Graduate life center at donaldson brown

I am feeling so lost (as usual.)
I have worked retail on and off for the past 5 years. I don't like it but it seems to always be the only thing I'm qualified for. I have a degree in animation but my school at the time didn't allow for concentrations until AFTER I was in my senior year, so my animation education was essentially all 101 classes. I had to learn the basics of 3D, 2D, VFX, claymation/stopmotion, traditional paper, video editing, etc... I was literally still taking 101 classes in my junior year, and then come senior year it was time for our thesis films. But I hardly had any opportunity to practice in one specific area. And I was struggling with undiagnosed ADHD until mid-way through my senior year basically, past the point a diagnosis could've actually helped me. I didn't even finish my film, but we basically all passed because there was a lot of leniency with Covid. So I have a degree I feel like I didn't really earn.
All this to say, I don't know what to do anymore. I am so sick of retail. It's not even that I'm bad at it, personally I think I'm good at my job. But I'm never good enough for my employers. They don't just want me to be kind and helpful to customers. They want me to make "genuine connections" and force random conversation with them, apparently to give them a "good customer experience" and it'll make them buy more. But it's inherently not a genuine connection if I am forcing myself to talk to them with ulterior motives of making them feel like I care about them so that they want to buy stuff?
My boss keeps pop-quizzing me too. She comes up at random and asks me "what's everyone in the store shopping for right now" and if I don't know, since %90 of people tell me they're "just looking" she says I need to go and find out. To prove that I am really engaging with the customers or whatever.
It's all very stressful to me, I feel like I'm regularly being told to just be less autistic and I am trying my best but it's not good enough. And it's ironic to me being that my store is literally a fandom oriented retail store, so a lot of customers we get are autistic and probably don't want us to bother them like this! I know personally that when I go shopping and the employees are a little too engaging, I will literally make my escape as soon as they stop speaking and not buy anything because I am mortified to be put in the position of having a conversation with a stranger. And I can't say at this point to my boss that I literally can't handle it, I'm an assistant manager and that'd be essentially saying I'm not capable of doing my job and then who knows what they'd do. Not only that but I can't even ask for reasonable accomodations because, even though I passed autism testing the woman who evaluated me wouldn't give me a formal diagnosis because I "already" have ADHD.
This ended up already being much longer than I anticipated. I just want to know honestly, if anyone here works and likes what they do, WHAT do you do? I feel like with any job option I'm either; not qualified based on my degree and work experience; would not be able to do it because it's too social (like call centers, too much anxiety); or it's just too far away for me to even do it. I feel like I've been stuck at the bottom for 5 years and even having been graduated from college for 2 years I haven't done much. I run an etsy shop but I hardly make enough sales to buy myself fast food every once in awhile, let alone live full time off of it. I want my art to be what I do full time but it feels impossible to get there. I have joined two websites meant to find neurodivergent people accomodating jobs, only to find out after going through the whole sign-up process that no jobs are available. SOMEONE tell me what to do.
TLDR; I have a degree but no real skills, nothing but retail and etsy experience within the last 5 years and fed up with my bosses everywhere I go constantly telling me I don't fulfill their social expectations despite doing what's necessary within my job description and making customers happy. What can I possibly do now.

Trigger Warning: suicide Lots of context for this one, this first paragraph can be skipped as it just adds context to the current situation. All throughout my childhood I’ve never felt like I’ve had a voice, anything I said or did that wasn’t aligned with what my parents wished was because I was purposefully rebelling (since about 7th grade when I got my first C), I had major depression and immensely low self-esteem pretty much my entire life until recently (I’m 22 now). I graduated high in my highschool class with honors because it’s what they wanted. I went to a school 600 miles away out of state for a major I was passively interested in because it’s what they wanted. After Covid hit I came back home and barely passed my classes that semester (2nd semester overall) because of recurring depression and what was going on in the world, not to mention how thrown-together learning online was at the time. I was blamed heavily for that and was told I was lazy and if I wanted to be successful I’d pull myself up by my bootstraps, that kind of thing. After going back to school in person for a third semester about halfway through my cousin committed suicide (something I was considering at the time) and it broke me. I stopped going to class, barely went to work, and pretty much just sat in my room staring at my ceiling until I had enough and came home, dropping out. My parents were somewhat understanding but after telling them I didn’t like my major (aerospace engineering) they told me that I could go to a local school for a different major (they suggested mechanical engineering, something I still had no interest in). Around this time I saw a therapist that had convinced me my mom is a narcissist, I ended up moving out and going no contact for about a year, ended up homeless, then about a month and a half into living in my car I got into an accident and totaled it. I had no one to call except my parents and my dad came and got me. I had said some pretty awful shit to my mom in that year so it was extremely awkward, at that time I was pretty deep into what I think was a psychosis so when we got home, I argued with my mom and asked to just stay until I can move out again, hoping it would just be a couple weeks. They told me I could sleep in the garage on an air mattress and about an hour into moving what I had in there I broke down and started tying a noose. I called 911 so I could go to a mental hospital to get away. I stayed at one for a few days before coming back, my parents were mortified at what happened and promised to be more conscientious of my mental health and were sorry for not noticing my depression sooner (I had told them multiple times I was depressed to which they told me to just come out of my room and hang out with them). They eventually got me a job with them and I’m saving up to get a car and be financially independent again.
Ever since I moved back in with my parents my mom has been making passive aggressive comments about anything she disproves of (for those who didn’t read the first paragraph I’m 22 and pay my own bills, living with my parents until I can afford a car and move out for the second and hopefully final time). These comments are mainly focused around 3 things: me playing video games, me ordering things on Amazon, and me not hanging out with them enough. For example I go and make my dinner and then bring it into my room to eat so I can watch what I want to watch and on my way she’ll blurt out “it’d be great if you would not go into your cave and pretend you like your family.” I usually just brush these comments off, but yesterday I had enough.
We’re on vacation with some family friends and we had spent the last few days hanging out with them basically all the time, I told her I didn’t want to hangout that night and just relax in the hotel. She seemingly didn’t have a problem with that and on the way to dropping me off at the hotel I apologized and said my social battery was low, she said “yeah I’m sure holing up in your room playing videogames all day keeps you from socializing in the real world too much” this got under my skin as I have a full time physically intensive job and like to do what I want when I get home, whether she approves or not.
I told her in a sarcastic way “yeah that’s how that works, you sitting on the couch and watching tv all day is super different.” She took great offense to this and asked why I was being so mean to her and why I felt like I had to defend myself against her when she loved me so much. I told her because she was hurting my feelings and could communicate her opinion in a more constructive way rather than making passive aggressive comments. She got super pissed and that’s when we got to the hotel and she told me to get out. Later that night her and my dad came back and I asked if she wanted to talk about what happened. She basically told me she’s always the villain and it’s always about my feelings and not hers. I make her invalid and that since she’s my mom it’s ridiculous to ask her to not say something when she’s worried about me. I told her that I felt the same way about always being villainess and that if she wanted to talk to me about something like that there’s far better ways to do it than hurting each others feelings through passive aggressive comments. I recommended we should go to therapy and she blamed me for why we haven’t gone already. I again said that it’s up to her, I’m trying to save up for a car and can’t afford that right now, she’ll have to make the appointment and pay for it.
The whole situation makes me feel conflicted because my parents don’t seem interested in compromising to make our relationship work, but I love them both so much and don’t know what to do to not be miserable. Both my mom and my dad agree that I cause most of the problems and they’re just worried about me. Am I the asshole here and exaggerating like they tell me?

