Spend 2 weeks in Italy with 2 short stays in Rome separated by a week in Southern Sicily.
I'm not that good at writing, so ...
We've been to Rome many times before, we have a few places to eat that we like, places to visit that we like and also discover new places; my GF is a little less adventurous than I am and not that in shape (she's working on that), so I tried to set destination goals instead of just getting out in the morning and walk aimlessly.
Our flight in got delayed, missed a connection in Zurich, staff was very good at finding us the first plane to Rome, we just lost a couple of hours, no biggie (thanks SWISS Air).
Seriously busted my budget. (worth it, but not funny... lol )
Driving around Sicily was fun; on our way in to Porto Empedocle, the GPS got us on some small roads, weird, but we saw some really nice areas, fields, hills, flowers. Smaller winding hill roads were more complicated because I'm just not used to them, and even if we sometimes blocked other drivers, they were not that impatient and passed us when they had the chance.
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The weather in Rome for the first few day was OK, not cold, but not warm, a little bit of rain, but not enough to us miserable (lol).
Rome (part 1):

1. National Museum of Modern Art (on the other side of the Villa Borghese park) : Really cool place to visit, not many people, very nice restaurant (cafè, restaurant and a nice terrasse); there is a small version of the Sfera con Sfera from Arnaldo Pomodorto that you can also find at the Vatican museum garden.
2. Botanical Garden: better than last year, roses were all blooming.
3. Did the usual Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps meandering.

Flew to Sicily; this was the discovery part of our trip.
We based ourselves in Porto Empedocle and stayed at a very nice B&B with a pool, but the weather (cool, very windy, rainy-ish) did not permit us to indulged and GF had a nice cold/sore throat and slept 12hours per day. We had a boat tour cancelled (and refunded) because of the bad weather; so did not see the Scala dei Turchi.

1. Porto Empedocle: Nice little resort town; did'nt go to the beach (weather), the pedestrian area was nice with a few good restaurants (Vigata in particular and Il Ritrovo), we did not go to the upper side of the town, as the week went on, there were more and more tourists.
2. Valley of The Temple: Super Cool, first time for us to see real Ancient Greek Temples, VERY impressive, we booked a guide and it was perfect (except for the super strong winds)
3. Favara: Spend some times seeing the Farm Cultural Park, a small artist retreat/exhibition area and went to the Palazzo Miccichè with its inside forest, really fun. Unfortunately the weather was not great and the city seems to be closed down on a Saturday, but we found a nice open restaurant, U MACCICUNI.
4. Agrigento: The weather was not good that day, we just bee-lined to the Museo Diocesan (only thing opened on sunday, we did not stay there long enough, rainy and GF was not feeling it, but I need to go back and climb and walk all around.
5. Weather was good on Monday and we drove to San Leone and see the beach, spend a couple of hours just sit by the sea.

Drove back to Palermo for 24 hours; I loved the city, I need to go back; we had nice weather (for once)

1. We stayed near the Cathedral
2. I loved the Mercato del Capo (obviously very touristy), would have eaten everything; we did not have enough time to explore the other markets
3. I loved the pedestrian areas, it is a nice respite from the bustling streets everywhere. (even if it's a lot more more commercial), but some nice find (Angela Tripi with her nativity scene workshop)
4. I loved what I saw from the small area near the Mercato della Vucciria.
5. Fun little Sweets store at the Dolceria di Santa Caterina.
6. Mostly clean in the more tourist area, lot of trash everywhere else.
7. Cars, cars and more cars ... damn, more cars and cars and scooters ... many piazza that could be nice place are just over-filled with cars (not just palermo, but everywhere in Italy).

Rome (Part 2):
We flew back from Palermo to Rome with stupendous weather, warm, sunny.

1. Went back to brave the hordes of tourist (us included) at the Vatican Museum, we spend a lot of time in the Sculpture area and Pinacoteca and the modern arts after the Sistine Chapel. (we rushed as more we could the long corridors)
2. Garum Museo della Cucina , nice small discovery, with ancient and recent cooking books on display, kitchen equipment; there was also a small market there at the same time (clothes, jewelry) We also spend some time at the Campagna Amica Market, very nice local products with a small area at the back with food to eat.
3. Walk back to our place and stopped at the Galleria Doria-Pamphilj, we found that they have a really nice fancy outside restaurant in the courtyard, one of our best meal of this vacation.
4. Antique Market at Ponte Milvio on the GIRO Sunday, we got lucky, walked toward the Vatican and got a taxi just on the other side of the street closures (same when getting back), market seemed smaller than last year (?)
5. We enjoyed the GIRO, watched the laps on Vittorio Emanuele II. They GO FAST.

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All in all an enjoyable vacations.
We will probably spend more time in Sicily next time, maybe in early October (or even the same time as weather seems unnaturally bad this year).
Maybe on the eastern side (Noto/Ragusa) and some wineries we know near the Etna.
Anyway,.

Salaam everyone,
I'm in the process of deciding where I go to for grad school, and I wanted to come here and ask for some opinions about different regions in the US since I don't have very much experience outside Illinois. Some of the most common advice given to people in my position applying to this type of program is to heavily consider the geographic location of the school you're attending in addition to the quality of education and financial aid. Some people would say it's actually even more important, depending on the specific situation. The reason being is that the location of the school is often really heavily associated with employment prospects because it is MUCH easier to find work in the state you studied in (like 85-90% of your graduating class will stay in that state for at least the next 10 years if not the rest of their lives). It also becomes difficult to move out of the state later, though it's not impossible. I'd be open to staying where I am but I'm also open to moving and settling somewhere else, not particularly committed to either.
My question here is does anyone have thoughts as to what cities/state in the US are best for young Muslims to move to? I feel like whenever I've heard this topic being discussed before or read about it on here, it's always in the perspective of places best for families rather than young adults moving alone. People usually mention Cali, Texas, Chicago, and NY/NJ for reasons like lots of halal restaurants, mosques, large communities, and Islamic schools. I think those are all important factors and I definitely want to consider them because I'll probably be there long term, but as a young single person I have different needs/priorities right now than I would later in my life when I'm settled with a family. Right now, my Muslim friend circle isn't very large but I feel like my area is a little clique-y and if you didn't make/join a friend group in college/high school, there's an additional hurdle to get past. It seems to be easier if you're married/starting a family, but that's not a decision I want to rush into lol just because I wanna make some more friends.
Ideally, I'd like to move somewhere where it's easy for me to make a lot of Muslim friends and there's a lot of activities/things to fill my social life with. What do you guys think about the different cities/regions in terms of openness/welcoming to newcomers and difficulty in making friends as a young adult?

Up until yesterday, I have avoided the new waterfront development entirely, choosing to support the businesses in and around the Uptown Village area. Before I moved out of downtown, I enjoyed many of the local watering holes, restaurants and small locally owned shops, and came to appreciate the hard work it took to make them thrive(not always). I made friends with owners and employees alike and have so many great memories. These businesses made Uptown a great place to live and hang out. So, instead of abandoning them for the new and shiny waterfront, I stayed away. However, my curiosity got the best of me and yesterday and I decided to check it out. All I can say is wow, they knocked it out of the park! It was a beautiful day to walk the area and just sit along the river and relax. Everything was clean and well maintained, with lots of people enjoying themselves. The public restrooms were certainly a plus. I had a nice lunch and a beer on the patio of The Waterfront Taphouse, and will definitely return to check out some of the other establishments if the future.

