Peel and stick wallpaper borders lowe's

Me
~9 years of experience, extremely chad coder (trust me, for now)
I have issues focusing/working for anything longer than short bursts
Current job
Same client since 2020, at $20/hr.
What I like about this job: - It's no more restricting than a personal hobby project - I can work anytime, however much I want, do whatever I want, pick whatever tech, etc. - My reported work hours are not even monitored - I can skip working 2 weeks and nobody cares - They're seeking funding so their startup may explode with money and thus I get paid a promised ridiculously high hourly rate - My employer is very VERY helpful to me and has helped me a LOT on personal ends (like paid me an "advance payment" to lift me off imminent homelessness)
"LITERALLY SUFFERING" part:
This job pays $20/hr, and while that's ok-ish: - I moved to HCOL-ish area - My net worth is $0, not even a car or anything besides my computer. - ^ thus: Delayed payment can be literally lethal and fatal - Statistically, 8h of recorded work hours comes out to like 12h because I can never record in the 30 mins I spent at the toilet because, what's the border between "I decided to stop working now" and "I am still working but something interjected"? Too honest to record anything not me facing VS code - I have come to accept that I can NEVER (like no way) force myself to work a consistent, hight amount of work hours, and unfortunately, my 8h/day streaks and 0h/day streaks average out to like 2h/day overall
TL;DR: My job is sooooooooo good on every end, but I am grieving financially so, so bad.
My options
I have a couple of options:

1. Find a way (somehow?) to obliterate myself to work more hours (like 6h/day, which comes out to 9h/day allocated for work) consistently for months
   • Based on previous attempts, this has extremely low 🤏 probability of working
2. I know a person that can find me billion freelancing clients if I build a good portfolio (which I don't have because all of my work is private), no idea what this means?
3. I have a startup idea that I really, really think it would work out (because I worked for failures), but I am too broke to launch it, and there's ultra-rich competitors around that can eat my niche too quickly than I could manage with zero funds
4. I can try to seek a full-time job that's $80k-120k, but the commute is probably 1.5-2 hours roundtrip to the city, so that's 10 hours of "work" to get a consistent pay

I am mentally exploding and I feel like I want a full time job, but I feel like I am depriving myself from a billion benefits, to achieve ONE thing: - Consistent, higher pay
What do I do? Do I really have to give up ALL of the marvelous benefits I have to stop living in poverty? Do you guys have any other ideas about what I should do?
Like I am afraid to apply to a job and suddenly, SURPRISE SURPRISE, you forgot why a full time job is horrible because you've been freelancing for ages, and now you'll remember.

*this will be a very long post, so TLDR will be at the end.
Hi everyone! I’ve been planning on building a PC for a while now, and I’ve finally saved enough to pull the trigger. I’ve been gaming on an ASUS TUF laptop for the past 3 years (Ryzen 7 3750H, 1660Ti, 1.8TB HDD) but I think it’s time for a replacement. Modern games won’t run on my GPU’s measly 6GB of VRAM, and some of my favourite games now require having an SSD to keep up with UE5 updates. Even battlefield 1, a now 7 year old game is only able to run smoothly on low settings (and by smoothly I mean 60fps, 1080p)
My problem is that it’s my first time. I’m fairly confident in the building process, in part due to the Verge’s fantastic guide (kidding), I’m just not entirely confident in picking the parts. I’m a bit worried that I miss something and that two parts are incompatible, but im far more concerned about more difficult to spot issues like bottlenecks.
When getting the parts, I was envisioning a pretty sick build designed mostly for gaming. I want something that will last me the better part of a decade before I have to think about completely replacing it. I also wanted something that was (of course) able to run the newest games quite well. Visually speaking, I’m going for black all around with RGB mixed in, so that I can customize the secondary colour. Pretty straightforward.
Below I’m gonna outline the parts that I chose, and my thinking behind them.

1. GPU This is one that I’m not quite settled on. Originally, I was gonna spring for a 4080, but I’ve heard they aren’t great and I’m worried it won’t last too long before I need a new card. My alternate choice would be a 4090, and while definitely overkill, would last me that decade and is only $400 (CAD) more than the 4080. Keep in mind that most of the other components I’ve chosen were with the 4080 in mind.
   
2. CPU Keeping in mind the recent X3D disaster, I still decided to go for team red, just with a less combustible chip. After doing some research, the Ryzen 9 7900x seemed like a good choice.
   
3. Case I decided to go for the 4000d airflow case. I don’t want an absolutely massive or flashy case. It’s black, fits the parts I’m using (I think, please correct me if I’m wrong) and has good thermals
   
4. AIO As I mentioned before, I’m going for a black + RGB look. I’d like for the RGB to be all synced up, so the AIO and the next few components will all be iCUE compatible. I’m a little unsure about this as they’re pretty pricy, so please let me know if I’m getting ripped off. As for the cooler itself, I heard some pretty good things and it doesn’t quite cost me an arm and a leg, so I thought it’d be decent
   
5. Fans I went with Corsair’s iCUE ML120 RGB fans for the reasons mentioned above. They’re also magnetic levitation fans, which might not be a great idea, especially at such a high price.
   
6. Motherboard This is where I’m the most uncertain. I’ve heard from several people that motherboards don’t really affect performance, and that the best strategy is to just buy the cheapest compatible one. Nonetheless, I’m worried that my powerful CPU and GPU will be too much for my board to handle. The board in question is a $320 (CAD) GIGABYTE B650 Aorus motherboard. The socket matches the chip, the board is (supposedly) able to handle my DDR5 memory, and the PCI slot is 4.0, making it compatible with both my GPUs. Is there something I’m missing
   
7. PSU A late addition to the potential build, I went with the Corsair RM1000e PSU to handle the TDP of a 4090 (if I decide not to go with the 4090, I’m gonna downgrade it to an 850w). Outside of that, I chose this one because:
   
8. Corsair is a reputable brand
   
9. it’s 80+ gold rated
   
10. gives plenty of wiggle room
    
11. RAM Another area that I’m uncertain in, I decided to go with 2 sticks of Corsair vengeance 16GB DDR5 @5600mhz. I’ve heard that 32GB is now becoming a minimum with modern games. Due to this and rock bottom RAM prices, I’m considering going for 2x 32GB instead
    
12. Storage Finally, I decided to go with the 2TB WD BLACK SN850X M.2 SSD. 2TB should last me a few years, but once I fill it up it should be more than easy enough to add more storage.
    

I’d appreciate any and all feedback and tips. I’m very grateful for your help.
TLDR: I’m upgrading from my gaming laptop and building a new PC. I’d like some good performance, but my main goal is to have it last for a decade without bank busting major replacements My specs are - 4080/4090 haven’t decided which yet

Exfoliation is one of the most important steps of any skincare routine but still avoided by many people. The accumulated dead skin on your face may make your skin dull and lead to many skin issues. Simple washing your face with water or face wash isn’t enough to get rid of stubborn dead skin. Hence, experts recommend including a good natural face scrub at least twice a week helps to gently remove the dead cells, bring out the inner glow, make your skin radiant, and heal it from within.
However, there is a huge variety of products available in the market, and choosing the wrong product might worsen your skin. Hence, in this blog, we will share some helpful tips to choose the best face scrub, how to use a face scrub, and some recommended best face scrubs for glowing skin.
What exactly is exfoliation?
Exfoliation is a skin-care treatment in which dead skin cells are removed from the top layer of your skin. Exfoliation helps brighten your complexion by eliminating this layer of debris from your skin and allowing your skin-care products to penetrate deeper into your skin (making them perform better).
It may soften your skin and lessen your risk of acne because dead skin cells can gather and clog your pores. Exfoliation is especially beneficial as we age and cell turnover slows, as it keeps the process moving and stops the skin from looking lifeless.
What are the different types of exfoliation?
Mechanical exfoliation: When you use exfoliating tools like a washcloth or rotating brush or a face scrub cream to remove the dead skin from your face and provide clear bright skin.
According to some experts, the finer the particle, the better off you'll be because it's less abrasive.
Chemical exfoliators: In chemical exfoliators alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) or beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) are included to dissolve the sticky glue that keeps these cells together. Retinoids, according to skin experts, can also be termed exfoliants because they work to accelerate cell turnover.
The optimal exfoliation procedure for you is determined by your tastes as well as the type of skin you have (more on that later). However, dermatologists now recommend chemical exfoliation over mechanical methods, especially because scrubs have the potential to cause small tears in the skin.
How frequently should you exfoliate your skin?
Less is more, as a general rule. Always ensure to be gentle on your skin while exfoliating your skin to get a glowing face and avoid rubbing it harshly, it may damage your skin. The frequency with which you should exfoliate is determined by your skin type.
For sensitive skin: People with sensitive skin often have difficulty obtaining non-irritating facial skin-care products. Their skin frequently turns red and becomes irritated. If this describes you, experts recommend avoiding exfoliating entirely. If you must exfoliate, try a creamy cleanser with a low amount of glycolic acid once a week.
For oily skin: Those with oily skin may see a faint sheen on their face early in the day. And if you're prone to acne or feel like your pores are frequently clogged, this is usually a symptom of high sebum production, which is connected with oily skin. Use an AHA-based cleanser two to three times per week and a face peel pad once per week as part of your regimen. Alternatively, you could gradually increase your retinoid use every day.
Dermatologists recommend exfoliating twice a week with a retinoid or an AHA or BHA cleanser for normal to mixed skin.
Recommended Best Face Scrubs
Edelweiss Liquid Peel
Edelweiss Liquid Peel is filled with the goodness of 95% natural ingredients that gently cleanse your skin and remove the accumulated dead skin from your face. Edelweiss is known for its natural antioxidant properties due to the high concentration of leontopodic acid. It is an idle product for all skin types including sensitive skin and can be used by women of the 25-40 age group.
Vitamin C Glow-Revealing Liquid Peel
Vitamin C Glow-Revealing Liquid Peel is an amazing product by The Body Shop, that not only exfoliates your skin to bring out the lost glow but also nourishes your skin and provides it with the necessary nutrients to keep it healthy. This formula also keeps the pH level of your skin in check so that you won’t experience any irritation.

