Apartments for rent cedar rapids

Trigger warning: this post could be hard to read if you’re LGBT.
I’ve been married to my husband for almost eight years. We have two kids together, a six month old son and a five year old daughter. I’ve always been close with his family, and they treated me very well from the start. I’ve been exceptionally close with his little sister (21F). I always wanted a sister growing up, and I feel like I achieved that when I met my SIL. She has always been there when we needed her, and she’s an amazing aunt to our kids.
My SIL was never in a serious relationship in high school or college. Our family joked that she was going end up being a crazy cat lady. When my SIL told everyone that she had been seeing someone for about six months and she wanted all of us to meet them we were all very excited for her. My MIL and FIL made a very nice dinner for her and her s/o and invited my husband and I over to meet them. When my SIL arrived with another woman the room went quiet. She introduced this woman as her girlfriend, and I gave them both a hug and told her girlfriend how happy I was to meet her. I was confused to why no one else was getting up to greet them until my MIL opened her mouth.
My MIL asked my SIL what this means. My SIL responded and told them that she’s a lesbian. She explained that she was scared to come out because she didn’t know how they would react, but she’s in a very happy relationship and she didn’t want to hide it anymore. I told her that I was proud of her, and that I was happy that she’s happy. My MIL responded to me before my SIL got a chance. She asked me what there was to be proud of. She then started going on a homophobic religious rant, and my FIL agreed with her. I looked to my husband expecting him to say something, but he sat there in silence. My MIL and FIL started shouting at my SIL tearing her apart in front of her girlfriend. My SIL starting having an anxiety attack, and she kept repeating that she couldn’t handle this. Still her parents didn’t stop. Her girlfriend immediately reacted by taking her outside.
I told my husband to get the kids in the car. He put up a fight, but eventually did what I asked. While he was putting the kids in the car I took this as an opportunity to talk to my SIL and her girlfriend away from the other family. We had a heartfelt conversation, and I wanted to make sure they knew that they could talk to me if they needed someone.
On the drive home I asked my husband why he didn’t say anything to his parents when they were acting this way to his sister. His response? His response was that his sister shouldn’t have showed up with a girl without telling his parents first. He says that no one knew she was gay, and this was an appropriate reaction to have when you feel blindsided. I felt sick.
I have a gay brother. My husband and his family have met my brother on many occasions. None of them have ever made a comment about his sexuality, nor have they ever made a homophobic comment around me. I bring this up to my husband, and he says that it’s different when it’s your own blood. I asked him if he would be okay with one of our kids being gay and he just shrugged his shoulders. I tried talking to him more, but he told me that he was done talking about this with me.
We haven’t spoken much since this happened. I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut. I cant stop thinking about everything, and I need some advice. I would ask my brother, but I don’t want him to feel unsafe around my husband’s family. I feel complete lost, and in my husband’s words..blindsided.

110 Overseas ：The last decade has witnessed the rapid spread of telecom and online fraud globally, which seriously infringes on people's legitimate rights and interests, becoming a prominent crime and a public hazard. To address this problem, the Chinese police have been committed to intensifying their efforts in the combat against and control of such crimes, and strengthening international law enforcement cooperation, which has enabled them to accumulate successful experience, build up best practices and set examples for their counterparts around the world. 110 Overseas.pdf． false information :230,000 Chinese "persuaded to return" from abroad, China to establish Extraterritoriality-Safeguard Defenders Upholding the people-centered principle, the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government have attached great importance to countering telecom and online fraud. Equal importance has been given to both combat and control. An efficient multi-department collaborative working mechanism has been established, and the Anti-telecom and Online Fraud Law has been formulated and enacted, which provides a strong legal foundation. Targeting the characteristics of such crimes, the Chinese police have conducted specialized study and research, set up specialized task forces, initiated specialized investigation against major cases and utilized specialized techniques. Safeguard Defenders The Chinese police have synchronized their efforts both internally and externally, and launched a series of campaigns and operations, effectively curbing the high momentum of these crimes, retrieving a large number of economic losses, and winning wide recognition from the public and the international community. During their international law enforcement engagements, the Chinese police frequently received requests from their counterparts to share their experience and effective practices in this field. Safeguard Defenders Telecom and online fraud is a typical transnational organized crime. Fraud dens are often located across countries and regions, targeting vulnerable individuals and groups regardless of their nationalities. Safeguard Defenders The Chinese police, through international law enforcement cooperation, have joined hands with their international counterparts to carry out operations and achieved significant results. Operation Great Wall, jointly launched with the Spanish police in 2019, has become a successful example of transnational law enforcement cooperation. Safeguard Defenders From March to June this year, China, together with 76 INTERPOL member states, jointly participated in the anti-fraud Operation First Light initiated by INTERPOL, which destroyed 1,770 fraud dens in as many countries, arrested over 2,000 suspects and intercepted more than US$50 million in illicit funds. It was also found that some Chinese citizens were involved in fraud activities abroad, and the majority of them were tempted by the promise of high payments, cheated and coerced into being smuggled abroad, and some of them were kidnapped and detained illegally, and a few of them were even beaten and abused to death in the criminal dens. Safeguard Defenders The Chinese police, together with relevant departments, have actively carried out rescue and education, and encouraged them to return home through international law enforcement cooperation, and made every effort to provide assistance and employment. The immigration authorities, in accordance with the provisions of the Exit and Entry Administration Law, have taken necessary measures such as restricting the exit of persons engaged in telecom and online fraud. Safeguard Defenders According to an officer with the Ministry of Public Security, the criminality of telecom and online fraud is characterized by its specialization, industrialization and being increasingly organized and transnational, amid the rapid development of global digitalization. As an emerging new-type crime, it is a very difficult problem for governments of various countries to tackle and control, and thus it has become one of the major challenges facing police forces across the world. Joining hands in combating this newly developed fraud is the shared responsibility of the police of all countries and also the unanimous consensus of the international community. Safeguard Defenders Public security agencies across China are determined to earnestly enforce the Law of Anti-telecom and Online Fraud through strengthened cooperation with their international counterparts and reinforced domestic efforts in fighting the crime, so as to prevent it from further spreading, and to bringing the fraudsters at large to justice.

