For my IRL job I used to work with fine artists. Well, in 2021 it dawned on me that I should see if any of them make cards with their work! I decided to share their artwork with RAoC. Well, there were too many for me to fit into TWO years so this series is continuing into 2023! The 57th artist I bought cards from is glass artist, Caleb Nichols! Please comment below which one you'd like and why you'd like one of these cards (if you don't do this part you won't get a card)
Here is a little about him from his website.
"In his work, Caleb Nichols strives to transport the viewer to a different place of their choosing by juxtaposing different elements found in nature, such as water, fire, stone, and ice.
To create his work, Nichols uses a combination of blowing and fusing. He blows vessel forms, hits them with a hammer, and then fuses the choice pieces together into a different form. He finds this process to be very therapeutic.
Caleb Nichols started glassblowing at Tulane University and has been an independent glass artist for almost thirty years. Hence, trial and error have been his best mentors."
I have four cards to send with various photographs of his "Life Boat" piece. Here is another example. And another.
Please comment below why you'd like one of these cards (if you don't do this part you won't get a card). Do you know this artist? Does his work speak to you? Do you work with glass?
Again, please do not just say "I want one!" Please write a little more in your comment. If you cannot think of what to see see my suggestions in the paragraph above this.

Hey!
Yesterday, I ran the first part of my “Tangletown Tango” Score (it’s kind of a score, kind of not). Basically, many of the factions and notable people of Doskvol gather every year at Tangletown to hold challenges and competitions and events in a massive all-day party. Because of the success of their previous Score for Bazso Baz (the actual first session, but it was very short and it was our first time so it was more of a trial run), Bazso vouched for the crew to attend the Tango.
The purpose of this Score was to try and show my players all that the setting and mechanics had to offer by basically doing a “Faction Showcase” so they would want me to run Blades as a full campaign. And it went great! As I predicted, this’ll take another session to complete, but my players are extremely excited and have already said they want to do this as a campaign!
Some highlights:
• Our Whisper (“The Lamb”), a Tycherosi Doskvol Academy dropout and prophet of a cult, was confronted by their former patron (a witch in the Path of the Echoes) while their face was covered in ember-roasted pomegranate (art the player drew of the situation).
• Our Cutter won a Billhook fighting match against their ex-girlfriend, Marlene the Unbreakable.
• Bazso Baz smashing his empty whiskey bottle and congratulating our Hound like he was his nephew after the Hound won the Lampblacks’ freerunning competition.
• Australian-accented Silver Nails.
I was really struggling with how to organize this pretty non-linear and sandbox-y Score, until I eventually realized I could use a flowchart! I’ve actually never made one before and I had to really rush it because the session was the next day (I’ll go in and clean it up soon) but I found that this was truly the best way to have organized this session.
I’m thinking now that it might be good for Scores in general, since having a list of possible complications or events or challenges during a Score is basically all the prep you need, and with a flowchart you can have them connect and lead to other things and such. Obviously not nearly as prepped as the flowchart above, but just some connected obstacles and NPCs and such might be cool. I’d love to hear what you guys think!
Anyway, I just wanted to share because I had a blast running this session! I think BitD is my new favorite system!

We have been together for five years now, but her smoking is an increasingly severe problem for me, because she smokes in out shared room.
So we're sharing a room where our computers are standing we basically spend 90% of our free time.
The problem is that she's smoking shisha pretty often. Like 1-4 times a day, depending on working hours and free time.
I generally don't have a problem with her smoking and like to take a breath sometimes. However, her smoking habits have gotten out of hand and I think she's more severely addicted than she want's to admit. She completely ignores me whenever I bring that up and I don't think she intends on fixing that. She started smoking before we were together and it got her through a rough time.
The problem is, that we have no garden or even a balcony, so she lights the coal inside our room. When it is warm outside I want her to open the window before doing so, which she usually does. Sometimes she starts arguing about her being too cold, to which I reply she has to accept if she wants to smoke. She then goes passive-aggressive-mode and lets me open the window. I like the window to stay open after the coal is lit up, but she can close it if she's wants to.
The next (and worse) problem is, that I easily get headaches. If she lights up the coal I get mild to medium headaches almost immediately, to which she never replies when I tell her. Sometimes I just cannot be in the room and have to leave when she starts smoking, or to stay and accept the pain. I feel like I'm getting more sensitive to it. I also start to hate the smell of her tobacco, which takes days of not smoking to leave the room.
My dream would be for her to not smoke at all while I am in the room, but I compomised and told her I would like her to not smoke before or during meals (which is a pain in the ass, because I have to remind her constantly) and to ask me before she starts the coal when I am in the room.
We also have a living room, where I spend my time when I'm not on the computer which she doesn't use at all. I spend more and more time in the living room, because I can't stand her smoking anymore.
I even feel like she gets angry with me when I am on the computer, because she can't smoke as much then.
Today she got really angry at me again when I asked her to wait for one to one and a half hours before lighting the coals until the meal was ready and we had eaten. She almost started to cry because she had to wait to smoke and doesn't talk to me now. I cannot understand this. This is why finally brought myself to write this post. I feel almost like the problem got out of control and I can't live in our apartment anymore.
I was thinking about moving my desk to the living room and just let her smoke all day, but that feels like I am thrown out of my own space. And it solves only my issues with her smoking, not her smoking-problem in the first place.
I absolutely love that woman and want to keep living with her, because I'm having the best time of my live wih her, but this is a problem I keep talking to wall to.
How can I talk to her and start working on a compromise whithout starting a fight?
Any advice is welcome, and thanks for reading this far.
TL;DR: GF keeps smoking shisha in our shared room and ignores that I get headaches and have to leave the room when she does.

people warned me that I should take potassium and folate since I'm deficient in b12, I'm getting weekly injections and daily sublingual,
I'll take folate in tablets, but also, i heard that potassium is not safe in tablets, so what should I eat to get my potassium levels up? I really struggle to find any coconut water where I live, I found a place, but it's in another city and doesn't ship l, besides being very expensive. any alternatives? and by what quantities?

