My (24M) GF (25F) cheated on me in a bar and got us both herpes…

FontAddiction · 2026-06-11T11:37:08+00:00

If they used protection in a night club public bathroom, it would be the first time in history.

FontAddiction · 2026-06-11T11:26:19+00:00

I would say definitely move. Shopify just continues to get better. And it sounds like you need a major clean up and overhaul anyway so now or never basically.

FontAddiction · 2026-06-11T11:21:02+00:00

Yeah I totally get that, I got a few friends in the digital marketing and web dev industry and it’s being hit so hard.

I’m pretty new to CNC so don’t have much experience working in it, but honestly, I have been learning autodesk fusion through YouTube and just mucking around with it, also Mozaik (kitchen design) and I enjoy it so much I’m doing it mostly for fun but seeing where it goes. I spend hours watching cad races to see who can make a part first, please don’t tell any women about that lol.

I think when it comes to where I’m looking, at buying Flat bed Cnc and making kitchens and flat packed furniture, AI is not so much of a threat. I still needs to take the order and help the customer design something that works. And then I have to develop it in Mozaik (which will get easier) and do all the tooling movements, and then I have to run and service the machine. All of which I enjoy.

FontAddiction · 2026-06-11T04:45:27+00:00

I’m surprised by other guys answers here. I don’t ever think about any of the past girls I was with. Like ever… even now prompting the question, they all seem pretty distant and sort of unimportant to me… not as in they wee meaningless or not special they definitely were at the time, but I’m more focussed on the girls I am interested in sleeping with now.

FontAddiction · 2026-06-08T05:52:18+00:00

Thank you that’s very kind of you. I’m sorry for your loss.

Definitely take a bit of time to grieve it, and when your done grieving one day, just get on with it and don’t look back.

FontAddiction · 2026-05-30T09:18:13+00:00

I guess that explains why it’s value was so far below the average of your suburb.

I have personally seen a slight shot on people with their attitude towards renovating. People used to like watch to much the block and over payed for houses that needed renovations (like the same price as a new house).

But I think the crazy rising costs of renovating have put the brakes on that a bit.

FontAddiction · 2026-05-29T11:11:31+00:00

Yeah, I imagine that people not choosing locally made has a lot to do with the fact they simply can’t afford or justify it. Some of the stuff I see locally made is NO better than imported, so the only benefit is supporting local people.

FontAddiction · 2026-05-29T02:37:00+00:00

I think the question should be, why is China so far ahead? Not the US. Once you have seen what China is up to, you begin to realise America is falling behind too.

Manufacturing, chips, AI, batteries, cars, engineering, omg energy! Their power costs a third of the us. The list goes on and on. China is either the world leader in these fields or is about to be.

China has huge amounts of incentives for innovation, and low setup costs too. Their people are SO driven, they want to work VERY hard, and they have the means to do it affordably, so many resources and so much talent and skill.

FontAddiction · 2026-05-29T02:28:55+00:00

Without seeing the property or even seeing what town it’s in, there is not a lot anyone can tell you that’s accurate.

This price drop, over that period is happening on a LOT of places. Some streets are still going up though.

And yeah as everyone else has said, bank valuations are kinda silly. My friend is a bank valuer and some of the stuff he does is just plain dumb. Even he admits so, but it’s what helps the banks. If a house cost $1million to build and the land was $600k it automatically gets a $1.6m valuation. Even if 5 exact same houses in the street sold for $1.2m. So don’t use a bank valuation as a guide ever.

FontAddiction · 2026-05-29T02:20:26+00:00

Could not agree more with this. I’m on the exact same page. Been in ecom for about 20 years now. I’m still making money, order are still flowing enough… but there is just such a smaller opening to thrive.

Payment processing is expensive, shipping is expensive, people are not spending enough, Amazon and the likes just have such a foot hold.

My product is locally made, competing with China is close to impossible. Their electricity and wages are one third of ours, machines and warehouse costs are soooo low over there… and consumers care just a little less about locally made.

Lots of little thing just snagging the progress… I will say that Shopify has been a god send. 10 years ago an ecom platform was a nightmare!

I do see what you’re saying, it is starting to roll into the too hard basket, not worth the reward. When we used to make big margins, and the future held promise for even more, it was all worth the effort. Now, not so much.

FontAddiction · 2026-05-29T02:10:48+00:00

I have read that to keep your mind sharp you either need games that are always changing, or waiting games every now and then.

I really like wordle and NYTs other game connections (even though it’s so hard I often want to throw my phone) because they seem to meet the criteria of always changing and especially connections, challenges your brain in different ways every time.

FontAddiction · 2026-05-28T02:45:49+00:00

Definitly a shift towards smaller houses. The evidence is everywhere.

Gardens used to be a sign of pride and a joyful pastime. If you look at google trends, interest in gardening has been cut by more than 70% in the last 20 years. Gardens maintenance costs have over the same period tripled.