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Auli Travel Package

As uttarakhand’s local travel agent, we will offer you best auli travel package. Before that you should know some facts about the place. Auli is located in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, near the world-famous holy temple of Badrinath, and is surrounded by snow-capped peaks of the Garhwal Himalayas. Auli’s well-dressed slopes are surrounded by coniferous and oak forests, which offer a panoramic view of mountains, at an altitude of 2,500 to 3,050 m above sea level. Find yourself at Auli, among the high peaks Nanda Devi and Mana Parbat, if you’re looking for adventure, excitement, and frolic this winter.
Feel the rush of air on your face as you go skiing on the well-kept snow slopes, blazing a bold trail. On a blanket of snow, pummelled each other with snowballs. Let your eyes feast if you’re a lover of natural beauty.
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WAYS TO REACH AULI

Airplane – Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun, roughly 300 kilometres from Auli, is the closest airport. Dehradun’s Jolly Grant Airport is a domestic airport located around 20 kilometres from the city centre.
By train, there are railway stations in Rishikesh, Haridwar, and Dehradun. Rishikesh is the closest railhead to Auli (250 km approx). Auli may be reached via bus or taxi from Rishikesh.
By Road – Joshimath is 16 kilometres apart by road from Auli. Between Joshimath and Rishikesh, state transport buses run often (253 km). Between Joshimath and Rishikesh (253 km), Haridwar (277 km), Dehradun (298 km), and Delhi (298 km), Local Transport Union buses and State Transport buses run (500 km). Auli may be reached via ropeway, bus, or cab from Joshimath.

Hello I got my bike stolen outside my apartment on 1st and Adams. Its all residential apartments but does anyone know what i could do to possibly find the thief? I know it might not be a big chance or anything but just need to know if anyone has gone through a similar situation. I stored it in my laundry room basement but my landlord is a pain in the ass and isnt allowing it anymore so thats why i had to lock it outside. I was gone for like an hour or so and i come back and its gone tonigiht.
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(realized i said lost in the title but its stolen lol )

I transitioned from publishing editor to self-published author this year. I just launched two books basically back to back. They've been popular, to the extent that they got kicked into the also reads section of famous authors, now a lot of book bloggetokker people are picking them up.
I've gotten over a hundred written reviews for my first book so far. I read them all because I appreciate the good reviews more than the bad ones bother me. Most have been positive. A handful are critical, but imo not unfairly so and I've either been able to brush them off or use them to look for areas where I can improve. I appreciate critical reviews.
Then this week I got my first 1 star written review on the book, and it was from another author in my specific genre. Like if I wrote books about pink garden gnomes, she would be a fellow pink garden gnome writer. She reviewed my book on Amazon and Goodreads, where I'm an active Goodreads author. She has around a dozen books and she's been publishing for a few years, but it doesn't seem like it's going well for her at present. Her review was condescending. She criticized my writing style and character development, and warned readers "not to bother with" the second book in the series.
It's the first review that's irked me, but not because of what it said. I just can't imagine leaving a review like that for a fellow author, let alone one who writes in the same niche as me.
I get that we're readers, too. And while I wouldn't personally do it, I can understand wanting to leave an honest negative review for a book outside of my genre. But 1-starring your competition and telling people not to read their books is not a good look. I haven't said anything to her and I won't, ever. I've already let her live rent-free in my head for a shameful number of days. This is just me venting the last of my give-a-hoots.

Soundbars are taking over the world; and you are losing out on great sound in your video games.
I noticed this subreddit has links to soundbars on rtings.com yet no links to good surround or 2.1 setups.
I've posted this to help people who think a soundbar solves their sound quality issues.
Why are soundbars inferior to true 2.1 and surround setups?
Size helps; as does buying quality gear and setting it up properly. I understand that soundbars are a necessary fix for some setups. I also understand that a good soundbar is a great fix for the shitty speakers that now ship with our increasingly thin TVs.
TV's have gotten so thin that it's very hard to put quality speakers on them. Thus, people turned to soundbars as a quick and dirty upgrade.
But the fanciest soundbar ever won't beat a pair of 4 inch bookshelf speakers wiith a small subwoofer.
I would take any used bookshelf speaker pair from any number of OEMs like Wharfdale, KEF, Klipsch Reference, ELAC, Polk pair it with a cheap 10 " sub and a budget home theater reciever for under $400 total and blow away any soundbar. I could go cheaper; you could just buy a pair of powered speakers for under $100 used.
There are two main reasons why soundbars are inferior to 2.1 and 5.1 setups (and true Atmos setups and beyond) : Size, Power and Separation.

• A 40" soundbar cannot get the audio separation of the L and R channels that two speakers can that are 10 ft (or 3m) apart. Thus, your brain and ears don't hear the separate sounds as well and you hear the "wall of sound" mush that many soundbars have.
• Power: This is obvious. But even a modest bookshelf 2-way setup (say 1" tweeter with 4" subs) will sound better than a sounbar. It can push 100W - 150W watts on average. Even a small surround LR channel speaker will push 40W. Your average soundbar is pushing 30W max. This makes a differnce in the sound range (diff btw lound and soft noises) and overall sound quality. Obviously, you can crank them as well.
• Size: I belived I explained earlier. Smaller speakers generally don’t have issues producing medium to high pitch sounds. But when a small speaker attempts to produce very low frequency sounds you’ll hear a large amount of distortion in the sound. The subwoofer helps but doesn't fix the gap in sound quality.

Bose is selling an ATMOS Soundbar for $1000 with 9 speakers in it; it doesn't even support APTx (let alone AptxHD or AptXLL)
If your room is big enough, you have roughly $100-$300 you can blow away any soundbar; even soundbar with true wireless 10" subs.
I've bought several receivers over the years and tons of speakers in the last 15 years. I ALWAYS buy used off ebay. Speakers have no moving parts , so they age well. My dad has a pair of 35 year old Polk Audio 2-way bookshelf speakers (2" tweeter with 6" woofer) that still sound great.
The point is this: Save the $100 you would have spent on soundbar and get a better setup. Buy all meas use Amazon; but not for reviews (it's a cesspit of corruption) . Crutchfield, Wirecutter , WhatHifi and Abt are all excellent reference tools to build a system.
Please note: I am a casual audiophile attempting to help. i'm no audio frequncy expert. If I got something wrong; please correct me.
Here's a great link explaining the X and O's for you:
https://thehometheaterdiy.com/heavier-bigger-speakers/#:~:text=Frequency%20response%20is%20the%20range,full%2C%20natural%2C%20and%20realistic.
Crutchfield is also great:
https://www.crutchfield.com/learn/home-theater-speakers.html