Took my exam Wednesday and my license posted Thursday night. Believe me, I am a terrible test taker and was an average nursing student. I have taken both versions of the NCLEX and although very similar, NGN was a lot better for me. Here’s what I did:
1st time: I only used Mark K and Archer. I was lacking a LOT of content and thought these two resources would be enough. Clearly that didn’t go well. I scheduled my exam for Thursday morning at 8:00 and completely guessed on the entire thing. Felt super unprepared and started tearing up mid-exam (bad test anxiety). I got 78 questions and walked out of the testing center knowing I failed. The next morning I received an email from the SBON saying I failed 🙃. At the time I had a job as a new grad nurse in the ICU and was quickly switched to a tech position. I felt super embarrassed and defeated and thought I wasn’t even going to try to take the exam again. About a month later I quit my job, opened my books again and gave it another try, still feeling very defeated…
2nd time: I focused on content, then answering practice questions. This time around I used Simple Nursing, UWorld, Kaplan, and Princeton Review. I know it’s not recommended to use multiple study resources, but I wanted to exhaust multiple avenues which ended up working for me. My top content resources were Simple Nursing and UWorld. These two resources honestly saved my life. My nursing program used Kaplan and although it wasn’t my favorite resource, I believe it looked EXACTLY like the NCLEX in my opinion. I used Princeton Review (free trial) the week before my exam and found it pretty helpful as well. I scheduled my exam for Wednesday at 12:30 pm to allow myself time to sleep in and take my time which relieved a lot of stress and anxiety for me. I arrived about an hour early to the testing center and did a little studying in the car before I went in (couldn’t help it lol). The exam this time around seemed so much easier and I was way more relaxed and felt a lot more prepared than I did before. Test shut off at 85 and my heart sank a little but I still felt fine. Did the PVT several times a few hours after my exam and received the good pop up. Checked the bon website and my license was posted the next night.
Throughout this process I cannot stress to you enough how much prayer has helped me. I give all the glory to God as he has brought me through! I thank God and this sub for being with me throughout this process. Don’t get discouraged! You only truly fail if you give up. NGN was a lot nicer to me than the old version but still make sure you know your content and do as many practice questions as you can . MAKE SURE YOU TAKE BREAKS. Don’t consume your days with just studying. I know you all can do this. Wishing all my future nurses the very best!

Vice chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group Jens Spahn (CDU) has called for an immediate end to the "pension at 63" in view of the shortage of skilled workers in Germany. "The 'pension at 63' costs prosperity, burdens future generations and sets the wrong incentives," Spahn told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. "It should be abolished immediately and replaced by a better pension for reduced earning capacity. "The skilled workers who used to retire are now 'bitterly lacking'," he added.
2021: Almost one in three in "retirement at 63“
Since 2014, there has been the option of "retirement at 63" - an earlier retirement without deductions for those insured for many years. The Federal Institute for Population Research reported in December that people in Germany were increasingly retiring early. According to the report, many are leaving the labor market at the age of 63 or 64 - well before the standard retirement age. In 2021, according to the institute, almost one in three people entering the old-age pension system did so via the "pension at 63" route. The calculations were based on microcensus data on the development of labor force participation.
Employers: Earlier retirement weakens companies
There have also been calls from the business community for some time for a move away from earlier job exits, while trade unions, „Die Grünen“ and „Die Linke“ have defended the regulation against it.
At the end of the year, employers' president Rainer Dulger had called for a move away from retirement at age 63 in its current form. "The pension from 63 has led to a brain drain," Dulger said at the time. Many highly qualified workers are no longer available because of the pension from 63 years - this has weakened the companies.
CDU leader Friedrich Merz is also critical of the "pension at 63. He told the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" that there is probably no way around the fact that we will also have to work more as life expectancy gets longer and longer. "Otherwise, our pension system will no longer be financially viable in perspective."
Die Grünen: For many people, an end would have fatal consequences
Die Grünen labor market expert Frank Bsirske, on the other hand, warned in the newspaper "Bild am Sonntag": "The abolition of the 'pension at 63' would result in millions of people retiring with deductions and reduced pensions." However, many occupational groups, such as employees in care and daycare centers, would simply not be able to work until 67. "For these people, an end to the 'pension at 63' would have fatal consequences."
Die Linke: Disrespect for hard-working people
Die Linke rejected Spahn's proposal. This is "a disrespect for the lifetime achievements of hard-working people and a pension cut through the back door," said party leader Janine Wissler. The lack of skilled workers is not fought by a higher retirement age. "That makes many professions less attractive." What is needed, she said, are good working conditions, more opportunities for further training, the strengthening of collective agreements and more apprenticeships.
Wissler criticized: "For Jens Spahn and the CDU, pensions are apparently handouts that can be cut at will. Yet employees have worked hard to earn their pensions." Those who work in construction or nursing usually do not even reach this age limit and have to retire earlier with deductions because the body no longer cooperates. The demand for abolition of the "pension at 63" is directed against people who work physically hard and in shifts.
FDP: Everyone should decide retirement for themselves
FDP Vice President Johannes Vogel called for a "self-determined, flexible retirement age" in the "Bild am Sonntag" newspaper. Everyone should be able to decide for themselves when to retire, he said. "Those who work longer will then also get more pension," he said.
-Read the whole article (German)-

