Hi all, I've got a confusing disease with two names. I recently wrote an explainer about it here to help make it clear for folks! It was read by a doc to make sure it's correct. I know folks with the disease have a hard time explaining. Also it's hard to get a science lesson when you're almost dying in an ICU... https://taylorcoffman.substack.com/p/welcome-to-my-disease-what-is-atypical Cheers all. Hope this finds folks doing well out there.

Hi guys.
Backstory, i work for health insurance. Part of my job is to forward and filter information from different departments. Sometimes I get too enthusiastic and try to go the extra mile, but I think I’m pissing my boss off and not sure if I should just do the bare minimum and keep to myself.
Anyways, today I got some information from another department and figured I’d let my boss know so that my colleagues could avoid making the same mistake I did. I sent this email to my boss in a haste (along with the attached information from the other department), and i feel like I rubbed her the wrong way more than anything.
Hi Rita , I wanted to bring this to your attention. There are claims in the system that are showing xx denial when they are actually denying for xx. They appear to be all within the same time frame and can easily be misunderstood as xx denials and escalated incorrectly. I’m not sure if this issue is already known and this is just how they were previously documented in the system but I thought I’d notify you so any uneccessary escalations to the x department could be avoided. Thanks
Now that I’m reading the email it almost sounds like I’m demanding her to do what I say which I’m totally not, just wanted to save us all the headache.
I’m picking up vibes that I’m not really the most popular in my department when I for the most part keep to myself and always try to go the extra mile.
Am I over thinking this? Should I apologize to my supervisor and try to fly under the radar from now and on?

I (a native, American English speaker) have been studying Hebrew for a couple of years with a teacher and a study partner. I know about 500+ words, can read and write OK (for an intermediate student), but wondering how long it will take to become fluent. I bought Harry Potter in Hebrew and couldn't get past page 1! I do watch Israeli tv shows like Faudi and Beauty and the Baker. I pick up words and phrases from these shows, but cannot follow the whole conversation without subtitles.
I am overwhelmed by how much I don't know and wondering if and I how I can ever get there. I am left-brained (technical/analytical) and sucked at Spanish, particularly at the conversational part. It is hard not to try to translate each word in my head. But I'm very interested in Hebrew!
Here are my questions 1. What things helped you get from intermediate to fluent levels? Do you learn new words each day?

1. Have you gone to, or know anybody who has, to the Middlebury language immersive program in Vermont?
   
2. What are your experiences with iTalki? I heard it depends on who you get paired with.
   
3. How do you get to the point where you know basic Hebrew to the point where you can read Hebrew fiction books and go live in Israel and have a professional career?
   
4. After you got to intermediate level, what did you do each day/week to get better?
   
5. How do you get to the point where you can live in Israel and be able to read fictional books in Hebrew for fun and have a professional career there?
   

Thanks in advance

I just got back from a long day, and decide to play some splatoon (not to relax, just to keep my skills sharp) On my first match, all 3 of my teamates just started squid-bagging in spawn and did nothing. No, it wasn't a "squidparty lobby", because the other team was playing perfectly normal.
The worst part was, that in the last 30 seconds, those idiots actually started to play the game, (which was obviously unwinnable) so I couldn't report them for "purposely not contributing." (since they had some stats on the end-screen)
If you wanna squidbag, do it in a pb or during the que. Dont ruin other peoples' experiences because you know your too bad to actually win.
and yeah, thats the true motivation behind throwers/cheaters/griefers, they know they suck, and cant improve, (even with all the "free win" buttons in modern games) so they'll just ruin the game for everybody else.
sorry for getting off topic in that last part, I was playing another game, and had a run in with somebody who dc'ed on me during a match-up screen because I had high-level badges. (in that game, if you dc in the que, you dont lose anything, and your opponent doesn't gain anything)