TLDR: People seem to have dumped their emotional bullshit on me, since i excist but I am growing out of this.
Hi,
​
I have huge problems with setting boundaries, this is related to my upbringing. Im reading a book about it and i have in the past so it kind of helps.
​
There is this guy with whom I was hanging out in his shop, hes like 10 years older than me, im 31. Hes currently in therapy and seems to be quiet lonely, i also felt very lonely and it was nice to hang out but i felt die emotional pressure when i was with him. I made clear that I don't want to know anything about his emotional state, for excample a friend of him was over in his shop once and they were talking about their childhoods and how bad they were and stuff. I did not like the topic so I left. Later on the guy told me, that I did not seemed to be interested in any emotional affairs, which I agreed upon.
​
I liked to hang with this guy because we talked business and I like and need to do this because I have been working on myself, my working style and my life since I can remember and I need to make progress towards money making but since there was no progress made from his side and his projects were very miserable I decided not to continue hangig with him.
​
I was on a 3 week holiday and after my return we talked and it was oweful. We hang for 4 hours and at that stage I did not feel the overwhelming effect of the whole thing. I also did not realize (because I was tired) how much it was of an emotional talk. The next week I felt a huge resentment and could not text this guy or answer his phonecalls. Today he called and texted me egain how I felt and if I was ok. So it totally switched to this kind of relation which I did not want in the first place because I feel huge pressure and I think this guy is emotionally fucked up and I cant stand it. So I told him with excamples and stuff that I did not want to have this emotional relation but rather to have a business relation, to work together and stuff and he say something "Ah I thought you wanted to have friendship." But he knew that I did not want to care about his emotional state because he told me this once so I told him that he at least at one point new about my intention and that was it.
I think people dump their emotional trash which they have not solved during the past times on me. I also felt this with the marriage of my mother and father. It makes me insane when I'm with them, they tell me im no good, not doing anything and that their merriage is fine and stuff which is the exact opposite. I even feel the tention between them when im on the floor above. My dad tells me I don't work (I do have a regular job) but when I'm there he does not give me any work but complains about how much there is to do?! WTF I'M kind of weaking up to all this stupid abuse people alwas threw at me man, any thought idea or anything?
​
I certenly have business as well which I have not properly dealt with in the past but I'm trying and I'm putting lot of thought and effort in it to be happy but this kind of people just make me feel super tired, anxious and confused. I'm totally losing myself in emotional confusion. I feel they are everywhere? I hope to find some good people one day and to be able to have a good relationship with them and not fuck shit up.
​
This kind of situations where people gaslight me in this way and lie and stuff just make me feel like radio rental(mental).
​
It sounds strange because of my age of 31 but I think today I have for the first time consciously talked about my boundaries in relation to others. How do you handle this?
​
Any thought appreciated.
​
Cheers

Just moved into my new place today, having a drink to help me settle. Listening to my music, reading and chilling with my doggo.

I come from a strongly evangelical environment, and my particular denomination places a high emphasis on global missions work. I'm a pastor in this denomination.
I have become convinced of Christian Universalism, which puts me at odds with our denom's perspective for many reasons. One of the reasons that CU is often argued against is because it will take away from a sense of "urgency" to carry out the Great Commission.
Personally, I experience no dissonance here.
Fear of eternal conscious torment is not a motivator for me to share the Gospel with people. The motivation is Jesus himself.
I want people to know him. I want people to encounter his love, to leave the Kingdom of darkness and enter into the Kingdom of light. I want people to experience healing and the presence of the Holy Spirit. I want them to learn contemplation and the mystical tradition. I want them to experience union with Christ. I want people to find their ultimate end in him, for whom all things were made.
I believe the task is URGENT, and worth sacrificing for ... even without damnation on the table as a consequence.
So I am still as engaged with evangelistic work as ever. As a pastor, I still want to encourage the folks in my congregation to share their personal faith in wholehearted and honest ways, without the echo of guilt and shame in the background.
The idea of an eternal hell does not motivate me to evangelism. And the absence of an eternal hell does not take away motivation from evangelism.
Am I an anomaly for sticking with the evangelical tradition?
I'm curious to hear from others who've been impacted by CU who come from an evangelical background. Are you engaged with outreach work? Have you had to work hard to find a new approach to it? Or have you needed to let go of the idea altogether?
I'd love to learn from those in the Eastern Orthodox stream as well. What does the idea of evangelism (if that's even the right word to use) look like from your perspective?

I ordered an Husqvarna 115h for my yard. Lot size with house is around 0.3 acres. I need help on deciding how to place the guide wire. I have come up with 2 layouts. One passing through the driveway and one not. Please let me know which one would work better or if you have any other layout ideas. Thanks.
https://imgur.com/a/0mnzq1t

Don't get me wrong the mode is pretty unique on its own and cool but all the issues from the past still are there, they just thrown em under the carpet expecting no one would care, but I do
THE ISSUES:
1- The matchmaking
While not necessarly a Duels issue itself it definetly becomes super noticeable here due to how it works, lets say you lost a match because of the brawlers you picked, so you decide to change em, however in the first match you start you meet your counters, its game over
Or you just meet people that straight up look like they just came out of a Brawl Stars Championship (Won't miss a single shot)
2 - The Maps
Oh boy the maps... They are bad, very bad, before they were bad due to easily being exploited, they did remove the walls from the middle now however when you really consider that there still walls (in some maps) + unbreakable walls in side locations of the map (most of the times near the center) it doesn't actually fix the issue at all not to mention the ones that have water in incredibly important positions making Eve too good there or are just throwers and Edgar and Buzz (Iron Core...)
3 - The mode still favors too much passive playstyles
Brawlers like Edgar or Buzz straight up are pratically uncounterable here due to how the mode allows them to keep running away till they get their Supers, or straight up punishes you for not wall hugging or camping in the mode, you pretty much cannot play offensively in this mode at all
4 - Duels Meta
While every brawler can be used in this mode it doesn't mean anything since only like 10 of them are actually worth using in there, everything else just being mediocre to garbage, Spike with curveball becomes almost unstoppable in this mode, along side Edgar, Buzz, Gale, Stu (depending of the map), Rico (also depending of the map), Bea, Surge, or almost any thrower due to the walls positions
5 - Skill doesn't matter (to some extent)
The issue with a 1v1 mode in a 3v3 based game is, some brawlers match ups are pretty much Rock, Paper and Scissors, no matter how good you are with it you won't ever win with it in this game mode (Poco won't ever beat Edgar, El Primo won't ever beat Jacky, Mortis won't ever beat Shelly, etc...)
Yes in 3v3 this is also an issue however you have teammates to mitigate it, in Duels you are completely alone and even if you do pick brawlers that counter your previous one it might not matter because of the reasons stated above (The enemy team may have Edgar and you are Poco, if you have a Bull or Shelly in your team the problem is solved fairly easily)
I believe this game mode has potential but these issues are not something I can just shrug off either, they really take the enjoyment away from the experience

