Bath and body works tilton nh

I’ve recently joined this group as I am looking to reach out for some support for my PCOS journey/symptoms that are starting to drive me crazy!
I was diagnosed with PCOS after I stopped getting periods and was experiencing severe acne few years ago- despite having a normal cycle for the majority of my teenage years! Therefore, as usual, my doctor suggested I went on the pill- to help with both the acne and to hopefully bring some sort of menstrual cycle back (I understand that the pill is not a “treatment” for PCOS but as I was so young and still in school, lifestyle and diet changes were hard to manage so it was what option fit me best at the time!)
It took two different pill swaps to finally bring back my cycle and control my acne- I was put on quite a strong pill (Diane- which I know is controversial in some circles) and finally my skin completely cleared up, and my cycle went back to normal, no issues at all! For a good few years Diane really worked for me- I felt great, and began to implement some lifestyle changes like diet and exercise which led me to losing 10-12 kgs!
All was going well, until around 6 months ago when I began to notice some horrible mental side effects of Diane- which I had not experienced prior. I tried really hard to push through however my mental health was just getting worse and worse. I therefore consulted my doctor and we decided to try Zoely, a lower dosage pill to hopefully combat the mental health symptoms. My doctor did warn me that I may lose my cycle again as I would be moving to a lower dosage, however I believed that perhaps my change in lifestyle may naturally help with some symptoms, so I wasn’t really worried. I have now been on Zoely for 5 months, and feel great mentally however I have not had a period since swapping pills- and my acne, on my body as well as my face is continuing to worsen.
I’ve talked to my doctor about this and she’s let me know that from her end, we have pretty much tried everything she can offer and my next hope is to visit a gynaecologist.
I just would like some advice/support- I’m feeling so lost and discouraged as I really thought I had the condition under control for so many years, just for it to get worse than it was originally! I feel like I’ve tried all the “treatment” options available to me, and I have no idea what’s next. I’m only just turning 21, and I am constantly so stressed about managing this condition and what it means for my future.

37F 5’10 250 lbs Hispanic
Wellbutrin SR 75TW for disordered eating
Hoping for some guidance to identify and know what to ask to treat some really unexpected and stubborn body fat gain.I've gained about 60 pounds in the last 3 1/2 years, this is the heaviest I have ever been in my life. I had my thyroid checked since my sister and father have hypothyroidism, so I was sure that was it.
My blood tests came back normal (slightly high cholesterol, slightly low iron). So while I didn’t get an answer, happy to see I’m in good health.
Now my weight has been up and down my entire life - I was obese as a child and have struggled mentally and physically with this since I was 9. I would say that it’s always been “easy” to gain and super difficult to lose or maintain. I have had periods of disordered weight management behavior though I have no official diagnosis.
In 2017 was my last period of restriction. It took about six months of heavy restriction to lose probably 20-25 pounds (I got down to 180). I was consuming between 1000-1200 kcal a day, and running 3-5 times a week.
I worked retail and lived in a major city. I would be walking several miles a day just by proxy of my life, and on my feet at work. This was not enough to maintain. Since then I’ve moved to the suburbs and work from home, which is when I think the major weight gain started. I was also in a serious depression so I wonder if that contributed.
I think what concerns me is how little I have to eat in order to lose fat. As I’ve gained over the past few years I have been doing everything in my power not to slip into those DE habits again. But it’s been difficult
.About a year ago I went plant-based / gut health focused for my diet. I am not counting calories but I am being cautious of portion sizes. I don’t snack a lot and while I’m not nearly as active as I used to be I am still trying to do 2 miles of walking every day (5 days a week at the least). I’m starting to incorporate strength training since April. So far, it’s slowed the gain but nothing seems to be working
.I’m thinking of asking my doctor for medical intervention at this point, I’m just not sure what to ask for. I don’t qualify to have insurance cover surgery, and I don’t think I want to go to that extreme but I am starting to feel a little desperate. This is something that impacts my mental and emotional health a lot which is why even though on paper I am healthy, I want to get down to something closer to average-sized.
THank you for reading

My RNY is scheduled for June 22. I am on a 4 week 5 items of optifast diet with 1 approximately 400 calorie meal a day, for a total of 1200 calories a day.
First week I lost 3lb. Second week I lost 1lb. Nutritionist said it was fine and I was above the goal. I have no idea how that is true. I have my 3rd appointment today and i dont think I have lost anything this week.
I asked the first week what would make them cancel the surgery and she said they are looking for compliance. She wouldn’t give me many details.
I am also scared if I am not losing weight now even though i am following this pre-surgery diet that I am not going to lose weight post op.
I was a bit constipated and I took care of that yesterday but it still seemed like I hadn’t lost any weight, just maintaining.
I am not exercising as much as I should be but I am not inactive. I work 2, 12 hour shifts as a busy RN per week and I am raising my kids and doing household chores the rest of the week. The exercise I was doing (at their suggestion) was only 10 minutes 3x a week, so I don’t think that should make a huge difference.
I started the program at 236.4lb and weigh 232.4lb on their scale as of last week. I am 5’3” and 33yo F. My scale is slightly off from theirs.
Also- does anyone have recommendations for at home resistance training after surgery? The 3 kids make it really difficult to go to a gym so i prefer to work out at home even though I have not been doing it and I know I can’t right after surgery. But I know I need to do muscle strengthening as soon as I can to retain muscle mass. I have a squat machine but I don’t love it, I cant target my muscles correctly with it. I also have a few 8-12lb free weights. Are small weights enough to retain muscle mass? I’m willing to buy a total body work out machine if people have recommendations for ones that work well for beginners.

I have been in a calorie deficit for 15 days today. From 204.6 to 201.0. One single day I went "overboard" and did not track. Does this loss seem right? I hear about bodies that go into starvation mode and not being able to lose weight. Surely that is not happening. I intake about 1000 cals day, sometimes less. Mostly rich in protein (about 50g/day) , good fats, vitamins, etc. I eat multiple times per day and work out sporadically.
Thanks for the feedback

Hello,
can You check some of my portfolio projects, please? Appreciate any feedback. I am working on my portfolio page at the moment, where i will put all of my projects (even those not showed here), but it would be great to know, what experienced React developers think. Thanks :}
Travelling blog
- i've used firebase as back-end. Only logged in/ registered users can add/ delete their blogs, same as comment them.
Shopping Cart
- this was a bit difficult task for me, ChatGPT helped me to finish it. It's made with redux toolkit and typescript, and you can filter t-shirt based on size, add to cart t-shirt based on size, while shopping cart has simple functionality. My data are dummy, i had them on json-server, and when app was done i figured out netlify won't make json server run the way i wanted, so i had to create separate server, and put it on render, that's why loading takes long. Sorry for that.
MovieWish
- search for movie and add it/ remove it from favorite
Quiz
Quiz app with 3 categories and history of results.
Meds Schedule
- basically todo list for every day of week with CRUD operations. Data is stored in localStorage.
Bmi calculator
- calculator to check body mass index with tips.

