We are still in the honeymoon phase though, so only time will tell if we're truly Is compatible. Considering how crazy we are about one another as of now, I think there's reason for a pretty optimistic outlook. Are me and her just outlayers or is the 30 point communication range really just BS? To give specifics, we're relatively equal in terms of physical attractiveness, have common interest, she scores highest in agreeableness on the Big Five (compared to my Neuroticism), we don't want kids, personality wise we're both very intellectually curious and goofy individuals. Our shared interest include all things social science, especially politics, and nerd culture. Also she has told me explicitly on multiple occasions she could care less what a male makes in terms of income, she's on the verge of becoming a college professor where she'll make 6 figures. I've asked her for her opinions on the theory, she doesn't think it will ever be a problem because whenever she wants those gifted level conversations she can simply have them with her coworkers. When the professor comes home to her man she won't mind being dumb.
Within the 1st month of our relationship I was nervous because I came across the communication gap theory, however the longer me and her spend time together, the more I'm starting to think it's only pseudo-science. Anecdotes can only give you a microlevel view, but I think it's worth bringing up, especially considering how little push back I see against the communication range theory on reddit and other platforms. As I said before only time will tell, so wish us luck! https://99science.org/2019/06/16/intelligence-a-barrier-to-communication/#:~:text=Individuals%20with%20IQ%20of%20100,approximately%2085%25%20of%20the%20population.

Oh man… where do I begin.
I grew up poor. Went to the military, got married, had kids. Built a stable life for us. Then I got injured and lost my career. Got out and life has been a roller coaster ever since.
Struggled financially for a while until 2020 when I was back paid 100k in disability benefits. Which I then invested and turned in to 500k. I paid off all my debt and bought a 725k house at 3%interest using the Va home loan.
Continued investing and pretty soon turned that 500k in to 1 mil…. Life was finally amazing. It was everything I dreamed of. I got a taste of not having to worry about every day essentials. Affording to pay bills… etc. I looked towards my kids future.
To top it all off, between my job, disability, and using the GI bill I was making around 14k a month. Completely debt free other then 20k car loan and my home. Built my credit from 480 up to 700 from 2019 to 2021.
Oh man…
Having 1 mil in my brokerage and my success at trading made me think… well hey do wanna spend more time with my family + I have busted my ass for years never really getting to take a break. I wanted my wife to have some time for herself too as she had sacrificed immensely for me. I’ll just quit my job a lightly trade I thought.
This was a mistake. I did fine for a while, but hated withdrawing funds for bills. So I started over leveraging trying to make up for the withdraws. Started taking some losses. Hiding losses from my spouse.
I became obsessed, fixated on the market. Because I was lying to my spouse I became more and more withdrawn… spending less time with her
I somehow spent less time with my family being home all day then I did working full time and being in school full time. Things continued to get worse.
I started drinking more and more to mask my anxiety. I didn’t want to seem “off” so I drank to be normal. Pretty soon the million was down to 200k. I stopped paying the bills. Stopped paying house payments and we had financed 2 new cars. Stopped paying them.
Panic sets in and I can no longer contain it. I’m losing my mind. I tell my wife fearing she will leave me.
She consoles me. Tells me everything is going to be okay. But I am devastated and I can see the pain I have caused her… but I’m still a wreck.
She still had faith in me. I blew up my account on December 23 of 2021. She didn’t know.
I start taking out payday loans. I put our house loan on Covid forbearance. Continuing to spiral. My mental health was a shadow of what it had been. I had worked so hard on it and my recovery was the reason we even bounced back to where we were.
I continued to throw it all away.
I finally told her everything. She’s upset. She cries, throws things. But still… she stays for some reason. She still sees good in me even tho I have been a lying bastard… she calms me and helps me make a plan. She gets me back out in ti the world and I get a job.
Fast forward to this moment. I am 70k behind on my home loan. I owe 80k between our 2 vehicles. I have racked up a bunch of short term loans that have went to collections. I owe money to a few overdrawn bank and brokerage accounts… I have medical debt bc I wasn’t paying copays for my wife and kids appointments. My credit score is back down to 520.
After a year of being jobless I’m back at work in a different city and I drive home on the weekends and I’m back in school using GI bill for income… this going well for now
Until today… through everything I didn’t realize my car insurance lapsed a few months ago… today I was involved in an auto accident (my fault) I hit a parked truck on the side of the street on my way to work this morning. I just didn’t adjust, it was a wider f350… didn’t realize how close I was to it.
I stopped found the guy. My damages come to 3k (I need this vehicle) he filed a claim with his insurance. He gave them my info and he had uninsured motorist coverage. Now I’m afraid I won’t be able to get my policy back as he reported my info to his agency.
To top it all off my marriage is at an all time low, she doesn’t trust me (I don’t blame her).April 1 she’s supposed to completely take over the finances.
I haven’t told her about the insurance/accident yet.
I’m falling apart and idk what to do. I have contemplated suicide (I have a 1mil policy between work and Va and private).
In any case I’m between selling the house and taking the equity to ease us financially. Or file ch 13 and save the house and try to get some stability back for my wife and kids.
This is unbelievable, and has been a nightmare that I saw coming but I just didn’t/couldn’t stop.
I don’t know what to do. I’m so lost. I hate being away from them but I have to work. She’s overwhelmed taking on the burdens of everything ( we have no family help).
Every time I think things are gonna get better I’m reminded of just how big of a peace of shit I am.

