-is-frustrating-his-own-party.html) sums it up well, with this prescient quote sticking out:

In interviews, nearly two dozen Democratic lawmakers and senior congressional aides suggested that Mr. Obama’s approach has left him with few loyalists to effectively manage the issues erupting abroad and at home and could imperil his efforts to leave a legacy in his final stretch in office.

And sure enough, Obama's legacy was in peril before he even left office.
'Stronger Together'
In 2016, Democrats didn't plan for a primary, they planned for a coronation. Hillary Clinton had been locking up all the support she could get from the Democratic establishment while Obama was serving his second term. Biden would seem like the clear establishment successor, but by the time he was able to turn his attention from VP duties to the primary he realized Hillary had completely boxed him out. She had already corralled all the big donors, operatives, and endorsements into her corner, and Joe was checkmated before he even sat down to the board. Thus, he turned down the opportunity, likely burying his long-nurtured presidential ambitions.
But then the coronation gets bumpy. Sanders challenges her from the outside, and immediately begins putting her on the spot as to why she's running. In other words, what does she envision for the Democratic brand? Hillary herself doesn't know. Is it a third term of Bill (whose star was starting to fade among everyone whose name doesn't rhyme with Shames Scarville), a third term of Obama (whose Hope posters have since become landfill), or an all-new thing?
To Hillary's credit, she couldn't portray herself as a total break from the past, both because she had been was strongly anchored to the national political landscape for the last thirty years, and because she could hardly attack Obama's record too harshly. In the end, she also struggled to brand both herself and the party. Consider the slogans most associated with her campaign; 'Forward Together' and 'Stronger Together' sound like the slogans of a centrist third party with no concrete policy ideas. They just attempted to project a feeling of unity onto a people who were united only, if the candidacies of Sanders and Trump meant anything, in the feeling that 'establishment' politicians like HRC had failed. And, of course, 'I'm with Her' was barely a rebrand at all, simply associating the party with its uncharismatic yet seemingly unstoppable frontrunner.
In the meantime, Trump had done the opposite, rebranding himself and the GOP as the party of 'America First populism.' What that meant exactly in terms of policy seemed to change from day to day But as a brand, as a forceful statement of intent, it worked, especially when contrasted with a seemingly rudderless HRC campaign that failed to answer the age-old question: 'Why are you running for president?'
'For the People'
After the 2016 fiasco, the Democrats were decimated and leaderless. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had passed his leadership position to Chuck Schumer and passed on soon after Trump took office. Tim Ryan led a mutiny against Nancy Pelosi, blaming her in part for the party's plunge from ascendance to irrelevance in the House. Hillary Clinton disappeared into the woods of Chappaqua. Obama started making a docu-series for Netflix. Joe Biden entered semi-retirement and wrote a book.
But in all of this, they found something they had been lacking. A brand.
Not the one they would have preferred, but one that would work nonetheless for winning elections. House Dems would embrace the (once-again) vague slogan of 'For the People' ahead of the 2018 midterms, but the aim was clear. The Democrats were now the Opposition; the Anti-Trump party.
Trump's approval rating was not just low, but incredibly sticky. People tended to have very firm opinions on him, and so his approval rating barely escaped the 35-45% range, with him almost hitting 50% before the pandemic hit. Thus, running on opposition to Trump would be fine electorally. In 2018, the Democrats had a blue wave year based mostly on opposition to Trump, retaking the house. Ironically, a big policy motivator for voters was backlash against the GOP's effort to repeal and replace Obamacare -- a promise that had driven Republican electoral gains since the bill was passed into law. Republican branding and messaging had been so successful that, for the better part of the decade, people trusted them to 'fix' the ACA until the very last minute before the replacement was signed.
'Battle for the Soul of the Nation'
But the problem remained for 2020 -- who would lead them? This was a difficult decision even before the pandemic. And Democratic primary voters were treated to a veritable buffet on angles on how to rebrand the party to beat Trump.
Should the party embrace democratic socialism under Sanders, or heavy consumer advocacy under Warren? Should it embrace a young, charismatic up-and-comer like Harris, Buttigieg, or O'Rourke or someone just as 'establishment' as Hillary, like Michael Bloomberg? Old-school liberalism with the Klob? Whatever Andrew Yang was doing?
But as the polls drew near, the Democrats seemed to conclude that beating Trump was simply more important than charting a new course for the party. If they could get elected or rebrand, they'd choose the former. And so all the other more moderate candidates dropped out to consolidate the vote around Biden, as the safe, expected pick who could stay the course. Biden and his surrogates began adopting the slogan 'Battle for the Soul of the Nation,' an epic and apocalyptic phrase that is still fundamentally reactive in tone, implying that the biggest motivator to vote for Democrats that fall was not to pass any specific agenda, but to put a stop to the GOP's plans.
Biden wouldn't govern in this way, but he would campaign this way -- as the normal, capable candidate who could lead the country's post-covid recovery in opposition to Trump's perceived incompetence. Biden won, but Democrats didn't get nearly the boost they wanted from covid, and House candidates underperformed Biden nationally, leading to a surprising loss of seats in the House. And after the effort to throw out the election failed, Trump left office with severely damaged standing with independents. The anti-Trump brand had delivered Dems a trifecta; now it was time to use it; hopefully to establish a new brand for a new decade.
'Building Back Better'
Upon taking office, Biden and the Dems lay out their agenda; the 'Build Back Better' plan, which centers on a three-pronged approach; a pandemic relief bill, an infrastructure bill, and a social policy bill. Passing such plans will involve all 50 Senate D's on board in some cases, and a bipartisan filibuster-proof majority of 60 senators in other cases.
People laugh, think back to 2010, and begin arguing whether a prediction that the GOP will control 55 Senate seats by 2023 is too conservative. Nancy Pelosi is trying to manage a mere five-seat majority in the house. Mitch McConnell, who once feasted on the Democrats' lost hopes the way a hungry turtle devours a plate of juicy strawberries, still held enough sway in the Senate to hold up any significant policy not related to budget reconciliation. Even then, Schumer must wrangle mavericks like Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. Dramatic divisions still rip across the fabric of American society. But then, something truly strange happens.
The 117th Congress ends up being one of the most productive sessions ever.
Whether or not you think any or all of the 117th's acts were good policy, it's undeniable that this was an unusually politically efficient session, especially considering the last decade of hardball politics. Bipartisan majorities drive the infrastructure act, a gun control act, a tech-manufacturing promotion act, and even a somewhat-legalization of same-sex marriage nationwide. Plus, Schumer and Pelosi navigate their tiny majorities toward passing partisan priorities, like the pandemic relief act and the scaled-down Build Back Better social policy bill, rebranded as the Inflation Reduction Act or IRA. McConnell drops his trademark stonewalling and collaborates with Biden on the bipartisan bills, and 'Yea' votes roll in even from deep red states -- Republican senators from Mississippi, West Virginia, and North Dakota get these bills over the line. Bipartisanship returns to Congress in fleeting glances -- something that I feel confident in arguing absolutely no one expected Biden or the Dem leaders to be able to do.
Of course, no one has forgotten 2010, and 2022 looks to be another rough year. Inflation soars, and Biden's approval rating drops. Dems brace for impact. The Dobbs ruling happens, but polls repeatedly suggest that the economy is the top issue on voters' minds, and they don't like Biden's handling of it.
But while these things are true, they ignore a crucial factor -- the GOP is embroiled in an identity crisis of its own. The leader of the party is claiming to be the legitimate president of the United States, which is a bit of a hard issue to ignore. Trump loyalists beat out 'establishment' Republicans in the primaries, and bring their hard promotion of the MAGA brand to the general elections. And they lose.
I think it's fair to say that the GOP lost most of the key races of the 2022 midterms, rather than Democrats winning them. Swing state Republican parties chose candidates who adhered so closely to a brand so toxic that independents still chose the Democrats, even in some cases where they were dissatisfied with the party. Republicans who have managed to establish a brand for themselves -- DeSantis, Kemp, and DeWine among them -- soar, while the Trumpiest candidates fall flat. McConnell remains in the minority, and McCarthy becomes the head of a very, very dysfunctional family.
Will Brandon's Rebrand Stand?
So, coming off an unusually strong midterm, where does the party go in 2024? Probably, as u/Randomuser1520 said, back to Biden. When your party wins one of the most fiercely contested elections in American history, has a productive legislative session, and then massively overperforms in the midterm, you don't usually change horses regardless of what approval polling says. If Biden were just 10 years younger and the health concerns were off the table, there would be no question in anyone's mind who to nominate.
The establishment and progressive wings of the party seem to be behind him if he runs, meaning challenges will only come from real outsiders like Marianne Williamson and Robert Kennedy Jr. The DNC will probably work to make those challenges as unviable as possible.
2024 is tricky to predict. Trump is favored on the Republican side, and as said before, his brand is so toxic that Biden can probably glide to reelection barring any massive economic downturns or serious health problems. I won't get too much into 2024, because it seems pretty clearly on the path to becoming another referendum on the GOP's brand, not the Democrats'. Biden's second term (and the rest of his first term) may be defined as much by implementation of the legislation they passed during the 117th as much as by new legislation, if not more.
So the question becomes this -- where does the party go in 2028? Or, in other words, what will Democrats take away from the Biden presidency, and how will Biden shape the party's brand going forward? Who they choose to lead the party next will tell, and Biden's presidency may already be laying out a blueprint.
In his 1996 State of the Union address, Bill Clinton declared 'the era of big government is over,' essentially conceding that Reagan and his vision of a small role for the federal government in domestic affairs had won out for the time, and that Democrats would need to work within that political reality in order to win elections. Obama's efforts to change that status quo resulted in an avalanche of backlash from Tea Partiers, self-proclaimed champions of fiscal conservatism. Hillary Clinton's failed campaign strategy arguably rested more on that understanding of the political climate than anything else, causing her to miss a series of growing frustrations with Reaganism at times channelled by Sanders and, at times, Trump -- at decimation of the manufacturing sector, at the growing gap between rich and poor, at China's seemingly unstoppable three-decade rise at the expense of the U.S.
Biden's approach to American industry and government is a strong repudiation of Reaganism, based around the idea that it is the government's job to fortify and guide the economy in ways that are necessary where the free market has little incentive to. It argues that the issues of infrastructural decay, manufacturing decline, and the growing need for green energy in the face of climate change will only be solved if the government directs the power of the private sector towards those goals at great upfront cost. And free trade, long held as the unassailable source of America's prosperity, must now only be employed in moderation -- if the U.S. has to arguably break international law to lure foreign investment into the U.S. through generous subsidies, it will be worth it, even if it earns the fury of our economic partners. This may be the groundwork of Bidenism.
These plans may fail. The money may be wasted by incompetent or corrupt administrators and the American people may become even more jaded at the thought of big government. But movement within the GOP may suggest a broader shift in the American mind towards this kind of economic interventionism is already in progress. Promising to reverse the decline of manufacturing through tariffs and other measures would have been political anathema twenty years ago, but it has become a core Republican plank. Florida Republicans' punitive measures towards Disney and the GOP's growing support for government action against Big Tech companies suggests openness towards not just using state power to guide the economy, but also to reshape the social landscape by manipulating the private sector. It may well be that the era of small government is over.
I've sorted some potential 'brands' and some of the people who might be nominated in 2028 / become party standard-bearers should the Democrats go in that direction. These lists aren't exhaustive; I'm just trying to establish a general vibe.
The 'Biden Blueprint': Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Gina Raimondo
These are members of the Biden admin who have been given great power (and great piles of money) to enact the legislation of the 117th. If American sentiment towards big government changes as quickly as I think it could, a Cabinet secretary could have a decent shot in 2028. Harris would be the natural successor as the VP, but Transportation Sec Buttigieg and Commerce Sec Raimondo, who were empowered to implement much of the Infrastructure Act and the CHIPS Act respectively, could become standard-bearers for this new vision of technocratic governance if they administer these programs well (and in a way that makes headlines). If Energy Sec Granholm were a natural-born citizen, she would definitely fit here as well, considering how much power the IRA gave her department.
The 'New New Deal': Amy Klobuchar, Catherine Cortez Masto, Mark Kelly, Tammy Duckworth, Raphael Warnock
Liberal senators who are capable of working across the aisle to achieve compromise could be a strong bet if Democrats want to recreate the success of the 117th Congress in the future. There's always an argument that effective legislators won't necessarily make for effective executives, but these choices would help with Democrats' goal of rebranding the Democratic party as the party you vote for if you want Washington to function properly and anticipate constituents' needs. Such a ticket could brand itself as the path to bipartisan yet assertive solutions on familiar and emerging issues like immigration reform, federal protection for abortion, the housing shortage, and the drug crisis.
The 'Bulwark': Roy Cooper, Laura Kelly, Andy Beshear
I'll admit that when I began writing this post, I had a more favorable opinion of the above three governors and politicians like them as presidential nominees and the potential 'future of the party.' I no longer feel as strongly about them, however, because I don't believe they do enough to change the brand of the Democrats and the political environment as a whole. These governors are best known for winning races in red states; for holding the line against the most conservative policies while finding areas of compromise, especially on kitchen-table issues.
But this brand of Democrat is fundamentally reactive, even defensive -- it assumes that most of the job will be obstructing right-wing legislation from a red legislature. In other words, it is a kind of strategy you use when you're trying to hold ground, not gain it. It works well when your opponent's brand is toxic (as the GOP's has been since 2016), but this I suspect this brand of 'competent normality' will struggle if the opposition ceases to actively repel voters. If Trump and his acolytes continue to hold a strong grip on the party through 2024 and beyond, this brand may not be a bad bet short-term, but long-term Democrats want to be the ones establishing the rules of the game, not just beating your opponent at theirs. That's what a successful political brand does. While Dems in similar situation should definitely look to these governors for guidance in running their campaigns (and hopefully, their administrations), I would caution at this point against basing the national party's brand on their model.
I think somewhere between these three groups lies a successful path forward for the Democrats that towards becoming the dominant party in U.S. politics at the federal level. There are some other interesting currents in the party; like how Democratic governors like Whitmer, Evers, and Walz have rebuilt D strength the Midwest after a rough 2010s, and how Western Dems like Jared Polis, Mary Peltola, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez have found unexpected electoral stength by embracing a form of libertarianism. However, these currents may be regional, and Democrats shouldn't necessarily try to nationalize every idea that works in one part of the country. Creating different regional 'flavors' of Democrat would be necessary to keep the party relevant in all parts of the country.
Regarding the 2020 primary runners-up, I don't think most of the visions laid out then work post-2024, and for this reason I tend not to give too much weight to current Democratic primary polling, because it assumes these same people would be running again.
Assuming Biden ends his term without catastrophe, I don't think the party needs to place all their faith in a young, charismatic Obama wannabe like O'Rourke or Swalwell, nor does it need to drastically pivot to the center, nor does it need to proclaim itself the party of 'outsiders,' nor does it need to give the reins to the progressive wing. If everything goes right, they can remain ideologically where they are now (roughly) and establish a solid brand for the first time in a generation.
The Democrats been losing the branding war since the days of Nixon. They may currently have all the tools they need right now to change that, and set the expectations for the next fifty years of politics. Let's see how they do.
This is my first big write-up, so I almost certainly missed some stuff and made some assumptions. Let me know what you think.

