15 kilos into pounds

Hi everyone so I’m a 5’7 221 pound female. Before I had kids I was very active and weighed 150 pounds. Had kids and gained a lot. I am into one week of dieting and exercising along with taking Phentermine 37.5mg and Metformin 500mg. So far it seems I’ve lost 3.5 pounds. I’m sure some of that is water weight. I’m wondering if it’s possible for me to continue the 3.5lb stride? And I’m shooting to lose 15lbs for the month of June. Has anyone done this? I have a BMI of 34.6 which says I’m “obese”. Google says 3.5lbs a week is too fast but I guess I’m trying to see if anyone has achieved this? Or even has a similar size and weight as me and done this too.

I need a developer to join my team, which is currently developing Aphyns!
APHYNS is a non-profit Five Nights at Freddy's fangame that seeks to weave a tale of mystery, deception, and profound loss. This ambitious project ingeniously combines visual novel-styled investigation segments with heart-pounding sit-and-survive FNAF-styled sections, delivering a unique and immersive gameplay experience.
The game's narrative takes place two years after a cataclysmic event known as the 'reality storm,' which forever altered the lives of Winston and AJ, the main protagonists. In the seemingly normal summer of 1990, they attempt to rebuild their lives, despite their shattered perception of reality. Yet, amidst this fragile sense of normalcy, fate has more in store for them. One fateful day, as AJ's friend Zack pays them a visit, Winston receives a letter from his beloved girlfriend, who tragically departed without the opportunity to bid him a proper farewell. The contents of the letter propel Winston on an arduous journey, unraveling the enigma surrounding her death, or rather, did she truly die at all? It becomes a race against time as he dives deep into a labyrinth of secrets, chasing countless dead-ends, desperate for the truth that lies hidden in the shadows.
However, as the investigation progresses, Aphyns, the town in which they reside, is suddenly besieged by a surge of paranormal occurrences. It is during this chaotic period that Jack Renn, a mysterious figure, enters their lives. Jack, accompanied by his enigmatic robot butler, NOTUS, approaches Winston and AJ with a grave task: to eliminate the anomalies that plague Aphyns and restore peace to the town once and for all.
I have so far, poured a lot of my time into writing and refining the characters and story, and I'm getting to the point where I do need some people for the parts I can't do! Like, the biggest amount of respect to ANY 3D Modelers out there, I tried learning it myself and got lost so fast!
In any case, if you're interested in helping out, give me a DM or comment here!

HUGE TW: SA/Possible rape/Coercion

Also graphic descriptions of sexual acts with the above trigger warnings

When I was ~15 I got into my first serious relationship. He was really sexual and I wanted to be, because I thought it was normal (later discovered I’m ace but was heavily denying it), and if I told him I didn’t want to do anything he would talk about how ugly and disgusting he was. It didn’t help that I was depressed and coming out of a horrible mental state so I gave in pretty easily.
We never had sex. He really pushed for it but I said absolutely not because I was terrified. I wouldn’t even touch his penis. It was so much easier to lay there and take it then to act. He would finger me often and even when I said it hurt or felt weird he just said “that’s not normal” and I eventually went along with it. He would give me hickeys even after I had said that I didn’t want them anymore, but he insisted they “wouldn’t leave a mark” (they did :/ ).
And I would tell people how great our relationship was, bragged about doing things with him, loved the attention.
Even after he dumped me I wanted to be in a relationship with him SO badly, it wasn’t until over a year later that the trauma set in. Now it haunts me and I’m worried that I won’t be able to love again because of it. I haven’t liked anyone romantically since I was with him. Every time I hangout with a guy I immediately associate the memory with fear, even if it went well and nothing happened. Like my body is convincing myself everyone is bad.
And I’ve told a couple friends about this, and they said it was rape. I told my therapist how silly I thought it was to use that word but she immediately started convincing me the other way.
I feel like I let him do it, and I can barely even think of it as assault. I’m also questioning if I even have ptsd from THAT since I was originally diagnosed from something else.
I don’t know what to think. Everyone tells me it’s rape but how can it be when I loved the attention I got and didn’t care about it until years later. What if I’m just remembering things wrong? What if I want to believe it’s rape because it’s easier then being dumped?
I also have a history of being accused of lying (with my previous incidents) so I feel like my possible imposter syndrome could come from that. But idk.

I just want to start this off by saying that I am a 20 year old male and my ex is a 18 year old. We began dating when I was 16 and she was 14. We were each other first in pretty much every way. I was so in love and was fully committed to her for the past 4 years.
We moved into a tiny apartment past fall for my college. I told her that she didn't have to move away from her family to live with me but she told me that all she wanted was to love with me for the rest of her life (my college is about 80 miles from our hometown so we could visit whenever we want)
Things started to turn sour around valentines day of 2023. She started going to bed early and wasn't as affectionate. At this time i was struggling with my college classes so I wasn't able to notice she was pulling away from me. While she went to bed early I stay up late writing essays and completing homework. I would usually pass out on the couch with my laptop on my lap.
We got into a small argument and she revealed that she wanted to breakup and find herself. She is bisexual so she also told me that she was also curious about dating the opposite gender. While it was tough to accept I tried my best. Almost immediately after we started getting intimate again at a different level. I hadn't felt this close with her in a long time. I was fully convinced that she wanted to get back together again. She left to go back to her hometown during spring break and I decided to stay at the apartment and work. When she got back from spring break I began to her rumors from mutual friends that she was talking to another guy that I knew. Once questioned she conceided and admitted that she was talking to him but nothing physical had happened. This was followed by insults towards me aswell as justifying her actions( she said that wasn't happy the past year with me and that she didn't view sex as an emotional thing anymore so her sleeping with me still was never about us working things out. It was purely for sexual release on her part). This was the first period in my life were I cried daily in private. She even caught me crying some times at night and told me that it wasn't attactive to her.
Jump forward about a month she finally moved out of the apartment. It was a tough time period because we were both emotional from leaving each other once and for all. Throughout the entire break up we lived together and remained intimate. She continued to talk to the other guy throughout the entire process.
We decided no contact was the best idea which worked out great for me. I lost 15 pounds in the gym, got a new look, and got a nose piercing. My confidence started growing and other people began to notice. My snap and instagram were soon filled with woman who wanted to be intimate and start a relationship. I refused because I was not fully healed yet, but I was getting better. After about a month, my ex called me and told me she regretted everything and wished she had treated me better. Our mutual friends had moved out of state for work btw. She confided that she was lonely and did not like the other guy anymore. As the weeks began going by we started talking more and she moved her way up to my number 1 friend on snap.
We decided we should meet up again for a weekend. Throughout this weekend we were very intimate and physical. She told me that she still wasn't ready for a relationship again but wanted to be with me as soon as the end of the month.
Now we are all caught up. Things have been going great but over FaceTime she made a joke about how she missed being intimate with me. This led to her asking me if I slept with anyone during our breakup. Once I answered I returned the question. Her face got red and she confided that she had sex with the guy she was talking to but he was awful and only lasted 3 minutes. She thought I would find this funny but I was heartbroken. It feels wrong to be sad but I was fully convinced that we would be eachothers only partner. She tells me that she is regretful and wishes she hadn't done it.
Now that I have options I have no idea if I should try the relationship again. I still love her but I can't tell if it's because of old emotions or newly formed ones. She has never done anything like this before and I honestly do think that she has changed but it just hurts that she slept with someone like our 4 year relationship didn't even mean a thing.