That night Simon and Nemeria watched from the rooftop of a rented apartment in Coven as shooting stars fell over Homeworld for the first time. "Make a wish, my love." She said as she put her head in his lap, the rapidly disintegrating space station above filling the sky with streaks of light that reflected in her eyes.
He thought about it for a second. "Should I tell you what it is?"
"No, definitely not." Nemeria replied. "Then it won't come true."
"Oh… then I will not." Simon said as he played with her hair. For a moment he felt as if he were standing at a crossroads, straddling two potential futures, then the feeling faded. He had wished for them to have a happy life together. He felt they at least deserved that after all they had been through and all the time they had spent apart.
The morning after Haven fell something interesting happened. Pirate radio stations began to emerge, filling the airways with music, but it wasn't like anything they had heard before. It was something new.
"Good morning Homeworld!" Called out a rough but enthusiastic voice in Dansk from the clock radio on the dresser. It was out of arm's reach, probably so the person being woken up would have to actually get out of bed to shut it off. "This is not a test, this is rock and roll! Time to rock it from Katzenlund to the Winter lands! Is it too early to be this loud? Too late!"
Simon frowned at the clock radio. He didn't remember scheduling an alarm. "I'm Mr. Bones and this is human music! I'm going to start off with a favorite of mine, Zombie by the Cranberries!"
He went to turn it off but Nemeria tackled him before he could reach the button. "Do you dare." She said as she pulled him back into bed. "That song is a classic."
So instead of starting the day early they stayed in bed and listened to The Doors, Elvis Presley, Fleetwood Mac, Jimi Hendrix, Lou Reed, and Pink Floyd. It was surprisingly good, even if his wetware had a hard time translating the lyrics.
"Human music on the radio." Nemeria mused, her head on his chest. "I never thought I would see the day."
"Oh? I just assumed you people didn't like to share." Simon tousled her hair, it was starting to change from dull brown to a more vivid copper red.
"No. There are countermeasures in place, Haven would have sent a kill team to destroy anyone who tried or just blasted the site from orbit. We had a black market, exchanging things from the old world, books, music, things to keep us sane. But it was very hush hush." Nemeria looked at him, her eyes were different too, they were an almost opalescent green. Something had changed in her. "I want to read you something."
"Alright." Simon sat up, his muscular shoulders against the headboard and he listened as she recited Edna and Shakespeare from memory, beautiful human words, full of sentiment and meaning.
"That was beautiful." Simon said. "Why haven't you shared this with me before?"
"It wasn't allowed. You would have felt compelled to share it and then Haven would have come for you." She smiled, but for once there was no pain behind it, or guilt. Perhaps it was the first real smile he had even seen on her face. It was like a weight had been lifted. "But now, there is no Haven. We don't have to worry about them anymore. We can live our lives, start anew."
"You seem different… unburdened." Simon observed.
"I am. I woke up this morning and realized that I don't have to feel guilty for something someone else did. Something that I never played a part in. I should have realized it sooner, but something was blocking me from making the connection." She laid back in bed. "I feel… new? Is that the word? Yes, new. I feel like I'm not the same person who went to sleep last night."
The old hund's words echoed in Simon's mind. He had said he would crack Haven like an egg, destroy the Howl, then set everyone free. So was he free? How different would he be now that his programming no longer bound him to her?
Before they had parted the old hund had given him a piece of advice. He had told Simon that love was a choice, not a feeling. That if he wanted things to work out with Nemeria he would have to choose her, and keep choosing her, to decide once and for all that he would always love her. And to stand by that choice.
"Would you please give me your ring?" Simon asked. "There's something I need to do."
Nemeria slipped the silver band off her finger and handed it over. Then Simon sat her on the edge of the bed and knelt down. "The world is new, we are new, so I ask… will you marry me? Will you be my wife?"
Nemeria paused, realizing that she had a choice to make. Before then she had been hard coded to love him, hard coded to believe that she was someone, now all that was falling away. Her mind was free, unshackled. Unburdened. She remembered so much that had been kept hidden from her.
The Red Titan had stolen one of Esmerelda's backup clones and poured their mind into it, essentially putting the mind of one warden into the body of another. But that didn't make her them. She was someone else, someone new. She didn't have to pay for their mistakes anymore.
But what about Simon? Did she love him? Could she love him? Did she want to commit to this when her whole life was ahead of her? And the child, she had agreed to raise a child! Did she even know that she would like being a mother? Or that she would be a good one?
A soft caress brought her back to reality. It was Simon, touching her cheek with the tips of his fingers. "I don't know what is going on, or what tomorrow will hold, or even how I will feel, and it terrifies me. But I know that together we can face anything. We have a chance to choose for ourselves, and I choose you. I promise that I will always choose you."
Then as he went to slip the ring on her finger he repeated what she had told him when she handed him his first Vampirzahn. He didn't know where it came from or what it meant. But the sentiment had been clear, that she couldn't protect him from the world, that she couldn't keep him safe, that this was all she could give and she hoped that it would be enough. "It's dangerous to go alone, take this."
Nemeria laughed and accepted the ring. "Yes it is, isn't it? I suppose you're stuck with me now."
"Damn. Perhaps I should rethink things?" Simon laughed as he pulled her back into bed. "No, I think I like this." He gave her a playful nip on the side of the neck. "Yes, I believe I do."
They made love until the afternoon then went out for pastries and provisions. Somehow it felt right, finally choosing each other. They walked hand in hand, ignoring the looks of surprise at a human and a hund so boldly displaying their affection. GG had said she would contact them when the child was ready to be picked up.
"I can't believe Haven is actually gone." Nemeria said as she sat on a bench eating an ice cream cone. Technically they were in a graveyard, but between the sunshine and the families with their strollers it felt just like any other park.
She took a second to make sure nobody was listening. "I joined some of the old nets anonymously and asked around. Everyone says it was some kind of system failure, or possibly sabotage. Apparently the boosters just went haywire, spun it until it fell apart."
"It's hard to believe it." Simon looked up at the clear sky, there wasn't a single sign of the once proud space station. "I wonder if there will be a backlash against humans now that there isn't anything stopping us from getting even."
"Possibly, but we're resilient and useful. With Haven destroyed I expect you will see a lot of human tech being sold to the highest bidder. And not just tech, entertainment as well. There are a bunch of black market music and books that are going to see the light for the first time in centuries."
Simon felt a call come in from GG and he accepted it. The encryption in their wetware made sure nobody else could listen in. She got straight to the point.
"Someone took out all of the Howl's senior leadership last night." She said over the link, "It was a bloodbath."
Simon blinked in surprise. "What happened? And why wasn't I invited? Was it Las Brujas?" He replied back, his wetware translating thoughts to words.
"Details are sparse but apparently they had an emergency meeting to discuss what to do about the Haven situation and someone took the opportunity to clean house. It was some kind of commando style raid, nobody knows who or why. All the tapes and satellite images were erased. Just a lot of dead bodies." She sent him a few choice photos. "Multiple locations were hit simultaneously. All locations were remote and heavily guarded. Looks like whoever this was they hit hard and fast. Local security was packbound and armed to the teeth, didn't help. They were put down with precise shots and a minimum of fuss. Look familiar?"
He sucked in his breath. Somebody had been using a Jagdkommando carbine, he recognized the tiny entrance and massive exit wounds. Yes, they looked familiar. He had carried that same rifle.
Even five decades after their defeat Döbi still produced some of the most sought after weapons. Half the militaries on Homeworld used their hardware. But these were old classics, pre-war. Someone was sending a message.
New tech was all about drones and smart munitions. Why risk a soldier's life when you could lob a smart grenade through a window that would identify friend from foe and destroy the latter with smart shrapnel? No, this was old school. Someone looked them in the face and pulled the trigger.
Apparently the old hund hasn't been lying when he said he would destroy the Howl. But what kind of power vacuum would that leave? And who would step in? The Howl wasn't just a supremacist group. They ran weapons, narcotics and black market tech all over the globe. They had strongholds in various capital cities and major political protection.
"Any noise on who is going to step up now that they're out of commission?" Simon asked.
"It's too soon to say but my money is on the Bone Syndicate. They've been looking to expand and with the Howl out of the way they'll probably jump at the chance. They've been staying out of the news but my sources say they have been muscling out smaller gangs and taking over their turf. Nobody seems to mind because there aren't gunfights in the streets anymore. But it's still organized crime."
Simon was familiar with the Bone Syndicate, he had even done some work for them after they restructured a few decades back. Territory under their control tended to be mostly peaceful and safe, so long as you followed the rules. They even helped out during national disasters. But the line between gangsters and good samaritans tended to blur.
They might extort local restaurants then give them money to rebuild after a fire. They would blackmail politicians… to ensure a new school got funded. Or to pass a social welfare bill. It was almost as if they had decided that the best way for them to make money was to improve the areas which they controlled. And it was working.