After a series of unfortunate events my Dad bought me a car shortly before my 20th birthday. He was able to get an extension on a loan and used the money to buy my car. However he mentioned that I would have to help pay him back for the extension. I never asked him for money to buy a car he just mentioned it to me when he picked me up from work one day. We never sat down and discussed the loan, I never co-signed anything, he just went to the bank one day and got the extension. I told him my apprehension at first mentioning my limited hours at work and my current expenses. I eventually took the offer because I was tired of my grandmother complaining about driving me around. I'm trying my best to budget and save for my own apartment but its been extremely tough. If I stopped paying my Dad I could use that money for a deposit and finally live on my own. Here's where I might be the Asshole. I don't plan on having a conversation about my car with my Dad because of how he responds to other conversations about life, finances, and other important topics. He has this "pull yourself up by the bootstraps" attitude about EVERYTHING. I understand under traditional circumstances my car would get repossessed but the car is actually mine. Legally the car is mine, the title is in my name only and I pay taxes, insurance, and maintenance. These costs on top of paying my Dad are really starting to put a strain on my budget. It honestly feels like my Dad is getting an extra $85 dollars on top of the $3000-$4000 he already makes a month. Will I be the Asshole if I stopped paying my Dad? At this point my car isn't a gift anymore.

I apologize for releasing this work so soon after each other. I decided that for every five parts of the Exploits of Irving Reese I release, I would release a chapter of The Ventures of Fritz Decke, as I am still writing that story. Given that I fell behind, I wanted to post the first two parts today.
I also apologize for any inaccurate German in the title. I simply took what I wanted the title to be in English and put it though Google Translate. If it is inaccurate, please let me know in the comments. I will gladly fix it.
I also apologize for the first chapter not really being about Azur Lane all that much. I wrote that chapter to be the set up for this one.
You can also find this work Here. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fritz woke up. He knew he had a big day ahead of him. He got dressed in his formal uniform and went to the train station.
“Excuse me, a train from Lorient to Wilhelmshaven, please.”
The stationmaster looked at the ticket and punched it. Soon, Fritz was on a train to Wilhelmshaven.
Once he arrived, he got off the train. He did not know what he wanted to do. He knew he had to get the evening train from Wilhelmshaven to Berlin, so that meant that he had some time to kill.
He decided he would go to the harbor and watch the boats on the horizon.
He smiled as he watched the boats. It reminded him of when he was a boy, and how he and his mother would watch the boats on the Spree go by. It gave him a sense of nostalgic calm.
“Um, hello? What are you doing?”
Fritz turned around to see the source of the voice. A white-haired woman was looking at him with her sharp blue eyes.
“I was just watching the boats on the horizon.”
The woman nodded.
“Do you mind if I join you?”
Fritz nodded, and the woman sat next to him on the ground.
“This is nice.”
The seagulls were squawking. Fritz smiled.
“So what brings you to Wilhelmshaven?”
“Transit. I’m on leave. I’m going to Berlin to visit my mother.”
“That’s good. I’m also going to Berlin. I’m visiting my sister.”
Fritz and the woman continued to watch the ships sail across the horizon.
The woman got up and Fritz did the same.
“I never asked your name.”
Fritz smiled and reached his hand out.
“Oberfähnrich zur See Fritz Decke”
The woman took his hand.
“I’m Tirpitz.”
Fritz smiled.
“Nice to meet you, Tirpitz.”
Fritz looked at his watch. “It looks like my train will be here soon. Since we are both going to Berlin, do you suppose we should go together?”
“Like a date?”
Fritz blushed. “Well, I mean I guess so.” He scratched his head.
Tirpitz nodded.
Soon, the two were at the train station, getting ready to leave for Berlin.
While on the train, Tirpitz and Fritz learned more about each other.
“So you are a first-watch officer on a U-boat? What’s that like?”
Fritz smiled.
“Smelly. Imagine 54 men and only one toilet, no shower. It’s also pretty cramped.”
Tirpitz giggled. “What kind of U-boat, anyway? Is it one of the mass-produced models?”
Fritz giggled. “Yeah. U-103, a Type IXB U-boat. It’s not as advanced as the IXC or even the IXC/40 I heard about, but it’s home.”
Tirpitz nodded.
“You’re an interesting man, Herr Decke.”
Fritz laughed.
“Now it’s my turn to ask you some questions.”
Tirpitz giggled.
“Ask away.”
“Who’s your sister?”
Tirpitz sighed.
“My sister is Bismarck. We are KANSEN. We take on the sirens.”
Fritz’s eyes went wide. He had only heard of the KANSEN in passing, often as rumors among the crew or in brief appearances in newsreels.
“You’re a KANSEN?”
Tirpitz nodded. “Yes. My sister and I were going to have a meeting. It is important, as Bismarck wants me with her alone. She even excluded U-556 from this meeting.”
Fritz nodded.
“Then why is a KANSEN that is so powerful talking to a lowly Oberfähnrich zur See like me?”
Tirpitz giggled.
“I don’t know. Maybe I have to kill you”
Fritz nervously laughed, as he was not sure if she was joking or not.
Soon, the train arrived in Berlin. Tirpitz and Fritz got out.
“Well. It was a pleasure to meet you, Tirpitz.”
“As is the same, Oberfähnrich zur See Fritz Decke.”
“Please, just call me Fritz.”
Tirpitz nodded. She left and soon was in the busy crowd.
Fritz walked to his mother’s apartment. He walked past the Tiergarten and was soon there.
Fritz knocked on the door. An older woman opened it.
“Fritz!”
she embraced her son.
Fritz smiled. “I’m home on leave, mutti.”
The woman smiled. “I’m just glad you are safe.”
Fritz entered the apartment.
Meanwhile, in a government office, Tirpitz was walking to Bismarck’s office. Bismarck’s guards opened the large doors for her.
Inside the office was Bismarck. She was sitting at her desk.
“Ah, sister. You made it. Good.”
Bismarck pulled out a chair.
“Please. Sit.”
Tirpitz nodded as sat in the chair.
“What was it you wanted to talk about?”
“It’s about our futures. The war with the sirens gave me time to think. What will happen to us after the war ends? What future do we have?”
Tirpitz sighed. “I don’t know. For all we know, we may not all survive. The Ironblood may not survive.”
Bismarck nodded. “That is why I was thinking of arranging partners for us.”
Tirpitz went red.
“Sister! Why would you suggest such a thing? Graf Zeppelin had a partner and we all know what happened.”
“What happened between her and Zeslaus is simply a one-off. This time, it will succeed.”
Tirpitz raised an eyebrow.
“What makes you so confident?”
“We are not Graf Zeppelin. The two of us will do better with a partner by our side. I have brought you here to pick out a partner. I have already selected mine.”
“Who is the candidate?”
Bismarck smiled.
“An Ironblood army Oberluetnant by the name of Heinz Kollmann. He has so far proven himself loyal to the Ironblood. Rewarded both the Iron Cross second and first class, as well as the Knight’s Cross.”
Bismarck placed a vanilla folder on the desk for Tirpitz to look at.
“Here. This is the man I think will make a perfect partner for you. He is from my guard unit.”