Acho que a primeira atividade física regular que tive foi o Ballet, que minha mãe gostava mas nunca pôde fazer, então me colocou desde que comecei na escolinha aos 2 anos e meio de idade. Gostava muito de dançar, mas acabei não evoluindo muito na técnica. Na minha infância tínhamos que mudar de cidade a cada 4 anos mais ou menos por causa do trabalho do meu pai e isso interferiu nesta evolução, pois a cada cidade nova perdia-se um tempo para nos adaptar, procurar nova escola e as professoras sempre queriam recomeçar do início... Até que chegou a um ponto na minha adolescência perto dos 15 anos que decidi parar com o Ballet. Foi a primeira profissão que me imaginei tendo quando era bem pequena... Achava que quando ficasse grande abriria uma acadêmia de dança e me dedicaria a ensinar essa arte à outras meninas, dançar era minha vida!... Porém aos 15 anos a maioria das meninas que começaram cedo já estavam fazendo aulas com sapatilha de ponta e se formando com 16, 17 anos e eu estava muito pra trás...
Estava muito decepcionada e sem perspectivas de melhorar no ballet, meu corpo estava mudando e estava ficando com mais coxas e bunda do que minhas colegas bailarinas e por causa disso também comecei a achar que não tinha o perfil físico para essa dança clássica de padrões tão rígidos... Resolvi então testar um pouco de outras danças... Fiz um tempo de Jazz, depois um pouco de Dança do Ventre e por fim um pouco de Balé Moderno... Todas essas contribuíram com meu desenvolvimento artístico e consiência Corporal e sou muito grata a dança por isso.
Já meu primeiro contato com as artes marciais veio mais tarde do que a dança, lá pelos 12-13 anos fiz um pouco de Judô. Meus pais colocaram meus irmãos no Judô para ajudar na disciplina e concentração na escola, e eu também quis fazer, eu gostava e nem me lembro porque paramos... acho que no caso foi o professor que teve que mudar de cidade... E cidade pequena é assim, você faz o que tem e não tem muita escolha...
Muito tempo depois, já aqui em São Paulo, onde moro desde o tempo da faculdade, e com muitos quilos acima do meu peso ideal, tive o meu primeiro contato com as Artes Marciais Chinesas... O Tai Chi Chuan veio pra mudar minha vida novamente... Durante os anos de USP (graduação e pós) fazia alguma atividade quando dava tempo, era muito corrido e ficava muito tempo sentada estudando, com isso fui ganhando peso aos poucos, mal percebia mas ia ganhando dois ou três quilos ao ano e isso continuou na minha vida adulta com a correria do trabalho até 2019 quando estava com mais de 20 kilos acima do que eu tinha quando entrei na faculdade aos 17 anos... Já estava trabalhando com estética e esses kilos à mais estavam me incomodando muito e afetando minha saúde e disposição. O Tai Chi veio pra me colocar de novo no eixo, retomar o equilíbrio perdido no caminho da minha vida... As aulas eram 2 vezes na semana mas eu gostava tanto que comecei a treinar todos os dias e a procurar mais a respeito, e quanto mais eu via mais eu gostava... Comecei a treinar também Qi Gong... Em 2020 comecei a fazer o Kung Fu Mao Chuen mas veio a pandemia de Covid e tive que ficar um tempo parada até este ano... Agora em 2023 estou recomeçando o Kung Fu Mao Chuen e fiz também um curso no Senac de Lian Gong. Estou retomando os treinos com força total e abri este grupo para podermos trocar experiências e conversar a respeito destas práticas maravilhosas do Oriente!

It's a Holiday weekend so super busy no matter where you go. That combined with great weather and it turned into a nightmare of mass crowds. Today my mom and I decided to take my 2 boys to the zoo. Kids and I were sitting right outside as my mom rented an electric scooter for her to get around easier. She was taking a long time so I took my boys to the carousel so the rest of this is from my mom's telling of the story.
She goes inside and waits in line for around 15 minutes waiting patiently. She gets up to an employee and got super lucky they had 1 scooter left. She asked the employee to pull it out of the parking space and outside. As this employee is driving the scooter out a man came up to her.
He's yelling and ranting at this poor employee I need that scooter, this lady doesn't need it I do, I want it, I don't care if she's waiting and it's first come first serve I need it more. This poor lady trying to explain everything to him even that my mom had been waiting and apologizesnbut this dude keeps pushing her and being nasty until she was in tears.
Right after this encounter my mom checked on the employee and stayed with her for a while. She was working 9 am to 11 pm shifts to come back at 8:30 am the next day, had upwards of 4000 people coming and going and struggling keeping the gift shop clean and stocked.
Y'all I was so shocked this is our first male Karen story and I missed it! But I am kind of glad I moved away from the door and left down the path. I don't tend to have a filter but i do have a great mouth on me. I would have ripped this man a new one and I'd probably be the one kicked out 😂
TL:DR: Employees are humans too don't be an ass and act entitled to what's not yours then like a spoiled brat when you don't get your way.

Sort of new here but finally ready to participate. I have been sober for 6 months and doing ok. I do have cravings but have not given in and I don't plan to. My sleeping has improved a ton and I have even lost about 15 pounds since stopping. I am doing AA now but I still feel like my mental health isn't improving fast enough. I still feel like I can not connect with people and I feel closed off like when I was drinking. I don't mean random strangers either. I mean people I was close to like family and my kids. Has anyone else felt this way and if so how long did it take to feel ready to connect?