They operated almost in the open and had so thoroughly greased all levels of local government that any attempt to take them down would cause a major budget crisis. But when they did choose violence, it was with massively overwhelming force and military precision. Yes, this sounded like their way of doing things. The old hund must have tipped them off.
"Any news on our bundle of joy?" Simon asked.
"Yes, she is en route." GG confirmed. "She should arrive in a few hours. We have papers for her ready as well as a safe house in Porto."
Porto? Now that was a surprise. "Why Porto?"
"Because they acknowledge mixed species marriages and it's one of the few places you have amnesty." GG reminded him. "You are technically a war criminal. Even if most of the world thinks you are dead."
After the war Porto had offered him amnesty in return for helping them hunt down and kill those responsible for the genocide of their fellow katzen. Porto was after all a mostly katzen nation and they knew how to hold a grudge. So he had joined a task force of other enhanced hunds and katzen with a similar thirst for blood and they had done their best to kill every last one of the people responsible. Afterwards he had gone into the private sector, but it was true, he did have a place to go if he ever felt like retiring.
He contemplated that for a moment. If he was going to raise a child he couldn't exactly run off for months at a time to do contract work. Perhaps it was time to retire, at least until she was grown. It wasn't like he needed the money. Perhaps it was time to become the warrior in the gardens like the old hund had said.
"How do you feel about moving to Porto?" Simon asked after he broke the connection.
"Oh, I have a little place near Intra, on the coast." Nemeria frowned. "I don't think I've been back in quite some time though. Let me check something…"
Her eyelids fluttered as she scanned the net. "Yes, the management company I hired is renting it out. I can have them cancel the bookings and make it ready for us, if that's what you want." She smiled. "It's quite well defended, I purchased it in my post-war phase when I thought everyone was out to get me. We could hold off an army there."
"Perfect." Simon said, squeezing her hand three times and receiving three squeezes back in reply. In the camps that had been their secret way of saying "I love you" and he was happy to see that she still remembered.
He looked out across the park and frowned. "Darling, was that church always there?"
Nemeria followed his gaze, her eyes narrowed. "No… I'd say it wasn't. Now the question is, was it hidden or did it just appear?"
Simon cocked his head to the side, surprised at the flexibility of her thought process. It was like she was waking up, becoming bright again, becoming the person he had fallen in love with in the camps. "Shall we investigate?" He asked.
"Oh yes. Definitely." Nemeria made a gesture with her fingers and he could almost swear there was a faint rainbow flickering of light in the palm of her right hand.
"Dearest, what was that?" He asked as they stalked across the graveyard.
"Oh, it's something old. It goes nicely with the something new." Nemeria said playfully, nudging him with her hip.
Simon mentally filed that strangeness into a drawer marked "wife/human stuff" and put it out of his mind. There was no sense trying to understand it all, to attempt to do so was to invite madness.
The church was old, hundreds of years old. With moss growing from the roof and black stones making up the walls. Which made it very strange indeed that it seemed to have just appeared out of nowhere and hadn't been there yesterday.
"Fascinating." Nemeria said as she turned around, not looking at the church but at the people around them. "Absolutely fascinating."
Simon didn't get it. "What is so interesting, my love?"
"It's an SEP field." Nemeria replied.
"And that is?" Simon pressed.
"Someone else's problem." She turned to him and smiled. "They can all see it, they just ignore it. But look at them. Really look."
Simon did as requested, they seemed like normal hunds to him. There were certainly more bicycles than he was used to but then again this was Coven. Then he looked with his other senses and he quickly realized that what was going on was anything but normal.
Almost everyone in the park was running some form of wetware, even the pups. Warhunds shared data along a kind of mesh network that mixed low power local signals with satellite uplinks and repeaters to allow them to communicate nearly instantly and move as a team. This was something similar but with vastly more users.
He looked up with his mind and touched a commercial recon satellite, purchasing some time through a shell company, accessing its spectral analysis capabilities. The whole city was a hotbed of activity, and the network was growing at an exponential rate.
A wave of digital traffic was spreading out over the country, awakening new mesh nodes as it went, strengthening and spreading the network. Soon it was in Döbi, Möhi, Sühi, and the rest of the continent.
He looked down, his own wetware telling him something very important. It wasn't just the living who were part of the network. Somehow it seemed to be leveraging the dead as well.
Some of the more recent graves seemed to be exchanging packets with the network. Answering queries perhaps? But what could the dead possibly have to say?
"Many things, I would imagine." Said a raspy voice from the entrance of the church, seemingly reading his thoughts. It was an old Döbian with high cut ears, but it was hard to say if it was the same one he had met in his dream. He was wearing plain black clothes and a white priest's collar rubbed with sandalwood, the traditional scent of his station. "Come, you don't want to be late for the wedding."
Nemeria and Simon exchanged a knowing look. "It's our wedding, isn't it?" Simon asked.
"Of course." The old hund said with a dry chuckle. "Who's else would it be? You know that this is one of the few places you two can get married, don't you? Why else bring you here?" He gestured for them to come inside.
Nemeria shrugged and walked towards the door, that same strange shimmer dancing around the fingertips of her right hand. "You said you brought us here. Why?"
"As bait, mostly." The old hund laughed as he turned his back on her and entered the building, talking as he walked. "But also because I have fond memories of this city. Plus the whole marriage thing. It was owed to you, a chance at a happy ending."
Nemeria looked at Simon and raised an eyebrow.
Simon just shrugged. "He's a friend… I think."
The church was well maintained, if dusty. The windows were not particularly ornate and the altar didn't hold anything worth stealing. Simon tried not to let his hackles rise at the idea of being used as bait. But bait for what? He wondered.
The old hund spun on his heel and faced Simon. "Bait… for a warden." He explained. "A very nasty warden who has quietly been growing their power and influence since the war. A cancer which, if unchecked, will spell the end of this world and all within it. Also he is a threat to my granddaughter, so that means he must die."
"How are you reading my mind?" Simon demanded angrily. It seemed like all he had to do was think of a question and the hund would answer it.
"Because to think of a question when we share a network, dear brother, is to ask it." The old hund replied cryptically. "Your wetware is querying me for information, seeing if I have an answer."
Simon frowned. "I know you… don't I? From before the war? You said we were like half brothers…" He felt a name coming to his lips, but it was as if the memory was fighting him. "Are you Gershwin's son? The pup he brought back from the dead? The reason for all this madness?"
"Yes, I am Kerner. As are many others." The old hund shrugged. "I suppose it is a very common name where I come from. Perhaps more common now."
Simon blinked. "Copies… you and the other hund I spoke with… you're copies of Kerner. The same mind spread out over different bodies." He could see it now, the advanced age made it hard to tell but this wasn't the same hund he had met in virtual.
"Duplicates yes, but not necessarily equals. Not until today." The old hund explained. "Only one of us at a time had the ability to make more, to overwrite wetware at will, to influence the Gravekeeper. But he patched out those vulnerabilities yesterday after Haven fell and the Howl was brought low. Now we are all just regular warhunds. The more recent of our number may revert back to their former selves, others will find a middle ground, and the old ones will most likely remain the same. After all, I have been Kerner for most of my life. I see little reason to change now."
"But how many of you are there?" Simon pressed.
"Many." Kerner said with a shrug. "Though now that I have revealed myself perhaps that number will decrease rapidly." The old hund chuckled, gesturing towards Nemeria. "Your other half will see to that if I am unable to stop him."
Now it was Nemeria's turn to be confused. "You don't mean Simon, do you?"
"No, I do not." The old hund sat down on an old wooden chair, looking up at the bare altar. "The problem with making copies is that the original still remains. I was made when Kerner was murdered by his sister during a training exercise. He jumped out of an airplane and realized half way down that his parachute had been sabotaged. I remember feeling his fear, his desperation, and I remember seeing him hit the ground."
The old hund looked back over his shoulder at her. "You my dear are one possible answer to a question. What does one do when the body does not fit the mind? Either the being must suffer, the body must change, or the mind must change."
The old hund went back to looking at the altar. "It's amazing how paths can split. You went one way, and he went another. You took a form to fit your mind, and he altered his mind to accept his form."
There was a polite knock on the ancient timbers of the open church door as a tall well built man with flaming red hair entered the building.
He looked at Simon and smiled. "Hello, Puppy." He said softly. It was Nemeria's old form, her old identity, the Red Titan, very much alive.
Simon realized now that the dead body he saw in the lab as they were fleeing had been a fake. This was Raul Reyes, in all his glory. A flash of anger rose in Simon as he realized that Raul had tricked him, made him think that he was alone for all these years. What a cruel thing to do to someone that you said you loved. The betrayal of it wrenched at Simon's heart, tearing open old wounds.
Simon reached out and took Nemeria's left hand, squeezing it firmly three times. "I choose you." He said. "I will always choose you. Fuck him, he's dead to me."
Nemeria squeezed back three times. "I have your back, whatever happens."

