Looking at a reasonably small one that has been in business for 18 years and is fully managed by a single employee, who is hoping to stay, but I have a replacement if they decide to leave. It is the only one in the town of around 5,000 people and has no online presence besides a Google business profile, with overwhelmingly positive reviews over the past 5 years. Additionally, they're on the main drag of this town, but have no signage, could be another opportunity. The one employee does all of the day-to-day stuff, acts as the cashier, groomer, and salesperson to provide assistance. Current owner simply makes the bi-weekly inventory orders and pays bills.
I have experience in ordering pet food from suppliers when I worked in a garden centeanimal fee store but I have never done grooming, and I wasn't the manager of that store so I don't know if there a nuances that I would be missing.
​
Gross profit margins are around 35% (140k), net is about 35k. Manager is paid around 65k, lease is another 20k, so that's the bulk of the expenses, rest is small stuff like utilities, insurance, accountant, and interest/bank charges.
Purchase price is 150k, includes what they say is 125k in inventory, but looks closer to 100k in realizable value to me.
Their statements are clean, I am waiting on the G/L, and I see no cause for concern so far. I work full-time about 15 minutes away, so I'd be available in emergencies and weekends but otherwise I would be absent from the business, similar to the current owner.

USAgent and the USAvengers

Volume 4: Healing
Passover Special
Written by: u/DarkLordJurasus
Edited by: u/PresidentWerewolf
​
I look out at the highway, the sound of the radio blending into the noise of cars on asphalt. Up ahead is a sign for a rest stop in half a mile. For a moment, I debate not saying anything, merely shifting my aching leg to try letting it straighten and allow the car to continue forward. Walter is stressed enough as is; being trapped in New Jersey traffic will only make it worse.
I grab ahold of the front seat passenger chair, and attempt to shift my body to a more leaning position. I get one leg up before letting out a moan. Pain blossoms through my oblique muscles as I stop.
Hearing me, Walter asks, “Are you okay?”
Shifting back into the sitting position, I wave him off, “Yea, yea. I’m fine. Healing just sucks. Can we possibly stop soon? I need to stand up and walk off my soreness.”
Doug gives a curt nod, quickly putting on his right blinker to change lanes. Walter doesn’t immediately respond. For a moment, he is quiet, and then he says, “Listen, if you aren’t feeling up to the trip, it's okay. There is a Passover Seder hosted by a synagogue near our base, I can go there for the holidays.”
I quickly reply, “No, I’m fine. We calculated the time for a lot of stops and the doctor said as long as I walk around every hour to hour and a half, I should be fine.”
Trying to lighten the mood, Doug added on, “Yea. I was promised a chance to try your mom’s homemade macaroons. You aren’t taking that away from me.”
All Walter replied with was a hesitant, “Okay.”
It’s strange, Walter’s response. Well, his hesitation in general is weird. Is he worried to see his parents again? It would be the first time he saw them since becoming Stingray, but that isn’t it. His hesitation mostly comes around Doug and me coming. It can’t be him trying to keep us away from his Jewish identity. He’s the one who invited us, and he had never been shy about discussing his beliefs before.
I try to brush the thought from my mind. I don’t want to push Walter. If he is feeling so uncomfortable now, any attempt to figure out what he is thinking will only lead to him getting defensive. Instead, I just let it go, pretending I haven’t noticed his weird behavior, and listen to the news.
In business news, earlier today Tinkerer Technologies announced their initiative to begin making technology that will help protect private citizens from superhuman threats. This corresponded with a press statement by company founder Phineas Mason.
In the statement, Phineas wrote, “Tinkerer Technologies is not trying to disparage the technology being created on behest of the US government in regards to the danger superhumans may pose. It must be remembered that Tinkerer Technologies were the main industry working with the government on the USAvengers project and had a direct hand in both the Detroit Steel armor and the Modern American Initiative. The problem is, Sentinels and the USAvengers can only be part of the solution. A situation with a superhuman can turn volatile in a moment. We’ve seen this with both dangerous, violent criminals and innocents who lost control of their powers. As such, it is imperative that the average citizen has the tools to neutralize deadly situations as they wait for the police, a Sentinel, or the USAvengers to arrive.”
Walter turns off the radio at this, his back straight as a pencil. At the same time, he begins to pull into the parking lot of the rest stop. He parks the car in silence, the fact he turned off the radio not mentioned by anyone in the car. We all know why. The wording was polite, but the message behind Phineas’ words are clear: mutants are dangerous and should be feared.
As the car stops, Doug clears his throat and says, “I’m going inside to the bathroom and to grab an Iced Tea for the road. Anyone want anything?”
Walter responds, “I’m good.”
Doug merely looks at Walter for a moment, I can’t see his eyes, but I can only guess he was looking him over, worried about Walter’s behavior. After a moment, Doug nods and turns back to me, “You want anything?”
“Sure,” I reply, “Grab me a coffee.”
Getting out of the car, Doug double checks, “Two milk, one Splenda?”
I hum in the affirmative. Doug closes the door to the car and begins to walk towards the rest stop.
I move to leave the car myself, my hand unclasping the seatbelt from its holder. Taking a deep breath, Walter says, “Wait…I…we need to talk before you get out.”
I’m silent, unsure what to say or do in this situation. I’m worried, what’s going on? Why is Walter so nervous?
Walter’s hands drift from the steering wheel to his side, limp. “Two days ago my mom called me. Originally we thought my grandpa wasn’t coming to Passover. For as long as I knew him, he always flew to Israel for Passover specifically and celebrated the holiday with his sister’s family. Earlier last week his sister’s daughter called him to cancel. It seems that one of my cousins just had a preemie and Passover took a backseat as they are dealing with the surprise of having the child early.”
“Why is this a bad thing?” I ask.
Walter sighs, “It’s not, I love my grandpa, he’s great, he’s just, well he is so far liberal that we used to joke Bernie Sanders went to him for policy ideas. When I told him I wanted to go to a military college, he spent over a year trying to convince me otherwise. He even offered to pay for all 4 years of my college out of his own pocket just to stop me.”