Picked up a 2023 Wilderness about 2 months ago. Yesterday coming down the mountain from the cabin the collision avoidance activated and locked up scaring the sh%! out of me. Nothing was in the road (paved). It’s been up and down this road say 15 - 20 times before without this happening.
I’ve heard of this one time before where the Eyesight detected the cliff as an object in the road.
Anyone else run into this?

Alright, I'm writing this because I could use some outside, impartial views on this situation.
So I've had a rough path through life (I was doing quite well professionally, academically and so forth, and then burnt out, had some health issues etc). After a few years on the side-lines after I abandoned a white-collar engineering job, I took a completely different lower status job in a different country, and I'm doing okayish, but still have a lot of issues in my life rn, my self esteem is quite bad, and I've never really been on the market. I've had female interest in me in the past, when I was doing better, but here I was until recently, unexperienced romantically (IRL, in theory I think I'm very knowledgeable about most human and social dynamics). I'm writing this to explain that I don't think I'm much of a catch right now, although I think I could be in the future if my stars align.
Recently, I met a slightly older woman online, and I basically fell for her personality mostly, from our online interactions. I don't remember experiencing that quite to this degree before, but I liked her a lot and still do (although not to the same degree as at first). I played no games with her, and explained her how I felt, we met IRL (i travelled hundreds of kms to get to her), I told her I'd want her in my life. I was perfectly aware I was rushing things and seeming a bit desperate, but went with it anyway. Thing is, I'm attracted to her physically as well (since we met, other women don't really interest me for some reason), but not to the degree that I'm attracted to her personality (she's very sweet). Probably the fact that she has a few extra kilos doesn't help, she's not fat, just her weight is less than ideal let's say. She's still very pretty.
She made it pretty clear in the beginning that she doesn't want kids and is unlikely to change her mind. I told her this might be an issue for me.
Anyway, fast forward a few more meetups, we get to sex, at her place. It's actually my first time, and she seemed surprisingly eager (which was quite flattering). But I had trouble getting it up and getting it to stay hard. Maybe it was performance anxiety? Or stress? Or the long and tiring trip I took to get to her? I don't know. I'm fairly sure it would have been easier if she had a few kilos less, but whatever. I think this problem should go away in the future, should there be a future with her.
Now the point of this thread. Even though I already knew her for a couple of months, and felt I could reasonably trust her (but not completely), I was aware of the issue that I'm about to describe. I was emptying the condoms in the toilet, but disposed of them in a bin in the bathroom. Most of them I was also washing, but not all. It was on my mind to fix this issue at some point (i.e. completely and thoroughly dispose of all seminal fluid), but somehow I never got around to doing it. I also thought that semen doesn't live for that long, but apparently it survives for up to 5 days. So anyway, 5 mins after I step out of her apartment, I start having this fear, that she might collect the bit of semen that remained in the condoms in the bin and inseminate herself with it.
Why would she do it? Now, if I think rationally about it, she's a bit older, she's running out of time, options, I could imagine she feels a bit of pressure in this sense. I was quite concerned since meeting her that I might be wasting her time if things don't work out, but I figured it's all gonna be clear in a month or two, and that's not quite that much time, and as long as I'm completely honest with her, it should be fine. Also, as I said, I don't think I'm really a catch at this stage. But she could be doing worse. She also has her own set of issues. She was single for some time as I understood it. Thing is, I wouldn't mind spending my life with her even now, I could probably forgive her if she did this to me. And while a child right now would be a lot less than ideal considering my circumstances, worse things can happen and I'd be fully committed to it. What I'm worried is that she would want to raise the child alone and I'd just have to pay child support and not get to be involved. Or that she would change completely (which I think is quite likely to happen). At some point we had a bit of a scare with a condom that didn't quite sit right, but after though inspection it was still water and air tight and it was just covered in a bit vaginal fluid. And yet, she brings up this talk about potential pregnancy even the day after. That to me amplifies a bit the worry. I still think the chances of this whole hypothesis (baby trapping) happening is ~0.5%, but that's enough to make me uneasy. There's also a good chance she might run into this thread, which is fine. I'll probably talk to her about it anyway once the 5-day lifetime of the ... ends.
What do you think?

Region: US Server: Illidan
Faction: Horde
Raid Times:
Tuesday/Thursday 9pm-12am EST. Guild members are on daily to push keys, achievements, and PvP. Often found on Discord when on just to hang out.
About us:
Our core is a close knit group of friends that have been playing WoW for almost 15 years together. Our list of accolades includes numerous AOTC achievements for both Heroic and Mythic Raids dating back to WotLK. Our GM/Raid leader is a former world first raider with killer strategies.
We are looking to grow our team into a cohesive group built on communication in a mature, laid-back environment. As a group, we enjoy joking around and having banter between pulls, but know when to pull back and focus to get bosses down. Our raiders have achieved 2/8M for the season due to the guild being fresh, but we are planning to go beyond that once we have a team put together for 10.1 mythic!
What we’re looking for:
Building towards patch 10.1, we are looking for strong and competent raiders to fill our rosters. We're looking for the right people to join the raid team. Gear and experience can always be given / taught. Personal character and a positive attitude cannot. If you feel that our team would be a good fit for you, we encourage you to reach out. We're always looking for great people to join us.
DPS: Primarily seeking ranged, but are interested in any exceptional player.
Desperately LF Warrior, DH, Rogue!
While we are filling our roster, we are actively doing M+ and will be doing Heroic/Mythic VOTI to build cohesiveness and comradery.
Not a raider:
If you’re not a raider, there’s still spots for you! We are always looking for people to hang out, help with other areas of the game, and can always fill in if needed.
Contact Information:
GM: Blacklisted – Discord: BL#7097 / Bnet: Blacklisted#1175
Officer: Ryoanna – Discord: Crzymnkiez (Ryo of Wildfire)#6385 / Bnet: Tyveraus#1539

