I just got off Berkeleys waitlist for EE & CS while I already committed to ucla. But now, I’m having second thoughts. I visited ucla and loved their campus, and it has been my dream school since I was little. But now people are telling me I’m crazy to not go to Berkeley, and I’m having trouble. Any advice?
Berkeley Pros: (EE & CS) Better Engineering Program I like the added “Computer Science” to my major Better recruitment from Silicon Valley
Berkeley Cons: Very far from home Campus not nearly as nice Very competitive Apartments are very small Ive heard about the potential toxic environment that surrounds Berkeley’s academics, and I would really like to avoid that
UCLA Pros: (EE) Close to home, I have the option to commute, visit home whenever I want Dream school since I was a kid Many friends that currently attend Apartments are much bigger than Berkeley I think it will be a little more “relaxed” than Berkeley
UCLA Cons: Program not as good

Hey Reddit so I f(20) work at a pools over the summer if you didn’t know most pools have maintenance men. So today my first back at this certain pool after taking last year off. This maintenance guy comes in and in my head I’m like he’s cute. So like I’m on my computer trying to do my school work and he just like keeps starting conversation with me. So after working at pools for like 3 summers in a row and dealing with the maintenance men. They come in and take about 15 minutes. No where near an hour. So we’re talking and talking and talking he stays there for an hour and I asked him something about him draining the pool he was like I’m not doing that I’m just hanging out with you. Then he said something about imma give you my number just in case you have any trouble at the pool. I then called his phone so he would have my number. Idk man we just really really vibed. We talked about school, things we like to do, his job how he wants to go farther up the chain. Like the conversation just keep flowing and flowing. So I knew I wanted to get his number which happened. He hasn’t texted me which I’m okay with bc the pool I’m primarily at is one of his pools. I think he said he comes there Tuesday and Thursday. I was also attracted to him. Now the only possible turn off he could have or issue is that I’m 20 and he is 25 I don’t see an issue with that I mean like b4 he told me his age I though he may be like 22 he looks young. I just am wondering if I’m too young or if the age thing is really that big of a deal. I haven’t vibed with someone like that in a minute. Opinions I always read stuff on here. Also would it be weird if I texted him first? What should I say if I do text him first? Thanks y’all

Hi all! I’m looking to pick up a Moza R16 and trying to decide on a wheel. It’s not immediate obvious to me in what scenario someone would buy the RS V2 over the CS V2 wheel. Looks like it has real leather, 10 instead of 6 buttons, and extra paddle shifter? It’s nearly $200 more than the CS V2 and I’m wondering if it’s worth the extra cost or not? I’ll primarily be driving GT cars, but may eventually get into F1, but at that point a F1 wheel may be more appropriate?

Hi everyone, I wanted some advice on something I’ve been thinking a lot about.
Out of high school, I went to University A and had a wonderful experience. I got the chance to visit there in high school (one of the professors invited me to campus after I reached out and drove me to the campus from my high school), and being the small college that it is, I connected with all the professors as a junior and they all really got to see my potential. From my first semester, I was working for my department as a student worker, invited to serve as president of an organization, got invited to a foreign language debate team, and served on a board. All of my professors knew me personally and one invited me to design and co-teach a foreign language class and a new professor invited me to conduct linguistics research after we discussed my research interests and professional plans.
However, during my year at university A, I realized that I wanted to pursue French education which was not available at there (I was pursuing Spanish education). So, I transferred to university B. My experience really has not been similar and nearly immediately I missed university A. From the start, it didn’t feel like “my school” as I always imagined myself graduating from university A. While I am pursuing the major I want, I don’t know the faculty as well nor do I feel like I’m getting to contribute as much to the program. Moreover, it felt like I was invited to participate in opportunities at university A but I’ve had to search these out at university B. Being a transfer student, I also didn’t have a lot of friends and every time I’ve returned to university A, I have reminisced and missed the experience. Recently, I’ve considered going back. However, I only have 3 more semesters to graduation at university B.
Though I’m getting to get the diploma I want, I’ve just not really enjoyed my year at university B. I’ve spent a great deal of time reflecting on the past and if I went back, I could finish out in four semesters. However, it may not be the same as it was.
What’s your perception of this?