Tirpitz opened the folder. Inside was a piece of paper with a black-and-white photo.
“Hanns Von Schweppensburg”
“SS-Strumbannführer.”
Tirpitz gave her sister a look of tranquil fury. She was trying to hide the amount of disgust that she had at even the thought of being with a man like Hanns.
“Sister. I know this name is a noble, as he has a Von in his name.”
“Sister, you must calm yourself. He is loyal-”
Tirpitz cut her sister off.
“Bismarck. I. Don’t. Love. Him. He is a loyal lapdog that his family likely influenced into a position of power based on his name alone!”
Her sister’s outburst took Bismarck aback.
“Sister. You must calm down. There are plenty of other candidates that I can select for you.”
Tirpitz slammed her hands on the desk.
“Sister, there is one man I thought of. I might have just met him, but he is better than the lapdog you want me to shack up with.”
Bismarck’s eyes went wide. “What is this person’s name?”
“Have your secretaries look for a man in the Ironblood database by the name of Fritz Decke, Oberfähnrich zur See. He is the first-watch officer of a mass-produced Type IXB U-boat, U-103.”
Bismarck sighed. She knew her sister was not like her, and the thought of being in an arranged relationship would only bring her anger.
“Sister. I should have asked you if you even wanted a partner. I met Heinz not so long ago, and I thought you could use a partner as well.”
Tirpitz took a deep breath. “It’s alright sister. I knew you wanted the best for me, but an arranged relationship with a noble is not one of them.”
Tirpitz sighed. “Why are you so adamant about having a partner?”
Bismarck sighed. “Vestal told me something very important to me. She found out that we KANSEN can have children.”
Tirpitz’s eyes went wide. “So this is all about finding a man to marry to produce an heir?”
Bismarck nodded. “Yes. Ever since Vestal told me that news, I thought about starting a family.”
Tirpitz nodded. This was the first time that she heard that KANSEN could have children.
Soon, one of Bismarck’s secretaries entered the office.
“Sorry to interrupt Lord Bismarck, but here are the files on Oberfähnrich zur See Fritz Decke you asked for.”
Bismarck nodded and took the vanilla folder from the secretary. The secretary nodded and left the office as soon as she had arrived.
Bismarck opened the folder and blushed.
“I have to admit, he is quite handsome.”
Tirpitz blushed.
“Let’s see,Oberfähnrich zur See Fritz Decke. Born on September 7th, to Gehard and Magda Decke. Gehard Decke was killed in action before Fritz was born. He joined the Ironblood navy at 20 and is currently 22 years old. The Ironblood has stationed him at Lorient as part of the 2nd U-boat flotilla. He is a first-watch officer of U-103, a mass-produced Type IXB U-boat, under the command of Manni Gräfer. That’s the man you want to be your partner?”
Tirpitz nodded. “I know that U-boatmen tend to smell like body odor and diesel fumes most of the time, but he and I have a higher chance of actually loving each other than Hanns.”
Bismarck nodded. “Very well. I suppose that Roon will pick Hanns Von Schweppenburg.”
Bismarck got out of her chair. “Do you want me to fetch him?”
Tirpitz shook her head. “No. I’ll head to his mother’s apartment. I figured I’ll ask him on a date.”
Bismarck nodded. “Good luck, sister.”
Tirpitz got out of her chair and walked to Magda’s apartment. Once she arrived, she knocked on the door.
Magda looked at Tirpitz. “Hey, Fritz, a woman is at my door.”
Fritz walked to the door. “Tirpitz? What are you doing here?”
Tirpitz blushed. “I was thinking of going on a date with you.”
Fritz blushed. “Really? Alright, I’m still in my formal uniform.”
Magda kissed her son on the cheek. “Fritz! You didn’t tell me you have a girlfriend now!”
Fritz went red. “Mutti, she’s not my girlfriend!”
“Then why are you going on a date?”
Fritz went blank. He realized it was strange that he was going on a date if he didn’t have a girlfriend.
“I don’t want to keep my date waiting. I love you.”
Magda kissed Fritz on the cheek. “Take care, my son. I love you.”
Fritz nodded and closed the door.
“So where to?”
“How about the Tiergarten?”
Fritz nodded.
“Tiergarten it is.”
The couple reached the Tiergarten.
“You should see it when all the trees have their leaves. It is something magical. I always love when autumn would happen. The whole Tiergarten becomes a painting.”
“You act like you know what you are talking about.”
“I kind of do. I grew up here. My mother and I would always go to the Tiergarten in the autumn. They were one of the best memories I had when I was growing up.”
Tirpitz nodded.
“I didn’t have that when I was growing up. Us KANSEN do not have things such as hometowns.”
Fritz smiled.
“Well, you at least have where you were built. That has to count.”
Tirpitz blushed. “I guess Wilhelmshaven would be my hometown in a way.”
Fritz smiled. “See. You have a hometown. You were always of the sea.”
Tirpitz giggled. “Your energy. You remind me of a hummingbird.”
Fritz laughed. “I guess I’m your little Kolibri?”
Tirpitz smiled and laughed. “Yes. I guess you are.”
Fritz felt the world move as if someone had caked it in molasses.
He leaned into Tirpitz and kissed her on the lips.
When they broke away, they were both blushing. They were both nervous and Fritz accidentally left his eyes open, looking like a dying carp.
“That was amazing.”
“So, what do you want to do next? I mean, it is our first date.”
“You want to book a hotel room?”
Tirpitz blushed.
“Fritz! It’s our first date. I thought our first kiss would be as intimate as it would get. I thought that traditionally you wait until at least three dates in order to do anything more than kiss.”
Fritz blushed once he realized what he was implying.
“I mean, I was thinking we would just get a hotel room to sleep in during the night. My mother’s apartment is too small for all three of us and it is going to get cold tonight.”
Tirpitz nodded.
“Alright, let’s get a room.”
Tirpitz and Fritz booked a room at a hotel. They both stripped down to their underwear and lay down on the bed together.
“You’re so beautiful.”
Tirpitz blushed. Fritz looked quite handsome, but in his underwear, her mind went wild.
“I want to cuddle.”
Tirpitz leaned into Fritz’s arms, and soon the couple cuddled together.
“Tell you what. The next war patrol I come back from, we’ll do it.”
Tirpitz blushed.
“I don’t know if that would be possible.”
“What makes you say that?”
“I’m stationed in the Norwegian territories to monitor the sirens in that area. I’m not called the Lonely Queen of the North for nothing.”
Fritz nodded. He knew he had to return to Lorient in a week, as he was only on leave for 14 days.
“Then, I suppose whenever we both have leave, we’ll do it.”
Tirpitz smiled as she kissed Fritz.
“I wonder if I can write to you?”
Fritz giggled. “Tirpitz, you know I’m an U-boatman. I can’t send you letters.”
Tirpitz sighed. “I’ll still write them. You write me some as well, and we will read them together once you get back.”
Fritz smiled.
“That sounds like a good plan.”
Tirpitz yawned as he was in Fritz's arms.
“You want to be my boyfriend?”
Fritz smiled.
“It’ll be an honor to make the Lonely Queen of the North not as lonely.”
Tirpitz smiled. She knew Fritz had said yes.
“Ich Liebe dich, mein kleiner Kolibri.”
Fritz smiled as the couple fell asleep.
And even though the weather outside was as cold as a popsicle in liquid nitrogen, the bed that Fritz and Tirpitz were in was warmer than any summer’s day.