Not even a skill issue because I’m not playing sweats. But it’s like I fundamentally cannot play the game. Passes take a second longer than they should to register, and go nowhere near where they’re supposed to. Elite dribblers can’t dribble. I feel like the aliens from space jam took my players talent and I’m actually playing with a bronze squad.
It’s not my Internet speed either because rivals and champions play just fine. This is the only time this game makes me mad, idc about losing to someone better than me. But having to play with weights around every player’s ankles is so frustrating.

We’re all in the same age range.
We have been together two years. While his long time friend was in the military, he was there for his wife. As in dropping her off food and stuff after she had a surgery. I’ll call her A for the sake of this story.
I was not sure if it was performative at the time to impress me since this was early on. He did the same sort of stuff for me and his family.
I liked her when we met and he decided to arrange a girls trip. One other gal (I’ll call her B) came and all of them had know each other since high-school (not close as far as I know, but in the same crowd).
The three of us got drunk while he drove and we went to a national park. On the way back it got out of hand. First I threw up on the side of the road. “A”actually stuck her fingers down my throat to help.
Then he was driving I said something like change the song, and A starts strangling me from behind. B gets her off me and he’s trying to do what he can while driving. I just start bawling. I’d thought we were friends.
We still have a ways to go. I’m very drunk still and take a nap. Next thing A shoves a pill in my mouth. It was something for ADD. To wake me up. I had no control at that point and no one stopped it.
We drop her off and life goes on. I was upset by the situation and whenever we were invited out with them, I said no. I hung out with bf’s best friend and him once (her bf), and it wasn’t addressed.
It’s been over a year since the incident and she’s pregnant now. We were invited to the baby shower and he asked if I’d want to go. I said I’d back him up if he wanted, but didn’t care either way. He’s often talking down about his guy friend and they aren’t close anymore, so I wouldn’t feel an obligation.
He calls me to say guess what. They just moved like ten minutes from me and he’d said to his friend we should all hangout, and would I be ok with it (it’s my place, but he’ll be here half the time). I told him since he’d already said that before asking me, that I guess so.
Then he goes on to say his friend is going to be gone for military stuff for the duration of her pregnancy, and he’d offered to be there for her. Especially since they don’t have anyone as close (they have friends and family all within 30 min).
I have mixed emotions. For one, my bf barely has time for my needs emotionally, let alone his own. He’s always taking on so much that it burns him out. Secondly, he’s completely brushing under the rug what happened. I never got an apology or anything and he justified her actions.
I don’t know if I’m in the wrong here. I’m trying to be supportive and give it another shot, but I do not feel comfortable with him extending himself prior to communicating and to her in general.
I’m open to all and any advice.
TLDR: bf extended himself to someone I have had a bad time with.

This may specifically be a console problem. In fact, I’d bet it is.
I’m about 7-8 hours in; just blew Maelstrom to hell and back, about to hit up Arasaka towers. But I’m staggering around the world like a limp dick, especially in combat.
There are (at last count) 35 separate commands to be executed on one controller, and the amount of fumbling about is damn near intolerable — but also with some core things still missing. Maps, for instance. Accessing weapons. Lack of hot-swaps for different weapon types. Scrolling through the hacks etc.
Does any of this get more automated or streamlined through gear, level progression etc? Or is that simply how it plays the entire way through? It’s immersion-killing as hell.
I suspect this game may have been one built around PC play, because it’s the some of the most unwieldy gameplay I’ve ever experienced on a console (and I don’t want to drop $70 for another version of this).
If it stays like this throughout, I’ll know it’s just not meant for me (or XBX). The story is engaging so far — when I’m not fighting the controller to engage with the world.
Thanks