I've been seeing a lot more of it here. A lot more. And I know that this is going to garner me a lot of ill-will. But I can't sit back and watch disinformation overrun a community as important as this one. So here goes nothing.
First, I have a question for the vaccine injured. Why can’t any of you point me to a single shred of evidence other than your lived experiences? Ever wonder why not a single immunologist has come out to champion your hypothesis? (Which, btw, more often reads like received fact than theory when you bring it up. You know, do you? Interesting, cause there is a lot we still don't know about SARS CoV-2. Interesting that this should be suddenly official, even in the absence of any scientific corroboration).
For years, people swore that ulcers were caused by stress. It made sense. It always seemed to be worse when they were stressed. They were wrong.
For decades, people swore that miasma - bad air - caused cholera. It often happened when the air was thick. It made a lot of sense. They were wrong.
For centuries, people swore that impiety was behind their illnesses. In Europe, they relied on prayer to get better. In the Americas, ritual sacrifices. It seemed to help. They were wrong.
Might you be wrong?
nO tHiS hAs tO bE vAcCiNe rELaTeD
Why?
Why must it be vaccine related? Why can’t it be due to an unbelievably infectious, often asymptomatic, bat-borne, immune-depleting and metabolism-dysregulating novel SARS coronavirus that 90% of everyone caught as of the onset of Omicron?
bEcAuSe mY sYmpToMs sHoWeD uP aFtEr gEtTiNg tHe jAb!!1!
Yes, that may very well be. And if you catch a common cold now, it will likely knock you clean out - that’s what SARS CoV-2 does. It hay-wires our immune system and causes mad inflammation.
aNd sO dOeS tHe vAcCinE!
Evidence or STFU. I mean it. What part of mRNA vaccines could even do that? Do you even know? I ask again: Any immunologists in the house to back you up? No. Wanna know why? Because it makes no physiological goddam sense!!!!
yOu’Re jUsT gAsLigHtiNg mE!
Sure, just like I gaslight Goop, Dr Oz, Dr Phil and bloodletting. This is not gaslighting, friend. This is calling out bullshit. There is a BIG difference.
I am not CLAIMING you aren’t sick. I’m not claiming your symptoms didn’t appear after your jab. If COVID messed up your immune system as much as it did mine, it isn't impossible that the vaccine might have triggered some dormant sequelae. We do not know. We do know that arteries stiffen and the brain is impaired after even mild COVID infections. You might not notice that immediately, if at all. So no, I'm not claiming the vaccine didn't put you in a bad spot. But I AM claiming that your need for your Long COVID to be entirely vaccine-induced is highly fucking suspect.
NOTHING in the medical literature even HINTS at the possibility of these vaccines being able to trigger LC - not without COVID first doing the very heavy lifting.
If I’m wrong? I'd be stunned, because it would mean we discovered some entirely new and unheard of pathway. It'd be revolutionary, tragic, counter to everything we know. Impossible? No. Highly unlikely? Uh, yeah. If I'm wrong, I'll owe you a sincere apology. But if you’re wrong? You’ve been contributing to the paranoid anti-science populism that’s been leading us off a cliff since Andrew Wakefield's fabrication about Autism.
Here's an article of interest for you, published a little over a month ago in that same tabloid rag Wakefield published his lies in, the Lancet: Confronting the evolution and expansion of anti-vaccine activism in the USA in the COVID-19 era00136-8/fulltext). It's important reading. Cause yeah, the Lancet published Wakefield's original sin. But they also retracted it. That last part is kind of important. It's called science. Half the world simply never got the memo.
The truth matters. I mean the ACTUAL truth. Not RFK Jr's ill-informed, uneducated gut feeling.
I get it, you’re angry. I’m angry too. WTF is this life I’ve been left with? This isn’t living! So yeah, if I thought some unscrupulous megacorps had willfully maimed me, I’d be on the warpath too. The US is broken in more ways than one. I get that too. I don't live there, but I can see how it's messing with you. You can't trust anyone anymore it seems. Especially not for-profit healthcare, for-profit politics, for-profit prisons - hell even your biggest Churches are for-profit. (But ooooooooh socialism. That's the real evil, right? I digress.)
I'd be angry too if I thought Bill Gates and Purdue Pharma had done this to me. But I’d need proof. Cause that’s how I roll. Not circumstantial evidence, not just a series of coincidences, not a plethora of official looking threads from "the ethical doctor" or that retired British nurse who passes himself off as an MD (because of his PhD in education) and speaks so well with his underlining of bullet-point print-outs while going off on unsubstantiated tangents (Ivermectin, anyone?)
No, I'd want Proof. With a capital P. Cause them be some mighty big claims with some mighty big implications you been making at every fucking chance you get.
Give me more than old wives tales. Give me mechanisms underlying your injury. Cause we're getting a pretty good idea of the mechanisms underlying mine, and the vaccine simply can't do that. Even at the best of times, these vaccines' efficiency wanes in a matter of weeks. But they crippled you? Damaged your endothelium? Really?! Really.
Give me some molecular biology. So far, all I see is your personal story, an army of Twitter trolls, a popular and well-orchestrated right-wing narrative, and a few rogue MDs who can’t point to a single shred of hard evidence. I see tarot cards. Not good enough.
We are at war. COVID is the enemy, NOT Moderna and Pfizer, slimy as they may be.
I got jabbed and boosted. I also got COVID. Guess which one fucked me up? Wait - don’t tell me. I already know what you’re going to say.
And it’s really starting to piss me off.
We are all Long haulers here. How we got here should matter less than how we get out. We can lynch the Wuhan lab techs and Moderna miscreants if and when it comes to light that there was an international conspiracy. But we have nothing to gain from that sort of conjecture now. Those doctors, researchers and pharmaceutical companies you so love to hate on? We’re gonna need their help if we’re to beat this thing. And I don't know about you, but getting healthy again supersedes everything else in my book.
It also requires trusting the science. It’s evolving, it’s imperfect, but it’s better than trusting in your horoscope to tell you what to expect. You're being played, friend. And not by tHe mEdiCaL eStAbLiShmEnT. They are late to the game and have been far too dogmatic regarding Long COVID, but there is a quantum leap between that and thinking that they know the vaccines are dangerous and are pushing them nonetheless. My partner outranks all of us, medically. She got jabbed, boosted. She's never had COVID. She's fine. Oh, and she also understands how vaccines work. Fundamentally. Deeply. Intimately. So yeah, I trust her 30 years and 50 000 hours of training more than your "dO yOuR oWn rEseArCh".
Do I also need to explain to you how the earth is not flat? Or do you still trust experts' take on that? Cause this is the same. Damn. Thing. This is like asking how climate change is a thing if it still snows in January. You're just indicating how out of your depth you are and making logical-sounding conclusions based on a faulty understanding of the underlying science. And more and more people are buying into it. To succeed, liars don't need to convince you of their lie, they only have to make you doubt the truth. FoxNews, Facebook and now Twitter broke America by profiting off of that business model. "Engagement", they call it. And nobody is pushing back.
You're being played alright, but it's by the same charlatans that feed the Q-Anon pedophile myth and Great Replacement dog whistle. They don't trust anybody, cause everybody's in on it. Right? Wrong. They're just pining for attention, cash, influence, petty power. At the expense of their hapless followers.
It's unfortunate that you find the timing of your onset suspect. I’ve been looking - hard - for credible evidence about what you claim. It's just not there. Educated guesses are welcome: there's a lot we still don't understand about this disease. But educated guesses require a minimum of education. You can’t just throw around the words “spike protein” and call it a day. There is no run-away replication from a vaccine. That’s not how they work.
bUt eVeN dR VaUngH sAiD
Was that before or after he charged you 1000$ for a treatment that's costing me 45$ based on readily available and entirely generic anticoagulant drugs? Before or after he said masks were crippling kids? I'm grateful he's making TT available to people. I'm not impressed by his ethics, lack of rigour, and sales pitch. No more than by IncellDX for that matter. Great business model. Important service. Highly questionable ethic$.
I'm on TT because of the science underlying it. It's still just a hunch, but a good one. So we're trying it. Vaccine injury though? That's not based on a hunch - it's based on rumour. Fear. Distrust. Lies.
That echo chamber is no different than any other hysteria - in the absence of understanding, we revert to superstition. And vaccine hesitancy is based on one incredibly damaging myth that is spinning out of control. Even here. And that worries me for the future. Vaccines are likely going to be our only way out of this pandemic. If it's sterilizing and not everyone needs to be jabbed to be safe? I'll care not at all that your paranoia made you put your life at risk. If it's one that requires a minimum amount of adoption to work? People are going to have to have a serious sit-down. I'm tired of other people's ignorance putting my loved ones at risk. *Insert obligatory reference to the Climate Crisis*. If everyone knew the science of what's coming (soon), they'd be a lot more motivated in acting, aggressively, immediately, collectively. The truth matters.
So yeah, this post is going to make a lot of suffering people angry. And that sucks. But it's a helluva lot better than just letting anti-science disinformation keep gaining ground, post by post, comment by comment. Someone has to fight back and scientists are always too incredulous to react: "do people actually believe this nonsense?" They do, Doc. They really do. And they've become too scared of the backlash to speak out.
Mods, you’re going to have to take a stand at some point. There are enough haunts for conspiracy nuts on Facebook, Twitter, Discord and Reddit. I came here for help. For moral support, for potential treatments, for peer review. By peers that have better judgement than to just assume a vaccine they don't understand is what plunged them into hell and then agitate against hard facts.
That misguided agitation does not bring me comfort. It makes me despair. Science is our only hope and here we have a growing segment of our community dismissing the science in the name of anecdote and political bias. You think the vaccine did this to you? You're entitled to your opinion. You're not entitled to spreading lies as though they were hard fact. At least have enough humility to qualify your broad statements with "I worry that" or "is this even possible".
To those activists who insist on doubling down, give me some valid authoritative medical evidence or STFU. I can be swayed, but not by rants and baseless supposition.
We’ve got some serious work to do and your misdirected rage is not helping.