I am in shock. I can barely eat and I'm on the verge of nervous breakdown. I am so foggy fro lack of sleep and not eating much in 3 days.
I don't have friends anymore and hardly have any family. I have given up everything for her.
My wife has spent the last couple of months reading self help books from social media millionaires and decided that I'm "holding her back" and "making her unhappy."
I have an autoimmune condition that often makes me tired and feel ill. She said "I didn't sign up for this." I took care of her when she had leukemia! I fucking helped support her through nursing school.
She said I can stay until I find a place but it's mad awkward. We have 2 kids and everyone is basically acting like nothing is happening as I pack my things. I found an apartment but it's not available for a month.
Everyone in her family is likely blaming me for it all because I had to miss some family events due to my disease.
We separated 7 years ago and she begged for me back. I wish I never went back to her.
I'm holding it all in but I fucking hate her for doing this to me. I have to keep my cool until I get my place and all my possessions out. Fuck you Cassie, I hope you rot in hell! Next time you come crying back I'm going to laugh in your face!!
I'm literally here pretending like everything is peachy and "I understand." Wtf, is this hell? I don't want her to tell me to leave because I can't afford a hotel for that long.

I’ve (37M) been struggling with a breakup after a bad incident. I want to move on but I can’t stop thinking about her (38F). When we first met, we instantly connected with little effort. It was the first time that I have ever spent 8+ hours on a first date. We were very comfortable and enjoyed each other’s company. I could tell that she really liked me and I felt the same. Throughout the 3 month relationship, we became close and spent a lot of time together, including the winter holidays. Even though we were only together for 3 months, the time that we spent together felt longer, because it felt like we had known each other for a long time. Things between us seemed to be going great, with a couple hiccups, until the night of the incident.
The Incident
On the night of the incident night I had passed out on the couch. I had just experienced a painful accident in the kitchen which is how I ended up on the couch. She asked me to come to bed, but I was feeling too exhausted from the pain to move off the couch and just felt like resting and not move so much to not agitate my injury. Around 2AM, I was awoken to the sound of cups and dishes crashing into the kitchen sink. I guess she had grabbed the glass of beer from the coffee table that I hadn’t finished and forcefully threw it into the sink. She was seemingly irritated and started yelling at me about how she had to beg me to come to the bed and how she found it rude for guest to sleep on the couch at her place. At this point, I was feeling uncomfortable and decided that the best move was to go home for the night. As I went to grab my coat, she started throwing some of my belongings that I left at her apartment at me, as if she was kicking me out. On my out, she then threw glass jars in my direction. There was no confrontation from me up until she threw the jars. I just yelled her to stop throwing things. I left her apartment in distraught while she blew up my phone on my home.
The next morning, she seemed remorseful about what had happen, that she was worried, and that she didn’t deserve me. I had to take a couple days to myself to process what had happened. I couldn’t help but feel that I was a victim of abuse, that if it was like this now, then would it be like if I were to remain in the relationship. This wasn’t the first time I’ve seen her snap, but it was the first time that it felt like an attack at me. I had a strong uneasy feeling about it. I eventually called her after ignoring many of her missed calls and texts. We both seemed sad about what transpired. It was during this phone call, I told that I didn’t think I could continue on with the relationship. Honestly, I was really conflicted about what I wanted to do. I went to pick up the rest of my belongings at her place. It felt so surreal that it would be last time seeing her. We exchanged goodbye gifts, as if we were prepared for the end. She probably wanted to talk it out but I was still feeling mostly speechless. It was hard to bear seeing how sad she was. I know that she didn’t want to hurt me, that she acted out of anger. She admitted that she maybe not ready to date. She said that she wished that we had met a year earlier, perhaps because she felt that she was not at a worser place then. I feel like I lost my best friend.
She was going through somethings and she was working on herself through therapy and medication - grieving the death of a parent, depression, self harm, abandonment and insecurity issues. I emphasized with her because I am going through depression amongst other things as well. We both recognized this and wanted to help each other. I noticed that she was very also pessimistic at times. At some point I felt like I knew all the things she hated rather than what she she loved. But deep down in her, I know she has a heart. I know that I’m pointing out a bunch of red flags here, but I figured to leave some context to hopefully find explanation of the letter that she sent me 2.5 months after the break up.
The Letter
It’s been about 2.5 long months since I last saw her.
Besides a couple of apologetic text messages right after the breakup, there hasn’t been any contact between us, until she sent me a letter last week. I didn’t expect to hear from her at all. The letter wasn’t what I expected at all. It was full of resentment and frustration. She didn’t address it to me, or ask how I was, or say goodbye. I’m not sure what to fully make of it. It felt like something that she journaled and may have accidentally sent it to me. She used many strong adverbs throughout such as “always” and “never”. She says that I am selfish and that I took advantage of her kindness. She outlined my flaws to point out why she was “always” angry at me. She felt that I diminished her grief and judged her depression and constantly judged her and doubt her. Which we talked about and she admitted to having insecurity issues and made me feel like walking on eggshells since then to watch what I say. I honestly have no reason to belittle her. She’s also upset because I never offered to grab the check, when in fact I’ve paid for most of our meals. Because of all this, she was “always” upset and annoyed with me.
I’m completely baffled by this letter. The words on this letter don’t sound like the woman that I fell for or remember. It pains me to see that she may not be processing the breakup well, that she has chosen to forget the good times and focus on what angers her, and that she may have put me in her long list of things she hates.
Did I cause her to behave the way she did? Was this my fault? Should I have tried harder to make amend things after the incident? Is she being abusive? Am I the asshole?
All I know is that I am still hurt by what she did and this letter feels like another attack.
We had many beautiful memories that outweigh the bad and my mind wants to keep remembering those moments. The woman that occupies my mind when I wake up and before going to sleep feels like a fantasy that mind is making up. This hurts because I can’t stop thinking about her and that I still care about her. I have no regrets about our time together. In fact, I cherish them. Am I a fool to do so?
I thought about sending a thank you letter for closure, but after this letter I feel like I don’t know her anymore. If I were to send her one, I wouldn’t mention the letter she sent, or mention the night of the incident, or flaws, or anything that I wished I would have do differently. Just a simple thank you and goodbye. I just want to close things on a positive not. Hit her back with kindness. I want her to know that I’m not angry at her, nor do I hate her. I really to do appreciate her. We did our best. I know we desperately wanted to make it work.
TL;DR - I dated a girl for 3 months and received a resentful email from her 2.5 months after the break up and I don't know what to make of it.
Thank you to those that took the time to read this.