It hit me out of nowhere, today. The realization that I ruined the chances of us ever being together. I did this to us months before it happened. You were this perfect half of the relationship and I didn’t see it then. I was blinded by lust and I did things I shouldn’t have. I hurt the relationship and you built a wall around yourself. I loved you more after I saw the kind of person you were and you loved me less after you saw the kind of person I was. It all makes sense now that you’re no longer with me. I know now that you have to be by yourself and never come back to me. As much as my memories of you are sweet, your memories of me are painful and bitter. I don’t want you to come back to me when you’re going to hurt even more just by being around me. I know I ruined this for you, and I will forever apologize to you for doing so when you were so perfect, and punish myself for ruining something that could’ve been perfect. I ruined my future with you. You’ll move on to have a great life ahead, no doubt about that.
I wish you great happiness, so I can feel a little better about you leaving me. I wish you great happiness so your healing can make me punish myself less. I will forever regret the things I’ve done. I’m sorry it took me this long to feel the gravity of what I’d done. You took a leap of faith and I let you fall down crashing. I wasn’t there to hold you. You stopped taking steps towards me after that. You no longer trusted me.
I’m sorry I did this to us. I loved you after you started to despise me. We were bound to fail the moment I hurt you. I thought I was letting you heal, but I didn’t know it left a scar that would always remind you of that fall. I’m sorry again, and I know no amount of apologizing will undo the damage now. I went from wishing we’d get back together someday to hoping you forget me completely someday. I wish you the happiness you have, and the happiness in my future. You can take it all, you deserve it all. I’m sorry for ever being a part of your life. I shouldn’t have ever stepped in. I would’ve never if I knew what I was doing.
Please forgive me, or don’t. Actually, don’t. Don’t forgive me. Just be happy with yourself and the next person who steps into your life. Whoever it’s going to be, that is one lucky person. I can’t even begin to describe what I lost. I’m sorry, and I will forever repent for what I’ve done.
I’ll stay away from your life, for your sake, not as a sacrifice, but as an offering. I’m not a simp here, I’m just a person trying to do the best I can, to the person I care most about today.
I love you, and I finally understand why you never got there.

What better way to welcome your new stepmom than with a few good-natured pranks? When she’s as hot as dark-haired MILF Sandy Love, dedicated Little Humper Conor Coxxx just has to pants her while she’s doing chores. Sandy gets wise to Conor’s tricks and turns the tables, but he’s got another surprise for her in his pants: his huge cock that the horny stepmom eagerly sucks! Then Sandy sits on his face before riding him."

🔥 Unlock Your Ultimate Summer Getaway: $25 Off & Spin for a Chance to Win a Dream Vacation! Limited Availability, Act Now! 🌴✨

Don't Miss Out on the Hottest Deal of the Season! Click Here to Grab It Now!

Hey there, fellow adventure-seekers!
I've got the news that will set your vacation plans on fire! Right now, you have the golden opportunity to unlock your ultimate summer getaway like never before. Brace yourself for an irresistible deal that will make you exclaim, "I need to check out right now before this deal ends!"
Prepare to create unforgettable memories with your loved ones because I've partnered with Hopper to bring you the hottest deal of the season. As one of their esteemed referrers, I've secured a special offer that will make your jaw drop.
Picture this: You'll receive a fantastic $25 off on your next booking! But that's not all. Brace yourself for the cherry on top. You also get to spin the wheel for a chance to win a dream vacation! Yes, you read that right! We're talking about a fully-paid vacation that will whisk you away to paradise, courtesy of Hopper and their incredible team.
🌴✨ Imagine lounging on pristine beaches, exploring exotic destinations, and creating lifelong memories with your family. The possibilities are endless!
But here's the catch: This offer is extremely limited. The clock is ticking, and the availability is running out fast. This is your cue to act swiftly and secure your spot before it's too late!
Are you ready to embark on the adventure of a lifetime with your spouse and kids? Don't wait a moment longer! Click the link below and say "yes" to the ultimate summer escape:

Unlock Your Ultimate Summer Getaway Now! Don't Miss Out!

Seize this incredible opportunity while you can, and make this summer one for the books! Remember to use the code "Alexc200" to ensure you don't miss out on the exclusive benefits.
🔥 Hurry, the clock is ticking! Your dream vacation awaits. Act now and get ready to make memories that will last a lifetime. Click the link above and embark on the journey of a lifetime!
🌴✨ Your ultimate summer getaway is just a click away. Don't miss out!

Hey everyone, I'm got the entrepreneur bug a couple years ago (finally) and I've been thinking about the power of collaboration and how it can benefit both parties involved. It's amazing how two different companies can come together and create something greater than the sum of their parts or pass work back and forth.
I'm curious to hear about your experiences with collaborations in the business world.
Have any of you ever partnered with another company to expand your services or reach new customers?
What were the challenges you faced, and what benefits did you gain from such a partnership?
I'm particularly interested in hearing about collaborations in areas like design, web designers, dev, branding, SEO, IT, and the entire digital services umbrella.
Feel free to share your stories or insights. I believe there's so much we can learn from each other's experiences and I will be hanging out to take notes. Thanks!

If you're considering cosmetic surgery, you want to choose a surgeon who is experienced and has a good reputation. You also want to find a surgeon who is affiliated with a reputable hospital.
Delhi's Leading Cosmetic Surgery Clinic is one of the most experienced and reputable cosmetic surgery clinics in Delhi. We've been helping people transform their appearance for over 20 years.
We offer a wide range of cosmetic surgery procedures, including facelifts, eyelid surgery, nose surgery, breast augmentation, and liposuction. We also offer non-surgical treatments such as Botox and fillers.

Why Choose Us?