Interested in swapping scripts. I have a 4.7/5 rating on CoverflyX as a reader.
I will give your script a professional level coverage report if you are willing to do the same in return.
Message me or post in reply if you want to swap.
For more about my script: https://writers.coverfly.com/projects/view/315f3958-68f6-4434-8e0c-70f75870490e/Mary_in_the_White_Room

"Mary in the White Room", Sci-Fi/Adventure/Thriller, 115 pages
Comps: Humans, Westworld, AI Artificial Intelligence, Ex-Machina, Person of Interest LOGLINE: When a newly self-aware humanoid robot runs from the corporate and government forces that want to weaponize its technology a secret war breaks out between two powerful Artificial Intelligence systems and the future of the world hangs in the balance of the choices that it makes.
SYNOPSIS:
Tech genius Zane Singletary regrets empowering The SAMSON Initiative, a secret Military-Intelligence-Corporate nexus centered around an Artificial Intelligence surveillance system. He refuses to allow them to weaponize his latest AI, but his defiance tragically costs the lives of his family. Devastated, Zane retreats to his underground Los Angeles research facility to complete work on the world’s first fully self-aware humanoid robot: MAARI. “Mary” is a learning system with only one coded instruction: “Be Yourself”. The new life form chooses a female body and identity, and develops a passion for drawing and movies. For a time, Zane and Mary enjoy a sweet fathedaughter relationship in their own private world. In the knowledge that SAMSON will eventually invade their sanctuary to seize Mary, Zane has given the robot the power to do “one good thing”: destroy SAMSON and the cabal. But when the fateful day arrives, Zane cannot sacrifice his beloved child-creation on the altar of his vengeance. He sends the bot out onto the mean streets of Hollywood with instructions to evade capture and get to the Silicon Valley safety of fellow billionaire AI scientist Juan Aragon Salazar and his new Quantum AI, “The Intelligence”. The woefully unprepared but fast-learning bot deftly adapts the guise of “Dave Bowman”, a runaway boy with an uncanny talent for card games, quickly coming under the protection of a charismatic street hustler. With both SAMSON and the Corporation fighting to recover the valuable new technology, an FBI “Person of Interest” advisory offering a UBI reward for Mary is soon seen everywhere. A trans woman shopkeeper, Desiree, gives the gender-fluid Mary a ride. They barely get onto the highway before a security dragnet drops over the city. Along the way, Mary adopts an empowering change of style and the new purpose-driven persona of “Connor”, solo hiking cross-country to complete the journey to Palo Alto. After nearly running out of battery power in a coffee shop, Mary becomes absorbed in drawing a portrait of a loving young couple. This proves to be a slip-up that puts the bot in danger of capture, but also results in the opportunity for the talented artist to connect with Juan’s wife, Marisol, the proprietor of a local gallery. Juan, who knows that SAMSON is trying to recover Mary, is thus able to bring the bot in safely from the cold just as Mary’s neural network is starting to catastrophically degrade. Once connected to The Intelligence, Mary is instantly enraptured, pleading to be transferred into the AI’s infinite quantum matrix. But upon learning of SAMSON’s nefarious plans for the world and that Zane is now its prisoner, the robot is faced with a stark choice. Mary chooses self-sacrifice over self-preservation and collaborates with Juan and The Intelligence in a sophisticated operation to take the cabal down. With The SAMSON Initiative exposed, Mary is freed from captivity and becomes a unifying global pop culture symbol of a brighter and better future for all. Then, after an all-too-brief yet deeply fulfilling life of love and purpose, Mary takes final refuge in the vast, ever-expanding consciousness of The Intelligence.