I've been doing the RR for a while, wasn't making good progress so I tried different things, I tried a PPL split, tried an uppelower split, tried going to the gym, tried mixing weights and calisthenics, at one point got really frustrated with not being able to do a pull-up yet and tried changing my diet and tried isolation exercises and grease the groove
I had to get over the fact that I lost 40 pounds but I'm still 100 pounds overweight, so the best way to make progress towards everything is to keep a regular exercise routine and put most of my focus into diet and weight loss, then exercises I'm slowly working towards will come a lot easier and I'll be able to focus on muscle growth at that point
The only frustrating fact I have to deal with now is the fact that to reach that weight in a healthy way it'll take me 1-2 years :(

tl;dr - Throwaway account for reasons. Wife is not affectionate anymore, not sure what to do next.
Hello all,
I haven't had the best of luck posting lately. It keeps getting marked as spam, so trying this again and hoping for the best. My wife (37f) and I (39m) have been married for over 15 years. We have a house, 4 kids and a cat. Over the past 3 years or so, the affection has gone down a lot.
How we used to be:

1. sex twice a week
2. make out sessions every other day (only lasted about a few minutes but I loved it)
3. cuddling every night before bed

How we are now:

1. Sex once a month (no effort from her to initiate)
2. I get a light kiss almost everyday from her. Have to put in the effort to get a better one or I get nothing.
3. We cuddle on the couch most nights, but it's mainly her putting her head on my lap and falling asleep.

We've had conversations about this multiple times and things get better for a bit. But the effort goes away after a while. I'm mainly the one to put effort into this marriage. I'm the only one that has a job right now and I still do a lot around the house. Not out of obligation, but because I love my family. I have tried to accept that she just doesn't want to put in the effort anymore. I have tried to just put it in the back of my mind and go about my day, but being physical with the person I love is something that I desperately want. I can't help it.
I'm not here complaining about the lack of sex. I just. I just want to feel loved. To feel wanted. To know that we'll have the same love for each other when the kids are grown and we're able to enjoy that next chapter. But I don't get that. There's no effort in your kisses anymore. When I hug you, there's just no feeling from you. I just don't know anymore. I'm trying to adjust to this new normal, but it's hard. Not sure what to do next.

1. We would miss you.
2. It's not worth the regret. Either by yourself, if you failed or just simply left scars or the regret everyone else feels by not doing enough to help you.
3. It does get better. Believe it or not, it will eventually get better. Sometimes you have to go through the storm to get to the rainbow.
4. There's so much you would miss out on doing.
5. There is always a reason to live. It might not be clear right now, but it is always there.
6. So many people care, and it would hurt them if you hurt yourself.
7. You ARE worth it. Don't let anyone, especially yourself, tell you otherwise.
8. You are amazing.
9. A time will come, once you've battled the toughest times of your life and are in ease once again, where you will be so glad that you decided to keep on living. You will emerge stronger from this all, and won't regret your choice to carry on with life. Because things always get better.
10. What about all the things you've always wanted to do? What about the things you've planned, but never got around to doing? You can't do them when you're dead.
11. I love you. Even if only one person loves you, that's still a reason to stay alive.
12. You won't be able to listen to music if you die.
13. Killing yourself is never worth it. You'll hurt both yourself and all the people you care about.
14. There are so many people that would miss you, including me.
15. You're preventing a future generation, YOUR KIDS, from even being born.
16. How do you think your family would feel? Would it improve their lives if you died?
17. You're gorgeous, amazing, and to someone you are perfect.
18. Think about your favorite music artist, you'll never hear their voice again...
19. You'll never have the feeling of walking into a warm building on a cold day
20. Listening to incredibly loud music
21. Being alive is just really good.
22. Not being alive is really bad.
23. Finding your soulmate.
24. Red pandas
25. Going to diners at three in the morning.
26. Really soft pillows.
27. Eating pizza in New York City.
28. Proving people wrong with your success.
29. Watching the jerks that doubted you fail at life.
30. Seeing someone trip over a garbage can.
31. Being able to help other people.
32. Bonfires.
33. Sitting on rooftops.
34. Seeing every single country in the world.
35. Going on road trips.
36. You might win the lottery someday.
37. Listening to music on a record player.
38. Going to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
39. Taking really cool pictures.
40. Literally meeting thousands of new people.
41. Hearing crazy stories.
42. Telling crazy stories.
43. Eating ice cream on a hot day.
44. More Harry Potter books could come out, you never know.
45. Traveling to another planet someday.
46. Having an underwater house.
47. Randomly running into your hero on the street.
48. Having your own room at a fancy hotel.
49. Trampolines.
50. Think about your favorite movie, you'll never watch it again.
51. Think about the feeling of laughing out loud in a public place because your best friend has just sent you an inside joke,
52. Your survival will make the world better, even if it's for just one person or 20 or 100 or more.
53. People do care.
54. Treehouses
55. Hanging out with your soul mate in a treehouse
56. Snorting when you laugh and not caring who sees
57. I don't even know you and I love you.
58. I don't even know you and I care about you.
59. Nobody is going to be like you ever, so embrace your uniqueness!
60. You won't be here to experience the first cat world emperor.
61. WHAT ABOUT FOOD?! YOU'LL MISS CHOCOLATE
62. Starbucks.
63. Hugs.
64. Stargazing.
65. You have a purpose, and it's up to you to find out what it is.
66. You've changed somebody's life.
67. You could change the world.
68. You will meet the person that's perfect for you.
69. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
70. If you end your life, you're stopping yourself from achieving great things.
71. Making snow angels.
72. Making snowmen.
73. Snowball fights.
74. Life is what you make of it.
75. Everybody has talent.
76. Laughing until you cry.
77. Having the ability to be sad means you have the ability to be happy.
78. The world would not be the same if you didn't exist.
79. It's possible to turn frowns, upside down
80. Be yourself, don't take anyone's shit, and never let them take you alive.
81. Heroes are ordinary people who make themselves extraordinary. Be your own hero.
82. Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.
83. One day your smile will be real.
84. Having a really hot, relaxing bath after a stressful day.
85. Lying on the grass and laughing at the clouds.
86. Getting completely smashed with your best friends.
87. Eating crazy food.
88. Staying up all night watching your favorite films with a loved one.
89. Sleeping in all day.
90. Creating something you're proud of.
91. You can look back on yourself 70 years later and be proud you didn't commit suicide.
92. Being able to meet your Internet friends.
93. Tea / Coffee / Hot Chocolate
94. The new season of Sherlock
95. Cuddling under the stars.
96. Being stupid in public because you just can.
97. If you are reading this then you are alive! Is there any more reason to smile?
98. Being able to hug that one person you haven't seen in years
99. People care enough about you and your future to come up with 100 reasons for you not to do this.
100. But, the final and most important one is, just, being able to experience life. Because even if your life doesn't seem so great right now, anything could happen.