Just this past weekend, the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas held one of its biggest events on its annual calendar: the NASCAR Cup Series.
After a decade of the US Grand Prix at COTA – interrupted only by Covid – Formula 1 appears to have finally found a solid footing in America. Rather than fizzle out like so many other attempts to establish a US race over the decades, attendance at COTA has grown over recent years to the point where it now boasts the largest crowd of the season in terms of total attendance over the race weekend.
F1’s arrival at COTA in 2012 ended its five-year absence from the USA. Now it is one of three American rounds on the 2023 F1 calendar. The introduction of the Miami Grand Prix last year and the much-hyped addition of the Las Vegas Grand Prix near the end of this season means there is effectively a race in the east, west and centre of world’s wealthiest nation.
But COTA chairman Bobby Epstein is confident the popularity of the Texan race will not be diminished by the recent emergence of two rivals in the same country, as F1’s popularity enjoys a boom period in America.
Epstein admits that when he first got involved with the sport over 10 years ago: “I can’t say I was an avid, diehard F1 fan.”
“Because it was very hard to follow the sport in the US until more recently,” he told the Black Book Motorsport Forum. “Austin was a fast-growing city and I had this piece of property – my only real estate investment actually – and the idea came up about the possibility of bringing Formula 1 to Austin.
“I really thought this was a great opportunity to do something for the communities where we live, as well as something that we could make a profit on and we’d have some fun with, and would make a big difference.”
“The more we talked about and thought about it, we really looked at this as an opportunity to build a world-class entertainment destination, and with F1 as the cornerstone gives us a wonderful brand to start with,” he says. “It brought crowds right away. Our goal for the campus is to make this a place where people want to come and have fun and build memories with friends and family. F1 is one part of that overall picture.”
The United States Grand Prix may have secured record attendances over the last two seasons, but Epstein is under no illusions that the sport is cresting a large ‘Drive to Survive’ wave, growing very popular with casual fans as well as hardcore motorsport fanatics. He says all major motorsport series – be it F1, IndyCar NASCAR or otherwise – need to find ways of trying to hold onto those more casual race-goers.
“In IndyCar, when we’re in Indianapolis, one week you have a quarter-of-a-million people,” he explains. “You take the exact same product, put it in a different but similar venue, but a different location, and you see that attendance is ten or 15% of what it might have been, or less, sometimes. That tells you that’s where the difference is between a ‘diehard fan’ and the ‘event fan’.
“It’s not that we don’t offer the best experience for the diehard motorsports fan. But as is the case in any sport, you’re going to have to appeal to what I call the ‘second tier’ below the diehard fan – it’s not their hobby, it’s not their passion.
“We’re absolutely living, breathing, diehard fans of motorsport. But those sports aren’t going to survive on our interest alone. It’s going to have to be a step down of interest to the casual fan, who is also a fan of an event, and want to be a part it.”
He believes COTA has certain features which particularly appeal to dedicated fans who know what makes a good motor racing venue to spectate at. “If you’re a diehard motorsports fan, you’ll notice if you come to COTA and you’ll hopefully go away and say ‘that was the best sight line, that was the best view, I saw some action’.
“Because of the hills, you can see five or six turns from a general admission seat, and you can see seven or eight or nine from the reserved seats. That’s unusual, and the diehard fan will recognise that as unusual. The casual fan will just accept it, but they will notice.”
However Epstein is firm in his conviction that motorsport promoters cannot ignore the casual end of the market. “We have to recognise that the percentage of people that are the diehard fans is not enough to sustain the sport alone.
“For any of the motorsport events, the sport itself might survive on TV, but we have to talk about what’s the future, not just in motorsport. What’s the future of motorsport venues, and the sports themselves? I hope we’ve done a good job of utilising that.”
When it comes to the addition of two other American races on the calendar, Epstein believes there is room for Miami and Las Vegas to coexist with COTA, as the US Grand Prix offers a different kind of race experience to the other two.
“Sometimes competition is good,” he says. “So as long as there’s enough fans, we can have a lot more.
“But I think our goal is to always be unique and stand out and give the focus on the fans and just do the best we can. I do think for the ticket-buying fan base, we have to be careful and make sure there’s enough fans in the US to buy tickets to sustain it as a venue.
“We have advantages over others, so I welcome the competition from that standpoint. I do think the fans that choose to be repeat visitors will choose to come to COTA because we have an advantage.
“We were built for racing. The strip in Vegas was not necessarily built for racing, but it’s a fun place. It’s an international world-class destination.
“It’s going to make great TV. I don’t know how long people go back and buy tickets for it.”
While Italy and Germany once regularly held two races per year, it’s rare to see as many as three in a single country. “They’re obviously competitors,” Epstein concedes, but “I think we have an advantage.”
“There’s a difference, all three events right now are so uniquely different that they [can] all survive.”
One striking difference between the new Las Vegas Grand Prix and the COTA round which will take place a month before it is on the undercard. While no support races will take place at Vegas, COTA featured Formula 4 and the W Series last year.
Epstein admits Las Vegas may prove an interesting case study of how much other racing fans actually want on a grand prix weekend. “You have to look at the type of support races sometimes,” he explains, “But the fans are going to answer that question.
He admits some races failed to draw the attention of fans last year. “We saw W Series really struggle as a support race. The fans didn’t go to the seats, and they didn’t really watch it enough.
“So maybe that tells me that they’re not as important. I think we’ll find out. I hope they’re important, because it’s one of the factors that differentiates us with Las Vegas not going for.
“We think the fans want a lot of value for their investment and I think they want more content. We’ve got 30 hours of ‘programming’. If we find out that all people needed was two hours, we waste a whole lot of effort and a whole lot of money.
“I like to think that they want more content. Whether it’s support races they want or they want a music concert, we got both. But I’m not sure.”
The world championship has a long history in the United States from the early days when the Indianapolis 500 was a points-paying round to dedicated road courses, the rise of street races and temporary return to Indianapolis before Austin arrived. But while the race has drifted between being on and off the calendar over the decades, it seems that the race has finally found a permanent home.
“I think it’s sustainable,” he insists.
“Let’s say we do believe the Netflix effect is real, and that it’s been tremendous, and say what are the components of that? One is the danger and excitement. That’s not going to change. I think Survivor has been on TV 20-plus years – that has that thrill effect to it. And then I think The Bachelor – that has sort of the heartthrob, romance sex-appeal. That’s what you got in F1. So the outlook from the Netflix effect standpoint should be really strong, and it’ll continue for a long time.
“Then I’d ask ‘what about the events?’. Not just the sport, but what’s the sustainability of the events and why do people go? Because that’s what we focus on. Are we going to be here five, ten, 15 years from now? One of the hardest things to buy – what you can’t buy – is tradition.
“You look at some sporting events and ask why are they still around? Indianapolis 500. Why does it draw so many people, or the Kentucky Derby? Or some of these events that were around before TV? People had to go to experience them, and it became a tradition. It becomes a family tradition. And once you have tradition, that’s it.”
Epstein says COTA’s race has already become a traditional fixture for many who attend. “One thing COTA had, because it had a head start on the other events that are taking place in the US, is we have found now that there’s a tradition to families coming back. We see it in our repeat visitors.
“So I think we’ll sustain because we’ve created an atmosphere that people want to come back to. And then for the sports themselves, I think what they offer, and with the Netflix-type connection, the future should be good.”
Source: https://www.racefans.net/2023/03/29/we-were-built-for-racing-unlike-vegas-cota-boss-not-concerned-by-new-f1-rivals/

Hi fellow Japanophiles! Heading for my 1st ever trip to Japan from 10 to 22 May, landing in KIX in Osaka and leaving from NRT in Tokyo. Would appreciate if anyone has any constructive comments in terms of feasibility, logistics, variety, interesting areas that I shldn't hv missed out, or places I had included that shldn't hv been bothered with at all.
Total pax: 3 (brother & I both in our early 20s, and middle-aged mother)

• Dates: 10 May (Wed) >> 22 May (Mon)
• Cities covered: Osaka, Himeji, Nara, Kyoto, Tokyo
• Areas of interest: Nothing specific, tho I'm kinda a foodie. To get a feel of Japan as a nation, as well as its history and culture, food, landscape, architecture, and possibly nightlife. Avoiding theme parks as my family isn't keen, so no USJ / Disneyland / Disneysea / etc.
• Budget: On the lower side but not afraid to splurge if I deem it worthy

Naturally, also interested in getting some shopping done and hopefully a few quintessentially Japanese souvenirs (any reccs? :P)

Days 1-5: Osaka-based (Osaka, Himeji, Nara; 2.5:1:1)

D1 (10 May, Wed): Arrival in Osaka (2pm at KIX) (from SG, so no big worries re jetlag)

• Drop off luggage at Airbnb (Namba). Check out the nearby areas until early evening check-in time
• Check into airbnb, settle in
• Hozen-ji / Hozen-ji Yokocho
• Nipponbashi District (dinner, shopping)

D2 (11 May, Thurs): Osaka Amazing Pass, 1 of 2

• Osaka Castle - Museum, gozabune moat boat ride, garden
• *Lunch* (ramen?)
• Osaka Museum of History
• Shitenno-ji / Keitakuen garden
• Tsutenkaku tower
• Shinsekai (dinner; izakaya)
• Ebisubashi shopping street / Dotonbori (shopping, street food)
• Tonbori river cruise
• America-mura (optional)