If you're considering cosmetic surgery, you want to choose a surgeon who is experienced and has a good track record. You also want to find a surgeon who is qualified to perform the specific procedure you're interested in.
At our practice, you'll find experienced surgeons who are qualified to perform a wide range of cosmetic surgery procedures. We're dedicated to providing our patients with the best possible care, and we're committed to achieving beautiful, natural-looking results.
Some of the reasons to choose us for your cosmetic surgery needs include:
- Experienced surgeons: Our surgeons have years of experience and are highly skilled in the latest surgical techniques.
- A wide range of procedures: We offer a wide range of cosmetic surgery procedures, so we can meet your individual needs and goals.
- Natural-looking results: We strive to achieve beautiful, natural-looking results that will enhance your appearance and boost your confidence.
- Personalized care: We offer personalized care and attention to each and every one of our patients.
- Safe and comfortable environment: We maintain a safe and comfortable environment for our patients, and we use the latest technology and equipment.
If you're considering cosmetic surgery, we encourage you to contact us to learn more about our practice and to schedule a consultation. We'll be happy to answer your questions and help you make an informed decision about whether cosmetic surgery is right for you.

FAQs

1. What is cosmetic surgery?

Cosmetic surgery is any type of surgery that is performed to improve the appearance of a person. This can include procedures like facelifts, breast augmentations, and liposuction.

1. Is cosmetic surgery safe?

As with any surgery, there are some risks involved with cosmetic surgery. However, these risks are usually very low and can be minimized by choosing a qualified surgeon and making sure you are healthy before the surgery.

1. How much does cosmetic surgery cost?

The cost of cosmetic surgery varies depending on the procedure and the surgeon. Generally, the more complex the procedure, the more it will cost.

1. Are there any risks associated with cosmetic surgery?

As with any surgery, there are some risks associated with cosmetic surgery. These risks can include infection, bleeding, and scarring.

1. How long does it take to recover from cosmetic surgery?

Recovery time from cosmetic surgery varies depending on the procedure. Generally, simpler procedures have shorter recovery times while more complex procedures may take longer.

I've spent most of my time in this New Game+ save lately in search of every witcher gear set in TW3. As of now i've got every set apart from Manticore and Viper gear sets (due to how "far" i'm in the story - still looking for Jaskier), all upgraded up to what level i can use (55 currently [waiting to get to Kaer Mohren for the Wolven Set upgrades].
As of now i really like the Griffon Set - Thanks to perks mod i was able to increase the number of ability slots a little, so i can fit most of the needed abilities in the build. Even though i went for alchemy mostly, with 4 active signs abilities i get up to 330%+ sign power, with Aard being able to hit enemies for 2K+ damage sometimes. I feel like it does limit my Swords Damage though (with Euforia i'm able to Reach 4k+ damage with swords). Which, depending on how i wan't to go about the fight, might be a bit underwhelming.
Cat gear is of course the best in Sword damage regards (5.5K for sword damage and 240%+ for sign damage) but as someone that preffers a more of a Spell sword type of play, it feels a bit underperforming with mobile enemies (Griffon Set extending the Yrden range and sign power inside of it sure is great).
Bear Gear feels great all around, especially against Big, hard hitting enemies i think, with 4.5K+ sword damage and 220%+ sign power, it's passibe effect seems kinda sucky, if you're not putting every avaliable sign point into Quen sign.
Forgotten Wolf Set quickly falls short of the rest, especially before you reach Kaer Morhen to search for the upgrades (as with the normal Wolven Set). It's passive however, in tandem with the last of the abilities in the Aard line, makes it hit like a mule - it takes 2 aards to kill most common enemies at DM difficulty with scaling up enabled.
So that was my lineup and a bit of an opinion for TW3 Witcher Sets that nobody asked for.