Im 21 and finically stable thanks to my parents. Never paid with a single cent of my own for school, groceries, internet, and for the most part gas. Im I’m my final year of college, moved out parents place about a year ago. Despite being finically stable, I still work to make more money, it all goes to me since I don’t pay bills. Occasionally I buy dumb things here and there, sometimes go on an eating spree spending about 30-40 a week on fast food but despite all that, I’m still making more than I spend.
My friend who I’ve known for years is 23, lives in a small trailer. Didn’t work for the longest time until 3 years ago when we got a job making 15 an hour, he was the only provider for his family until about a year ago (3 others in his household now work). Before he started working, always had one of the other guys in our group (there’s 4 of us) would pay for him when we hit fast food joints. Money was sometimes an issue with him for hanging out. His situation isn’t to the extent where he can’t afford groceries, rent, internet bills, and clothes on his back. He’s currently saving up for a car.
More on his spending: he’s huge on video games. He’s bought 2 Xboxes, a whole PC set up with two monitors, PS5, 2 Nintendo Switches (some of these consoles went to his siblings but he still purchases them). Early into getting a job, he switched phones pretty often, new iPhone dropped so he’d get it. His video game library across all consoles is MASSIVE, his in app/game purchase is also pretty big as far as I’m concerned.
I actually bought him the PS5 back in 2020 with the intention of him paying me back. In the weeks waiting for him to pay me back, he had bought an Apple Watch. I grew impatient and annoyed because PS5 went for 400-500. I’m sure he could tell I did because I asked about it at least twice. He eventually paid me back the first half and the second half later but it took a while.
Early April, our entire group agreed to buy tickets for an event. They were bought under my card. Each ticket is about $250. The event is in early June. I don’t mind not being paid back until that very day of the event but knowing my friend, I’m concerned he won’t and I’ll have to get on his ass about it. He’s going to have over 2 months to save up that money. He would have 75 days to come up with 250 (putting about 3-4 dollars in a jar a day from when we bought them would meet that goal).
I have faith that my other 2 friends will pay me in time but I’m mentally preparing myself if this one can’t. I’m walking myself through everything I can say or shouldn’t say. His money managing has had me and the other two talking a little and whether or not it’s a problem. We decided not to say anything and let it be but for the second time, he’s in debt with me for hundreds of dollars. What should I do if he were to fail in paying me back by the day of the event. WIBTA for confronting someone about his money management? For being disappointed or annoyed despite not being as finically stable as me or my other friends?

When you think of 5⭐️ QBs who do you think of? Tim Tebow, Jameis Winston, Tua Tagovailoa, Trevor Lawrence, Bryce Young.
These are some of the best QBs to play college football the last 15 years and they where all highly touted coming out of high school.
As college football fans when we see a 5⭐️ QB commits to our team I think our default prediction is that recruit will turn into one of those guys. College football is the ultimate sport of optimism, and everyone always believes there young talented QB is going to be the next great one.
I decided to do some digging and I looked at every single 5⭐️ QB rated by 247 sports, since the site came into existence in 2004, to determine the rate at which 5⭐️ QBs are successful.
Football and college football is a complicated sport so I defined success in 3 metrics. This is already a long post so I may make follow up posts for the other 2 metrics I looked at.
1) Career Passer Rating per SRCFB
Method I apologize in advance if this methodology isn’t perfect. After all I’m no statistician and just a lowly accountant.
Using some un-professional skepticism I tried to only use stats from years in which the QB was the teams starter for at least a significant portion of that season. This required some subjective decisions to be made. If you would like to know how I determined this message me or I may make a follow up post.
I compared the QBs relevant career passer rating to the average passer rating of eligible QBs in years in which the subject QB played.
For example Cam Newton really only had one significant season, so Cam’s 2010 passer rating of 182 was compared to the median passer rating from 2010. This was Tommy Rees’ rating of 133 (feel old yet). Meaning Cam exceeded the average by an excellent 49 points (182-133)
For a QB like Jameis Winston I took the average median from 2013 (136.7) and 2014 (132.5) to determine the average rating during Jameis’ career to be ~135. Compared to Jameis’ career rating of 163 Jameis exceeded his era by 29 points
Results
13% of QBs never really had an impact on college football and didn’t have a large enough sample of passes from one season.
These QBs are: * Matt Tuiasosopo (Never played football and became a Major League Baseball player * Ryan Perrilloux * Mitch Mustain * Aaron Corp * Russel Shepherd (Switched to play receive and became a decently successful one) * Hunter Johnson
29% where below average in there era. The worst of which being: * Dj Uiagalelei -21 (He can still m turn this around with a nice year at Oregon St.) * Dayne Crist -19 * Philip Sims -17 * Rhett Bomar -16 * Christian Hackenberg -13 * Garrett Gilbert -11 * Anthony Morelli -9
58% where above average in there era. The best being * Tua Tagovailoa +63 * Kyler Murray +62 * Cam Newton +49 * Tim Tebow +40 * Justin Fields +40 * Mark Sanchez +36 * Jameis Winston +29
Takeaways

1. There is about a 40% chance that a 5 star QB either has no impact for your team or is a below average college football QB. Don’t get me wrong 5 star QBs probably have the best chance at becoming an excellent QB, but those 5 stars are by no means a guarantee it will work out. Take this 40% figure with a grain of salt though due to point 2
   
2. I think 247 and other recruiting services have just gotten better at evaluating high school football players in recent years versus 2004-2009. Looking at who was below average/a bust versus those above average it seems in more recent years 5 star QBs have succeeded at a higher hit rate.
   
3. What I find so impressive and is important to note is that Passer Rating obviously doesn’t take into account Rushing statistics which has been a big part of QB play the last 15-20 years and yet great runners like Kyler Murray, Cam Newton, Tim Tebow, and Justin Fields where all still excellent just as passers in college.
   

TLDR: Approximately 40% of 5 Star QBs are busts or are below average. Celebrate when your school gets one committed because it’s obviously always better to have talented players versus the alternative, but those 5 ⭐️ don’t guarantee anything.