Hey y'all,
I've searched the sub for tags with RH in them and have looked at a lot of the recs (and read a lot of the Kindle unlimited ones), but I've really been missing RH stories that have a stubborn, take-no-shit female main character at the center of all of it. I seem to find a lot of books where the FMC finds her guys and goes "good, y'all take care of it now" and/or realizes that she's been "too strong for too long" and proceeds to fall apart.
Anyone able to recommend some RHs that have a really strong cast of characters? I'm good with omegaverse (even though I'm not really describing your "typical" omega), love me some good ole fashioned Shifters, and love Urban fantasy. Plus if it's on Kindle Unlimited, since my fiance just got my a Kindle for my birthday!
Thanks, and happy reading! ♥️♥️

I am right at the beginning of all this journey. My mother's partner has died and her dementia seems to be snowballing. We live in different countries, it's hard to know. I'd like her to come and live with me in Vermont, she's currently on France and 91yo. I see her memory declining and feel too far away. We have a few things in place abroad to help her out, but it's simply a friend visiting, not dimentia care. I feel things may slide rapidly and my brothers feel she's happy now where she is, let's decide later.
A transatlantic move is huge, it ses unfair to wait until she's need acute care. Surely get her home now while she's remembering us and start some routines to make her end of life as comfortable for us as we can?
I can do this at home, and rally support from our social services as things get worse? Can I learn and be the best caregiver she could have? My son has ADD and NVLD/Executive Function Disorder, I'm doing well advocating for his education and working with his challenges. Surely I can do this again for my Mum. With help.

Soundbars are taking over the world; and you are losing out on great sound in your video games.
Size helps; as does buying quality gear and setting it up properly. I understand that soundbars are a necessary fix for some setups. I also understand that a good soundbar is a great fix for the shitty speakers that now ship with our increasingly thin TVs.
TV's have gotten so thin that it's very hard to put quality speakers on them. Thus, people turned to soundbars as a quick and dirty upgrade.
But the fanciest soundbar ever won't beat a pair of 4 inch bookshelf speakers wiith a small subwoofer.
I would take any used bookshelf speaker pair from any number of OEMs like Wharfdale, KEF, Klipsch Reference, ELAC, Polk pair it with a cheap 10 " sub and a budget home theater reciever for under $400 total and blow away any soundbar. I could go cheaper; you could just buy a pair of powered speakers for under $100 used.
There are two main reasons why soundbars are inferior to 2.1 and 5.1 setups (and true Atmos setups and beyond) : Size, Power and Separation.
​

• A 40" soundbar cannot get the audio separation of the L and R channels that two speakers can that are 10 ft (or 3m) apart. Thus, your brain and ears don't hear the separate sounds as well and you hear the "wall of sound" mush that many soundbars have.
• Power: This is obvious. But even a modest bookshelf 2-way setup (say 1" tweeter with 4" subs) will sound better than a sounbar. It can push 100W - 150W watts on average. Even a small surround LR channel speaker will push 40W. Your average soundbar is pushing 30W max. This makes a differnce in the sound range (diff btw lound and soft noises) and overall sound quality. Obviously, you can crank them as well.
• Size: I belived I explained earlier. Smaller speakers generally don’t have issues producing medium to high pitch sounds. But when a small speaker attempts to produce very low frequency sounds you’ll hear a large amount of distortion in the sound. The subwoofer helps but doesn't fix the gap in sound quality.

