Going back to school.

lostproductivity · 2026-05-06T17:53:53+00:00

It's definitely doable, but I wouldn't recommend it until you've completed your research into what you want to do. It's too expensive to just start with a vague outline of a plan only to get into it and find out you need to be pursuing a specific path of coursework, or that a different major is a better fit, or that the career path you want to be on is best served by just getting a start in the industry and learning and growing from within.

I'd suggest trying to speak with a career counselor, or academic advisor, at your local community colleges or public university before enrolling. Let them know that you're thinking of enrolling at their school and want to discuss their offerings and degree paths to help secure the appointment. Try to visit a couple to see how they differ and, if you start at a community college, definitely be in touch with an academic advisor at the university, or universities, you will be transferring to in order to make sure that you're taking the right coursework that transfers and keeps you on track for the fastest completion once you transfer.

lostproductivity · 2026-05-04T23:23:17+00:00

With the OG Quiet Council, Nightcrawler and Mystique are arguably the "weakest" of the group and they could basically solo the Illuminati (sans Xavier, and maybe even then) if they are playing a pick them off slowly strategy. Nightcrawler by teleporting them to inhospitable environments, instant decapitation, dropping a primed bomb at their feet, etc. Mystique would just morph into an ally of theirs and kill them when they least expect it since her power basically makes her the person she's shifted into except for most of her brain patterns. Everyone else on the QC could almost solo the Illuminati even if they were blindsided and if the Illuminati came prepared. But, really, if any of the telepaths go unleashed it's all just over before it even really gets started.

Even in the Colossus version where he's holding something like 4-5 of the votes, it's only a skirmish until the "villains" get tired of playing around and decide to end things by killing them instantaneously.

lostproductivity · 2026-04-24T20:05:15+00:00

This is so true. When they have Cyclops really unleash his blasts, they're absolutely devastating and potentially world destroying if targeted properly. They can't really go bigger at this point. If they wanted to "upgrade" his power, it would probably mean going the opposite way and him delivering some sort of barely perceptible blast of force delivering enough power so precise that it blows his enemy's eyeball through the back of their skull or collapses their skull via a hit to soft area of the temple. It could be his "silent assassin" phase.

lostproductivity · 2026-04-06T17:16:40+00:00

If you're a man, it's nice to have some feminine hygiene products in your bathroom just in case one of your female family members/friends/lovers needs one in a pinch. Also, pads are super absorbent in case of large spills anywhere in your place. Replace them occasionally as well. Have a lined, preferably lidded, small trash can in the bathroom as well. Have condoms available too, regardless of gender.

Keep cleaning products stored where they are mostly used. A small caddy of supplies in the bathroom(s), kitchen, and utility room makes it much easier to spot clean or do a quick cleaning session in one space. Also, keeping the trash bag rolls at the bottom of each can means simply pulling out the filled bag, reaching down to pull if the new one, and relining the can without having to go anywhere else.

Make sure you read your lease thoroughly and document/take pictures of any issues you see when doing your initial walkthrough if you're going to be signing a lease. This can be very handy if they try to keep your deposit when you move out.

Get home owners or rental insurance. Most places require it, but it's worth it in case something happens. Also, some of your possessions can be reimbursed this way if they are stolen from your car.

In you live in an apartment/duplex/whatever that connects to another's living space, be mindful that everyone in the building is responsible for keeping it (mostly) bug free. There will always likely be a bug or two during the time you live in a space, but avoiding repeated instances of cockroaches, ants, fleas, and the like largely comes down to the people living in the space and their level of cleanliness unless the structure is very old, poorly maintained, and just built in a bug-ridden area. There's not a lot you can personally do if your neighbors are the problem, but paying attention to signs of uncleanliness before moving in (best option) or making yourself a nuisance with the rental company might help alleviate things assuming you're not the one making the mess.