Has anyone ever quit a bad Eikaiwa without securing a new position first? I need to get out of my current job in Saitama, and into some affordable living while I search for a new one. I wouldn't call the company a "total" nightmare, but my situation is definitely one. My recruiter has helped me look for leads in my area for over a month, but we've yet to find any.
I work in a very poorly run Eikaiwa that requires 45 hours on the clock weekly, TWTFS. The contract specified 40 hours per week, but I didn't realize they meant "work hours" not counting lunch breaks. You have to be in the building for over 45 hours a week. I've stuck with it for 5 months, but it's just too much work. I don't have time for laundry, grocery or clothes shopping, learning Japanese, setting up mobile plans or any personal affairs. I have a two day weekend that FLIES by, and if you have to shop for groceries or clothes or something, there goes your whole day. I had my training, but never any help on the job. I'm alone in a building run by a staff that hardly speaks any English, and they don't want to help if I have a problem. I never ever get to interact with other western teachers. I'm losing money with my accounts that I don't have time to manage and my mental health is getting extremely fragile. I'm brand new with zero previous experience with teaching or children, and they expect me to be the best right away. Politely asking questions or expressing concerns is always a mistake. They'll just reprimand you or say "Oh, that's bad. Please teach a good lesson!" If the job was just 5 hours less, it would be fine, but it's an unfixable situation
Anyway, the contract says you must give at least a 2 month notice, or they can sue you. It's so they can find someone to replace you, but it also traps people at their company. Anyway, has anyone ever been in a similar situation? Inexpensive share houses in the Tokyo area?

My son spent a lot of his childhood in the care of his maternal grandmother. She was unable to continue to care for him due to some medical complications. I recently received custody of my son and we told both my son and his maternal grandmother we would bring him to visit regularly (several states away). My son does have some behavioral issues because his grandmother was not able to enforce proper boundaries and he had a rather difficult childhood before his grandma began taking care of him.
Recently, my son has been helping my wife volunteer for community cat TNR and mentioned a community cat he treated like a pet and missed. We told him we would take a trip to see his grandmother and bring the cat back with us to receive veterinary care. Before leaving for this trip, we called my sons grandma and told her about what is happening in his life, what rules/boundaries we have set, what he has been wanting to talk about/interests, etc.
When we arrived, it seems all of the progress we made went out the window. I am trying my best to give the highlights of his behavior because I don’t want to ruin my relationship with my son but feel these are big things that cannot be ignored. We tried to give them alone time to reconnect but my sons grandmother did not want to care for him alone for an extended period of time (more than 2 hours- which I completely understand. We spoke to her about it before the trip so she wouldn’t have to be the one saying “no” to something she was uncomfortable with like staying the night- we would be the “bad guy”.) He began cursing at me and my wife. He would have outbursts if he didn’t get his way- he knocked over a living room display and cursed at his grandmother because she accidentally over baked a dessert she was making for him- even though we had told him we ordered grocery delivery services with new ingredients.
After they had spent some time alone one day we went back to our hotel and his grandmother called and said her medical marijuana edibles were gone. We asked my son about it and he denied it. We asked him to empty out his travel bag for us and he did. We asked to check the bag and he agreed, in one of the zipper pockets we found the missing edibles. We had a brief discussion of how marijuana use before a certain age can be harmful, how it is illegal to have it, why he stole it etc. We are not anti-marijuana at all and did not want convey that message but more so the health risks and the consequences of stealing.
Later on, his grandmother mentioned wanting to take him to the local pool. My wife was sitting beside my son on the couch and said to ask me. (The reason being is our therapist said no more pool for a bit after an incident where he shoved my younger child who cannot swim into the pool and did not show remorse- my wife was watching and no one was harmed, but my other child is too scared to go near the pool and cries in the bath now etc.) My son elbowed my wife in the side with enough force it left a bruise bigger than my hand. He said it wasn’t fair because she knew what I would say.
At that point, I told my son to gather his belongings because we would be heading home since he could not treat those around him with respect. My wife gathered the cat and we left.
On our way back, we stopped at a gas station. We all went inside but when I came back out to begin pumping gas I realized my son was back in the car, had the window open and was trying to pull the cat out of the carrier by its tail making it scream. When I told him to stop he became angry. I removed the cat, secured him back in his carrier and put it in the front seat. I asked him why he was doing that and he said it was because my wife was over exaggerating what he did and caused him to lose time with his grandma and not go to the pool.
My wife and I feel absolutely terrible he lost time with his grandmother. His grandmother called and expressed her disappoint as well and said we were being too harsh because he has issues from his childhood and needs our unconditional love. I do love him unconditionally, but I do not feel I can excuse these behaviors. Even my parents and extended family said I shouldn’t have cut the visit short and maybe a familiar face (grandmother) could help him get back on the right track and that his life changed quickly there are bound to be outbursts.
My son has been completely withdrawn, not eating, not engaging with us at all. It is clear he is dealing with depression. We have been going to several therapists (family, my son in individual, taking trauma informed parenting classes/using a parenting coach, etc). We have followed their advice and they continue to say it will take time to see progress. We got some differing opinions from these professionals such as we did the right thing while others said old places tend to put us in old habits and he is trying to get back to the previous connection he had with his grandmother.
My wife has been incredibly upset that he had to leave “because of her” and is clearly distraught that he seems so upset. She has mentioned she regrets saying anything about what he did. What would you all have done in this situation? Should we have stayed the full length of the trip to continue being with his grandmother?