Credit to SpacePaladin15 for coming up with this amazing universe.
previous\next
​
Memory transcript: Starfreighter operator Cli! from Sillis, Date: [Standardized human time] September 11th, 2136
​
“If at any point you try to trick me, I will burn you to ashes. Am I understood?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Said !ar!, his legs shaking, but I wasn’t one bit better off, I was terrified to death, frozen in place. We’ve never had a weapon pointed at us. And it tuns out, it is a terrifying position to be in.
“Then start talking”. Said the old exterminator lady.
“We’ve been searching for a place to build us a custom adapter, and we’ve found this place called ‘Electronics Abound’, where a very bored female venlil pointed us to this store of yours.” I said with shaking voice. I was moving my hand towards my bag slowly for the connector, when she jerked the flamethrower in my direction, and shouted at me.
“Hands where I can see them! How do you know the expression ‘gold-pressed latinum’?”
“The female venlil told us to tell it to you. She said you can help with our problem. Can I show you?” I asked humbly.
“Give me the bag!” She shouted at me.
I took off my backpack and threw it at her feet. Handling the weapon with one hand, she reached into my bag with the other one. She rummaged in it for a moment, then brought out the CNCQ connector. The moment it was out of the bag, her eye was glued to it, looking at it as if she has just witnessed the founding of the Federation. “Where did you get this?” She turned to us and said, while holding the part.
“In our ship’s spare part compartment.”
“I am going to ask you a simple question. If you give me the correct answer, you will live. If you don’t…then lets just say I will have a lot of cleaning to do. So tell me, what exactly am I holding in my hand?”
“Ni!ita, please help us, this female venlil in front us tells us she will burn us to death if we wont identify the connector part.” I said out loud.
“Who the damnation are you talking to?” Replied the venlil, turning more hostile at my question.
“It is a universal CNCQ connector for a Type 3 socket, manufactured probably between 180 and 200 years ago in !errigan’s electronics factory on Sillis, if I remember correctly on an island just off the coast of her domain.” Said Ni!ita to me. It was an exhaustive answer, I hope it will be enough for our aggressive venlil.
“Ma’am, it is a universal CNCQ connector for a type 3 socket, manufactured on Sillis about 180 years ago in an electronics factory just off the…” I tried to repeat the lines Ni!ita told me, but Kelra interrupted me.
“It seems you know way more of this item than I do. But I do know that part of what you’ve said is the correct answer. Sorry that I’ve spooked you…”she said, as she turned off the flamethrower and put it down onto the floor”…but the codeword you’ve just told me implied you were coming to capture me. You seem to know more of this item than even the exterminator office. So, you’ve said you’ve found it in a compartment of your ship. Am I correct by assuming you are flying a non-federation standard starship?”
“Yes, you are.” !ar! replied.
“Okay. Do I assume correctly that you have a CNCQ module, to which you would like to connect something, maybe a datapad?”
“Correct, again.” I said.
“So you have a ship capable of interfacing with a CNCQ module. Why would you want an adapter for it then?”
“It is not for our CNCQ module, it is for an other we’ve found.” I explained.
“So you have 2 modules? How did you get a second one?”
“Cli! found in on Venlil Prime at the starport, it was lodged into an engine pod of a shuttle which collided with it in space.” !ar! said to her.
“I see. And why would you like to connect it to a datapad, when you could connect it to the ship?”
“We don’t want to connect it to the ship, we don’t trust her enough.”
“Her? I am confused. Are we still talking about the computer core of your ship?” Kelra said, probably just as confused, if not even more, than when we were told of CNCQs a day ago.
“Maybe it would be better if you’d tell us how do you know about this technology, and what do you know about it, before we attempt to explain our situation.”
“Would you like some fresh-baked strayu, or some fruits for the tale? Maybe a glass of water? Anyway, my story begins about 30 years ago. “She begins, as she goes up to the cabinet in the room, and fetches 3 glasses on a plate, and wanders over to the sink. “I was a young lass back then. Both my parents were exterminators, so it was natural that I also aspired to be one. But I had dreams, I wanted to see the galaxy, it was not enough for me to prowl the sewers and fields of Venlil Prime. So I’ve signed up for service, and thanks to my heritage, I was easily accepted into the exterminator fleet as a mechanic. You know, the fleets that are dispatched to untamed worlds to cleanse them of predator taint, to turn the planets into habitable paradises.” She put the glasses down onto the table in front of us, and then went back to the cabinet to take out some fruits. “I rose quickly in the ranks, Iin no small part because of my knack for recognising patterns. I’ve provided plenty of observations about predators and their behaviour that my contribution could be actually felt on the quality of work we did as a team. This, naturally, resulted in promotions not just in rank, but in responsibilities. I was given my own ship after only a scant 6 years. As the wave of colonization efforts died down, our focus changed, and so did my duties. We were tasked with finding battlesites, prowling through wreckage and removing arxur taint, and, if possible, retrieving casualties.”
Kelra stopped for a second to drink a little water, then went on. “But everything changed on that fateful paw. We patrolled this very system’s outskirts, when a dark object appeared on our sensors. They barely picked it up, we would have missed it if it didn’t reflect so much light, and the system thought it discovered a new star in the distance. After a quick error checking, we recognised it was a ship, and not a new star. It didn’t tumble much, drifted in the endless void silently. I gave the orders to go in for visual check, which we did, and what we had seen was unlike what we’ve ever seen. The craft looked neither federation nor arxur, it was oddly organic in shape. I have sent out teams to scour its hull for an entry point, and to evaluate the possible design purpose of the ship. An agonizing claw has passed before the first reports started coming in – it was clearly a weapon of war. An incredibly amount of missile launchers covered its surface, all empty, with some point defence lasers dotting its hull. A team has found an entry point, though they didn’t had to look very hard, practically the ship was broken in half. I have ordered the teams to rotate back and sent fresh teams into the derelict. I will never forget what I have seen on the camera feeds of my troops, tilfish corpses littered the inside, heaps upon heaps of dead, frozen tilfish strewn everywhere. By the time the ship was completely investigated, we’ve counted over 20000 dead. That sight, the memories of that day will haunt me for the rest of my life.”
Kelra stopped again, clearly in great emotional distress, and I could see tears forming in her eyes.
“You don’t have to continue Kelra.” I tried to persuade her to stop, but the put her paw up, and went on.
“I do, I have to. Someone has to know, and you, at least partially, are privy to the truth. I don’t think any better candidate will come my way anytime.” She took a deep breath, and continued.” In that cursed ship, my team found a single piece of machinery still being powered. It was fed by some kind of emergency power source we could not locate the source of. It was the computer core, or CNCQ, as you might know it. I have no idea why the designer of the vessel dreamed this craft up this way, I can not fathom why one would want to keep a dead ship’s core powered, but I guess that question will stay unanswered. Anyway, we decided to extract the core, and mark the craft for salvaging. The dead crew has been collected and incinerated in our drivecones’ exhaust.” She stopped for a moment, thinking about the memories and the feelings they’ve awoken inside her, then continued. ”We’ve spent the next months trying to interface with the computer core, which eventually resulted in the gadget now you seek. I am willing to part with it, but in exchange, I would like to take a peek at your computer core.”
We sat across her in stunned silence for a long moment, weighting if that would be a wise idea. For what exactly are we endangering ourselves, a custom piece of cabling so that our stowaway can talk to the world?
“Cli!, you are in deep distress, I can feel it, what is the problem?” Came Ni!ita’s voice out of nowhere in my mind.
I tried to recall the story I’ve been just told, so that she might understand the reason for my anguish.
“You should ask her why the existence of this adapter is dangerous. It makes no sense. A crucial piece of the bigger picture is missing. A more important question is, why is she afraid?”
Those were very good questions. Ni!ita seems to be very good at paying attention to details, and noticing inconsistencies. I decided to ask them from Kelra.
“You are an observant tilfish, Cli!, those are perfectly valid questions. I am willing to give you some details as a show of faith, and to sweeten the deal, I will give you the computer module after you’ve fulfilled your end of the deal. Is this acceptable for you?”
“We can agree to this Kelra.” Said !ar!.
“The adapter is a piece of technology that allows connection between federation systems and a technology that is deemed dangerous by the federation. Though I think the protocol itself is a remnant of a conflict that has been scrubbed from the records of the federation. The information we’ve discovered in the core pointed to a conflict between the tilfish and the Federation, before you’ve been officially found by the Federation. The ship was fleeing Sillis, and it was pursued by a Federation suppression fleet. The core must have been damaged in some way, as we could not extract much from it, apart from navigation data and some damage reports, despite it being full of information. I am in potential danger, because I am in possession of this information. I know, because I know the regulations, some I’ve even helped write. Now its your turn.”
“You can not take a look at the CNCQ modul you would like to investigate, because it is not our decision. It is, after all, her body, not ours.” I told her in confident tone.
“Whose decision? What are you talking about?” Asked Kelra, apparently being very upset about what I’ve just told her.
“Its Ni!ita’s decision, she lives in it. The CNCQ is not a computer core, you see, it is a housing of a virtual brain of a long-dead tilfish queen. Among other things.” I explained her.
“Are you pulling my tail? This is a sorry excuse for a joke. There is nothing in my computer module!”
“You’ve just said, it is full of data. Yours, and our original, are essentially coffins, of a long-dead tilfish’s neural transcript. The one we’ve found on Venlil Prime is still alive however.”
“Lets assume I go along with your outlandish explanation. Why do you need the adapter?”
“We basically made a deal with her. We will not leave her on the scrapyard if she does work on the ship. Considering her…disabilities, she is unable to do any physical work, and we are reluctant to hook up her to the ship. So, we thought if we gave her the means, she could be our logistician. She could scour the digital world for work more efficiently than us. If you give us the adapter, we can prove this to you.”
Kelra thought for a very long moment, confusion was clearly wrecking her mind. It would be wrecking ours too, if we were subjected to such a situation she was pushed into. On second thought, we were in her position just a paw ago. Hm, how easily one’s world view can change in short amount of time. Suddenly, she got up, and walked to the cabinet in the room, she leaned inside and pushed something, after which a hidden compartment revealed itself in the wall opposite us. She walked up to it, and retrieved the adapter, and her CNCQ module.
“Lets go to your ship, then.” She said with determination in her voice. Then she walked out of the office into the store, and we heard the door unlocking. “Are you coming or not?” She asked from us, practically shouting from the street. I’ve jumped up and ran after her, with !ar! right behind me. By the time we’ve caught up with her, she was almost at the corner of the block.
The walk back to the ship went in silence, we did not talk, at all. Her knowledge of the city was evident, as we’ve walked considerably less to the starport now, than how much we did earlier today. But the night still caught us outside, by the time we’ve reached our ship the starport was bathing in blinding artificial lighting, projected from floodlights dotting the tarmac. We approached the ship from the front, and Kelra’s eyes shot wide open at the sight of it.
“Is this your ship? It does not look like a Federation ship, at all. In fact, it resembles the ship I’ve encountered all those years ago.” Kelra said, while gawking at our craft.
“It is indeed very different. Actually, we are having a lot of problems finding parts for it. I guess you can imagine, it is not a common ship in Federation space.” I added.
“May I have a look inside?” She asked.
“Well, we have walked around here, it would be rude from us not to let you on board.” !ar! replied.
We all walked into the ship via the crew ramp, and headed to the storage room where Ni!ita “lived” currently. Kelra handed !ar! the adapter, and he connected his datapad to the module with it. For a few moments, nothing happened, then Ni!ita’s began speaking to me.
“Hm, interesting gadget. Is this the famed ‘datapad’ you’ve connected to me? The software is…difficult. I have to be careful while talking to it, as if I was walking on eggshells, made of extra-brittle glass which have already been broken but is still in one piece. Extremely sloppy engineering. Oh dear, the amount of unnecessary protocols, the duplicate lines of code, the pointless bloatware…do you truly need a live update of the weather on all federation planets? And why am I bombarded with articles, like ‘14 symptoms of predator disease’ or ’21 ways the Federation keeps you alive without you knowing’?”
“What now?” Asked Kelra from us. “Is it working? I would like to speak to her. Can we talk somehow?”
“Hello alien!” Came a voice from the speaker of the datapad. The most soothing, feminine, smooth voice I’ve ever heard, it made the hair on my body stand upright, and even Kelra’s wool has straightened a little. A chilling feeling ran though my body, from my head to my abdomen, sparking a feeling of happiness and joy from every cell of my body, as if they started dancing at the same time.
Kelra’s mouth hang open at the unexpected voice. She looked around, looking for the source, but she found nobody. “Hello, mysterious occupant of the CNCQ module. I am Kelra.” She said to the datapad, after she confirmed that the voice could not have come from any other place.
“Greetings, Kelra, I am Ni!ita. Thank you for your generous gift adapter. Finally, I can do something else, other than chatting with these 2 drones, they are quite boring, frankly.”
“What and who are you?” Inquired Kelra.
“I am Queen Ni!ita, the neural transcript of queen Ni!ita from Sillis. I am a Command and Control Queen, or CNCQ. And who are you, Kelra?
“I am a former ship leader and exterminator.” Said Kelra.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, and aliens in general. It is my first time, but I suppose the rest of my kind met yours almost 2 centuries ago.”
Kelra froze at that comment, probably thinking back to the corpse-filled ship. She must have been thinking wether she should tell her story to Ni!ita or not. The Federation did not meet the tilfish under pleasant circumstances.
“Well, Kelra, do you believe us now?” I’ve asked from Kelra.
“I do. It is incredible. In my wildest dreams I have not though this was the purpose of the module, this also explains why the ship was designed to keep the module powered no matter what. And since you have the proper equipment, maybe you could look into my module also, probably it would reveal more than what I could dig up with my improvised tools.”
Kelra spend the next hour chatting with Ni!ita, carefully navigating around the topics that would expose the Federation’s involvement with the ancient tilfish. They discussed technology, culture, especially music. Ni!ita was extremely interested in venlil music. But the time came when she had to go back to her life.
“Thank you for your warm welcome, but I must be going now, my daughter must be worried sick. May I have your contact so that we can stay in touch, Queen Ni!ita?” Asked Kelra.
“I don’t have any objections. And, please, call me Ni!ita, no need for long-forgotten, meaningless titles.” Replied Ni!ita. Kelra went over to the CNCQ module, and sent over her contact. Then she turned around, thanked us for our hospitality, and left, leaving her own module on the floor by the door.
We looked at each other with !ar!. This has been a tiring day, and we haven’t even secured a new job for ourselves. Suddenly, it dawned on me, Ni!ita can now take over that role from us.
“Ni!ita, since you now have the means to do some work for us, how about you start looking for a job for us?”
“I have already done it. We will depart in the morning.”
“Wow, you are fast.” Said !ar! surprised.” Would you please fill us in?
“I’ve managed to secure a contract for you, for the short-term future. A roundtrip between 3 locations, though the end of the roundtrip is Venlil Prime. I know you have an aversion to that place, but still, it pays very well.”
“That’s great news! What will we be transporting?”
“Titanium, steel and aluminium sheets and profiles, processed lithium and a myriad of other metals in smaller quantities. The full container amount will be loaded, each to their full capacity here, on every round. At the next stop we will be loading food, machinery and building materials.”
“What’s the fee?
“A nice round 40 million credits for a single round.” Ni!ita said, like it wasn’t a fortune in and of itself.
“Ok, this is too nice to be true. What is the catch? What is the third stop, Wriss?” I asked jokingly.
“No. It’s a planet called Earth.”