Understanding sinks in; his grandfather is not going to like me, not in the slightest. The only thing I can say in response is, “Oh.”
Walter looks down, “Yea. He is probably going to challenge you. Mom said he promised to not make a scene, but to him, anything short of not punching you like he is Captain America punching Hitler is not making a scene.”
“Do you not want me to go?” I ask, trying to keep the nervousness out of my voice. I know Walter is still wary of me due to my usage of the M-slur, not that I could blame him. If I was him, I would have dropped me as a friend as soon as I got out of a coma. I don’t want to cause conflict, and I would understand if Walter doesn’t feel comfortable with me there, all things considered, but it would still hurt. I can currently only count three people as my friends, and with how badly I screwed up my friendship with Lemar, I hate the idea that my friendship with Walter is also irreparable.
“No.” Doug says quickly, almost too quickly, “It’s not like that. It’s just, I know you are planning to go to group therapy with Lemar to work out your issues, and I don’t want you to be placed into a situation where a stranger confronts you over your actions before you're ready for it. If you don’t feel up to being interrogated, then I can easily turn this car around and we can claim the flu or some other bullshit.”
I think about what Walter said. He’s not entirely wrong. While I know what I said is wrong, and I know that it was derogatory and discriminatory, I also know that I haven’t done enough to fix the issue. I’ve thought about that day often, my mind replaying the events over and over, but I haven’t verbalized much of it to others. I can play out the words I will say when questioned on it, but that means nothing when emotions run high. Wasn’t it during high emotions that I showed my true colors in the first place?
My hand is shaking, from my emotions or from the lack of movement, I’m not quite sure. I don’t think I can do this, I barely was coherent enough to discuss it with my friends, how can I try speaking about it in front of others? Would I try explaining it after I apologize, to further go into how I am trying to work harder in the future to change, or would that be considered justifying the behavior? For a moment, the thought of turning the car around sounds like the right choice. Walter is right, I’m not ready for a confrontation, I don’t think I’ll ever be ready.
And yet, I also know turning the car around is impossible. Ignoring how selfish it would be to Walter, the fact of the matter is that I can’t keep running from the backlash. I can’t keep pretending that the real world consequences to my actions will avoid me. I have to face the music.
“I want to go.” I manage to gasp out in a whisper. Instantly, I feel better and I feel worse. It feels like a weight has been lifted, like I’m no longer testing fate or Odin or anyone else who might exist, but at the same time, a new tension builds anticipation. This is not going to be fun, but it’s something I need to do.
—---------------------
Two days later, the three of us arrive at Walter’s parents’ house dressed up. Even from the other side of the door, I can easily hear the noises of children yelling and oven alarms going off. On my head is a yarmulke, a small brown cap. Walter did tell Doug and me that it was okay for us not to wear it, but if I’m being invited to celebrate someone’s culture and religion, I want to be as respectful as possible while doing so.
Walter knocks on the door and a young woman comes to the door. She looks younger than Walter, maybe in her mid to late thirties. She wears a dark blue dress with a silver Star of David necklace. Seeing David, she hugs him. “It’s good to see you. Mom was terrified when you disappeared and then showed up as a superhero.”
Blushing a bit, Walter responds, “You know I would have told you guys if I could.”
The girl smiles softly. “I know that, but try telling that to mom.”
Walter stops for a moment, his body freezing. “Fuck,” he says before running inside, calling for his mother.
Seeing Doug’s and my confusion, the girl explains, “There’s no more powerful force than a Jewish mother’s guilt, and for the stunt you guys pulled, well Walter is going to be reminded of that fact.”
Awkwardly I nod, my hands almost trapped at my side. It’s hard enough for me to lie to Lemar about why I disappeared for months on end; I didn’t even think of how hard it was for Walter to lie to his family.
Doug, either recovering from the awkwardness first or not having felt it in the first place, holds out his hand, “Hi, I’m Doug.”
Shaking his hand, the woman replies, “Detroit Steel right?” Not waiting for a response, she continues, “I’m Alli.”
My mind instantly clicks. This is Walter’s younger sister, the one who is a Social Studies teacher in Pennsylvania. Holding out my own hand, I say, “I’m John.”
Alli’s smile gets slightly tighter, her lips paling from tension, “Welcome to our house.” She turns around and quickly gestures for us to get inside. The fact she didn’t shake my hand isn’t lost on me, but if passive-aggressiveness is the worst of my treatment tonight, well, it would be more than I deserve.
Walking inside, we are on a small wooden platform, a single step to the left required to get to the downstairs, a staircase in front of us exiting into the living room. A young kid runs by and runs over my foot. I let out a small gasp as pain reverberates up my leg. I lean harder on my cane.
“Baruch Lavie Melamed! Apologize this instant.”
The young boy stops and stares at me. I feel tears welling in my eyes from the pain, but I try my best to keep my face clean. “Sorry for running over your foot.”
Trying to keep the pain from bleeding into my voice, I respond, “It’s fine.”
My voice must not have been as nonchalant as I hoped as both Alli and Baruch stay still for a moment before Alli nods and says, “Go back to playing.”
The kid's mouth splits in half with a smile and he runs off. Alli turns to me, her expression changed to one much softer, “Are you okay?”
I close my eyes for a minute, my leg pulsating. Opening them again, I wave her off, “Yea, barely even felt it.”
It’s obvious she does not believe me, her eyes frozen on my hunched over form. I mentally hold my breath; I don’t want her to come and help. I don’t need the pity, I can’t handle the pity. I’m goddamn USAgent, if she has to pity someone, I can show her hundreds of people who need it more. I’d rather she treat me with the disdained indifference of before, it's what I deserve after all.
Doug comes to my rescue, grabbing ahold of my elbow and saying, “It’s fine, I’m used to carrying his dead weight.” He says it with a slight chuckle, one that is so forced, it almost sounded like a cough.
Alli nods and begins to walk up the stairs. I go to follow, but Doug doesn’t move. In my ear, he whispers, “Listen, if you can’t handle this, we can go. I’ll drive you back to the hotel and pick up Walter later.”