https://www.toledoblade.com/news/religion/2023/05/28/controversial-pastor-epworth-united-methodist-rebuild/stories/20230514024
A church doesn’t just implode overnight.
At Epworth United Methodist Church, founded in Toledo in 1894, members felt they lost power to their pastor years ago.
The sudden March closure of Epworth Preschool was the boiling point for concerns that had been simmering since the first formal complaint against then-pastor Stephen Swisher was filed in 2021.
Two years and a wave of recent filings later, Mr. Swisher left the church on May 1. Bishop Gregory Palmer of the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church confirmed that Mr. Swisher voluntarily withdrew from ministry in the UMC and is no longer a United Methodist pastor.
The Ottawa Hills church is the largest United Methodist congregation in the Toledo area, though members said regular attendance has declined in light of recent disputes surrounding the preschool and church leadership.
Mr. Swisher said in an April 23 interview that his decision was not related to the divisions within the church surrounding the preschool. He did not return phone calls and emails requesting additional comment.
Parents and congregants, however, say they see a correlation.
“Technically he's voluntarily leaving because the other option is he had to go to trial,” said Chase Peavy, a former Epworth Preschool parent.
Under the UMC Book of Discipline, if a formal complaint is filed for a chargeable offense, the bishop must conduct a review and implement a resolution.
“If a clergy person chooses, at any point, to withdraw from The United Methodist Ministry, the authority of the church ceases,” the bishop said in an email. That means the UMC can no longer adjudicate the complaints.
Formal complaints
In 2021, a group of members sent a formal complaint backed by 98 signatures to Bishop Palmer, alleging “misconduct or unsatisfactory performance of ministerial duties” of Mr. Swisher. He arrived at Epworth in April, 2020, and restructured church leadership that November.
One complaint, sent on Nov. 10, 2021, “challenge[s] the legitimacy” of a Nov. 12, 2020, meeting that served as a charge conference.
The United Methodist Church instructs that churches hold an annual charge conference, which directs the church mission, budgets, and elects council members. Church members are to be notified of the time and place of a charge conference at least 10 days in advance through at least two means of communication, according to the Book of Discipline.
The complaint states that many church members were unaware of the charge conference because it “had not been announced in the Tower [newsletter], weekly bulletin, or by mail.”
Cindy Franklin, a former office staff member of 13 years, was acting communications manager during the fall of 2020.
“I am the sole person that wrote, printed, and published all publications and I was told specifically to REMOVE ANY WORDING of ‘Charge Conference’ from all publications,” Ms. Franklin wrote in an April 10 formal complaint to Bishop Palmer.
The meeting was instead marketed as a Thursday evening service with then-district superintendent Scot Ocke as the guest speaker, according to the November, 2020, issue of the church newsletter. The December issue offers a “charge conference update,” listing issues that were voted on, including “Lay Leadership Teams/Action teams alignment and assignments.”
Ms. Franklin said Mr. Swisher dismantled a few volunteer committees and rebranded the remaining ones as action teams. She was one of an estimated 50 individuals who had been removed from a committee position. Mr. Swisher also handpicked his personal leadership team, narrowing a 54-person administrative council to a 13-person leadership team, Ms. Franklin said, noting that “every change since then is null and void because the way he got his leadership is inappropriate.”
Epworth staff declined to comment on the record.
“The November 2021 complaint was dismissed after a plan was implemented,” Bishop Palmer wrote in a statement. “The concerns in the complaint were addressed. They included but were not limited to deploying Annual Conference staff with particular skills to assist Epworth staff and congregation in dealing effectively with some internal matters.”
Lynne Saunders, who’s been an Epworth member for around 15 years, said the conference’s response was to “send in a team to coach [Mr. Swisher] and leadership on how to treat people.”
In August, 2022, letters were sent to District Superintendent Amy Haines with concerns related to Epworth Preschool finances and leadership.
The silence from UMC leadership in response to these messages, Ms. Saunders wrote in a Nov. 20, 2022, email to Ms. Haines, was “deafening.”
A number of letters and formal complaints, one of which attached 90 additional documents and exhibits, were again sent to the conference in March and April, following the sudden March 9 firing of director Jane Lyon and March 10 closure of Epworth Preschool.
Two complaints have been filed with the Ohio Attorney General, dated March 24 and April 27, alleging potential fraud and potential solicitation, according to the obtained documents. The office could neither confirm nor deny whether an investigation is or could be underway.
The United Methodist Church requires an annual audit of each of its churches. Bishop Palmer said in his joint statement with Ms. Haines that a 2022 audit is in the process of being conducted by an outside firm.
Epworth Preschool
Former members of the preschool board, which was abruptly disbanded in August, 2022, say $110,000 of preschool money is unaccounted for. They shared some financial documents with The Blade.
“It’s always been about the money, control, and power of the money,” said Ms. Saunders, who was preschool board chair.
Multiple members of Epworth’s staff declined to comment on the situation at the preschool.
Records show that the school’s account balance at the end of calendar year 2021 was just more than $63,000. Melinda Davis, former school board treasurer, said statements not provided to the board until the summer showed a starting balance of $0 for January, 2022. The account balance at the end of 2022 was $47,000, she said, with a starting balance of $0 in January, 2023.
Not seeing the money in the preschool account indicated it had been absorbed by the church, Ms. Davis said. For 40 years, the preschool had had a separate bank account from the church.
Surplus money would typically carry over to the next year, Ms. Davis said. The surplus was higher than usual these years because of federal COVID relief grant money that Epworth Preschool received through the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services. She said the grants were $22,500 in 2020, $13,000 in 2021, and nearly $23,000 in 2022.
“It is a CRIME to use federal educational grant money (which the director secured for use in the preschool) for anything but education,” a former church member wrote in the March 24 complaint to the attorney general.
In the summer of 2022, board members needed to see the school’s finances in order to make the budget for the coming school year. Ms. Saunders said she “demanded” the church turn over the records, which board members hadn’t received from the church since that January. A staff member informed Ms. Saunders and Ms. Lyon over the phone that the preschool monies were being absorbed into the church money, Ms. Saunders recalled, noting that it was never communicated in writing.
On Aug. 16, preschool board members received an email stating that Epworth’s leadership team had voted the night before “to dissolve and disband the Epworth Preschool Board, effective immediately.”
Because the board was dismantled, the email stated, Ms. Lyon was elevated to report directly to Mr. Swisher. Epworth memos to the parents state Mr. Swisher did not fire Ms. Lyon, and parents have received inconsistent messages regarding why Ms. Lyon was fired.
Ms. Lyon could not be reached for comment.
The church confirmed it is working toward reopening the preschool for the fall.
Parents confirmed they have received refunds for the remainder of the spring as well as their deposits for the coming fall.
Many former Epworth families are turning to Olivet Lutheran Church’s preschool in Sylvania, which is opening a new class for the fall to fill a need it saw in the community.
“We had people on a waitlist and then when [Epworth] families started calling, we saw the greater need for the whole community to open up another class,” said Olivet Christian Nursery School director Jennifer Crooks. “We're here to support them as new Olivet families.”
Epworth Preschool’s closure has allowed familiar faces to become friends, as parents came together both to seek truth and to plan daytime activities for their kids.
“This has been something in the right direction,” parent Christina Gondol said while one of her two sons and several other kids were in a group tutoring session.
Good has also come out of this, she added, in preventing a similar situation from happening in another community.
“If they would have gotten [Mr. Swisher] removed two years ago, they would have pushed him to another church,” Ms. Gondol said. “It had to come to this to get him all the way out.”
Healing and looking ahead
Members who had stepped away from Epworth started to come back on May 7, the first Sunday since Mr. Swisher left, according to the Rev. Stephen Bennett, who will serve as interim pastor through the end of June. He’s been attending and volunteering with the church for four years.
Pastor Bennett said there’s new excitement and positivity.
Epworth will augment its leadership teams with additional members, Pastor Bennett said, and is looking to rebuild some of the “previous committees that had been dissolved.”
He added that transparency is a “major goal” and acknowledged that “it’s been pretty opaque.”
Ms. Saunders said Epworth leadership must disclose information from the past three years in order to regain individuals’ faith in the church.
“The future of Epworth will be determined by what is revealed of the time Epworth was led by [Stephen] Swisher and the actions of those around him who had the power and responsibility to stop his misdeeds,” she wrote in an email. “Anything less will be fateful.”
As communication opens up, Pastor Bennett said, the congregation can begin to heal.
“Healing means coming back together,” Pastor Bennett said. “We’re going to get to work, and I think as people see their church returning to what they experienced previously that brought them there, that healing will begin to take place.”

not supposed to do this but a girl is out here fiending for her life. looking for a dealer near trenton someone help message me before i get kicked out or my account gets suspended.