submitted by r3dsca to redscarepod [link] [comments]

2023.06.02 15:29 NekkyP My puppy died at 4 months old, brutally and unexpectedly

I am writing this with tears in my eyes as I have just lost the dearest thing in my life. She was just 4 months old, a beautiful mini dachshund that was not meant to live and passed away too fast.
I've always liked dogs but I hadn't thought of getting one before living in a big house with a yard. My girlfriend managed to change my mind about this and she convinced me to get a dachshund, and 1.5 months ago we stumbled online upon the most beautiful little creature and decided to bring her home. She immediately showed us so much affection and we responded by giving her all the love we had. We live in an apartment so we took her to the park multiple times a week, we walked her at least 6 times a day and played with her the whole day through. We were so motivated to do things right that we even followed a training course for little dogs and she already knew many tricks for her young age.
Four days ago, the wineries in our region opened their doors to everyone for wine tasting and it was a beautiful day along the lake so we took her with us. There are obviously a lot of vineyards so we were extremely careful to not let her go near the grapes. It was quite hot, around 24°C so we made sure to do plenty of breaks where our little baby could nap and drink water to hydrate. We were so careful. Later that day we sat outside at a bar, and we could feel our dog pull the leash. When we looked we saw that she was sniffing or licking some sort of vomit on the floor that we hadn't seen because the color of it was similar to the grass beneath it. We immediately changed table and our little baby fell asleep on my lap. A little bit later she woke up and puked on my shirt, we thought it was funny at the moment and that she must have eaten something that upset her tummy, probably the vomit which came from another dog. On the walk back home she was completely fine, wagging her tail and sniffing everything with her little snout as she usually did. We put her in her crate, kissed her goodnight and went to sleep.
The next day we woke up to her vomiting and being very lethargic. She didn't jump out of her crate like she usually did to greet us and lick our faces, she wasn't hungry while she usually destroys her meals in a few seconds and she didn't want to walk outside. She also randomly screamed in pain for a very brief moment here and there. We immediately called an emergency vet to come home because our usual clinic was closed for a national holiday. He came fast and examined her thoroughly, after which he concluded that it must be an acute gastritis, and provided some meds to make her feel better. However, our baby did not improve. She continued puking and screaming in pain after the vet left and we were already crying by then. We called the vet again and he came back, checked her thoroughly a second time by running an echograph and gave her an antispasmodic to stop the sharp pain. He still thought that it was a gastritis, and she would likely feel better very quickly, in a day or so. The antispasmodic made appeased her, she was still very lethargic but stopped having sharp pains so we were hopeful she would go back to jumping and running in no time.
Unfortunately, we woke up to her vomiting again. She hadn't eaten and barely drank for a day now, so I brought her to the emergency vet as soon as I woke up. They took her in very quickly to run an x-ray and other tests, and the doctor told me that she could have eaten something that stayed inside her in which case they would need to operate. Regardless, they kept her, and would call to give more information after getting the lab results. Not even an hour later, I was shopping groceries and I received the dreadful call. Her Potassium levels were way too high, the doctor was suspecting kidney failure and told me that she might need dialysis very quickly. There were two clinics that had the medical equipment necessary for this, one was 1 hour away but would be extremely expensive (~10k) and the other was 2.5 hours away and would be about half the price if not less. We are not rich by any means but to save our baby we would have paid the price... I asked her if the 1.5 hours extra would lower the chance of survival of our baby and she said no, so we decided to go with the second option. I called my girlfriend sobbing and she came home right away, after which we left for the clinic... When we arrived there, they told us to wait, which made me so mad because they told us to be there by a certain hour which we did. However when our little baby, which was so tired and fragile by now, started vomiting again, they took her in right away. The vet told her that because our dog is so small and weak they would not start with the dialysis right away and will try to lower the potassium levels by other agressive treatments. She also said that the puppy was in a very bad state and her survival is not guaranteed. We broke down crying. We asked to see our baby, and when we saw her she managed to wag her little tail and look at us with her loving eyes while we were struggling to keep our tears from pouring out. We wanted to look strong for our baby and not worry her, she looked so lost and fragile... I will never forget that look in her eyes. The vets obviously knew better, so we agreed to let them do whatever they think is best to save our baby... We were told she would stay there multiple days, and because my girlfriend needed to work the next day, we drove all the way back and would come see our puppy in a couple of days. On the drive home, we received a call from the doctor saying that they managed to lower her potassium levels with the treatment, and the pup peed by herself which were both very good signs. This gave us a glimmer of hope and we were able to stop crying for the night and start having positive thoughts when going to sleep.
And this is where it all comes crashing down. We were told to call after 11:00, so the wait until then was unbearable. I am not working at the moment so I was home alone, crying, shouting, trying to make sense of this situation that happened so quickly and unexpectedly. I just wanted to hear good news. It didn't have to be great news, just some improvement that would let us have a bit more of that hope we so desperately needed. My girlfriend called them at 11:00... the Potassium levels were back up, they didn't manage to stabilize them. They realized that a dialysis might not be needed because there were other factors that would point to other diseases such as her increased hormone levels. They didn't know what was causing our baby to be like this... they had no idea. They called again twice in the following hour to tell us that her health deteriorated and she was now under assistance to breathe. We decided to leave and go see her right then and there... Once we got here after the 2.5 hour drive, our legs were shaking. We did not want to face the situation, we had cried the whole way and could not stop having horrible thoughts. The vet took us in and calmly explained to us that our baby's brain had been damaged irreparably due to an acute reaction to the anesthesia they gave her. She said it would have happened either way, anesthesia or not. The dialysis would likely kill her now and would probably not even solve the problem, because they could not find the cause. The doctor said that they had never seen a case like this, for a dog's health to degrade so fast and aggressively, they even put their whole team to brainstorm on possible diseases that would act this way to no avail. We were told that the most probable thing was a disease, possibly autoimmune, that she carried inside her and was maybe triggered by a gastritis. They said she was not suffering although I don't know if that was just to make us feel better. I fell on the floor crying. I could not believe this was happening to our baby. We took her in at 10 weeks, she was just 4 months old, we didn't even have her for the biggest part of her life and yet we felt like she had been with us for an eternity. I had never loved and cared for another being quite like I did for her. I spent all my days with her, she was the only thing making me feel less alone while I stayed home looking for a job. She was our everything. And she was dying.
They let us see her. She had cables everywhere. She was in a coma, her eyes were half-open and had a viscous liquid in them. Her tongue was sticking out from the side. She looked dead and she wasn't even being sedated. That image keeps replaying in my head over and over. Just the other day she was wagging her little tail and now she looked like her soul had left her body. We broke down crying again... we talked to her a bit, telling her that it would soon be over and she would be able to go to sleep forever, and we would hopefully see her one day again. We kissed her on her forehead as we usually did to tell her goodnight. We had brought her favorite toy so she would feel less alone. We were so devastated. I asked multiple times if there was any chance she would recover, even a tiny one, but the doctor said that the damage she had suffered to her brain would not be able to be reversed. The only other choice we had is that they would keep her to run more tests and hopefully find out what caused this... but she would not come back. We were hurt enough by the situation and could not bear more suffering, so we decided to put her away without pain. We held her little paws when she left us and I rubbed her between the eyes like I used to do when she fell asleep on the couch. After it happened, I asked to take off all the cables and let me hold her again for one last time. I just hope she didn't feel alone in her last moments...
They brought her in the other room covered in a blanket. I closed her eyes, it looked just like she was asleep. I held her lifeless body in my arms and sobbed uncontrollably. We called our parents and we couldn't say a word, just cries. We stayed with our baby a little bit longer in the room, talking to her even if she was already gone. After a while we had to go... we decided to cremate her body and not keep the ashes as it would just be a sad memory of her. They told us that she would get an autopsy as a last chance to find the cause but the probability of finding it was very slim.
We drove back home. The house felt empty, dead. I have never cried so much in my life. When I thought I had no more tears left in my body, more would come and I would start sobbing again. We hugged. We told ourselves that there was nothing else we could have done, and she would have died either way sooner or later. My dad said the only thing that managed to make me feel a little better: dogs don't have the same perception of time as we do. Our baby doesn't know that she died so young, all she knows is that she lived happily and was loved very much throughout her life. When we got in the shower, a hair brush fell on the floor. It was the hair brush that our puppy would always grab and run away with and would make us go mad. We like to think that she was still being silly from up there and that she was telling us to be strong and that she's okay. We took all her stuff and put it in the cellar, except her favorite toy that we kept as a memory. We booked the first flight in the morning to go see my girlfriend's family because we could not stay in the house right now. Our baby was not meant to live... Everything happened so fast, not even four days ago we thought it was just gastritis, and now we will never see her again. I hope she didn't suffer. I hope that in her dying moments she thought of the good times when she was running in the park chasing dogs 10 times her size while we were watching her, laughing our ass off. I hope she knew we loved her very much and will never be able to replace her. I hope she's in a better place now and can eat all the food she wants.
If anyone has any tips on how to feel better I would be more than glad to know about them. Right now it seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel and I don't know how I will emotionally recover from this. We want to get another puppy soon but the void left by our baby in our hearts will never be truly filled. We already miss her so much, she was our everything. Rest In Peace baby girl.
TL;DR: Our 4 month old puppy died unexpectedly and brutally from an unknown illness and my girlfriend and I are struggling to make sense of the world right now.

submitted by NekkyP to Pets [link] [comments]