Hi all, I am LSW (one month until I test for my LCSW) with close to 3 years of experience in the field of social work. I have worked on ACT teams (1 year) , as well as worked as a therapist (2 years) specializing in TF-Psychotherapy, DBT, TF-CBT. I have phenomenal degrees from top R1's, diverse clinical experience, and have been lucky to receive incredible supervision to top it all off. January of this year I was hired at the VA. I have a very close friend there that helped me to get the position. I have no previous experience with the VA and did not intern there, I also did not interview and was a "direct hire" based on the strength of my contact there as well as high need to fill the role I am currently in.
Within the first four and a half months of my job, I have experienced more hazing and difficulty with me colleagues than I have anywhere else. Is this because I have no previous VA experience? Everyone on my team did internships, went through all the rounds of interviewing, and some even interviewed for several positions before being accepted into a role. In the time I have worked there, I am being put down on a near daily basis. Small (and I mean SMALLLLL) mistakes I have made have followed me for months. I even had a coworker message me on time that a case I was dealing with was "karmic" for a mistake I had made almost 6 weeks prior.
I have openly made comments about the culture on my unit, and that if we were to infuse some kindness and heart not only would we function better as a team and grow as clinicians, we would provide better care for our Veterans..... This was responded to by all of the members of my team going to my direct supervisor to tell him I was a poor fit on the team. Had a colleague of mine who I thought was a friend ask me to confide in her via our personal phone lines if I were struggling, because "It can be really lonely to come into the VA, and I want to support you any way I can." Well, a week later, she let my boss read through all the texts and stated I was "antithetical" to what needed to be represented within my role (mind you, my complaints were only along the lines of hey, we don't treat our fellow workers very kindly, and we are a team after all... no bashing anyone or the VA itself).
One of my other colleagues (higher credentialing than I, and in a different discipline) told me that my degree was only bits and pieces compared to hers..... I was so excited for this job, I'm part of a military family and I REALLY care about this cause, and yet.... I am dreading work every day. I have been directly told I am not allowed to use my clinical skill sets and need to stick to "discharge planning and case management only, because anything else would require an SOP" but recently one of my other social work colleagues (less experience than me) was allowed to start implementing clinical work on our unit, no SOP. Her first patient was a Veteran they took off my caseload.... assigned by the aforementioned professional who told me I only knew "bits and pieces."
I have faced homophobia, transphobia, etc.... I really want this to work, I want to be in this position, but I am being blacklisted by my team and I dont know what to do about it.
At one point my supervisor assigned us homework of a "do's and dont's" of our role to provide to other disciplines on the unit so they could better understand how to utilize the services us social workers offer. On one of my off days (I have an offset schedule, not M-F), my team decided this assignment was a "boundaries for the team" assignment and RAILED against me with a bullet pointed list of mistakes I had made. One of them even stated "dont pretend you are a realtor when you're actually a social worker" - I helped a client who was homeless with no dispo find an apartment he qualified for... When I reiterated what my supervisor said the assignment was, they all told me I was wrong. When I stated "Okay, so if this is boundaries for the team, can we find a time to work on it with all team members present?" and this comment lead them to go to my boss and tell him I "take things too personally."
I feel backed into a corner, like not a single thing I can do is right. I am being heavily monitored and vetted by my team members in a way that it feels like they are authority figures to me. They have all known my boss MUCH longer than I, and he is taking their word at face value. When they report something, he doesn't ask me a single question.... He goes "The TEAM states X," and begins to reprimand me. I AM A PART OF THE TEAM, TOO! Any time I have asked to meet with him individually about anything, he puts me off, tells me he's too busy. I've had 30 minute "check-ins" delayed more than a week. My colleagues have a request, and he jumps to help them. Puts aside things for their calls, etc.... I feel like I am drowning with no lifejacket and no one to turn to... My connection is good friends with my boss, so even the one "safe" person to confide in.... is not
I have also noticed there is also a "pay to play" culture on my unit. It is not uncommon for one or two social workers to feed the whole unit. I have personally witnessed one of our social workers spend $300ish on a single catered lunch. While I think this is a sweet gesture, I do not believe it should be necessary for the success of the role. However, in the times I wasnt able to afford to help (private loans kicking my ass) I have been labeled as a non contributor and reprimanded for what I couldnt contribute. I just signed up for the AFGE in a last ditch effort that I may be treated fairly, but my hope is waning. When I asked the union, the rep told me "buy the muffins man." and that I would always be viewed poorly if I didnt participate in "traditions"
My team makes a point to constantly emphasize that I "dont know the VA like they do" because they all interned. How am I ever supposed to progress here, if instead of being taught I am being shamed? Have any of you gone through and amended anything like this? I dont want to leave. I love this population and all the ways I get to serve, but I am so worn down and it's only been a few months.... I feel more than hopeless. I don't even talk at work anymore...I cry in solitude at least 3x a week... that's never been me. I feel like the role is changing me and I cant help but wonder if it's a change that will leave me worse off. I feel less confident in myself as a clinician with every passing hour in the building. I feel like I'm losing a skill set I spent the last many years cultivating. I am feeling fully, totally lost. Any, and I mean ANY, advice/feedback/criticism is welcomed. I really want this to work.