I whisper back, “I’m good.”
Doug nods and begins to help me up the stairs, “Please don’t push yourself. The last thing we need is for you to backtrack.”
I give my own nod, wondering if Doug meant physically or mentally backtracking.
—-----------------------
An hour later, we are all gathered around a large table, prayer books in hand, as Walter and his family chant Hebrew and English. My book is open, and I attempt to make the same sounds coming out of everyone else’s mouths, but my heart isn’t in it. I’m too busy looking at the table through the corner of my eyes.
Once again, I have to wonder: how selfish am I truly? I knew Walter had a big family, unlike Doug and myself, but I never truly thought of how much he had to give up for the USAvengers. Sure, being in the military requires sacrifices, but the USAvengers is more. How many secrets has he had to keep from his loved ones? How does he feel knowing they can be at risk due to his role as government hero?
Glancing around the table, my eyes freeze at an older man. He wears a full black suit with a dark blue yarmulke and a white scarf like object that Alli told me earlier was a tallit. His eyes meet mine, the dark brown pupils dilating, the same glare he has been giving me all night reappearing.
I learned that he is the grandpa, Benjamin Newell, and while silent towards me, his disgust is extremely evident. I don’t fault him though. Walter explained to me last night that his brother and parents died in the Holocaust, and that since then, his grandfather has fought against injustice and bigotry.
I attempt to stare down at the book, but it is too late as Benjamin clears his throat, his eyes never leaving mine.
The prayer, I believe it is called the Four Questions, is stopped as everyone turns to look at him. He closes his book and puts it down, his movement demanding a presence.
“Well,” he says slowly, spit pooling in the corners of the mouth, “I’m done ignoring the elephant in the room.”
Walter’s mom, Leia Newell, is quick to admonish her father, but he cuts her off, “No. If one breaks bread with a Nazi, they are a Nazi. I’m not breaking matzah with a bigot, especially not during a sacred holiday.”
I nod my head, “I understand that.” All the desire I had to explain or justify myself disappears immediately as I realize how wrong it would be to do so here. This isn’t a family dinner, this is a holiday, and I, an outsider, am harming it by making others uncomfortable. There are times and places to make a stand, but today is not one of them.
I turn to Leia and say, “Thank you for inviting me.”
I grab my cane and Doug gets up, supporting me by my elbow. Benjamin scoffs, “Look at him, another bigot who can’t deal with conflict. Go back to hurting the innocent.”
Walter gets up also, his chair scratching against the wooden floor, “I knew this was a bad idea. I knew that you wouldn’t give John a chance to show that he is working to be better. I just thought you would do it before or after we eat, not ruin dinner in the process.”
Benjamin laughs, “I’m sorry Walter, I know he is your friend, and I respect that, but cut the crap about him trying to be better. If he was trying, he would stop sullying the legacy of Captain America and quit. Captain America was a man who had the first segregated battalion. Captain America came and prayed at synagogues all throughout the country in protest when America forced Jewish refugees back to Germany. Your friend runs when someone points out his bigotry.”
I stop walking and turn around, the movement so fast that my cane hits my leg in the process. I’m tired of being compared to Steve fucking Rogers, the man with the goddamn plan. I’m tired of seeing him in my dreams, admonishing me, I’m tired of living in his shadows.
“You’re right.” I say, my eyes meeting his, “I’m not Captain America, there will never be another Captain America. I’m not the perfect representation of the dream of an united America, I’m a flawed human being.”
“So quit.” Benjamin replies.
This time I laugh, a bitter taste on my tongue, “You think that will fix anything? The USAvengers project is too expensive to fail, and I can assure you, the next guy will be much worse to supers than I can ever dream of being. Kelly’s support and power has only grown since the Power Broker appeared, and there is no chance in hell that he won’t be picking the next USAgent. At least I’m trying to get past my biases and prejudices, I can assure you the next guy won’t put in the same effort.”
“If you are trying to be better, why run with your tail behind your legs? Explain that, talk to us, running is for cowards who can’t take living in the real world.”
Looking down, I say, “I was trying to not ruin your dinner.”
Benjamin responds, “Well, according to this one,” he points his finger at Walter, “I already did so, so you might as well explain yourself.”
I nod and say, “I’m scared. Mutants, superhumans, they can do things no one else can, and I wouldn’t be able to stop them. I’d be defenseless, and that terrifies me. I know logically it is unfair, that very few superhumans are powerful enough to kill others with no effort, and out of that small population, even fewer are violent, but the heart often doesn’t listen to the mind. I was at ground zero for Ultron, and I saw the strength and brutality of both superhumans, and the foes they fight, and despite my military training, I was unable to do anything.”
Benjamin opens his mouth to respond, but I continue, “Me saying a slur, it was a long time coming, I just refused to see it. I hid my fear of supers, refusing to talk about the Avengers or vigilantes like Spider-Man before I became USAgent. I told myself this was due to my anger at not being helped during the Ultron Incident, and that was definitely part of it, but that fear was there all along. Then I became USAgent, I thought my fear would disappear, I would be able to defend myself and others, but then the dinosaurs attacked New York. I almost died on three occasions, and yet I saw the supers I fought with kill and slaughter the dinosaurs like they were tissue paper. I was already close to a panic attack upon realizing my friends were probably turned into dinosaurs, but the realization, that despite everything, I’m still too weak to protect myself and those I care about, well it broke me, and a disgusting and dark part of myself, a part of myself I hope I never see again, came out.”
Benjamin eyes me up and down before saying, “Fear does not justify bigotry.”
“I know.” I respond softly.
He continues, “What you did is despicable.”
“I agree.” I say.
He leans forward, “Most people don’t get second chances, and very few deserve a third chance. Do you understand that?”
I shake my head, “I do. I won’t let you, or my friends down.”
Sitting back in his seat, he smiles, “Well then, sit down, the soup is getting cold and I want to eat before midnight.”

