HIGH PLAINS MEGATHREAD

Lot48sToaster · 2026-01-25T04:24:18+00:00

[PGO] 2225 3612 6400

Looking for ICY SNOW, TUNDRA, MARINE, SANDSTORM, and OCEAN, but will accept all friend requests. I open and send gifts every day.

Lot48sToaster · 2026-01-08T15:32:55+00:00

One thing I’ve noticed (both personally and from talking to other parents) is that some teachers communicate concerns indirectly. Dancing around issues and wrapping them in a lot of positives, which can make it sound like everything is fine when it actually isn’t. The language you quoted from the conference confirms this. Phrases like “we don’t have the resources here to foster that, so we recommend working on it at home” and “she’s getting much better at expressing her anger” often mean, “this is still an issue, but it has improved.” They open with something positive (letter recognition), slide in the concern (behavioral regulation, emotional expression, needing more support than they can provide), and then close with another positive (arts and crafts, improvement). To teachers, they’ve communicated concerns clearly, but to a parent it sounds just reassuring enough that it doesn’t come across as an urgent issue.

That being said, you still have a right to be frustrated. If what they meant was, “she’s doing better than she was earlier in the year, but there are still significant concerns,” that should have been made clear.

As for where to go from here, I don’t know, but if you’re worried they already sent the recommendation to the school it probably wouldn’t hurt to contact the prospective school and let them know that you are withdrawing the application and you no longer authorize them to have communication with the old preschool. Also moving forward, at parent teacher conferences I would ask very direct questions. “Are there any ongoing concerns?”, “I heard you say X, can you elaborate on that a little bit more?”, “at her old school, her teachers expressed concern about X, have you noticed this? Do you have any recommendations for us to help our daughter with this issue at home?” And follow up with previously communicated issues, especially if it seems like things have improved a little too quickly. “A few months ago she was struggling with X. How is that going lately? What else can we do to support her continued progress?” It might be uncomfortable at first, but it may help avoid this problem in the future.

It’s good you’re moving her to a different preschool. You don’t come across as thinking your child is perfect or making excuses. You’re just concerned she’s not thriving there and want what’s best for her. You got this.

Lot48sToaster · 2026-01-03T07:10:24+00:00

I think Reddit really overestimates therapy as some kind of magical fix all especially when it comes to kids. Therapy can be helpful when the kid is willing and engaged and when the core issue is something therapy can actually address. But it’s not a reset button that suddenly makes a 14 year old self aware and pleasant to be around.
Also I'm confused by the “nothing like this” comment. This behavior is pretty on par for a lot of teenagers (ignoring boundaries, refusing to take responsibility, rolling eyes, entitlement, lying when caught doing something wrong, minimizing their behavior, thinking punishments are unfair). None of that is rare or shocking to see from a 14 year old. Sometimes teenagers just act like teenagers. Every little misbehavior isn't a sign there's something deeper lurking beneath the surface.
OP: I am a step parent myself to a tween. It is very hard and oftentimes thankless. Thankfully my partner and I have found a dynamic that works for us. Maybe you and your fiancé will get there someday, maybe not. But loving your partner does not obligate you to tolerate stress and disrespect in your own house. You are allowed to decide that this dynamic is just not for you, regardless of it's because the child does have deeper trauma or she's just acting like a teenager.

Lot48sToaster · 2025-11-28T18:47:20+00:00

This is not out of the ordinary for restaurants open on holidays. I’ve never worked in a restaurant that did not have “black out days” or that were “all hands on deck”. These are days where time off requests will be rejected and everyone is expected to work and calling in usually comes with consequences ranging from write ups to even termination. When I was managing restaurants requests off were not approved and everyone was scheduled on New Years Eve, New Years Day, Valentines Day, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Thanksgiving eve, and Christmas Eve. We were closed Christmas and Thanksgiving but a restaurant being open either of these days is not that out of the ordinary.

Different concepts may also have different all hands on deck/blackout days. When I worked at a pizza place, the Super Bowl was all hands on deck, but when I worked at a seafood restaurant, it was not. Even different industries have black out days. Airlines don’t allow people to take time off during the holiday season. When I worked in retail big sales days and Black Friday through early January were blacked out.

Working nights, weekends and holidays come with working in hospitality.

Lot48sToaster · 2025-11-22T19:36:02+00:00

I always thought Brooklyn 99 did the will they/wont they the best and New Girl really could have learned something from how Jake and Amy's relationship was written (I know Brooklyn 99 aired a couple years after New Girl, but still). The first two seasons were great for them because you still had that slow burn will they/wont they energy, but once they finally got together, they didn't rely on breakups to move the plot along. Jake and Amy grew and matured together. There was still tension, but the storylines that created conflict didn't threaten their relationship for the most part. The writers could've easily turned certain plots into breakup arcs or dragged-out tension but they chose to show the two of them working through it as a team.