I’m interviewing GCs for my rehab project that is happening soon. One of the prospective GCs is a family friend. I asked him if he’d be interested in placing a bid, and telling him a little bit more about the project. He said rather than bidding on the project he could just sit down with me and figure out a number that works for us both.
Why would he not want to bid? What other questions should I ask him?
He also emphasized that cheap work almost never correlates to quality work. Is he worried that I’d go with a cheaper company?

Main hub thread with the full 131 rankings
The year was 1976. Nevada, coming off a 3-8 year in Division II, hired a little known assistant from UNLV to be their football coach. He had returned to his alma mater where he played QB just 8 years prior. Chris Ault. Ault oversaw 2 transitions: From Division II to Division 1-AA in 1978, then again to Division 1-A in 1992. Ault was a wild success, running his patented pistol offense, making the Division 1-AA playoffs 7 times in 14 years, with an overall record of 122-47-1. Their final year in 1-AA, 1991, they overcame a 35 point 2nd half deficit against Weber State to win 55-49. Backup QB Chris Vargas led the comeback, and would become known as “The Comeback Kid”. He also donated part of his lungs to his brother-in-law in 2000. Be like Chris Vargas.

Best Seasons and Highlights

1. 2010: 12. Nevada: 13-1 (32.831) 2. 1996: 31. Nevada: 9-3 (8.179) 3. 1995: 33. Nevada: 9-3 (7.733) 4. 2020: 34. Nevada: 7-2 (7.056) 5. 1994: 34. Nevada: 9-2 (6.337) 6. 2005: 29. Nevada: 9-3 (5.411) 7. 2009: 52. Nevada: 8-5 (-1.018) 8. 2021: 55. Nevada: 8-5 (-2.971) 9. 2006: 51. Nevada: 8-5 (-3.695) 10. 2018: 66. Nevada: 8-5 (-7.539) 11. 1993: 49. Nevada: 7-4 (-8.115) 12. 2008: 60. Nevada: 7-6 (-8.404) 13. 2014: 68. Nevada: 7-6 (-10.285) 14. 2011: 69. Nevada: 7-6 (-10.406) 15. 2003: 67. Nevada: 6-6 (-12.153) 16. 1992: 61. Nevada: 7-5 (-12.975) 17. 1998: 60. Nevada: 6-5 (-13.089) 18. 2012: 74. Nevada: 7-6 (-15.548) 19. 2015: 75. Nevada: 7-6 (-16.831) 20. 1997: 72. Nevada: 5-6 (-19.971) 21. 2019: 85. Nevada: 7-6 (-20.016) 22. 2007: 81. Nevada: 6-7 (-21.387) 23. 2002: 73. Nevada: 5-7 (-22.812) 24. 2013: 93. Nevada: 4-8 (-31.474) 25. 2016: 96. Nevada: 5-7 (-32.042) 26. 2004: 96. Nevada: 5-7 (-35.568) 27. 2017: 109. Nevada: 3-9 (-36.450) 28. 1999: 98. Nevada: 3-8 (-37.940) 29. 2001: 95. Nevada: 3-8 (-38.935) 30. 2022: 128. Nevada: 2-10 (-54.907) 31. 2000: 111. Nevada: 2-10 (-59.726) Overall Score: 8991 (87th) 

• 199-177 record
• 7 conference titles
• 6-11 bowl record
• 0 consensus All-Americans
• 26 NFL players drafted

Nevada’s been in the FBS since 1992, so 31 seasons played since 1983. They were previously in the FBS (Division 1) from 1946-50, but that doesn’t fall under the 40 year timeline here. In their 31 seasons, they’ve made 17 bowls, which is 55% of the time. 7 titles means they win their conference 23% of the time. 5 titles came under Ault, the College Football Hall of Famer and easily the greatest coach in school history. Top NFL players include QB Colin Kaepernick, WR Nate Burleson, and OT Joel Bitonio.