Day 1 The cornocoupia layed within the middle of the castle featuring new weapons guns swords and even more weapons for the captials delight. Outside of the castle is surrounded by a vast majorty of forests below the castle featured a rather nice beachsides. One thing of note was the hourly geysers that would shoot and if a tribute were unlucky to stumble upon it they would be shot straight into the arena roof then pushed down into the oceans. As the direction was turned back to the cornucopia the countdown begun. The carrers attempted to quickly locate each other moments later after giving the starting node they aimed to at least get 5 tributes out. Charlie from 9 was place exquadistant from Midge (4) and sunny from (11). Tinsele from (5) whimpered as Alavdor(1) meansingly grinned. After game maker Whimsiwick wished the tributes well the blood bath began. Alavdor and Ursula from (1) charged in fighting hand and hand with the guns. Both shot 2 of there opponents Tinselle (5) Suprisingly died earlier after being ambushed and then died from the boy from 10. After a rather chaotic blood bath 6 more cannons sounded. Causing a memorable games to occur. As most of the tributes ran off 3 sponsor gifts flew in for the carrers Clemot noticed his had a battery he grined happily placing it behind a near by cornocpiua wall. WIth a later interview with head game maker Mortmer Whimsick he stated that Clemots knowledge of exlposive greatly impressed him causing him to be a dark horse with this years games. For the next few hours they hunted down and killed Charlie from 9 and Darius from 12. “Its gonna be a quick games i can feel it.” Ursualua suddenly stated. After nodding quietly the careers had continued to wander throughout the arena. However as they were walking into the beachside a loud shroom occured as the careers hid and watched Io (3) being flown into the air by the sudden geyser sounding his cannon imedtitaly. Afterword as his district part Danielia yelped lowldy Ursaula quickly ran in and snapped Daniellas neck sounding her cannon as well. After that they then feasted upon a picnic they were given by sponsors. Though as Midge (4) was finishing up the soup cansitar a loud caboom was heard. The carrers were rather confused but as many of the near by trees fell Juliso from (9) then jumped out tumbling into Alvador and Marina. As Alavador held a knife to Julisos throat. But as Ursula yelled at him to stop he then reliazed that Juliso was the one Ursula acquired. As Alavdor drooped the knife Juliso ran hiding behind Clemot (5). Clemot then walked toward Marina. “Your showing weakness already good heavens you have first watch dummy.” Juliso nodded as he then grinned as Midge tossed him a near by titanium waterbottle. Juliso thanked him as he then joined the careers in exploring the arena further. After 3 hours they then decided to rest for the day. Before there rest they came to the conclusion that there was only 18 tributes remainig. As they then began to rest Clemot awoke within the middle of the night for his night watch. As Midge awoke he then joined Clemot as they then listened to horn of plenty playing featuring the fallen tributes. Io and Daniela both from 3 Tinselle from 5 Plush from 8 Charlie from 9 Sunny from 11 and Darius ftom 12. Leaving 19 tributes remaing. Clemot then walked away saying along the way “If you so really want to see what im doing to the outliers then come.” Midge smiled and nodded as he then walked with him to the beach. Clemot then turned on the battery creating a vast electric current sounding 1 cannon. The cannon belonged to Houstoun from 6 after being badly elctricuted by the battery. After his body was removed Midge grinned patting him on the head saying after. “Ima help ye with your little plan.” After this statement the district 4 and 5 supporters in the capital cheered in anticipation until this was stooped by commander Anastia Fling screaming “its 2 in the morning im sleeping.” The applause and cheers turned down as Camelia then begun a rather quiet end of day analysis. Back in the arena the boys returned back to the carrer camp sleeping Day 2. Once the careers awoke they were greeted with a rather horrific display of Ursula had been stabbed by Juliso. Alavdor then chased down Juliso manging to get 3 arrows in his foot hearing Ursulas cannon sounded. After angrily throwing a apple at there supplys another boom occured as Alavdor then was flown back hitting many trees manging to nock Wine from 11 and Oilvia from 12 to fall as 3 cannons sounded. As much laughter stroke the capital audiences Nico Anderson new head editor of Anderson Fashion even said that “Mr boom boom is getting Lucky.” Even in the mentoring gallery Gravito Logan victor of the 100th hunger games shouted “Thats my boy.” As he then was told to “Shut up.” by Optimo Braun victor of the 100th hunger games. Back in the arena 2 more cannons sounded belonging to Plush and Patch both from 8. Got shot into the arena roof from the gysers. In a later interview with game maker Laurier he did state that the geysers had a little to much power but had been comical for the capital. Marina from 4 looked at Clemot asking “Was that you.” Clemot nodded adding in “My mentor wants me to survive cant picture how he would be if i died.” Marina yepled and ran away as her own district partner Midge chased her down pushing her into the geyser sounding her cannon. Midge and Clemot then abondened the camp only taking 5 waterbottles and 3 sandwhiches. The boys then re entered the house going into a room and surprisingly resting for once. The boys had chatted about there home districts. Feeling rather confused after his conversation with Clemot both boys took a quick nap later waking up around 5pm in the evening. They then were confused and gave a short laugh clearly thinking they had slept passed 12 pm. Clemot then asked if any tributes died. Midge nodded then stating that the explosives were set causing a another explody mess with 8 cannons sounded. Apperantly this was a lie only 4 cannons then sounded. Nothing more happened within the day greatly boring the capital citizens but this was later changed in the next day. After night fell 8 more cannos sounded only leaving 11 tributes left

• NPI: 34
• Codependency: 16
• OCD: 18 (I am diagnosed with OCD, ADHD, GAD, and social anxiety. I also have CPTSD and a shit ton of cluster B traits that I hide very well, even from myself. Yes I know I have many issues)