Disclaimer : i am not used to story telling so the story will kinda be all over the place and i apologize in advanced!
Let me start from the beginning, for aslong as i can remember i had a crush on this guy since first week of classes. it was really awkward at the time because i was not sure about who i am just yet. that was like 8-9 months ago. For description this guy is the typical high grade glasses and very average looking, we are about the same height like 5'3 or something (never really checked) not slim but not masculine either, short black hair and black eyes i think
A description of me, i am a short guy, average-goodlooking (im bold i actually have a crush on myself lol) not slim but not muscular too (we are the same body types). short black hair and dark brown eyes.
Something about myself, i am not the most sociable guy. my mood depends on my energy so my friend often portrays me as "cold person" or "sad boy" lol i dont mind. I often give cold shoulder when my energy levels are low (something i should work on) especially when it comes to packing up and going home. That information will come handy later.
Anyways things went on and i started to befriend this guy (the awkwardness is real). it was all fine until he finally joined our friend group. ofcourse i have to act like its not a big deal (it is) i could remember that i was a little panicky lol. then he started to closely befriend my friends, they would hang out like almost everyday, this made me feel like i didnt belong anymore for the longest time but i didnt let it bother me.
For some reason he was touchy and sweet towards me (putting his head on my shoulder, finding a way to see me everytime there is a chance, i catch him looking at me and then he looks away etc etc) these signs of him was the ones that gaved me hope for the longest time while i was supressing my feelings because at the time i didnt know who i was ( i had a identity crisis). I was often giving cold shoulder to him because i was not sure whether i should continue doing what i was doing because i wasnt sure who i was until one day i settled on being bi.
Theres this one time i can remember where we got to this rooftop with our friends and him and it was like past sunset, the place was moody almost romantic illuminated by the pink skies above. we sat down by this stone walkway and just taking in the scenery. there was no words spoken between us but our friends are just cracking jokes and being silly lol. the whole time i was overthinking whether i should confess on that moment or wait for the "perfect time". then suddenly he puts his head on my shoulder again. this time it felt different, it felt right. i sadly didnt took a photo of our shadows but i did took a photo of our shadows sat together (sorry i cant show it to you guys). That was a time to remember, but a memory that would soon turn bitter.
My search for the "perfect time" came and go, i was wasting opportunities like it was tap water lol. if there was a lost opportunity for confession competition i would've won lol. All these times my mood were like roller coaster, one day im like "YEAHH LETS FRICKKING GO", then the next day i be like "i want to die, stare at you emotionless", that didnt help our relationship because i think hes interpreting it as a negative thing. These things led to our relationship slowly tearing apart (and it was never strong in the first place). there was a point where im like (i cant keep doing this i either should confess or completely move on) and i decided to confess.
I didnt wait for a perfect time, i didnt tell him personally either. i shoot him a quick text. actually its not a text its a screenshot of a text i wrote on notepad. At this point i didnt care about the outcome i wanted this to end because it was hurting me like hell. He replied the exact words:
(The day before this i didnt didnt talk to him because i thought he was ignoring me)
"Hello, i was just busy the other day. well thanks i guess i have noticed it for a while now, sorry in advanced"
at this point i was numb i didnt even feel a thing but i texted him just to make sure
"thats a no" "right?"
he dodged the question and said
"goodnight"
goodnight? what goodnight? i asked you a question and you said goodnight? i was mad for a while and i collected my self and said
"well thanks for your answer, i finally found the closure i was looking for all this time"
"goodnight"
that was the last time i have talked to him. yes we see each other in school but we have been ignoring each other since then. at first i was like okay dont talk to me its not like i care anyway, now i feel shit. its awkward being in the same friend group and hes closer to my friends now than me. i feel left out of the friend group and wondering what to do next. we are nearing graduation i feel like my time is running out but at the same time i feel like i should not do anything because he already rejected me. any thoughts?
again i apologize that the story is all over the place.