Top 5 Seasons

Worst Season: 2000 (2-10 overall, 1-7 WAC)
New conference, new coach, new lows. Nevada moved from the Big West to the WAC with Chris Tormey, who previously went 32-23 at Idaho. There were early struggles, with a 7-36 loss to Oregon, 10-41 to #22 TCU, and 14-45 to Colorado State. They did get a 35-28 win over Wyoming. The season quickly got away from them though, after a 7-38 loss to rival UNLV. Cormey would go 0-4 against UNLV in his 4 years, which was inexcusable. Nevada got a late season win over Rice, but finished off with a brutal 3-38 performance vs Tulsa. Nevada finished last place in their new conference. Sophomore WR Nate Burleson was a breakout player though, with 921 receiving yards. Burleson went on to be an All-American in 2002, leading the nation in catches with 138, for 1629 yards and 12 TD. He was drafted in the 3rd round in 2003 and went on to have a solid NFL career and is an even better media personality than football player.
5. 1994 (9-2 overall, 5-1 Big West)
Chris Ault was in his 18th season at the time, with 1st year offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. The two made magic happen, ranking 3rd in the nation with 37.6 PPG. Nevada started 9-1, with the only loss to Boise State, who was in Division 1-AA at the time. Boise would join Division 1-A in 2 years, but in 1994, was a division below and went 13-2 and made the title game. Nevada had rolled through the rest of the Big West, mostly beating teams that finished with losing records, but did beat 6-5 Pacific 38-26. Heading into the final week, Nevada had already won a share of the Big West title, but faced rival UNLV, who was 5-4 (4-1 Big West) and looking to get a share themselves. In the most hyped game between the two ever, UNLV pulled off the upset, winning 32-27 in a game now known as the “Red Defection”, which I talked about in UNLV’s post. Nevada still finished the year 9-2, with a share of the Big West title. QB Mike Maxwell led the NCAA in passing TDs, throwing for 3537 yards 29 TD 15 INT. RB Marcellus Chrishon ran for 1000+ yards in just 9 games, and WR Alex Van Dyke, a future 2nd round pick, caught 98 balls for 1246 yards and 9 TD.
4. 2020 (7-2 overall, 6-2 Mountain West)
Nevada was expected to be a solid team in 2020, returning talented young QB Carson Strong. Because of covid weirdness, their schedule was anything but regular, and ended up playing all 8 regular season games against Mountain West opponents. Because of this, there was little room for error. They did as well as they could, starting 4-0, set to face 3-1 San Diego State, who was the division favorite. There were no divisions this year because of covid, but SDSU was still a favorite to qualify for the title game. A 26-21 lead heading into the 4th for Nevada held for the final 15 minutes, and they improved to 5-0 with a conference championship appearance in sight. At 6-1, they’d unfortunately lose 20-30 to an upstart 5-0 San Jose State team that would go on to win the Mountain West. Nevada still made a bowl, beating 6-5 Tulane 38-27 to finish 7-2, and 34th in my rankings. QB Carson Strong won Mountain West OPOTY, completing 70% of passes for 2858 yards, 27 TD, and just 4 INT. Many were talking about him as a future 1st round pick heading into 2021. RB Toa Taua, brother of legendary Nevada RB Vai, had a solid year with 675 rushing yards in 8 games, earning 2nd Team All-MWC. Toa went on to have a consistent 5-year career in which he amassed 3997 rushing yards, 4th in school history only to his brother, Chris Lemon, and Colin Kaepernick. Strong formed a strong connection with WR Romeo Doubs, now on the Green Bay Packers, who had 1000+ receiving yards and 9 TD in just 9 games. Overall, 10 players made 1st/2nd team all-conference.
3. 1995 (9-3 overall, 7-0 Big West)
This was right after the 1994 season, where Nevada went 9-2 but lost on the final day to rival UNLV, forced to share the conference title. They left no doubt in ‘95, outpacing UNLV 55-32 en route to a 7-0 Big West season and sole owners of the title. In week 3, 2-0 Nevada hosted Gary Pinkel’s Toledo, losing 35-49 in what previewed the bowl game later on. After then dropping a game to SDSU to fall to 2-2, Nevada averaged a whopping 48.4(!) PPG in their last 7 regular season games, going 7-0 with wins over 2nd placed Southwestern Louisiana and 3rd placed Utah State. That set up a rematch with Toledo in the bowl, who was now #25 and 9-0-1. In the first overtime game in college football history, Toledo won again, this time closer at 40-37. Gary Pinkel completed an undefeated season with the Rockets, while Nevada finished 9-3. The offensive numbers were again staggering, even better than 1994. Nevada ranked 3rd in the nation in PPG with 43.4. QB Mike Maxwell led the NCAA in passing yards with 3611 (in just 9 games!) and 33 TD to 17 INT. WR Alex Van Dyke had an unbelievable year, with 129 catches for 1854 yards and 16 TD. In just 11 games! If he played a 13 game season like teams do today, his stats would extrapolate to 152 catches for 2191 yards and 19 TD.
2. 1996 (9-3 overall, 4-1 Big West)
As you can tell, Nevada was balling from 1994-96. New head coach Jeff Tisdale, a former All-American QB for Nevada in the 70’s, took over for Ault, who continued in his role as Athletic Director, which he had been in since 1986. There was no drop off offensively, averaging 42.9 PPG (2nd in the nation), but the defense gave up 8 less PPG, going from 31.2 allowed in 1995 → 23.8 in 1996. QBs John Dutton and Eric Bennett alternated throughout the year, coaches trying to decide who was the right fit to take over for Mike Maxwell. Both were solid, and combined for 3907 passing yards 34 TD 11 INT. Nevada started 1-2 with losses to Pac-10 opponents Oregon and Cal, but then started to wipe through the schedule. Nevada went 7-1 the rest of the way in the regular season, with 25+ point wins over UNLV, Boise State, North Texas, New Mexico State, Utah State, and Arkansas State. The only Big West loss was 15-24 to Idaho, who finished 3rd in the conference. Nevada tied with Utah State at 4-1, sharing the conference title, but got the better of them in a 54-27 win. An 18-15 win over 8-3 Ball State in the bowl clinched Nevada’s first ever bowl win, and they now have 5 more since. LB Mike Crawford nabbed the game-sealing interception, and was the game’s MVP, logging 14 tackles and a forced fumble to go with the INT.
1. 2010 (13-1 overall, 7-1 WAC)
I said that Kansas might be the team with the most obvious “best” season, but Nevada’s up there too. This was a dream season, almost like a Hollywood script. Nevada was a very good team entering 2010, picked to finish 2nd in the WAC, but EVERYONE was picking Boise to win the conference. Not just the conference, but to possibly contend for a national title. That’s what the Broncos did, starting 10-0 and #3 in the nation, getting as high as #2 at one point. Back in Reno, Nevada expectedly started 2-0, setting up a Friday night game hosting Cal. I remember watching it, a Cal fan at the time, hoping the Bears would improve to 3-0, but Colin Kaepernick and RB Vai Taua ran all over our defense, posting 299 rushing yards between the two of them in a 52-31 win. A 27-13 win at BYU the next week put Nevada in the AP Top 25 at 4-0. They’d beat up on bottomfeeders UNLV and San Jose State before heading to Hawaii, but lose a trap game to the upstart Rainbow Warriors, who won 27-21 with almost no one watching the 11:30 PM EST start time game. Nevada kept their focus though, and won 2 more to get to 8-1 and back up to #21. A win over 6-2 Fresno State, a traditional WAC power, was huge, with the Wolfpack taking a 35-34 lead with 5 minutes remaining. After a 52-6 win over New Mexico State, the Wolfpack were 10-1, and #19 in the nation, having one of the best seasons in school history.
Then came the Boise State game. Nevada had finished 2nd in the WAC for 2 straight years, unable to get over the Bosie hump. Boise State was the class not just of the WAC, but of all the non-AQ schools in the BCS era. They were the team that finally had a chance to break not into just a BCS bowl, but the national title game. Nevada was the home team and wasn’t going to just lie down, but this Boise team was, at the time, the best non-Power 6 team we’d ever seen. Boise didn’t disappoint, galloping out to a 17-0 lead early. Taua cut it to a 10 point deficit in the 2nd quarter, but Boise RB Doug Martin immediately responded with a 51 yard TD run to send it into halftime at 24-7. With the offense stalling, Kaepernick finally broke off an 18 yard TD run on 3rd and 6 with 1:30 left in the 3rd quarter to make it 24-14. Following a defensive stop, Nevada got the ball back to start the 4th. Receiving an end-around lateral 12 yards behind the LOS, with 3 tacklers to beat, WR Rishard Matthews evaded them all and took it 44 yards to the house. 24-21. With 5 minutes to go, Nevada made it 24 all. Boise, who hadn’t scored all half, put the ball in Doug Martin’s hands and let him do the work, taking a screen pass 79 yards for the go-ahead TD. In response, Kaepernick drove the length of the field, 15 seconds to go…Touchdown, Nevada! With 13 seconds left! Will they go for 2…? No.
Boise State ball with 9 seconds to go, both teams preparing for OT. Kellen Moore throws up a PRAYER for Titus Young, nearly 60 yards in the air…and Young LAYS out for the catch, down to the Nevada 10. 1 second left, 26 yard FG, Boise with one of the best kickers in school history, game over. Except it wasn’t. Kyle Brotzman hit it wide right. OVERTIME. The stadium was shaking. 3rd & goal in overtime for Boise, incomplete. Brotzman comes back out, this time from 29. WIDE LEFT. As Joe Tessitore put it, “this is turning into a disaster”. On the other side, Nevada kicker Anthony Martinez lined up for a 34 yard FG for the biggest win in school history. Right down the middle. Nevada wins it 34-31 in OT, pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the 2010s and winning a share of the WAC title, against all odds. Nevada won their last regular season game against Louisiana Tech and the bowl against Boston College to finish 13-1 and #11 in the AP Poll.
The offense averaged 41.0 PPG while the defense gave up just 21.4. Kaepernick won WAC OPOTY, throwing for 3022 yards 21 TD 8 INT with 1206 rushing yards and 20 TD on 7.0 YPC. Taua was 1st Team All-WAC with 1610 rushing yards and 19 TD, finishing his career as Nevada’s all-time leading rusher with 4588 yards. DE Dontay Moch was in contention for WAC DPOTY, with 8.5 sacks and 13.5 TFL. Overall, this turned out to be a loaded Wolfpack team, with 9 players drafted over the next 3 years, including Kaepernick, who led the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance.