My Reddit obsession lately has been worrying me because it's getting in the way of my life. Today, I realized that I've been using it as a source of external validation and that I might be a narcissist. This started several days ago when I started looking into narcissism because I suspect my parents might be narcissists and I wanted to know why they are the way they are, but I seem to have opened a Pandora's box that might have better been left closed. :(
I've been reading some posts on NPD and narcissism that are frighteningly relatable to me. Such as having an "empty core" inside and "seeming" to have empathy because I focus on others and their needs, but my reason for doing this is very self-serving. I think that the reason I give people attention and make them feel good about themselves is because "people like people who like them." I get attention and liking for giving attention and liking and that's why I do it. I have often wondered if I am really capable of feeling empathy and love or not. I still don't know the answer. Shame dominates every other emotion in my brain. It's the one I feel the most strongly, it doesn't feel like there is room for anything else.
It takes me a lot of mental work to be interested in what other people are saying, and more than half the time I still can't do it. I'm just waiting for my turn to talk. I seem to love the sound of my own voice, I talk excessively. I try to be interested in others, and I feel like a defective human when I can't manage it. I constantly re-read posts I make, answers I give, and texts I send, just to pat myself on the back for a job well done (you're so clever, you're so caring, you're so open-minded, you're so smart, you're so funny), and then I do it all over again except this time I put myself in the POV of others and imagine how they are perceiving me. I do this over and over and over again whenever I want to feel good about myself. I constantly check my answers to see how many upvotes they got. The fact that so many of my questions blow up and get popular fuels me (I tend to have this effect whenever I do a presentation at school too, I'm an entertainer seriously). Compliments fuel me. Anything nice anyone has ever said to me, I've taken a screenshot of it.
More than anything, I want to be humble, kind, loving, open-minded, curious about/interested in others, and driven by my values. But that's not how I am inside and I delude myself about that. I've always been vaguely aware of this need for external validation and it always disgusts me. I just learned about the terms "communal narcissism" and "cerebral narcissism" and it scared me how much they sounded like me. I also strongly suspect that my mom is a covert/vulnerable narcissist (maybe a little communal too), and my dad I suspect is a communal/cerebral narcissist. I'm just like them, isn't that a hit to the ego :))
But I digress. Anyway, it has come to my attention recently that everything I do is for the purpose of getting external validation and trying to develop an identity, trying on different personalities like outfits. I get my sense of self-worth from showing off and getting positive attention for it, especially in the following areas:
1) Being a "kind/loving person" 2) Being "intelligent/a critical thinker" 3) Being "funny/the class clown" 4) Being flamboyant/dramatic/"quirky"/"unique"
Inside, I do not have a sense of self. I've been deluding myself about what kind of person I am, when really I do not have any identity at all. I've just been trying to create one this whole time. I don't feel human, I don't feel like a real person. I don't feel like I have a personality. And this makes me feel like a defective knock-off product one might return at Walmart. This makes me feel deeply ashamed and alone and scared and sad. I just want to be like everyone else.
I've been deluding myself my entire life into thinking that I'm a person who cares about others, who enjoys learning, and who loves humour and drama. But really, these are just outfits I'm trying on, and they've stuck because these are the areas I've gotten a lot of positive reinforcement in. Because I have OCD, I've always been the type to question whether I'm REALLY a good person and what my REAL motives are for doing nice things, and I often wonder if I'm capable of genuine human connection since I seem to be able to turn my emotions off at will, but these past few weeks have made it all crystal clear. I'm not a good person OR a bad person, I'm not a person at all 😭😭
I feel horrible. I feel like I'm having the worst existential crisis of my life. Everything I fucking do is for external validation. Any joy I get from ANYTHING is from the external validation it provides or the external validation I imagine in my head that I would get if others were present. I have ZERO intrinsic motivation. I'm completely developmentally stunted. I never developed an identity, a personality, stability in emotions and empathy, or social skills. I have CPTSD, ADHD, OCD, and now possibly NPD?? Just fucking kill me at this point.
I've always seen online "signs of a narcissist" and I rolled my eyes thinking "that's not me at all lol." And I've taken narcissism tests before but I always scored extremely low. But I've recently noticed that I tend to have a dissonance between my feelings and behaviours vs. my thoughts and beliefs. I "believe" and rationally think that I'm not better than anyone else, but that's not how I "feel" or act. I believe in humility while taking every opportunity to show off. I do it all for the audience, for the applause. Even if that audience is an imaginary one in my own head.
I believe that intelligence is a meaningless concept and that people who think they're smarter than everyone else are pretentious and irritating, while taking every opportunity to show off any knowledge I ever accumulate and looking down on people who ""lack"" critical thinking skills. I believe in caring for others, while what I really get out of caring for others is a self-serving ego boost from gaining someone's respect and admiration. I get a kick out of knowing that I'm ""better"" than people who don't act caring and loving. I believe in the importance of living by your values and developing intrinsic motivation, while my every behaviour is driven by extrinsic motivation.
So I decided today to re-take the narcissism test and let my emotions + behaviour guide me this time rather than my thoughts and beliefs. And what do you know, I get a score of fucking 34 😭😭😭 An EXTREME narcissist. I find out that I'm an empty shell of a person whose entire life was a lie and now I have this shit to worry about on top of it? I always knew I was a little flamboyant, a little silly, a little self-absorbed, but I never thought that I might be a narcissist because I don't want to hurt people like all the YouTube videos say. I'd rather die than hurt someone. I'm disgusted by all the behaviours involved in emotional abuse. I was emotionally abused my entire life by my parents, so I vowed never to make anyone feel the way my parents made me feel. But this isn't any better.
Maybe I'm not a "malignant" or "overt" narcissist or whatever but I'm still faking every human connection I've ever made because I'm not fucking human inside. I don't want to engage with others inauthentically like this. I don't want to fool them or trick them into thinking I'm a caring person who loves them when I've probably never cared about anything except for external validation in my life. I feel like shit man I don't know what to do. I'm too ashamed to even bring this up to my therapist and this shit is untreatable anyway. Just imagining the disgusted look on her face makes me shrivel up and wish I was dead. Honestly, imagining everyone's disgusted faces as they read this post makes me shrivel up and wish I was dead.
I think if I ever told anybody this stuff in real life, they would be nauseated. I think my only option is suicide at this point. But I can't even do that because it would hurt my family and my one friend and traumatize them for life. I'm just doomed to fucking be miserable?? Fucking hell. This is the worst day of my life. I just want to be normal like everyone else.

