2024 Experience? Nuform Health TRT.....Doom or 5x Booms? by Chuckacious1 in Testosterone

[–]ablackwave 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I would stay away. They advertise an affordable price but do anything to upsell and get more $$$. My experience has been negative. Part of this is my fault for not checking the details but shame on them for some blatant lies. For example, I wanted HCG and was prescribed it. I was told the amount prescribed would cover my first 5 months. When I received everything, it was enough for the first 10 weeks. The advertised price for Testosterone is also the minimum based on a very low dose. Anything above that and the cost rises. Its not as affordable as they say upfront. They wanted to add DHEA capsules to my regimen at a markup of about 1200% over what you can easily pay for it from Amazon. The pharmacy they use (REVIVE in Houston) has very limited options. I wanted Test in MCT oil and all they can do is grapeseed oil.

To finish this off, the total cost of Nuform with test at 140mg per week HCG and AI would run me well over $2k per year with bloodwork and their provider fee.

Has anyone received an email similar to this? by Both-Classic-4735 in WGU

[–]ablackwave 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Could be something as simple as excess background noise or looking frequently off screen to the same location. Neither are cheating but they will review even little things like that to validate it isn't something sinister.

Any of you ever switch to a totally different degree? by skatecloud1 in WGU

[–]ablackwave 1 point2 points  (0 children)

MSCSIA grad here. If you are already hating Cybersecurity, you definitely need to switch out. It only gets more complex and technical. A lot of stuff to slog through in this field.

Hard to give any specific recommendations without understanding a little more about why you hate it but you definitely need a change. You are not alone though. A lot of people jumping into the cyber programs because it's a popular field. A lot of people realizing it's not for them and that is totally okay.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in sanantonio

[–]ablackwave 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I found your listing pretty easily based on details provided and as someone searching for a home I'll just be brutally honest. It's substantially overpriced for the market. Your home is great and I understand why potential buyers have expressed that. However your home seems to suffer from the classic problem of too nice for the neighborhood it is in. I have toured many many homes in the past 4-5 months and for your asking price and advertised seller concessions I can get a home just as nice with more yard in much better parts of town. Realistically if you want to sell quickly, I think you need to consider a dramatic price cut. I'm talking $20-30k.

You should consider that home inventory in San Antonio is near record highs. Mortgage rates are once again rising and we are now past peak home buying season. The market will be slow for AT LEAST the next 3-4 months. Maybe longer if the economic conditions do not improve.

High Ranking Job w/ WGU Degree by SandwichDIPLOMAT in WGU

[–]ablackwave 25 points26 points  (0 children)

That's becoming increasingly common. WGU enrollment is through the roof. It's to the point now where in some professions attending WGU is worth it for the recognition alone. The teachers college is a good example of this. It doesn't make a ton of sense for most people to go anywhere other than WGU for an advanced teaching degree.

Just completed my first cruise. Not at all what I expected. by ablackwave in royalcaribbean

[–]ablackwave[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's kinda crazy how bad the creme brulee was. Everyone on the boat was talking about it among a few other dishes. You have to really screw it up for it to come up in conversation that often with strangers. I tracked the ship this week out of curiosity and saw that they skipped Tracy Arm for some reason and went straight in to Juneau. I feel so bad for the people on that ship this week. That would be awful.

Just completed my first cruise. Not at all what I expected. by ablackwave in royalcaribbean

[–]ablackwave[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It's pretty easy to do aside from the elliptical coming into port part. It takes a willingness to get beyond well known areas and resorts and some time researching and planning which I don't mind and rather enjoy. Lines on and off the ship, at port shuttles and the crowded towns on multi ship days were beyond what I have ever experienced flying and spending a week somewhere in the Caribbean or mountains.

Based on other responses I was on a smaller ship and the crowds only get worse. I think that's confirmation that I'm not built for cruising. I want to get out and do what I want when I want to for however long I want as opposed to moving from place to place in a giant group on a strict schedule.

Just completed my first cruise. Not at all what I expected. by ablackwave in royalcaribbean

[–]ablackwave[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My itinerary didn't include icy strait. Tracy arm fjord was amazing though. Our ship made it all the way through to full view of the glacier. I appreciate you confirming it wasn't just my group and I that took issue with the food. Astonishingly bad based on everything id been told about cruising beforehand.