My family and I (4 adults, 4 kids ages 6-11, 1 senior) are taking a trip to DC for a few days this summer. I haven't been there since I was a kid myself. I've read guides, looked at the DC subreddit and various Facebook pages but wanted to ask here as well since I know it's a common trip for Pittsburghers to make.
If you've been there recently, any tips to having a successful trip or anything that's helpful to know? Any tours/tour companies you used and liked? We booked a hotel at the Wharf because we liked the scenery and the variety of restaurant options nearby, but I'm wondering if that was a mistake because now that I'm mapping out what we want to do, getting places from the Wharf seems like it may be a little bit more of a hassle. Curious if anyone stayed in that area as well and what modes of transportation you found to be best. Thanks!

I am having a hard time. Alone with my thoughts, I find myself to be okay. I know better than to give my energy away to others who aren’t deserving, but I can’t seem to put that knowledge into practice. I know better than to allow their opinions and words to change mine, but I can’t seem to put that into practice…
I seem to be perpetually wearing rose-colored lenses regarding you that get ripped off my face and thrown to the ground, usually by the people whose opinions I trust most. Each time I pick them up and put them back on, the view becomes a bit blurrier. Maybe those who rip them off are just helping me see clearly, aiding me in one day living without a rose-colored tint around this situation. Although I believe you have the power to restore that clarity, I'm trying to find it within myself. I don’t like to put that type of pressure on a person. I don't want to burden you with that responsibility, and I would never want to involve you in my indecision and emotional instability. As I reflect on the letters I've written recently, I realize my need to keep my uncertainties at a distance from you. I know this isn’t serious. Many have told me I’m too intense, but I know I can’t change that. I feel deeply and love hard. It’s especially hard because I have such a difficult time expressing those emotions to anyone, let alone you.
All of this to say, I am unsure if this is real, it’s driving me crazy, and I think it’s best for me to take a step back for a while. I have a lot of work to do, and no one can help me but myself. Yes, I know my fearful avoidant tendencies are showing (I said I have a lot of work to do!), but hopefully, writing this and putting this out there allows me to finally focus.

I am a Catholic man who, just a couple months ago, entered his thirtieth year of life and, I’ve got to admit, I’m feeling more confused about relationships than ever.
I’m currently in a relationship - we’ve been dating for five months - and, to be honest, I don’t feel great about it. On paper though, things should be fine. She’s devout. She’s intelligent. She’s virtuous. She’s pretty. Perfect, right? From how I’ve been raised in the Church, I’d think so!
Yet… I often find myself “uninterested” in her - especially compared to how I felt about partners in previous relationships. But those other relationships didn’t work so… maybe I was wrong to feel that way? I should mention that I’m “turned off” by a handful of her other qualities too, but I give some grace there because I think that will be the case in any relationship. I always treat her the best that I possibly can despite all this and I’ve been honest with her that I’ve been feeling this way at times.
I just always have this nagging feeling that something isn’t quite right and have to constantly fight against the temptation to end this relationship and consider relationships with other women.
A friend recently expressed some concern too and told me he’d support me either way but, “you know, I don’t think you run the risk of crashing and burning here. I know you and know you wouldn’t go into anything that wasn’t functional or wouldn’t work in the end. But it really seems like you aren’t passionate about her and are just willing to settle because she checks the right boxes for you. I just want you to be happy and want you to think about this a little harder because I don’t want you to end up in a passionless marriage.” But another friend said almost the opposite. He’s like “it’s not that bad to not have a ton of passion for your wife. Passion doesn’t determine a successful marriage. There’s prettier and better women out there than my wife, but I don’t want them. I want my wife. I committed to her and love the family we’ve built together. I think you’d find that your passion and love for each other will build over time if it isn’t there already.”
I think they are both right, but also concerned because feelings can be so fickle and, as Catholics, we are supposed to prioritize reason over feelings and I feel like the feelings/passion are the main thing causing me issues right now. Does anyone have any thoughts they can share with me?