D3 (12 May, Fri): Osaka Amazing Pass, 2 of 2

• Namba Yasaka Shrine
• Kuromon Market (grab something to go for lunch)
• Lunch at Airbnb
• Osaka Museum of Housing and Living
• Tenjinbashi shopping street (street food)
• Umeda Sky Building
• Hep Five (dinner) / Hep Five Ferris Wheel

D4 (13 May, Sat): Himeji Day Trip; Kansai Area Pass, 1 of 3

• Himeji Castle / Koko-en
• *Lunch* (Anago?)
• Mt. Shosha / Engyoji
• Otemae Street (grab some jokamachi-dog)
• Head back to Osaka
• Dinner (Dotonbori area)

D5 (14 May, Sun): Nara Day Trip; Kansai Area pass, 2 of 3

• *Check out of Airbnb.
• Nakatanidou (watch the making of the famous handmade mochi and sample some)
• Kofuku-ji
• Kasuga Taisha Shrine (wisteria blooming)
• Nara Park (brief stroll/rest/lunch)
• Nandai-mon
• Todai-ji and its bell-tower
• Nara National Museum
• Dinner in the area
• *Retrieve suitcase. Bring along en route to Kyoto.
• *Check into Kyoto Airbnb.

Days 6-9: Kyoto

D6 (15 May, Mon): Kyoto (West + North); Kansai Area Pass, 3 of 3

• Arashiyama Bamboo Forest / Okochi Sanso Garden
• Tenryu-ji
• Iwatayama Monkey Park
• *Lunch*
• Ninna-ji / Ryoan-ji (shorter visits)
• Kinkaku-ji
• *Dinner (Kyoto Stn)

D7 (16 May, Tue): Kyoto (East); using top-up card, no passes

• Kiyomizu-dera
• Sannen-/Ninenzaka shopping streets (breakfast)
• Hokan-ji (brief; observatory)
• Kennin-ji
• Kodai-ji
• *Lunch* (might head over to Nishiki Market area)
• Unplanned / free & easy
• Yasaka Shrine
• Gion District (dinner, stroll along bridge and alleys)

D8 (17 May, Wed): Kyoto (South); might get a day pass

• Fushimi Inari
• *Breakfast* (cafe)
• Tofuku-ji
• Rengeo-in Sanjusangen-do
• Kyoto National Museum
• Fushimi Sake Village (optional)
• To-ji
• *Dinner* (Kyoto station?)

D9 (18 May, Thurs): Kyoto (Central)

• *Check out of Airbnb.
• Nijo Castle
• Nishiki Market (if not alr done)
• Imperial Palace
• *Lunch near Nanzen-ji* (soba?)
• Nanzenji / Zenrin-ji (shorter visits)
• Philosopher's path stroll
• Ginkaku-ji
• Gion District (dinner & a few drinks)
• Night bus to Tokyo

Days 10-13: Tokyo

D10 (19 May, Fri): Tokyo (West)

• *Arrival at Shinjuku Station @ 7 am
• Meiji Jingu Shrine / Yoyogi Park
• Takeshita Street Square / Omotesando (strolling around to marvel at the architecture)
• Statue of Hachiko / Shibuya Crossing
• MEGA Don Quixote / Other shopping malls in Shibuya (Lunch, shopping)
• Mori Tower + Tokyo City View & Sky Deck
• *Check in to Airbnb, get sum rest
• Odaiba Seaside Park
• Teamlabs Planets
• Unicorn Gundam Statue / DiverCity Tokyo Plaza (dinner)
• Rainbow Bridge (optional, a little distance)

D11 (20 May, Sat): Tokyo (East)

• Asakusa-jinja / Senso-ji
• Ueno Park
• Tokyo National Museum
• Ueno Tosho-gu Shrine
• Tokyo Station (lunch & shopping)
• Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum (check out special exhibit)
• Akihabara (shopping & dinner)

D12 (21 May, Sun): Tokyo (Shinjuku/Imperial Palace)

• Imperial Palace East Gardens
• Kitanomaru-koen
• Yasakuni Shrine / Yushukan Museum
• Shinjuku City
• Tokyo Metro Govt Bldg
• Dinner ard Airbnb neighbourhood

D13 (22 May, Mon):

• *Check out of Airbnb
• Head over early to Narita Airport
• *Lunch before flight at noon*

P.s. Lockers at train stations will be utilised after checking out to store luggage.

Bought a house in socal back in May 2022, did change of address and everything the following month. We were receiving mail without fault for about a month before we noticed it was a week of no mail. My wife stopped our mailman leaving our cul-de-sac and he told her that we need to move the mailbox (located next to front door where it was prior to us purchasing house and was never touched) and that we should of got a notice in the mail...he never delivered this. We researched this and could not find a specific policy stating we HAVE to move mailbox (we are renovating and plan to eventually add a fence and relocate mailbox to curb years down the road), we confirmed this by visiting our local post office where the employee confirmed no issues with our mailbox and he would discuss with mailman.
We submit a file for a 'case' and they research it which leads to us getting confirmation from the local post office that we are OK and should be getting mail delivered...weeks go by and no mail...submit case again and next step is them telling us we will get a specific mail delivery person to deliver the mail while they look into this matter. Result is a random mailman delivering mail only to my house sporadically for a few weeks and then mail delivery stops again...
Open another case via USPS website resulting in them 'confirming' that mail is being delivered by my streets normal mailman...completely false. He still has never walked to my door to deliver mail, I am still sporadically receiving bundles of mail at a time from a separate carrier including packages. I now open my 3rd case (This is now October 2022), and demand to speak with the local postmaster (Henry Roberson). I show him pictures of my house listing and current pictures of the house showing the mailbox has never moved, I do not have a dog, there has never been any impeding of the doorway for the mail carrier. He assures me we are correct, and he will absolutely speak with mail carrier to ensure we will be getting our mail delivered the very next day. The next day...no mail...and the next week no mail or packages...despite seeing via Informed Delivery (this entire time from change of address) that mail was to be delivered.
I go back into the post office to speak with the Post Master again and he assures me he spoke with the carrier but says he will ensure the manager of carriers/routes (not sure of specific title) will have someone deliver our mail. Fast forward a few weeks, I am outside in my driveway and I get approached by USPS Federal Investigators, unbeknownst to me I tell them my side of the story and how I have not gotten any mail delivered etc...only for them to say "we are actually here to investigate a threat made to the carrier". Mind you, I have never spoken to the carrier or been within 10 feet of the carrier since I've moved into my house. He claimed I threatened him, only after months of me complaining to the USPS of not getting mail delivered. I provide ring footage and receipts from the day I threatened him to the inspectors, confirming I was nearly 30 minutes away from my house at the time he said I threatened him.
A few more weeks of sporadic mail delivery, I open my 4th case (November 2022), and continue to sporadically receive mail from random carriers throughout the following months. I have continued to have this issue, along with packages being delivered late due to my sporadic delivery schedule. USPS tracking items are continuing to be updated with "Held at customer request", I have received medicine from the VA late, bills within days of due dates.
​
I am looking for any advice on how to fix this issue, I just want my mail delivered. Today one of my neighbors walked over a piece of my mail that was delivered by the normal carrier to their house...
So far I have:
Spoken with post master several times
Spoken with USPS Postal Inspector
Local Consumer Affairs Office (told me to speak to local congressman??)
Sent letter to local congressman
Still not getting mail delivered as scheduled to my home coming up on nearly a year...
All internet research says "postmaster can handle it" but that has absolutely not been the case.
​
Edit: Picture of my mailbox/driveway/approach
https://i.imgur.com/0FCNCoC.jpg