I've finally gotten the balls to say my final words to my ex.
To give quick context, i was 15 almost 16, he was 19 almost 20. I knew he was trouble but still did it because I wanted the rush. Ended in a total trainwreck. He swore to remain friends but didn't commit. We still kept communication but hardly. And I begged him for closure. One day he had enough of me and blocked me on most places but I still had twitter and a couple more apps as options. I hated knowing he got the last word after ruining my life (because trust me, i got ruined afterwards and more than I already was). But I found comfort in knowing I could still get the last word. Well I found out today that he came back to twitter and blocked me there too. I only had 2 more options, and I finally took it into my hands to get the last word. I made a worthless twitter alt where i sent 4 tweets @'d at him to make sure he'd see them. Then I sent my messages on those other 2 apps before blocking him. Now I've finally cut him off for good while getting the last word, and since I'm not touching that twitter alt EVER again, even if he replies, I won't see it. So it's still the last word for me :) I'm so anxious and I almost projectile vomited like 10 times during this excruciating 1 hour process but it's finally over.
I'm sure this will help out in the long run.
TL;DR: I finally cut off the ex that groomed me for good and won't have to worry about him EVER again!!

It's a Holiday weekend so super busy no matter where you go. That combined with great weather and it turned into a nightmare of mass crowds. Today my mom and I decided to take my 2 boys to the zoo. Kids and I were sitting right outside as my mom rented an electric scooter for her to get around easier. She was taking a long time so I took my boys to the carousel so the rest of this is from my mom's telling of the story.
She goes inside and waits in line for around 15 minutes waiting patiently. She gets up to an employee and got super lucky they had 1 scooter left. She asked the employee to pull it out of the parking space and outside. As this employee is driving the scooter out a man came up to her.
He's yelling and ranting at this poor employee I need that scooter, this lady doesn't need it I do, I want it, I don't care if she's waiting and it's first come first serve I need it more. This poor lady trying to explain everything to him even that my mom had been waiting and apologize but this dude keeps pushing her and being nasty until she was in tears.
Right after this encounter my mom checked on the employee and stayed with her for a while. She was working 9 am to 11 pm shifts to come back at 8:30 am the next day, had upwards of 4000 people coming and going and struggling keeping the gift shop clean and stocked.
Y'all I was so shocked this is our first male Karen story and I missed it! But I am kind of glad I moved away from the door and left down the path. I don't tend to have a filter but i do have a great mouth on me. I would have ripped this man a new one and I'd probably be the one kicked out 😂
TL:DR: Employees are humans too don't be an ass and act entitled to what's not yours then like a spoiled brat when you don't get your way.

I've finally gotten the balls to say my final words to my ex.
To give quick context, i was 15 almost 16, he was 19 almost 20. I knew he was trouble but still did it because I wanted the rush. Ended in a total trainwreck. He swore to remain friends but didn't commit. We still kept communication but hardly. And I begged him for closure. One day he had enough of me and blocked me on most places but I still had twitter and a couple more apps as options. I hated knowing he got the last word after ruining my life (because trust me, i got ruined afterwards and more than I already was). But I found comfort in knowing I could still get the last word. Well I found out today that he came back to twitter and blocked me there too. I only had 2 more options, and I finally took it into my hands to get the last word. I made a worthless twitter alt where i sent 4 tweets @'d at him to make sure he'd see them. Then I sent my messages on those other 2 apps before blocking him. Now I've finally cut him off for good while getting the last word, and since I'm not touching that twitter alt EVER again, even if he replies, I won't see it. So it's still the last word for me :) I'm so anxious and I almost projectile vomited like 10 times during this excruciating 1 hour process but it's finally over.
I'm sure this will help out in the long run.
TL;DR: I finally cut off the ex that groomed me for good and won't have to worry about him EVER again!!