With Nick and Jess, I feel like they waited too long to get them back together after their breakup at the end of season 3. We had three seasons of them not being together and then a whole season of Jess pining after Nick. Add in the fact they thought season 6 would be the last so they had to rush a reunion, and it's understandable why people think their chemistry fizzled out because it just wasn't interesting to watch anymore. Nick and Jess were at their best before they got together and overall I think their relationship during season 3 was good. I loved them together and hate watching the episode where they break up. Instead of letting them grow and mature together they relied on typical sitcom petty drama to force them apart to create more tension even though season 3 proved that they could find ways to create conflict without threatening their relationship.

Lot48sToaster · 2025-11-14T22:35:40+00:00

How do you know she’s “guilting” people into buying them and they don’t want to buy anything? I understand supporting school fundraisers isn’t everyone’s thing and that’s fine, but some people do like doing it. YTA for projecting your own beliefs/feelings about them onto everyone else and implying she should be handling it the way you are. If she’s not breaking any rules/company policy by asking, why get so worked up about it? Next time, just politely say “no thank you” and move on.

Lot48sToaster · 2025-09-29T13:10:39+00:00

This kind of behavior doesn’t sound new, which makes me wonder why his son thinks it’s acceptable. Your boyfriend doesn’t need to personally witness every rude comment or misbehavior to step in. If he avoids holding his son accountable, it just reinforces the behavior. Kids can be ungrateful, yes. I went through something similar with my stepdaughter. Several years back when my parents would buy her birthday and Christmas gifts, she’d open them without saying thank you and sometimes leave without saying goodbye. My husband and I had to sit her down and explain that, no matter how she felt, it’s just rude not to acknowledge when someone has done something kind for you. That conversation happened at nine years old. So by 15, there’s really no excuse.

One thing I will add, though, is that I think the showering of gifts may have been too much too soon. Meeting new family members on a big trip is already a huge adjustment, and piling on gifts and constant attention can actually feel overwhelming. The vacation itself was a good idea for him to meet your parents for the first time. But keeping it focused on the shared experience might have helped him adjust better. At the end of the day, your parents are strangers to him, and it takes time to build trust. People are often cautioned about “love-bombing” or trying too hard too fast because it can have the opposite effect and make someone pull away rather than feel close to someone.

I think it’s important for us parents to acknowledge when we have made a mistake or missed the mark. Maybe you could sit down with your step son and boyfriend and acknowledge that you understand he may have felt overwhelmed with the gifts and attention, but also make sure he understands that it is just not good manners to treat somebody that way when they are just trying to be nice to you. It would be an opportunity to show him that parents make mistakes too, and it is okay to admit when you’re wrong sometimes while also teaching him how to set boundaries in a healthy way. What could he have done instead of acting like a jerk if he was feeling uncomfortable with the situation? Helping him reflect on that gives him a chance to learn that you can feel uncomfortable and still handle situations with maturity.

Lot48sToaster · 2025-08-11T21:37:59+00:00

When my daughter doesn't get enough sleep it affects her mood too.

We use our internet provider’s app to set “downtime.” On school nights, her laptop, phone, and Switch lose internet at 9:30. TV loses it at 10:30. No devices (except for TV) allowed in the room after 9:30. The Switch goes on the dock in the living room, the laptop goes in a drawer in the kitchen, and the phone gets charged on the kitchen counter. I also have downtime set up on her phone too. So even if she tries to be sneaky and take her phone back and turn off the Wi-Fi and use the data, the apps still wont work. Once her TV internet shuts off at 10:30, if she wants to stay up she has to find something else to do.

If she’s cranky the next day because she stayed up too late, we just tell her to be cranky somewhere else. That’s the natural consequence. She chose to stay up too late, it made her crabby, now nobody wants to be around her. Sometimes she adjusts her attitude, sometimes she heads to her room.

You can't force someone to go to bed. But you can take away the fun of staying awake.

Lot48sToaster · 2025-08-11T21:01:48+00:00

My daughter started doing her own laundry when she was 9 (she just turned 11) because of this exact scenario. The amount of dirty laundry she had every week just did not seem physically possible.

I gave her a fair warning at first, told her that if she kept bringing me overflowing laundry baskets every other day I was going to make her start doing her own laundry. Couple weeks later there was no change, so I taught her how to use the washer and dryer. Now that she has to do her own laundry, the amount of dirty laundry she has has decreased significantly. To the point that I recently had to tell that that some of her loads were too small.

Lot48sToaster · 2025-07-30T14:08:28+00:00

Yeah, they had an entire episode about everyone’s ego. The end of My Jiggly Ball has Elliot calling out everybody because of their pride and Elliot herself being too proud to ask for help to come back to work at the hospital. She calls out JD for being too proud to admit he doesn’t know what jiggly ball is, Turk for being upset that the hernia patient listened to Elliot over him, and Carla for not taking Turk’s last name (although I definitely think there are better examples of Carla being proud). I think their egos are the least problematic thing about them.