hi all! i’m 21F, 130 lbs, 4’10”, with confirmed diagnoses of anxiety, depression, C-PTSD, and i’m 95% sure i have ADHD as well. i’m currently taking 50 mg zoloft (1x/day), 200 mg wellbutrin SR (2x/day), 0.10-0.02 mg sronyx (birth control, 1x/day), 1000 mcg vitamin B12 (1x/day), 50 mcg vitamin D3 (1x/day), 50 mg zinc (1x/day), 250 mg vitamin C (1x/day), 10 mg propranolol (2x/day), and 200 mg magnesium glycinate (1x/day, but i might stop taking it because i haven’t had a solid poop in about a week). i feel like a walking pharmacy.
i’ve been under a lot of stress for the past 4-5 years (college, work, life, etc), and i genuinely can’t remember the last time i felt awake and refreshed. there’s always been some kind of stress in my life, whether it’s family issues, relationship issues, money issues, or anything else. no matter how much sleep i get, i’m still tired in the mornings. coffee and coke zero became my best friends, and when i mentioned this to my therapist she said it sounded like unmedicated ADHD. my psychiatrist didn’t want to immediately start me on ADHD meds (which is fair), hence the wellbutrin.
fall 2022 i took 20 credits to get more credits towards two degrees, and did not take care of myself nearly as much as i should’ve, both mentally and physically. december 2022 everything boiled over and i had a massive panic attack on the pavement in front of one of the dining halls at my university; it was to the point where i felt pins and needles in my limbs. i didn’t leave bed for two weeks after that one, and found out that i was going through derealization/depersonalization afterwards. it doesn’t happen as often these days thankfully, but my nervous system is very dysregulated.
after this i was put on zoloft, and was also put on wellbutrin shortly after. the weird thing is that the wellbutrin worked for three days and then just…stopped working. even with the upped dose (i started at 100) nothing feels different.
i just graduated this past weekend. i made it. that being said, the fatigue is still there. i can function pretty well, but the brain fog is horrendous and sometimes it just feels like i could pass out right there. it comes and goes. afternoons are horrible for some reason, but mornings and evenings are perfectly fine. i’m sitting here typing this feeling perfectly fine while an hour ago i felt drained. i know i don’t have addison’s disease or something similar because there would be a lot more symptoms (and i would’ve had a crisis at some point).
i don’t know what’s happening or why it’s happening but it makes me want to cry constantly. mentally i’m okay, but i could be much better (i’m not a suicide risk at all, please don’t worry). i’m grateful to be in a stable household and a stable relationship right now, which helps. my memory is shit and i have to write most things down or i will forget about them. what worries me is that this might begin impacting my ability to have a job, and if that’s the case then i don’t know what i’d do.
please, any help is appreciated. i’m planning on getting a blood test later this week because today’s afternoon episode was bad.