All my life I was extremely shy, and coupled with strict, over-bearing parents it was very hard making friends. In high school I decided I had enough of my loneliness and tried to make friends with my sense of humor. I tried and tried but to no avail. I got desperate and began to loose my filter and just said whatever that came to mind. People began to ostracize me. The few friends I had made wanted nothing to do with me by my 3rd year, and the rest of my school found me to be weird and even a little creepy by graduation
I stayed in my city for college (as did most of my high school) and my social skills drastically improved and I made a few friends I still talk to. But the stories followed me. My old classmates who went to the same college as me were more than happy to tell my new school all about how I used to act. Many friends left me and I struggled to get a girlfriend due to it. When I would run into old classmates either on the street or at work, they would only wanna talk about how weird and awkward I was. When I would try to explain how I’ve changed nobody would believe me. And to my luck whenever I’d meet someone new, they were somehow always separated by at least 2 degrees to someone I went to high school with, so I’d often be making second impressions without realizing it
It’s been 10 years since graduation but the awful way I acted still plagues me. I honestly didn’t mean anything bad by it, I was just a socially awkward loner who had no idea how to talk to people. But I completely regret acting like that and of course I wish I could go back and change things.
I accepted a job 3000 miles away, in a city I’ve never been to, just to get away from my old self. I need a fresh start away from people who knew me. I swear I’ve changed even if nobody wants to hear it, but I don’t blame anyone for not believing me. I was a dick to everyone, they have every right to hate me
My biggest issue however, is that I love my city. I’ve lived here for 27 years and had aspirations of getting into local politics to fix some issues we had. I was always told I was gifted in politics, and my last job was working for a council member and they were mentoring to run for a local office next year. But people from high school started threatening to go to the papers with stories from high school if I filed so I gave that up and applied to a job in the farthest place I can think of. The worst part of that was those guys were doing it out of enjoyment. They didn’t care about being represented by the high school weirdo, they just still got off on seeing me fail
So here I am. Throwing away a life I tried to build over the last 10 years because my high school antics kept following me around. I really hope my high school life doesn’t follow me again. I’m moving for the purpose of starting over, I don’t think I can handle it anymore if my past follow me again. It took me years to gain the courage to leave the city that I love, I’m not sure what I’ll do if my plan backfires
As for all of you on Reddit, I’m not expecting sympathy or for any of you to believe me either. I just needed a place to vent, thank you for reading….

So I'm applying to mostly prestigious grad programs. Despite my GPA, I think my application would be strong.
I was very involved with on-campus advocacy. I led several successful advocacy initiatives that received national press coverage.
I was very involved with internships. I had 9 internships in college, including with Smithsonian, and was published in Smithsonian Magazine.
I did a thesis and an elaborate capstone project, which was related to my advocacy. My capstone research is now being held in the local history center. Despite my academic performance, I was selected as the sole student to be awards for my major's outstanding student award. I also was selected as my college's honorable mention for distinguished graduates. I also had three majors and three minors.
My GPA was closer to a 3.7 until it took a hit my senior year when I was suffering intense gender dysphoria. I went through college completely on my own, worked multiple jobs the entire time, and dealt with severe dysphoria due to not being able to financially meet the needs of my transition. I was also dealing with undiagnosed bipolar disorder, which has since been treated, due to not being able to afford sustainable care.
Since graduation, I've been working for a notable media company as a journalist and researcher. I've continued to freelance for Smithsonian Magazine as well. Health wise, I've been doing much better and have a stronger foundation to pursue grad school.
I plan to apply to masters and MFA programs at Columbia University, Brown, NYU, UCLA, and USC. Are these prestigious programs a stretch due to my GPA?