Hi everyone,
I know, this dreaded question. I am looking for advice regarding which cordless stick vacuum I could get. It wouldn’t be my main vacuum as I already own a corded bagged one which works well. However due to back pain and joint pain, sometimes it’s a hassle to connect disconnect, carry around to reach little corners.
This is why I started looking into a cordless stick vacuum that could do quick pick ups like crumbs from the bed and sofa, dust fluff on floor and dust on some surfaces like tables and such. At first I thought about a handheld one , the small ones but I might want to pick some things of the floor as well.
The floors are vynil floor, no carpet, around 60 sqm, no pets, and the house is quite full so something not bulky would be ideal. Also low weight due to the joint pain.
I looked into the LG a9 as recommended in other posts, but in the German market it’s around 900euros. Therefore I was leaning for a Dyson v8
Thank you 😊

First Previous Next Ko-fi
The stars, they tell a scattered story, a scattered story whose union is blinding, blinding.
Anonymous, Presumed to be Jojoh the poet.
Zahara cared about three things only, bloodshed, gore and decapitation. Nothing stirred her heart like the sound of a head hitting the ground after a solid swipe from her double scythe blades. She raised her sharp nose to the ceiling of the warship and let loose a silent curse. They'd confiscated her weapons and she'd forgotten to ask for them back. She felt a little hurt at the treatment she'd received from her sisters of the Solstice, and all for what? Simply because she wanted to charge the Prince Lewis's army on her own? What was the invalidity of that? Hadn't the short burly Tevorah done the same thing to a hero's welcome? What was so bad about her being the one to lead the charge? She eyed Honey Badger who sat on the captain chair, over him the screen showed the dark void of space and the stars scattered all about like disturbed specs of dust.
He sat sipping mead from a goblet formed of bone. Was it human bones? She wished it was but by the looks of it it appeared to be an animal's bone.
"So we find ourselves at another impasse," Honey was saying. "With nowhere to go or nowhere where we'd like to be."
"There's a place I'd like to be, back home on Earth. My wife's probably worried sick about me." Tweek said. Zahara eyed him, there was a weakness to the man's shoulders, a lack of solidity to his stance where he stood. If she was a betting woman and she did bet on matters of life and death, Tweek will be the first person to die if push came to shove. She looked forward to seeing how he'll die. Probably through evisceration, his guts pilling on the floor in a heep of gore. That would bring a smile to her face, the blue pink assembling of intestines always calmed her nerves. Look! She thought. Your insides are your outside now. She smiled to herself, her thin lips curling at either end.
"Your wife is with another man now." Juice said and placed a calming hand on Tweek's shoulder.
"Woaaa." Astro Boy said.
"That's a low blow even for you Juice." Honey Badger said.
"What? I'm just stating the obvious." Juice answered.
Tweek seemed to curl in on himself, he left his position from beside Juice and went to sit on the chair flanking Honey Badger.
Honey took a sip of the drink in hand. "Cheer up Tweek, I'm certain your wife is faithfully awaiting your return."
"No that's not it." Tweek said while hunched over his chair. "It's just that, ever since Pepsharh I can't remember how my wife looked like." He said and Honey sat up straighter in his chair. "I don't remember her face, all I see is Pepsharh. And as I sleep I even dream of her. I don't know what's wrong with me." He sighed. "My mind's broken."
Zahara knew all too well about broken minds. They claimed her own mind was broken due to some past trauma inflicted on her by her father and brother. So what if they touched her in a way that wasn't civilized? Wasn't everyone eventually touched in the same way? They'd claimed her mind to be broken when the Solstice army had marched through her village to find her sitting between the two decapitated heads of her father and brother. They'd taken her in, made her one of their own and even handed to her the scythe blades. Then they'd slowly pulled back when they saw what she could do with the blades in her first battle. Zahara smiled as she commemorated the look of shock on her sisters' faces as she left the battlefield drenched in blood from head to toe. None of it her own.
"Tweek, can you fight?" Astro Boy asked. Zahara turned to face Astro Boy, the copper skinned lad with eyes an even shade of green. Who did he think he was to ask someone such a direct question? Of course anyone can fight. When pushed to the very limits we all became monsters. She eyed him with contempt, she didn't like his wavy brown hair and hallow cheeks, the way he brushed at his robe everytime, an unnerving habit. If worse came to worst she wanted to be the first person to stab the bastard through the ear. Yes through the ear, see the blade come out the other end with specks of brain tissue coating it. That would give her a nice laugh. She smiled at the thought.
"Fight?" Tweek wondered. "I can throw a fist if that's what you're asking but I can't do the things Honey Badger and Juice can do."
Astro Boy nodded. "Your strength isn't in mortal combat, your strength is your ability to withstand mental augmentation, the most dangerous type of augmentation there is." Look at him blabbering on about things nobody asked him about. Zahara thought. Just like my father. She missed the weight she used to feel at either side while armed with her scythe blades. She'd have loved to dash forward towards the Adjunct to be and decapitate him, yes she could tell he was an Adjunct to be, who else wore green robes and had pompous air to him.
"The strongest mind augmented human is the sleeper of the second wave, the half celestial mortal who is always in a comatose state, his mind having left his body. He is the ruler of the Central star empire and the most powerful mind augmented person." The Droid intoned while hovering over Zahara's short stature. She hated to be startled and the thing had startled her good. It's lucky she didn't have her blades with her, she would have smashed it to smithereens.
"It's decided then, we go to the Central star empire, kill the Sleeper and destroy the empire." Honey Badger said while shaking the bone cup before him, swishing the liquid around.
"We can't portal to the Central star empire, they have transponder locations that zap you off course and into military bases. It's the most defended part of the empire because of the sleeper." Astro Boy said. He thinks he sounds so intelligent. The bastard. Zahara thought. For some reason she hadn't taken to the Adjunct to be, in fact she doubted she'd taken to any of them though their talk of destroying the empire stayed her hand. There's nothing as bloody as taking down an empire, she looked forward to seeing it done.
"We're currently in the West star empire right?" Astro Boy continued. "Our best course of action is to destroy the suitors then meet up with the Princesses at the East star empire who'll take you as Tevorah indeed, solidifying your title then we can head to the Central star empire for the inauguration ceremony."
"Inauguration?" Juice asked.
"Yes, you'll become emperors to be." Astro Boy concluded, all heads turned to focus on him.
"So you're saying that if we survive the suitors our reward is to become emperors?" Honey Badger asked. Zahara didn't care much for talk of becoming emperors. What she wanted is to drive a blade deep into a man's chest, watch him heave and exhale between bloody lips, to lean down close to the man's ear and whisper. 'Do you feel it? Your end?' That would be quite the thrill. So far she'd just been standing. She'd been standing in a cell and now she's standing on a ship. Not much thrill to standing, she liked it best when her limbs were in motion with blades attached to their end.
"It's decided then. We go for the ninth suitor from the West star empire." She jerked forward, she'd lost track of the conversation her mind focusing on death and now a conclusion had been met without her knowledge.
"Who is the ninth Suitor?" She asked aloud all heads turned to her.
"Didn't you hear the Droid?" Honey Badger asked. She felt like sticking her boot in his mouth as an answer but instead she shook her head from sided to side. "Kogi Tamara, King of the planet Qwatar."
"But isn't that the planet of wolves?" Zahara asked.
"Indeed it is. it's the planet with the most wolves and every wolf has been trained to obey Kogi's call." The Droid intoned.
"Well, we'll just have to cut off Kogi's tongue so he can't call." Honey said.
Zahara smiled a wide grin running from ear to ear. Tweek flinched at the sight of her saw like teeth.

People love to say Kaido mid diffs luffy current with zero argument and I call cap here’s my take:
Red scabbards we’re not a challenge for Kaido so there’s no point in really calling it detrimental towards the rooftop fight
Luffy zoro law kidd and killer were around first commander lvl and we all know anyone at that lvl gets either no - Low diffed
Team luffy was fighting Kaido and big mom but we’re losing so it’s not really a unfair fight between them in fact it would be unfair for team luffy considering it’s two yonkos and they could easily have gotten wiped out if Kaido and big mom wanted them to be especially that they weren’t using there powerups
Kaido and big mom main target was luffy they wanted to kill him first so he was catching them hands getting smacked tf out of easily
luffy went G4 to spam Kaido with Gatling gun because his base form and his G2/G3 attacks weren’t working on Kaido his attacks were to shallow even with his haki upgrade and luffy was the heavy hitter so not much really happened to Kaido from there attacks
The entire fight team luffy was getting there asses whooped the only actual significant damage we see was from zoro but he used asura his strongest attack infused with CoC and it scarred him all other attacks weren’t to bad for Kaido tho I do say he definitely was tired a little after the fight but not to much
Luffy then learns CoC haki and was clashing pretty good in base he was able to split the sky with base form and easily was able to tank kaidos thunder Baguas while zoro and law could barely handle it so it’s safe to assume luffy base CoC over law and zoro pre CoC/awakening I don’t think law or zoro could split the sky with Kaido even with awakening but it’s a stretch to say luffy base could beat them in base
Luffy was mostly trying to stick to base while fighting Kaido to reserve stamina and haki luffy was already tired of fighting Kaido pre CoC mostly because of spamming Gatling gun and he lost the fight but he didn’t go G4 the first time he got knocked out and we know that Kaido said he had poor use of CoC but we can say it was because he was gassed out
Luffy falls to the sea and was saved by law crew and had time to eat and talk to momo before going back up luffy knows the battle is going on so he would try to hurry back up I’d say he was down there for no more then 15 minutes during that time Yamato was only able to hold off Kaido but not do much damage when luffy got back up he was able to do a devastating blow against Kaido with Yamato after that he fights in base again but eventually is force into G4 CoC it must’ve been a high diff fight
The fight was going on for awhile but CP0 intervened and luffy nearly died for it but he came back a few moments later and was able to grab Kaido and end the fight extreme diff
Imo Kaido fought everyone but luffy wasn’t at full power from the start so it was very unfair for both sides but I’d give it to luffy extreme diff
If you think otherwise give your thoughts I’m not here to hate on Kaido I genuinely believe this tho

How can I stop cats from pooing in my flower beds?
I've read about orange peels, sticks and found electronic gimmicks online. But I'm looking for a real world solution here and thought this forum would know of a fail proof method.
Any suggestions welcome!
Thanks

Hi everyone! Posting this here to ask do guys still find short girls appealing?
Trying my luck on reddit to those who are willing to date and looking for a relationship. Let's get to know each other and let's see where it takes us.
About me:
• Currently a BS Psychology student
• March Pisces (if zodiacs are your thing)
• Shy type but can be very madaldal once we chika and vibe + I ask a lot of questions (random and about u)
• Sweet
• Medyo artsy
• From Pampanga and I study there too
• 5' and normal bmi(?)
• Can do long distance thing and low maintenance naman me kausap (tho I dislike being ghosted)
• plays a little bit of Valorant, cooking games sa Y8 hahaha and loves to mess with my sis' cat
• Hobbies: reading books, manga, watching anime, series and films. I paint and draw too. I love music (Taylor Swift, KPop, R&B, Hip hop, pati old but classic songs)
What I'm Looking for: (cute mo kung ikaw ito >.<)
• Single (nakamove on na kay ex)
• around 21 to 26
• normal bmi rin (not too muscular nor stick thin)
• Mabait
• Gentleman
• Sweet(?)
• Open minded
• Mahaba pasensya and low maintenance rin sana
• Matanong and machika rin (baka maubusan ako ng tatanungin o sasabihin ih and para chika tayo)
• plays games but not a requirement
• academically inclined or talented
• Can also do long distance thing (since I dont travel much)
Mmmm if you don't find it offensive, it would be nice if you're 5'8 to 6' (just my preference but either way it doesn't matter, short kings are still cute)
If you're interested, send a small introduction so we can get to know each other na agad and if comfy ka, send picture na rin and I'll send mine.
Xoxo