I [32] had my first ED experience at 18. I had recently ended a 3 year relationship where we had sex constantly without any issue. But I try to hook up with this girl and without constant stimulation, it went limp.
I’ve been with my Wife the last 15 years and have dealt with this the entire time. We’ve been separated 6 months and the divorce will be final soon. It was never an issue for her but it always embarrassed/frustrated the hell out of me.
Now I’ve met someone and we’re supposed to meet in a week or so. I really like this girl and we’ve talked at length and in great detail about sex and it seems very likely we’ll be having sex the first time we meet. She’s a very sexual person and I don’t want to disappoint her or not perform well.
I’m pretty overweight and carry my weight mostly in my mid-section, been a smoker for about 15 years, I masturbate to porn generally every day and have for as long as I can remember.
I do still occasionally wake up with morning wood of varying degrees, I do still get random raging hard-on’s though not nearly as much as I used to, but in a sexual situation and even when masturbating, if I don’t give it constant stimulation, I’ll lose it.
Is there any way to improve this fairly quickly?

Hey everyone, I'm looking for people or a group that already exist and is welcoming to new members, who would like to do kanooing tours maybe even for on or two nights on the rivers and lakes around Berlin. Last year i stumbled upon several biwak places in brandenburg and after some research, i came to the knowledge that there are quite a few of them, most of them being free of charge. I want to spend time with people that are looking for a retreat in nature and some time away from the busy life (which i love too) here in the city. My vision of the trip includes sport ( i really want to be moving on the water and not just hang out in the same spot all day), hanging out after in the camp cooking together (vegetarians preferd :D) maybe some card games, a beer and a bonefire. If this idea appeals to you or you know someone to whom it might, please feel free to PM me or leave a message right here!
Some facts about me: I'm a 20 year old german (most people say I am emotionally more mature, i have quite a few older friends and I am good in engadging in deeper conversations with them too so please don't let the age be an excluding factor, give it a try) I finished my abitur last summer, traveled for a while with interrail and am currently working in the Komische Oper Berlin. My plans for the near future are to travel around europe most of the summer and then either study, beginnig in September, or start an aprenticship as a boat builder (i will do a Internship in June and am really excited for it)
Also i don't have any experience in kanooing really, nor do i have any equipment yet. I just love water and camping, so it is all new to me too.
Edit:typo (i'm sure i still didn't catch them all)

This is a dilemma that I’ve faced as long as I’ve been journaling but I feel like it’s ruining my journaling experience so I want to learn to get over this.
I feel like even in my journals, the one place where I should be honest, I have a filter. It’s almost like I can’t help but imagine the supposed “readers” flipping through the pages and so I end up writing for them instead of myself. I’m afraid of being brutally honest because it kind of feels like I’m embracing a very monstrous and dark side of myself. But then, I know that this side of myself is still there, so then it’s still bottled up inside of me and I’m not any happier because I know that it’s still brewing in my mind.
I think that a lot of this comes from the fear that someone will read my journals someday. Luckily I live alone in my own place right now so there’s not a big risk of snooping, but what if I die someday and all that dark shit is just sitting in my closet waiting to be read? So that’s my legacy? Or what if someone I’m close to does flip through my journals someday?
But, even though I know that the idea of anyone finding my journal and reading it anytime soon is very slim… I think another part of me is just truly terrified of being honest with myself. Of embracing that darkness, so to speak.
The other aspect of this is that I still want to write freely in my physical journals. So I’m not really looking for advice like: - Journal digitally (journaling digitally isn’t nearly as enjoyable for me and doesn’t seem to have the same effect on me and it’s not as therapeutic) - Write in encrypted code (tried this but it would slow down my writing and I think I just spent more time encrypting than I did writing authentically) - Keep a separate notebook just for darker thoughts (I tried this, but I ended up getting really stressed because I would have trouble deciding what counts as a shameful thought (for the secret journal) and a good thought (for the “main journal”)
So I’m more so just looking for advice on how do I get over the fear of just being brutally honest in my physical journals, warts and all? And is there any benefits to keeping these brutal journals or should I really just start tossing them after I’m finished to free myself of them?