Week (1-6) : Test 250mg Week (7-12): Test 250mg Sustanon 200mg Boldenone 125mg Masteron prop 200mg Week (13-20): Test 250mg Sustanon 250mg Boldenone 125mg Nandrolone Phenyl Propionate (75-125mg) Masteron propionate 200mg Week (15-20): I may add winstrol Also I am going to start taking 2000iu HCG per week soon . If I have money I may switch to 75iu hmg.
If I don't get any side effects I may increase test to 500mg . And this is my 3rd week on test . I am taking Tamoxifen 10mg daily. I do have an AI if I go on test 500mg. Gonna start taking finasteride soon. Already taking all the precautions like body wash for acne using Nizoral shampoo. Did my blood work. Everything is fine till now. Taking all the supplements I need. I have all the things I need for pct . Is there any thing else I need to do .

["Women and the Priesthood," Rodney Turner (1972), p.285] Heaven, itself, bears witness to the proper roles of men and women. God does not send his daughters on errands to this world until it is time for them to acquire mortal bodies. And when they set them aside in death, they do not venture forth again until the resurrection. Claims of females, such as the Virgin Mary, appearing from heaven with messages for a church or for the world are false. The voice of the priesthood is a male voice; nowhere in all scripture is there record of any female being heard speaking in behalf of God. The Lord does not send women to do the work of men; it is not for women to receive instructions for the Church and kingdom and priesthood of God. The message of salvation is a priesthood message delivered by male messengers to male prophets. It is all under the direction of the Godhead—three male deities. It is revealed through the instrumentality of the Holy Ghost, an unembodied spirit man. It is validated by the atoning sacrifice of the Son of God and it is the responsibility of men to take the good news of salvation into all the world. Woman's primary role is in the home just as man's is in the fields—the world. Each has proper labors to perform and a proper place in which to perform them. If women do the work of men and men do the work of women the result is confusion, strife, insecurity and a loss of basic identities.

The Catholic claims of Mary's visitations are false. Professor Turner tells us why. God doesn't do business with women at the helm, or first officer. When there is work to be done, he sends Peter, James, and John, or the archangel Gabriel, or Nephi or Moroni. He gets those two confused. Serious work is for men. Catholic adoration of Mary are simply untrue by Turner's dismissal. Catholics are the "great and abominable church," and a "Mary worshiping cult." Please, don't you dare, Catholics and turn this around and call mormonism a "Smith worshiping cult." Praise to the Man!

• why is the LDS story of the first vision automatically credible, while similar stories from Catholicism are incredible? Starting point-of-view matters.

This book was written by a BYU religion professor and still draws a lot of mormon hate online. Who is this dude to speak for the top tier leadership? Perhaps, the dogma would go down easier if it came from the top:

• "To The Mothers in Zion," Ezra Taft Benson (1987)

Hat tip to alien236 on this thread who quoted Turner a few months ago.