2023.06.02 15:25 NekkyP My puppy died at 4 months old, brutally and unexpectedly

I am writing this with tears in my eyes as I have just lost the dearest thing in my life. She was just 4 months old, a beautiful mini dachshund that was not meant to live and passed away too fast.
I've always liked dogs but I hadn't thought of getting one before living in a big house with a yard. My girlfriend managed to change my mind about this and she convinced me to get a dachshund, and 1.5 months ago we stumbled online upon the most beautiful little creature and decided to bring her home. She immediately showed us so much affection and we responded by giving her all the love we had. We live in an apartment so we took her to the park multiple times a week, we walked her at least 6 times a day and played with her the whole day through. We were so motivated to do things right that we even followed a training course for little dogs and she already knew many tricks for her young age.
Four days ago, the wineries in our region opened their doors to everyone for wine tasting and it was a beautiful day along the lake so we took her with us. There are obviously a lot of vineyards so we were extremely careful to not let her go near the grapes. It was quite hot, around 24°C so we made sure to do plenty of breaks where our little baby could nap and drink water to hydrate. We were so careful. Later that day we sat outside at a bar, and we could feel our dog pull the leash. When we looked we saw that she was sniffing or licking some sort of vomit on the floor that we hadn't seen because the color of it was similar to the grass beneath it. We immediately changed table and our little baby fell asleep on my lap. A little bit later she woke up and puked on my shirt, we thought it was funny at the moment and that she must have eaten something that upset her tummy, probably the vomit which came from another dog. On the walk back home she was completely fine, wagging her tail and sniffing everything with her little snout as she usually did. We put her in her crate, kissed her goodnight and went to sleep.
The next day we woke up to her vomiting and being very lethargic. She didn't jump out of her crate like she usually did to greet us and lick our faces, she wasn't hungry while she usually destroys her meals in a few seconds and she didn't want to walk outside. She also randomly screamed in pain for a very brief moment here and there. We immediately called an emergency vet to come home because our usual clinic was closed for a national holiday. He came fast and examined her thoroughly, after which he concluded that it must be an acute gastritis, and provided some meds to make her feel better. However, our baby did not improve. She continued puking and screaming in pain after the vet left and we were already crying by then. We called the vet again and he came back, checked her thoroughly a second time by running an echograph and gave her an antispasmodic to stop the sharp pain. He still thought that it was a gastritis, and she would likely feel better very quickly, in a day or so. The antispasmodic made appeased her, she was still very lethargic but stopped having sharp pains so we were hopeful she would go back to jumping and running in no time.
Unfortunately, we woke up to her vomiting again. She hadn't eaten and barely drank for a day now, so I brought her to the emergency vet as soon as I woke up. They took her in very quickly to run an x-ray and other tests, and the doctor told me that she could have eaten something that stayed inside her in which case they would need to operate. Regardless, they kept her, and would call to give more information after getting the lab results. Not even an hour later, I was shopping groceries and I received the dreadful call. Her Potassium levels were way too high, the doctor was suspecting kidney failure and told me that she might need dialysis very quickly. There were two clinics that had the medical equipment necessary for this, one was 1 hour away but would be extremely expensive (~10k) and the other was 2.5 hours away and would be about half the price if not less. We are not rich by any means but to save our baby we would have paid the price... I asked her if the 1.5 hours extra would lower the chance of survival of our baby and she said no, so we decided to go with the second option. I called my girlfriend sobbing and she came home right away, after which we left for the clinic... When we arrived there, they told us to wait, which made me so mad because they told us to be there by a certain hour which we did. However when our little baby, which was so tired and fragile by now, started vomiting again, they took her in right away. The vet told her that because our dog is so small and weak they would not start with the dialysis right away and will try to lower the potassium levels by other agressive treatments. She also said that the puppy was in a very bad state and her survival is not guaranteed. We broke down crying. We asked to see our baby, and when we saw her she managed to wag her little tail and look at us with her loving eyes while we were struggling to keep our tears from pouring out. We wanted to look strong for our baby and not worry her, she looked so lost and fragile... I will never forget that look in her eyes. The vets obviously knew better, so we agreed to let them do whatever they think is best to save our baby... We were told she would stay there multiple days, and because my girlfriend needed to work the next day, we drove all the way back and would come see our puppy in a couple of days. On the drive home, we received a call from the doctor saying that they managed to lower her potassium levels with the treatment, and the pup peed by herself which were both very good signs. This gave us a glimmer of hope and we were able to stop crying for the night and start having positive thoughts when going to sleep.
And this is where it all comes crashing down. We were told to call after 11:00, so the wait until then was unbearable. I am not working at the moment so I was home alone, crying, shouting, trying to make sense of this situation that happened so quickly and unexpectedly. I just wanted to hear good news. It didn't have to be great news, just some improvement that would let us have a bit more of that hope we so desperately needed. My girlfriend called them at 11:00... the Potassium levels were back up, they didn't manage to stabilize them. They realized that a dialysis might not be needed because there were other factors that would point to other diseases such as her increased hormone levels. They didn't know what was causing our baby to be like this... they had no idea. They called again twice in the following hour to tell us that her health deteriorated and she was now under assistance to breathe. We decided to leave and go see her right then and there... Once we got here after the 2.5 hour drive, our legs were shaking. We did not want to face the situation, we had cried the whole way and could not stop having horrible thoughts. The vet took us in and calmly explained to us that our baby's brain had been damaged irreparably due to an acute reaction to the anesthesia they gave her. She said it would have happened either way, anesthesia or not. The dialysis would likely kill her now and would probably not even solve the problem, because they could not find the cause. The doctor said that they had never seen a case like this, for a dog's health to degrade so fast and aggressively, they even put their whole team to brainstorm on possible diseases that would act this way to no avail. We were told that the most probable thing was a disease, possibly autoimmune, that she carried inside her and was maybe triggered by a gastritis. They said she was not suffering although I don't know if that was just to make us feel better. I fell on the floor crying. I could not believe this was happening to our baby. We took her in at 10 weeks, she was just 4 months old, we didn't even have her for the biggest part of her life and yet we felt like she had been with us for an eternity. I had never loved and cared for another being quite like I did for her. I spent all my days with her, she was the only thing making me feel less alone while I stayed home looking for a job. She was our everything. And she was dying.
They let us see her. She had cables everywhere. She was in a coma, her eyes were half-open and had a viscous liquid in them. Her tongue was sticking out from the side. She looked dead and she wasn't even being sedated. That image keeps replaying in my head over and over. Just the other day she was wagging her little tail and now she looked like her soul had left her body. We broke down crying again... we talked to her a bit, telling her that it would soon be over and she would be able to go to sleep forever, and we would hopefully see her one day again. We kissed her on her forehead as we usually did to tell her goodnight. We had brought her favorite toy so she would feel less alone. We were so devastated. I asked multiple times if there was any chance she would recover, even a tiny one, but the doctor said that the damage she had suffered to her brain would not be able to be reversed. The only other choice we had is that they would keep her to run more tests and hopefully find out what caused this... but she would not come back. We were hurt enough by the situation and could not bear more suffering, so we decided to put her away without pain. We held her little paws when she left us and I rubbed her between the eyes like I used to do when she fell asleep on the couch. After it happened, I asked to take off all the cables and let me hold her again for one last time. I just hope she didn't feel alone in her last moments...
They brought her in the other room covered in a blanket. I closed her eyes, it looked just like she was asleep. I held her lifeless body in my arms and sobbed uncontrollably. We called our parents and we couldn't say a word, just cries. We stayed with our baby a little bit longer in the room, talking to her even if she was already gone. After a while we had to go... we decided to cremate her body and not keep the ashes as it would just be a sad memory of her. They told us that she would get an autopsy as a last chance to find the cause but the probability of finding it was very slim.
We drove back home. The house felt empty, dead. I have never cried so much in my life. When I thought I had no more tears left in my body, more would come and I would start sobbing again. We hugged. We told ourselves that there was nothing else we could have done, and she would have died either way sooner or later. My dad said the only thing that managed to make me feel a little better: dogs don't have the same perception of time as we do. Our baby doesn't know that she died so young, all she knows is that she lived happily and was loved very much throughout her life. When we got in the shower, a hair brush fell on the floor. It was the hair brush that our puppy would always grab and run away with and would make us go mad. We like to think that she was still being silly from up there and that she was telling us to be strong and that she's okay. We took all her stuff and put it in the cellar, except her favorite toy that we kept as a memory. We booked the first flight in the morning to go see my girlfriend's family because we could not stay in the house right now. Our baby was not meant to live... Everything happened so fast, not even four days ago we thought it was just gastritis, and now we will never see her again. I hope she didn't suffer. I hope that in her dying moments she thought of the good times when she was running in the park chasing dogs 10 times her size while we were watching her, laughing our ass off. I hope she knew we loved her very much and will never be able to replace her. I hope she's in a better place now and can eat all the food she wants.
If anyone has any tips on how to feel better I would be more than glad to know about them. Right now it seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel and I don't know how I will emotionally recover from this. We want to get another puppy soon but the void left by our baby in our hearts will never be truly filled. We already miss her so much, she was our everything. Rest In Peace baby girl.

TL;DR: Our 4 month old puppy died unexpectedly and brutally from an unknown illness and my girlfriend and I are struggling to make sense of the world right now.

submitted by NekkyP to Petloss [link] [comments]

2023.06.02 14:53 Ok_Message_7256 Bulking/Cutting vs Body Recomp?

So I guess I’m writing this post from a place of insecurity as I’ve seen people who’ve been at it for less than I have and have greater results. Granted, I do realize that everyone has different fitness goals and methods.
I’m 19M, 5”10, and last time I weighed myself a few days ago 169 lbs. I’d like to say I’m in the 22-24% bf range currently. Formerly, I was 180 lbs around the 25-27% bf range. I’ve noticed being able to slip into clothes that were once too small and now some of my adult L shirts are a bit loose on me. Anyways I’ve been at this since I began college a little over a year ago and just want to get some advice.
My exercise routine looks like: Monday (cardio 3-6 mile run), Tuesday (arms), Wednesday (cardio 3-6 mile run), Thursday (chest/back), Friday (legs), Saturday (rest), Sunday (rest/walk/light run depending on my schedule or how I’m feeling). Throughout the week I’m fairly active and on my feet as well.
My main goal is to lose some bf % as I’d like to lose some weight in my face and lower abdomen area. I’ve slimmed down considerably already but the face fat is unfortunately a bit stubborn. I’d also like to appear slightly muscular or toned. I don’t particularly care about coming off as super jacked or whatnot. Currently, I’m eating at a slight caloric deficit of around 2000-2200 calories.
I’ve been told I need to eat less but I don’t think this is a good idea as I don’t particularly feel like I’m eating that much to begin with and because I won’t reach Macro goals if I eat less. In terms of eating more, I’m not really inclined to eat more? I just don’t see the need to force myself to eat if I’m not hungry especially with food costs. Maybe that’s an insecurity or fear as a formerly overweight person who struggled with watching calories that I’ll put it back on but Idk.
The only thing I didn’t mention is how much protein I’m consuming. This may be what the problem is since I’m finding it not to be consistent or enough. I’d say most days I’m eating at least 100g but I’ve calculated that I should be somewhere in the 140-170 range. Again, this goes back to having to calorie count and make sure I’m not going over.
So any advice? I feel like I’m walking this fine line and I need to commit to either cutting or bulking.

submitted by Ok_Message_7256 to loseit [link] [comments]

2023.06.02 12:57 Slimlyjames 29 Fool-Proof Ways That Work For Slimming Keto Acv Gummies

submitted by Slimlyjames to u/Slimlyjames [link] [comments]

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submitted by SMARTVALOR to u/SMARTVALOR [link] [comments]

2023.06.02 10:33 itsthatrealtosser I still have feelings for my high school crush and I'm ashamed of it.