I (f, 30) have been dating someone (m, 26) who I really like for about three months now. Our relationship is good, we laugh together constantly, never run out of things to talk about, have a very healthy sex life, and I generally just enjoy being around him. He's funny, intelligent, motivated, on a healthy life path, and treats me well. I am starting to genuinely care about him, and find myself wanting to see him more and more often, and missing him when he's not around. I could potentially see myself having a future with him. This is where the problem arises. Him and I come from very, very, different worlds (myself from extreme poverty, gang/street based involvement, and fighting to survive for a good chunk of my life. Him from an uppermiddle class family, private school, straight to a high-end university, and then directly into a high paying career. He's also from a country that largely holds more conservative opinions). Because of these differences in life experiences, we hold very different opinions and values politically, with him being a small government, libertarian leaning conservative, and myself being an anarcho-communist. I'm quite politically correct. He isn't at all. I'm part of leftist, and queer, communities, which he views as cult-like. I view homeless and poverty as an inevitability of capitalism, he thinks that they need to pull themselves up by the bootstraps more, and that it's related to personal responsibility failings. At this point, we've largely just avoided discussing politics because of our differing opinions, and not wanting to upset the other person. However, I don't know if a long-term relationship is possible with someone who holds such different opinions to you on things, and comes from such a different world. He is pro-abortion, pro drug legalization, anti-Trump (though we're not American), pro gay marriage, pro transition, and seems to have good opinions on addiction policies, but those are really the only things we agree on politically, and I've been holding on to those things very tightly. Does anyone else have any experience dating someone from a very different world, and different political spectrum, from you? Were you able to make it work? And how? Before this, I've only ever dated people who came from similar life situations and held similar politics to me, so I have little to no experience in this, and politics are something that's extremely important to me. Basically I just want to know if it's worth putting my emotional energy in to, and hoping that it lasts, if I should stay largely emotionally detached from the situation, or if it's not worth the investment, and I should go my separate way.

​

No. (Last Week)	Artist	Album	Copies sold this week	Total copies	Album Release Date
1 (NEW)	Jimin	FACE	224,870	224,870	Mar 25, 2023
2 (NEW)	Bullet Train (超特急)	B9	59,134	59,134	Mar 22, 2023
3 (NEW)	BABYMETAL	THE OTHER ONE	36,863	36,863	Mar 24, 2023
4 (NEW)	Angerme (アンジュルム)	BIG LOVE	23,680	23,680	Mar 22, 2023
5 (4)	TWICE	Ready To Be: 12th Mini Album	12,766	28,293	Mar 15, 2023
6 (NEW)	Little Glee Monster	Fanfare	12,313	12,313	Mar 22, 2023
7 (NEW)	The Street Sliders & Various	On The Street Again -Tribute & Origin-	10,078	10,078	Mar 22, 2023
8 (36)	NMB48	NMB13	8,975	149,342	Mar 8, 2023
9 (NEW)	Motohiro Hata (秦 基博)	Paint Like a Child	7,282	7,282	Mar 22, 2023
10 (NEW)	Eiichi Ohtaki (大滝詠一)	Eiichi Ohtaki NOVELTY SONG BOOK/NIAGARA ONDO BOOK	6,953	6,953	Mar 21, 2023
11 (NEW)	Yusuke (遊助)	Yu are the one (遊 are the one)	5,169	5,169	Mar 22, 2023
12 (NEW)	PURPLE K!SS	DEAR VIOLET	4,856	4,856	Mar 22, 2023
13 (NEW)	Sora Amamiya (雨宮天)	Sora Amamiya Works 1 -Doukasen- (雨宮天作品集1 -導火線-)	4,525	4,525	Mar 22, 2023
14 (NEW)	Various Artists	Ensemble Stars!! Cover Song Collection (あんさんぶるスターズ!! カバーソングコレクション)	4,419	4,419	Mar 24, 2023
15 (NEW)	NMIXX	Expergo	3,941	3,941	Mar 25, 2023
16 (13)	Miyuki Nakajima (中島みゆき)	Sekai ga Chigatte Mieru Hi (世界が違って見える日)	3,805	47,643	Mar 1, 2023
17 (19)	Johnny's West (ジャニーズWEST)	POWER	3,142	261,406	Mar 1, 2023
18 (NEW)	Pink Floyd (ピンク・フロイド)	Live at Wembley 1974 (狂気:ライヴ・アット・ウェンブリー1974)	3,127	3,127	Mar 24, 2023
19 (10)	MELTЯAGE	Crush!	3,063	3,063	Mar 21, 2023
20 (3)	Liella!	Second Sparkle	2,729	22,999	Mar 15, 2023
21 (NEW)	Various Artists	THE [email protected] 765 MILLION ALLSTARS BEST	2,573	2,573	Mar 22, 2023
22 (14)	Ikuta Lilas (幾田りら)	Sketch	2,553	25,295	Mar 8, 2023
23 (RE-ENTRY)	Eiichi Ohtaki (大滝詠一)	Eiichi Ohtaki: Omnibus 50th Anniversary Edition (大瀧詠一 乗合馬車(Omnibus)50th Anniversary Edition)	2,338	8,243	Nov 25, 2022
24 (1)	NEWS	Ongaku -2nd Movement- (音楽 -2nd Movement-)	2,337	110,283	Mar 15, 2023
25 (NEW)	Minami (美波)	LOSE LOOSE Day	2,015	2,015	Mar 22, 2023
26 (41)	Various Artists	Pokemon TV Anime Theme Songs BEST OF BEST OF BEST 1997-2023 (ポケモンTVアニメ主題歌 BEST OF BEST OF BEST 1997-2023)	1,926	24,222	Feb 1, 2023
27 (22)	back number	Humor (ユーモア)	1,905	210,414	Jan 17, 2023
28 (32)	Kessoku Band (結束バンド)	Kessoku Band (結束バンド)	1,840	149,863	Dec 28, 2022
29 (NEW)	Soundtrack (サウンドトラック)	Fire Emblem: Three Houses: Original Soundtrack (ファイアーエムブレム無双 風花雪月 オリジナル・サウンドトラック)	1,770	1,770	Mar 22, 2023
30 (NEW)	Various Artists	TV Anime “Tsurune: Tsunagari no Issha” Character Song Mini-Album “Hoshi wo Tsunagu” (TVアニメ『ツルネ -つながりの一射-』キャラクターソングミニアルバム「星をつなぐ」)	1,675	1,675	Mar 22, 2023
31 (NEW)	Various Artists	THE [email protected] LIVE [email protected] BEST	1,673	1,673	Mar 22, 2023
32 (NEW)	Various Artists	THE [email protected] MILLION [email protected] BEST	1,625	1,625	Mar 22, 2023
33 (NEW)	FUNKY GALAXY	HOTEL GALAXY	1,622	1,622	Mar 22, 2023
34 (11)	Stray Kids	THE SOUND	1,558	425,353	Feb 22, 2023
35 (37)	Snow Man	Snow Labo. S2	1,555	1,032,516	Sep 21, 2022
36 (NEW)	Various Artists	Waccha PriMagi! Music Collection (ワッチャプリマジ!ミュージックコレクション)	1,501	1,501	Mar 22, 2023
37 (5)	HoneyWorks	Nee, Sukitte itai yo. ~Kokuhaku Jikkou Iinkai Character Song Collection~ (ねぇ、好きって痛いよ。~告白実行委員会キャラクターソング集~)	1,478	14,210	Mar 15, 2023
38 (34)	Hiromi (上原ひろみ)	BLUE GIANT Original Soundtrack (BLUE GIANT(オリジナル・サウンドトラック))	1,410	18,271	Feb 17, 2023
39 (NEW)	Fall Out Boy (フォール・アウト・ボーイ)	So Much (For) Stardust (ソー・マッチ・(フォー)・スターダスト)	1,384	1,384	Mar 24, 2023
40 (108)	NewJeans	NewJeans 1st EP 'New Jeans'	1,371	28,189	Aug 12, 2022
41 (15)	U2	Songs of Surrender (Deluxe) (ソングス・オブ・サレンダー(デラックス))	1,365	6,296	Mar 17, 2023
42 (NEW)	Dohatsuten (怒髪天)	more-AA-janaica	1,295	1,295	Mar 22, 2023
43 (40)	GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE	X	1,288	24,934	Mar 8, 2023
44 (55)	SEVENTEEN	SEVENTEEN 4th Album 「Face the Sun」	1,269	540,739	Jun 10, 2022
45 (NEW)	fishbowl	Oukoku (王国)	1,247	1,247	Mar 24, 2023
46 (38)	SixTONES	Koe (声)	1,244	580,690	Jan 4, 2023
47 (51)	Stray Kids	Go Live: Stray Kids Vol.1 (Go生: Stray Kids Vol.1)	1,233	114,860	Jun 25, 2020
48 (48)	Ado	Uta no Uta: ONE PIECE FILM RED (ウタの歌 ONE PIECE FILM RED)	1,212	356,386	Aug 10, 2022
49 (7)	Various Artists	Gintama BEST5 (銀魂BEST5)	1,202	9,091	Mar 15, 2023
50 (54)	Snow Man	Snow Mania S1	1,199	1,026,775	Sep 29, 2021