Faction:
Royal Navy
​
Class:
Repeat Valiant/Churchill-class Nuclear-powered Attack Submarine (Submarine in-game)
​
Background:
The third and final ship of the Churchill-class (also known as the Repeat Valiants as it featured many internal improvements, but outwardly looked about the same as the preceding Valiant-class Nuclear-Powered Submarines) HMS Conqueror) was ordered on 9 August 1966 and was laid down at the Cammell Laird Shipyard at Birkenhead, at the time in the County of Cheshire, England, on 5 December 1967. She was launched on 28 August 1969 and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 9 November 1971, the final nuclear-powered submarine to be completed by Cammell Laird. (all future Royal Navy submarines would be exclusively built by Vickers Shipyard)
Conqueror’s career between commissioning in 1971 and the Falklands War in 1982 was largely uneventful, with the only thing of note being the replacement of her Type 2001 sonar array with a Type 2020 version and a Type 2026 towed array that could be let out and retrieved sometime in the late 1970s. It was also around this time that the sub would be captained by Cmdr. Chris Wreford-Brown.
Upon the outbreak of the Falklands War in April 1982, Conqueror would be among many British submarines that were deployed to the South Atlantic (including sister ship HMS Courageous), departing Faslane Naval Base in Scotland on 3 April, and arriving at the Falklands exclusion zone on 24 April, exactly three weeks later. She was tasked with scanning the area for Argentine shipping, in particular, Argentina’s light aircraft carrier ARA Veinticinco de Mayo (formerly HMS Venerable). On 30 April, Conqueror spotted the Brooklyn-class Light Cruiser ARA General Belgrano (formerly the USS Phoenix) sailing southwest of the Falklands outside of the exclusion zone. However, with 25 de Mayo approaching the islands from the north, the commander of the HMS Hermes task force, Rear Adm. John “Sandy” Woodward, fearing a pincer attack between the two ships, requested permission from his superiors to sink Belgrano. That permission, after some debate, would be granted by Adm. Sir John Fieldhouse and the order to engage was sent to HMS Conqueror, in the interim, Belgrano would retire from its attack vector and head west, a move that made later events incite controversy, although both Belgrano’s captain and the Argentine government would acknowledge that the attack was a legitimate act of war.
On 2 May, Conqueror would launch three Mark 8 torpedoes ^\1]) at Belgrano, with two of them striking the ship and exploding. Twenty minutes later, the cruiser was rapidly sinking and abandoned by her crew. General Belgrano was unable to send a mayday signal, due to electrical failure and poor visibility, which meant that the two escorting destroyers, ARA Piedra Buena (formerly Sumner-class USS Collett) and ARA Bouchard (formerly Sumner-class USS Borie) would not find out about Belgrano’s sinking until hours after the latter sank, taking 323 men with her. The sinking of the Belgrano was a notable one, as it was the second time since the end of World War II that a submarine sank an enemy warship ^\2]), but it was the first (and at the time of writing only) nuclear-powered attack sub to do the deed. The Bouchard was also believed to be hit by Conqueror’s third torpedo. Though Conqueror would not again fire her torpedoes in anger, having had to evade the efforts of the Argentine Air Force (FAA) to locate and sink the submarine, she would spend the remainder of the war helping the task force by using sophisticated monitoring equipment to track FAA aircraft. Belgrano’s sinking also shocked both the Argentine people and military junta, and contributed to the Argentine Navy’s role being significantly reduced for the remainder of the conflict, and in turn, contributed to Argentina’s defeat in the Falklands War.
After the war, HMS Conqueror would return to Faslane flying a Jolly Roger, a customary act of Royal Navy submarines after achieving a kill. Said Jolly Roger would feature an atom, a cross torpedo pattern, a dagger and the outline of a cruiser, representing Conqueror being an SSN, the weapon used for the sinking, the secretive nature in the operation and the hull type for the kill respectively. This banner can be found at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport in South East England.
Her post war career would also see some notable moments. Later in 1982, Conqueror would take part in Operation Barmaid, an operation to raid and capture a Soviet passive towed scanner array that was towed by a Polish-flagged vessel. Conducted as a joint Anglo-American operation just outside Soviet territorial waters, the sub used cutters affixed to her bow to shear off the 3” (76mm) thick wire before silently returning to base on the Clyde. On 2 July 1988, Conqueror collided with the Dalriada, an Army Sail Training Association yacht. Its four crewmen would be rescued, but the yacht sank.
Conqueror was decommissioned on 2 August 1990, with the submarine’s periscope, captain’s cabin and main control panel joining her Jolly Roger at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum. At the time of writing, she is currently housed at Devonport, County Devon, one of twenty nuclear subs housed there by the Ministry of Defense awaiting final disposal.
^\1]: While HMS Conqueror was equipped with the newer Tigerfish torpedoes, the Mark 8, a venerable design dating back to the interwar era, was far more reliable and used instead.)
^\2]: The first instance would occur during the Third Indo-Pakistani War eleven years prior when PNS Hangor, a Daphné-class Submarine used by the Pakistani Navy, sank INS Khukri, a Blackwood-class Frigate in an instance that also marked the only instance to date of an Indian Navy warship sinking to enemy action since independence in 1947.)
​
Namesake:
A conqueror is a person who conquers.
​
Rarity:
UR
​
Stat Spread:
As a nuclear powered submarine, Conqueror sports a superb Torpedo Stat (S), a decent HP stat compared to their WW2 counterparts (B) and a superb speed stat (A). As a Cold War submarine that has no guns, she has no firepower stat.
​
Abilities:

• Her Majesty’s Silent Service: If sortied with at least one other Royal Navy Submarine/SSN, increase the critical chance of all Torpedoes this or any Royal Navy SS/SSN launches by 3% (8%) and increase the critical damage dealt by 15% (25%).
• Setting the Sun of May: Increase damage done to Sol de Mayo (ARA) warships by 15% (30%) and increase damage done to Light Cruisers by 25% (45%). For every ship this submarine sinks, increase the damage dealt by 1% (2%) with its cap at 10% (20%) until the submarine withdraws.
• The Empire Strikes Back: When this ship arrives at attack position and again when retreating from battle, launch a unique, defense ignoring torpedo barrage, damage based on skill level.

​
Personality:
Conqueror (S48) could be best described as someone who has a Sugar-and-Ice Personality (or in Anime jargon, a Kuudere). On the outside, she is cold, aloof and professional, dedicated to her missions and largely keeps to herself. Once one gets to know her better, she shows herself to be more optimistic and warm, if a bit socially awkward.
​
Quotes:

• Acquisition: My name is Conqueror. I am the sub that sank the General Belgrano during the war of the South Atlantic. If there is nothing else to add, can I get going now?
• Secretary (Idle) 1: Focus on your work. You wouldn’t want to disappoint anyone, do you?
• Secretary (Idle) 2: I am simply doing my duty, I’m not interested in what other people think or praise about me.
• Secretary (Idle) 3: Always stay on guard, don’t make such careless mistakes.
• Secretary (Touch): What requests do you want of me?
• Secretary (Special Touch): I honestly hope your libido matches your skill in battle.
• Skill Activation: Neutralizing target…
• Affinity (Disappointed): Such a waste of time, you are.
• Affinity (Stranger): If you wish to be useful, then tell me the next objective you wish to see done. I don’t have all day.
• Affinity (Friendly): If you want my honest truth about the war, I spent thirteen years for the opportunity to do what I did. I didn’t want to foul it up.
• Affinity (Like): I’m…not much of a talker. I don’t have anything to talk about here so…what do you like to do in your free time?
• Affinity (Love): Whenever I need to go out to battle, I try to keep my cool, and I’m still good at what I do, but the way you make me feel…hmm…I wonder…
• Oath: This ceremony is just like the one on the return to Faslane. Last time I thought nothing of it, but now…with you here…
• Sortie (Churchill): You’re a good talker when you should be hunting stealthily.
• Sortie (Conqueror (World of Warships)): Heroes aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be.
• Sortie (Phoenix and/or General Belgrano): Sunrise, sunset. As all things should be.

​
Design:
Conqueror is depicted as a girl in her mid-teens with golden yellow hair tied in pig-tails that extend down to her elbows, and ruby red eyes. Her attire is largely inspired by the equipment utilized by the Special Boat Squadron (now known as the Special Boat Service) during the early 1980s, and in particular during the Falklands War. She wears a black skin-tight one-piece wetsuit that covers her entire body, with the cut offs being around her hands and halfway down to the calves of her legs. Among her equipment is a snorkel on her right shoulder, though not worn, and comes with a L9A1 Browning Hi-Power pistol in her left hand. In addition, Conqueror wears a red crystal around her neck in the shape and style of Phoenix’s tie at the end of her hair, symbolizing a prize for sinking her in the Falklands War.
Her rigging is largely the same as her submarine model, but functions as a one-man Submarine Delivery Vehicle for which she rides on top, with the control mechanism being on two handles on each side of the sail (akin to how I-56 operates her rigging)
​
A/N:
This sub was suggested to me by u/A444SQ, I hope you enjoyed this rendition of Conqueror as I did making it.
The historical HMS Conqueror (or rather the last iteration of her) is a fascinating ship and one that I figure would be deserving of its UR spot given its single defining achievement. But this would also be my first UR submarine (at least my first not named Alicorn which is OP even by Ace Combat standards) and with nothing to base it on, it's difficult and might actually be a bit underpowered by comparison. It is what it is I suppose.
As always, if you want to suggest a ship or retrofit in the future, please leave it in the comments below, you can also reach me via DM's to make your suggestions as well. We're returning to Operation Weissenburg next time with Tier VIII Battlecruiser, a design dating to March 1918 but was depicted by WeeGee to be developed in 1944, with their take on Schnelle Großekampfschiffe 4531, KMS Zieten.
Link to the list of ships

I beat the men again :) This was a super fun and well-run meet.
photo for cover

Background and training

I compete in USAWA, the US All-Round Weightlifting Association, best known for its many wacky odd lifts. This meet had just two official lifts, the Hackenschmidt Floor Press (a floor press done with the bar at 15" off the ground) and the Dinnie lift (weights in two stacks with ring handles, one heavier than the other, to mimic the famous Dinnie Stones of Scotland). After the competition was over, the organizer held a "record day" where lifters can pick anything they like from the rulebook and attempt to set or break records.
I've been competing in USAWA since 2019 and have been the undefeated women's champ at all the in-person meets I've done--although in many cases I was the only woman competing. Usually men and women are scored separately, but I asked ahead of time if the HackenDinnie organizer would be able to use a formula that combines men's and women's scores. Because, I told him, I'm competing to win. (He said yes.)