Obligatory mention that this is a throwaway. Obligatory trigger warning for mentions of self-offing.
Apologies in advance for the novel and apologies in advance for the very real possibility that I'm going to say something in this that offends someone, somewhere. It's not my intention to offend, I'm just getting this off my chest as I best know how to say it.
So, to start, I'm not looking for advice or anything, though that doesn't mean that I wouldn't appreciate it if it's offered. I'm only here because I don't have anyone to talk to about this and I'm just so tired of carrying it around with me. The best way that I know how to get through this is to break it down in a story-like fashion and give explanations along the way, so bear with me. With that said, I can't promise that this will be entirely coherent, but I'm going to do my absolute best to make this make sense. With all that said, let's jump into it:
Like I said in the title, I (27) still have feelings for my high school crush. It's been almost 10 years since I finished high school and the feelings that I have for her are the same now as they were then, if not more mature- for lack of a better word. Officially, we met in middle school and I developed a crush on her almost immediately when I first saw her, although it took me weeks to even admit to myself that I had a crush on her. That crush persisted throughout high school, hence why I'm calling her my high school crush.
If I had to describe our overall relationship, I would say that we were cordial acquaintances more than anything, but that might be pushing it. She and I were never close, nor were we in the same social circle, let alone the same social realm. I was, literally, a fat trench coat kid and she was one of the popular kids. I'm sure you can imagine what that looked like, but I'll break it down for you just in case. In middle school, I started putting on weight and, being incredibly insecure and self-conscious, I dressed in clothes that were two sizes too large and wore a trench coat on top of it to hide as much of myself as humanely possible. I will readily admit, however, that I actually liked how I dressed at first, but after a while it just became a necessity in order for me to feel even remotely comfortable stepping foot outside of my home. Now, I should mention that my trench coat wasn't a full sized one and only went down to my knees, but on most of my peers it was certainly full sized. I should also note that we're from the Southwestern US, which means that it gets ridiculously hot here for most of the year and I insisted on wearing my trench coat every single day, no matter the weather conditions. I also always had extra layers on under my clothes, always wore pants- phys-ed and sports not withstanding- and almost always wore long-sleeved shirts. There were more than a couple of brushes with heat stroke, but I never deviated.
Besides my lack of style, clothing coordination, and on top of my weight, I'm built fairly rough. I'm not tall, but I'm not short either and I'm not even remotely conventionally attractive. Stout and paunchy are just a couple of the words that can best be used to describe me, or were certainly used to describe me back then. I had a slew of bad haircuts, had thick glasses, had noticeable bags under my eyes, was physically disproportionate and my facial features weren't much better, and I basically waddled instead of walked. I was weird, socially inept, emotionally underdeveloped and volatile, a terrible conversationalist, and awkward to the extreme. The only things I really had going for me were that I was decently smart and good at listening to other people's problems. Frankly, potatoes have more looks and personality than I ever had.
Then you've got her: the very definition of conventionally attractive. Gorgeous long hair, beautiful eyes that looked 10 different shades of blue depending on the day and the lighting, gray on others, and green most of the time (absolutely mesmerizing), fit (for lack of a better word), proportional. Absolutely what you think of when you think of models on The Gram. Besides her looks, she was also sociable, kind, smart, and she always carried herself with a certain grace and poise that both exuded maturity and life experience without being haughty or self-righteous and embodied a confidence, a self-assuredness, that bordered on being whimsical in all of the best ways. Not to sound too cheesy and cliché, but you knew and you paid attention when she entered a room and you definitely knew when she left because her leaving just made every thing and every one else seem more bland, uninteresting, and devoid of personality when she wasn't around to brighten things up. Plus, she had a very distinct fragrance, so you knew whenever she was nearby before it even registered that she was there, which is an odd thing to admit, as I'm not really a fan of fragrances like that and had never paid attention to them before, nor do I do so now. To sum it up, we were complete opposites in every conceivable way, all the way down to our hair color, as mine was light colored and hers was dark, but I think it was all of the differences between us that fueled my interest in her more than anything.
Despite being leagues apart in our differences, in all of the times that we interacted with one another she never treated me badly in any way, shape, or form. In fact, she was far kinder to me than one would have expected and probably more so than she should have been at times. I can honestly say that she treated me with more grace and patience than most others ever did, my friends and family included, on plenty of occasions and I still don't understand exactly why she did so, especially during those times where I didn't deserve to be treated that way. I have some speculations, though. Considering the kind of person I was, however, it wouldn't surprise me to hear that she had, at the very least, spoken badly about me behind my back, although no one ever confirmed whether she had or not, even the people who would have known for certain never said anything to that affect. In retrospect, I think they were either trying to spare my feelings or were unsure of how to bring it up to me. Regardless, I do know for a fact that I was discussed, I just don't know what exactly was said, though I can hazard a guess or two. She knew I had a crush on her and I'm positive that it was discussed by her and her friends, plus everyone else who cared to discuss it, which was far too many people. But, looking back on it now, I can say that it really wouldn't bother me to hear the kinds of things that she could have possibly said about me. I can assure you that there are no rose-colored glasses here and my feelings for her don't factor in to my general opinions of her, so I think whatever opinion she may have had of me may have been warranted and there is really nothing as awful or as damaging that she could have said that could even remotely compare to the things that others have said about me, about the situation, and directly to me. Plus, I'm at that age and in that mindset of I just don't care either way.
To give some further context, the middle school we went to wasn't what you would normally think of when you think of a middle school. It wasn't noticeably cliquey and all of the kids interacted with one another and were generally friendly with each other, so I talked to and interacted with the "popular kids" about as much as I interacted with everyone else. Our high school was fairly standard for a high school, but not in any extreme way, so most of us that interacted in middle school continued to do so in high school, though maybe less frequently unless we were already friends. With that said, I did have a fair amount of friends in middle and high school. I'd say 98% of the people I considered my friends were also the weird kids, but that never mattered to me and wasn't something I had ever thought about in that way. I was weird, they were weird, so we clicked. But, unlike them, I was the freak among men, so to speak, and you can't look a gift horse in the mouth (or whatever that saying is), so I was happy to have friends and have the opportunity to develop my social skills, as doing both was something I struggled with in my younger years for various reasons and is something I currently struggle with as an adult, but that's a different story. At the time, I had 4 people in particular that I considered my best friends. For reference, we'll call them Luthor, Daria, Helen, and Belle. Luthor is the friend I had known the longest and Belle was a friend I made a year or two before middle school but whom didn't go to my school, but we remained good friends throughout middle and high school regardless. I became friends with Daria and Helen in middle school and we became very close very quickly and remained close until about halfway through high school. This is all important for later, I promise.
If I remember correctly, in all of the time that we were in school, she and I had maybe one or two classes together, but the way our middle and high schools were set up we saw each other fairly regularly. Now, in all the time that I knew my crush, we talked maybe a dozen or so times and I can say that I mostly formed my opinion of her based on those interactions more than anything else. Like I said before, she never treated me badly and was actually very nice to me. There were a couple of occasions where she was the only person in a day to say something nice to me when no one else had, my friends included. There were a couple of times I was struggling for one reason or another and she either said something kind to me or offered me encouragement, which was more than my friends offered during those times. There are a few more pointed examples, but that'll give too much away, so I'm not going to include them other than to say that I 100% believed her to be a very kind and thoughtful person and nothing anyone could say would change that opinion I held of her, and I can assure you that they tried.
If you haven't noticed the trend yet, my friends were not the greatest (Belle being the only exception), but, at the time, they were my friends and I didn't see how they were treating me until about the time where my friendships with them ended. It's important to say now that the main reason my friendships with these people ended was primarily because of my crush on this girl. See, none of my friends liked her and while they were civil with her- to the best of my recollection- they were vocal about it with me whenever possible, which was more often than not. Their reasons for not liking her ranged from thinking she was conceited, vain, and self-absorbed to blatant jealousy. I can tell you with absolute certainty that I shut down those conversations about her fairly quickly when they came up or changed the subject whenever possible, I even defended my crush against them, for some slight or another, on a couple of occasions, which my friends, Daria and Helen in particular, didn't like at all. In their minds and in what was expressed to me by them, I was their friend and it was my responsibility to listen to their "venting" and be on their side no matter what. They were half the reason why I couldn't admit to myself that I had a crush on her for as long as I did. Luthor, in comparison to them, wasn't interested in discussing her much at all until I told him about my crush on her. While he also didn't like her, he was more apathetic towards her more than anything, but my crush on her was the most interesting thing in the world at that point, so she came up more with him after I told him.
I know I'm talking in circles here, but before I get into all of what I'm alluding to, there are a couple of things I want to touch on that I'm neglecting in all of this. First, the other half of the reason why I couldn't admit to myself that I had a crush on this girl was because she was my first girl crush and I was embarrassed about it. If anything, I was more ashamed of my crush on her back then than I am now. Take into consideration the fact that she was a whole universe out of my league, coupled with the fact that she was never someone I should have had a crush on to begin with, and you've got a recipe for an identity crisis that has lasted for over a decade. I had crushes before her, of course, but none of them were... I guess "abnormal" like this one was. There did come an inevitable point in this where I figured that the best way to get over my crush on her was to just admit it to myself and move on, but that backfired, obviously, as it didn't help with my feelings at all. If anything, it made my feelings more profound. Us being polar opposites in every conceivable way didn't help things either, as I had no sense about how I was supposed to interact with her. Take out the crush and I didn't know how to talk to her like a normal person because she wasn't the kind of person I had experience interacting with. Add in the crush and it just made me feel more awkward than I already was. My first gut instinct was to avoid her like the plague unless absolutely necessary or unless she addressed me first, which at that point I couldn't escape the interaction. And most of the time, my interactions with her left me feeling like I needed to run and find the nearest rock to crawl under to slowly perish. Honestly, I was scared of her and intimidated by her all at once. Like I said, she wasn't someone I had experience interacting with. She wasn't like everyone else and I have yet to meet anyone else who comes close to being like her, which both incited a distinct sense of innate curiosity about her and left me feeling scared of her because I didn't want to make a fool of myself and I didn't know how to go about treating her like I did everyone else. It just felt like she was more special than mediocrity demanded, which was my limit back then. It also always felt like if she looked at me long enough she would be able to see both my feelings for her, which I didn't want to her know, and would be able to see all of the things about me that I didn't want anyone else to be wise of. I had my reputation and I had my carefully molded persona, but I didn't want her or anyone else to see the weakness inside of me. I still don't. And she was perceptive enough to have figured it out just by paying attention long enough. Which leads me to my next point.
As creepy as it sounds, and I'm ashamed to admit, I spent too much time paying attention to her. Frankly, I watched her quite a bit, sometimes even openly staring at her. I can say that I couldn't help it, but a reasonable person would have been able to, as I should have been. I never followed her around anywhere or stalked her or anything, as, like I said, I tended to avoid her like the plague whenever possible, I just watched her whenever I knew she was nearby. Personally, I'd say that that was just awkward kid syndrome at work and I didn't know what else to do but to stare. But this is where I say that I have exceptionally well-developed peripheral vision (for survival reasons), so most of the time I could just position myself in a way where I could observe her through that without making it obvious. Honestly, saying that out loud just sounds gross, but it's the truth.
However, while there were a couple of times where I did catch her attention because I was obviously staring or we just happened to catch each others eye in passing, being able to observe her while it looked like I wasn't paying attention made me cognizant of the fact that she watched me about as much as I watched her. There were plenty of times where I genuinely wasn't paying attention and was just going about my business and I just so happened to shift myself and noticed her watching me already. Plus, I have it built into me, also for survival reasons, to know when I'm being stared at, so it never took me long to find who was watching me, even in a crowded room. There were plenty of times where I was being boisterous and obnoxious enough to draw attention, but most of the time I was just existing and in most situations I am typically very quiet and reserved, observing what's going on around me rather than explicitly reacting to the environment that I'm in. So, I always found it very jarring whenever I would catch her watching me in my normal element. 9 times out of 10, if possible, I tended to vacate the area whenever I noticed her watching me because it just felt like she was picking me apart at a distance and I didn't like the feeling of vulnerability that it created within me. And nothing about her expression or body language ever gave anything away as to what she could have been thinking, except for the occasional look of surprise or something similar to that.
Honestly though, if I had to rationalize her perception of me, I think she probably acknowledged that I was weird and was probably wondering why I was the way that I was. It also wouldn't surprise me for her to think that I was creepy, which, as hard as it is for me to admit and as ashamed as I am to recognize this, I could come off as creepy given the right circumstances, even though I never tried to come off that way, so her thinking that would have been fairly warranted at times. I think more than anything, she was probably trying to figure me out, either in the same way that I was trying to figure her out or in her own way, that she probably felt sorry for me for one reason or another, or that she was scared of me. Too many people, even my friends and some relatives, have admitted to me on multiple occasions throughout my lifetime that they found me to be naturally intimidating because I have a naturally stoic demeanor- as my cousin put it to me recently- and it wouldn't surprise me if she felt the same. Plus, she didn't know me well enough to know what I was and wasn't capable of, so, personally, I think it's best to be observant of someone you're wary of and err on the side of caution with them. I never would have even considered trying to do anything regardless, nor would I have even considered hurting her in any way, but that's not something she would have known for certain if she thought of me in that way. Basically, my mentality around it is that it was done to me and I would never subject anyone else to it. But, I think it's a fair thing to consider of others, even if it isn't true, at least for your own personal safety. Do I think she was wary of me? Yes and no. I would be if I were in her shoes, but she never gave me the impression that she was, considering that she initiated 99% of our interactions and I never felt any uneasiness from her. But in saying that, I'm also well aware of the fact that I'm not a mind reader and I don't actually know how she thought or felt, I'm just going off of my perception. I'm also not someone who mistakes kindness or staring for interest, as interest tends to be blatant if you know what it looks like and I certainly don't think it was. There is a part of me, though, looking back, that thinks that she may have wanted to at least talk to me more, but whenever she did talk to me I tended to panic, my brain would shut down, and I tended to be curt, which can be interpreted as a lack of overall interest.