One year ago I made a post on here that I was going to make a change. I was 195ish lbs, 5’1 tall and miserable. I was depressed and so unhappy with my body.
I grew up with healthy & active parents. Played sports and did all the “right” things. But I loved food, always did & always will. I was always about ~5-10lbs overweight. As a teen/young adult I hung around 135lbs, a tad overweight for my height. I remember always dreaming of losing 10lbs but never could manage to drop even 5. I would basically starve myself then stop after a week and return to old habits. Those 10lbs I wanted to lose so desperately never came off. I was in a constant cycle of starving myself then binging between the ages of 19-22. Eventually down the road, I was diagnosed with PCOS and hypothyroidism, and despite being medicated, I figured the cards weren’t in my favor. I decided that I rather eat whatever I want, whenever I want, than be skinny. To me, the benefits of eating junk outweighed the benefits of being skinny. It felt freeing to be able to eat and to stop worrying. I threw away my scale, ate whatever I wanted, and it wasn’t long until I ballooned up to the obese category. At 25 years old. last year, I stepped onto the scale for the first time and almost cried when I realized I was so close to 200lbs.
But me thinking it wasn’t possible was a cop out. Truth be told, I just didn’t think I had it in me. I was never the kind of person that could stick with a routine. I wasn’t disciplined. I didn’t think I had it in me to lose weight long term and more importantly, to stop binging.
But last year, I hit my rock bottom. I felt hopeless. I sheltered myself away from friends & family in embarrassment. I was more depressed than ever, and I knew I had to do something. So I set a goal of 135lbs - the weight I hated as a teenage young adult, but because I maintained this weight so long, I figured it would be possible.
And I hit that goal plus some! Today I stand at 125-127lbs. In the healthy BMI range for the first time ever. My new goal is the 115-120 ish and plan to maintain that hopefully for as long as I can. These last 10 or so pounds are going to take time, and my focus now is more so on fitness goals / nutrition goals paired with a very small deficit.
It was quite the journey. I could go on & on about what I did but I think the most important thing is to do what’s right for you and that in order to be successful you need to want it and be willing to ditch the lifestyle that made you overweight to begin with. Weight loss is all about calories in & calories out, it’s simple in theory but extremely difficult to execute. There are so many different ways to do this - weight watchers, keto, fasting, OMAD, counting calories, exercising more, etc. for me personally, I found the best way was to count calories. So I bought a food scale and religiously counted every calorie that went into me. At the start, I completely disregarded the healthiness of the food. If it was hot Cheetos, ice cream, French fries, a burger - so be it. As long as I ate under my goal, I was happy.
Down the road of my journey, I realized I liked eating volume. Because of this, I started to eat a lot more vegetables and healthier food to the get the “most food” out of the least amount of calories. Now, I really see the importance of fueling your body with all the nutrients it needs, so I now also focus on making sure I get enough vegetables, fruits, protein, healthy fats, etc.
Once I got from obese to overweight, around the 150lb mark, I realized I had a lot more energy and started working out. For the first 40lbs, I didn’t exercise AT ALL besides the days I work in which I’m on my feet. At first, it was just walking for 20 minutes on an incline on a treadmill, it was all I felt like doing. Eventually i started jogging, and now most recently, I added in weight lifting. I now work out 5 days a week, but not to lose weight - more so for enjoyment. It became a real stress reliever and hobby. I LOVE running and just finished a 5k (3 miles) in 25 minutes!! A year ago i couldn’t even jog for 15 seconds. I love to focus on my fitness goals now more so than the scale.
I still count my calories every day, but like everyone preaches on here, counting calories gets so much easier with time. It really is tedious at first, I can’t stress that enough. But once I got in the groove I realize I really only eat the same ~25 ish things and have everything pretty much memorized at this point. Sometimes I don’t even have to log my stuff because I can keep track all in my head. In the past, I stayed away from counting calories because I was worried it would be triggering as someone who had bad eating habits as a teen. But every-time I would diet without counting, I would heavily restrict to very low calories which would lead to me stopping the diet all together less than a week later. With counting calories, I not only make sure I eat “enough” but I also make sure I don’t eat too much. At the start of weight loss, a big part of me just wanted to cut everything out. But this time around I ate until I reached my calorie goal every day. It really did help me and wasn’t as triggering as I thought it would be, and eating at a realistic goal isn’t as hard as I thought it would be.
I have taken a few maintenance breaks as well. It’s hard staying on a deficit for so long. I hung out at around 150lbs for 2 months just because I didn’t have it in me to cut with vacations. I had particular weeks where I gained because of events and life is to short to miss those, imo. but I don’t see that as “falling behind”. I just got right back on the wagon. It all balances out. Consistency is key, but what’s most important is patience. If you do the right thing more than >50% of the time then results will come.
Everyone asks about my “diet” and I always reiterate that I am not on a diet. This is a lifestyle change, a change i plan on doing forever. I will never go back to my old ways of eating, because I would simply go back to being obese.
Anyways, this is getting super long but I’m super proud of proud of myself and wanted to share. I can’t wait to continue my journey and I hope others who read this will be motivated to continue theirs. It’s different for everyone. It’s not a one size fits all. A big thank you to this community for helping me start and giving me the resources to begin such as the TDEE website, buying a food scale, etc.

As the title mentions I'm an advanced-novella RPer looking for GMs or offering myself as a GM for various text-based RPs. I've provided a sample down below and will ask the same of anybody that reaches out. Outside of writing I tend to spend most of my time on games like Knights of the Old Republic 2, New Vegas, and, indeed, the Hobocop Game. I'm an Associate at Amazon with an otherwise unimpressive social life, occasionally leaving the house to play WH40K Tabletop.
Discord is more-or-less required for me to be interested; sample incoming.

The boar is not dead, though to all the other hunters’ senses it is. It lays motionless on its side within the sled, tied down by rope with two arrows sticking discordantly out of its hide like seams of broken bone. Frozen blood pools in the cracked stomach of the sled, collecting rather than leaking now that red ice has sealed the wood. Poison leaching out of the arrowheads keeps the boar docile, and its breathing so light that only Trapper can see. An ovate in too-thin robes shivers as she ties a garland of rosemary around the beast’s neck, murmuring prayers to the ancestors that they might find the kill worthy.
Winter has seized the land in its vise, its unending waves of cold and snow having transformed the Barony of Marlas into a crueler scape, one Trapper doesn’t quite recognize. Tranquility abounds along the driven snow, all through the clearing, hiding the buried world and the woes of man but unable to snuff them out. Trapper knows well what a mirage it is, the oppressive winters of his homeland no less savage than the bloodletting summers. The numbing cold does not soothe his aches, for he knows they’ll be worse come morning, come the thaw. Too soon this clearing will melt, its river gone from white to red, the whole Septima Line thrust back to war.
Baron Orys refuses to yield to midnight season, to accept its peace, and so from his great warhorse’s saddle he brazenly belts out a mixture of drunken lyrics and commands, determined to master this hunt even if he does not partake. An entourage on horseback spreads out in his orbit, ranging from eager young footmen to grizzled junkers, all in varying states of inebriation at his command. Their braying is nearly louder than the hounds’, who hungrily stalk between the sled and the hole they pulled the boar out from. Teased by the hunt but yet unrewarded, they’re too unruly to be kept in check by the kennel master.
On foot slog the unfortunates who actually have to take part in the hunt, Trapper among them. They huddle into their hemp canvas cloaks, glancing up at the moody afternoon sky threatening to crack open with another snowstorm. Dark clouds sweep in low from the south like a riptide, a single vast current swept in from the mountains already menacing the Oldwoods. Its furthest gales reach them as tongues of vengeful cold, flecks of whipped-up snow biting into Trapper’s exposed skin.
By the boar’s nest leans a typical Mallean, one of Trapper’s two erstwhile comrades. Sigorn is tall, pale, broad, with the close-set, wide-boned features of a commoner, and a shock of red hair grown out to protect against the elements. Beneath his cloak he proudly bears his blood-flecked armor, each dent a Darkman put into it a point of dear pride. He’s not the only one, either, the clearing filled with dozens of youths whose first blooding ended in victory amid a blizzard. Baron Orys, deep into his cups after six days of nonstop celebration, saw a break in the storms and gladly called a hunt. When informed he could not go on account of his shattered knee - he simply grinned, and ordered himself tied to his saddle.
Trapper remembers the moment his lord fell from the saddle, burned into his nerves. The screaming of horses, skidding hooves catching on the frozen ground. On the edges of his vision a rider smashes into a branch in the din, others don’t move at all for fear of the blizzard. His spurs dig, his borrowed steed whines, and he races for his lord - only for another to reach him first.
“What a woman.” Sigorn sighs beside Trapper, craning his neck to look at one of their lord’s companions of honor. Susannah Oye, junker unlike the others, a pretty, willowy noblewoman well into motherhood, with the lean, ruthless look of a ranger. Her two poisoned arrows are what struck the boar down, and her pride curls off her body like steam. Sigorn’s face cracks into exaggerated appreciation, and then he turns to their lord’s other honored companion. Another woman, this one as young as they are, haughtily-built and leering with none of Susannah’s refinement. Many of those looks are reserved for Trapper, forced to slog on foot as just another hunter. “Anya too. I think she fancies you, eh?”

​

This has been long overdue. I should have made a post like this back in August or September last year but no matter. For more than a year, I have worked on creating a new thought cabinet for Harry Du Bois. This thought cabinet concerns itself with his life after completing The Hanged Man case in Martinaise. I hope this won't be striked under copyright laws(I have only used plot of DE as a helping hand and some references from movies) Hope you will enjoy:

Thought	Temporary Research Bounus	Bonuses From The Thought	Research Time
An Inquiry Into Failed Marriages	-1 Composure, -1 Volition	+1 Volition	3 h 30 min
Another Low	+2 Conceptualization, +1 Authority	-2 Volition, +1 Electrochemistry, All white checks unlocked	4 h
Apocalypse comes to the Republic of Mesque	None	+2 Savoir Faire, +1 Conceptualization	1h 30 min
Bane of the evil cop	-2 Shivers, +1 Empathy	-2 Authority, -2 Esprit De Corps, Using Harbsting-Wowshi crossbow as a weapon gives +2 Hand/Eye Coordination	4 h
Betrayal of Park Bolton	-1 Volition, -1 Endurance, -5 Electrochemistry, -2 Savoir Faire	-2 Esprit De Corps, +2 Electrochemistry, Regretting about not having money to buy energy pills gives +1 reál	5 h
Bumping into A Krista Onze	-1 Composure, -2 Encyclopaedia	+2 Encyclopaedia, -6 Composure	1 h 15 min
Coal City Street Fight	-1 Shivers	+2 Pain Threshold, -1 Authority	8 h
Charismatic dissenter	+1 Rhetoric, -1 Authority, -1 Electrochemistry	+1 Authority, +1 Endurance	12 h
COOKIES, MORPHINE AND KLEPTOMANIA	None	-1 Volition, -3 Composure	1 h
Disolvent Agents	-1 Rhetoric, -1 Drama	Elitist dialogue options damages -1 Morale and gives +10 XP, You won't hear anything in the vicinity of songs that you don't approve of, Perception (Hearing) permanently hampered	9 h
Don't take things for granted	None	+2 Conceptualization, +1 Savoir Faire	1 h 10 min
Enquire, investigate and take action	-1 Volition, -2 Empathy	All White Checks Unlocked, +1 Volition, +1 Authority	5 h 15 min
Extreme Measures	+2 Endurance	+1 Authority, +1 Endurance, +2 Pain Threshold	2 h
Famously Famous	+1 Savoir Faire, -1 Composure	+1 Half-Light, +2 Shivers	1 h
Financial Blunder	-1 Drama, -2 Authority, -1 Perception	+2 Empathy, +1 Authority	5 h 45 min
Foreign Songs	-2 Rhetoric, -1 Conceptualization, -1 Endurance, Cannot enter the place of investigation with all this auditory torture playing out loud	+2 Volition, +1 Perception, You can now listen to songs from all around the world without fainting	1 h 14 min
HEALTH THEORY AND ITS EXCEPTIONS	+3 Inland Empire	Talking about health theory heals +1 damage, +1 Rhetoric	25 min
Horroshow	-2 Volition	+1 Empathy, +1 Pain Threshold	1 h
Incense Stick Monster	-1 Pain Threshold, +1 Perception, -1 Savoir Faire	FYS learning cap raised to 5, Passive Perception gives +15 XP	3 h
Leave Revachol	-1 Logic, -1 Rhetoric	+2 Empathy	1 h 20 min
Lick Of The Lockpicker	-1 Endurance, +2 Electrochemistry	Lickpicking damages -2 health and give +4 XP, +3 Empathy, -2 Esprit De Corps	4 h
Marcus Morbid Massacre	+2 Drama	+3 Drama, -1 Conceptualization, Dialogues causing laughter heals +1 Morale	40 min
Misery Begins	+2 Authority, -1 Encyclopaedia	+3 Authority, +1 Conceptualization	4 hours
Never have and never will	-2 Logic, -2 Composure	+1 Rhetoric	6 h 30 min
New station of life	-2 Volition, -1 Endurance	-2 Empathy, +1 Shivers	7 h 35 min
Physician's guild of cancerous misconception and bad faith	-2 Encyclopaedia	+1 Rhetoric	8 h
Richter Scale: 7.5	+3 Conceptualization, +1 Volition	-1 Rhetoric, -1 Volition, expressing gratitude for how luck you are heals damage	3 h
Rigorous Self-critique(complete revision)	+1 Volition, +2 Pain Threshold, +1 Composure	VOLITION passives heal +1 Morale, -1 Rhetoric, All white checks are unlocked now	1 h 15 min
Samaran Shears	-2 Volition, -3 Esprit De Corps	+2 Rhetoric, -2 Volition	4 h
Sin of Inconsistency	-4 Composure, Drama passive gives +5 XP	+1 Volition, +1 Empathy, +1 Esprit De Corps	72 h
Storming of RCM	+1 Drama	+1 Conceptualization, +1 Empathy	2 h
Victory Song	+1 Physical Instrument, -2 Savoir Faire	-3 Volition, +1 Savoir Faire	1 h 30 min
Who lives on the stars beyond Aries?	+3 Conceptualization	+1 Inland Empire, -2 Suggestion	2 h 5 min
Worm of liberation	-2 Volition	Drama passive heals +1 Morale	+3 Conceptualization, -1 Volition
Yearning For a Normal Life	-2 Drama, +1 Reaction Speed	-4 Drama, -1 Suggestion, +2 Reaction Speed, Reaction Speed base learning cap raised to 6	4 h 5 min

Yesterday, I had a meeting with an ASC advisor about which math course I should take during my freshman semester in autumn 2023, considering my previous experience with calculus in high school. The advisor gave me two options: Calculus 3 or Honors Analysis 1. The recommendation is not final, but I need to select my schedule next week during orientation. Currently, I am a Pre-CSE major, but I might switch to ECE depending on how my first couple of semesters go and which major accepts me when I apply.
Based on what I know about MATH 2153, it seems to be a relatively "easier" class that doesn't aim to weed out students like the earlier parts of the Calculus sequence. The ASC advisor agrees with this and suggested that I complete the traditional Calculus sequence instead of the engineering sequence because it would allow me to take a separate Linear Algebra and Differential Equations course instead of their engineering equivalents.
On the other hand, it appears that MATH 4181H is generally disliked due to its heavy workload. However, the advisor did a good job of selling the course to me. I like the idea of having a peer mentor, the fact that it doesn't require an ASC honors contract is appealing, she gave this example of a student who works in AI development who credits the honors sequence for opening the path, and that it might helps with my aspirations for grad school. The advisor even sent me the textbook by Spivak, and while I feel confident about solving many of the questions, other Reddit posts emphasize the difficulty of the course, which I don't doubt—after all, it is an honors math course at the college level.
While I am confident in my math skills, it seems that MATH 4181H might not care about that. I will try to study from the textbook, but there's only so much I can do before classes start and my early arrival program begins. It's important for me to maintain a GPA of 3.0 to retain my Morrill Scholarship and some outside scholarships that make my education free, which is kinda important for a low-income student. I don't want to risk losing those opportunities because I chose to take a math course that I didn't necessarily need.
I know I should discuss this with my advisor when I meet them next week, but I honestly have no idea how MATH 4181H would count toward my degree. On the other hand, MATH 2153 would easily fit into my CSE degree as an elective credit, fulfilling two requirements. It seems that MATH 4181H is mostly taken by Math/Physics majors, but that's because most engineering majors follow the College of Engineering's math progression. Since I already plan not to stick to the typical engineering math path and have the existing credit that I do, I don't have many people to talk to about this.
It doesn't seem like a lot of people are in this dilema and I want to hear what upperclassmen would generally recommend, especially if they are engineering.
TL;DR: I met with an ASC advisor to discuss my math course options for freshman semester. I can choose between Calculus 3 and Honors Analysis 1. While Calculus 3 (MATH 2153) is considered "easier" and aligns with my CSE degree, the advisor recommended completing the traditional Calculus sequence for flexibility. Honors Analysis 1 (MATH 4181H) has a heavy workload but offers a peer mentor, no ASC honors contract, and potential benefits for grad school. What would you upperclassment recommend taking?

.357 SIG (or 9x22mm) may not have set the handgun world on fire quite the way Federal and SIG Sauer wanted it to, but that wasn’t necessarily the round’s fault. Since its introduction nearly 30 years ago, it has gained a niche but loyal following and proven itself to be a worthy defensive cartridge.
Of course, as with any round, high-quality, purpose-built defensive ammo makes a world of difference compared to standard target ammo, so it’s important to run something you can depend on when you need it most.
The best .357 SIG defense ammo is the 125gr Speer Gold Dot GDHP Hollow Points.
Still, there are a host of other options out there worth considering as well, especially if you like to experiment with your carry ammo to find the best possible fit for you and your gun.

Best .357 Sig Ammo for Self Defense

• Speer Gold Dot 125gr GDHP - Best Overall
• Federal Personal Defense HST 125gr Jacketed Hollow Point - Law Enforcement Favorite
• Federal Premium 125gr Jacketed Hollow Point - Best Value

Speer Gold Dot 125gr GDHP - Best Overall

Specs

• Bullet Type: Gold Dot Jacketed Hollow Point
• Bullet Weight: 125gr
• Muzzle Velocity: 1375fps
• Muzzle Energy: 525ft-lbs
• Casing Type: Nickel-Plated Brass

Pros

• Proven track record in law enforcement use
• Nickel-plated casing for more reliable function in semi-auto handguns than brass cases
• Very high muzzle velocity for consistent penetration and expansion
• Meets or exceeds FBI penetration standards

Cons

• More expensive than other similar options like Speer Lawman
• Hard to find in stock at times

Why We Chose It

Speer Gold Dot Hollow Points are one of the premier hollow point options out there and have proven themselves in the hands of state and federal law enforcement for decades now.
This .357 SIG ammo functioned reliably in every semi-automatic handgun we tested, including in my own Glock 32 concealed carry and a SIG P229 Nitron.
These 125-grain JHPs pass the FBI’s penetration test in ballistics gel, and the stellar Gold Dot design provides extremely uniform and consistent expansion.
The Uni-Cor bonding method and pressure-formed projectile core ensure the copper jacket and lead core stay together and don’t separate when passing through a hard barrier.
At 525ft.-lbs of energy, this is also one of the most powerful .357 SIG cartridges on shelves right now.

Other .357 SIG Ammunition Recommendations for Defense

Federal Personal Defense HST 125gr Jacketed Hollow Point

Specs

• Bullet Type: Federal HST Jacketed Hollow Point
• Bullet Weight: 125gr
• Muzzle Velocity: 1360fps
• Muzzle Energy: 513ft-lbs
• Casing Type: Nickel-Plated Brass

Pros

• Ideal penetration in ballistics testing
• Proven HST hollow point design
• Used by multiple state law enforcement agencies, as well as federal agencies abroad
• Lightest recoil on our list

Cons

• Expensive
• HST Hollow point expands less consistently after passing through a hard surface like a windshield

Why We Chose It

Federal’s HST hollow point design is another proven contender in the world of defensive ammunition. This high-velocity ammo is nickel-plated for reliable feeding and features sealed primers for stellar function in adverse conditions (or if you’ve left your ammo loaded in your mag a little long).
The HST bullet is designed to maintain mass as it travels through soft tissue while still expanding reliably to cause sufficient wounding and prevent overpenetration. In testing, it maintained the most mass after full penetration of any round on this list.
That means that when the round gets to where it’s going, it’s still mostly intact and transferred more of its energy to the target (a gel block in this case) while expanding. Like our top pick, it meets FBI penetration test standards and is used by numerous state-level police agencies and investigation bureaus.

Federal Premium Law Enforcement 125gr JHP

Specs

• Bullet Type: HST Jacketed Hollow Point
• Bullet Weight: 125gr
• Muzzle Velocity: 1360 fps
• Muzzle Energy: 513ft-lbs
• Casing Type: Nickel-Plated Brass/ Plain Brass

Pros

• Similar performance to Personal Defense line above
• Much more affordable than other premium hollow points
• Available in bulk

Cons

• Hard to find the nickel-plated variety
• Typically only available in 50rd+ boxes

Why We Chose It

It’s never a good idea to be too cheap when it comes to your self-defense ammo, but Federal has still got the misers among us covered with their SIG .357 Law Enforcement 125gr JHP ammo.
This stuff is very similar to the more expensive Personal Defense line above and provides the same bullet moving at the same velocity (and thus with the same energy). It has proven extremely reliable in our testing and works great in most common .357 SIG handguns.
The downside is it’s hard to find in the nickel-plated casings, so you’re left with the more corrosion-prone brass cases most of the time. Is that a problem for most people? Maybe, maybe not. Just make sure you’re checking your carry ammo occasionally, and you’ll be fine.
Other than that, it can be hard to find in 20-rd boxes, so you might occasionally need to buy 50+rd boxes but…I find it difficult to call having more ammo a bad thing.

Honorable Mentions

There are a few other options that we either haven’t tested in a wide enough variety of guns yet or that we’re just waiting on manufacturers to restock. These are rounds that I personally trust, from manufacturers with a reputation for quality. I’d carry any of these (and have in some cases).
Hornady Critical Duty .357 SIG 135 Grain FlexLock: A solid performer that features Hornady’s no-clog Flex-Tip projectile that is designed to better deal with thick clothing, plus an InterLock band that helps keep the projectile intact for maximum penetration and expansion.
It also passes all FBI ammunition tests, is nickel-plated for more reliable feeding, and uses proprietary powder formulations to reduce muzzle flash.
Underwood Ammo .357 SIG 147 Grain Jacketed Hollow Point: A great option that uses Hornady’s excellent (and field-proven) XTP hollow point coupled with a nickel-plated case for reliable feeding and ejection. Also uses low-flash powder to preserve vision when shooting in dark environments.
Winchester Defender 125gr Bonded JHP: Winchester’s proven bonded jacketed hollow point design has passed every FBI penetration test and evaluation protocol and is in use by multiple State police departments and federal organizations. It has a proven track record in the field and is a good value as well.
Remington Golden Saber 125gr JHP: Another law-enforcement favorite, Remington’s Golden Saber line is a great option that functions well, and won’t break the bank. This is a notable step up in performance from say, Remington’s UMC line, and is perfect for self/home defense.
Fiocchi 124gr FMJ-TC: This one is a little bit different in that it isn’t a hollow point at all and shouldn’t be used for defensive purposes. Why is it on our list, then? Because it is an affordable flat-nosed training bullet. It leaves very clear holes in paper targets and is perfect for competition scoring.
If you’re looking to shoot something like an IDPA or USPSA match with your chosen carry gun, pick up some of this stuff instead of shooting the much more expensive hollow points to ring steel and punch paper.