Stopped by my store since I was out that way yesterday, and I sniffed most of the three-wicks they had out that I assume debuted with Summer 1, and I have to say, nothing really enticed me. There were quite a few candles where I went “Ew, that smells like old lady.” 😂
I like fresh scents more than gourmands, but these ones are cutting it…

Hi folks! I've been plucking my eyebrows at home for about 6 months, always making sure to pluck with the grain, and holding the skin taut on the other side, applying moisturizer after. Despite that, I'm starting to notice some white bumps / irritation in the hair follicles.
This doesn't really surprise me since I've always had super sensitive skin. I switched from epilating my legs to shaving for the same reason. I'm looking for a long term solution for shaping my eyebrows at home that involves minimal plucking, and minimal skin scarring.
Shaving works fine above the eyebrow but I mainly need to remove hair on the bottom of my eyebrows, i.e. near the top of the eye socket. I looked on Amazon but I haven't found any razors/blades narrow enough to fit in there. Do you know of any?
Any good experiences with electric trimmers for eyebrows? I would like to try one of these but I'm worried this method will inevitably leave eyebrows stubble.
Any experiences with laser or electrolysis on eyebrows? Obviously this is a more risky route.

Hello ladies. So I'm in my 30's. But because I'm in university and require a part time job, the place I work is mostly young people in their early 20's. I've been there nearly a year and have been lucky enough to get along with all of them.
A couple months ago they hired a 19 year old. Initially we got along fine, but as time went on it's become clear we aren't going to be work buddies. This is fine, at my age I don't have a need to be liked.
This person has shared that they have insomnia, anxiety, depression, sensory issues, dyslexia and contact dermatitis on their hands which makes their hands bleed on occasion. Their first few weeks there they would frequently project all these conditions onto the rest of the staff. If we liked things a certain way or did something they would say "oh that's a symptom of ADHD" or "oh, that's a symptom of dyslexia". Even if it is, that's not for a 19 year old stranger to diagnose.
That being said, we still have to work together and I was just hoping to be amicable at work. The entire department works as a team and we rely on being able to communicate with each other.
The past couple weeks they've begun to ignore me, give me a wide berth when I walk by (to put as much distance between us), they barely talk to me, and one time I tried to help they snapped at me and said I was just confusing them.
But the one thing they started doing that bothers me is that they will flinch when I'm too close. I was maybe about 2 feet from them to get something on the counter and the flinch and hunch over, turning their body away from me. Much like a child does when someone is going to beat them and they're afraid. This is not something they do with any of my coworkers. Just me. And it makes no sense. I have never been angry with them, and I have never touched them, not even for a handshake or brushed against them when walking by.
Is it something I should bring up with management? I don't want it to reflect badly on me. I would talk to them directly, but I don't think any attempt at conversation would be well received on their part. And I don't know that I would feel comfortable without a third person to witness the conversation.
In a few weeks I will be leaving for 6 weeks so ignoring it until I get back is also an option. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Will try to make it short.
I (South Asian F) went to a garments store to show my fiance (Mixed M, presenting Black) what kind of clothes he can choose for our wedding. I was very excited because not many people actually appreciate my culture, sometimes because of the horrific behavior of older South Asians towards other races in North America.
I wanted to show him the types, the prices in this country vs what I can get it for back home, the nice colours he can pick, etc.
Instead we were met with the workers standing less than 1m away from us at all times, following us around, making us feel extremely uncomfortable. I asked them if they needed something, they said no and just kept staring at us straight in the eyes.
I tried to ignore it and show him one that my brother wore for his wedding, but they physically blocked my way. Multiple other people went in that direction (which looked like the expensive section, but that's only with my own understanding) but I couldn't get past the woman and I expressed out loud that I was uncomfortable. They just started at my partner blankly. I repeated "I'm uncomfortable" in every South Asian language I know and they wouldn't let us go until I physically pushed past them.
I understand this is the reality of dating someone who is Black. It is still annoying and it's still wrong.
Is there anything I can do?
Thank you for hearing me out.

Hi! I started playing magic not long ago, but I was just playing with the welcome decks that gave in a store in my town.
Then I bought the 2022 starter kit and I've enjoyed playing with it with a friend of mine.
But when I went again to the store where they play I always lose and they tell me the starter decks are bad.
What would be the next steps I should take to improve in the game?
I've seen there are booster packs, boxes and other prebuilt decks but I don't really know which ones are worth it

It's my 7th month of PDF, which was initially a contract for 6 months but got a funding extension. So my current PDF contract ends at the end of November. My PI asked me to apply for other PDFs, so I recently applied to one of the PDFs at another university in my city.
I'm not sure if I can make myself turn into a TT professor. My confidence level is near zero, especially as I screwed up one last year. Meanwhile, I see industry positions that I might have a better chance. I don't want to deceive my PI that I'm still looking for a TT position as my current mood is about 50:50
My initial plan was to wait until my application result turn out, and start looking for industry jobs if I get rejected from the PDF app that I submitted. How do other people handle the pressure? I'm a father and sole money maker in my household.