Meet prep

The first time I tried the floor press, I was only able to move 75 kilos (about 160 pounds). u/BenchPauper suggested using the Gillingham bench template to train it, which involved one day each week with a heavy single and backoff sets, and a second day with lighter lifts. After a few weeks I figured out the right grip width and bar placement and was able to hit 85 kilos (about 185 pounds). This remained my 1RM for the rest of training. I deviated from Gillingham in the last few weeks, but it was a solid structure to keep me in practice for most of my training time.
The Dinnie lift I've done before. Back in 2020 I got up to 503 pounds with straps. But in USAWA, no straps are allowed, nor even thumb tape. You just chalk up your hands and go for it. My best without straps had been 418 pounds.
When I trained the Dinnie lift, I kept getting little tweaks and aches and pains. One time I took two weeks off of Dinnie lifting because I was convinced I'd sprained my left ACL. (That's the ACL I tore and had reconstructed many years ago, so it kind of spooked me.) Later I had an issue with my hip. I was kinda bummed about all of this and didn't train this lift as heavy as I would have liked. Fortunately, by the time the meet rolled around everything was feeling better.
I had a total of 11 weeks between my last big weightlifting meet (Masters Nationals in olympic weightlifting) and the HackenDinnie. I did 3 days/week of normal weightlifting training, and 2 days where I practiced these two lifts and a few other lifts that I selected for the record portion. I pulled my last heavy Dinnie lift 8 days out, at about 440 pounds. My heaviest in the whole training cycle had been a hook grip PR at 470. On u/just-another-scrub's recommendation I bought a pair of Versa Gripps to get in more volume without worrying about my thumbs, but in the end my lower body injuries (or fear thereof) limited me more than my grip.

Meet day

I drove down to Kentucky for this one. The meet was held in Clint Poore's very nice garage gym and he put on an extremely well run meet. I refereed when I wasn't lifting.
The guys at the scoring table called me over to ask what my opener really was on the floor press--maybe it was my handwriting, or maybe they weren't expecting me to open at 180 pounds. Out of 11 people there, I was 4th to open on the floor press. And of 9 people who did the Dinnie lift, I was second-to-last to open. One lifter bumped up his own opener to match mine (430).

The lifts

Hackenschmidt floor press

• 180 pounds - good lift, and set a record in my weight class.
• 185 pounds - had to follow myself. Good lift and an all-time women's national record.
• 190 pounds - I believe I followed myself again. I didn't quite wait long enough for the down command, but got white lights and a warning.
• 200 pounds - 190 moved so easy I knew I had more in me, so I went for the big 2 hundo for a 4th attempt for record. Looking at the video I think I may have even had a bit more.

(This lift is not eligible for world records in our international organization, IAWA.)

Dinnie lift

Had to wait a while to open this one. My hands began to slip on my last warmup at 400, so I made a note to chalk the heck up and to believe in the magic of the taper.

• 430 pounds - good lift and set a record in my weight class.
• 480 pounds - good lift and beats the record in the 70kg weight class. (I had chosen to be in the 75 to make sure I wouldn't have to worry about whether I could beat this number--but here I am beating it anywaay.)
• 500 pounds - good lift and a women's all time national record.
• 510 pounds on a 4th attempt - good lift at a poundage that beats all the IAWA women's world records as well. Sound on for this one!

There are several women who have either lifted the real Dinnie stones or the Rogue replicas, at 734 pounds, so it's not a world best lift. But 510 is higher than any woman's Dinnie lift in our record books.
I also had the second-heaviest Dinnie lift (by raw poundage) of the 9 of us. The only person who lifted heavier than me was a highland games athlete who said he had planned to do 500/550/600 but bumped his attempts when he saw mine. He did 550, 650, and broke 700 off the ground but didn't get a complete lift. I pointed out that a 300+ kg lift is all you need to book an appointment to lift the actual Dinnie stones, so even though the competition was over at that point, everybody supported him to get his qualifying lift in. We loaded 671 pounds, weighed it out and documented the scale weight, and he pulled it to massive cheering.

Results

When age and bodyweight were taken into account, I had the 4th best total on points. Our international org, IAWA, uses a 1.33 multiplier for women when they combine men's and women's scores, so we did the same to determine the overall winner. That turned out to be me.
Honestly, I believe several of the men there were strong enough to beat me, but they weren't as familiar with the lifts and/or underestimated themselves when it came time to choose attempts. I, meanwhile, had been able to train on very similar equipment (I have Dinnie rings at home) and had a strong sense of what attempts would be strategic and doable for me. What can I say, I came to win!

Record portion

One of the first things the meet organizer showed me when I arrived that morning was a foot press he had just gotten. Sort of like a primitive leg press, but the idea is that you just need to break the weights off the supports (no need to fully lock out your legs). I almost couldn't reach the footplate, but with my heeled lifting shoes on I was able to participate.
The foot press had 350 pounds on it when I first gave it a try. I lifted that, and so did a bunch of other folks. Then four more plates got piled on, and we all did 530. Next up, a bunch of the guys did 580. When it was my turn, I said...well, why not 600? So that was my third. And I finished up with a 4th attempt at 700. Felt that one in my shin bones (ew), but no problem lifting it.
I also did a clean rack Sots press (James Lift is the USAWA name). 75, 80, and set a record and a small PR at 85 pounds.
I had planned to do a snatch, but there were no weightlifting bars in the place, and I forgot how weird it is to have a bar without your usual landmarks and to have so much knurling. I scraped up my legs enough on the Sots press that I scratched the idea of snatching with it.
Somewhere in there I took a first attempt at a normal bench press (IAWA/world lift but not USAWA lift). Did 150 pounds, then got distracted and never bothered to come back for more.
It was kind of chaotic, okay? At some point I stumbled across an axle loaded with 275 pounds. Pulled that for a beltless deadlift, because I didn't have my belt on when I impulsively grabbed it and told a ref to watch me. One attempt one record. Moving on.
Last one was an Apollon's Lift, which is just an axle press anyhow. I have not attempted to clean an axle in years and kind of forgot how. I no-contact power cleaned it and then did a split jerk at 115 pounds. Easy. So I went 135 next, couldn't remember how to clean it, managed to get it up to my shoulders continental style, then shit the bed on the jerk. I'm for sure good for more if I practice this someday. But the record book had a blank space on that, so 115 was good enough.

Aftermath

I'm working toward getting into the Century Club of people with 100 or more records. (We love our records in USAWA. The Century Club has many members, in part because you can keep setting different age group records as you get older.) I'm on track to make it this year.
Next meet is USAWA nationals in Missouri in three weeks, so once I recover I'll jump right back into training. I've actually taken two whole days off from training so far, which is weird for me. Stay tuned for the next meet, which includes a Steinborn squat and a hip lift, among other things.
I'm not always sore after meets, but mannn is my body feeling this one. Everything hurts, including some bruising on the back of my leg and a superficial skin tear on top of my thumb from hook gripping so hard. Still have never torn a callus on my palms or fingers. File those suckers down, kids.
PS. I'm lifting the real things someday. Only 224 pounds to go.
Happy to answer questions about joining us at USAWA meets. They're for everyone (my daughter even lifted at Nationals at 6 years old) and are always a blast.