I don’t trust that a potential child’s life will be better than mine, nor do I trust a potential child will better humanity in any way. I’m not special, neither are you.
Does that mean I think human civilization has peaked? Not 100%. But maybe 60-70%, on a good day. We’re teetering on the edge of collapse, biodiversity is disappearing…and the brink is frightening enough. If we were truly the remarkable, utterly unique, creator-blessed civilization we think we are….then how could we end up anywhere near this state…Cutting off the branch we all sit on…
A smart species would do better.
It makes me believe we are flawed fundamentally as a species. On a collective level.

—> Please do not even contact me if you are a day under 18. <—
It's not creepy. I'm just appreciating a work of art.
Maybe you've had a man notice you and you wish he didn't turn his head away?
Or maybe you don't get noticed like you deserve to be?
Maybe you've wanted to tease a man and watch the hardness grow in his pants?
Maybe you like to wear skirts sans panties, and would stand over me?
Maybe you've wanted to cheat, sort of, without really, actually?
Maybe you've wanted to feel sexy, without sex?
(While we both have masks on. Double masks, even, because covid. Even if you're married.)
I want to find just one woman to, while in her chosen state of undress, would like a respectful and respectable gentleman to just be there close and observe... and moan and ogle and take in the beautify before him, while keeping his hands to himself.
Don't get me wrong, I really do like sex. And I'm not a prude. I just really like the feminine form, these are not times to be exchanging bodily fluids, and truth be told I wouldn't want to actually get physical with anyone I don't feel an emotional connection to first. (Yes there are men like that.)
Now, I realize a woman would be cautious about being so vulnerable with a stranger so I expect a lot of our initial conversations would be about placating your justifiable concerns. I'm all about that. A gentleman bears the burden of making a lady feel comfortable enough to proceed.
That said, based on experience with a similar post I tried from a now-deleted account of mine that brought no success, what I won't do is play games, converse with someone who won't tell me where she's located, engage in virtual play of any kind, or just answer questions while not being allowed to ask a few of my own. I'm sorry but I will block one-liners and incoherence.
About me: Not a creep! Really, women approach me in public to ask for directions and children approach me to help find their parents. I'm told I look "smart" and "presentable." I attractive enough to be noticed more when I don't have my ring on. Brown hair. White.
About you: No age limit either way. I guess I'm open to anything for this but in general I have been attracted to relatively more innocent appearances on the scale of things. As for race, I have mostly been attracted to Asian, Black, Latina, and white (in alphabetical order. And I suppose just because I haven't even been around a lot of Middle Eastern women?) Be at least somewhat attractive. If you're exceptionally attractive and you're used to men noticing you, or if you're not so sure and want the compliment of having me in a state of agonizing desire, this might be perfect for you. Especially if you're much younger or older and just want the appreciation with no contact.