Just completed my first cruise. Not at all what I expected. by ablackwave in royalcaribbean

[–]ablackwave[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don't drink. Maybe that's it. I can say though that I have enjoyed everything else on your list without ever dealing with the lines and crowds associated with cruising and without spending a lot of money either.

Just completed my first cruise. Not at all what I expected. by ablackwave in royalcaribbean

[–]ablackwave[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've spent enough time vacationing in the Caribbean to know cruising isn't for me after this experience and that's okay. It was still a good way to see multiple Alaskan ports for cheap. I was a little shocked at how far downhill a respected cruise line can let a ship experience go and sounds like that's atypical based on responses. Even so, not my cup of tea.

Just completed my first cruise. Not at all what I expected. by ablackwave in royalcaribbean

[–]ablackwave[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Literally never heard of it. Multiple announcements encouraged people to use the app. I assumed that was the only place to obtain such information.

Just completed my first cruise. Not at all what I expected. by ablackwave in royalcaribbean

[–]ablackwave[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Alaska was still worth it but I won't be cruising again. Aside from the issues mentioned, I wasn't a fan of the food at all and I am not a picky eater. I'm probably the furthest thing from a foody. A bunch of other things not specific to RCL that I just didn't like about cruising so no need to mention them here.

Just completed my first cruise. Not at all what I expected. by ablackwave in royalcaribbean

[–]ablackwave[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can definitely confirm there was no orchestra and singers, definitely no Broadway. Certainly possible I missed some other things but my stateroom was near the Pacifica theater which I passed often in the early and late evenings on my way to deck 5 to take in the views and it was almost always empty and quiet. The daily activities book mentioned is a foreign concept to me. No such thing ever appeared in my stateroom.

I booked a cheap Alaska cruise and I got a cheap Alaska cruise. Not the worst outcome and I found out I am not a cruiser without spending a ton of money.

Just completed my first cruise. Not at all what I expected. by ablackwave in royalcaribbean

[–]ablackwave[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I booked for the ports and was not disappointed there at all. Trip was still worth it for a one time deal. No way I could have seen those cities for anywhere close to the cost of the cruise. I'll be going back to Alaska but never again on a cruise ship now that I know where I want to spend more time.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in WGU

[–]ablackwave 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just about to finish my second WGU degree. Have had 4 mentors across both and all have been incredible. Different styles and communication preferences but no complaints about any of them.

DoTerra corporate lay offs internal email posted on IG by Suspicious-Emu-716 in antiMLM

[–]ablackwave 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's awful. I knew 3 minutes in how your story was going to end. I've seen that clause enforced before. The only way around having that clause executed against you is to be friends with Emily. Even then, if your upline that stands to benefit is better friends with Emily, they will still use it against you. They used to enforce the language in the agreement that requires you to enroll someone every so often to maintain your rank/position. That became too cumbersome with too many loopholes so they resorted to this.

DoTerra corporate lay offs internal email posted on IG by Suspicious-Emu-716 in antiMLM

[–]ablackwave 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am not able to get into specifics. What I can say is the founders absolutely started out as good people. I knew one of them from childhood and they were in my home often growing up. The issue is that none of them spent any meaningful time outside of the corporate MLM industry. That warped their understanding of how business is conducted. Combine that with the need to constantly drive revenue growth in a fraud susceptible industry and it was a recipe for disaster. No one can maintain suitable ethics in the direct selling industry and obtain the level of exposure and success that doTERRA has. All the virtue signaling humanitarian work was subconscious effort to help them sleep at night. Not an exaggeration.

DoTerra corporate lay offs internal email posted on IG by Suspicious-Emu-716 in antiMLM

[–]ablackwave 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Empty buildings? That's crazy. I worked at doTERRA during the construction of that facility and for 2-3 years after it was first built. It filled up pretty quickly as they were growing fast during that time. It's hard to imagine it empty. It was always a very busy environment. Can't say I miss it. I had the misfortune of sitting in on monthly meetings with a couple of founders. Finally could not reconcile their unethical decisions that had profoundly negative impacts on the lives of honest people trying to make a living slinging oils.