My girlfriend is dealing with ADHD, anxiety, depression, and potentially being on the autism spectrum. She struggles with low self-esteem and compares herself to society's unrealistic beauty standards, possibly due to body dysmorphia. It's challenging for me to help her because she has a negative self-perception and finds it difficult to believe anything I say about her beauty.
She has concerns about therapists dismissing or trivializing her problems and suggesting unhelpful approaches like CBT. She also faces difficulties in taking action due to her executive function issues, which leads her to remain stuck in sadness, similar to her mother's experience with depression. To cope, she seeks activities that provide dopamine, but this doesn't address her underlying issues.
She tends to have a "I can't" mentality, and I struggle to find alternative suggestions to shift her mindset towards possibilities. I understand that negative self-talk can become self-belief, so I advised her to refrain from saying "I can't," but I couldn't provide a replacement phrase that would help her change her mindset.
She was diagnosed with ADHD at Life Stance in Ohio. Currently, she relies on her mother to leave the house since she lives with her mom. She completed online classes at Berklee College of Music, majoring in music business. Unfortunately, the college didn't assist her in finding an internship, unlike her brother's college, which provided such opportunities. Consequently, she lost motivation to search for internships after graduation due to her lack of experience, limited to working at an animal daycare, house sitting, and a music store.
Although her dad expresses pride in her, she questions it because she hasn't achieved much in life. He perceives her and her brother as good kids, but they both internalized their emotions, which complicates their self-perception. Additionally, there are other family dynamics at play.
She desires to live in New York because she feels more motivated and inspired there, unlike her current location in Ohio, which she finds boring. However, the high cost of living and her financial dependence on her parents contribute to her depression.
Her mother, who experienced infidelity, also battles depression and refuses to seek help. This environment affects my girlfriend negatively. There's a possibility that her mom also has ADHD. Throughout her childhood, my girlfriend observed her mother's self-deprecating behavior and adopted it as a model for self-treatment.
Furthermore, during her school years, she didn't receive compliments or attention from boys, partly due to her social anxiety, ADHD, and potential autism. This added to her challenges.
Navigating all these complexities feels overwhelming, and although I offer support, it seems hopeless at times. My girlfriend is hesitant to involve me in setting up therapy appointments during her paralyzed phases or executive dysfunction. She believes I wouldn't know what she needs or what to convey to therapists. I've suggested that she communicate her requirements, but she finds it difficult to articulate or list them comprehensively. It appears she prefers to wallow in her depression, similar to her mother, and engage in negative self-perception without seeking help. While she makes some attempts, she tends to avoid activities that don't provide immediate dopamine release.

I need help and I’m am really bad at asking for it.
5 years ago my partner, of then 9 years, and I dropped everything and moved to a new state w essentially nothing. We had been living w my parents for 2 years after I graduated college and we were living rent-free. I got my first ever credit card while living w my parents and things were fine.
The first year in our new place is when my debt started growing. By then I had 4 cards, but really only used 2. Having a rent payment on top of getting everything we needed to settle in started my downfall. A few years later and a new apartment, I was starting to feel the pressure. We moved from my parents home in the countryside to a bustling city that begged us to go out and enjoy the town.
Cut to 4/17/23, my mother was hospitalized for complications w her relatively recent cholangiocarcinoma diagnosed. I drove back to stay w my parents and was there and out of work for 2 weeks. I spent so much on gas going back and forth to the hospital every day as well as feeding myself and looking after my dad. My mom passed away 4/27/23.
I struggle w clinical depression, ADHD, and generalized anxiety disorder. My mother’s death broke me. About 3 weeks later, my partner broke up with me—I was blindsided. We are on good terms and plan to live together since we have a 2 bedroom apartment and we’ve both been a huge part of each other’s lives for so long. It ended up being amicable.
I often relied on my mom for financial security, but I hated it. With everything that has happened in the past 6 weeks I feel alone and I NEED to get my life back on track.
I currently have ~$26k in credit card debt. I have never missed a monthly payment, but I fear that I am going to get to a point where I can’t scrape by. I already live paycheck to paycheck. I work full time and have been at my workplace for 5 years and absolutely love it. My rent portion is $900/month and I’m currently putting $860/month to cards. After car insurance, a small personal loan for school, and normal groceries, I am left with nothing—which I know is not the end of the world, but I also want to have at least a little bit of a life and to be able to put money into savings towards a goal. Any goal.
I spent 2 hours on the phone w a debt settlement service trying to explore my options, but it felt very predatory toward the end.
I’m sorry that this is not organized well, I’ve been a little scattered lately and my body has been in fight or flight mode for 6 weeks.
Any advice us greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much for even looking at my post.