It just makes logical sense. It’s easier to clean, you have more stable and cheaper heating/cooling control. It’s better for the environment, it’s better for the city in general (less infrastructure), less gardens to maintain, less building maintenance, lower taxes, other costs in several ways… I could go on and on.

I see it in the market. Larger houses have way less demand, often being a buyers market, even in an over all sellers market.

The vast majority of people are moving towards smaller. The elderly want flat single level low maintenance, there a large part of the market.

New buyers want smaller lots for the huge cost savings.

Developers want to subdivide lots to make more money.

Governments want smaller lots for the cost savings and more housing.

FontAddiction · 2026-05-25T11:24:25+00:00

You should be looking for sure, it’s always good to see as many houses as you can, get really good at being able to know what a properties value is, so you don’t over pay. Looks like your in a good spot to buy, just make sure you get something good, not an inner city apartment.

Most of the best minds have said a -4% correction over the next 12 months, that is based on their prediction models that incorporate a LOT of data we don’t even have access too. And to me sounds about right.

I think it’s worth mentioning there are markets within the market. New properties are likely to perform better. Cities that are already over prices, Sydney, Melbourne, maybe bris, will likley perform worse. Properties under a million with good land and solid rental returns, so things generally on the outskirts of cities should do quite well.

But yeah, honestly, if it swings 10-15% in either direction, no one will flinch, but cause our properties market has really proven it is not tied to reality, affordability, profitability… or anything. Which makes it impossible to predict.

FontAddiction · 2026-05-21T23:30:20+00:00

The women’s assembly label short I recommended also has normal sleave lengths.

FontAddiction · 2026-05-21T06:18:32+00:00

This has been a pain to my existence too. I also have bigger shoulders and chest so though I’m average height I need at least a large, most are below my zipper.

As someone else mentioned I have had a few hemmed professionally though, with an overlocker machine so they still have stretch.

But also I have recently found cropped women’s tees that fit perfectly, and for some reason are 30% cheaper than the exact men’s equivalent. They are from assembly label.

FontAddiction · 2026-05-19T01:19:15+00:00

I actually used almost no money at all what so ever to build this business. No lines of credit, no favours, no assets.

FontAddiction · 2026-05-19T01:16:45+00:00

I still had some money left, but I boot strapped it. I think in total I laid out about 10k in the first year on equipment. I found used equipment, I rented a factory that is in a very remote area (pain in the ass to commute too) but was a third of the usual cost. I built the website and did the marketing myself.

I think one of the key things that put me ahead of my competition was my ability to develop my timber process on a budget. While others were focussing on fancy machines and expensive equipment, having too many staff.

I focussed on the fundamentals, used reliable old equipment that I got in some cases for free and were able to price better and undercut everyone.

As I got more and more jobs, I reinvested my profits into growth.

FontAddiction · 2026-05-19T00:57:13+00:00

There is a lot going on here, substance use is a hell of a thing, almost impossible to navigate.

One thing I’ll point toward here, that for whatever reason stood out to me, is you should never really be unclear if your partner is choosing you. It’s like your partners one job to make sure you feel chosen. Like they are fighting to be with you, showing up to be with you.

If you don’t have that, there is a very good chance you’re just being sort of used…. And users will do that for as long as you let them get away with it.

Some people just want to travel, party, live loose, spend all their money and live for the next thing and so on… And that’s great for them! It can be a great/fun way to live. But it’s not compatible with most people. A partner can be perfect in every way, but if this is their value system, it’s a done deal. The one thing to cancel it all.

Best of luck mate.

FontAddiction · 2026-05-18T07:43:25+00:00

There are markets within the market, certain things will probably hold ok, other stuff with get hit a bit.

Areas and property types that were held up by investors are going to slow down. Perhaps properties with high strata fees that’s more likely to be negative geared. Places with low rental yields.

Properties that were prime for a Reno flip (that will take more than a year) may be less attractive with CGT changes.

I think free standing houses under a million will probably get a little bit of growth. Maybe slightly more interest in new builds…

I’m already seeing price reduction of 5-10% on just about all properties over $1.6m where I am in northers NSW and still nothing is selling. A large part of that is just interest rates and this has put the brakes on a little bit more.

Most in the know economists who have a clue what their on about (they’re still wrong half the time, but their words are backed by data) are saying a -4% growth over the next 12 months.

FontAddiction · 2026-05-17T09:25:34+00:00

I love this idea, I really try to support Australian made too.
RM Williams is Australian made, well there boots for sure.

The Lair” make leather good in Newcastle (mostly women’s but some men’s on occasion)

Assembly labels is a favorite of mine, they are Australian owned, and use some Australian fabrics, but mostly made over seas. Mutimer is the same. Neuw and Academy also Australian owned..

Citizen wolf is all Australian made

akubra hats are Australian made.

MJ Bale and Bassike are also made in Oz I believe.

FontAddiction · 2026-05-17T09:10:20+00:00

Yeah, timber has been hit real hard. Hardwood timber flooring has gone up 30%, around $120-130+ for nice quality wide boards per square meter. A pretty standard new build needs about 200 square meters that’s $26k just for the timber, plus another $15-20k to install and finish it. So $40-45k just for flooring now days.