It kind of felt like I was a spectacle to her more than anything. In the same way that she was different from everyone else, I was different in my own way. What is steadily becoming more and more common now was not typical back then and I got a lot of attention because of that. Also take into consideration that I had a hard life growing up, I've had a lot of bad things done to me, and I've seen a lot of horrible things, all of which still haunt me to this day, but what that meant for me as a teenager was that I was emotionally unpredictable and volatile. I had my fair share of outbursts and went scorched earth on a couple occasions, violently a couple of times. Add to that being the weird kid who didn't fit in anywhere and it's safe to say that I had some problems. That was certainly something to watch, especially because I made efforts to be sociable. I just wanted to be normal and fit in, to have my own space and to feel valued, and that was obvious to anyone paying attention, as was pointed out to me by my favorite teacher at the time. Outside of this teacher, though, no one ever took the time to actually get to know me without being judgmental. There were people who asked questions, but they only asked because the rumor mill was running overtime, they were curious, and made efforts to approach me privately to confirm or deny what they had heard. And just so everyone knows, my best friends and even my own siblings regularly contributed to the rumor mill.
On that note, let me backtrack for a minute. So, after I made the decision to accept that I had a crush on her and my feelings didn't go away like I thought they would, I decided that I needed advice and went to my friends because that's what you do. Who else was I supposed to turn to? I went to Luthor first since he knew me the longest and I had been the one to give him this kind of advice in the past on more than one occasion. I kid you not, when I told him he laughed at me. For a while, too. When he was done laughing, he asked me if I was serious and why her of all people. I was serious, but I didn't have an answer to that question. Yes, I did think she was beautiful, physically attractive, and all that, but it was never just about that, it was more about how she carried herself, her charm and charisma, her graciousness and style; it was about how fascinating it was to me how different we were, and I just found it very intriguing and appealing that she had everything that I lacked and was everything I could never be. Frankly, I just thought that she was the coolest person around. Keep in mind though, that this is all in retrospect and wasn't something that I could even begin to express back then. Whenever anyone asked I just said that I didn't know because back then I really didn't know why I had feelings for her. But, Luthor never liked "I don't knows" for answers and pestered me about it constantly and made plenty of jokes about it. He was no help and actually made the whole thing much worse than it needed to be.
I don't know why I even bothered to try and talk to Daria and Helen about it, either. Between the two of them, Daria just thought I was stupid for having a crush on her, while also thinking that it was funny in a wrong way, and Helen was outright mad about it. Compared to Daria, Helen was overtly jealous of my crush without having to say that she was. Everyone knew it and more than a few people asked me about it, which I never confirmed for them, as I thought that was a particularly shady thing to do. This was also before I knew that they were shit talking me behind my back, so I wasn't about to bad-mouth my friend like that. And on that note, I didn't do so when our friendship ended either, even though they continued to do so. The advice that they gave me, by the way, was to get over it, grow up, and find someone that would actually give me the time of day because it wasn't right to like her of all people. Belle, on the other hand, while making it known to me that she thought it was weird to have a crush on this girl, but having never met my crush, was very supportive and offered me great advice that I still utilize to this day. I won't be sharing it, by the way, because it's very pointed advice and will certainly identify me. One of my favorite teachers- not the one previously mentioned- also figured it out on her own and reached out to me to give me advice, which she wrote in a note that I still have and carry with me everyday, as it's very universal and sage advice that has helped me through some very hard times over the years.
So, telling my best friends about this ended up being the beginning of the end of my friendships with them (Belle excluded). It drew a wedge between me and Helen in particular and she made it known almost immediately that she didn't want to discuss it with me at all, but that I was still obligated as her friend to listen to her complain about my crush and that it was my responsibility as her friend to support her and defend her. Yes, she said that and she pressured me- actually gaslit me- to act on that, as well, and it was that exact sentiment and what she had me do that ruined our friendship. I can't tell that whole story because it will certainly identify me, as the results of it were very public, but I will admit that I had plenty of fault of my own in all of it and I was not particularly nice about it, which I mostly regret looking back at it all.
Before we get to Daria though, there's Luthor. Luthor was the one who told my crush that I had a crush on her. Before the point that he did, he had been pestering me for days before this point to tell her. I didn't want to, of course, but he insisted and basically brow-beat me into giving him the green light to tell her. My exact words to him were: "if you're not going to shut up about it, then just tell her. I don't care anymore." I vividly remember that moment for many reasons. And I kid you not he laughed and actually got very excited, like a kid in a goddamn candy store or, more accurately, like a kid at the zoo feeding the giraffes. When he did tell her, I was probably like 20 or so feet away going about my business and actively ignoring their very existences, so I didn't hear what was said exactly, all I know was that she looked at me for a moment, said okay, and walked away. That was it. Frankly, I think her reaction kind of ruined the moment for him, as when he came back to tell me that he told her, he looked very bummed out. See, now that was funny. The petty side of me thought that it was, anyway. It was nice to see that it didn't turn out how he wanted it to, which was also a relief for me because I thought that her being told wasn't going to be as... nonchalant as it was. That, at least, was a relief for me because I was honestly terrified about what was going to happen after she knew. But, at that point, I was more pissed off at him than I was terrified of her. After that point, he obviously didn't think it was funny anymore. His entire tone shifted after that to using it as ammunition to make fun of me and put me down. My crush on this girl wasn't the butt of the joke anymore. I was. This culminated to two things: being told that I was stupid and that I should off myself and finding out that all of my best friends were shit talking me behind my back.
Daria was the one I found out about first, then I found out about my siblings talking about me behind my back, then Helen, then Luthor. This all got back to me because of the rumor mill, by the way, and my actual friends were either looking out for me or assuaging their curiosities by asking me questions based on what they heard from these people. The fallout from all of this was tremendous. I can promise you that I went full scorched earth and it's a surprise that I wasn't committed because of the breakdown(s) that I had during this time. No one was spared my wrath, even the people who didn't deserve it, but they understood and were forgiving even when they shouldn't have been. Keep in mind, as well, that I was pushing 300 pounds at this point and I knew how to use my size, I was loud and vulgar, and I had a storied history of anger issues that finally had an outlet. It was really bad, in retrospect, but all of this happening both ruined me and changed me. Besides being bullied, mocked, and ridiculed about it for a long time after, it changed who I was as a person and how I went about my friendships. I've had trouble keeping and making friends ever since this happened. Being told that I was stupid and that I should off myself by one of my best friends was the most damaging part of it, though. I seriously considered it for a long time afterwards and actually tried a couple months later but I couldn't bring myself to follow through. I've struggled with it ever since, trying again and almost succeeding a couple of years later for reasons unrelated to this. It was tough and I basically just existed my way through my last two years of high school, but I still had great people around me and a couple of teachers I could rely on for support. I did cut Daria and Helen out of my life completely after that, Belle basically became my rock through it all, and Luthor and I semi-reconciled about a year later, but he never took responsibility for what he did or what he said, so it was never the same as it once was after that. As a point of reference, he said to me: "I don't remember ever saying that, and I didn't mean it in that way, but if I did say that, then I guess I'm sorry." So, yeah. I think you'd call them "toxic" in today's day and age, wouldn't you?
Now, as far as my crush goes, there's not much to say there. We interacted a few times after she was told, but I never brought it up to her and she never directly brought it up to me. Thankfully. I would not have been able to handle that conversation, and, looking back, I'm glad that we never had to have that conversation because there was no point to having it. I mean, I think she had to have some suspicion that I had a crush on her before she was told, but I at least have enough common sense to know how she would have responded anyway if that conversation had ever happened at any point. I didn't need to hear it and she didn't need to say it. It wouldn't have helped either of us. It probably would have made things worse. I was already embarrassed and ashamed about it before it got out and that was doubly true after, especially with all of the questions and the bullying that followed. It did trickle down after a while, but there were still some brave people who brought it up every now and then.
I can tell you that my fear of her increased tenfold after she was told, too. It wasn't so much rejection that I was afraid of as it was the fear of the potential obligation to admit it to her that I was scared of. There's a huge difference between admitting it to yourself and to your friends versus admitting it to the object of your affections and I wasn't ready to face up to what admitting it to her, personally, actually meant. I really don't think that I am now either. It would be easier to do now and would probably be easier to talk about with her now given the right circumstances, but time hasn't made the potential prospect of doing it any better than it was before. And an explicit rejection, especially after all this time, isn't going to help anything either way considering that it doesn't need to be said anyway. I'm just as embarrassed about it now, if not more so, than I was back then. Honestly though, it wouldn't surprise me to hear that she felt a little embarrassed about it, as well. I would be if I were in her shoes. I mean, take who I was and mix it with the fact that I was walking around looking like an inflated fucking Quasimodo and I can imagine some laughs were had at either her or my expense. I've seen too many people do that kind of thing in my lifetime. Plus, it just wasn't really a thing back then anyway and that alone got people talking. It was certainly something that I would have been embarrassed about if I were in her shoes.
Now, if you've made it this far, I hope your ready for the big reveal that I've been alluding to. I was actively trying to avoid it, but I think it'll all make more sense when I say this. If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm biologically female. Everyone knew that back then and it was obvious that I was from my physicality- if you were paying attention at least. But, I've been wearing boys clothes since I was about 3 or 4 and never actually changed from there, so plenty of people had to ask for clarification. There was actually a point in time where I literally dressed like Slim Shady, but that was just a phase. I did look like him, though, just as a point of reference, but I was also compared to Wesker from the Resident Evil franchise, as well. Just picture both of them as being fat and you'll have a good mental image of what I looked like. I got a lot of shit for it over my lifetime, of course, as it wasn't common, but it was natural for me and certainly how I felt most comfortable. Seriously, though, I can't function without real pockets and girls clothes don't have them, so hard pass for that alone.
Anyway, though, when I say I'm built rough, what I really mean is that I have the physical attributes that make it ridiculously easy for me to pass for a man, especially now. Square head, broad shoulders, bulky body, a lower vocal range, all of that. I mean, I actually have the ability to grow a solid goatee if I really wanted to with no hormone support, which, as a side note, I know isn't normal, but there's no medical indications for why that is. Frankly, I'm the spitting image of my father. But, like I said, that's normal for me. Plus, I've always been naturally drawn to typically "male" hobbies and interests all my life- fishing, working on cars, sports, woodworking... the whole nine yards. 3 generations of men in my family- from my great-grandfather to my grandfather down to my father- spent countless days and hours in my childhood teaching me everything they knew about about these things, but fishing was the big one, since I've always enjoyed that the most. It just came naturally to me and wasn't something I ever thought about until people brought it up to me. That also extends into my personality and how I act, as I tend to go about things like men typically do and just think about things like men typically do, although with the added perspective of being a woman, or I guess living my life as one. That also came naturally to me without much thought or notice unless it was pointed out to me. I will acknowledge, though, that I was fairly sensitive back then and that was pretty obvious. But, for the most part, I'm just fairly stoic personality wise and don't tend to open up much about anything, which isn't an inherently good thing, but it's the truth nonetheless. I guess it's important to say at this point that I don't consider myself trans, at least I don't right now anyway. There's a possibility that I'll change my mind about it in the future though, but I haven't got that far yet.
Having admitted that, I can say that that was the major reason that I was so hesitant to admit to my crush on this girl and why I was and am embarrassed and ashamed about it. For starters, I wasn't interested in any girls before her and having that come up when I'm already struggling to try and figure out who I am was not fun in the least. My friends did not make that any easier for me, as they spent a lot of effort putting me down and making me feel like shit for who I was, even before my crush came into the picture. For a long time, I didn't want to be that way. I just wanted to be normal. And I had phases of trying to adapt to the normal way and it just never worked for me. It just wasn't right.
Then, there was the pride factor of not giving anyone the satisfaction of an "I told you so." I think that's self-explanatory, but I'll say that I do know of several bet pools that were going about my being gay and about whether or not I would live past 25. Jokes on them because I'm obviously still here. In my mind, though, you couldn't be a freak and gay on top of it, that was just too much. But, I genuinely thought that I could live as a freak and be okay, but I didn't want to be gay. To me, that was a whole different ball park. It was one thing "to play dress up" and another to "live the lifestyle," as it was so aptly put to me by one of my friends. I was sure as shit ready to get comfortable in that closet and pretend there was no such thing as a bedroom. But, the longer my crush persisted the more my determination to do so waivered and that just made me angry and ashamed all at once. I wasn't about to consider attempting to pursue my crush in any way, shape, or form. My interest in her wasn't even remotely sexual, I didn't have those kinds of fantasies about her or anything like that, but, I mean, I did find her physically attractive- let's be honest, she was stunning- yet, I couldn't imagine myself doing something like that, even after I was asked if I had wanted to by multiple people. And I still can't because I haven't done anything like that since then either. I've been interested in two other girls since her, but not to the level that I was interested in her and I lost interest in them fairly quickly for various reasons, and I've had quite a few girls who were interested in me over the years, most of whom asked me out, too. But, I just can't do it. I can imagine what it would be like to be in a relationship with a woman, but I can't actually imagine myself being in that position. There's a mental block there. An anxiety, an overwhelming feeling of embarrassment and shame. Whenever I think about the fact that I still have feelings for my crush, I just can't help but feel all of those things all over again. I'm just kind of stuck here at the moment. I can't move and I don't want to move. It's frustrating.
As some last notes before I end this, I want to say that I don't use social media outside of reddit and tiktok, so I don't know where my crush is, what she does, or what her life is like now. I'm fairly certain that my socials are still active, but that's not my thing, so I don't bother checking them. Maybe I'll get over my feelings for her and maybe I won't, I don't know. If anything, I just hope that she is happy and safe out there wherever she is. As for my former friends, I know that Luthor is doing well from what other friends have told me, and Belle, in all her greatness, is also doing well from what I've been told. As for Daria and Helen, well... let's just say that I'm pretty pissed and bitter about the things I've heard about them. In all of their hypocritical glory, Daria has been living as nonbinary for quite some time now and Helen is trans. I can't really say that I care too much about Daria, but Helen, on the other hand, just infuriated me when I found out, if I'm being completely honest. Being that she was the one who treated me the worst, gave me the most shit, degraded me, insulted me, gaslit me, bullied me; and then to turn around and do the very thing that I was condemned for is just adding insult to injury. I understand it on some level, but to turn around and try to make yourself out to be an advocate without ever even bothering to own up to what you did is just foul. I can't sit here and wish the worst for her though, that's just not me, but goddamn. I will say the biggest Fuck You that I can, though. Being as I am, I also can't help but to just wish them the best and never bother myself with thinking about them again. Also, as a side note, I've lost quite a bit of weight since high school, so, yay for me on that.
Coming to the end of this, I will add: If, in the infinite possibilities that the universe has to offer, my crush were to ever read this and figure out who I am, I just want you to know two things: I'm sorry for who I was and that is was you and if you feel compelled to nip this in the bud or if you're just curious, it would be easier to just ask me questions rather than trying to talk to me about it. But, even saying that, I'm fairly certain that I would just vehemently deny everything anyway unless I was in a position where I couldn't hide from it. Now that this is all out of my system, thank you for reading if you made it this far. You're a real trooper!