Just a Star Wars nerd striving to become a good Catholic i was thinking the other day how devoted Catholics and priests are like the the jedi knights and the Saints are like those legendary accomplished Jedis. Definitely more motivation to strive to be close to God. Anyway I got to thinking about life on other planets and how the church would react to this. What are your current views on possible extraterrestrial life and what is the Churches views? Especially intelligent life

Some of you may have noticed a notification and/or email sent to you letting you know that your upgraded Free plan will be deprecated and your monthly VPN bandwidth will go down to 10GB per month. Some of you may have already been downgraded to the 10GB plan. In this post we'd like to answer a few questions and clarify some concerns that people had regarding this change.
First off, who will be affected by these changes?
The changes we're making right now will be affecting anyone on an upgraded Free plan with 20GB or more monthly bandwidth. There are a couple of exceptions to this but let's explain some basics first.
All Windscribe accounts have 2 different types of bandwidth allotted to them. The first is the actual Base plan you are on, so 2GB per month, 10GB per month, 50GB per month, etc, and the second is what we call Bonus bandwidth. Bonus bandwidth is what you get when you refer people to our service (you get +1GB for every person referred), it's what you get when you buy a Custom plan (each location on a custom plan is an additional 10GB to your account as long as you have the custom plan), and it covers some other situations like Mine-for-Upgrades bonuses.
The total monthly bandwidth you have on your account is the sum of your base plan and any bonus bandwidth. Here are a couple of examples:

• You are on the 10GB Free plan and purchase a custom plan with 3 locations which gives a bonus of 30GB while you have the custom plan. Total bandwidth = 40GB.
• You have the 15GB Free plan and referred 10 people to get 10GB of Bonus bandwidth. Total bandwidth = 25GB

Once again, these changes will only affect any base plan that is 20GB or more. The 15GB Tweet-4-Data plan and any Bonus Bandwidth you may have are unaffected.
Here are some examples before and after the changes:

BEFORE	AFTER
You have a 50GB base plan with an extra 10GB from referrals for a total of 60GB.	The 50GB plan downgrades to 10GB and you keep the bonus 10GB referral bandwidth for a total of 20GB.
You have a 30GB base plan and added an extra 50GB through the discontinued Mine-for-Upgrades program for a total of 80GB.	The 30GB plan goes down to 10GB, bonus stays for a new total of 60GB.
You are on the 15GB Tweet-4-Data plan and bought a Custom plan with 3 locations for a total of 45GB	No changes to the base plan, the bonus stays as long you have the custom plan, so total remains 45GB.
You are on the 50GB Free plan with no Bonus bandwidth.	The 50GB plan gets deprecated and you will now have the 10GB Free plan.
You claimed the Tweet-4Data 15GB plan and then also claimed a 50GB upgrade. The 50GB supersedes the 15GB plan to give you a total 50GB.	The 50GB plan gets deprecated and you will be reverted back to the previous 15GB plan.