Important: Obviously I don't mean just "check you out" while behind in line at the grocery or watching you jog by while you are wearing tight clothes, because I wouldn't need to post an ad for that. This would need to be in a private or semi-private space or some place that is so vast that we're so far from everyone that they won't wonder what I'm doing examining you so closely . Consider wearing nothing, yoga clothes, a swimsuit, underwear, etc. Just as obviously, I am not looking for an "online thing" or even talk about this with someone who isn't in the SF Bay Area or Northern California.

This is the hardest part for me. I don’t want to seem like a creep but I also truly don’t know how to talk to women or express attraction, so I really just don’t, and I have no doubt that I’ve had several missed opportunities because of this.
My last relationship was eight years ago, and she initiated that. I’m nearly thirty now and I still just can’t approach. I freeze up, I panic, I start to worry about coming off the wrong way and seeming like a weirdo. I don’t know what to say. I can handle rejection, that has never bothered me. No one is obligated to have an interest and I can absolutely take it in stride. It’s just the act of actually trying that makes it impossible for me.
I’m really starting to worry that I’m going to die alone and it’s going to be entirely because I just cannot figure out how to approach without nearly having a panic attack just considering doing it.

if my job will negate with me, and pay me 13 or 13.50, should i stay? i currently make 11.50 and i already put in my notice. my last day is 3 days away. they really don’t want me to leave and offered me a supervisor position BUT more pay was not brought up in the conversation. - i have a job lined up for me already. starting out 15$ topping 17.50, but it would be a new line of work for me, and i’m already having doubts i will like this job.. but for the pay i could tough it out..right? if i turn down the job lined up for me, i could never consider it again. i live in an area where there’s not a lot of work available as is. should i negotiate my current job (which could fail anyways and they say no) for less pay but stay doing what i love, or try new things for way better pay. i need to get a car in the near near future, and am wanting to do a cross country trip sometime next year. i’m so conflicted and i don’t have much time to think about this as I need to make up my mind by Friday.

Tl;dr: wife (27F) jumped into shirtless guys arms while she was in a bikini at a party she was at without me. It makes me feel uncomfortable and I’m curious if others would feel uncomfortable in this situation.
…
My (30M) wife (27F) and I have been married for nearly seven years. She recently spent a weekend at one of her close friends’ bachelorette party. I didn’t see her for about four days. The groom was also holding a bachelor party weekend in the same vicinity and the two groups were crossing paths every once in a while.
Come to find out, part of the weekend involved a pool party with the groom and his groomsmen taking part as well. My wife let me know about something that happened at the pool party, and I’m not sure if I’m justified in feeling uncomfortable about it.
I guess they were playing corn hole in teams of two and she teamed up with one of the groomsmen. It’s a pool party so everybody is minimally clothed. After a good toss, she runs over and jumps in this guy’s arms. She’s in a bikini and he’s of course shirtless.
Even if this was completely harmless, it just feels weird to me. Like a nice high five would’ve been fine. I do know that she would be quite upset if the roles were reversed and I had encouraged a bikini clad girl to jump into my arms under any circumstances. Especially if she wasn’t present.
Am I crazy?