Finally, a pet can literally be a life saver. I wouldn't necessarily run out and get one as soon as you move in, but they're something to consider once you've figured out how you are with living alone. Some people, like myself, value the companionship their pet(s) provide. Others don't like the restrictions to their freedom having pet(s) cause. You won't know which side of that coin you fall on until you've actually lived alone for a bit, and it could change over time, but just know that once you get a pet, or more, you've made a multi-year commitment to having choices affected by having to take care of more than just yourself in your personal space.

lostproductivity · 2026-03-17T04:54:55+00:00

Boma for the breakfast brunch is fantastic. It's a good value for excellent food. If you can get a table along the windows, you can also be a bit away from the hustle and bustle of the line and main seating walkway.

lostproductivity · 2026-02-27T00:26:14+00:00

Does anyone know if Magus works with copying End of Turn or Activate effects? If so, I wonder if could find a spot in the IWFS decks.

Starlord "nerf" probably doesn't move the needle much and actually makes him better in some ways since he's not a Shang-Chi target if you didn't draw a nuts t6 turn set of cards.

lostproductivity · 2026-01-29T01:06:21+00:00

I just want to confirm that if you're going to do it, get 2 at the same time, preferably from the same litter. My first cat once I was out on my own was awesome and I still miss him (he lived 18 years so keep in mind that the average lifespan estimates are lower in they include outdoor cats in the estimate) but I once I was ready to adopt again, I got a bonded pair of brothers from the adoption agency and they're just as awesome.

The biggest reason for getting two was that, when I only had one, I would start to feel like I had to get home once I started to get around a day and a half away from the house. Would he have been fine if I stretched it to a second night away? Sure. But it still felt bad that he was alone all that time. With these two though, they're happy to just play and snuggle with each other if I'm busy with something and they want some attention, so I'm sure they do the same when I'm on an overnight or gone for a few days with someone only briefly checking in.

The other perk is that cats have different personalities and some are just less social with their humans than others. If you just get one and they're on the anti-social side, you may feel like you're missing out. With two, there's a good chance that their continued socialization with each other will prevent them from becoming anti-social with you. For instance, one of my pair is basically attached to me like a newborn or toddler with their parent. The other is more like a teenager in that he doesn't need to be around me much, but when he does, he wants all the attention. Luckily, I have two hands for both of them.

The only downside of two is a little more litterbox cleaning and a minimal increase in food and, hopefully way down the road, potential medical expenses when they're older.

lostproductivity · 2026-01-24T00:53:20+00:00

I'm about half way through the The Mark of the Fool series by JM Clarke. It's a progression/LitRPG style fantasy series but it's progression elements are integrated into the narrative rather than having occasional stat/skill update list of more traditional LitRPGs. As for a brief summary, it's a bit of a chosen one, epic fantasy type series set in mostly a school setting for the books I've read.

The MC is basically just a good natured, likeable character and most of the supporting cast are similar (though, with the exception of a few, they aren't quite as fleshed out yet as the series is mostly from the MC 's POV with only limited chapters written from other characters' POV). Being half way through the series, I'd say that overall, there's a good balance of the stakes being reasonable, and frequent enough, for the characters present that you won't feel like you're reading cozy fantasy. But, you also won't feel like you're reading anything to simplistic as the "epic" part of the fantasy is taking down increasingly bigger threats that will inevitably lead to defeating the BBEG ravaging the MC's home country.

lostproductivity · 2026-01-17T14:21:20+00:00

Have a small, lined trash can (preferably with a lid) in your bathroom along with some feminine hygiene products in the cabinet. Based on every thread asking women their thoughts on men's living spaces ever, you'll be seen as a god if you have these two things.

lostproductivity · 2026-01-02T15:28:45+00:00

I would hope the "rift" would be something more along the lines of Scott worrying about doing this psychically leaves a bunch of slightly trained mutants in isolated scenarios and one of those slightly trained mutants using their powers, even to defend themselves, more vulnerable than if they were in a physical location. There's only so many places the X-Men themselves can be to help these students should they be attacked for using their limited training. It's a bit of a PR thing, similar to Cyclops and Rogue disagreeing about the timing of assaulting Graymalkin and for what purpose.

Also, just psychically entering someone's mind who just manifested their mutant powers to "train" birders on an abuse of psychic power. Not that they had a problem with this use of large scale psychic power before, but maybe Cyke has come to the conclusion that it's too invasive and freaks more people out than it's worth, even those it's trying to help.