My last post
I’ve been meaning to write this for a while and life got in the way. So it’s a little longer than I would like. To anyone who reads the whole thing, thank you.
For those who prefer a TL;DR: My progress has been so fucking good. I completed a 4.2-mile race I’ve wanted to do since I was in college. I spent a week in Disneyworld for the first time ever and did multiple open to closing days without feeling like I wanted to die. I am on track for my goal of being under 300 pounds before my 30th birthday and take my first discovery flight on that day to begin training to get my pilot’s license.
I feel so fucking good.
Now onto the full post.
I never thought I’d write something like this.
When I was in college, my mother passed away unexpectedly. It was, as one might expect, extremely difficult and something I was nowhere close to being prepared for.
My mom was a spectacular woman in many ways but what I always admired her most for was not putting up with any bullshit people tried to give her. It was likely her upbringing in Jersey City, in the shadow of the skyscrapers of Manhattan, that fostered that.
When she passed, my immediate feeling was numbness. After returning back to school following all the business that had to be done at home, the feeling remained for a long time.
I remember not long after she passed, I was given my first internship. Since completing an internship was required for graduation from my program, it was something I had been long stressing about and venting to my mom about. So even after hearing the news I couldn’t celebrate.
Why should I if I couldn’t call my mom to tell her?
Suffice to say, my mental health after she passed was not good. I spent a lot of time by myself and when I was with friends I was not a pleasant person to be around.
It was around this time I had the idea of running a race that is organized by a foundation affiliated with my alma mater. I could not tell you how overweight I was at the time exactly but it was definitely well over 400 pounds so I knew I would have to do serious preparation to do it.
But I don’t think it will come as a shock that I couldn’t do it. It was a goal that simply was far too great for my current mental state and I gave up on the idea not long after beginning a moderate gym routine which I also abandoned to return to my room where I’d spend my time in much less productive ways.
It’s been over 8 years now since my mom passed.
If anyone has ever experienced loss in that way you’ll know that it never really leaves you. It certainly gets easier to live with but the thought of your loved one not being there for you is always there in your mind no matter what.
I have done plenty of growing in that time. I’ve had a few jobs. I started my first real relationship with a woman who I know beyond a shadow of a doubt loves me for who I really am and who I love in return. I have, what I honestly believe and will argue to the end of time, is the best group of friends anyone could ever ask for.
But there was always still this feeling that I was missing something.
If you’ve read my other posts here you’ll know I began losing weight back in September but really began taking it seriously around February. It was around then I decided to commit to walking more and more every day and being more mindful of what I eat every single day. During one of those walks it hit me that the same race from college was coming up in a couple months and they always have local versions of the race organized by the alumni associations.
I decided then to sign up.
I wasn’t planning on even jogging it. I was planning on walking the entirety of the race just so I could say that I could. But when I was on the sign up page it included a training schedule for people who wanted to prepare for jogging. The race is slightly over a 5K so the training plan is a somewhat modified version of “Couch to 5K” programs.
I realized that if I started the program that week that it would line up perfectly with race day. To make this as short as possible I’ll just say I was shocked at my progress in the program. There was only one training session I wasn’t able to complete. I felt great.
Mind you I was not jogging very fast, and still don’t go very fast on my jogs. Before the start of the race I had the goal of finishing in an hour and 15 minutes.
The run was not easy. Even with all the training I’m still carrying so much extra body weight that it is still very difficult. But I had so many of my fellow runners giving me signs of encouragement along the course I felt truly phenomenal.
I crossed the finish line in under an hour and hugged my girlfriend and cried. Her and my friends had come down from Los Angeles and made signs and all made t-shirts spelling out my name. Typing it now is making me cry again.
Race day was April 15, 2023 and I weighed in at 353.8 pounds.
Today is May 27, 2023 and this morning I weighed in at 332.3 pounds.
As of posting I am officially down 90.6 pounds since last September.
In the time between I got the chance to spend a week in Orlando visiting Disneyworld and one day at Universal Studios. It was the only week since I began training that I did no jogging but, in my humble opinion, I think I made up for it with the amount of walking.
Even on the “off” day I took from the parks I spent most of it walking all around Disney Springs and the resorts exploring. On the first night we stayed past close to ride Space Mountain and I felt incredible.
I love theme parks but for context, in the past I rarely if ever stayed to close because my body simply wouldn’t let me do it. We stayed to close multiple nights during the trip and I never really felt that bad.
I came back from the trip essentially at the same weight I left it despite having some poor options for food in the parks (literally the first thing I ate in the Magic Kingdom was a hot dog with electric green relish). The amount of movement during the trip was able to offset it thank goodness.
Upon return, I’ve tried to keep the jogging going although there have been one or two nights where I skipped it but even on those nights I went for my long walk. I’ve continued being mindful of what I’m eating while not feeling like I am missing out on anything at all.
Did you know you can get a power bowl from Taco Bell that tastes like all their other items but you can make it so it’s only like 450 calories for like a good amount of food? I just got that last night for dinner and while it’s not something I get regularly it feels like cheating.
Going to Orlando was a good reminder of one of the goals I have. For those like me who are big and also love theme parks, you’ll know that Universal is not a very accessible park. I can go on my soapbox but I’ll just say I think a lot of times it’s just out of sheer lack of consideration.
Despite my progress there were still several rides I couldn’t do. And even though I didn’t need a seat belt extender for an airplane I did need one for the Jimmy Fallon ride, but whatever.
But one of my goals from the beginning has been being able to go on thrill rides like those without worrying about fitting in the seats. I fully believe that goal will be achieved.
The other two goals I’ve had also are well within my reach. Firstly, I wanted to be under 300 pounds by my 30th birthday in November. At my current rate, I should be well under it by then.
I also have a goal of taking a discovery flight on my birthday as the first step to getting my pilot’s license. I’ll need to start calling flight schools to see if they have specified weight limits but I feel good about the possibility of it happening.
I still have a long way to go but there have been so many little victories as well. I recently have finally started seeing a difference in progress photos I take. There is a shirt I’ve had in the bottom of a drawer I wore maybe twice because it was too snug and I put it on recently and it was actually loose.
I feel really, really good. I feel like the things I’m doing continue to be sustainable. And I feel like I can do anything.
And I also feel like anyone reading this can do this too. Be consistent, don’t let one day define the story. It’s a long road but it can be filled with wonderful moments worthy of celebration.

At my graduation, I had a four-line poem that I had been diligently practicing for two weeks. On the day of the ceremony, I walked onto the stage in a lemon dress, and instantly forgot all the words. The hall was completely full. Everyone was looking at me, and then people started applauding me in support. While I appreciated that, I felt disappointed with myself for forgetting the words.
It's likely that I froze in shock on stage and stood there for about 30 seconds, trying to say something before I could finally leave.
It's an example from my own life that illustrates the fear of public speaking so well.
In college, I volunteered for an event to challenge myself and overcome my fear of public activities. Although my role was secondary, I didn't even have any words.
Recently, I had to give a presentation to a fairly large audience on my own. I had a template prepared by the company for such cases. I took that guide and practiced for about a day, or more. It was a really cool and structured presentation. Most importantly, the template helped me anticipate and prepare for potential questions. But, there is one problem, it was written by someone else.
So, I was fully ready for the presentation, walked into the room, and started. While I was reciting the template, I think everyone could see my nervousness. I couldn't sit still or stand steady, my hands and voice were shaken. But in the second half, when the Q&A session started, I began to have a dialogue with the audience. Certainly, this was also prepared in advance specifically for this audience, but there I demonstrated my expertise and professional individuality.