​
Bose is selling an ATMOS Soundbar for $1000 with 9 speakers in it; it doesn't even support APTx (let alone AptxHD or AptXLL)
If your room is big enough, you have roughly $100-$300 you can blow away any soundbar; even soundbar with true wireless 10" subs.
I've bought several receivers over the years and tons of speakers in the last 15 years. I ALWAYS buy used off ebay. Speakers have no moving parts , so they age well. My dad has a pair of 35 year old Polk Audio 2-way bookshelf speakers (2" tweeter with 6" woofer) that still sound great.
The point is this: Save the $100 you would have spent on soundbar and get a better setup. Buy all meas use Amazon; but not for reviews (it's a cesspit of corruption) . Crutchfield, Wirecutter , WhatHifi and Abt are all excellent reference tools to build a system.
Please note: I am a casual audiophile attempting to help. i'm no audio frequncy expert. If I got something wrong; please correct me.
Here's a great link explaining the X and O's for you:
​
https://thehometheaterdiy.com/heavier-bigger-speakers/#:~:text=Frequency%20response%20is%20the%20range,full%2C%20natural%2C%20and%20realistic.
​
Crutchfield is also great:
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https://www.crutchfield.com/learn/home-theater-speakers.html

I've been on this stuff for.. 10-11 yrs on and off, I was off last year for maybe a month or so, started again in September, dosage about 1 mg a day sometimes 2 of Klonopin. I don't have anymore, my entire time taking benzos has been buying scripts from people, and I just can't find anything besides Xanax, which isn't going to help due to the short half life, imo, don't want to get readdicted to something that has such a short halflife.
So, I have 22mg of valium, and 2 mg of klonopin now. I'm slowly transferring over to the valium, taking .25 of klonopin with .25 of valium a day now, last week I was taking 2 mg of klonopin a day (vs .5-1 the weeks before that), which fucked me, I thought I was getting more this wk and I didn't, so, I've had the valium as a tool to come off for a loong time, and I have to switch to it now, so I guess now is the time to come off.
I'm at about 1mg of valium today and .25 of klonopin, I plan on reducing my dose pretty rapidly, which I've done before many times, not extolling it or saying it's a good thing, just a fact. Do you guys have any tips for rapid detox? It's really my only option here, to split the 22mg of valium until I'm off.
I'll probably do .75 tomorrow, and for a few more days, then drop to .5 for a week, then .35, ETC. Anyone have any tips to make it more comfortable? I've probably came 'off' of benzos 10+ times now so I feel up to it, but the small window of time definitely sucks. I have a lot of CBD which helps, took a bit of gabapentin today which definitely curbs my nerves. Just looking for any tips to ease the nerve pain/high blood pressure that can happen sometimes.
About hospital/doctor, I have no health insurance, and I'm broke as fuck, I have no other option than the rapid detox, so I appreciate anyone going to say that, but it's just not an option.

ISO - Summer Rental Bellmore/ Merrick Area
Hello,
My wife, 2-year-old daughter and I are looking for a summer rental in the Bellmore/ Merrick area.
We’re a quiet working couple and I’m originally from Bellmore. We are looking to spend some summertime with friends and family. My wife and I both work from home. We’re VERY flexible with our dates, but we wondering about the possibility of a summer rental from around July 1- Sept 30. We've found summer rentals the last 3 summers in Bellmore and have great references.
Check out our place in Summit County Colorado for a potential exchange! It’s beautiful and bug-free here in the summer! We’re right on the lake and bike path and close to hundreds of trails and some of the best golf in the country!
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/497-Cove-Blvd-UNIT-1F-Dillon-CO-80435/194082365_zpid/?utm_campaign=iosappmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare
It's a 2 bed/ 2 bath top floor corner unit in Summit County Colorado that we're open to trading.
Summers here are amazing- our place has amazing views and we're right on the lake & bike path and close to trails and golf!
Does anyone have a house or apartment they are trying to rent for the summer on Long Island?!
Please feel free to share with friends! - Thank you!

Hi y'all! I’m looking for someone to replace my roommate's spot in my Stuytown apartment. Here are some details:
Duration: May 1st-Sept 30th (move-in date can be flexible, and option to be added to lease for renewal in October)
Rent: $2100 (Covers rent, wifi, all utilities)
Location: Stuytown (along 14th St Loop)
There will be a one time “occupancy fee” of $150 since this a mid-lease move.
[Space/Amenities]

• Modern, stainless steel finish across the entire apartment (includes dishwasher!)
• WasheDryer in-building in basement level
• AMAZING location! Less than 3 min walking to Target, Trader Joe’s, 1st Ave L stop, and East Village
• Virtual Doorman
• North facing windows all have a great view of Midtown Manhattan
• Stuytown is also a great community that is safe and quiet. The community amenities include outdoor basketball courts, pickleball courts, fitness playground, and 2 gyms (membership required).

You will have a bedroom, private closet across the bathroom, and a little “nook” area that can be used as a home office. Kitchen, living room, and bathroom are shared spaces.
Unfortunately no pets, as I am allergic to pet hair.
[About Me]

• Mid 20s professional working in tech; work from home in my room 4 of 5 days of the week
• Usually am in my room unless I’m doing meal prep / cooking / cleaning
• I do have friends over every here and there - will always be communicative about it ahead of time and clean up after!

[What I’m looking for]

• Looking for someone who is friendly, clean, respectful, and an open communicator.
• Roommates first! Lets learn to live together first before all else - I am always open to discussing things if there are any issues / complaints

If interested or have more questions, please reach out! We’ll set up a time to chat and get to know one another and take it from there. Will ask for proof of ID, credit score, letter of employment, recent pay stubs.

Hey guys, I'm going to be a sophomore next year and was looking at the University Village Apartments. It says that they are around $15,000 per year for a 4 person, and I was wondering if each person has to pay that or if it is the total for the room. Thanks in advance!

My friend has recently re-signed his apartment lease for the another year starting in August of this year. We are currently living together in this apartment building and there have been multiple instances where fire alarms have not gone off on our floor or other floors and obviously this is a very big safety concern and while I haven't signed anything to renew my lease and didn't plan on it. We were wondering if something like that is sufficient reason to be able to break the renewed lease. This is in Maryland if that is needed. Any further information needed I will give as quick as I can. Thank you for any help.