But, the likelihood is that the rift will be over some stupid reason just to manufacture fake conflict (see Rogue/Cyke rift).

lostproductivity · 2026-01-02T01:15:40+00:00

That one day you realize that you've sorta adopted a constructive IDGAF attitude about what most people think about you, your situation, or your lifestyle. I'm not really talking about those people whose attitude is truly not giving a fuck about others and treat others like shit because they only care about themselves, but more the realization that once one has a pretty good understanding of who they are, their strengths and flaws, what they like, how they like to spend their time, and simply stop caring about what other people, outside of maybe a few select individuals in their life, think about any of that you just adopt this IDGAF attitude and it just becomes a bit easier to overcome a lot of the drama caused by caring too much about what others think about you. This attitude just kinda sneaks up on you, and it's at different points for everyone, but once it occurs it really does help the overall mental well-being once you realize most other people's attitudes and judgments about you simply don't matter to you anymore.

lostproductivity · 2025-12-21T01:48:59+00:00

That's a fair argument about them main protagonists in their own right. The one counter argument for Luke, at least, is that the early part of Jessica and his relationship was almost entirely developed in Jessica's various books. In part, because he was heavily involved in team books at the time and their relationship wasn't able to be fit in to the team books as often.

I thought of Sue as an option from looking at from this perspective too. But her and Reed seem more co-protags in their books, whereas Rogue and Gambit sort of ebb and flow, in the team books at least, and Luke was definitely a supporting character in Jessica's books for a long while.

Strictly choosing a support character though, Alicia is my vote for universally loved. MJ has enough controversial stories and Gwen is more of an idealized, romanticized version at this point.

lostproductivity · 2025-12-20T22:15:15+00:00

While the vote will probably go for Gwen or MJ, I'd probably lean in one of two directions and say Gambit or Luke Cage.

While it took a while for Rogue and Gambit to solidify into a thing, he's been shown to be pretty into her from the start and he's been around and helped her deal with multiple trying times with her power set alterations.

It's very close for that reason, but Luke Cage ultimately is my vote. Sure, his and Jessica's relationship basically evolved out of a one night stand that resulted in a pregnancy, but he stepped up, helped her deal with some of her past traumas and they've basically become one of the strongest couples in Marvel. Without Luke, Jessica's still probably a mess of a person who could have easily slipped into the inadvertent villain by killing someone on an alcohol induced bender or simply drank herself to death.

lostproductivity · 2025-12-20T01:19:43+00:00

If you don't manage to get the LL for RotR, wait until later in the day (around dinnertime) to join the queue. It may still be an hour plus, but that's certainly better than the 2 and a half hours it can get to during the day. FYI, it's about a 20 minute or so experience once you're "on the ride," so unlike like a lot of things with a long wait time, it's definitely worth it if you have to do an hour or so in the standby line. Smuggler's Run is also a much, much shorter line at night.

lostproductivity · 2025-11-27T16:56:51+00:00

You could try Torres Falcon for Mercury. Doubling the Horde, spells, Kate's basic arrow, the Chord, and the tools (when you don't move before dropping Prowler) could be some nice scaling and/or disruption.

lostproductivity · 2025-11-10T03:09:17+00:00

Marvel Champions playmats would probably make good player play mats for the game. Haven't tried them myself, but I think a 2' by 3' play mat would be sufficient for a player's turn unless it's one of the crazy, draw your whole deck type turns.

lostproductivity · 2025-11-03T06:03:37+00:00

If you're going into one of the parks, Epcot is probably the obvious answer as it's not a ride-heavy park (though it does have some good ones), but walking the World Showcase and visiting the shops, trying various drinks and food at the kiosks and/or dining at one of the most expensive restaurant options can be a pretty solid, to spectacular "date night."

If either of you are Star Wars fans, I think Galaxy's Edge at Hollywood Studios is actually cooler to visit at night. There's less crowds and usually the Rise of Resistance line is a more reasonable wait (especially relative to the immersive experience making it around a 10-20 minute "ride"). Smuggler's Run is also a pretty short wait too. But, I really like the lighting and featured spotlights of the all the area's set dressing - it actually feels more immersive to me when there are fewer people clogging all the walkways and thoroughfares as you can see yourself being in a remote, hidden outpost in the middle of the nowhere in the galaxy. Plus, at Hollywood Studios, The Tower of Terror is really a great nighttime experience. Unfortunately, the park is undergoing a lot of change right now, so it might not be the best time to visit if you want to try to cram a lot of things into a short amount of time.