I’ve heard of the trio of medicines for fish: paracleanse, maracyn and ich-x. I know this sounds kinda ridiculous but I cannot find ANY of them in my area. I don’t live in the USA and in a rural area, I’ve scavenged online and in every store within an hour and a half of me. Nothing. I have aquarium salt as a substitute for ich-x (fungal) and maracyn (bacterial) but salt only takes care of exterior parasites unlike paracleanse which also takes care of internal parasites. So are there any alternatives that are very widely available which I can buy?

I mean I thought she was pretty without her glasses... when she put her glasses on, she didn't look as good.
When I was standing to get a beer, I saw her glancing at me and smiling. I sat near her and started talking to her. Shes the cousin of my ex boss.... I mean we spoke a lot and I eventually got her number....
.... Does she seem interested in me?

I can’t believe that I’m resorting to Reddit to air out these questions, but at this point, I might as well express these sentiments to (hopefully) like-minded people. Let me state plainly what this post is about from the outset: it's about whether or not it’s really worth it to commit to what is essentially a lost cause. It’s easy for people to insist on having hope, but it’s much harder and more painful to confront the things we can’t change in the world.
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I’m a recent college graduate who, for several years now, has had a sustained interest and passion in Palestinian liberation. I’m even considering volunteering for a Palestinian NGO in the West Bank this upcoming fall.For some context, I’m a radical leftist, anti-capitalist, etc., and as I struggle to build a future for myself post-college I find myself confronting my burgeoning sense of political nihilism. For me, there are two types of people in this world. On the one hand, there are those who live under the veil of ignorance who never question the world in which we live; and those people will be a lot happier in life since they never choose to confront their alienation. On the other, there are people like me who choose to confront the alienating realities of capitalism and want to change the world accordingly. As I look at this world; having a boss, no social mobility, needing money to have fun; and it becomes all the more clear that the “progressive” change I have sought to enact will likely never be actualized.
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I first started paying attention to Israel and Palestine near the end of high school, during the Great March of Return. Unarmed men, women, and children were slaughtered by IDF forces because they dared to protest their confinement in Gaza. As I researched the so-called “conflict”, what struck me was the sheer scale of the pro-Israel proganda disseminated by Zionist organizations in the U.S. The central argument of these organizations was that criticism of Israel (especially criticism which “crossed the line” in the eyes of Israel’s political defenders) was disingenuously labeled as anti-Semitism.
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What further angered me is how plainly disingenuous these arguments were; even the people who made these arguments didn’t seem to believe it, but they knew they could exploit the hypersensitivity to anti-Semitism in order to effectively control the Overton window when it came to Israel. These people obviously don’t represent all Jews, even though they claim to. But as Israel is engaged in daily massacres, these people have the gaul to claim that specifically Zionist Jews deserve special consideration over and above others in the human community.
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I was particularly outraged by the assertion that anti-Zionism is comparable to anti-Semitism, and the various derivative arguments that stem from that position. I took this last line of argument somewhat personally because it just adds intellectual insult to injury; in order to take a position, I was forced to defend my ability, in essence my right to speak. And in the end, I would just get bogged down in a meta-argument over what was and wasn’t anti-Semitism. I mean really, there’s a way for someone to argue their cause without dictating what others should be allowed to say (but of course, that’s the whole point).
My investment in Palestinian liberation was further sustained by the culture at my college. The Zionist campus body politik held a lot of social power on campus, as well as real political power. And if anyone dared touch the issue of Israel/Palestine, they’d face the career-ruining allegation of anti-Semitism. Some student groups even choose to bar all discussion of the topic in order to avoid controversy.
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I’m the kind of person who simply can’t live under a veil of ignorance, no matter how much I’d like to. I am a Marxist, I believe in proletarian internationalism and class struggle; and I’m against all forms of ethno-national oppression, Zionism and anti-Semitism included. Israel is a settler-colonial apartheid society that is dedicated to maintaining a Jewish demographic majority in historic Palestine at all costs, even if that means destroying the Palestinian people. The Palestinians, on the other hand, have been exhausted and fragmented with two rivaling corrupt governments, no international allies, and very little hope for ever achieving political freedom (let alone the establishment of a unitary, secular, democratic state that would be necessary for Palestinian liberation).
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Hence, the reason I asked for “no Zionist apologetics” in the Title is because I hope there’s someone on this board who can sympathize without being disingenuous. I know that I’m just some WASPy college boy who is unaffected by the realities of the conflict; and I know that the change I wish to see in this world will likely never come to be. So what’s the point of continuing to exhaust my energies on what is tragically a lost-cause? Isn’t it better to just bite the bullet, come to terms with the evils in this world, and move on with my life?