Source: Imgur, Oricon (Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5)

Hello. I hope this is the right sub or venue to seek for suggestions about travelling alone (DIY).
On 1st/2nd of April, I'm planning to travel solo either in North, East, or South of Luzon since it's my first time to travel outside Metro Manila alone and commute through means of public transportation only. I'll be staying probably until 11th/12th of April.
I prefer to travel in a place;

• with access to public transports,
• accessible to fast food, restaurants, and grocery stores,
• a place with nice hotels to choose from, and with nice views and strong internet connection since I'm on wfh,
• lastly, I prefer a place near beach and/or near iconic destinations since this is my purpose of travelling.

Thanks!

• Alan

Throwaway account bc he uses reddit. I (f, 30) have been dating someone (m, 26) who I really like for about three months now. Our relationship is good, we laugh together constantly, never run out of things to talk about, have a very healthy sex life, and I generally just enjoy being around him. He's funny, intelligent, motivated, on a healthy life path, and treats me well. I am starting to genuinely care about him, and find myself wanting to see him more and more often, and missing him when he's not around. I could potentially see myself having a future with him. This is where the problem arises. Him and I come from very, very, different worlds (myself from extreme poverty, gang/street based involvement, and fighting to survive for a good chunk of my life. Him from an uppermiddle class family, private school, straight to a high-end university, and then directly into a high paying career. He's also from a country that largely holds more conservative opinions). Because of these differences in life experiences, we hold very different opinions and values politically, with him being a small government, libertarian leaning conservative, and myself being an anarcho-communist. I'm quite politically correct. He isn't at all. I'm part of leftist, and queer, communities, which he views as cult-like. I view homeless and poverty as an inevitability of capitalism, he thinks that they need to pull themselves up by the bootstraps more, and that it's related to personal responsibility failings. At this point, we've largely just avoided discussing politics because of our differing opinions, and not wanting to upset the other person. However, I don't know if a long-term relationship is possible with someone who holds such different opinions to you on things, and comes from such a different world. He is pro-abortion, pro drug legalization, anti-Trump (though we're not American), pro gay marriage, pro transition, and seems to have good opinions on addiction policies, but those are really the only things we agree on politically, and I've been holding on to those things very tightly. Does anyone else have any experience dating someone from a very different world, and different political spectrum, from you? Were you able to make it work? And how? Before this, I've only ever dated people who came from similar life situations and held similar politics to me, so I have little to no experience in this, and politics are something that's extremely important to me. Basically I just want to know if it's worth putting my emotional energy in to, and hoping that it lasts, if I should stay largely emotionally detached from the situation, or if it's not worth the investment, and I should go my separate way.

To even the most casual of observers, it was immediately clear that Leo was not just an ordinary earthworm. While few would notice the light tells like the oddly aware way he inspected his surroundings and unusually graceful movement, none could overlook the spiffy top hat resting on top of his... well, front end. Even if someone were to assume that someone merely decided to put a tiny hat on a worm for fun, those conceptions would be dashed aside the moment he wriggled his body to open an interdimensional portal in front of him and wriggled into it in search of adventure.
The calmness of the meadow was disturbed ever so slightly when a small blue portal appeared near the ground, accompanied by the sound similar to cloth being torn, and a worm plopped out of it. Leo looked around his surrounding to see where he had ended up this time. Seeing the tall grass, the cool dirt, the clear sky... everything about it felt familiar; like a home he never knew. He could feel that this place was perfect for many other earthworms; he also realised that this made it the perfect hunting ground for animals that would feast upon them.
Such as the bird that had locked onto him just seconds after he arrived. It flew into action with staggering speed intent on consuming Leo whole, top hat or not. Its wings made barely any sound. Most would not hear it at all, but it did not get past Leo's honed senses. He turned towards the hastily approaching predator and with the lightest of movements opened up another portal right between him and the feathered attacker. The bird had no time to react, no time to adjust course, and flew straight in, disappearing. Leo took one last look around the meadow and squirmed into the other side of the portal.
Seconds later, another portal opened up a few meters away and out of it flew a very confused bird that decided it'd be best to ignore the entire affair.
As soon as Leo exited his new portal, he knew something was amiss, different. He felt... weightless, and noticed his top hat started to float away. He coiled his body around it, securing it, and looked around, finding a window with the grandest of views he had ever seen.
It was a void of blackness in the centre of which was a planet of green and blue, clouds covering massive portions of it. He could see how the wind moved these clouds around, how they shifted, merged, split, a ballet of movement that gave a whole new meaning to the weather he was used to. It was a most enjoyable sight - one that was again cut short when he realized he was being watched. He turned his body towards the observer - a man floating in the air, his hair standing above his hand as if he was floating in water. From his open mouth and wide-eyed look, it was more than obvious the man did not expect to see an earthworm. Deciding not to cause any trouble, Leo quietly opened another portal, but having no control over the speed of his movement, the two awkwardly stared at one another as Leo slowly floated towards the small blue circle and finally disappeared.
Following the bird's line of thinking, the man rubbed his eyes and looked again, seeing nothing - certainly not an earthworm. Perhaps he was too tired and mistook a shadow for something else. After all, how could an earthworm be on the ISS? Preposterous.
Leo's latest portal took him to a comfortable apartment in a highrise. Finding himself right next to a window, he looked out and saw something he had never seen before. A city - but not one made out of mushrooms and roots, but metal and glass. The building he found himself in must have been among the tallest as he could see far and wide and admire the different rooftops and streets, the busy traffic and pedestrians making it seem like a gigantic beehive. Though it was not as familiar as the meadow and not as grand as the strange floaty place, it was oddly enchanting to Leo. He spent the most time here, though that was partially because no one interrupted his observations. When he finally had his fill, he decided to open one final portal and squirmed into it.
The destination on the other end was familiar. The top of a hill with an exquisite view of the bioluminescent fungal city he knew so well. Not too from where he landed sat a girl that turned around and noticed his arrival.
"Leo!" she said with a smile. "There you are. Exploring again?"
Leo merely inched towards her without responding - with the two knowing each other so well, the question was clearly rhetorical. She smiled and picked him up, putting him on her shoulder. He coiled up and rested. It was a good day. He saw new places, met new creatures, but in the end...
There's no place like home.
​
​
​
​
This story is about Leo the Earthworm, a recurring character in commissions I do.