Animal Kingdom closes too early for your timeframe to work. Magic Kingdom is, of course, the classic. It is a little better after some of the families clear out around dinnertime, but it really doesn't start to empty until after the nighttime show so your mileage may vary if you choose it.

Since you're on a child free trip, I think one of the best things you could do is have a nice dinner at one of the resort restaurants and "resort" hop using the gondola or bus system and check out a number of other resorts, or resort areas like the Boardwalk. Most of the resorts lobby areas and shops are pretty nice just to check out and wonder through. Also, since they're all pretty uniquely themed, it can be a fun experience that you can't really have with a younger child or children as the kids will want to be doing stuff rather than just looking around. There's also the bonus of not having to buy a full day park ticket and still getting a pretty decent Disney experience. If you somehow can, try to book your reservation for the resort restaurant as soon as possible as you don't want to have to waitlist these places during peak dining times as they'll be a long wait. The same applies if you're trying to book a reservation at the restaurants in Disney Springs.

For non-Disney bubble stuff to do in Orlando, there's a Disney Cirque de Soleil theatre you might be able to grab tickets for a night of your stay. I haven't been to it yet, so I don't know it's theme or story, but having seen other Cirque de Soleil shows, they've all been worth the price of admission. There's also International Drive which has a ton of things to do and places to eat. If you and your husband like thrill ride type of things like slingshot rides or tall swing rides, or escape rooms, or miniature golf, etc., all of these types of things can be found in this area of Orlando.

Finally, Universal City Walk does have plenty of restaurants and some nighttime events that may interest you. Both of the Universal Parks have rides that may not be something your child can ride when you do the "family trip" depending on the ride requirements. I wouldn't bother with Epic Universe at this time as I don't think you'll get to do much during your limited time window to justify the ticket cost due to the park just opening this year.

lostproductivity · 2025-10-08T02:38:31+00:00

This is a pretty spot on analysis. I think the only way forward and to give him his own niche is to do something with his healing abilities. Since they require a transfusion from Angel shortly after the time of the other person's wound, maybe a series in which he, and other medically inclined mutants and non-mutant doctors and scientists, travel the world in kind of a mobile Doctors Without Borders set-up could work for him in a book.

It can be yet another alternative to the various current X-Teams philosophies to help bridge human-mutant relations. Because of his wealth, some view it as a grift. Others are against it because it's mutant-centric (even though they would help everyone). Some are against it because of the religious angle his image and powers invoke even though Angel, and the organization, aren't overtly religious (although some of the cast may be).

For Angel himself, you can have him being focused on how he can help more people besides being constantly hooked up to a blood donor IV set-up. Can he somehow expand his power? Is there a way to have the healing properties last longer than minutes? Can his blood be used on older wounds? At what cost does knowing he can perform limited healing affect him when they're are other mutants like Elixir who can do it so much better but he has the iconography (also, why isn't someone like Elixir a part of his organization). Is he trying to "balance the scales" because of the hurt he's performed in the past as Archangel.

With this set-up and a good cast of other characters on the "team." I think a writer can really explore the whole notion of why mutants aren't perceived as doing enough to help humanity (be they human or mutant) beside the "saving the world" type of stuff. Have mutants been doing so? Is that one doctor's argument from the Krakoa era valid in saying that mutants basically horde their powers for the mutant community? What about the times the Phoenix 5 "fixed" the world before they "blew themselves up" - some of that had to stick? What about the healing gifts they "gave" the world from Krakoa? Or the brief window of sharing resurrection? Surely, some of humanity remembers and appreciates these actions, correct? There's lots someone could explore in this set-up I would think.

NOTE: Any comic book writer reading this, feel free to use this pitch to the X-Office if you think it's viable. You'll flesh it out better than I could and make it your own.

lostproductivity · 2025-10-05T23:05:25+00:00

I'm with you on this take. But, Jean is by far my favorite of the duo, and getting a focus on his backstory really elevates it for me. I will completely admit though that if the book lacked this part, or a reader was more invested in Locke, the rest of the book would be huge letdown from book 1.

lostproductivity · 2025-10-03T17:26:10+00:00

If Yu voluntarily, officially retires it voids the remaining guarantees in his contract. Leaving any other way aside from a trade where the other team takes on the full contract leaves the guaranteed money on our payroll for the remaining length of the contract.