Buyer’s Guide: The Importance of Selecting the Right Defensive Ammo (.357 SIG or Otherwise)

When it comes to choosing defensive ammo, there are a few things to keep in mind. At the end of the day, you’re carrying this ammo in case you need to stop a threat in a life-or-death situation, and that means your ammo absolutely cannot be found wanting.
When looking at defensive ammo in general, the main things to look for are reliability, penetration, and expansion.
You need ammo that is going to function reliably in your gun, and you need to know that it is going to penetrate deep enough to do its job. Expanding ammo is also a must in order to cause a significant enough wound to stop a threat with a handgun.
The .357 SIG may have been intended to mimic the .357 Magnum when fired from a semi-auto handgun, but that doesn’t mean you can skimp and shoot a typical target FMJ instead of a purpose-built defense round and expect to stop a threat reliably.
You also need something that is controllable, and .357 SIG definitely is that. If you’re used to something like .45 ACP or 10mm, this will be a cakewalk. It’s a touch more recoil than a 9mm and about on par with .40 S&W.

Factors to Consider when Selecting .357 Sig Self-Defense Ammo

Choosing a .357 SIG round for carry means picking something that is going to expand consistently, defeat barriers like thick clothing or the arm of an assailant, and still penetrate deeply enough to cause significant trauma to a vital organ.
That means the ammunition we choose needs to be a high-quality controlled-expansion hollow point that penetrates 12”-18” in ballistics media.
Why that distance?
That range is the ideal range to make sure you get enough penetration when striking a human attacker to go through an arm, thick clothing, or something like a windshield or car door (both of which are more of a police issue than a civilian issue) and still have enough energy to reach a vital organ.
Why is there an upper range? Because if a bullet over-penetrates, you risk striking an innocent bystander, and at best, you’re wasting energy. We want a bullet that expends all of its energy on the assailant, not the wall behind them.
Let’s take a look at the types of bullets that can provide this type of performance.

Types of .357 Sig Defense Ammunition: Bullet Types Explained

Full metal jacket (FMJ): FMJ rounds consist of a lead bullet with a (usually) copper coating around the exposed lead. This creates a projectile that holds its shape as it strikes a soft surface. These rounds are very affordable and great for target shooting.
However, since they don’t expand when striking a soft surface, they’re not ideal for self-defense.
Total Metal Jacket (TMJ): TMJ rounds are similar but feature a copper coating on the rear of the bullet to completely enclose the lead projectile. This is ideal for indoor range shooting as it lowers lead exposure and is required in some cases. They’re still not ideal for self-defense.
Jacketed Hollow Point (JHP): A jacketed hollow point is the preferred carry round of almost all police and law enforcement agencies. These rounds feature a copper-wrapped lead projectile, just like the two choices above.
However, these rounds have a hollow nose, which causes the round to mushroom open to almost twice its initial diameter when striking a soft surface. This effectively turns a .357 caliber projectile into a .70+ caliber projectile after it hits an assailant.
This makes them much more effective at stopping a human threat and also keeps them from over-penetrating and thereby wasting their energy on something you don’t want to put a hole in, like your apartment wall or an innocent bystander.
Solid-Copper Hollow Point (SCHP): A solid-copper hollow point is exactly what it sounds like. These rounds are more expensive and rare in the .357 SIG space, but companies like Buffalo Bore do make them. These hollow points penetrate more than is strictly necessary for a human-sized threat and are more intended for dealing with large game animals.

How to Test 357 Sig Defense Ammo

When you’re testing any defensive ammo, as long as you’re going with an expanding projectile from a reputable name in the industry, you don’t really need to break out the ballistics gel yourself. Chances are, somebody online has already done that testing for you.
What neither I nor anyone else on the internet can do for you is test your chosen defensive ammo in your gun.
Defensive firearms have gotten a lot less picky about bullet weights and projectile profiles over the years, but it’s still important that you take your ammo to the range and test it extensively. I personally go through about three or four boxes or so of my chosen ammo each time to make sure it functions reliably in a new gun.
I know that’s expensive, but I’d rather know my ammo works. At the bare minimum, shoot a couple of full mags at real-world distances. Pick a handgun self-defense drill and run through it a few times to make sure your gun will cycle your chosen ammo well.

Real-World Effectiveness of .357 SIG Defense Ammo

Despite the seeming lack of popularity of the .357 SIG, it’s still proven itself in real-world use by major state and federal law enforcement agencies.
On the state side of things, the Texas Hwy Patrol and the state police forces of Delaware, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Virginia have all used .357 SIG duty weapons.
On the federal side, the Secret Service, Bureau of Industry and Security, Air Marshals, Customs and Border Patrol, and FBI have all used .357 SIG as well.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between 9x22mm ammo and .357 sig ammo?

There is no difference between 9x22mm ammo and .357 Sig ammo. They are the same rounds.

Is the 357 sig too much for self-defense?

No, the 357 Sig is not too much for self-defense.

Can you use the 357 sig for home defense?

Yes, you can use the 357 Sig for home defense.

Is 357 SIG a good defensive round?

Yes, 357 Sig is a good defensive round. Even though it’s not the most popular caliber, it’s more than capable of stopping a threat.

Parting Shots

.357 Sig is a great option for self-defense, with a lot of great factory ammo options available that will help keep you and your loved ones safe. The round may be a bit niche, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t effective, and the ammo we’ve discussed here definitely proves that.
With the best .357 Sig defense ammo, you should feel confident with wielding a SIG .357 in defense of hearth and home, and you’ll have the bonus of probably being the only one of your buddies to carry one.
For more info, check out our complete list of .357 SIG ammo, or check out our in-depth comparison of .357 SIG and 9mm to see how this slightly niche round stands up to the self-defense king. We also have more info on this great round and how to choose the perfect ammo below.
.357 SIG Defensive Ammo: Effective and Underrated originally appeared on Ammo.com

Welcome to our weekly No/Low Buy Thread! This is where we talk about keeping things minimal, resisting impulse buys, and making conscientious skincare purchases.
Suggested topics include:

• What I'm Not Buying: Resisted an impulse buy? Decided against a purchase? Tell us about it!
  
• Talk Me Out Of (TMO): Feeling the urge to buy something you don't need? Let us talk you out of it!
  
• What's In My Stash: What do you already have lying around that you might be able to use in lieu of a new product? How could you meet a skincare need/want using something you already have?
  
• Reflection: How's your routine doing at the moment? How are you feeling about your no/low-buy trajectory right now? Has anything made it especially difficult or easy to stick to no/low-buy recently?
  
• Use It Up: What are you trying to use up while you're going low/no buy? How's it going so far? Are you struggling to use up anything in your stash?
  

Please remember to follow subreddit rules and practice good Reddiquette.
If you have any feedback on what you would like to see in this sub, shoot it through to Mod Mail.

My commute is 99% motorway. 52 mile round trip with 2 miles of dual carriageway at my end and 1 mile of single at the work end. Currently I've got a 2011 1 Series that averages mpg in the low 50's. People say that's pretty good, but considering the amount of motorway miles it does and that I pretty much stick to 60 mph I've always thought it could do better. This was confirmed to me as I just handed back a 69 plate A Class courtesy car that averaged mpg in the low 80s doing the exact same journey. I've wanted a newer car for a while but knowing this has pretty much decided things.
I'm guessing a diesel is still the right choice for me? I doubt I'd benefit from a hybrid as it would never get the opportunity to charge and these mild hybrid and ecoboost petrol engines still won't reach 80+ mpg?
To add: the car is purely to get to work. Anything else is done in the family car. Also I live in a terraced main road house with no driveway so EV isn't an option.

Dragon Ball GT power scale (super 17 arc)
Cool picture (don't click)
Hello everyone, this is an continuation of my previous scale on the Black Star and Baby Sagas of the infamous Dragon ball GT, I suggest you see my previous scale for the scaling chain in this one to make sense. Also I tried really hard to keep the numbers low, which was sadly not possible with this scale.
Here is the link to the previous scale
Bsg stands for buu saga Goku, it's referring to his base form. He is basically the measuring stick in this scale, let's begin.
It's been an year since the events of the baby saga, Goku goes to a tournament, loses to a kid because of Vegeta or that kid was ridiculously strong, then after a bitter defeat Goku calls it a day and goes home. Then they have a party at Goku's house but suddenly trunks arrives heavily injured and tell the group that android 17 attacked him. Then rifts in space time appear thus opening gates of hell and the old villians invade. Then Goku thinks going to literal hell is a good idea and goes there for a "GoOD FiGhT", then gets stuck. Imao. Z fighters fend off the villans in the meantime.
Goku in hell does a very ridiculous feat, he shakes all of hell by powering up in base. This is atleast a uni+ feat due to hell being an space time continuum, this basically confirms that characters in GT are atleast uni+. Also I would like to point out one think, some people say GT scales to the movies, which is wrong. Toriyama has stated that the movies take place in an different dimension, if you don't believe that the writer of the original dbz movies says the same.
The movies have their own seperate continuity and feats, so cross scaling is nonsensical. If you are gonna use the cooler as an argument, you would first have to prove it's the same cooler as the movies. That's just how continuity works.
During this Android 17 becomes evil and kills krillin, also he was the one to beat up trunks, so he's atleast 20,000x bsg as trunks was atleast comparable to pre baby arc ssj Goku in his ssj form. Then hell fighter 17 arrives to fight the z fighters, but isn't much in comparison to them, specially Vegeta.
Then both hell fighter 17 and android 17 fuse into super 17, this character's gimmick is that he can absorb energy and add to his power. Super 17 wasn't even flinching from majuub's attacks so 2x majuub here, this should makes him 409,600,000x bsg. Ssj Vegeta is around the same level as majuub, so he's 204,800,00x bsg and 4,096,000x BSG in base. So he's 6.4 stronger then base baby Vegeta and 10,240x his original base (400x bsg).
As super 17 is destroying the z fighters, Goku arrives and goes SSJ, then punches 17 across the planet. Here they are almost equals but 17 is slightly stronger, so I put him at 1.25 SSJ Goku. This puts SSJ Goku at 327,680,000x bsg and base Goku at 6,553,600x BSG. Goku then decides to go SSJ4 and starts spamming ki blasts at someone, who absorbs them, they say this guy is the smartest Goku. Ssj4 Goku here is 5,905,580,032,000,000x BSG or 5.905 quadrillion x BSG. Also Goku's normal Ssj4 is now super full power saiyan 4, so it has the same multiplier as it.
Goku realising it's not enough, decides it's a good decision to hit someone who absorbs his attacks with his strongest attack, ofcourse this goes as you expect. Goku with kamehama 10x is 129,922,760,704,000,000x bsg or 129.9 quadrillion x BSG, trust me I am not inflating these numbers. Super 17 eats this attack and adds it to his own, making S17 on the same level as the attack and 22x SSJ4.
S17 obviously destroys Goku here and is toying with him, s17 is strong in fact he smacks Goku mid teleportation. That's possibly a inaccessible speed feat, Goku realising there is no way to beat him then grabs 17 and threatens to explode like he's a suicide bomber, 17 thinks it's a bluff but Goku actually fucking explodes. This isn't enough to kill Goku but it does severely weaken him, so much he states he can't even move finger. This explosion does nothing to 17 because he used his barrier at the last second.
Then 18 appears, enraged about her husband's death, she mocks 17 for being controlled by Dr miyu whatever his name was. 17 then realises this and kills the doctor, 18 in a Fury attacks 17 with a barrage of blasts which 17 absorbs. A thing about 17 I forgot mention, he is vulnerable to attacks stronger then him while in the absorbing pose.
During this time Goku tries to get but isn't able to, with his willpower Goku somehow gets up and says "it's fisting time" (joke), then fists 17 through the torso with a dragon fist 👊 while 17 is absorbing 18's attacks, then turns back and ends him with a kamehameha. The dragon fist is a strange move, it's either stronger than Ssj4 or Goku got millions of times stronger out of the blue, it's really up to interpretation.
Also one thing s17 being off guard doesn't mean he's weaker, majuub wasn't able to hurt s17 even when he was off guard and he's stronger than base Goku. So pthat argument doesn't work.
In this scale, I am assuming the dragon fist increases the users power rather than Goku getting stronger. So let's see, Goku was stated to be significantly weaker but we can't use it as it's unquantifiable. S17 is 22x stronger then Ssj4 and to one shot him we need 2x that power, so the dragon fist is atleast 44x Ssj4 Goku. Making it 259,845,521,408,000,000x bsg or 259.8 quadrillion x BSG, the dragon fist is a 792,985,600x boost.
After this fight, Goku and friends gather the dragon balls to repair the planet but somethings wrong but that's for part 3 of the dragon ball GT power scale.
In conclusion,
Goku:- Base:- 6.5 million x BSG, SSJ:-327.6 million x BSG, SSJ4:- 5.9 quadrillion x BSG, SSJ4 with kamehama 10x:- 129.9 quadrillion x BSG, Dragon fist:- 259.8 quadrillion x BSG
Vegeta:- Base:- 4.096 million x BSG, SSJ:- 204.8 million
Majuub:- 204.8 million
Earth 17:- Atleast 20,000x BSG
Hell fighter 17:- Less then Base Vegeta, around 2 million.
Super 17:- Initially:- 409,600,000 x BSG, After Absorbing Kamehama 10x:- 129.9 quadrillion