My friend of 5yrs who was my bridesmaid Aug 2022 got engaged. I had a hunch she would ask me to be a bridesmaid but tried not to get my hopes up. I told her & fiancé I know they have lots of friends and understand if they don’t pick me but they said “Don’t even worry about that” and other comments that led me to believe they would.
She asked me months ago to Save May 27. I thought she might ask me that day. May 4 she canceled because her sister was visiting. I saw her several times after that. She came over May 20 for my Bday and decided that was the right time to corner me in the bathroom to tell me the news. I was so upset I literally puked as soon as she left. I was devastated but didn’t say anything because its her wedding.
May 27, her sisters were in town but as I suspected, that was when she asked all the girls she choose to be bridesmaids. This made me angry because she could have told me when she cancelled in the first place or the several times I saw her IRL.
She asked her 2 sisters, 3 childhood friends, a girl she unpromptedly told me she wouldn’t, another she cried to me about not being in her bridal party last year, & a girl she had a 2-3 year falling out with but let back in recently, who she complained to me about many times for feeling taken advantage of by her.
She said she wants to include me in dress shopping & planning the bachelorette but I’m not interested. She has 8 women she felt were worthy of the honor she can ask.
I feel very unappreciated because I already committed to creating their invitations and any design they might need long before they decided their wedding party. I don’t think she recognizes all the ways I’ve gone above & beyond for her over the years (always going to their house, watching their dog, buying groceries & TP for their house if I noticed they were low and not asking for repayment, etc).
I’ve learnt where I stand & know I need to take a step back, I can’t put so much energy into a relationship that isn’t reciprocated. I am grieving hard though because she was my 2nd closest girlfriend and right now I don’t want to speak to her. I’m not sure how to move past it if I’m harbouring all this resentment or what I should say when the time comes she tries to start including me in things.
My husband thinks I should talk to her because I feel our relationship is damaged and will never be the same. I’m also very expressive and terrible at hiding my emotions so she will know something is off in person. Normally I could talk to her about anything, she is very understanding but this is her wedding. I don’t even want to be in it after this, I’m clearly not valued as highly as I valued her. I feel the way she went about it was completely unfair and in the end she kind of gaslit me.
Should I tell her how I feel to repair the relationship or suffer in silence & take a big step back from the friendship?

I was chilling in the subway today i know your not supposed to place your leg on the seat but i did that was my mistake but then someone asked dont put it there and i wanted to ignore it than he came near me put my keg down with force than slapped me i threatened to call police he said do it i didnt have proof than i asked the security to check on cameras that a man has assulted me than the security called police then he was taken away

So basically I wanted to share my idea that probably would take years… anyways it’s gonna be a space update and obviously Mr. Pemberton is coming back lol. Let’s get into it now. So there’s a new space station if you go into the Town and on the very top of the Town you usually see millions of trees… but instead there will be a road and it will be a long drive to go to the space station it will be like the how long the road is to go to the dirt racetrack but instead it’s normal road and not dirt. Next once you get there you obviously can’t just jump on the space ship and be like take me to space or else… you’ll have to work your way up and get several promotions like the the police update and the RCROP job. If you try climbing the latter to the spaceship a man will come up and say “hEy! yOuRE NoT SuPPoSed tO bE uP tHeRE!! …if only we had enough astronauts to launch…” and that’s the only person there but eventually you’ll get bored exploring nothing and you’ll go home right?? The next day you Will see raccoon with a golden exclamation mark and when you talk to raccoon he/she will tell you we have a problem and yeah and the raccoon will gather the animals and we watch the news. MR PEMBERTON IS GONNA DESTROY THE GALAXY!!! And SASQUATCH HAS TO SAVE THE GALAXY!! Jeez Mr. Pemberton is more evil than I thought.. anyways the ducks idea is to kidnap the president’s daughter instead since Sasquatch is mayor so the duck can’t kidnap a mayor’s daughter.. anyways raccoons idea is for Sasquatch to become an Astronaut. So you go to the space station and they say oh it’s you Gert Jr. your here for the interview right? I bet you would say yes but if your wondering if you say no they just say get outta here and you just gotta come tomorrow so when you go to the interview they will ask you questions obviously and once your done your first job is to make freeze dried food for astronauts. The second job is security and the third job is to put out fires incase something catches on fire. And the fifth job is to keep in touch with the astronauts and the 6th and final is to BE an astronaut but your not aloud to become an astronaut unless you have the astronaut disguise which you can buy at the astronaut store which is located at the for lease section next to the electronics store you can buy jet packs, freeze dried food (not worth buying you can make it yourself), moon shoes (also required to get astronaut promotion), space fuel (which you need later on), and obviously the astronaut disguise which cost 8500 (prices in the comments) once you get the required things to go to space the guy controlling the space ship will say “ we need fuel to launch” so that’s when you gotta go buy fuel. Once you buy fuel you can launch and save the galaxy…. You guys can add on to the storyline.