Let’s turn our attention to Psalm 16 verse 8, my dear friends. In this beautiful verse, King David expresses his deep trust and dependence on the Lord. He declares, "I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken."
David's declaration reveals his unwavering commitment to keeping the Lord in the forefront of his thoughts, decisions, and actions. By setting the Lord always before him, David acknowledges God's presence and seeks His guidance in every aspect of his life.
To have the Lord at his right hand signifies a position of strength, support, and protection. It represents a deep sense of intimacy and reliance on God's presence and provision. With the Lord by his side, David finds confidence and assurance that he will not be shaken or overcome by the challenges and trials of life.
This verse reminds us of the importance of prioritizing God in our lives. It calls us to cultivate a conscious awareness of His presence, to acknowledge His sovereignty, and to seek His guidance in all that we do. When we set the Lord always before us, we align our hearts and minds with His purposes and open ourselves to His leading.
In our fast-paced and often turbulent world, it can be easy to be swayed by the circumstances and pressures around us. But when we keep the Lord at the center of our lives, we find stability, peace, and an unshakable faith.
Let us set the Lord always before us, aligning our thoughts, desires, and actions with His will. Let us seek His counsel and wisdom as we navigate the challenges of life. And let us find comfort and strength in the assurance that, with the Lord at our right hand, we shall not be shaken. Amen!

Company Name	Title	City
Certified Mobile Notary Service	Mobile Notary	Dallas
USPI	Surgery Aide	Dallas
USPI	Materials Management Attendant	Dallas
Dallas Medical Center	Graduate Nurse - RN	Dallas
Advanced Diagnostics Healthcare System	Rn-med Surg - Advanced Diagnostics Dallas Hospital & Clinics	Dallas
CircleLink Health	Registered Nurse Care Coach - Part Time	Dallas
Enstara	Registered Nurse	Dallas
North Central Surgical Center Hospital	Surgical Nurse	Dallas
Dallas Medical Center	Cath Lab Nurse	Dallas
Dallas Behavioral Healthcare Hospital	Registered Nurse (PRN) Weekends	Dallas
Catapult Health	Nurse Practitioner Clinical Manager	Dallas
Oshi Health	GI Nurse Practitioner	Dallas
Godat Plastic Surgery	Registered Nurse	Dallas
Dallas Medical Center	Regional Chief Nursing Officer	Dallas
Strive Health	Registered Nurse Care Manager	Dallas
Optime Staffing Partners	CERTIFIED NURSE ASSISTANT HOSPICE-22/Hour	Dallas

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings in dallas. Feel free to comment here or send me a private message if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

• Gender: Male
• Race/Ethnicity: White
• Residence: Wisconsin
• Income Bracket: ~200k
• Type of School: non-competitive private
• Hooks (Recruited Athlete, URM, First-Gen, Geographic, Legacy, etc.): none

Intended Major(s): applied undecided ea/Ed, engineering rd
Academics

• GPA (UW/W): 3.91 UW
• Rank (or percentile): does not rank
• # of Honors/AP/IB/Dual Enrollment/etc.: 10 APs, 6 honors
• Senior Year Course Load: Ap lit, Ap euro, Ap calc Bc, Ap psych, Ap physics

Standardized Testing
List the highest scores earned and all scores that were reported.

• ACT: 34(35E, 31M, 36R, 33S)
• AP/IB: calc Ab(4) , Chem(3), ap comp(4)

Extracurriculars/Activities

1. Track captain, 4 years (kinda trash at it though)
2. International engineering competition, programme manager
3. Chess club captain
4. English honor society president
5. Ultimate frisbee 💀
6. Hockey
7. math tutoring center (a lot of hours)
8. Miscellaneous volunteering (shelter tutor)
9. Job
10. Some minor stuff

Awards/Honors

1. Commended scholar
2. Ap scholar with distinction
3. School top science student award
4. Presidential volunteer service award
5. Service award (school)

Letters of Recommendation
(Briefly describe relationships with your recommenders and estimated rating.)
History(8/10): counselor said it was strong. Teacher liked me and said I was a rare student but didn’t really elaborate
Science(7/10): he liked me a lot. I think solid letter
Counselor(7/10): I think good, likely echoed stuff history teacher said.
Dartmouth peer(8/10): friend wrote it, was super kind.
Interviews
Dartmouth(7/10): clicked with the interviewer, was kinda fun
Georgetown(4/10): we clicked but I was late and he got confused at some of my questions
Tufts(0/10): missed the email💀 bye bye demonstrated interest
Essays
I think decent, I’m not sure how to rate them. I’ve been told I’m a good writer.
Decisions (indicate ED/EA/REA/SCEA/RD)
Acceptances:

• Fordham > honors
• Santa Clara > didn’t fill out honors ( decent money though)
• Vermont > honors
• U of Minnesota (no honors??) ea
• UW-Madison ea
• Boston college (engineering > initially committed)
• Wake Forest
• William & Mary

Waitlists: - UMich ea - Dartmouth > waitlist closed 🥲 - University of Notre Dame > accepted > committed Rejections:

• Georgetown (philosophy)(idek why i applied)
• Tufts
• Cornell
• Brown (ed)

Additional Information:
I did well. BC was cool but super expensive, Notre Dame ended up being my cheapest option. I was stupid and ended up writing all my rd apps in a week after getting rejected from brown. So don’t do that.

Here's a recipe to make a moist and flavorful carrot cake:
Ingredients for the cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup packed light brown sugar 1 cup vegetable oil 4 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 cups grated carrots (about 3-4 medium carrots) 1 cup crushed pineapple, drained 1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional) 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional) Ingredients for the cream cheese frosting:
8 oz (225g) cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup (1 stick or 113g) unsalted butter, softened 4 cups powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Instructions for the cake:
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans, or line them with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until well combined. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Stir in the grated carrots, crushed pineapple, shredded coconut (if using), and chopped walnuts or pecans (if using). Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool in the pans for about 10 minutes. Then, transfer the cakes to a wire rack to cool completely. Instructions for the cream cheese frosting:
In a mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and butter until creamy and smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and continue beating until well combined. Stir in the vanilla extract and beat until the frosting is fluffy and smooth. Assembly:
Once the cakes have cooled completely, place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread a layer of cream cheese frosting on top of the cake layer. Place the second cake layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining cream cheese frosting. Optional: You can decorate the cake with additional chopped walnuts or pecans on top. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving to allow the flavors to meld together. Slice and serve the delicious carrot cake to enjoy its moist texture and wonderful flavors.