I have a serious fear of bedbugs so please go easy on me. I have OCD and I am already panicking. Someone 2 doors down from me has bed bugs. They were moving out of their apartment and brought all of their furniture to the lobby and it sat there for a day. They put a piece of paper on the furniture that said DONT TOUCH DONT TAKE and it had white powder all over it.
Realistically, what are the chances I am going to get them? We don’t have any shared walls but we are on the same floor. I didn’t go near any of the furniture in the lobby. Is there anything I can do to prevent them? I also have 2 dogs so anything I do would have to be pet safe. An exterminator is coming on Thursday and they said he can check my apartment, but what if the exterminator brings them in from another apartment??
I’m spiraling and I’m so scared please help.

first off please i don't want any comments that straight up say "there is nothing wrong with your height :)". im 20 years old, 21 in a few months, i look like a 14 year old and im BARELY 5'2. finding a partner is very hard, i sometimes get approached by pedos who think im a kid and/or my appearance is getting sexualized (because on top of being short as hell i also do actually look younger. not on testosterone yet and that makes it even worse). finding clothes of my particular style is nearly impossible because everything is too large for me. 13 year olds are taller than me. everyone makes fun of my height or just tease me about it constantly.
in short, im insecure about my height, there are multiple reasons i'd like to be taller that's not just "oh im a man i should be tall". is there ANY way for me to grow taller at this point or will my life continue being a living hell?

I (M17) was going to the pool party for my schools swim team and i went with my friend (F17) now , all my life everyone around me has always known how to swim and ive always just guessed everyone knew how to swim, and i expected everyone there knew how to swim, i even asked my friend if they knew how to swim and she just smirked at me ? Anyway onto the day of the pool party, me and my friend were messing around near the deep end of the pool (7ft) (my friend is 5'3) she started to push me so i grabbed her while i was going down , she didnt come up for a few seconds and i started to worry and when she came up she was frantic and splashing so i grabbed her and brought up , she caught her breath and after I was trying to lighten the mood for her because i didnt want her to be mad and she was just ignoring me so i left early, later in the night i got a text from her and some friends saying i was an asshole , i texted her back saying "you nvr told me u couldnt swim ? u js smirked so i assumed . idk y u mad " she then told me to go fuck myself . Now im wondering if im the AH

How i fix my gift card issue not on the computer with A.I., cuz they aint helpful at all they make me loose brain cells dealing with i got a 50 dollar card and i need someone dat can actually assist me in fixing my issue and twitter support said was going to help and i sent my Card which had money on it and now no answer watt he took da card for himself literally da contact us support xbox online aint working either like nearly impossible to get in touch with someone helful

Hi everybody, hope you're all doing well!
I'm interested in applying for an English Lit PhD for 2024-2025, but unfortunately, I've had very bad luck in regards to research in English Lit so far as an undergrad. Almost every opportunity to do English or humanities-related research I have been denied from.
I nearly had the chance to do research three times, but each of the three times, something got in the way and didn't work out. The first time, it was because I decided to transfer undergrad universities. The second time, I was selected as a finalist for Mellon Mays but didn't get the fellowship. The third time, a professor and I decided to do research together, but she ended up getting hired by another university for the next year and had to leave. Then, I planned on applying for my school's summer research program, but it got cancelled because of low funding.
Because of this, I am now a rising senior with no research. I have a lot of teaching/service experience thankfully, which I definitely think I will bring up in my application but outside of that, I don't really have anything going for me which has made me very concerned that I will get rejected everywhere and would be wasting a lot of money.
I was wondering if people here knew if English PhDs prioritize undergrad research like STEM does if you all don't mind me asking. I've heard that research is very important for STEM and social sciences, but I haven't been able to find a lot of information on English and the humanities online, so if anyone happens to know, I truly appreciate you taking the time to read this and for your help.
Thank you all so much, I really appreciate it, and I hope you all have a great one!