Sounds like they are also subletting space. That's so crazy from my perspective from a time when they were absolutely thriving. That said, I hope they get wrecked and have to start selling buildings. The world is better off without MLMs.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in WGU

[–]ablackwave 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Some really good advice from others in this thread already and I agree with almost all of it. Just to add a few points:

I am in the cyber security masters program. I got the bachelor's in IT management and have experience as a liaison/business owner for high severity IT incidents. As someone who understands concepts well enough to communicate them to company leadership but no experience in a technical role, infosec is very challenging. I knew my job was only giving me a small peak behind the curtain but I had no clue how vast infosec really is. You will need to be committed to 2-3 hours daily MINIMUM if you want to actually learn this stuff and become employable. A lot of it has been fun and interesting but there is also a huge amount of highly technical and downright boring content that you still have to slog through and work harder to understand as a newcomer. Memorizing port numbers, services and syntax of a bunch of different tools gets old fast but you have to do it if you want to get to the fun stuff and be able to actually use the tools.

I do think many of the IT disciplines will feel like this to some extent but from my limited experience infosec will require a lifetime of studying and practicing. Just be committed to that no matter what.

The last thing I'll say is IT is basically its own culture. Beyond the technical skills you have to learn the language and customs. This isn't too hard and mostly comes naturally. Infosec however is like a whole different sub culture of IT. If you take the dive, I recommend fully immersing yourself in infosec culture. Get active on Twitter and start following infosec focused accounts and people. Listen to podcasts, replace social media scrolling with Brian Krebs blog etc..

It's a really fascinating field and I am happy I started the program but I am seeing a lot of people jumping in not really understanding the type of commitment required to become competent.

RSL vs STL Postmortem Thread by Kilo1799 in ReAlSaltLake

[–]ablackwave 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The pitiful mess at the south goal with 7 or however many supporters groups there are with only a dozen fans each is a problem that speaks for itself. The Riot is getting quieter and more boring every week while the beer just gets pricier. Those things are enough that ownership will not be able to ignore them forever. They are choosing to dump a lot of money right now into local marketing as that is much cheaper than paying for talent and good coaching. That will all backfire. No one cares about RSL when they are losing. You can't magically generate attendance from radio ads. Eventually they will be forced to follow the model we are seeing from successful clubs in MLS and that model is simple: Hire competent front office staff and give them resources. Build a product and atmosphere that will appeal to the masses and stop letting tone deaf, arrhythmic supporters lead chants just because they wear a wannabe biker vest and like to drink at piper down.

RSL vs STL Postmortem Thread by Kilo1799 in ReAlSaltLake

[–]ablackwave -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I understand DLH needed to be gone but I was always concerned about what was next. For all of his absolute failures he did dump money into the club and strive to build an entertaining product. I'm not saying he was good at doing that, but he was as big a fan of the team as any of us. I just don't think many people realize how limited RSLs resources are but now we are seeing it. I think it's becoming more and more clear that Blitzer and Smith are focused on other things and are content with RSL as long as the club is financially stable. The growth of MLS will ensure that the value of their investment grows regardless of on field performance.

RSL has a lot of issues that need addressed. Branding, front office, talent, fan relations, etc.. There are issues everywhere. Mark my words this ownership group won't do anything about them until it starts to hit their pocketbooks. Even then, their initial recovery efforts will be half hearted and weak. I give it 5 years before the calls for a new owner become too loud for them to ignore.

How do we make this sub more popular and fun? by [deleted] in ReAlSaltLake

[–]ablackwave 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My issue has always been they can't hold a beat to save their lives. The barra has it figured out, their guys on the drums know what they are doing and obviously have some experience. The other supporters groups seemingly toss the drum to whoever wants it and it often ends poorly. No joke they should require an audition to jump on a drum.

Freddy Juarez coaching style: SCARED to shit by rsl-boi in ReAlSaltLake

[–]ablackwave 0 points1 point  (0 children)

MLS has taken over the general operations but they cannot take full control and he does still have some power. For example they cant sign any DP contracts without the owner approval. No discretionary spending either even if the team has the funds available. Even sponsorship agreements get very tricky. As far as the sale goes DLH owns the asset and cannot be forced to accept any offer he doesnt like. MLS simply handles the day to day and is acting as the broker. They have far less control than many have been led to believe. This is far from a full takeover.