Part 1: Family
Both my mom and sister is kinda toxic, I've been controlled for my entire life, both does not respect boundaries and privacy, everything have to be done to their favour. It's like my opinions won't matter at all, they want me to do things for them, i have to do it if not they will be unhappy and they are scary, they will shout. Everyday I feel like i cannot do my own things as when my mom is at home, sister not home, mom wants me to be in the living room beside her and watch tv with her. When my sister is home, mom not home, my sister wants me to do things for her, constantly asking me for validation and seeks for my attention.
If i walked into my room, my mom would keep walk in and ask me to go to the living room, "as it will cost 1 more light and fan electricity" and well, if i continue staying in my room, she will shout which makes me anxious.
I cannot wear earpiece at home as my mom would say earpiece is bad for the ear but I don't even wear it the whole day. I always prefer to close my room door as it gives me security but she would question me and say that im hiding something and ask me why do i have to close the door. Spending time with my family is exhausting because my sister gaslights, twists her words and accuse me quite a few times and always ask me to help her do things as if im her personal helper. I can barely hangout with my friends as my mom will be angry that im going out. No matter who i go out with, my mom would ask who am i going out with, to where, eat what, don't come back too late, and in the middle of the day she would text or call me and ask if im being kidnapped.
My dad is ok with freedom, he have basic respect for boundaries and privacy but he cannot help me much as my mom never ever listens to dad...
Part 2: Dating
My mom says that i can only date after i graduate from university but i kept getting unsuccessful applications, basically can't enter university. I met this guy secretly and the vibe feels good, good personality, character, hardworking, sincere, non-smoker, no tattoos, no drugs, doesn't drink at all and he taught me alot and helped me to realise alot of things. My friends around me also find him a nice guy, like the bare minimum is there, im being treated nicely and I've known him for a year now and has been secretly dating him for 9months, there's definitely some arguments in between but all things good, it's just that im not allowed to bring him home like all couples do but i really want to and sometimes it's so difficult for me to even send a text because my mom will be constantly asking "who are you texting". Even our meetups I cannot say im meeting him as I'm afraid she will stop me from going out.
TLDR:
My family is giving me alot of anxiety as if im doing everything wrong, as if i cannot have a life and i cannot have personal space with basic respect and individual rights. I know i have to do something to make myself happier, i shouldn't give in anymore but im always so scared when mom and sister gets angry and shout. Idk what to do, i feel stuck at home, I've been trying to step out of my comfort zone...I really want to bring him home but i don't think my family will be happy about it, just because i cannot enter university. Currently i cannot move out due to certain reasons but when i can, i definitely would.

I'm 23 f. I recently left a position I held for 10 months, I was casual but was working full time hours. The hours were never going to last and unfortunately the company doesn't have room for me to come back. I left this position for a full time position in trades work. The problem is I hate what I'm doing with a passion, I've only been there for a month and want out. Not only do I feel ostracised by everyone there but in some cases as a trans woman, I simply don't feel safe. I work with multiple people who subscribe to the "Andrew Tate mindset," throwing slurs out left, right and center. Working alongside them is horrible.
I should make it clear that I have nothing against 80% of the people I work with or anyone who works in trades, however I am lucky if someone says hello during the week and it's pretty lonely.
The work itself is numbing, I don't get any enjoyment out of it, it drains me like nothing I've ever done before. Long hours, long shifts, low pay and physical work that I frankly am not built for.
My work life balance is gone, I have very little time to myself that I am not exhausted and worn out. Within a month I have felt myself quickly burnout and get excited at the prospect of moving jobs.
I want to leave, I wanna quit and I want out but I don't want to feel like I'm running away from a job. Family tells me to get over it and get used to it but honestly I feel miserable working here, something that I didn't experience in any other position. I know I don't need to enjoy my work but I feel like I shouldn't hate it the way I do?
Should I leave? Am I in the wrong for wanting to? Should I just grow up and get used to it? I don't know what to do or how to feel

Hiiiiiiiii everyone! Recently graduated kickass rainbow sprite here! Happy for spring to be here around the corner, lazy sundaying at home with a little weed and reddit... Feeling super open and chatty and really good and I want to meet people!!! Let's be intimate and close and bond super hard, k? 😘
I'm happy to talk about anything: school, sports, anything going on in our lives (but bonus points for really intense topics and bold questions). I like to party and there's always some kind of weird drama with my friends or dating life. Life is about experiencing and experimenting, after all. Let's tell each other secrets! Let's get weird! Open to talking to people any age. Don't be shy... just be real.
To keep my kik from absolutely blowing up, the first few messages are gonna need to be on here.
Interests: Fashion and shopping!!!, partying, travel, musical theater, dating/hooking up, cooking. Bold, forward people get my attention most. Ask me something that you think people wouldn't usually ask, or tell me your favorite porn genre lol