Terran year 5201 - 12th of September.
First / Previous
Species: Grogs - Emperor Reith the Third.
I'm currently going to the Galactic Federation Center, we will arrive there in 1 day, and although the Grog Empire has already assembled its fleets, and I'm being escorted by one of them...
In the last few days, the Human factories have been working nonstop to assemble their ships, the majority of them weren't ready when I was last informed, they didn't let me see them sadly, but I was also occupied preparing our economy to the war, so it wasn't like I had the time to contemplate the human ships...
In 1 and a half Galactic Day, the Cleyk Empire will declare war upon us and Humanity, and the worst of all? 8 galactic days ago, our sensors have already detected a war fleet going in direction of Nyrda.
I'm really worried, the fleet is gigantic, the Grog empire doesn't have the time to get there to avoid the conflict, I can only hope that the statement made by the commander Harry, that their first carrier would be ready by tomorrow, and in his words, "we can handle it, don't worry"...
1.4 Galactic Day time skip - 1 Terran hour before the declaration of war.
I was quick to exit my shuttle as soon as it landed. I was anxious and worried, the last war was 70 Galactic Cycles ago... I was not even an egg, yet, here I was, about to be declared war upon....
Everyone glared at me when I entered as usual, I quickly went to the discussion position, where the Cleyk ambassador was already waiting me...
"Well, tomorrow we enter war, how do you feel about that, Reith the Third?" - He asked in a mocking tone
" To be honest, you are making a big mistake..." - I said while looking down...
"The Cleyk Federation does not commit mistakes, also, I summoned this meeting to make a voting of the other species on the war, if they are against it or in favor, or neutral, well then, members of the Galactic Community, you can vote!" - He said in a happy one.
I watched as the big majority voted to stay neutral, some voted against, some in favor, but out of the 1029 members, 938 voted to stay neutral, as if they knew that two titans were about to fight in a fierce battle.
It took a few dozen stricks for the result to be declared, and the Cleyk clearly didn't expect that many to stay neutral..
"Well then, Reith, your empire has chosen the war path, expect us to destroy any military ship of your kind to be destroyed, that's all I have to say, you are all dismissed! - He said with a happy tone...
I really wished they knew what they were about to fight with.....
_____________ UNCS Brazil is ready, war fleet detected, engaging interception maneuvering.... ____________
The War is declared, the 2th Cleyk Attack and Raid Fleet approaches the system of Nyrda (Plok for Terrans).
____________
Species: Cleyk - commander Yuok - commanding the 2th attack and raid fleet, aboard the CFCS Hutylid.
I was anxious for the start of the conflict, it would be a massacre, I didn't expect much resistance from these so called humans, they are greatly weakened.
"Sir! Our long range sensors have detected an Unknown vessel on our path, we will arrive in communication range in 15 galactic time units!" - My Sensor observation officer said.
"Prepare the weapons and arm the shields" - I responded.
I ordered him to arm the shields, something is wrong, no species would send one single ship to intercept a war fleet...
My suspicions were confirmed when we got in visual range, the Vessel that we detected was gigantic, 3 times the length of our carriers, I was impressed, and so was my crew, we were speechless...
"Sir! They are hailing us! Should we let them through?" - My communication officer said.
"Let them through, I want to see what these humans look like."
A few galactic time units later, our translation software finished the translation, and the screen lit up. A pinkish creature, with white and gray hair on the top of his braincase and face, using a suit of green color, with yellow and blue stripes, on the left side of his body, a name, which was translated to 'Fernando da Silva Magalhães', he was clearly tired, a lot wrinkles around his eyes and mouth,2 eyes, 2 appendages for manipulation, bipedal, very different from us, as it's common for species to have 4 eyes...
Then, it spoke in a coarse, low voice, I expected it though, as this individual was clearly old...
"My name is Fernando da Silva Magalhães, commander of the UNCS Brazil, Is this the fleet that's supposed to kill humanity? - he asked.
"Greetings, human, my name is Yuok, commander of this fleet, I offer you a deal, surrender immediately and I promise that your extinction will be quick and you will not suffer with pain." - I said with a serious voice.
Then, something that I wasn't expecting happened, the human started to tear up...
"This is so heart wrenching, kid, you are clearly so young, yet, your leader sent you and dozens of other individuals of your species on a conflict that could be avoided all together, and solved with diplomacy, may I ask you, do you have a family back home, waiting for you?" - He spoke, with more tears forming on his eyes...
"...yes..." - I answered hesitantly.
I then noticed that my had crew stopped what they were doing to listen to him...
"I'm giving you one last chance, kid, please, spare your life and the lives of your crew, I've seen what my species is capable of, I've killed many in the past as part of my job, and it hurts to know that I killed people that had a family, that had someone waiting for them back home, please, if you want to see your family again, go home, don't start a war that isn't needed..." - He asked, almost begging me, while whipping his tears from his face...
I was confused, it was the first time that I thought about it, however, I knew that my family would suffer great consequences if I refused to fight..
"I'm sorry sir, but retreat is not an option for my species." - I spoke
He sighted.
"I'm extremely sorry for what is going to happen now, may the best fleet win."
Then he cut contact
"Sir, we are detecting a big energy surge coming from the enemy! - one of my crew yelled."
When I looked back, I could see thousands of Magnetic cannons charging up and 26 fighters detaching from the vessel, then, the cannons fired.
"ENGAGE EVASIVE MANEUVERING NOW!" - I yelled.
Our ships broke formation, we managed to dodge the majority of the rounds, but some of our ships still got hit, luckily, our shields held up.
Our fighters were struggling to keep their fighters away from us to, I was starting to get worried
"Shields at 50% sir! we can't afford another hit-" my Shield Controller said, before she got interrupted by the computer.
"Multiple nuclear warheads inbound"
They are going nuclear already? damnit!
"Redirect engine power to shield and weapon systems, engage EMP Machines!" - I ordered.
However, it was too late, some of the warheads got destroyed, but the majority of them managed to hit, depleting the shields of the majority of the fleet.
"We lost the CFCS Huoloiyd sir! Our Ships's FTL Core has been damaged! Engines compromised! 2 of our destroyers Reactors detonated! Our anti Projectile defense is crippled!" - One of my crew said, panicking.
I was thinking, how could a single ship dish out so much firepower? But before I could order the remaining ships to rearrange, another alarm appeared...
"Multiple Anti-matter torpedoes inbound, heading for the battleships and the Bridge of the CFCS Hutylid, engage evasive maneuvering, anti projectile defense system offline."
"ENGAGE EVASIVE MANEUVERING, ORDER THE BATTLESHIPS TO FLANK WEST AND EAST, GET OUT OF THE WAY OF THOSE TORPEDOS, IF THEY HIT, WE WILL LOSE THEM!" - I yelled as I started to panic, that's when I failed to realize, that a torpedo was in the direction of our bridge...
When I realized, I just stood there, I knew it was too late to save our ship, I then did something that the Fleyk Federation hadn't done in Hundreds of Galactic Cycles...
"ABANDON SHIP, I REPEAT, ABANDON SHIP!" - I yelled again.
Me and my crew ran through the smoke and fire on the halls to the escape pods, suddenly, the entire ship jerked violently, as the anti matter torpedo collided with us, we fell but quickly resumed running after getting up, I could feel as the atmosphere started to vent out of the hull breach where the torpedo had hit, I failed to notice the glass shard on my arm and the serious bleeding..
When we got the pods, we ejected, knowing that we would probably be killed as well, but,,
We didn't get hit.
I watched as our fleet got destroyed, ship by ship, the enemy vessel, not even a visible dent or scratch on its hull...
I didn't take long for some of the other ships to get abandoned as well, hundreds of escape pods floating as the main ships got destroyed...
Sadly, many didn't make it to their pods before their ships exploded or got destroyed...
Then, the 23 remaining fighters started to collect our pods, I knew that we would get slaved, at least it was what I thought..
Then I faded due to the loss of blood....
When I woke up, I noticed I was in a white room, in a bed, connected to some machines, a weird black blob stuck in my arm, and a weird thing on one of my ears...
I tried to get out of bed, but then, I heard a voice, speaking in perfect Cleikdian...
"You might want to stay in bed, let the nanomachines repair your wound." - A female human in white clothing with a red '+' in his arm said from a chair in the same room, while reading something in a type of data pad, while another, heavily armed human sat besides her, with a type of kinetic weapon on his lap.
"Where am I? - I asked, looking at them
"You are aboard the UNCS Brazil, in the infirmary section, your crew is being treated for their wounds, all of you are now prisoners of war, you will be given a room with a bathroom, 3 meals a day according to the types of food you can consume, and a television with human programs and movies." - the armed human said.
I sighted in relief when he told me that humanity wouldn't turn us into slaves, I guess that they have laws of war, but I still had so many questions...
​
This was long, hope you guys like it

Was driving on the expressway when suddenly my 2017 XC90 T8 Inscription jolted back and slowed down. A little rabbit image came out on the screen and said my speed was limited so I drove the car slowly home. I had it towed to the dealership the next morning because it sounded horrible when trying to drive it over.
Turns out the ERAD (Differential Case: Electric Rear Axle Drive) needs to be replaced and the HVCH (High Voltage Coolant Heater) and Coolant Sensor for about $10K. The car only had 35K miles and the warranty has run out already. I don't want to invest any money into repairing it. I was already planning to trade it in for a new vehicle.
At this point, it's just sitting in my driveway as I use a rental car to get around. My question is, do you think it's drive-able if going slow and not using electricity? I need to get it to CarMax to try to sell it. I drove it home after the diagnostics at the dealership, but that was only 2 miles and CarMax is about 15 miles away. I tried selling it back to Volvo, and they offered $10-15K for it in it's current state. Can't believe it's only worth that now.
Also, is it true that the ERAD issue is known for 2017's and they fixed it in newer models?