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2023.06.02 09:54 autobuzzfeedbot "She Was So Rude, My Family Is No Longer Allowed To Listen To Her Music": 34 Of The Absolute Best And Worst Celebrities People Have Ever Met

ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I’ve met Harry Styles several times, and he is so nice and considerate. He actually put off going out with his team just to sit and talk to my 15-year-old daughter and me. I’m sure he was exhausted, but he seemed to enjoy relaxing and chatting with us. My daughter will most likely live on that memory for years to come!"
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "Jennifer Aniston is a sweetheart. She seemed very genuine and kind. I met her in a restaurant bathroom of all places. We talked for so long, her friend had to come and find her."
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I met Lorne Michaels when I worked at a 5-star restaurant. Everyone who worked with me knew I’d been a fan of SNL since I came out of the womb, so when I picked up the phone to make the reservation and spoke with his assistant, I told them I was Lorne's biggest fan. When he arrived with his wife and son (who went to a local boarding school), they were so kind, and he said, 'Oh, I heard you’re my biggest fan, and that’s amazing because I don’t have fans — the cast always has fans!' I almost died. I gave them my favorite table, which they were thrilled with, and when he got up to leave, he left me an envelope with a pretty sweet bonus tip inside. I wasn’t usually tipped doing my work, so it wasn’t necessary, but it was so thoughtful and appreciated. All three were true gems. You’d never know he was famous or rich at all."
TOTAL NIGHTMARE: "I met Roseanne Barr for work once. I went to shake her hand, and she looked me up and down and said, 'I don't shake hands,' then walked away."
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I met Matthew Gray Gubler after he did a talk years ago at my college! Only the first 100 people who got tickets were supposed to be able to do a meet and greet. He said 'rules were made to be broken' and that he would stay and meet with everyone until they kicked him out. Not only was he incredibly sweet to me (literally introduced himself...so humble and posed for a goofy pic), but he seemed so genuinely kind to everyone there. Just amazing energy all around."
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "A friend and I visited my boyfriend while he was doing security at a jazz festival in Malibu. He told us Adam Sandler and his family had been there all day and tons of people took pictures with him. We ran back to the car to grab the digital camera, looked up, and saw Adam, his pregnant wife Jackie, and their toddler leaving. We went up to them. Adam was clearly done for the day, but his wife said, 'Honey, let me hold [toddler's name] and you can take a picture.' We handed him the camera and he took a selfie with us. Still have that picture on my fridge. Love the Sandman!"
TOTAL NIGHTMARE: "My little cousin played one of Rob Schneider's kids in 50 First Dates. Rob was stuck-up, never got to know the children or their parents, and always went straight to his dressing room. I'm an introvert, so I like my alone time to recharge, but apparently the vibes he was giving off were that he couldn't be bothered to care about anyone else there. Also, the little girl in the movie was apparently a spoiled brat who threw tantrums and made them have to redo so many takes. I can see why Rob maybe didn't want to play with her, but the other kids were great!"
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "My husband met Rihanna years ago and said she was super nice. He was working as a ground handler at an airport and was setting up something on the ramp for her private plane. She came out, approached him, asked him about his job, and they chatted for a few minutes. Not sure if she was killing time until the gate opened, or if she went out of her way to talk to him for the heck of it, but he had nothing but nice things to say about her."
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I met Jerry Springer while bartending almost 20 years ago. He was thinking of getting back into politics and had a meeting in our private dining room on the second floor. It was happy hour and the bar was packed. Someone spotted him and started chanting, 'JERRY, JERRY,' while he was about to walk up the stairs. He then came to the bar, ordered a $2 beer, walked through the entire bar, shook hands, and took pictures. When he finished the loop, he set the full beer on the bar and handed me $40. Regardless of his show, I will always think of him as a class act."
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "My story is that I was actually horrible to a celebrity. In the '70s, I was obsessed with Donny and Marie. They were playing at our state fair that year. My dad tried to get tickets, but it was sold out. He took us to the fair anyway. A few times we could hear the music, which infuriated me at 7 years old. When we were leaving, my dad had to stop the car because there was a big crowd of people. As they cleared to let us through, two people popped their heads in the car window to apologize. It was Donny and Marie. I refused to believe it was really them, and I told Marie, 'You're not Marie. She's a lot prettier than you.' My family was horrified."
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "Hands down nicest celebrity I've ever met was Taylor Swift. I met her at a concert as part of her security at the Houston shows. She was polite and introduced herself to everyone. She was obviously very busy, but she seemed interested in what I had to say and signed an album cover for my son."
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I have been lucky enough to meet Sir Ian McKellen twice: once after a performance where I also met Simon Callow and Patrick Stewart, and once during his tour of 80 shows for turning 80. Absolutely lovely man. He is my #1 dream dinner guest. I wish I was his friend."
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I did a photo-op last year at my local con with Ewan McGregor and, even though it was so quick, he was super sweet. We shook hands, and he asked how my day was. He’s gorgeous in person!"
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I met Matthew Lewis at a local con at his booth and he was lovely (and gorgeous in person). I told him how jealous my Harry Potter-obsessed sister (who was working that day) was going to be, and he told me to tell her he sent his regards! It totally made her day at work when I texted her about it after!"
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I met Pink around 2000. She performed at a teen club I was at, and she was a sweetheart. After her performance, she even danced with us for a little bit."
TOTAL NIGHTMARE: "I’ve heard nothing but bad things from people who've met Bill Nye. One friend said he was at some children’s art show and made fun of the artwork in front of the youngsters. What a jerk."
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "When I was in college in Boston, I was making a late-night Taco Bell run. As I was walking in, this white limo pulled up in front. I went inside and placed my order, and a guy in a white jumpsuit with a white bandana tied around his head came in. There weren't that many people in the restaurant, but he stopped and signed autographs and was chatting everyone up when I left. It wasn't until a few years later that I realized that person was Steven Tyler. This was in the late '80s before Aerosmith had that string of hits."
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "The most genuine interaction I've ever had with a celeb was with Bert Kreischer. I saw a show (during which he mentioned his grandma was in the hospital). Then, he told the audience he would be going to the bar next door after the show if anyone wanted a picture. When he arrived at the bar, he waded through CROWDS of people and made sure everyone who wanted to was able to get a pic or a moment with him. I stayed at the bar for a drink until he was on his way out (by this time the crowd had dispersed). I called out as he passed, 'Hey, I didn't get a chance to say it before, but I hope your grandma does well.' He stopped, turned around, and had a very genuine conversation with me."
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "Jason Momoa was really fun to meet in person when I saw him at a Nine Inch Nails show. Really fun guy!"
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "Jennifer Lopez. I went to where they were filming Air last year (I live in LA) because I wanted to meet Ben Affleck. I met Matt Damon as he wrapped before he left. He was a SUPER nice guy. I waited for Ben as his Escalade pulled up, but I DID NOT expect JLO to get out. She got out right next to me. She was only with her driver and he didn’t tell me to move or anything, so when she got out, I was like ‘Jen! Can I get a picture?' and she said sure. We talked about Selena because I’m Latina and she’s super important to me, and the movie means so much to me. She was SOO nice and sweet. She didn’t give any vibes that I was annoying her or that she had to Go. We also spoke in Spanish. We took our picture and then she went inside to get Ben. When they got out, Ben was NOT HAPPY (I don’t blame him. He was acting and directing), so I just stepped aside."
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "In 2004, I met Tony Curtis. He exuded 'old Hollywood.' He made his way around the room, speaking to each person, and when he approached me, he extended his hand and held my hand through the entire conversation. He focused on our conversation as if there was no one else in the room. As we said goodbye (he was still holding my hand), he raised my hand to his lips and kissed it. He was dressed impeccably and was in fine form. I have had many celebrity encounters, but nothing rises to the level of Tony Curtis. Absolutely the best celebrity encounter I've ever had."
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I met Sir Patrick Stewart at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando. We were both hanging out with friends in the lobby. He told stories, made lots of jokes with his friends, and included us in the conversation."
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I went to college with Muhammad Ali's twin daughters. He came with them for move-in day, and they arrived in a chauffeured Rolls Royce. He was gracious and took as many pictures and signed as many autographs as people wanted. I even have a picture where he is pretending to punch me. I told him that I grew up down the street from the house he had in Chicago before he donated it to the Nation of Islam. He asked me if they were good neighbors and laughed when I told him not really."
TOTAL NIGHTMARE: "My sister met Katy Perry at a restaurant, but she was being rude to the bartender and all the employees who came over to help, so now my niece and nephew aren't allowed to listen to her music."
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I met Tori Amos, and she was an absolute sweetie pie. She hugged me and told me she liked my shirt. We spoke briefly. I was starstruck, but it made a lasting impression on me."
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I grew up in a tiny town (pop. 3,000), and every year for his twins' birthday dinner, Michael J. Fox would bring his whole family to the restaurant my mom worked at. She almost always ended up being their server and she said he (and his family) were the nicest people. They were unobtrusive, friendly, and excellent tippers."
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "James Earl Jones was super sweet. My father and I met him when I was young. His voice is deep, but sweet!"
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I met Dennis Quaid, and he was the nicest guy ever. We chatted about dogs for a while, and he was more than happy to take a few pictures!"
TOTAL NIGHTMARE: "I helped host a book signing for Bobby Flay, and he's a jerk."
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "Every time Dave Matthews plays at the venue across the street from our bookstore, people want to be working in the cafe because he randomly shows up for coffee the morning of his concert and gives the people waiting on him free tickets."
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "Nicest celebrity I've ever met was Cole Sprouse. This was way before when he probably got sick of being on Riverdale and decided to just show his true colors. He took the photo of us together because I was shaking from nerves and excitement."
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I was a bartender at the Troubadour for five years and have so many stories! Jeff Bridges was the first celeb I met. His band was playing. Before we opened, after his sound check, he made a point of coming down to us bartenders to introduce himself and thank us for helping out that night. SUCH A GEM!"
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "Jason Schwartzman came into the bar I worked in on a night that had a bunch of teenage bands playing and was super sweet to any of the kids who came up to him."
ABSOLUTE DREAM: "When I was young, I went to an Olivia Newton-John concert. I grew up watching Grease on repeat and had always loved her. At the concert, me and another young girl were invited on stage to give her flowers and introduce ourselves. On stage, l asked to get her autograph and she told me she would after the show. Post-concert, I waited with my family to get an autograph and she invited me and my dad into her fitting room and no one else. Once back there, I was so starstruck and amazed that she remembered my name! She was so kind and took pictures with me and my dad, signed a photo, gave me the set list, and wrapped it up by giving me a hug and kiss on the cheek. She spent probably an hour with us just hanging out in her room and chatting. To this day, it's one of my most cherished memories."

Link to article

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2023.06.02 09:46 DAXEEY [UK] [WORLDWIDE] [FS] or [FT] BIG CLEAR OUT - A*NE, BLCG, B*RB, EA, GVC, K*TH, N*KE x OW, PAL*C*xGC, PR*D*, SUP, V*RS

TIMESTAMP & TAGGED PICS: https://imgur.com/a/2OibbTf

Part 1: https://imgur.com/a/vKXOx99

AC*E Studios sweater - £40 - available in XL - TTS
BURB Purple shirt - £20 - L - slim/skinny fit
BLCG White Shirt - £25 - available in M, L, XL - relaxed fit
BLCG White T-shirt - £25 - available in L - TTS
GVC Bomber - £80 - 48/L
GVC Rainbow Embroidery jumper - £40 - L/XL - relaxed fit
GVC Black jumper - £40 - L - relaxed
GVC White jumper - £40 - XL - relaxed
GVC Allover hoodie - £35 - L - Slim fit
~~GVC black belt - £30~~ SOLD
N*KE x OW shoes - £60 - 10UK/44.5EU
~~PRD Pants - £30 - available in khaki, concrete - size 36~~ SOLD

Part 2: https://imgur.com/a/N6zKjuP

BLCG T-shirt white - £25 - L - TTS
KTH x VRS T-shirt - £20 - M
PALxGC T-shirt - £20 - M
EA Shorts - £25 - waist 32
SUP Vest Black/Grey - £10 - M
SUP Vest White - £10 - L

PRICES EXCLUDING SHIPPING AND/OR PAYPAL FEES
Feedback from some previous trades on Reddit: https://imgur.com/a/CNGZ86l Thanks for providing the feedback. I will also be grateful for yours after the deal is done. PayPal invoice only.

submitted by DAXEEY to QualityRepsBST [link] [comments]

2023.06.02 07:14 woodcarpaperwheels Sissy bar

Hey does anyone know where I can get a sissy bar with a back pad that fits my 2016 softail slim S? Preferably in black, not chrome. I can’t find a good place. Supposedly there are not many sissy bars that fit this bikes specs. Comment some links! Thanks!

submitted by woodcarpaperwheels to Harley [link] [comments]

2023.06.02 04:54 laeliagoose 'Tis the season to bottle your pears

Summary---If you have a fruit tree, slip a bottle over the young fruit. Secure the bottle. Wait several months until the fruit is fully grown, then remove the fruit and bottle. Fill with tasty, high ABV beverage of your choice.
Details---Bottle selection- Pick bottles near to the diameter you expect the final fruit to grow to, yet have as short a neck and large an opening as possible.
Supporting branch selection (to secure the bottle):I often find these locations first, then look for suitable young fruit below.
Fruit selection:I find pears work best (they sink plus retain their color), but have also bottled apples and Asian pears.
Timing to set the bottles is pretty key and this season is short. The fruit have to be small enough to fit thru the bottle neck, yet late enough that the tree has sloughed excess fruits.
Long, supple branches with a single fruit are ideal. Trim away any leaves or secondary fruit. Avoid sharp angles between the fruit and the branch, as these will often break off during insertion into the bottle.
Bottle securing:I cut strips of cloth from old, stretch t-shirts about 2" wide. I find they have the right amount of give and don't damage the branches. In the center of the cloth, cut a hole just big enough for the bottle's neck. I use masking tape to keep the bottle from tipping out, plus its position can change the angle of the bottle to match the angle of the branch.
Ideally the bottle opening will be facing down, though horizontal can work. This minimizes rain, bug, and dust capture.
Bottle harvest:Harvest the bottles when the fruit is full-sized, but slightly under-ripe so they're very firm. I trim the stem with extra length out of the bottle. This helps to manipulate the fruit during cleaning. Rise with water several times to get the dust and bugs out, then use a very soft bottle brush carefully around the fruit. Trim stem close to fruit. Final rinse with Star San. Top with beverage of choice, clear rum and brandies work well, Calvados is extra special, too. (Cider is too low ABV for long-term storage, but it is a fun presentation.) Ideally let the fruit set at least a month in the beverage before consuming. Once you drink the alcohol, you can always re-top up the bottle with another booze of choice to keep the fruit preserved. Enjoy!
Ideal outcome
Reverse order: A tiny fruit secured inside a secured bottle
Bottle slung and tiny fruit trimmed
Bottle slung to supporting branch to check orientation and height for expected fruit
Different angle: Checking that the inserted fruit isn't being pressured against the bottle
All good sized fruit for bottle insertion. The branched with multiple fruit should be trimmed to a single one

submitted by laeliagoose to Homesteading [link] [comments]

2023.06.02 04:29 RoyalClintonApperson [Clothing] Alfani Men's Slim-Fit Stretch Solid Suit Jacket $55

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2023.06.02 03:08 AmIAmazingorWhat How do different shapes/qualities of shoes affect your climbing?