I used to think success was driving down a beach-front highway having to choose between breathing in the new car smell from your convertible, or putting the top down for some salt air.
1 week ago, I had neither of those choices and today the very thought of beach air and new car smell makes me fucking sick.
Before I get into this, let me be clear: this is not a confession of guilt for anything I’ve done. I never wanted all this shit. From the very start it was only about one thing: Getting my son, James a birthday present.
I wasn’t even trying to get him the BEST or the BIGGEST or the most EXPENSIVE birthday present. Just
A present. The present I set out to get.
But instead...
I went to the 7/11 on Santa Monica and bought a MegaMillions lotto ticket.
My name is Daniel Baxter, and this is the day I thought I won the lottery.
​
April 8, 2022 – 2:03AM
It’s 2 o’clock in the morning and I’m at the Hollywood Casino. I’ve got every penny to my name spread across the craps table and some dickhead on his bachelor party holds the dice of fate in his clammy little hands.
My last 3 meals have been from discarded room service trays at LAX Hilton, my truck doesn’t start without a prayer and the tires have been leaking air for the last month which is fine because now I know the location of every free air filling station in LA County.
If I’d paid my phone bill, it’d be buzzing a crater in my leg from my ex, Lenora, asking if I’d picked up our son’s birthday gift with the $200 she gave me.
“Gave me” isn’t quite the right term. She handed it to me with a scowl then told me “if you gamble this shit you’ll never fucking see him again.” Things had been tense lately.
But none of that matters because this guy’s been hot and it’s with his help that I’ve turned that 200 hundred into almost 3 grand. The only question is; are the rhythms with me or not?
Maybe you call it God. Maybe you call it Karma or the natural vibe of the earth or mercury or whatever. When the rhythms are on, everything goes your way. You crush your yearly review at work and get the raise you’re after or you’re at some party and you’ve got everyone eating outta the palm of your hand.
Most things are math. Craps is math. Poker is math. Phone bills are math. Divorce rates are math and if I keep having to eat off of room service trays, the likelihood of me waking up with diarrhea is math.
It’s all just probability. But when the rhythms are on, the probability doesn’t matter. You could take a 1 and a million shot back-to-back and hit it twice. That’s what the rhythm can do for you.
Summer of 2018 I was up over 2 million. I couldn’t lose a hand of blackjack, I couldn’t crap out if I tried, I couldn’t say the wrong thing to Lenora and every time I walked into the room my son, James, would light up like a fucking lantern.
It used to be me and Lenora at the tables. The place was always open, the food is fine and the drinks are free. If we weren’t at the tables we were in the lounge talking Black Jack strategy or in the bar talking game theory or hanging out at the slots like a couple’a mice pressing a button and waiting for the cheese to pop out.
Sometimes it’s nice to be a mouse. I’ve got rats in my house. They don’t pay rent or go food shopping. All they have to do is avoid eating a piece of death cheese or poison and honestly that’s not too far off from how I live anyways.
When we had James, things changed though. As Lenora put it “risking your son’s dinner isn’t chasing something it’s chasing nothing.” And I guess the 45-minute commute to the Hollywood wasn’t a valuable use of her time. Lots of people commute to work even longer. When I was working at Goldman, I commuted an hour and a half each way from Connecticut. Granted I was on a train but the point is we all commute to work.
It was nice having her here. It was nice seeing James with a smile. It was nice to check my bank account and feel a life raft around me, rather than a black hole forming in my bellybutton.
But the rhythms shifted.
Now it’s just me here next to Lenny with the beard, Jackie with the cigar and Jonie who’s been serving drinks here so long her face should be on the highway billboards. After Lenora broke it off with me she got together with Kelton who works for a hedge fund which (for the record) is still gambling. He’s just doing it with other people’s money.
James’ 9th birthday is three days away. He wants an iPad and soon as I cash out, I’ll be able to pick one up, maybe kick some back to Lenora and spread some cash around to the litany of people I’m on the hook to.
I’m one big night away from wiping it all out. I just need one hit. One night of pure rhythm... and I’ll be back.
The shooter shakes the dice in his hand then tosses ‘em. I watch them clack on the table walls below me, but before they even settle on the pass line, I can already feel the star implode in my stomach.
In a flash, my hard work is raked away by some new guy named Carl with a moustache and not a single ounce of sympathy.
The party’s at Lenora (and Kelton’s) which was fine because honestly, I didn’t just have rats.
The rats came in chasing the cockroaches but when a bunch of them got into my Cadbury Mini Egg stash and died under the living room floor, a pack of fleas picked the carcass clean before making their way into the carpet above. So, yeah...at the moment I have fleas, cockroaches and rats. I had a bug bomb guy coming in a couple days but things were gonna be a little itchy until then.
It's three days until the party. I’ve got no gift and if I show up without that 200 bucks I may never see my kid again.
​
April 8, 2022 – 6:32AM
There’s only so much you can do on a security guard’s salary and being paid $12 an hour to guard millions of dollars in Mercedes automobiles is hilarious. What am I supposed to do if some guy comes in to steal a car? Lay my life on the line and hope my out-of-pocket HMO covers bullet wounds?
I don’t even have dental. I got a root canal that needed to be recapped 10 minutes after it was put in.
I’ve been on Mr. Jenkins about a raise but he keeps telling me “we gotta sell more cars, Davey,” as if I’m the one selling cars. I’m a fucking security guard what the hell’s that gotta do with me? Last I checked it was my job to keep cars on the lot and getting them off was yours.
Jenkins owns every car dealer on Van Nuys. Maybe you’ve seen his ads on TV where he slides into frame wearing a suit while riding a surfboard just to say “COME ON DOWN!” He can afford to buy a surfboard for tv ad that has no mention of surfing or aquatic sports of any kind but he can’t pay me an extra $3 an hour so I can re-introduce cold foods to my diet.
I spend most of my shift eyeing the mint green on onyx black SLS convertible they keep in the lobby. It’s flashy but it’s got a nut sack under the hood so you know you could back it up if you went toe-to-toe with some clown at a red light. Sometimes I just stare at it but I never touch it. I only wanna touch it when it’s mine. Which it would be...
Maybe I could steal it and sell it to get the iPad and some other shit. I know all the codes but then again I wouldn’t need the whole car. The thing costs half a mill. Maybe I could lift a rear-view mirror. Who would notice? Then again with the way the rhythm’s set I’d probably bump into the fucking FBI on the way out.
I’ve been doing my best to get things together but the cards aren’t falling my way and there’s not much you can really do about that. I’ve been going to the Hollywood for 15 years so I know I’m due for a run.
Me and Lenny talking about this all the time at the lounge. Sometimes you’re on the downbeat and sometimes you’re on the upbeat. Lately I feel like it’s been all downs but the thing about being a father though, is that you’re not the only one on that ride.
It used to be that I could take a few down weeks or months even. Sleep in the car, call the landlord and talk them out of breaking down the door but when you got a kid everything changes. You suffer, he suffers. Lately Lenora’s been paying for that but you see she keeps a tally. She says she doesn’t but she does.
Every time she has to pay for something she looks at me like I’m the biggest piece of shit then says “It’s ok, David.” Which it really isn’t.
The fees and stuff aren’t the real problem. It’s being able to take James out and take care of him. She wants to take that away from me and honestly I don’t blame her.
Last week my card got declined trying to pay for ice cream. James had already eaten half of his and the lady made us give it back. He didn’t talk to me the whole way home then 2 days later Lenora told me James didn’t really like spending time with me anymore. A week after that she filed for sole custody and told me they were thinking about moving to Chicago. Who the fuck would want to live there? It’s cold as fuck and the people are assholes.
​
April 8, 2022 – 12:20PM
I do pickups for a porta-john company on the side. It’s just temporary. I don’t clean the shit I just spray down the units and suck out cans and shit with a wet-vac before this guy named Pete sticks a hose in the back and drains the whole thing out.
I’m always surprised by what people put on the walls of a john. Usually it’s just drawings like hearts and shit but sometimes the rhythm finds you there too. One time I spotted a phone number Sharpied on a toilet seat but it was missing 1 number. 8 digits. Kinda like 4 roulette numbers right?
I took em to the Hollywood and won 5 grand on one roll! Hasn’t worked again for me yet... but that’s the thing about it man.
But today I’m cleaning out a row of johns after some music festival which by the way is far and away the worst clean ups to get. Sure you see these kids all cleaned up online in some tweed outfit or some shit but you should see the shit that comes out of these kids. It’s like paving tar with glitter and red bull cans.
I look down in the last john I’m hosing down and I see something. Peaking out of the mounds I see: a $20 bill.
I stared at it for a second but I could hear Pete coming down the line about to suck it into oblivion. I never seen cash in the john before. Sometimes you hear a coin clank through the hose but a 20 bill just staring you right in the face?
I did what any man would do. I grabbed it and when I pulled my hand out I was half expecting it to be missing a layer of skin.
Later I’m sitting in the truck staring at this 20 bucks thinking “why would this come to me?” There had to be a reason. It wasn’t just on the floor of some john. It was in the last john after the nastiest event at a time when all I needed was one shot.
It was the rhythm.
But having to do that for just $20 didn’t add up. There had to have been a greater purpose and you know what they say about money. You don’t let it sleep. You wanna get that money out and get it working.
Craps kicked my teeth in this morning and you can’t do shit with 20 bucks on a blackjack table. I had to think bigger.
Then I’m driving home from work and I see the 7/11. Powerball was at 2.11 BILLION. The biggest in history. If you got all 6 numbers right you got the whole chicken. If you got 5 you got just shy of 8 million bucks. Boom.
I had my usual numbers but this wasn’t a usual day. I told the cashier to give me “all randoms today.” 10 slips at $2 each.
That night I sat down on my couch waiting for the Powerball to come on tv... then I blacked out.
The next thing I knew I was staring at 6 numbers lit up on my tv screen: 08, 07, 14, 29, 40, 16
And on my slip: 08, 07, 14, 29, 40, 22
I had 5 out of 6 numbers. I’d just won 8 million dollars
​
April 9, 2022 – 9:01AM
I’m standing in line at the California Lottery Offices. It’s not some huge expansive place. It’s a shitty little line up of people with various ailments trying to dispute their $5 winning ticket.
My mind is racing. Who do I pay back first? Do they give me the cash here? Is it in a duffel bag? When do I have to hold that big ass check? Do I wear a mask? I saw a guy do it in a scream mask once to maintain his anonymity. Honestly it might be nice to be seen. Not only has everyone seen me as a piece of shit forever but also I haven’t exactly kept a detailed list of everyone I owe money to.
It’d be good for people to just hit me up, I can cut a check and tell them “thanks for your patience.” Maybe I’d even give them a little off the top as a tip.
The guy a the counter basically spat in my face; “It’s gotta be reviewed. Takes 2-5 days. We’ll email you a link to collect any winnings.” It was like I just accused him of something. No congratulations or anything which at first, I was pissed about but then I realized that clearly I wasn’t the first asshole who thought they won the lottery.
Except I really did. 2-5 days was nothing. I’d been living in the shit for years I could do another few days.
Stepping outside, everything looked the same. The air wasn’t purer or the sunlight any more sunlightier and I still had to fill up my tires at the Shell on Cahuenga. There’s something about being rich without actually having any appearance of being rich.
That secret alone is like having a bomb in your pocket. People treat you regular, they smile and make conversation but deep down you think...if I pulled this out I could kill you with it.
But when people do think you have money, the more of it they give you.
I rolled in the doors of the Hollywood like I always did. Lenny called me a bullshitter, Jackie barely even put her cigarette down and Jonie didn’t even bring me a drink because I didn’t actually have any money on the table. I didn’t even have money in my pocket. I’d spent it all on the Megamillions and I hadn’t eaten since perusing the halls for leftover room service the night before.
Then news hit. My face was on every TV in the place. “Local man wins 8 million dollar jackpot.”
I checked my phone to see if it was blowing up, then remembered I still hadn’t paid the bill in months. So I was good there.
​
April 9, 2022 – 11:11AM
If you’ve ever been on a casino floor you know that it’s never silent. But I swear to God if you were on the floor when that news hit, you could’ve heard the rats eating my Mini Eggs 20 miles away. Everyone’s eyes were trained on me. For a second I even felt all the security cams shift over in my direction.
I couldn’t stand being on the floor with nothing to play with so Lenny set me up with his guy who got me a little walking around money. Japanese guy who I met in a Burger King across the street. Weird dude. Not sure what his name was.
I didn’t wanna go too nuts so I just took out a small loan. 50k at 20 points. I thought about it for a second then realized I didn’t really give a shit about the interest. 10 grand to me in a week doesn’t mean nearly as much as 50 does now. It’s just value proposition. It would have been stupid NOT to take out the loan honestly.
Walking into the casino with 50 grand in my pocket and slamming it down on the table feels a lot like taking out your dick at an orgy only when your dick comes out it’s a 60 foot cigarette boat with flames painted on the side.
But then I learned what I remembered years ago. Losing money and gaining money at that point meant almost nothing.
So losing 2 grand a hand wasn’t such a big deal because I could be making 5 on the next. That’s why I needed a little more when I lost the full 50.
Another 100k or so at another 20 points should do the trick.
It didn’t take long to realize that both winning and losing money meant almost nothing to me. So I ventured out.
A tailored suit for me (ready in 2-3 days on a rush).
An iPad for James with all the bells and whistles.
6 dozen roses sent to Lenora’s house signed “your secret admirer.” just to fuck with Kelton.
A watch for me, Lenny and Jodie.
Some special cigar Jackie had always been eyeing.
New pairs of Nikes for all of us.
And a limousine to my dentist’s office.
I paid in cash for the cap replacement, they gave me some pills and told me not to mix them with alcohol but honestly I was a little distracted by the old molar cap sitting on the table. I had an idea.
“Are you gonna just throw that away?” I asked her.
By now I realized I didn’t have a phone to receive my winnings via email. So, I stopped a guy in the lobby and paid him 2 grand cash for his before popping a few pills and slugging some champagne in the limo.
There was barely enough time to sit back and relax. I had a lifetime of debt and yearning for shit to burn through.
We made it to the Mercedes dealership but the pain killers kicked in and I could barely feel my hands as they ran across the SLS’s mint green paint. Bummer.
Jenkins sauntered over asking if I was working today and all I remember saying was “I want it.” He scrunched his eyebrows in confusion, so I put the remaining cash I had down on the table and said it again. “I WANT IT.”
They ran my credit (which was dog shit. Didn’t matter) and I looked Jenkins in his fat little face again and said “I don’t give a fuck.” He sold it to me, financed at 25 percent interest. Then when he went to fetch my paperwork and keys I took a shit on his desk, shoved the molar cap and a $20 bill in it before using his jacket to wipe my ass. Felt right. Don’t really know why.
I had walked into the CA lottery offices at 9am to start the review process on my ticket’s authenticity.
By 11am, I was watching news break from the Hollywood Casino.
By 10pm I had accrued more debt than a small country.
I hadn’t received a dime from the lotto.
And I needed more walking around money.
​
April 10, 11, 12 – who the fuck knows what time
The next few days were a blur but there are a few things I’ll never forget.
Quitting my job.
Hiring the limo for the week.
Trying to shit after 3 days of having nothing but fast food, champagne and pain killers.
Fielding questions at the party from Kelton’s asshole friends who told me “lotto rich isn’t real rich.”
And the heat of my house burning to the ground as James and I stood there watching with a can of gas in our hands.
He didn’t even want the iPad.
The rhythms were sliding back. James had that smile plastered back in his face and even Lenora was happy to see me.
​
April 16, 7:35AM
“Dear Mr. Baxter. Congratulations! You’ve successfully matched FOUR of six winning numbers. Below please find a link to collect your winnings of $10,000.”
I read it over and over again. Over and over and over.
When I called the offices an nice woman on the phone informed me that due to a printing malfunction the ticket had appeared to show the number 8 when in fact it was a 6.
They even managed to maintain a sense of excitement. I mean why wouldn’t they? They think I just won $10,000. They had no idea I’d bought a car I couldn’t afford, burned my house down, taken a shit on my boss’ desk, maxed out 3 new credit cards and borrowed a inordinate amount of money from people at a borderline illegal interest rate.
The limo company took my ride away and with no home I’ve spent the last 2 days parked on the Pacific Coast Highway, sleeping in the brand new Mercedes I can’t afford, in a suit I shouldn’t have bought, showering in the YMCA down the street, and eating 2-day-old coconut shrimp.
All of a sudden I’m fucked again. But as I stare out at the Pacific, my phone dings. It’s an alert from the Chase banking app. My lotto winnings of $10,000 have just hit my account and the only question is...
Are the rhythms with me or not?