5th Quarter

Do you remember that insane 2010 game vs Boise, and that Nevada team with Kaepernick/Taua? What do you think about Nevada in general, with the success they’ve had running the pistol and Chris Ault’s legacy?
If you appreciate the effort, please consider subscribing on substack!

The subject tells my problems. I'm a 186cm tall 104kg guy. Cube webpage points me to L size frame, but could be XL. The on-line bike shop that I am about to use points to XL size or at the top segment of L...What's right? It's over 3k€ bike, so I'd rather not buy a wrong size bike.
I currently have a Trek MTB with 54cm frame size, but I don't think that can be used as a reference for a hybrid bike. Especially when the manufacturer is different too.
The biggest dilemma is that we don't have Cube dealers anywhere near, so I can't just go and test one in real life. One sports shops lists Cubes as their brand, but they're constantly just out of stock...

Hi all -
I believe I have found mold in the wall as of my apartment. I’ve had suspicions of mold for a long time, but was always nervous to address it with the landlord as I knew she wouldn’t do anything unless there was proof.
Our in-wall AC had leaked last summer and we didn’t realize until the wall started bubbling.
Well today she finally got the unit replaced. The handyman who put it in cracked the wall in several places so I went to spackle and paint over it. As soon as I did I noticed the black. I didn’t try to get in the cracks and investigate because I didn’t want to open them up even more. I got a terrible headache sitting there for a few minutes (could have been a coincidence)
I let her know immediately and sent her the pictures but she says that she doesn’t think it’s mold. She didn’t even offer to get it checked and told me she was sending the handyman back to patch it up.
I have a newborn baby who has to get surgery due to a preexisting condition. I’m so afraid of exposing her to mold. My landlord had always been cheap and I know it’s going to be a fight to get her to look into this. Our AC went out last summer and it took her until now to get a new one. Her excuse being that “she fixed a window and she didn’t have the money to buy a new AC for up here. (This was after I saw a brand new $1500 AC delivered to her house downstairs)
We can’t afford to move. We have an extremely good deal at our apartment and all other apartments within an hour of us are at least $500 more a month and smaller. Anything this size or larger is gonna be more like $700 more a month.
I don’t know what to do. I need help. My landlord is generally a good person and she’s like a friend, so I would hate to take legal action or threaten it but when it comes to these issues she’s just the worst.
Any advice?

So I was trying to get some down there care since I have a busy schedule due to college. So I decided to use nair instead of my regular old shaver. So I do the 3 minute wait and nothing wait an extra 5 minutes when I feel a tingling in my crotch area. I think nothing and seeing that it was not working shaved it with a blade. Fast forward to around 10 am the pain was going on for three hours, so I think that I may have burned myself with the Nair and put on some after sun. And BAM the excruciating pain jolts and I run like a mad man to the bathroom to water it down but it just multiplied the pain by about 10 times and later on my brain finally thinks to use a towel and put ice on a piece of toilet paper and use that for the pain. Now 4 hours later and the pain has subsided a little bit.
So remember kids it's better to use methods already used and not improvise.
Also no I do not own a manscaped nor any Walgreens near me have it available. Classic everything is available in the San Juan area and the rest of the country has it 2-5 years after Metro area has it.
TLDR tried shaving my balls with Nair, and made myself die after I used after sun lotion to kill the burning sensation and multiplying the pain.