We have been acquintences for a few years now on Facebook, but after we met at Charlie's we have been seeing each other for at least two months at this point. At start neither of us, not me for sure, imagined or planned anything regarding it, but it turned out to be pretty fun, emotional, and I feel that we match on both a personal and an emotional level, so all this feels quite balanced.
We talked a lot, around three weeks or a month in a row (messages, voice, in person), and there were days when we talked from mornings to evening (not constantly, but we messaged every hour or so at least) but then we had a week, when conversation stopped (so zero messages). I was ready to let go, because I thought the person is not interested.
However the he told me we need to speak, and told me he wants to be with me. I agreed, and we said that it should be mutually exclusive, but a week later, the he told me that the he changed his mind and we should not be as he was confused, and a bit afraid, but mostly confused about past things, feelings, relationships. I decided not to meet again, but since this was a day together at the Zoo and at a restaurant, we decided not to ruin the day, so we went on with it. Before by the way we had physical and emotional contact, in person, and spent several nights together, and not as a ONS. Later on as the evening progressed, we got closer and at some point he said he loves me. Which was super confusing for me. I mean up until this point I was ready to go, but I do not know anymore. As I feel the same. So I replied, that I do too.
What to do in a situation like this? I have been in a situation where I wasnt stable, and he said he does not wish to hurt me, that is why he withdrawed, because he is not stable and not ready, and does not want me to wait along until he is alright or until he decides. Which is great of him I think, I appreciate it. But then how can he love me? And if he does then why it is so complicated. Maybe it is me, but love is something that does not come easily, I cannot offer it to most people and certainly if it happens, I want to stick with that person.
And then he said it several times later that day and spent another day together. At first I said we should not meet anymore, but I am so confused because of this. You can also see his struggle, being torn between something and this.
And I am confused, because I do not think he just want to use me for a ONS or that he lies but I also know that you either want something or not. and if you want it more than not, you will fight for it and do not say this then that.
I am afraid that if I stay, I will get hurt, I will get more involved emotionally, then the inevitable moment will come when he just leaves for that other person or to "think things through". I mean if someone is committed they will just go with it. But also I know that life can be complicated, and even with the best intention things are not so black and white emotionally, and it can be often confusing and painful. I do not wish to chain this person to me, I want him to genuinely want to be with me, but nor I want to just let go, because that would feel like I do not care that much.
My mind says, flee while you can, while you are not torn apart lying on the ground like pieces of a glass, as this person is undecisive which is probably more a NO then a yes and also something lingers there that can backfire, but my heart says, that if I give up on something so precious and matching, I would be more sad and would always think about what would have happened. And it says, that if I stay not and if it goes haywire and he leaves then at least I had that love, I pursued it and put everything in it, and it failed not because of me. And it would hurt, hurt like hell, but at least I do not need to live with the crippling "WHAT IF" feeling for my whole life, knowing I let something, someone go whom I can imagine as my lifelong partner in "crime" and life. Of course it still in its baby steps, but I feel the potential and the possibility, as the synergy is unusually great.
Also I am not the type of person who wishes to cling around, if not wanted, I have my pride, so it is not about that. I also do not want to convince myself, but if someone says they love you that is serious business, is it not?
Maybe I should listen to my mind and flee, bury and kill these feelings, or listen to my heart and stay and see how it plays out. If I decide to stay, I can stay close and enjoy happy time. I do not want to deal in ultimates and force anyone into something like that. I want it to occur naturally or not at all. Maybe I should just give him time to think.

my partner and i have sex less frequently and passionately now after three years of being together. i’ve always known they were agender since day one, but i’ve been seeing them post on tiktok about it every now and then and the experience they go through. recently they participated in a trend where you blur out the parts of you that are your biggest insecurities, and they blurred out their breasts and groin areas. bad move on me for asking at this time, but in the middle of sex i was asking if they were okay with me still touching their breasts and how i saw the tiktok and i just want to acknowledge anything i’ve been doing wrong up to this point, and they coldly told me they were fine with it. turns out that’s not the sexiest thing to bring up and they mentioned how it was turning them off when i brought it up, but we haven’t gotten closure on the situation. i know they were telling the truth, but now i’m really concerned if this is part of why we aren’t sexually in sync anymore.
of course they enjoy sex with me in their own way, but it feels much more distant now and i’m wondering if i’ve been fucking up this whole time and they just didn’t want to tell me? i want to be the best boyfriend possible and make them feel wonderful in their own way, but i need to understand that with a verbal discussion and i can’t ever get that out of them. i desire more than anything for them to open up to me about their experience, and i know it’s hard for me to understand as a cis person but i love them more than anything! it’s been three years so how ready does someone have to be to start opening up about their gender experience, especially for the sake of a fragile bedroom of all things? i’ll do anything to figure them out if it means i can make them happy like before and desire won’t have to be one-sided like it is.

Long-term rental properties can have many advantages, like an extended lease length that provides a constant cash flow for landlords. However, all leases must come to an end, which means learning how to properly go through a lease renewal is an important part to being a landlord. A lease renewal is defined as an option for the current tenant to continue living in a rental property for a specified time period which is agreed upon by both parties – it also outlines certain rules and conditions regarding the property. According to Rental Housing Journal, 62.7% of renters renewed their leases in 2022.
If you’ve secured a great tenant who you get along with, treats your property nicely, pays rent on time, and hasn’t given you any trouble, you’ll probably want to seek a lease renewal with them as soon as possible. On the other hand, not seeking a lease renewal with some tenants is a great way to find a renter who is better suited for your property.
We’ve compiled the ultimate guide to help landlords navigate the lease renewal process in order to answer any and all questions you might have – check it out!

Pros and Cons of a Lease Renewal

As with many things, there are both pros and cons to a lease renewal for you and your tenants. Whether you want to renew leases for multiple tenants or just one, it comes down to determining what the best option is for you and your rental property at the time.
Pros

• Keep good tenants: No landlord would argue that keeping good tenants is a bad thing – they might not come around often, so keeping renters you have a good relationship with is extremely beneficial.
• Potential for a long-term renter: Long-term renters mean you are reducing tenant turnover and you’ve also secured a steady income with someone you know will pay rent on time.
• Eliminates the time and cost of searching for new tenants: As a landlord, saving time is very important, especially if you have another job. Renewing a lease means not having to market your property or go through the rental application process again.
• Reduces risk of vacancy: Filling vacancies isn’t always an easy task which is why a lease renewal is key. You won’t have to worry about potentially losing money if you can’t find a renter.
• Tenants are already familiar with the lease terms: Having a tenant that already knows your rules and policies – and respects them – will ensure they will continue to follow them in the future and take care of your rental property.