If the purpose of a horror movie is to quicken your pulse, make you feel uncomfortable and, you know, present something that in real life would be terrifying then the first murder sequence in RANDOM ACTS OF VIOLENCE will tick all of those boxes for you. It's legitimately great - legitimately intense and relatable. That's not a knock on the remainder of the film - but it unfortunately never again reaches those heights. It seems to be pretty divisive (with MANY folks failing to connect with it at all) but I found a lot to like in it. Jay Baruchel could have a career in horror - or he could have blown everything he has in this film. I hope it's the former. I DO wish he would quit acting in his own films though - he's a much better director than he is an actor. I wasn't too sold on Jordana Brewster at first - but she delivers when it counts. She has at least two scenes in particular where she really brings it. Niamh Wilson is super-cute too as the assistant - she really resembles Allison Pill (featured in Baruchel's GOON) so, yeah, the director really has a "type". Jesse Williams is also really good as the author - although a late-in-the-game twist didn't work for me AT ALL (it actually just confused the hell out of me). I liked what it was trying to say too - about art influencing people. I may not really AGREE with it, but I went with it. Brutal violence, lots of gore and body parts - the film does not hold back. And at a sleek 80 minutes, I liked it a lot. Your mileage may vary - other opinions are equally valid - but this hit my sweet spot enough to recommend.
Thoughts?

Higher education is one of the benefits of America in my opinion, while not every college is great we still have some of the best institutions in the world (many of them are public colleges too).
In my opinion, a college education is extremely beneficial to everyone. You learn to get along with generally a more diverse student body, have to learn how to get along in the professional world and build social skills (or choose not to and adapt), and it really does form the basis of knowledge between high school and being an adult. Unlike what the political fringes say either, you do learn valuable critical thinking and analytical skills as well.
Having worked in both corporate environments with only college grads and those with mostly high school graduates, there was a huge gap in skill and professionalism among both in favor of the college graduates
Do you feel college graduates are on the whole better prepared for adult life than their high school grad counterparts, and do you think a college education is worth it overall?

25F, Black. I had a fistulatomy in Jan. This was my third fistula surgery (partial fistuatomy & LIFT before that) unfortunately it was not successful and I still have a sac of fluid (but not a new fistula) according to the MRI that healed outside but not the inside. I am scheduled for an exam under anesthesia this summer and my doc says this should be it hopefully. I’ve been thinking that bloating, diarrhea, cramping and basically “anything I eat makes my stomach hurt” was related to my fistula but now I’m thinking I may have some GI issues. My colorectal surgery gave me a referral to a GI doc but they are booked until Oct. I called urgent care for a stool test but none of the ones I called do that. So I’m thinking I should go to the ER. This doesn’t feel like an emergency bc it’s been my norm for so long. I’ve been dealing with my fistula for a year and some change and I may be on the other side soon. But I’m wondering about the GI issues and what I should do about that. I’ve also tried probiotics (used to take them frequently), digestive enzymes, psyllium husk, even a plant based diet..still anything I eat causes bloat and discomfort. I’m starting to get nervous. In addition to my fistula, I had a myomectomy a year ago due to fibroids, and now have a small (1) cervical polyp that will be out this summer too in a small office procedure during my checkup with my OGBYN. The feeling that my body isn’t working with me is so frustrating and I feel so young to be dealing with this bc it does affect my quality of life. But I’m still just doing what I can.

I beat the men again :) This was a super fun and well-run meet.
photo for cover

Background and training

I compete in USAWA, the US All-Round Weightlifting Association, best known for its many wacky odd lifts. This meet had just two official lifts, the Hackenschmidt Floor Press (a floor press done with the bar at 15" off the ground) and the Dinnie lift (weights in two stacks with ring handles, one heavier than the other, to mimic the famous Dinnie Stones of Scotland). After the competition was over, the organizer held a "record day" where lifters can pick anything they like from the rulebook and attempt to set or break records.
I've been competing in USAWA since 2019 and have been the undefeated women's champ at all the in-person meets I've done--although in many cases I was the only woman competing. Usually men and women are scored separately, but I asked ahead of time if the HackenDinnie organizer would be able to use a formula that combines men's and women's scores. Because, I told him, I'm competing to win. (He said yes.)

Meet prep

The first time I tried the floor press, I was only able to move 75 kilos (about 160 pounds). u/BenchPauper suggested using the Gillingham bench template to train it, which involved one day each week with a heavy single and backoff sets, and a second day with lighter lifts. After a few weeks I figured out the right grip width and bar placement and was able to hit 85 kilos (about 185 pounds). This remained my 1RM for the rest of training. I deviated from Gillingham in the last few weeks, but it was a solid structure to keep me in practice for most of my training time.
The Dinnie lift I've done before. Back in 2020 I got up to 503 pounds with straps. But in USAWA, no straps are allowed, nor even thumb tape. You just chalk up your hands and go for it. My best without straps had been 418 pounds.
When I trained the Dinnie lift, I kept getting little tweaks and aches and pains. One time I took two weeks off of Dinnie lifting because I was convinced I'd sprained my left ACL. (That's the ACL I tore and had reconstructed many years ago, so it kind of spooked me.) Later I had an issue with my hip. I was kinda bummed about all of this and didn't train this lift as heavy as I would have liked. Fortunately, by the time the meet rolled around everything was feeling better.
I had a total of 11 weeks between my last big weightlifting meet (Masters Nationals in olympic weightlifting) and the HackenDinnie. I did 3 days/week of normal weightlifting training, and 2 days where I practiced these two lifts and a few other lifts that I selected for the record portion. I pulled my last heavy Dinnie lift 8 days out, at about 440 pounds. My heaviest in the whole training cycle had been a hook grip PR at 470. On u/just-another-scrub's recommendation I bought a pair of Versa Gripps to get in more volume without worrying about my thumbs, but in the end my lower body injuries (or fear thereof) limited me more than my grip.

Meet day

I drove down to Kentucky for this one. The meet was held in Clint Poore's very nice garage gym and he put on an extremely well run meet. I refereed when I wasn't lifting.
The guys at the scoring table called me over to ask what my opener really was on the floor press--maybe it was my handwriting, or maybe they weren't expecting me to open at 180 pounds. Out of 11 people there, I was 4th to open on the floor press. And of 9 people who did the Dinnie lift, I was second-to-last to open. One lifter bumped up his own opener to match mine (430).

The lifts

Hackenschmidt floor press

• 180 pounds - good lift, and set a record in my weight class.
• 185 pounds - had to follow myself. Good lift and an all-time women's national record.
• 190 pounds - I believe I followed myself again. I didn't quite wait long enough for the down command, but got white lights and a warning.
• 200 pounds - 190 moved so easy I knew I had more in me, so I went for the big 2 hundo for a 4th attempt for record. Looking at the video I think I may have even had a bit more.

(This lift is not eligible for world records in our international organization, IAWA.)

Dinnie lift

Had to wait a while to open this one. My hands began to slip on my last warmup at 400, so I made a note to chalk the heck up and to believe in the magic of the taper.

• 430 pounds - good lift and set a record in my weight class.
• 480 pounds - good lift and beats the record in the 70kg weight class. (I had chosen to be in the 75 to make sure I wouldn't have to worry about whether I could beat this number--but here I am beating it anywaay.)
• 500 pounds - good lift and a women's all time national record.
• 510 pounds on a 4th attempt - good lift at a poundage that beats all the IAWA women's world records as well. Sound on for this one!