Please understand this before reading this. I have listened to this band extensively. When I was younger I was absolutely fucking addicted to this band. Hours and hours a day I could not get enough. Every release i'd get years of entertainment out of. Nothing matched their extremity. There were some projects like Lighting Bolt, B L A C K I E, Passenger of Shit, Ramleh and many other acts that I wouldn't want to sit here to list or act like I remember them off the top of my head. Yet their extreme sound had such incredible production value.
Every listen I would hear new things. The lyrics were so poignant on exmilitary. Such incredible commentary on street life, the effects of crime on the mind, how drugs alter you, the pursuit of power, liberating the human spirit, the police state, mental illness isolation, feeling trapped in monotony and paranoia. I was absolutely hooked into this characteperson. I needed their production, storytelling and extremity. It felt as if I had taken crack cocaine and I needed my next hit. At the time I was listening the money store had just released after they signed to Epic. This is how I had heard of them. I knew of Zach Hill from Hella, Team Sleep and his solo material but had no idea he had started a new project.
When their albums were released they read exactly like graphic novels or crime novels from the perspective of a criminal with the perfect music matching. Which is something I feel is true from exmilitary to government plates. A criminal slowly losing his mind to a life of crime. The lyrics became darker and more sadistic with each release. I know Death Grips is known for dark and violent themes. I definitely wouldn’t say stuff like Exmilitary or The Money Store Yet was clean or kid friendly. Yet when the release of No Love Deep Web came out I became nauseous when I began reading the lyrics to it. It wasn’t like reading heavy metal lyrics. I genuinely felt disturbed from the performances and as if I shouldn't be reading the lyrics, as if someone who is an actual murderer wrote it. Everything caught up to him, the drugs, the crimes and the paranoia. It was his snapping point on No Love Deep Web
After the initial shock of the grotesque lyrics, the massive cock on the cover and obscene violence I understood it even better. The man who was the lord of the game is the same man who’s now in the top of a building ready to fight the authority he was running from. The man who was always checking his rear view mirror, believing the law is in a goose chase with him. This monolithic structure he is fighting in his head is now materialized in his reality. He no longer has to run and is finally liberated. This is why government plates is so genius. It's the death of the character. Seeing him dead in his bed in the whatever I want video is absolutely chilling. The idea that his death ended his paranoia, fuck who’s watching. The amount of references to overdosing, leaving his body, being on his way out and leaving his material possessions behind makes it perfect.
I love this band, I appreciate their genius and love their creativity. I know a lot more about this band than I should, understand more about their lyrics than I should but i’ve been obsessed for far too long not too really try to understand them.