I’m looking for my next (third) pair of shoes and trying to be a bit more selective this time around, and having trouble finding the right information! Most “shoe advice” focuses on aggressive vs non aggressive and fit. I’m wondering more about how shape of the shoe affects your climbing technique- what toe shape is better for smearing vs edging vs toe hook. I can’t seem to find any articles breaking down the physics of shoes other than “downturned toe does hooks, flat shoe do slabs”.
I’m a pretty consistent V3 climber, and would consider myself a “creative” style climber- I like to use my feet and legs in interesting ways, from smearing to heel hooking to knee bar to bat hang. I’m not a slab climber but I like using the wall, volumes, and tiny chips and crimps. I liked the softer feel of my oxygyms, and I HATED my Evolvs- the toe felt slippery and insensitive and I never felt secure on small footholds.
So is there anything worth even looking for in toe shape/shoe shape? Or is it kind of irrelevant? The two shoes that seem to fit me best (based on my local REI’s limited selection) are Scarpa Helix’s and Sportiva Finales, is there really any difference at this point? Also, if anyone has any insight into how each of these stretches out that would be great. My Evolvs stretched to a whole size too large after I was told they wouldn’t stretch (synthetic), and the oxygyms were a lucky guess so I’m a bit wary of my judgement in sizing!

submitted by AmIAmazingorWhat to climbergirls [link] [comments]

2023.06.02 03:03 Ok_Message_7256 Cutting/Bulking vs Body Recomp?

submitted by Ok_Message_7256 to leangains [link] [comments]

2023.06.02 02:38 ATTAKcATHRAK April and May 2023 watchlist

https://preview.redd.it/ggi7sqq33i3b1.jpg?width=6814&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ad694365b1b63cab9874ecee5b1a0434c924ac4f
I like that some people have been posting about what they’ve watched each month, and I want to see more of it, so I wrote some blurbs on my recent watchlist. Probably wrote too much.
The Eurocrypt(s) of Christopher Lee: Like many classic horror fans, Christopher Lee is one of my favorite actors. However, I wasn’t especially looking forward to these sets, since I thought they would just be offcuts that Severin couldn’t unload as single releases. I’m pleased to say I was wrong. There are a few misfires among them (Challenge the Devil, Mask of Murder, Secret of the Red Orchid), then some mediocre ones (Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace, Castle of the Living Dead), but finally some really enjoyable films. Crypt of the Vampire and The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism (the latter in lurid color) are genuinely creepy and eerie, with looming gothic shadows and ruined castles. Dark Places has a kind of standard “man descends into madness” plot but a fantastic cast including Lee, Joan Collins, Herbert Lom, and Robert Hardy. Murder Story really surprised me! It features a couple of teenagers who befriend Lee (as a writer) and uncover a vast conspiracy while doing research for a novel. The dynamic between Lee and the kids is fun, and although the plot doesn’t really come together, the characters are strong enough to carry it. Finally, Dracula and Son, which I was truly dreading - a French comedy about Dracula and his rebellious kid’s wacky hijinks, with that cover (https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71yHrbovNIL._RI_.jpg)? But it turned out to be very enjoyable, not quite laugh-out-loud funny, but quirky and charming. Again, the characters make it.
Al Adamson: The Masterpiece Collection: What’s to say about this one? Adamson’s approach to making films (if you make a stinker, reshoot, recut, and rerelease until you like it) and his entire life (murdered and buried under his floor by a live-in contractor who seemed to be assuming his identity) are fascinating. Even when he makes a kids’ movie it’s bizarre, idiosyncratic, and mesmerizing. Al did it all - sci-fi zombie mashups, go-go crime capers, blaxsploitation, sexsploitation, historical sexploitation, regular exploitation, borderline pornos, sci-fi sex musical epics, rape-and-revenge, stupid comedies, kung fu, teen movies, family movies, fantasies, and more I’m probably forgetting. To anyone who has the cash on hand to get a copy now that it’s OOP, please do and don’t blame me if you hate it. You’ll probably make your money back if you sell. Favorites of mine include Psycho a Go-Go, Angels’ Wild Women, Dracula vs. Frankenstein (which I remember renting from Blockbuster at maybe 8 years of age), The Dynamite Brothers, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Black Samurai, Cinderella 2000, and Nurse Sherri. Also be sure to check out the documentary that comes with it. It’s film school in a box!
Bill Rebane: This filmography was something of a disappointment coming off the Al Adamson set. If you’re going to confine all your characters to a very limited location where nothing happens, you’d better make sure you have an interesting script. And none of these do. Also pretty disappointed in the image quality of the box set. Maybe it’s just a coincidence that The Giant Spider Invasion (the only Rebane film I have not part of the box) was the highest quality and the rest just happened to have no better source materials available, but I don’t know. The Giant Spider Invasion was also the best of his movies that I’ve seen, because it seemed to be the most passionate (and had that badass actual giant spider model). The documentary on the Arrow set was not great either. Made during the height of the pandemic, everyone was on Zoom and Rebane himself was only in it for about 5 seconds. However, it led me to his Twitter (https://twitter.com/billrebane?lang=en) and website (https://billrebane.com/), which are a trip.
Bloody Terror: The Shocking Cinema of Norman J. Warren, 1976-1987: The last director-centric box set I watched recently, and one I already had some experience with. Satan’s Slave was featured on one of those 50-movie Mill Creek sets that I picked up when I was younger and watched before I should have. Satan’s Slave is genuinely well-made in my opinion, with a creepy setting, plenty of twists and turns, and enough gore to keep me interested. Prey is also awesome, despite being mostly uneventful. It’s very pleasant for being a film about an alien who comes to each to find a new source of food. Then we get to Terror and Inseminoid, both of which are awful, the latter being one of the most boring Alien ripoffs I’ve ever seen. But Warren brings it home with Bloody New Year, which is completely bonkers and a lot of fun.
Night Gallery Season 1: Maybe I was expecting too much from this. The TV movie that acts as a pilot for the series is excellent, perhaps because each segment seems like it could have been a Twilight Zone episode. Most of the rest of the season is… fine? A couple of better stories and a couple of worse ones scattered throughout. At the very least they all have good casts. However, the first segment of the last episode, “They’re Tearing Down Tim Riley’s Bar”, made up for the blahness of the rest of it. It’s one of those quintessential Rod Serling scripts about lost innocence and the nostalgia of youth that really crush me, a lot like the TZ episodes A Stop at Willoughby and Walking Distance. I don’t plan to watch it again soon, yet I can’t speak highly enough about it.
Exorcist II and III: Who’s the real Exorcist II; The Heretic? It’s me. I didn’t think the second movie was nearly as bad as its reputation - especially the sequences in Africa, which I found to be pretty eerie and dreamlike. The story doesn’t make much sense, but that’s OK with me. And here comes the real heretical opinion - the third one is better than the first, which I’ve always appreciated but never been a huge fan of. The Exorcist III has a clinical coldness that draws me to it, and I really enjoyed the relationship (though I wish it was longer) between Kinderman and Father Dyer. I’ve heard about the studio fiddling with the ending for the theatrical cut, but honestly it’s a good thing they did, as the original is incredibly anticlimactic.
Deadly Prey: “Who am I? A little man who's spent 27 years of his life as a cop trying to put big shots like you away. 27 years in the filth and the dirt of the streets, and there ain't no music down there. You watch the people on the streets, killing, raping each other, pumping dope through their veins, while big men like you sit in the fancy penthouses. And yet the poor slobs rot in hell. I know about you. As long as it puts money in your pocket. Today the nobodies who made you rich are gonna win. Die, you son of a bitch.”
Foes: This was a real hidden gem. I stumbled across it on the recommendation page for another movie on RateYourMusic, and the poster immediately fascinated me. I looked up the Blu-ray release and discovered it was out of print. Then only a week later I found a copy at The Archive for a great price and watched it right away. I’m glad I did. It’s perfect late-night viewing, hallucinatory and dreamlike. I’m going to guess the script was probably around 5 pages. If you like movies where nothing really happens and lots of ambience washes over you, seek this out, but be sure to watch the 72-minute director’s cut. The longer studio-assembled version is awful.
Death Wishes: The first one is something of a classic, and it’s easy to see why it resonated with audiences as crime exploded in the 70s. It tries to play a ridiculous premise and execution as straight as possible, which hurts, especially in comparison to the Cannon-produced sequels and ripoffs that followed. Vigilantism and capital punishment without trial are heavy subjects, and Bronson, who can’t express convincing emotion, is not a good fit. I didn’t dislike the first one since I love all movies about 70s NYC, but it wasn’t great. The second one is a rehash with an updated setting and terrible score by Jimmy Page. The third is where it gets great, finally embracing the innate ridiculousness of the premise and taking it to new heights, backed by a great cast and a simple but effective script. Don’t remember the fourth one except it’s an inferior retread of the third.
Serpico: Another 70s NYC crime movie! This one is great. Though never to the magnitude of Frank Serpico, I’ve been stuck in seemingly similar situations before, where you just feel like you can’t talk to anyone about anything, and it sucks. The film is full of beautiful shots of the desolation of the city and this poor outsider who just wants to do a little something to improve it. Highly recommended!
Food of the Gods / Frogs / Empire of the Ants / Jaws of Satan: Here we have three classic 70s nature-gone-wild films, plus Jaws of Satan, which is from the 80s so has a slightly different feel. There’s something I really like about these kinds of movies, in all their static, flat, stilted glory. Maybe it’s because they’re kind of a revival of the monster movies of the 50s I enjoy so much. I’m probably not making a good case for them, but they’re comfort food for me, and I know one of you will understand! Others that have the same energy include The Incredible Melting Man, Night of the Lepus, The Devil’s Rain, and Kingdom of the Spiders.

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2023.06.02 02:19 hackzubbard 2024 Post-Spring/Pre-Summer Recruiting Overview

We're now in that sweet spot after A-Day and before Summer OVs/Camp Season where it makes sense to take note and reflect. Remember that camp season likely changes this board dramatically and we'll see a good # of decision (both to Alabama and elsewhere) throughout June and early July.
Rankings Note: Every comic is someone's first so here's how to read/interpret/understand the rankings listed below: Commits and Top Targets will show their 247 Composite Rank, their On3 Composite, and their Comp² Ranking, which is just the raw average of the 2 composite ranks, rounded down. This overview will just reflect the pre-summer top targets/names to know and not the full list. Summer camp season will drastically change this list (new big board in July/August)
# of 4/5* change each year but I like a little consistency so here's generally how I arbitrarily split it, based on the average year-over-year data:
5*: #1-#32
4*: #33-#350
3*: #351-#2000

QB (1 Needed/1 Commited)
Overview: Barring something crazy, a team's QB will be the most important player on the field 9 times out of 10. Bama's looked around for a potential 2nd option but is pretty content with their 5* QB of the Future already commited

Name	H.S.	Rank	Notes
Commits
1. 5* Julian Sayin	Carlsbad in Carlsbad, CA (SoCal)	247: #11 , On3: #14, Comp²: #12	One of the most "ready" prospects in the 2024 class, Julian is very skilled at every facet of QB play - might not be the highest ceiling from an NFL perspective but very likely the highest floor. Julian commited to Alabama somewhat out of the blue but has been locked in since and the Tide's primary leader on offense in this class. This is your QB of the Future.

RB (1-2 Needed/0 Commited)
Overview: Alabama has good RB depth heading into 2023 but could very likely lose both Jase and Roydell at the end of the year so 2 RBs again this cycle feels right. It's doubtful it'll have the star power of the Haynes/Young duo from '23 but I would not sleep on the 2024 targets.

Name	H.S.	Rank	Notes
Top Targets
1. 4* Kevin Riley	Tuscaloosa County in Northport, AL (Tuscaloosa area)	247: #97, On3: #102, Comp²: #99	A homegrown talent, Riley does it all, running with great balance, breaks contact and gets going in a hurry. Top 3 of Bama, Auburn, UGA - this should end up being an Iron Bowl battle that Alabama wins, though it does appear Riley might take his time. If Alabama pushes hard, he could be a summer commit.
2. 4* Daniel Hill	Meridian in Meridian, MS (E MS)	247: #196, On3: #194, Comp²: #195	One of the more unique RB prospects, Daniel Hill is a big bodied guy but plays a ton of receiver as well - not a comparison but could have a Najee Harris-esque roll. Alabama is battling South Carolina here, with the Cocks having some buzz after an early Bama lean. Bama is not done here but might need to press harder.
3. 4* Nate Frazier	Mater Dei in Santa Ana, CA (SoCal)	247: #76, On3: #74, Comp²: #75	One of the nation's top RB prospects with some of the best long speed, Nate Frazier will push for #1 back status in 2024. Frazier is pretty wide open currently, being highly desired by both the local west coast school and the SEC powerhouses. I'd have trouble projecting him anywhere yet but it would be really cool if it was Alabama.