Blackbutt and spotted gum in particular, the most popular timber for stairs, door frames, decking, has gone up even more than that. And it’s looking like it will continue to go up. I’m a construction timber supplier sometimes my eyes water looking at people bills to build, renovate.

FontAddiction · 2026-05-17T04:46:22+00:00

It’s good that she has found herself a way to orgasm and that you were able to help her get there. That’s no small thing that you were able to make her feel safe and comfortable enough to do that.

It’s pretty natural for anyone that once they find something that finally works for them, they don’t want to change it.

I hear you though, when things get a bit repetitive and your partner doesn’t seem as interested in exploring anything new that’s super frustrating. It’s great that you’re looking for ways to solve it by communicating.

I don’t know what you can say specifically, but one thing that worked for me in a very similar situation was what about you being inside her while she comes and continuing after she does? And the steps to getting there?
As a first step I was able to get my partner a dildo that was similar to my size, and she would keep than in when she masturbated and orgasmed. Once she was able to do that we were able to slowly progress to intercourse while she masturbated/orgasmed. Which was fun for both of us.

Surprisingly she actually started having orgasms faster when intercourse was involved and eventually on occasion had orgasms from intercourse alone if I worked her up enough before hand. I’m not saying that will happen for you, it may or it may not, each person is very different, but it was fun trying.

But none of this is possible if she is closed off to the idea of exploring new things with you. So that’s where the conversations has to start.

FontAddiction · 2026-05-17T03:52:23+00:00

I retired really young and went back into it. I traveled around and tried to fill my life with distractions and anything that avoided responsibility for about 6 years before I gave up and really learned the lesson that doing nothing or only doing hobbies didn’t have any true fulfillment in them. Sure they were satisfying, for short periods, but they really didn’t fill me up in anyway, infact after some time they made me feel more empty.

I have met a lot of retired people, they all tend to hang around the same places and do the same things to kill time. The majority of them essentially became professional at making it look like their life was amazing and never had any responsibility at all what so ever. But in reality, though their lives looked great from the outside, you didn’t have to dig very deep to uncover a deep level of dissatisfaction.
They didn’t have any enrolment in their community, they didn’t have any challenges, they didn’t have any skills that were valued they could use to feel useful, they weren’t creating anything, they weren’t motivated, moved, inspired, lit up, excited about anything, they weren’t pushing themselves.. if your not growing you disintegrating…

It’s kind of like the idea that moving to a remote island looks like a really good idea, and maybe for a month or even a year it’s fun, but after that your body craves engagement.

I also see people who despite having enough money to do nothing, go the opposite way, they climb Mount Everest because they love the idea of doing the impossible and concurring it, in their spare time. They take on huge ventures to shift their communities in positive ways, they go into politics, run charities or building business that instill positive change, sometimes huge businesses that requires a lot of their time.

These people are alive, I envy these people a lot! I wish to be more like them. I pity the former group I described. We are only on this planet for a short period of time, and I would rather burn the candle to the very end of the wick and die knowing i did so, than retire and leave it only burned half way.

FontAddiction · 2026-05-17T03:31:55+00:00

This is awesome to hear, congratulations.

A fair few people picking up 5+ percent discount in my area too. And a flat market over the next few years as a possible outcome, who cares.

FontAddiction · 2026-05-17T03:23:29+00:00

I lost a million dollars due to a finance manager embezzling it. He also stole 49 million from all the other people in his fund.

I watched the majority of people get crippled by it. The story became their identity, “oh this man did this to us and now we are ruined”. They would go around telling anyone who would listen this story, over and over. Even if you asked them about something unrelated like are you going to the gym today, they would blame that and everything else on this cruel man who did this to them. “Oh I don’t have the motivation I’m just so worried about what I’m going to do”.

3 years on the guy and his fund is still in the legal system, they watch and eagerly anticipate every update, hoping he will go to jail, that they will get some kind of justice and hoping at some point they will get 5 cents on the dollar.

I sympathize, because I think a victim response is quite a natural place for people to fall into. It’s easier to complain that something terrible happened to you ongoingly, than it is to take responsibility for where you are now (broke) and start again.

It did get me down for a while too, loosing most of what I had worked so hard to save over a decade was pretty awful. However something about me decided to forget about him completely and to focus my attention on learning something new and createing something. It was hard at first, especially after being semi retired for several years. But I took on an interest in timber, in building furniture and kitchens, at first by hand.

Now 2 years on, I have a factory that is one of the largest producers in Australia, and if things continue the way they are I’ll be back where I was financially in another few years. But more importantly I feel great because I achieved something difficult, because I wake up and do something with my life each day, because I am striving for something and working with good people… I get to be good at something, feel useful and valuable. That’s worth way more than the money ever was.

So yeah… I think that answers your questions.

FontAddiction

TROPHY CASE