All people who are affected by this will also have received an offer to purchase a yearly Pro plan at a highly discounted price.
Now, why are we doing this?
There are a couple of reasons for this decision. Some of the upgrade codes we released were meant for a specific set of users who are living in countries with severe internet restrictions during a time where access to internet is vital. These were upgrades for people in Russia and Ukraine who were having their internet censored during a war, users in Iran who couldn't get access to the open internet during long and difficult country-wide protests, Turkish residents who were dealing with internet restrictions after a devastating earthquake, and a few other cohorts.
While the upgrade codes were meant to help people in specific countries, because we don't track where users are, there was no way to enforce those geographic intentions. And so, hundreds of thousands of people who were completely unaffected by any restrictions were claiming these codes on their accounts because hey, it's a free upgrade and who's gonna stop them? The relief codes were also meant to be temporary, to get people through the toughest of restrictions during the most heated times of conflict, which typically results in a drastic increase in internet blocking.
It certainly didn't help that people spun up bots to create tons of free Windscribe accounts and claim these upgrade codes, only to then sell the upgraded accounts in shady telegram groups where people get scammed (please report any of these resellers if you see them). Thousands of accounts were made by bad actors who abused this solely for their own gain as opposed to leaving it for the people who need it. There's also no simple way for us to detect which accounts are good and which are bad because of how little we track so pruning the upgrades only from the bad actors isn't possible.
Along with the temporary relief codes we put out in the last 18 months, well before that we also released some offers to get 50GB or sometimes even 60GB upgrades to your Free plan. It was a no-brainer to grab one of these free upgrades for yourself back in 2016-2019 when other free VPNs would give you 1-10% of the monthly bandwidth we offered with these upgrades. So naturally, many people did.
Which leads us to the second reason for why we're doing this. We've always tried to be transparent with our userbase and the reality is, in order to keep hiring more developers, expanding our server infrastructure and improving the service, we have to find ways to reduce our spending. Don't worry, we're not on the verge of collapse or anything close to that. We're still going strong, but our mission is not yet complete. Our goal is to be the biggest ethical privacy company on the market, and we're trying to do this entirely self-funded - no VC interference for us, thanks. The first few years of Windscribe's growth were very positive and with a small team and a few million registrations, we were able to afford a lot of benefits for our users, like 50GB Free plan upgrades.
Now, we've passed 60 million registered users and have almost 50 employees. The competition in the VPN industry is only growing, while the economy and consumer spending are going down. We need to stay on top of our game. We don't have a 100 million dollar VC piggy bank to play around with (VC money comes with conditions that can be antithetical to our morals). Supporting hundreds of thousands of users on these upgraded free plans isn't free for us as we pay for servers and bandwidth, nor is it giving us any returns. Our metrics show that very few people on the upgraded free plans actually upgrade to any paid plans. From a business perspective, supporting these upgraded free plans long term with no returns is not economically feasible which is why we made the decision to deprecate those plans and revert the people who had them back to the standard 10GB (or 15GB) Free plan.
"Weren't these supposed to be lifetime upgrades?"
You may have seen some old comments made by us or recall some websites advertising these upgrade codes as "Lifetime upgrades". This is true, we did in fact say that these were lifetime upgrades. These comments were also made 7 years ago when we didn't know how things would pan out down the line. Back then, we made the assumption that we'd be able to support these upgrades forever without any downsides as our trajectories were all very positive. We certainly didn't foresee a global pandemic, wars and an economy heading straight for the dumpster. And our costs didn't go up in a linear fashion either, we didn't simply get more servers over time, we've had an enormous amount of work done on our infrastructure to make it faster, more secure, more flexible, more reliable and more resilient. That isn't done with a few lines of code written over a weekend - it has taken years of development while we also still expand our network. Now that we're here, today, with all this knowledge, we have to reconsider some of the choices we made back then.
At the end of the day, these were free offers that we gave away and people got to use them for 5-6 years for a total cost to the user of zero dollars and zero cents. These upgrades were never sold, there is no legal purchase agreement that we're breaking, and as per our Terms of Service, "Windscribe does not guarantee as to the continuous availability of the service or of any specific feature(s) of the service....Windscribe may impose usage or service limits, suspend service, or block certain kinds of usage at our sole discretion."
"Are users on Lifetime Pro plans affected?"
No, the Lifetime Pro plan is an actual paid plan. If you have it, it will remain unchanged on your account. You were advertised a service you would get access to for as long as the company exists if you paid the price on the site. We're still around so if you paid that price, you will still have the service.
"Will there be other relief codes in the future?"
Yes, we are still going to help people in places where severe internet restrictions pop up by offering them some relief codes for extra bandwidth. These codes will activate a temporary upgrade on the account and after some time, the plan will automatically downgrade back to the original 10 or 15GB plan.
We know this change isn't going to make people happy, no one likes having things taken away from them, but at the end of the day we are a business and we sometimes have to make some tough business decisions. We hope this post has answered any questions and cleared up any confusion there may have been about the situation. If you still have any questions or concerns, feel free to post them in this thread so we can continue the discussion.