WR (2-4 Needed/2 Commited)
Overview: Alabama has taken 10 non-transfer WRs over the past 2 cycles so while I think they'll take a normal # in 2024, I'd lean more towards 3 than 4 total, unless a 'best available' type wants in

Name	H.S.	Rank	Notes
Commits
1. 5* Perry Thompson	Foley in Foley, AL (Mobile area)	247: #27, On3: #29, Comp²: #28	A taller receiver, Perry thrives with straight-line speed and a suprising ability to weave through space - Thompson earned his offer last season in camp routing up 2023 5* DBs. As a high-ranking prospect, Perry is somewhat keeping his options open and will likely take visits but has repeatedly reaffirmed his commit - Alabama's steady pursuit should allow them to hold on.
2. 4* Rico Scott	Bishop McDevitt in Harrisburg, PA (Cent PA)	247: #372, On3: #289, Comp²: #330	A real smooth operator - plays RB and WR and is at his best going up the field. A bit of a suprise to some, Bama had seen him previously in camp and then watched his fall progress and saw what they needed to pull the trigger. I think we'll finish in the top 150-170
Top Targets
1. 4* Amari Jefferson	Baylor School in Chattanooga, TN	247: #270, On3: #288, Comp²: #279	My favorite realistic WR addition - his vertical and lateral speed POP off the screen, looks like a top 75 guy. Currently a Tennessee baseball commit, football is his likely future, as Alabama and Georgia battle it out. This will be a tough battle but one I very much hope the Tide wins.
2. 4* Aeryn Hampton	Carthage in Carthage, TX (E TX)	247: #116, On3: #126, Comp²: #121	More fast than quick, Aeryn runs like a RB, weaving through traffic and hitting the jets. Aeryn has been up-front about his love for Alabama and has narrowed his list to Bama and Texas, his former commitment. Aeryn has the green light to commit but seems like a guy who could go back and forth so unclear where this ends up.
3. 4* Cam Coleman	Central in Phenix City, AL (E AL)	247: #54, On3: #25, Comp²: #38	This guy's the real deal - big bodied but with slot speed and one of the best high-pointers in the class. Alabama's been trying to get him on campus and he's been uninterested, so the communication has been laid back. Cam and Perry Thompson kinda fill the same role so it's not a huge concern but Auburn is leading here and would give Hugh Freeze a real weapon.

TE (1-2 Needed/0 Commited)
Overview: I think *how* Tommy Rees constructed/called his ND offenses is a bit overblown in how his Bama offenses will look (you play with the talent you have) but Bama has been trying to find their Kyle Pitts/Brock Bowers/Michael Mayer for years now - really since OJ Howard/Irv Smith with a brief detour into Jahleel Billingsley. Alabama would like multiple bodies here if available but would really like a least one really good on in 2024

Name	H.S.	Rank	Notes
Top Targets
1. 4* Caleb Odom	Carrollton in Carrollton, GA (W GA)	247: #85, On3: #69, Comp²: #77	A true mismatch nightmare, Odom is a true receiving threat TE, big bodied with room to grow but a little slender currently. Caleb is kinda wide open at the moment but this feels like one where Bama should start to push, with UGA snagging two of their targets in Jaden Reddell and Colton Heinrich

OL (4-5 Needed/0 Commited)
Overview: Alabama brought in a big OL class in 2023, which is already living up to expectations behind the scenes. They'll try to repeat the process in 2024, as they continue to re-tool their OL room

Name	H.S.	Rank	Notes
Top Targets
1. 4* OT Daniel Calhoun	Walton in Marietta, GA (Atlanta Metro)	247: #86, On3: #106, Comp²: #96	A mammoth of a prospect, Calhoun has the look of a SEC lineman, able to play on the left or right side of the offensive line. Top 3 of Bama, UGA, and Texas but suprise suprise, this looks like another Bama/UGA battle. Feel better about Bama in this one but it's close and OVs will be big.
2. 4* IOL Casey Poe	Lindale in Lindale, TX (E TX)	247: #142, On3: #134, Comp²: #138	One of the most coveted interior prospects, Poe boasts both a mean streak as well as the ability to move the center, making him about as A1 as you can get for an interior OL prospect. Top 3 currently would be Alabama, Oklahoma, and UGA. Will be a tough battle but Alabama is the perceived leader heading into visits. Bama REALLY wants him.
3. 4* OL Jordan Seaton	IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL (Originally from Washington DC)	247: #41, On3: #42, Comp²: #41	Big, athletic frame who could end up playing inside or out - Seaton prefers OT but somecurrently leaning towards IOL. Ohio State was and is very involved but Bama/UGA feel like the primary players since making the move to IMG. I believe he visited for the A-Day game and it certainly seems like Bama will be an option until the end here.
4. 4* OT Marques Easley	Kankakee in Kankakee, IL (NE IL)	247: #263, On3: #240, Comp²: #251	A longer and leaner tackle prospect, Bama and UGA are again involved with Tennessee being the 3rd team in the mix, as well as the possible leader. Despite the Vols' early lead, this one can really go any direction after visits.
5. 4* OT Weston Davis	Beaumont United in Beaumont, TX (SE TX)	247: #180, On3: #124, Comp²: #152	A basketball-first prospect with high-upside as an OT, Davis has some interest in Bama but local programs like Texas A&M are getting some good recent buzz. Think it'll be paramount for Weston to camp.

DL (3-4 Needed/1 Commited)
Overview: Another unit Alabama's been trying to step-up, talent is a necessity in 2024

Name	H.S.	Rank	Notes
Commits
1. 4* DE Jeremiah Beamon	Parker in Birmingham, AL	247: #103, On3: #98, Comp²: #100	Alabama's most recent commitment, Jeremiah is a FORCE rushing the passer, a little undersized with plenty of room to grow before a potential reneissance. If that sounds like Quinnen Williams, it's because that's the comp he's been getting. Many thought he'd be a sooner or later kinda commit and he went ahead and stopped messing around.
Top Targets
1. 5* DE Eddrick Houston	Buford in Buford, GA (Atlanta Metro)	247: #15, On3: #15, Comp²: #15	High upside, athleticism, and flexibility - bit of a tweener for the Saban defense who could slim down to an Anfernee Jennings role and add some weight to try and emulate Jonathan Allen. Another prospect that I think comes down to Bama and UGA, I feel better about Bama's chances here than with Eddrick's Buford teammate, KJ Bolden.
2. 4* DT Terrance Hibler	Holmes County Central in Lexington, MS (Cent MS)	247: #281, On3: #368, Comp²: #324	A bit undersized, Terrance makes up for it with violence, punch, and pure 'want-to'. Alabama has made a great early impression, alongside local Miss State, and the Tide are in a great spot if they choose to push here.
3. 3* DE Utah Commit Isaia Faga	Central in Phenix City, AL (E AL)	247: #733, On3: #676, Comp²: #704	Alabama has seen some recent success with Pacific Island players but it's rare to have one so local. Isaia excels at getting through traffic and getting into the backfield. Isaia's uncle is the Utah DL coach, leading to the early commitment, but Alabama is interested in seeing him camp and who knows where it could go from there.

EDGE (1-2 Needed/1 Commited)
Overview: The highest star rating per capita, talent is hardly a problem here but we'd love to have more.

Name	H.S.	Rank	Notes
Commits
1. 4* Cayden Jones	Christ School in Arden, NC (W NC)	247: #147, On3: #171, Comp²: #159	Alabama has been looking more and more at hybrid LB types who could end up on the EDGE or off-ball (Jihaad Campell, Qua Russaw) - Cayden Jones is another, playing a ton off-ball and walking down to the edge and will likely project into a Terrell Lewis/Dallas Turner - type role. Since last year, Cayden had been up-front about wanting the green light to commit and jumped on it when he got the chance.
Top Targets
1. 5* Dylan Stewart	Friendship Collegiate Academy in Washington DC	247: #10, On3: #9, Comp²: #9	Maybe the top pure Edge guy, Dylan reminds me of Keon Keeley from last cycle; similar build, bend and length. Visits to Alabama, Ohio State, Miami, South Carolina and UGA have put all 5 in contention, similar to Keeley. I'd give the Gamecocks and Hurricanes the edge going into the summer but Alabama is RIGHT there and another visit to campus could flip the script.
2. 4* Jordan Ross	Vestavia Hills in Birmingham, AL	247: #38, On3: #33, Comp²: #35	A high-end Edge, Jordan flashes natural talent that can only grow with development. A little undersized, Alabama has told him to gain weight and camp prior to a serious pursuit, giving UGA and Tennessee an early lead. This could change quickly this summer, as Jordan finds his way onto campus.
3. 5* Colin Simmons	Duncanville in Duncanville, TX (DFW Metro)	247: #4, On3: #3, Comp²: #3	One of the Nation's top athletes, Simmons effortlessly flies around off the edge. LSU and Texas are battling it out thus far but Alabama will continue to work here.

LB (2-3 Needed/1 Commited)
Overview: There's somewhat of a logjam of older player at the LB position so I would expect attrition after 2023, which will need to be replaced by incoming players.

Name	H.S.	Rank	Notes
Commits
1. 4* Sterling Dixon	Mobile Christian School in Mobile, AL	247: #188, On3: #164, Comp²: #176	Similar to Cayden Jones, Sterling is another hybrid type - beginning as an edge type with some off-ball experience, Sterling will transition to ILB this offseason for Mobile Christian and then at Alabama. A long-time commit, Sterling will take some visits but there's not a huge concern there.
Top Targets
1. 5* UGA Commit Demarcus Riddick	Chilton County in Clanton, AL (Cent AL)	247: #25, On3: #38, Comp²: #31	Demarcus is an excellent example of a modern LB and exactly what Alabama wants from the position: excellent weaving through traffic, sideline-to-sideline movement and can shade down to rush the passer. An early UGA commit, the strength of that commitment has wavered significantly and while there's still some work to do, the feeling is he could very likely flip to Alabama over the summer.
2. 5* Justin Williams	Oak Ridge in Conroe, TX (Houston area)	247: #13, On3: #12, Comp²: #12	Similarly archetypal LB prospect: a bit slight at the moment, he makes up for it with WR-level speed and burst, making him a real weapon against a high-powered offense. Oregon, Alabama, and UGA are the likely top 3 - Bama made a good impression this spring but needs to get him back on campus ASAP - feels like UGA could swoop in here if Riddick flips.
3. 4* Bradley Shaw	Hoover in Hoover, AL (Birmingham area)	247: #176, On3: #139, Comp²: #157	More of a traditional ILB, football IQ and sure tackling give him a Shaun Dion Hamilton feel. Alabama, Auburn, and UGA are the top 3 schools and this feels like Iron Bowl battle, where Alabama will win or lose based on how they push to reel him in.

DB (4-5 Needed/1 commited)
Overview: You gotta take a solid # of DBs every cycle but CB is one of the most important/most needed positions in 2024 after losses to the transfer portal.

Name	H.S.	Rank	Notes
Commits
1. 5* CB Jaylen Mbakwe	Clay-Chalkville in Pinson, AL (Birmingham area)	247: #19, On3: #17, Comp²: #18	A legitimate two-way player, Mbakwe, like Kool-Aid before him, could have been a 5* WR as well as DB but prefers defense. Jaylen is the defensive leader of the class and will be pretty instrumental in how the defensive class comes together.
Top Targets
1. 5* CB Charles Lester III	Riverview in Sarasota, FL (Cent FL)	247: #16, On3: #19, Comp²: #17	An all-around athlete with the ability to play multiple DB positions, CL3 could be commited or off the board at any moment. There's a clear interest in Alabama on his end but the Tide have yet to really push, leaving the door wide open for FSU. He OVs on June 3rd so it's likely that we'll have a better idea of where Bama goes after that.
2. 4* CB Jameer Grimsley	Tampa Catholic in Tampa, FL	247: #230, On3: #195, Comp²: #212	Somewhat of the prototypical Saban corner, with a long and lean build and a wingspan for days. Jameer has seen his recruitment skyrocket this spring and schools like Bama, FSU, and Penn State are pushing. Bama's got a great shot for this prospect who should continue to rise.
3. 4* S UGA Commit Peyton Woodward	St. John Bosco in Bellflower, CA (SoCal)	247: #69, On3: #70, Comp²: #69	Peyton shows good play speed and flows to the target in run defense; a good balanced safety. Peyton has not been shy about letting other programs try to flip him from the Dawgs and his family is full of Alabama fans, making the Tide a very possible flip option.
4. 4* CB Zabien Brown	Mater Dei in Santa Ana, CA (SoCal)	247: #57, On3: #56 , Comp²: #56	Zabien is a physical pass defender who excels at getting in passing lanes and making plays on the ball - not a specimen but a true competitor. As a Mater Dei kid, the axiom has been USC most often has first right of refusal so we'll see how the summer visits go and if Bama can/will make a push here.
5. 5* S KJ Bolden	Buford in Buford, GA (Atlanta Metro)	247: #8, On3: #5, Comp²: #6	Likely the top DB in the 2024 class, KJ is how they come; a true 5* safety. UGA has a healthy lead thus far but Bama (alongside others) will have a chance to fight back during summer OVs
6. 5* CB UGA Commit Ellis Robinson IV	IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL (Originally from CT)	247: #5, On3: #7, Comp²: #6	One of the stickiest DBs in the class, Ellis was the other 5* CB alongside Alabama freshman Desmond Ricks at IMG in 2023. Alabama led early but UGA got the momentum and the commitment. It's likely Ellis will take visits, including a potential OV to Alabama, but I would not predict a flip to Alabama at this time or in the future.

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