Feeling a bit helpless so thought I'd try here. Starting my PhD and looking for housing in Silicon Valley, preferably Mountain View, Redwood City, or Palo Alto, CA. Budget of $3000/month including utilities for a 1 bed 1 bath, at least 650 sq ft. Every apartment I've seen are literal shacks and tiny "rooms" that cost upwards of 3 grand. This can't be it, there has to be something I'm missing please?? Checked Zillow, CL, Hotpads, etc, but mostly looking for places you personally know or can vouch for as a lot of the units have awful management and maintenance.
I'm clinging on to hope and asking for your help/ads/suggestions for a better place to put my money. Know of any hidden gems? Friends or distant relatives looking to rent out their other space? April 30th/May 1st move-in preferred. DM me if you know of anything. Thanks so much in advance!

Posting for my partner. She is looking for someone to take over her lease. Room available in a 2 bed 1 bath apartment near SDSU. Common areas are furnished. Looking for someone friendly and clean. Roommate has a cat so preferably no other cats. Small dog might be considered. She prefers a female roommate in their 20s-30s.

Available now. Rent $1,015 2 Bed- 1 Bath. 2nd-floor apartment with Street View. Centralized Heating. In-unit Refrigerator, Oven, & Stove. 5-min drive to San Diego State University. 1-min walk to Bus Stop. Lease Term - 5 months with option to renew. 1 Reserved Parking Spot. 

Electricity and Internet separate split with roommate. Landlord pays water, sewer and trash.
Address: Dawson Ave, San Diego, CA 92115. Please feel free to DM if you have any questions.