Hello!
I hope everyone here is doing well.
I have some unfortunate news to start this write up off with.
If you've been following my write ups, you may have seen that my mums health has not been the best. Unfortunately, this monday we received news that we were fearing to hear. To keep it short and sweet, months but not many. So, to say that this write up was a struggle is keeping it very light. Between crying, talking to family, crying more and just... you know?
So, here it is! I tried but you can most likely see a bit of a decline in everything.
(c) - Champ
D/DWCS - Debut/Dana Whites' Contender Series
FLS - Fight Lose Streak
FWS - Fight Win Streak
NS - No Streak
(#x) - Rank in Division
x/3 - Confidence Levels
Lets do this thing.
Prelims
Light Heavyweight
Maxim Grishin (-150) (32-9-2, NS) v Philipe Lins (+120) (16-5-0, 2 FWS) - This is a fun one to start off the prelims. Grishin is coming off a strong win against William Knight, and it was Grishins very precise striking that got him the decision win. Knight was fairly relentless with the takedowns, attempting 9 and only landing 30% of those, with minimal control time. Grishin is very well prepared for most of his fights and his well roundedness showed during that fight against Knight, someone who has insane amounts of power but with the athleticism of a slug. Grishin is a veteran of this sport, and whilst some might say that he’s at that age where we see a natural decline in every attribute of a fighter, he could still very much get a win here if he keeps this fight neat and clean, since Lins himself is a bit of a brawler who pushes an incredible pace in short bursts. Grishin will need to rely on his footwork in order to frustrate Lins and force Lins to make a mistake, and rest assured that Lins has a propensity to make mistakes. Lins loves to make a fight gritty and exciting, and it’s what we saw when he fought the fairly old and slow OSP, and it’s exactly how I thought the fight would go, because Lins is a bit of a bulldozer when he fights, nothing but offence with very little defence, he’s exciting and sometimes that’s enough to be pushed in the UFC, but I feel like these two have been destined to fight at some point. They both started in the UFC in 2020, they both have the same UFC record, but the main stat that I want to point out, and I know that stats don’t mean much in the long run, but Lins has absorbed more strikes per minute compared to Grishin. This pretty much only tells me that Grishin is a touch more patient and tactical with his approach, he stays at distance and just throws attacks without much chance of his opponent retaliating. Lins has a fairly solid chance if he pushes the pace, and that’s most likely what he’s going to do, but he also has a tiny bit of an advantage on the ground, and since he does have a bit of a grappling background and has used his wrestling in his fights, that might be the more smart way to defeat Grishin. However, I do not like how Lins strikes, its very narrow and reckless, almost reminding me of Michael Chandler in that sense, just straight down the pipe aggression, minimal head movement and all out attacks. If Grishin can see that coming, angle off or circle away and land a counter, then this is going to be Grishin’s fight all day, but at the age of 39, I just don’t know if his chin can withstand the power of Lins. I got Grishin winning due to his technical advantage, but Lins will make a great underdog pick.
Grishin via UD - (1/3)
Bantamweight
Luan Lacerda (-130) (12-2-0, NS) v Da’mon Blackshear (+100) (12-5-1, NS) - Lacerda is coming off a tough loss against Stamann, and that’s an incredibly tough debuting dance partner, and despite the odds being stacked against him, he did relatively well and learnt so much throughout that three round bout. Lacerda looked about as good as anyone who is making his debut against a veteran like Stamann can look, and he surprised me with his takedown success, albeit it was only one takedown, but to be able to do that against a highly dangerous wrestler like Stamann is pretty damn awesome. Lacerda in this particular bout will look to get the fight to the ground, as many of Blackshear’s opponents have done in the past and thus far in the UFC. Lacerda has nothing but submission finishes on his record and I feel like whilst Blackshear is going to be aware of that submission threat, nothing Blackshear can do will be able to prepare him for the skill gap on the ground between these two fighters. Lacerda also has very decent stand up and he utilises a Muay Thai style of striking, very heavy on the feet, heavy kicks from both sides, but he lacks any defensive counters that would potentially dissuade Blackshear from pushing forward, which is why I still think Lacerda taking this fight to the ground is the only clear way to get a win. Blackshear is coming off a tough loss against a very dangerous prospect in Farid Basharat, and it was the puzzle of Basharats skillset that somewhat froze Blackshear a little bit, it was the pressure on the feet, as well as the wrestling and takedown attempts that just overwhelmed Blackshear a tiny bit. Blackshear does have a few submissions on his record, but I feel like they have been against fighters who just lose by submissions a fair bit, so there’s a bit of a pattern there. Blackshear could have the knowledge to keep the fight on the feet and avoid any submissions, but if history dictates his ability to grapple, its that the better wrestlegrappler usually wins the exchanges, and in this case, Lacerda is the better grappler, plus he comes from the Nova Uniao which is a gym I have multiple times in past have said is one of the best. I got Lacerda winning this one, but if you were to place a bet I think this one is going over 1.5 rounds, it’s going to mostly be a bit of a chess match in my opinion.
Lacerda via UD - (1/3)
Women’s Strawweight
Jihn Yu Frey (-110) (11-8-0, 2 FLS) v Elise Reed (-110) (6-3-0, NS) - Well this is something. Frey is coming off two tough back to back losses, and it seems that she has been used as a stepping stone for a lot of the other prospects that have made their way through the rankings. Now, Frey is no doubt a very tough fighter to deal with, she is fairly athletic and physically strong, able to shove aside a lot of the takedown attempts from her opponents, but whilst she’s decent in the counter-wrestling department, she’s a bit of a easy target when it comes to strikers, as we saw when she fought Polyana Viana. She level changes a lot, dipping her head often in order to lunge attacks, but her head is always on the centre line and that could be enough of a read for Reed to set up her own attacks. The other problem is that Frey isn’t a young chicken anymore, she’s nearing 40 years of age and is coming off a KO loss. Frey does have a chance to win this fight, and that’s only if she uses her sheer physicality and strength to control and negate the striking of Reed. Reed is coming off a tough submission loss against Lookboonme, and if you’ve been following Lookboonme’s career, that’s a wild thing to say. Reed is someone who i’m not completely sold on, but if there’s one thing that she does very well, its pressure. She isn’t the type to just be patient in the centre of the octagon and exchange punches, she’s very good at starting fast and pressuring her opponent towards the cage, cutting off movement with her own lateral movement and just throwing attacks, despite her attacks sometimes being a bit overzealous and sloppy. I think that pressure is going to be key, and we have seen a few times now that Frey kind of crumbles under pressure fairly easily, she has her back against the cage pretty often and I think the longer this fight goes on, the more worn out she is going to be, and that’s when Reed will look her best.
Reed via UD - (2/3)
Bantamweight
Daniel Santos (-165) (10-2-0, NS) v Johnny Munoz Jr (+140) (12-2-0, NS) - Let’s give this fight another shot huh? Santos is one hard fighter to predict because during his first fight, he fought Arce and he wasn’t very effective with his punches, he struck at a 27% accuracy which is pretty damn low, and he got outstruck about 3:1, so overall it wasn’t an excellent performance. During his most recent performance however he fought a tiny bit better, albeit he did get hurt a lot in the first round after eating Castaneda’s head kick and later his punches. Santos loves to set up the right hand with a strong jab or lead hook, it’s pretty much his only attack that he relies on. However, his ability to eat punches is not so great, he gets hurt so often and even though he recovered reasonably well when he fought Castaneda, it still does not give me a whole lot of confidence especially since he’s about to face another dangerous fighter in Munoz Jr. Santos can recover fairly well though, but he still shows problems with his skillset and that’s just a bit of a defensive deficit. The only thing that I can see that’s somewhat positive about him is that he doesn’t fade after getting hurt, he gets hurt easily, sure, but he recovers and moves forward relentlessly, and that can break the spirit of his opponent. His KO over Castaneda, and the gorgeous combinations before that eventual finish was a brilliant display of smart targeting and relentless pressure, and if he can replicate that very same level of pressure in this fight, he could find a whole lot of success. Still, Santos only has two fights in the UFC and I haven’t exactly seen anything major that makes me confidently think that he can win this one, apart from that incredible fight against Castaneda. Munoz Jr is coming off a strong win against Sholinian, and he looked very strong in there. However, one thing that stood out to me was how forward his lead leg was, it was exposed and it was at an angle that Sholinian could have targeted because the foot was turned on the inside, and you cannot check kicks if the foot is turned inwards unless that approaching kick is an inside leg kicks. Munoz Jr is very good at reading and reacting to his opponents movements and tendencies, we saw this when Sholinian kept ducking towards Munoz’s lead leg side, and Munoz saw that and threatened with a lead kick/knee, he is very good at reading his opponent and that could be a bit of a problem for Santos. However, Munoz Jr does succumb to pressure a little bit, he tends to be backed up a lot, and if Santos’ last fight tells us anything, its that Santos is the type of fighter to constantly move forward and force his opponent to back up, with the unfortunate downside of him being highly susceptible to being hurt. Now, in regards to this prediction, I do have Santos winning this one, simply because I feel like any form of lack of defence shown during his Castaneda fight would have been fixed for this fight, because Santos does come from the same gym that Oliveira comes from, so it’s highly possible that they’re well prepared. Either way, this is a 50/50 for me but I got Santos winning this one.
Santos via UD - (1/3)
Heavyweight
Andrei Arlovski (-115) (34-21-0, NS) v Don’Tale Mayes (-105) (9-5-0, NS) - Well this is certainly a fight. Arlovski is coming off a tough submission loss against Rogerio de Lima, and it was the first loss in a while for Arlovski who previously was on a bit of a winning streak, albeit it wasn’t the best fights in his career, which is understandable because Arlovski is old now, and has started to fight a lot more methodically. Arlovski is still very capable of winning, there isn’t any sign of him slowing down, he isn’t stiff or one to gas easily, he looks reasonably okay in terms of fitness and athleticism, and being reasonably okay is pretty great for the Heavyweight division. Mayes is not a unique opponent that Arlovski has faced, and I think Arlovski’s experience is going to play a pivotal role in this fight. Arlovski will probably steer clear from striking against the much larger and potentially more dangerous fighter, so I can only guess that Arlovski is going to wrestle a lot in this fight since Hamdy has shown that Mayes is fairly easy to wrestle. The only problem is that the last time Arlovski has secured a takedown was back in 2018 against Abdurakhimov, and even during his winning streak from 2020 onwards, he hasn’t really attempted any takedowns, which only makes me think him getting takedowns will throw off Mayes a whole lot. Mayes no doubt has a huge size advantage here, and perhaps a power advantage. Although we have not seen great things from Mayes, he has been a bit of a silent fighter, or at least a forgotten one because of his performances being a bit dull apart from his Parisian win which is a bit of a lower level fight in this division. Mayes has a lot of power in his hands, and since he has a bit of a reach and height advantage, Arlovski will most likely play the safe game in this fight, chop at the legs and just lure Mayes into throwing something. Now, whether or not Mayes can crack the chin of Arlovski is the main question here, but considering that Arlovski has eaten some massive shots before and still stood tall makes me think that overall Arlovski has a lot of advantages here. However, and I cannot stress this enough, age is a massive factor here and this is Heavyweight, so whilst my prediction is a boring Arlovski decision win, Mayes via KO is a strong alt bet.
Arlovski via UD - (1/3)
Bantamweight
John Castaneda (19-6-0, NS) v Muin Gafarov (D) (18-4-0, 2 FWS) - This is going to be a fantastic bout to watch for those that love striking. Castaneda is coming off a tough loss against Daniel Santos, and it was a very explosive and exciting war for the most part. Castaneda is a very tricky fighter to get a read on because he is very good at switching stance and giving his opponent a whole lot of different looks. He does have a very kick heavy style and it’s quite diverse, often attacking from all angles, targeting all sections of his opponent whilst moving around and feeling a groove. However, he is at his worst when he decides to box in range, and I know that sounds strange but like, whenever he’s in the pocket he tends to eat a lot of punches because he is not as comfortable in the pocket as he is at range launching kicks. However, that comfortability that Castaneda loves at range can be disrupted by the sheer explosiveness of Gafarov’s attacks, and I mean, if someone who is coming off two ferocious knockout wins after missing his chance at DWCS, I highly expect Gafarov to take off like a greyhound (the dog, not the bus, although, the bus might count here too) and overwhelm, or at least attempt to overwhelm Castaneda, because it’s very difficult to kick off a retreating motion, and Castaneda chooses to throw a punch than there’s a possibility that we could see the very same flaws in Castaneda’s boxing show once again during this fight. Gafarov is coming off two savage KO’s on LFA leading into this debut, and he’s no doubt going to carry some serious energy and excitement into this fight. Gafarov is a very exciting fighter that has come from some very good organisations such as One Championship and LFA, and that experience against incredibly talented strikers (especially in One) is no doubt going to help him coming into this fight against Castaneda. Now, Castaneda is not an easy outing for anyone, and as long as Gafarov does not become too placated with eating the kicks and timing his attacks, he should be okay because ultimately what bothers Castaneda the most, outside of being hit in the face, is the thought of being hit in the face, and I know that sounds like armchair psychologist stuff, but he does crumble under chaos. I think we are going to see a short and sweet KO by Gafarov, because if he doesn’t get Castaneda out of there in the first or second, by the third round he’s going to be pretty gassed. I got Gafarov winning this one, if you couldn’t already tell. As for betting, this one doesn’t go the distance in my opinion.
Gafarov via KO R1 - (1/3)
Welterweight