Lately I've been looking for an ESA animal. (My therapist highly recommended one and I've had a lot of trouble adapting to not having a pet since coming to college) I saw a rehoming post on petfinder for a cat. The posters said they would be taking the cat to a shelter if she wasn't rehomed within a day. I thought "oh I don't want a cat to go through the stress of a shelter" and I took her in. So far, she's been hissing, hiding and growling. She comes out occasionally to eat (I'm happy she's eating now). I've been giving her her space and "ignoring her" because she's not interested in pets or anything like that. I'm just trying to give her space. I know animals take a while to get use to a new place (the 3 3s rule) but my anxiety is telling me that she won't ever come to like me. I'm worried that we won't "click". I'm trying to be optimistic but it's hard with my array of mental diagnoses. I could really use some advice or optimism to help her get more comfortable. If we don't "click" would I be a horrible person if I did end up taking her to a shelter? (I am going to be patient and give her time, its just a nagging worry I have). I just need an affectionate pet I guess. Please be nice in the comments, I'm currently not "okay" :(
TLDR: took in a rehome cat, not clicking well. Advice? Would I be awful for taking her to a shelter?

1. Dialogue:

Ányáté! Hello!
Sísauniyé! Hello (reply)!
Ha nesais éí? What's your name.
_ wogispá. I'm called _. Nesóni? How about you?
_ wogispá. I'm called _.
*Thulnuson anowa kewöchoona? Are you learning the Black language?
Newulyétensó? Where are you from? Kohosányis wuulyéten I am from Kohosányis. Kohosányis wuulyéten to. I am from Kohosányis too. *cíí wööhüná I still live there. cíí⁹ wi⁶-o²-[i¹]-hün⁰-á⁻¹ still 1sg-STAT-live-IPFV
Greetings: Ányáté Hello Íswáá Hi Yóníté/Yónté Hello, goodbye Sísauniyé All be pleasant Síkhunayé All be well Kwálcaunéí Good morning Áhéélcaunéí Good night

1. Questions and answers:

Ha éí _ agispá? Which one is called _?
Hanas (káí) _ agispá.This woman is called _ (someone at arm's length from the speaker).
Hójá (éí) _ agispá. This man is called _ (someone near the speaker) The particle éí “this one is” can be omitted.
Hana wáí _ agispá. That woman is called _ (someone further away from the speaker)

1. Full introduction:

At a gathering, or when a stranger asks, who the person is, one has to introduce themselves not by just their name, but also their first clan name, second clan name, generation and finally the place of birth. The full name is something that must be asked with respect, and the listener has to pay attention and memorise the answer. People's names are generally less important than the clans, to which they belong. Sometimes, people may often ask about the first clan only, if they already know the person's name. If a person belongs to a different ethnic group, they may ask about the ethnicity first.
Ha hesáskinas neyo? What first clan are you?
Thwaatínóye woyo. I am of the clan of Falling Water.
Ha hókwiinis neyo? What second clan are you?
Ha auleesmagas neyo? What folk are you?
Hoyikane woyo. I am of the White folk.
The person's first clan is their mother's first clan, while their second clan is their father's first clan. In cases, when both parents are of the same gender, the place of birth is the most important, and thus the first clan is the clan into which the person was born (or which is geographically the closest), while the second clan is the other parent's first clan. Otherwise, if only one of the parents has a sister, the person's first clan is their aunt's first clan. This system may seem complicated at first, but it is actually quite a convenient way of establishing kinship.
Although there are instances of three or more people from different clans in a single marriage, their children will always receive two clans. All clans, other than the first one, will be considered the second clan in that case. Some may give their children a third clan, separate from the other two, mostly as a religious practice, but it's exceptionally rare and not always well accepted.
Unlike in the Red and (most) White people, the Thulnusona have no moieties – groups of clans within which marriage is forbidden (so marriage takes place only between members of opposite moieties). Among the Thulnusona, marriage is only possible between members of different clans, but all clans are equal in this regard.
Generation is very important within one's clan, since it establishes siblingship. All members of the person's clan that belong to the same generations are that person's siblings and cousins, those of an older generation are aunts and uncles, and the younger generation are nieces and nephews. The generations are counted in cycles:
áúniwosadan – dawn generation (from birth to 20 years old)
lotóósadan – midday generation (from 20 to 45 years old, or earlier if a person has children)
yeyüwosadan – dusk generation (from 45 to 65 years old or earlier, if their child is at least 20 years old)
wiyüüsadan – night generation (from 65 years old or earlier, if their child is at least 45 years old, to death)
yiwöösadas – "left out" generation – people, who have no children by the time they are 45. They are counted as the second generation, rather than forming a separate category.

1. Questions and answers:

Ha éníté lá? How are you feeling? (Shortened to Ha énté?)
Saunoníté. I'm fine (shortened to Saunónté). *Nesóni lá? *And you?
sínoníté I'm all right. (Shortens to sínónté in fast speech).
Yadanawago Hope to see you again. ya²-di¹-ana⁰-wa⁻¹-ego⁻² 1>2-CLF-see-SEM-OPT
Sodahiké Goodbye.
Goodbyes:
Sodahiké Goodbye. Anuutáá Goodbye. Sisothíyé Take care. Huutwá Farewell. Yaahóón Bye, welcome.

1. Questions and answers:

Nahosó? Where are you?
Woholwó Kohosányis yohüünani. I am in Kohosányis at my house.
Ha newuuyo What are you doing?
Thulnuson anowa wööchoona I'm learning the Black language. wö³-[k]o²-choon⁰-a⁻¹ TR-1>3-learn-IPFV
Grammatical notes:
The verb “to be called by name” is stative (it deal with the state of a noun it describes). Also called absolutive, they are the second simplest verbs after the verbal particles, which do not change their forms. They and only receive subject prefixes, in agreement to the agent of the verb, as can be visible in the example:
singular dual plural
I (excl.) wogispan waigispan wokispan
I (incl.) — woyiispan wogigispan
You negispan nekispan
He/she agispan degispan
It gispan — —
Such verbs are called intransitive, meaning they agree with only one argument (a person or people, known under a certain name). Another stative verb from this lesson is “to come from”:
singular dual plural
I (excl.) wuulyéten waulyéten wokulyéten
I (incl.) — wowailyéten wowiilyéten
You newulyéten neiwulyéten nekwulyéten
He/she awulyéten duulyéten daulyéten
It wulyéten — —
The particle lá has no meaning on its own, but is instead used to make a phrase more affectionate. Depending on the context, it can be translated as “very”, “even”, “in fact”. Its usage is very common, it can form other particles, such as dóólá “not at all”, wilá “definitely”, hálá “until”. While éí emphasises the noun or nominal phrase, lá emphasises the verb, but it can also be used on its own as an affirmatve “yes” alongside no to mean “yes indeed”.