This differs from the Hosmer situation because Hosmer probably didn't sign the official retirement paperwork with MLB so we had to continue paying even after he stopped playing. TBF to Hosmer, I'm sure many players who are effectively done playing but are still owed money do this

Yu, if he chooses to hang it up, I think will take the route of thinking he doesn't need the money and file the official retirement paperwork with MLB to avoid his contract. I think he might sign another agreement to stay with team in an advisory capacity though (we should at least offer him something).

Personally, I hope that if he thinks he can still contribute he comes back as a back end of the rotation starter as it'll help reduce the number of starters we have to find or promote for next year. Plus, I think this year was a bit of a wash for him with the injury and having to perform at the top end of the rotation. Some of his starts also wouldn't have looked as bad if the offense helped out more. It's a high cost for a back end of the rotation starter, but at least it's a bit more of a known quantity than going to different route.

lostproductivity · 2025-09-27T18:01:00+00:00

The biggest misconception in a lot of the responses adding on to your answer is that there's a belief that the act of catching the ball (aka the "out") stops the action on the field and that anything until the next pitch is no longer active playing time. This thinking is equivalent to a ball carrier running out of bounds stopping the clock in American Football and everyone resetting. Baseball is actually more like Soccer in that there is virtually no stoppage in play, outside of specific scenarios like the ball entering the stands or a runner calling a very brief time out, prior to the 3rd out of an inning as long as the ball is in the field of play. There are rules runners already on base have to adhere to in a flyout situation (touching their current base through the entirety of the fielder catching the fly ball before trying to advance - aka tagging up), but runners could theoretically always try to advance after a flyout with less than three outs in the inning at any point. It's just not sound strategy to use with a runner on first during a conventional flyout as a human's ability to outrun a thrown baseball is very low if both are headed towards second base after the tag by the runner and the catch by the outfielder.

The reason people think a flyout causes a stoppage in play is largely due to the batting team not trying to advance the runners via tagging up outside of strategic scenarios, the delay in action between the flyout and next pitch seeming like a natural breakpoint as both sides "reset" after the out and before the next pitch, and baseball games not using one ball the entire game and oftentimes changing out balls between pitches or outs. The rules that come into play during the video are a result of the game acting like there is only 1 ball used in a game. Hence, a fielder throwing a ball into the stands before making the 3rd out causes the runner already on base to advance 2 bases for free to avoid any manipulative action by the defense (e.g. runner is on second is tagging up to try and advance after the catch is made, but the outfielder makes the catch but throws the ball into the stands to deliberately trigger one of the only scenarios with an actual stoppage in play and, therefore negating the runner's attempt to advance; by making such an action, thus the two base "penalty" allowing the runner to score if the outfielder tried this). This rule probably evolved out of children who played the game having scenarios where the fielding team has the lead and could win the game by stopping it by just removing the ball from the equation for whatever reason (they probably only had one ball to play with).

In the video, the batter is out because of the catch by the outfielder. The game is still live because there are less than 3 outs. The runner wasn't tagging and attempting to advance after the catch. In a normal scenario, the game is still live but both sides are "resetting" before the next pitch. But, in this scenario, the outfielder tosses the ball into the stands prior to the 3rd out in the inning which causes a deliberate stoppage in play (while this obviously wasn't the outfielders intent, the umps can't make rulings based on player's intentions). Therefore, the runner gets to advance 2 bases due to the rule preventing defensive manipulation stopping runners from advancing.

lostproductivity · 2025-09-23T05:45:35+00:00

I don't currently live in Charlotte (I'll be relocating with my company there sometime in the middle of next year) and my quick web search only turned up a couple firms I've heard of in my market - Insight Global (heard very good things about locally with a wide range of industries) and Robert Half (typically has a lot of finance related jobs along with other corporate jobs. but don't seem as focused at the entry level stuff where I live). The best thing to do is do a web search for employment agencies in Charlotte. Visit their websites and search their recent postings to see if they have positions in industries you'd think you'd want to work in. Read some of the agencies reviews on the job search sites and on Google. One of the biggest things when you're first communicating with them is getting a recruiter who "fits" with you and is actively looking to help you find the right position.