My fiance (24M) and I (24F) have been in a relationship together for over 6 years now. We got engaged last year. We always intended on getting married early in college but we were waiting to finish college and get settled in medical school. We've had our fair share of bumpy roads, as most relationships do, but lately I feel like we've been losing our spark. It's been harder since we've been in a LDR for 2 years now and I guess I have been trying to hold onto what we have and maybe a bit too hard because he now thinks I'm getting obsessive and toxic. I don't think I am- to me, I am trying to make the most of the time we have when we're close together and try to stay intouch over the phone. He says he feels suffocated, but really I feel like he's not doing enough. He doesn't make plans to see me - i always have to plan them. He doesn't initiate affection when we're Long distance, i usually say "i love you" and "I miss you" first. He usually follows through with the plans I make and responds to my affection over the phone, but I am just tired of being the one to do it first. maybe it's different love languages, but it really does affect me. As far as families are involved, my family loves him and are very receptive to him. however, from his side- i love his parents, and his brother and I have a sibling type relationship, his 30 y/o sister i do not like and she is very distant and a little cold w me at times (we've had explosive fights and she treats me and my other SIL - her other brother's wife- very differently). sometimes i wonder how much his family likes me because I feel like my fiance often embarrasses me in front of them. he exposes some of our disagreements and says some things between us but never gives full context and actually does make me seem very toxic. the other day, his brother told me "you know he'd love you more if you were less clingy." i feel like im rambling and maybe making not much sense. i jsut wonder if i really am th eproblem or maybe our relationship just isnt as it once was. i love him alot but i just dont know. we had a major fight last night at 1 am and its almost 6 pm the next day and no calls. just dry texts here and there thorughout the day (hardly any). i dont know what to do.
​
TLDR: My fiance and I have been in a relationship for over 6 years. we've been LDR status for two years. He says im toxic and overbearing but to me I am just trying to stay connected and see each other when we can. Yes, i get upset and frustrated when it doesn't pan out but nothing more than what is natural or you woudl expect. I am uncomfortable around his family because of the way he protrays me in front of them. I am starting to become unhappy b/c of how he makes me feel as a result. what do i do

I know that many of you know this feeling but when i try to talk about it with others nobody else except you seem to understand it
I can do so little and i have so many things i must do. From the very basics of laundry, cooking, dog care, cleaning etc. To all the new chores I got lately. Me moved to a new house about 6m ago. And there is so much to do. I cant keep up. I take so long to do everything that things pile up. By the time i fix 1/4 of the fence the plants i put in the terrace start to die, then i need to deweed the garden, empy the boxes with stuff that we didnt empty yet, find a gardener to help me make a garden, train the dogs, do the taxes, water the plants, deal with the leaks of the house, deal with our crazy neighbor that wont allow us to go upstairs to repair the leaks...And thats only talking about the things i cant keep up with but i can slowly do and without talking about the ones that i am unable to do. Like move the firewood so it dries and doesnt rot in the garden, sandpaper the doors, hang the mailbox (the stone is too hard for me to drill), put lights in the outside walls....
I am breaking my body and soul working and i still dont get anything done at all. And everyone judges me for it. If i hear again my family asking why the garden isnt fixed or when are we going to the the guest room i swear that i will yell. None of my relatives or friends have offered help with the heavy chores that i cant do.
And my husband does nothing at all, he gives all his energy to work and in the evenings or weekends he does nothing at all. Today i was having a breakdown in the kitchen because my body hurts a lot (it has been hurting a lot more lately) and i feel worthless and useless. All while i was filling the dishwasher and cleaning the kitchen (after watering the plants, taking the dogs to pee in the garden and put the car to charge). He was eating some sandwich in the kitchen while i was moving around really busy while telling him about how stressed i am and how useless i feel. And there he was eating his fucking sandwich and being in the middle instead of helping.
He came after i while "wishing that he could help me". When i said that there are things that he could do to help, just ask me he clarified "to improve your mood". I dont need ny mood to improve i need him to fucking move the wood before it rots or take the dogs for a run so they calm down....
Anyways i tried to sleep but i am in too much pain and too kuch anxiety so i cant sleep. I cant stop thinking about all the things that need to be done and how many years it might take me to do them. That assuming that i dont collapse and then what? Who will do them?
And no, please dont say "those things dont need to be done". Because i need laundry, i need to do groceries, to cook, to care for the dogs.... Even if we forget about the superficial like the garden (which makes me mad because everyone criticises) there are still too many things that i need to do and i cant.
I just hate my useless body and mind