Elizeu Zaleski (-110) (23-7-0, NS) v Abubaker Nurmagomedov (-110) (17-3-1, 2 FWS) - I like this fight. Zaleski is coming off a fairly strong win against Saint-Denis thanks to his technical striking and sheer volume, and also thanks to Saint-Denis’ lack of takedown effectiveness which no doubt helped Zaleski a whole lot. Zaleski has always been a very tricky fighter to get a read on, he isn’t exactly a great fighter, he just has an incredibly wide selection of striking attacks that he uses relentlessly when he fights. Everything Zaleski does makes his opponent think for a second in order to react. The problem is that whenever something is coming back Zaleski’s way, it makes his whole rhythm change and he gets sloppy, and Abubaker isn’t the type to just stand there and absorb attacks. Zaleski needs to keep this fight on the feet in order to win, but unfortunately with how often he gets taken down, I feel like someone like Nurmagomedov won’t have much problem with being the aggressor and looking for takedowns. Zaleski also tends to load up alot, usually ending his combo with a wild, powerful right hand that can often outbalance him. This is of course me talking about him after watching his latest fight against Saint Denis, so there’s a solid chance that he has tightened things up, but honestly, Zaleski’s big attacks and propensity to throw that heavy right ending a combo is going to lead to him being a lot more tired, and that’s not exactly a great thing to see when you’re facing someone who has excellent cardio and great wrestling. Nurmagomedov is about as classic as one can get when we talk about Sambo style fighters, they like to pressure and to wrestle, and that’s honestly all I can see Nurmagomedov aiming to achieve this weekend, wrestle and smother, as well as avoid any defensive submissions that Zaleski will use. However, I am still a bit apprehensive about siding with Nurmagomedov primarily due to his experience in the UFC, he has only fought twice during the 2020’s and his opponents weren’t exactly high level competition. He is facing a veteran who, whilst has a whole lot of knockouts on his record, has shown that he is capable on the ground as a submission artist, and it’s a submission that Zawada caught Nurmagomedov on during Nurmagomedov’s debut, so there is a fairly solid chance here for Zaleski to get a win here through a finish, but I honestly just don’t see it going any other way than Nurmagomedov putting on a heavy pressure and a wrestling clinic. However, Zaleski’s knees are still going to be a primary advantage here, he throws it with such nasty intent and power, and even Saint-Denis learnt the hard way not to attempt takedowns brazenly against Zaleski. So, whilst Nurmagomedov has a wrestling advantage, those knees could definitely land flush, and I think that’s going to be a massive factor in this fight. Regardless, I still feel like Nurmagomedov can get a win here, but boy is this a fascinating fight.
Nurmagomedov via UD - (1/3)
Main Card
Lightweight
Jamie Mullarkey (16-5-0) (2 FWS) v Muhammadjon Naimov (D) (8-2-0, 3 FWS) - Alright, this is going to be an insanely short prediction because I just finished writing the original write up (Kutateladze/Mullarkey) and then the UFC does this and now i’m mildly annoyed lol. Let’s stick to what we know for sure. Mullarkey is both taller and longer than Naimov, has experience in the UFC, is coming off a full camp and is a proper lightweight. Mullarkey is also coming off two strong back to back wins, one in which he fought Michael Johnson and we all know by now that Johnson isn’t an easy opponent for anyone. Mullarkey likes to strike at a distance but also puts emphasis on his punches once his range is honed in, and his range is usually figured out by the second round, so I suspect that since he has a significant reach advantage, that range finding moment in the first round could come sooner than usual. Mullarkey has added another aspect to his game though, and that’s wrestling, and whilst he’s always been a bit of a wrestler, he has become a lot better at controlling his opponent and keeping one slight step ahead of them on the ground, and considering that Naimov is coming in as a late replacement against a fairly well rounded Mullarkey, the more Mullarkey mixes in his attacks, gets a takedown and ultimately keeps Naimov guessing as to what’s coming next, the more chance he has at winning this fight. By default though, just by him coming in a bit more prepared physically against a fighter who is fighting with 10 extra pounds and with less than a week of prep time… everything here just points to Mullarkey getting a win this weekend. This is one of those rare (or maybe first ever) predictions in which I didn’t break down anything for Naimov, and that’s just because there really isn’t much to say until we see something. So, for now this is a “bet at your own risk” kind of deal, as most late replacement bouts should be treated, but I do have fairly high confidence in Mullarkey getting a win here.
Mullarkey via KO R2 - (2/3)
Women’s Flyweight
Karine Silva (-225) (15-4-0, 6 FWS) v Ketlen Souza (D) (+175) (13-3-0, 5 FWS) - Well this is something. Silva is coming off a very strong debut submission win against Poliana Botelho, and it was a bit of a rough fight for Silva but ultimately she did get a submission just before the first round finished. Silva is definitely not a striker, she is a bit of a one dimensional fighter in that regard and I feel like she is going to require a whole lot of pressure in order to throw Souza’s offence off a bit and not let her settle into her own rhythm. However, it has been almost a year since Silva’s debut fight and I wonder if any momentum that she gained coming into the UFC has been lost since then because that’s a bit of a long time away from being in the cage. Whilst I did say that Silva isn’t a striker, she still does have some decent combos, and one of her better ones is a one two combo followed by a left mid-section or head kick, and I think with Silva’s slight head advantage, this could possibly throw Souza off a little bit. However I still think this will be ultimately a grappler versus striker bout with Silva needing to take this fight to the ground. Souza is making her debut coming off a strong 5 Fight Win Streak, with her last few wins being from Invicta, but giving her record and history a bit of a look, one thing stood out to me, and that was the amount of lower level fighters she fought against outside of Invicta, and that kind of rings some alarm bells, but maybe that’s just me focusing too much on her record pre-Invicta. Anyway, Souza is a knockout artist, everything she throws comes with a whole lot of force and power, and you can tell in her frame that she’s built for that, but I also think that she is still able to be controlled on the ground by a much better grappler, in this case that would be Silva. The only thing that Silva really needs to worry about is both entering the clinch because Souza has very strong knees, and exiting the clinch where Souza can throw a quick and powerful flurry. At its core, this is very much a striker versus grappler bout between two rather green fighters, and considering that we have seen what Silva is capable of against a fairly tested opponent like Botelho, I feel like that experience is only going to show in this bout against the very dangerous Souza. If there is an underdog that you wanna be on, it would have to be Souza, but as for my prediction, I feel like Silva might get the win here, I just wonder how long it would take before Silva finds that much needed takedown. My best guess is that the first 3-4 minutes would be a bit of a tit-for-tat striking bout, followed by a takedown attempt by Silva. With that said though, there is a possibility that this could be over 1.5 rounds despite both fighters being prolific finishers.
Silva via Sub R2 - (1/3)
Flyweight
Tim Elliott (#14) (-175) (18-12-1, NS) v Victor Altamirano (+145) (12-2-0, 2 FWS) - Well this is going to be a scrap. Elliott is coming off an incredibly hard fought win against Ulanbekov, and it was such a back and forth war, as most Elliott fights tend to be. Elliott is a grinder, he is one of those fighters that just doesn’t stop pressing on the gas pedal, shooting takedowns, throwing heavy strikes often and overall making it absolute hell for his opponents. It’s not just his skillset and ability that makes him a dangerous fighter, its his unorthodox style, he is a very odd fighter to get a read on, there’s a lot of different looks, funky looks, constantly moving and just not looking like a standard fighter. However, the big problem Elliott is probably facing during this camp is the absence of James Krause, this is his first fight without his main coach being in his corner, so there is a chance that we might not see the same Elliott. That of course could go both ways, either he could have finetuned his skillset a bit more with the new team, or he could still look like the same fighter. Either way, Elliott is a highly dangerous fighter to deal with, and since Elliott is mostly a wrestler, he does have, in my opinion, a style advantage coming into this fight since Altamirano is primarily a striker. Altamirano is coming off back to back wins, with his most recent victory being against the very tall and quite dangerous Salvador, and Altamirano adjusted relatively well to Salvadors quite wild and ineffective striking. He also landed a few takedowns which was probably the smartest choice anyone might make when facing someone like Salvador, but if we are to compare who is the better wrestler, there is no doubt in my mind that Elliott is leagues above Altamirano. However, with how accurate Altamirano is on the feet, it’s a near perfect counter to Elliott’s wrestling advantage because whilst Elliott does create a whole lot of chaos when it comes to wrestling, he also has a terrible chin and if Altamirano can read through the awkward movements, maybe throw up middle attacks such as an uppercut or a knee, I suspect that’s where we are going to see Elliott potentially get caught. Altamirano also has a slight edge in reach which only plays in the favour of the Mexican warrior. This is a bit of a tough one to predict due to the style clash, but I think Elliott will be able to edge out a decision win here, as long as he doesn’t commit about 20 or so fouls during the fight, because he has the propensity to just be a bit of a dirty fighter too.
Elliott via UD - (2/3)
Lightweight
Jim Miller (+200) (35-17-0, NS) v Jared Gordon (-250) (19-6-0, NS) - I love this fight. Miller is coming off a tough loss against Hernandez in which it was mostly a stand up bout where Hernandez just controlled the fight a lot better, negating a fair bit of Millers own offence. Miller needs no introduction, and if you’ve been reading my stuff for the past few years, you know his tendencies, his proclivities in the cage and his primary advantages over most of his opponents. His only chance in this fight in my opinion is to try to out-activity Gordon, and that’s a tall task for anyone to achieve due to Gordon’s own insane cardio and activity. Miller does perhaps have a chance on the feet since Gordon is coming off a “knockout” loss and might still be dealing with some post-KO cobwebs since he’s taking this fight on short notice. Miller is a veteran and will also have a bit of an experience advantage coming into this fight, and since Gordon isn’t a vastly unique fighter in terms of style and technique, Miller will probably know what to do or how to handle Gordon. Gordon on the other hand is coming off, for the most part, an outstanding fight against Green in which he was actually a fairly effective striker against the dangerous boxer, and it really showcased how well prepared Gordon gets for his fights, and I believe that’s testament to the camp work as we have seen with his team-mate Belal Muhammad and his massive success in recent years. Gordon has one major advantage over Miller in my opinion and that’s cardio and durability, he is an incredibly durable fighter who can push a nasty pace from the get-go, and I believe that’s going to be his main goal during this fight, just make Miller suffocate under pressure and overwhelm him with either grappling or striking, however i’m leaning towards the thinking that Gordon will just wrestle since Miller doesn’t have the best takedown defence. I know some of you are thinking that Miller could catch Gordon in a guillotine or some sort of defensive submission off his back, but I feel like Gordon has enough wherewithal to avoid all of that. There is also the matter of age, Miller has been on a bit of a slow decline, and whilst he has been winning a fair bit these last couple of years, the longer the fight goes on, the more slower and fatigued he gets, and with the amount of pressure and the pace that Gordon fights at, I can only assume momentum will be on the side of Gordon. I got Gordon winning this one. It will be a low confidence pick due to this sudden turn-around against a high level opponent like Miller, but ultimately I think Gordon wins this one.
Gordon via UD - (1/3)
Co-Main Event
Featherweight
Alex Caceres (#15) (-175) (20-13-0, NS) v Daniel Pineda (+140) (28-14-0, NS) - This is an interesting Co-Main for sure. Caceres is coming off a win against Julian Erosa, and it was a fantastic and incredibly sneaky head kick that caught Erosa off guard, and that’s essentially the weaponry that Caceres has mastered throughout his career. Caceres is one hell of a fantastic striker who uses traditional martial arts techniques in his fights often and with great effectiveness due to the rarity of seeing it in a practical MMA environment. Basically, he’s an incredibly difficult striker to get a read on and uses his speed and timing to land brilliantly thrown attacks. However that can some at a downside, and we have seen this particular downside in a lot of his fights, and that’s distance management, he has a heavy reliance on keeping a fight at a certain distance where he can throw and land these devastating kicks, and he utilises great footwork and movement in order to maintain this distance, but as soon as he is being crowded and pressured, he sometimes crumbles under that pressure and his opponent typically lands a takedown or just suffocates him in pocket pressure, overwhelming him with everything and anything. However, since he is facing Pineda, the biggest threat that will come his way is wrestling, so I suspect that Caceres’ footwork and evasive movements will allow him to stay away from Pineda’s aggressive attacks and takedown attempts. Pineda has been a bit of a weird one for me to talk about, because on one hand, I don’t think he’s ready for a lot of UFC’s competition, especially not in Featherweight where there are absolute killers, but on the other hand, he can give us exciting moments. Pineda’s level of competition does not shine a light on what Caceres has been able to accomplish, and with Pineda’s last win being against Tucker Lutz, a reasonably okay fighter, I just feel like Pineda’s biting off more than he can chew in this fight. Pineda no doubt has a bit of a wrestling advantage in this fight and he’s going to press forward and try to crowd Caceres’ striking, but depending on his approach he could get caught over and over again, and Caceres himself does have a very flexible ground game in which he could catch Pineda with something on the ground. This is a fun fight though, but I got Caceres winning this one.
Caceres via KO R3 - (2/3)
Main Event
Flyweight
Kai Kara-France (#4) (-110) (24-10-0, NS) v Amir Albazi (#7) (-110) (16-1-0, 5 FWS) - Interesting fight we got here for the main event. Kara France is coming off a fantastic fight against Brandon Moreno, and even though he lost, it was nothing but valuable experience against the best of the best in the division, and on the feet it was a reasonably close competition. Kara-France is a kickboxer, we know this already and i’m sure we collectively expect to see Kara-France to showcase his striking during this fight, but it’s his elusiveness and head movement that makes him such a tricky striker, there is rarely a moment where Kara-France is a stationary target, he’s always level changing, keeping his head off the centre-line and when he presses forward to attack, he tends to angle off in other to keep away from a lot of retaliatory strikes. This no doubt is testament to how excellent the striking training is at City Kickboxing, but what Albazi offers is capable of shutting all of that down. Albazi is a strange one for me to talk about, because if we look at his record, it looks like he has stumbled his way into this position, and that’s not because he was pushed into this main event, it’s simply due to the lack of talent outside of the top 10 of the division, and Albazi has just snuck his way into this Main Event. Albazi is a very well rounded fighter who has a major grappling and submission advantage over Kara-France, which shouldn’t be a surprise because that’s the easiest way to get a Kickboxer to not do his or her thing. However, the quality of competition, as I have stated with the Co-Main Event fighter Pineda, is not on the level of Kara-France, and I believe that the fight that Kara-France had against Moreno has pushed him because he tasted what it’s like to fight a champion and that’s a strong motivator. I believe that Kara-France has enough technical capabilities to move away and keep fleet-footed enough so that Albazi will need to work a touch harder in order to either close in the distance, or get that much needed takedown. This is all pure speculation though and we could possibly see Albazi feint low and attack high with a thunderous overhand, and that’s the beauty of the sport. However, I still stick by what I think, and that’s that Albazi only has one way to win this fight, and I feel that Kara-France and his team know exactly what to do and what to avoid. Very interesting fight for both warriors, but I got Kara-France winning this one, albeit it will be mostly a “wait and see” fight, so not a high confidence pick.
Kara-France via KO R4 - (1/3)
Locks of this week are going to be a hybrid of last weeks locks. There are locks this week, but i'm also adding an additional parlay.
Locks of this week: Mullarkey, Elliott, Caceres (Reed is optional)
Parlay: Lacerda/Blackshear o1.5 - Reed/Frey Goes the Distance - Gafarov/Castaneda Does not go the distance - Elliott/Altamirano o1.5. (Silva/Souza o1.5 is optional)
Alt Bets are: Lins KO, Mayes KO, Souza KO, Miller Sub/KO (Double Chance)
if you wish to keep in contact with me or follow me on twitter, my twitter handle is @Slayer_Tip, and my Discord is Slayertip#7013.
Lets have a fun and friendly discussion down below about this weekends card!
I hope you all have an amazing day, look after yourselves, and enjoy this awesome event!