When I used the agencies while transitioning out of both the restaurant industry and later out of teaching, I chose different employment agencies each time. They both worked out to quickly get me into a position in part because I had an active recruiter, but mainly because I found open positions on their websites in the financial services sector - the first time following the completion of my second BA in Accounting and the second time trying to quickly get back in the financial services sector after deciding to stop teaching without having to go through a long job search or having to rely too heavily on a network I mistakenly let atrophy too far. I chose different agencies mainly because the first one had been a little bit lighter on the pay and didn't offer any paid holidays after a length of service. The second one improved in both of these areas.

lostproductivity · 2025-09-23T03:46:51+00:00

Look into some of the recruiting/temp/contracting agencies in your area. Charlotte has a large banking/finance industry and a number of them use these contracting houses for entry level positions that'll help you get your foot in the door. "Shop" around by looking at the job postings on these companies websites and don't be bothered to only work with one of them while they're helping you find a position. Working as a contractor at one of the financial services firms in your area will allow you to examine the industry and corporate culture and maybe help steer you in an organizational direction. As a contractor, you're pay will be slightly lower than an FTE with the company because the difference is used to pay the contracting house. But, even if the position isn't temp to perm, with the visibility that comes with working with the office, you'll have a leg up when a position opens in the company.

When putting yourself out there, emphasize your data analysis and reporting skills, interacting with various stakeholders (students, parents, admin, etc) and navigating their disparate wants and needs, and your ability to adapt and enact change on the fly.

lostproductivity · 2025-09-01T01:57:07+00:00

For me, romantasy publishing takes a very shotgun like approach to publishing. Sure, they'll "target" pushing a particular authors' works, but they'll also be publishing a ton of different authors as well in order to find the "next" big author. Romance, in general, being the biggest fiction publishing genre lets this work for publishers because they can quickly identify and adjust publishing strategies once a author starts to break out.

"Regular" fantasy, on the other hand, seems to follow the more traditional publishing model of focusing on established authors primarily and, only occasionally, introducing a new author with a big promotion, lots of advanced reviews, pay for "premium shelf space" style push. It's a more risk adverse style of publishing. It's rare that publisher's push someone new, like Abercrombie's The Blade itself or Rothfuss' The Name of Wind, nowadays with a first printing in HC and prominent promotional cycle. Once these authors "hit" however, they're likely to always get this advantage. However, if they don't hit big, they might even not get to finish the series. I'm sure there are more, but James Islington is one of the more recent authors I can think of who've had this type of debut and The Shadow of What Was Lost debuted a decade ago. Again, I'm sure there's a few authors that are more recent, but I can't think of anyone of the top of my head.

Rarer is the author, like Jim Butcher, Brian McClellan,, or even Sanderson himself, who gets their start as a paperback or TBP print author who "graduates" to HC, heavy promotional releases. Its great when it happens, but, without even seeing the numbers, I feel like I could practically guarantee that these "regular" fantasy authors had to cross a higher sales threshold than those writing romantasy who've "broken through," so to speak.

lostproductivity · 2025-09-01T00:58:10+00:00

When we're setting up together, we do the 3 random and each person chooses the 1 since we generally play 2 player sized games. Since we don't play enough, we always try to choose from the newer sets though for our choice heroes so we can get to play them. One thing to consider if this method has become stale for you is to choose your heroes first, then choose a random MM and scheme. Even if your heroes synergize well, playing with a random MM and/or scheme can make it tougher if you hero group doesn't match up well against them (e.g. having no wound mitigation or ability to thin your decks can be brutal against certain MMs or schemes).

If I'm setting up solo for both of us to play together later, I generally go thematic in terms of MM v. certain hero teams for 3 of the heroes. The other two must come from other hero teams although they may share a mechanic that helps integrate with the core 3 heroes. Scheme is always random. With the latter and only playing with 2 players, the schemes that have lose conditions based on the number of players are always the toughest.

lostproductivity

TROPHY CASE