There are several women who have either lifted the real Dinnie stones or the Rogue replicas, at 734 pounds, so it's not a world best lift. But 510 is higher than any woman's Dinnie lift in our record books.
I also had the second-heaviest Dinnie lift (by raw poundage) of the 9 of us. The only person who lifted heavier than me was a highland games athlete who said he had planned to do 500/550/600 but bumped his attempts when he saw mine. He did 550, 650, and broke 700 off the ground but didn't get a complete lift. I pointed out that a 300+ kg lift is all you need to book an appointment to lift the actual Dinnie stones, so even though the competition was over at that point, everybody supported him to get his qualifying lift in. We loaded 671 pounds, weighed it out and documented the scale weight, and he pulled it to massive cheering.

Results

When age and bodyweight were taken into account, I had the 4th best total on points. Our international org, IAWA, uses a 1.33 multiplier for women when they combine men's and women's scores, so we did the same to determine the overall winner. That turned out to be me.
Honestly, I believe several of the men there were strong enough to beat me, but they weren't as familiar with the lifts and/or underestimated themselves when it came time to choose attempts. I, meanwhile, had been able to train on very similar equipment (I have Dinnie rings at home) and had a strong sense of what attempts would be strategic and doable for me. What can I say, I came to win!

Record portion

One of the first things the meet organizer showed me when I arrived that morning was a foot press he had just gotten. Sort of like a primitive leg press, but the idea is that you just need to break the weights off the supports (no need to fully lock out your legs). I almost couldn't reach the footplate, but with my heeled lifting shoes on I was able to participate.
The foot press had 350 pounds on it when I first gave it a try. I lifted that, and so did a bunch of other folks. Then four more plates got piled on, and we all did 530. Next up, a bunch of the guys did 580. When it was my turn, I said...well, why not 600? So that was my third. And I finished up with a 4th attempt at 700. Felt that one in my shin bones (ew), but no problem lifting it.
I also did a clean rack Sots press (James Lift is the USAWA name). 75, 80, and set a record and a small PR at 85 pounds.
I had planned to do a snatch, but there were no weightlifting bars in the place, and I forgot how weird it is to have a bar without your usual landmarks and to have so much knurling. I scraped up my legs enough on the Sots press that I scratched the idea of snatching with it.
Somewhere in there I took a first attempt at a normal bench press (IAWA/world lift but not USAWA lift). Did 150 pounds, then got distracted and never bothered to come back for more.
It was kind of chaotic, okay? At some point I stumbled across an axle loaded with 275 pounds. Pulled that for a beltless deadlift, because I didn't have my belt on when I impulsively grabbed it and told a ref to watch me. One attempt one record. Moving on.
Last one was an Apollon's Lift, which is just an axle press anyhow. I have not attempted to clean an axle in years and kind of forgot how. I no-contact power cleaned it and then did a split jerk at 115 pounds. Easy. So I went 135 next, couldn't remember how to clean it, managed to get it up to my shoulders continental style, then shit the bed on the jerk. I'm for sure good for more if I practice this someday. But the record book had a blank space on that, so 115 was good enough.

Aftermath

I'm working toward getting into the Century Club of people with 100 or more records. (We love our records in USAWA. The Century Club has many members, in part because you can keep setting different age group records as you get older.) I'm on track to make it this year.
Next meet is USAWA nationals in Missouri in three weeks, so once I recover I'll jump right back into training. I've actually taken two whole days off from training so far, which is weird for me. Stay tuned for the next meet, which includes a Steinborn squat and a hip lift, among other things.
I'm not always sore after meets, but mannn is my body feeling this one. Everything hurts, including some bruising on the back of my leg and a superficial skin tear on top of my thumb from hook gripping so hard. Still have never torn a callus on my palms or fingers. File those suckers down, kids.
PS. I'm lifting the real things someday. Only 224 pounds to go.
Happy to answer questions about joining us at USAWA meets. They're for everyone (my daughter even lifted at Nationals at 6 years old) and are always a blast.

An attorney I knew has a history of racial slurs and violence. I have videos of them screaming the N word (they’re white) and texts of the same thing, as well as them admitting to a drunk hit and run - only property damages. This person is employed by the state and has a large amount of power over peoples’ lives. I believe that their racial bias and mental issues should disqualify them from this position. This person also has connections with various police departments in my area. I have texts of them talking about using their friendships with police officers to avoid consequences from the aforementioned hit and run.
They also have a history of violence, but none of it was recorded by police. I want to report this person to either the governing body they work for or to the bar association. But I do not want my name involved, for pretty obvious reasons. Is there a way to do this?
Tl;dr: Violent racist attorney is employed by the state and shouldn’t be, can I provide this information anonymously to their employer or the bar association?

hello so a few days ago I had a big drama where long story short my dad's heart issues + severe anxiety came back after adopting a dog from the shelter near me and he wanted to return the dog asap. Since then, my dad has been feeling better and his anxiety has resolved after several discussions and him doing some work on his main issues. the other night we shook hands on keeping Jetty, and my dad is now pretty happy with him. I also bathed him today, so thankfully, he isn't as stinky as my dad stated! Jetty is no longer showing symptoms of anxiety and has settled in well, and he and my dad have bonded a bit too! Thank you to everyone who commented on my previous post/s support/advice. Despite Jetty's short time with me, we've already made progress on his dog reactivity! Very little progress, but progress nonetheless. We're currently working on not saying hello to every single person who we walk past, and lessening his fear of other dogs. I'm very glad this all worked out and the massive issues my family was having resolved quickly, as now Jetty is in a calm environment where the whole family is accepting of him.

Hello everyone,
I'm selling 2 old rigs of mine :
#1

• CPU : Intel I7 2600K (4,29GHz mbd auto overclock)
• MBd : Asus P8p67
• Ram 32GB no-name DDR3 1600MHz
• Storage :2 SSD 2.5" 120GB
• Case : Coolermaster Cosmos II
• PSU : Be Quiet! Dark Power PRO 750W 80+ Gold
• OS : Win 10 pro

This one is fairly dated (around 2011-12) but it still works well as an entry-level PC for everyday use and internet browsing. Integrated Graphics only.
The case has some marks and a bump on the left-side panel.

• Price Thinking about €200,- O.B.O

#2

• CPU : Intel I7 8700K
• MBd : Asus Z370-F Gaming
• Ram 32GB Corsair DDR4-4000 MHz
• GPU : eVGA 1080 ti 11Gb SC (SuperClocked)
• Storage :1Tb nvme M.2 Samsung SSD 970 pro
• Storage 2 : 3 TB Seagate Barracuda
• Case : Fractal Design Refine R5 (no rgb)
• PSU : eVGA Supernova 750w 80+ Platinum
• Cooler : - CPU cooler : Noctua nh-D14
• Accessories : DVD/CD burnereader
• OS : Win 10 pro

This one is better shape, until a few month ago, this was my daily. Still able to make most games run at 1080p/1440p with good FPS

• Price : I'm selling it for €800,- O.B.O

The screen :
IIYama ProLite B2712HDS
Specs can be found here : https://iiyama.com/gl_en/products/prolite-b2712hds-1/

• Price : 50 euros (firm)

The screen still works well, no dead pixel to my knowledge to mention that the ON/OFF button is a bit deaf at times...
Additional info :
- Both PCs have had a full cleanup, dusted and new thermal paste has been applied (Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut Extreme), both are working and have been stress-tested prior to my putting them up for sale. I've been building PCs for 25 years and 10 as a pro so I know how to take care of them.
- All items can be tested at my place if needed (Charleroi region)
- The GPU in PC #2 was never used in a mining rig, I'm the first owner.
- No postal service delivery due to the weight and size of the items and their respective fragilities. But possible in-person delivery upon request (depending on the distance).
Don't not hesitate to PM me if interested or have more questions.
Have a nice day !

What indies are you using today? And we mean everything! Examples of stuff we'd love to hear about:

• Makeup
• Clothes
• Jewelry
• Bath and Body (lotion, soap, shampoo, bath salts, etc.)
• Nail polish
• Perfume

Please feel free to leave mini-reviews and include photos of whatever you're using. We'd love to know your thoughts and see the products too!
This thread repeats daily.