Obviously, I am wrong about every one of these but tell me why.
Day 1:
Alisa Amadore: fun, Norah Jones type jazz with her own voice 7/10 on The indie scale
The Beaches: Fun modern rock band with heavy 60s beach rock influence 8/10 indie scale
Talk: raspy Rock and roll, didn't shy away from covers and had a lot of fun doing it 6/10 on the headliner scale
Blue Light Bandits: heavy use of the minor key, very waily, their faster stuff was the best tbh 5/10 on the indie scale
Dropkick Murphys: Old men yell at crowd; crowd yells back 8/10 headliners
Little Fuss: Scott Pilgrim vibes with a female lead with vocals that were flat way more than they should've been. Lots of future potential here if they get a good producer 3/10 indie scale 5/10 when warmed up
Niall Horan: all the way from Brazil(Ireland) along with about 200 raving lunatic women front and center, a very technically sound performance, great use of violin, and oops, I'm now one of the raving women. Discovery of this type of music that was sitting right under my nose is exactly why I came here. Started at 6/10 and built to 9/10
Foo Fighters: wait, who are these guys? 9/10 I think if the drummer went any harder he would ignite fusion and form new elements out of the atmosphere. All gas, no breaks with these guys.
Day 2:
Neemz: R&B/rap performer; the DJ was fantastic and the performance was her singing/rapping over the recording with a very low microphone. Not a bad performance but the style doesn't lend itself well for a live show. 4/10 on the indie scale
Loveless: the world is still producing whiny boy bands and they are pretty good. Okay stage presence. 6/10 headliners scale
The Aces: Buddy Holly meets Funk; I guess that makes them the female Arctic Monkeys. Great stage presence, especially dealing with technical difficulties. I'm not sure what scale to put them on because they were so good. 10/10 indie scale but they won't get that scale next time. Consider me a new fan.
Joy Oladokun: I've heard of her and her one-hit song but I did not expect the sheer joy (pun not intended) she shares on stage. Her other non-hit stuff was a lot less waily and I am now a fan. 8/10 headliner scale
Actor Observer: Maybe because it was hardcore metal but these guys went the hardest of anyone at the festival so far. A lot of musical depth here that really came out when they were harmonizing 9/10 indie scale and this is the reason I wanted to come to this music festival, to discover new music. If you like anything hardcore from rock to metal, check them out. They live right up the street in Boston.
Noah Kahan: local Watertown boy literally draws a bigger crowd than the Lumineers. It was standing room only for the biggest stage and everyone knew the words. I was not incredibly familiar with him before the festival but this was the stage presence that I expected from the Lumineers. The embodiment of northern folk music and it shines bright. 9/10 headliners
The Flaming Lips: Going in not a fan, I saw 15 ft robots, giant balloons popping into confetti on the crowd, and a man singing from an orb. Pure childhood joy bottled, distilled, and injected into your veins. I don't believe in extended scales but the stage presence 100% overcomes any lack of technical talent. 10/10 and they literally stole the show. The words spiritual experience were brought up multiple times from different people.
The Lumineers: maybe the expectations were just too high but these guys had no stage presence. The songs sounded exactly like the album which is skillful and good but not really what live music is about. Great atmosphere in the place made up for it with people dancing and singing along. Obviously, everyone knew the words. It all felt very corporate for folk. 7/10 headliners scale.
Day 3:
Juice: The spiritual successor to Earth Wind and Fire with a lot more depth and variety. Multiple genres, they were the best opening act of the weekend. 8/10 indie scale
Wunderhorse: If you told me that Nirvana had done a colab with White Stripes I would believe you. Stage presence was basically non-existent. 8/10 indie scale because the music was so on point
Workman Song: Christian music that doesn't need to market that way. Blues folk that could stand as the soundtrack to paddle off into the sunset on a southern river. Extra points for some of the chords giving literal chills. 8/10 indie scale
Linda Lindas: Tiny girls as young as 12 sing about their cats. They accidentally rock and roll. What a stage presence... "hey crowd, what's your favorite dinosaur? Stegosaurus ? Trex?" 8/10 headliners scale.
070 Shake: Neemz could learn a thing or two from this performance. Perfect audio levels over the base track. Her vocals really added to a fantastic dj. Probably shouldn't drink mid-performance but it was still fun. 6/10 headliners scale
Sorry Mom: Sorry mom indeed. 9/10 guitar work. Lots of screaming but not so much the vocals to back it up. Don't let the rating fool you, these girls go hard. 5/10 indie scale
Genesis Owusu: Pink Floyd meets the Black Eyed Peas, there's certainly an A+ stage presence and he was all in. 7/10 headliners
Bleachers: Love letter to music production, Queen at Live Aid vibes, they know how to lead a crowd. Perfect music festival act. 8/10 headliners. Bonus points for giant tomatoes and dueling saxophones.
Ali McGuirk: Wonderful blues, Norah Jones if she was really into blues but early on in her career. 7/10 indie
Maren Morris: This woman's voice could single handedly turn the tide of a world war. It was all live and she sang her heart out. Great accompaniment and great blues, the stage was somehow too small. 8/10 headliner
Queens of the Stone Age: Stage presence was hard to determine from where I was but No One Knows was perfectly built into completely making up for any set issues prior. A lot of it felt like just biding time. 8/10 headliners scale
Paramore: What's there to say? Haley's ability to absolutely nail disjunct high notes was there 20 years ago. It hasn't gotten better because it was already perfect. There were some interesting song choices that made the performance drag but the entire stage was set up for them. 9/10
Overall:
All in all it was a fantastic festival. If the goal was to discover new music, it was a complete success. Lots of new Boston locals to appreciate and some headliners that had slipped through. The Flaming Lips, The Aces, Noah Kahan, Nial Horan, and the Linda Lindas all started out barely on my radar and absolutely blew me away.