Cons

• Limits on rent increases: If you’ve secured a great tenant and they want to continue to live there, it is more difficult to increase the rent – especially if it’s necessary for the current market, you risk the chance of tenants not wanting to renew their lease for a higher price.
• Limited opportunity to renovate: A lease renewal often leads to a long-term renter – with an occupied unit you won’t be able to renovate which, in turn, might reduce your ability to command higher rent that an upgraded unit could pull in.
• Difficult tenants may not move out: Tenants who cause issues with you, your property or the neighbors might want to continue to live in your unit – although you want to avoid vacancies, this could lead to future problems.
• May let rules slide: While you might have picked great tenants you get along with, some landlords get too comfortable with their current tenants and stop charging late fees, etc.

Eliminate the Cost of Finding a New Tenant

While there are many free tools to help you find new tenants, rental turnover still has a high cost attached to it. The cost of tenant turnover is both a financial and timeliness one – for example, advertising, maintenance and cleaning costs can add up.

Why a Lease Renewal Isn’t for Every Tenant

While you might have the perfect tenant staying in your rental, some tenants might not accept your lease renewal offer for a variety of reasons. Many times tenants don’t seek lease renewals for lifestyle changes, such as, they get married, get a new job or are moving somewhere closer to their families or work – they might even be moving out of state.
Life happens, so staying flexible and understanding in this situation is in everyone’s best interest. It’s also important to remember they don’t owe you an explanation on why they’re not renewing their lease with you. If they aren’t renewing their lease for such lifestyle changes, you should remember this if they need a landlord recommendation later on down the road – if they were a good tenant then it is always a courteous thing to do.

Finding New Tenants

If you eventually need to find a new tenant – don’t worry. There are many outlets and tools to use these days that will easily help you find tenants who will fit well with you and your rental property.
Online Marketing: Marketing your property on all the major listing sites will help you fill your vacancy faster – marketing syndication will allow you to do this with just one click instead of having to go to each individual site and post yourself.

• Online Rental Applications: Paper rental applications are a thing of the past. Online rental applications are faster, easier and more secure. Having potential tenants fill out their applications online will allow you to instantly keep a digital record without having to organize papers.
• Lead Questionnaire: Sending a lead questionnaire to each lead who expresses interest in your property on a listing website will enable you to learn more about them and ask any questions you’d like – such as pets, smoking, desired move-in date, etc before having them formally apply.
• Social Media: While you can post your properties to Facebook, social media is also a good place to research potential tenants to make sure they are trustworthy and someone who you want to stay in your property.

Tenant screening is an essential step in the search process. You want to ensure you know exactly who you are renting to as you want to be positive they will be a safe and trustworthy individual. Tenant screening can include many things from hard data to soft attributes and qualities like the following:

• Background Check: Getting a standard background check to view any criminal history will allow you to make sure the potential tenant is trustworthy.
• Credit Report: Credit reports will show that your tenant will be able to pay rent in full and on time.
• Eviction History: Contacting past landlords as well as knowing about prior evictions will help you decide if this is a good applicant for your property or not.
• In-Person Meeting: If all of the hard data looks good, meeting a potential tenant is sometimes a great way to determine if their personality will be a good fit.

Guide to Offering a Lease Renewal

While it might seem like a simple process there is a proper way to offer a lease renewal to your tenants. You want to be as professional as possible while giving ample time and consideration for your tenant to decide what to do. Here is a quick guide on how to offer a lease renewal:

1. Determine the Lease Renewal Period

Generally, the lease renewal notice period should be 90 days before the current lease expires to give a good amount of notice for both you and the renter.

2. Send a Lease Renewal Letter

A professional lease renewal letter is a great way to communicate with your tenant about their options; it should include when the current lease expires, what the new lease’s time period would be, and the rent price (whether it’s the same or increasing). For example:
Dear (TENANT),
I want to let you know your current lease will expire mm-dd-yyyy! I have thoroughly enjoyed having you as my tenant and you’ve been a great renter. I want to offer you another (one-year, six-month, etc.) lease at the rate of $/month. Please let me know if you are interested by mm-dd-yyyy – if so, I’d be happy to send you the new lease and answer any questions you might have. Thank you so much – I look forward to hearing from you.
Best,
(NAME)

3. Draft a New Lease

Even if you only want to make minor adjustments, a new lease agreement is necessary for both parties. Write and update your lease to include any changes including policies, rent terms, rent prices and any other information you want to update. It is also important to check state-by-state laws and lease inclusions that may be necessary.

4. Sign the New Lease

Remember, nothing is binding until both parties have signed the new lease! Send the new lease to your tenant and once they review and approve you both can sign and file away until next year.
The lease renewal process can be quick and efficient if done properly. There are, however, many factors and additional options for landlords to think about before and after the process.

Other Lease Renewal Factors to Consider

It’s important to recognize a lease renewal is not always a black and white process. While it’s true it can be simple, there are additional factors to consider for the future of your property.

Does My Current Tenant Make a Good Fit for the Property?

Sometimes the tenant you selected to live in your rental was more difficult to get along with than anticipated, caused issues with neighbors, damaged the property or didn’t pay rent on time. In this scenario, a lease renewal might not be the best option. Instead, you could take the lease expiration as an opportunity to find a renter who will be better suited to your property.

Will I Want to Raise Rent in the Future?

Whether you’re leasing to inherited tenants, or you’ve decided that keeping your current tenants is of high value for you and your property long-term, you could consider lowering the rent or keeping it the same. On the other hand, sometimes the market may call for an increase in your rent prices. In this case, being open and honest to your tenants about this change might still encourage them to stay. You could also consider sending a rent increase letter to be as professional and transparent as possible.

Lease Renewal vs. Month-to-Month Leasing

If you aren’t necessarily looking for a long-term tenant or your tenant is unsure about their time frame, a month-to-month lease is another option. There are pros and cons to both a lease renewal versus opting for the month-to-month option.
Some things to remember with a month-to-month lease: you can and should raise the rent since it is such a flexible and less-secure option, it’s usually only for a brief period of time and it will expire upon 30 days notice from either party. A lease renewal, however, will provide more stability as it is usually a long-term agreement for one-year or more.

What is My Property Worth?

As a landlord, it is important to stay up-to-date on the current rental value of your unit. How do newer units in your neighborhood compare to yours? Furthermore, have you made any updates to your unit that would put it at a higher value? All of these things are important to consider if you want to get the most out of your investment. The rental market can change frequently, so being informed will help determine if you need to lower or raise the rent to make a fair and good profit.

Lease Renewal FAQ

Below are some common questions you might have about lease renewals or the lease renewal process.

1. Does a landlord have to renew a lease? No, a landlord does not have to renew a lease with the same tenant if the current lease has expired. If a tenant asks to renew their lease, you can tell them you are not offering renewals at this time – sending a lease renewal rejection letter is not required, but a courteous thing to do.
2. What happens when a lease expires? When a lease expires, the tenant is required to move out based on the ramifications of the original lease. If they did not accept the lease renewal they must move out, so your future tenants can move into the property.
3. What is an automatic lease renewal? An automatic lease renewal is a lease period that renews every month, every six months or every year for the same amount of time. This arrangement can continue on until a landlord or tenant ends the lease.
4. What if your tenant wants to negotiate a lease renewal? Sometimes tenants might negotiate maintenance updates like painting or new appliances in order for them to sign another lease with you. Investing time to update your unit would be beneficial for the future, but you could negotiate back a longer lease renewal, such as two years, for those updates.

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A lease renewal is a very important process and should not be overlooked. Going through the process properly and professionally will be beneficial for both you and your renter – and, you might end up finding the perfect tenant. Lease renewals will enable you to keep good renters who are already familiar with the lease terms, save time and money from having to fill vacancies and increase the potential for a long-term renter. On the flip side, you might have limited options to do renovations, have more difficulties raising rent and might let your rules slide a little bit after getting comfortable with the tenant.
Finding ideal tenants from the start with the use of online rental applications and tenant screening will make the lease renewal process much easier and filling vacancies easier if necessary. If you’re looking to fill a vacancy or learn more about online rental applications, TurboTenant can help you with the process.
What questions do you have about renewing leases?