Intro, you can skip this part.
IWas wondering if y'all had any advice to improve, and overall just what your thoughts are on me!
I'll be putting my projected GPA for 11th and 12th grade, and will be going more conservative in that regard. So I'm going to assume B's in smth like AP Lang or French IV, for example.
So the website I'm using is "https://gpacalculator.net/high-school-gpa-calculato" to calculate my unweighted and weighted gpa. Each semester represents a year. And yes, I'm expecting 12th grade to have such high gpa, since it's all gonna be lab sciences (except for 1 which is an advanced humanities course, i put a B+ for that once even though it's prob an easy A, incase it's a hard class)
I believe for an A+ the calculator gives 4.33, and for honors courses it gives +.5 instead of +1. Whatever tho.
Gender: Male
Race: Indian
School: competitive to highly competitive private school
State: CA
Income: Enough where I won't be taking any loans or don't need any financial aid. Upper-middle to upper-bracket
Intended Major(s): Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Comp Sci, etc. (I initially was deciding between med and comp sci, but i kinda vibing with comp sci more both personally and in aptitude, etc.)
SAT: I'm taking it next year junior year. 1480 on PSAT (750 M / 730 EW). Based on practice tests on SAT, planning to hit on the 1550-1600 ballpark
UW/W GPA and Rank: (No rank at my school)
Year 1 : 4.08/3.46 (Bad year lol)
Year 2: 4.42/3.67 (Bit better this year, humanities subjects are challenging, but the trend is upwards :) )
Year 3: 4.58/3.83
Year 4: 5.08/4.08 (All weighted college level courses)
Cumulative: 4.54/3.76
(Our GPA is actually pretty deflated. Our teachers are hard - the 11th graders only have 1 person who has a 4.0 UW GPA..., idk about my grade but I believe no one has)
Coursework: 9 Honors, (Counting Phys C as 1 course:) 10 AP Courses, 6 Post-AP courses (Multivar, Linear Algebra, Data Structures and Algorithms, some english thing idk, Modern Physics, )
AP Tests: (15 total tests) (ten 5's, four 4's, and a 3)
APCSA - 5, AP US Gov - 4
Projected Test Scores for courses I took this year: AP Bio - 5, AP Phys 1 - 5, APUSH - 4, AP CSP - 5, AP Calc AB - 5 and possibly a perfect score ngl.
Projected Test Scores for next 2 years: AP Phys 2 - 5, AP Phys C MEM - 5 & 5, AP World - 3, AP Stats - 5, AP Lang - 4, AP Calc BC - 5, AP Chem - 4
Awards (* Projected Awards): Don't wanna doxx myself so ima be vague
Oracle Certified Associate for Java, and Oracle Certified Programmer I (II this summer)Dell Boomi Certified too (this summer)
* USAPhO Silver at least, if not Gold
* National Merit (Have to wait till junior year)
* Grade 8 ABRSM, probably DipAB after
School Grand Integrator (Calc AB division)
* School Grand Integrator (Calc BC division)
(Graduated Kumon in 8th grade? Prob not gonna put this, but I consistently got rank <50. I mean idk if thats good tbh but hey its something)
[Probably will have more awards like other physics competitions, hackathons, etc. This is all I can think of right now, though]
ECs (* Projected ECs):
Martial Arts for about 10 years. Fully recreational. Competitions not allowed and discouraged in my martial arts school (* belt before black by application season)
Paid intern at internationally recognized software company and will work on cool stuff that will be implemented in medical companies and hospitals
Essentially started my school student council, led it for the past 2 years, definitely gonna hold the spot for the next cycles. - Organized lots of events, and working to spread us on a more inter-school level. (Spent over 15 thousand dollars for school events and such)
Started the STEM Tutoring Club. Regularly lead and teach there
* Starting an organization for student-student teaching.
* Also starting an organization for students to more easily volunteer for the community, making volunteering more accessible
< ^ Definitely going to continue these orgs even after high school>
* Research Paper on taking an IB final project topic from 2009-2010 that was used as our AP Calc Final Project, and expanding it using software to simulate stuff. Very cool. Teacher connecting me to researchers interested... o.o. Writing a paper on it.
Do cool hardware/software project and will write a paper on it. I don't really want to say too much on that, but it'll be hella cool.
Hooks: Anti-hook - I'm indian.
LOR:
- Old Math Teacher and future physics wrote a killer one (I heard) for my internship. Can expect same for college ones
- Current Math Teacher taught for longer than my life, 3 times over, and said I was one of her brightest students. She gave a great one apperantly for internship as well.
- One of our admins who heads Clubs and Activities is a very holistic person, and I can confidently say the letter she can write to colleges (like she already did, again, to the internship) will be comprehensive and detailed. Very assured she'll write great things for college.
- I also have an interesting relationship with my english teacher. Taught me since 7th garde, knows how I've grown in an area I'm pretty bad in. And he's an english teacher. Probably will be a good one.
Chancing LORs aren't rlly reliable tho, so i'll give my chancing for LOR as "above average"
List: T25, Georgia Tech as an out-of-state, UC Berkely/LA, yk the usual. UCLA would be pretty fun to get into. UT Austin is also on the table definitely since I like the place.
Idk I don't like spending my life running on the tails of colleges, I want to develop as a person and have a strong connection with my fam. So I probably won't do crazy things that take too much of my time. Most of my effort is gonna be martial arts, the fam, and my own personal growth.
Essays: Probably will write em well. I have some unique ideas with my crazy life experiences lol. Drafted some and have good feedback.

I'm 23 f. I recently left a position I held for 10 months, I was casual but was working full time hours. The hours were never going to last and unfortunately the company doesn't have room for me to come back. I left this position for a full time position in trades work. The problem is I hate what I'm doing with a passion, I've only been there for a month and want out. Not only do I feel ostracised by everyone there but in some cases as a trans woman, I simply don't feel safe. I work with multiple people who subscribe to the "Andrew Tate mindset," throwing slurs out left, right and center. Working alongside them is horrible.
I should make it clear that I have nothing against 80% of the people I work with or anyone who works in trades, however I am lucky if someone says hello during the week and it's pretty lonely.
The work itself is numbing, I don't get any enjoyment out of it, it drains me like nothing I've ever done before. Long hours, long shifts, low pay and physical work that I frankly am not built for.
My work life balance is gone, I have very little time to myself that I am not exhausted and worn out. Within a month I have felt myself quickly burnout and get excited at the prospect of moving jobs.
I want to leave, I wanna quit and I want out but I don't want to feel like I'm running away from a job. Family tells me to get over it and get used to it but honestly I feel miserable working here, something that I didn't experience in any other position. I know I don't need to enjoy my work but I feel like I shouldn't hate it the way I do?
Should I leave? Am I in the wrong for wanting to? Should I just grow up and get used to it? I don't know what to do or how to feel