I have a HP EliteDesk 800 G2 SFF desktop with I5-6500, 32GB RAM, and 256GB SSD, Windows 11 (the only criteria for win11 not met is a gen 8 processors, all other were met). Cold Boot times were in low 20 seconds.
The system was handed over to my kid, who wanted to add Gigabyte GV-N1030D4-2GL GeForce GT 1030 Low Profile D4 2G Computer Graphics Card. On initial graphic card install, we were having issues, so I left the card uninstalled. My kid went ahead and installed it and informed me that it was working.
Recently he told me that it takes the system forever to cold boot. It takes several tries and several minutes to POST. So this does not look like a windows issue.
These are the steps I took to try and trouble shoot:
1) I took out the card, no change in the situation 2) reset the BIOS by pushing the BIOS reset button (and also by resetting it to factory default setting), no change 3) took out all the RAM got beeps, leave even 1 stick in, no beep 4) no improvement in PSOT times even with 1 sick 5) very difficult to get into the BIOS, hit f10/esc and it hangs 6) when the system is running, it runs fine, no BSOD / other isseus etc. frame rates are similar to what we sued to get initially without the graphic card.
I am guessing that this is not windows Software issue, bit either a H/W issue or could the BIOS have been corrupted?
I am at loss on what could be the issue or the next steps t take.
Would appreciate any guidance.

I am a Male, 23 years old and am looking to start taking testosterone. I can put on muscle very very easy but if I don’t stick to a strict diet I will gain weight like no other. I have talked to a person with Hormone Logics and they think that my estrogen is high and they want me to go get my blood work done and have whoever does my blood work send them the results. They said they want to try to not put me on testosterone because of how young I am and would probably put me on Clomid but if my test is low they would put me on testosterone. What is everyone’s opinion? Is it worth it?