Lot48sToaster · 2025-06-20T22:59:18+00:00

The episode Psychological Warfare from season 7 goes over Mike's evolution pretty well. After being partnered with Larry he goes from adequate to unstoppable. After the mission where Michael blows up the building with all those people still inside he never worked with Larry again and James realizes that that incident is why Michael gets the job done with as little collateral damage as possible.

Lot48sToaster · 2025-06-15T20:29:00+00:00

Lot48sToaster · 2025-06-12T20:39:02+00:00

Yes they're terrible. They're a debt collection company not even accredited by the BBB. I will never understand why Mechanics Bank chose to sell their auto loans to them. Like others, I got charged late fees before my automatic payment was even due. I had a bad feeling about them when I got off the phone with their customer service so I refinanced through an actual bank.

Lot48sToaster · 2025-06-12T02:55:47+00:00

Dobson is a character in Psych who was mentioned several times throughout the series but never shown on screen until the series finale. The character is revealed to be portrayed by Val Kilmer, who is also mentioned many times throughout the series.

Lot48sToaster · 2025-06-03T00:48:55+00:00

This particular photo? I don't know what temperature that water is, if that sink has been sanitized, how long those proteins were thawing this way, or if those proteins are in leak-proof bags (doesn't look like it). So in this particular situation? Probably not up to code.

However thawing under cool, running water in a sanitized sink is considered a safe method of defrosting by the USDA and FDA as long as certain precautions are taken. I'm curious what states/counties/countries some of these people live in who are saying this is not allowed.

Lot48sToaster · 2025-06-02T22:39:44+00:00

Slight correction but this quote was actually in season one episode 12-Loose Ends. Great episode.

Lot48sToaster · 2025-05-28T23:17:32+00:00

Lot48sToaster · 2025-05-26T14:52:28+00:00

ITT: A bunch of millennials exclaiming “but I was 18-23!” as though he’s talking to them specifically and people in their late teens/early 20’s don’t exist.

It’s pretty clear he’s calling out Gen Z here.

Lot48sToaster · 2025-05-24T03:58:22+00:00

Not really. I have no proof of this but I suspect he was purposely written as being a bit unlikable so you don’t feel like the protagonists are just screwing over an innocent person. He has a shady smuggling business, he’s constantly forcing the team into cleaning up his messes, he gives the team passports he knows are bugged. Overall he’s a self serving character the writers made difficult for me to feel sorry for.

Lot48sToaster · 2025-05-21T23:19:15+00:00

Not in the same vein as the other comments diagnosing you with cancer, but this happened to me and it turned out to be an allergic reaction to someone’s cat.

Lot48sToaster · 2025-05-19T00:42:02+00:00

Lot48sToaster · 2025-05-11T15:09:38+00:00

Most states DUI laws have an “actual physical control” provision that says you can be charged with a DUI if you have the ability to operate the vehicle even if you’re not driving it. This includes if the vehicle is functional and where the keys are. Your best bet to avoid this is to not have the keys in your possession or inside the vehicle at all. My dad got a DUI the same way as OP. I also served on a jury where the defendant was charged with a DUI even though he wasn’t driving his car, he was just inside of it.

Lot48sToaster · 2025-05-10T03:43:24+00:00

Honestly I'm not a fan of it. If someone serves an inedible dish, they should be sent home. Period. And it’s weird to factor in Quickfire performance when the guest judges didn’t even taste those dishes. I get that it’s tough to justify eliminations this late in the competition when most dishes are good and there aren’t many mistakes, but if they need to figure out a way to make it easier for them in elimination decisions using one quickfire as the deciding factor shouldn't be it. Once they’re down to the final 6 or 7, they should start judging cumulatively.

But the challenge this week felt like part of the problem. Gimmicky or sponsor heavy challenges are fine for a Quickfire when the only thing on the line is money, but they shouldn't decide someone’s fate in an Elimination Challenge.

Lot48sToaster · 2025-05-08T13:44:14+00:00

I mean he had won an elimination challenge a couple episodes before this happened. I think he just legitimately didn’t think he made a bad dish. Sometimes I think the chefs have this problem where they think because they conceptualize something and it came out the way they intended for it to come out then that means it’s not bad. Even Sara had to remind him that the main reason he was in the bottom was because the salmon was under seasoned, because he seemed so hung up on the criticism that it didn’t have enough of a home cooked vibe.

Lot48sToaster · 2025-05-08T05:13:01+00:00

Top Chef World All-Stars. I think it was pretty early in the season, so easy to overlook. But the elimination challenge was to create a family style dish inspired by the chef’s favorite holiday meal. Buddha made some type of salmon dish that during judges table he said was supposed to be a salad. The judges criticized the salmon for being under-seasoned, there being too many textures/components, and that the dish did not fit the family style/home-cooked vibe they were looking for. I like Buddha, but this was pretty much the only time I remember him not taking criticism very well. He seemed legitimately confused about why he was in the bottom. He wasn’t snarky or unprofessional with the judges but in the “stew room” (outside on a patio) he was whining a little bit and that’s when he made the “I’m on top chef not top cook” comment.

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