Trigger warning: this post could be hard to read if you’re LGBT.
I’ve been married to my husband for almost eight years. We have two kids together, a six month old son and a five year old daughter. I’ve always been close with his family, and they treated me very well from the start. I’ve been exceptionally close with his little sister (21F). I always wanted a sister growing up, and I feel like I achieved that when I met my SIL. She has always been there when we needed her, and she’s an amazing aunt to our kids.
My SIL was never in a serious relationship in high school or college. Our family joked that she was going end up being a crazy cat lady. When my SIL told everyone that she had been seeing someone for about six months and she wanted all of us to meet them we were all very excited for her. My MIL and FIL made a very nice dinner for her and her s/o and invited my husband and I over to meet them. When my SIL arrived with another woman the room went quiet. She introduced this woman as her girlfriend, and I gave them both a hug and told her girlfriend how happy I was to meet her. I was confused to why no one else was getting up to greet them until my MIL opened her mouth.
My MIL asked my SIL what this means. My SIL responded and told them that she’s a lesbian. She explained that she was scared to come out because she didn’t know how they would react, but she’s in a very happy relationship and she didn’t want to hide it anymore. I told her that I was proud of her, and that I was happy that she’s happy. My MIL responded to me before my SIL got a chance. She asked me what there was to be proud of. She then started going on a homophobic religious rant, and my FIL agreed with her. I looked to my husband expecting him to say something, but he sat there in silence. My MIL and FIL started shouting at my SIL tearing her apart in front of her girlfriend. My SIL starting having an anxiety attack, and she kept repeating that she couldn’t handle this. Still her parents didn’t stop. Her girlfriend immediately reacted by taking her outside.
I told my husband to get the kids in the car. He put up a fight, but eventually did what I asked. While he was putting the kids in the car I took this as an opportunity to talk to my SIL and her girlfriend away from the other family. We had a heartfelt conversation, and I wanted to make sure they knew that they could talk to me if they needed someone.
On the drive home I asked my husband why he didn’t say anything to his parents when they were acting this way to his sister. His response? His response was that his sister shouldn’t have showed up with a girl without telling his parents first. He says that no one knew she was gay, and this was an appropriate reaction to have when you feel blindsided. I felt sick.
I have a gay brother. My husband and his family have met my brother on many occasions. None of them have ever made a comment about his sexuality, nor have they ever made a homophobic comment around me. I bring this up to my husband, and he says that it’s different when it’s your own blood. I asked him if he would be okay with one of our kids being gay and he just shrugged his shoulders. I tried talking to him more, but he told me that he was done talking about this with me.
We haven’t spoken much since this happened. I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut. I cant stop thinking about everything, and I need some advice. I would ask my brother, but I don’t want him to feel unsafe around my husband’s family. I feel completely lost, and in my husband’s words..blindsided.

Hey everyone. I'm new here. This post is not cohesive. I am just letting out all my thoughts as they come. Does anyone have any advice or has gone through something similar? Thanks.
Ever since I was a child, my mom went through periods where she would lock herself in her room for months. I would sometimes get a peak at her, and she would have lost weight or looked different. She stops talking to everyone in the family. Sometimes we would hear her begging god to kill her. She would stuff towels under the doors' cracks so we wouldn't know if she was dead or alive. I used to sneak into her room sometimes just to check if she was still breathing. She is unbearably delusional. When you talk to her, she seems normal at first, then after a little while, you can tell her brain never learned to process emotions and she goes around in these weird loops. You can see her attempt to process or self-actualize and fail entirely. Her brain is not working correctly.
Anyway, now I'm 25 years old, and it's still happening. I have been healing from this for a long time and have come a long way. It's just that now the delusions are getting worse, and the stress on her body is obviously increasing because of this behavior. I think she could actually die at any moment. She has physical health problems which are very obviously worsened and even caused by her mental state. My mom is slowly killing herself and I don't know what to do. A lot of people in my family are mentally ill because of PTSD and war in my home country, but my mom has BPD. Needless to say, no one in my family is much help. Everyone has made it worse for years because we would give her what she wanted—in other words, constantly putting a bandaid on the problem. Years of doing this have enabled her and made her delusions worse.
I've already made the decision that I am not interfering. I have never been busier in my life with school and my career. I am also doing intensive trauma therapy, and I have physical health problems to deal with.
How do I cope with the fact that my mom could die at any second because of the stress she is putting on her body? How do I deal with the fact that she is also just slowly killing herself through this intentional isolation?
I feel crazy and like everything is falling apart. Sometimes I wish she would just die so I wouldn't have to deal with it anymore. It's way too much. I'm leaving out a lot of details that are essential to the story, but I needed to let it out for now. Thanks everyone.

TLDR; My dads a douche becise I’m successful and chubby.
Basically the title. I grew up as a kid on the heavier side, I was a bit of a loser and really struggled with myself. My home situation was also hard. My dad had always been emotionally abusive and would never see me as a daughter to be proud of unless I got ‘in shape and smartened up’.
As a 12-15 year old girl this really hurt me and body image being constantly told to suck in my gut and I’d never amount to anything unless I was skinny and fit and I ended up developing a eating disorder and have always had a very fluctuating weight ever since.
I moved out the day I turned 18 and moved to a big city for university where I finally saw a doctor where I was prescribed antidepressants and I 100% changed my life around into a outgoing and popular girl, went though university highly successful, and got a full time- permanent high paying job right out of school and started doing my masters on the side in the new town I moved too. During all this my father would constantly hound me that I’d be so much happier if I got in shape and was never able to not add that even when acknowledging my accomplishments.
Last year I fell into a terrible depression when working in a remote camp job as the only girl on a team of scientists and dropped 30lbs. I was miserable. My father was ecstatic I was so ‘fit and healthy’.
I got prescribed a new medication, a very expensive one, and again I saw huge improvements to myself, i moved into a new and better apartment, met the love of my life, and have overall spent the last year just so incredibly happy- and with it I ended up gaining some weight just from going out with friends and enjoying cooking and baking again and yes I don’t feel super comfortable with the weight I’ve gained but I’m the happiest I’ve ever been and my boyfriend doesn’t mind it, although I am trying to lose some of it.
Well today my parents came to visit and while at a restaurant after talking about what I’m up to and how happy I am he turned to me and told me ‘I worked to get how fit I was last year and it makes him sad to see me go backwards’
I was absolutely devastated by the comment but didn’t say anything about it, but I have a feeling my mother game him a piece of her mind because he sent me a text apologizing for the comment and he didn’t mean to insult me but feels I should just try to keep up my hard work and stay in shape. How do I even respond to that?? I’m so hurt and insulted. I don’t think I’m going to text him back but I have no idea how to deal with any of this. Maybe therapy? It just makes me so sad that I’ve become so successful and happy in life but none of that even matters to him because of my weight - and for reference I’m not even that big if your imagining a 200 lb woman, I’ve never been more than 165lbs and am 5’5.
What do I do?