Since Apple introduced MagSafe on the iPhone 12, Android users have been left in the cold regarding compact, reliable, and magnetic charging solutions. While some manufacturers have started experimenting with something similar to MagSafe — like the cool but China-exclusive Nubia Z40 Pro — we are still far away from slapping any old MagSafe accessory onto some of the best Android phones. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some workarounds out there.
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TL;DR: Cutting my sister off after she decided I wasnt allowed to plan my own graduation party.
This story happened over the span of a week and requires a lot of context but I'll try to condense it to the best of my ability.
I 18(f) Just graduated Highschool, I do online school and wasn't able to do a walk or ceremony at my school so planning this get together was very important to me. I've been planning it for months, of course it wasnt of top priority as I was focusing on acing my senior courses but I graduated at the beginning of April so it became top priority. I'm also the only one to graduate highschool out of my entire family, they all dropped out and I worked hard to make sure to graduate with honors. This was really important to me.
My sister 25(f) had asked about planning a surprise party for me, I told her " thats nice but im already planning a get together, do you want to plan it with me? " Something that was reiterated in our conversations multiple times.
Me and my father were covering the cost of the get together, (decor, food, games, etc.) this was already established in our conversations leading up to this.
In the groupchat it was clear no one was respecting what the original plan was and going off track to what they wanted to do. Trying to cancel the get together without my approval to go out to eat at a cheap buffet instead when we had already invited distant family. This has happened with things in the past, such as my birthday, dinner events i've planned, etc. So I told her and my father, " This is my celebration, Im going where I want and doing what I want. Don't say you were going to plan a party with me if you weren't going to ". To which she responded and told me I was being rude. Yes without context that sounds entitled but we had discussed how hurt I felt canceling plans I made to do what others found fun but being told that Im going to do what they want on their celebration?
Then it took a complete 180 of her telling me that the graduate isn't the one who plans it anyway and she's been discussing with our grandmother to do it at her house, and I need to stay out of the way and focus on school; " Im the one paying for it so I dont need to check every detail with you " ( I had been done with school for 3 weeks at this point, she knew I had been planning this ) Im the one paying for it, and what is overbudget my dad offered to cover. Then we kept going back and forth about things we had already discussed. I finally ended it and said " no we're not doing this ... bc you've made a spectacle out of this for attention... You knew we were planning this together..."
She then blew up in my dm's telling me how much of a b*tch I was being, saying I'm not planning it etc. To which I sent her all of the screenshots of us agreeing to planning it together and her then pretending we weren't in the groupchat. She kept giving me reasons to either excuse what she did or justify why she should have total control; " so you can focus on school" I'm already done. " so you can save more money " I've been saving for this for months. etc. I Canceled the Party entirely and she was tried to offer me a necklace or a card with cash to appease me.
I extended an olive branch to her and other family to attend a dinner, ironically to my obliviousness It was a restaurant she had sent my dad of the one she wanted to go to, that my dad decided to make reservations at. She completely ignored me the entire time and asked my dad questions about my life, what I was doing after graduation, asking about the car I was financing, etc. I finally interrupted and tried to have a conversation with her " Im the one financing the car-" " I know dont be rude- I was just asking so I know how much money to give" I was done. I stayed quiet for the rest of the dinner and told her before leaving that if she has questions about my life she needs to be asking them to me and not my father. To which she responded " dont be rude your being rude"
I ended this a day later asking if her pride and ego was that important to throw away our relationship ( I had found out she was texting my dad saying If i didn't get off my high horse it would cost us our relationship and I wouldn't be allowed to see my nieces anymore. ) with the screenshot of her message with my father. To which she responded still saying she was the one who was planning it and I wasn't allowed to see my nieces anymore.If cash gifts dont work to appease me She threatens me every time we've had an argument in the past of with either physically threats or not being able to see my nieces anymore. Mind you I would understand if they were involved but their not and have never been involved in any of our arguments. Typically I'll just agree with her so I dont have to deal with the conflict but this was and is really important to me and she knew that. I dont think I want her in my life anymore. She's shown how little she values me time and time again and the only purpose I seem to serve to her is so she knock me down and look better in front of others.

Hi,
I know that the plural of fish is fish when referring to multiple of them, but I also know that we can say "fishes" to talk about different types of fish in general: halibut, cod, haddock, salmon and so on.
On a restaurant menu, what would be the best word to describe a section with multiple fish dishes? For some reason, I always find "fishes" wrong.
What are your thoughts?

Hello! Well, I’ve broken a new record and managed to wait an entire 3 weeks after completing our last cruise before booking the next. Haha. That said, I have a few questions some of you more seasoned cruisers can help me with.
For background, Our last cruise was on Allure and before that in Indy. I was on Voyager years ago. We have been to Coco Cay before. Our last cruise was Roatan, Cozumel, and Coata Maya. Partner did the Discovery scuba in Coz, so didn’t get to see the good stuff scuba wise but will be cert’d by the time of our future sailing so we’d be able to have some better dives. We aren’t into the party life so that part (esp in port) doesn’t matter to us. Also, we’ve been careful to always book after spring break and Easter and before graduation season or the end of school. We have nothing against the kiddos, don’t want to be overrun with little ones (or midsize ones) zooming around. Below are the two we’re considering and they each have their pros and cons. I’d love some feedback please! I’d especially like to know about included dining options since neither ship appears to have a Sorrento’s and I’m not sure if the info I found on the Solarium bistro offering late night pizza is accurate or old. I also read that Windjammer on Enchantment takes orders and delivers tableside in the evening but again I don’t know if that’s old information.
Adventure: Curaçao, Aruba, Coco Cay. May 10-17. Pros: school still in session and Solarium has a hot tub. In-port hours are longer. Haven’t been to 2 ports before. Cons: more expensive (though would be paying for fewer excursions so may be a wash.) Didn’t find snorkeling in Coco Cay to be that great (we didn’t spring for the water park admission.) Unsure: What the diving is like in either port (that may turn into a Pro; we are more into swim-throughs, walls, and coral than wrecks).
Enchantment: Roatan, Belize, Costa Maya, Cozumel. May 23-30. Pros: Cozumel and Belize diving which I know I like and partner hasn’t tried yet. Less expensive. Cons: School out. No hot tub in Solarium. Probability of Memorial Day traffic on the drive home is high (driving 8 hours). Edging closer to hurricane season.
So, throw me your feedback! I want to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly. Aaaaand GO!

I can hear my downstairs neighbour’s music in my walls - they kind of resonate a little and act as a giant speaker membrane, so while the sound isn’t exactly loud, it has a clear presence in the room. If you put your ear to the floor you can hear it as well, but the floor is 2x 5/8” OSB with 3/4” hardwood over top, so way more mass than the walls.
The wall is 1/2” drywall over studs; there’re is spray foam in the spaces between studs, but not a full 3 1/2” inches, so there’s about an. 1 1/2” ~ 2” of open air floor to ceiling in the stud bays. The wall plates sit over the OSB subfloor, and I can’t guarantee there aren’t air gaps to below, but I tried my best to seal them all when building.
My idea is do drill small holes for each stud bay maybe a foot above the floor, and spray in that rattle can “big stuff” foam. I’m hoping that cutting the air column in two will reduce the carrying / resonant effect.
I can’t seem to find anything conclusive googling around, thought I’d ask here. I wish I’d known about this when building, I would’ve used channels or clips or mlv, or even doubled up the drywall on that wall.