Something's missing. People (and entities) are starting to notice.
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***
Far across the multiverse in a tavern that, depending on one’s point of view, may or may not have actually existed, Zeb, Petunia, Bethany, Bergamot, Cleve, and Zilandrial sat at a large wooden table.
“Thank you, Shauna,” Bergamot said as a buxom woman in a low-cut peasant dress filled their mugs with a “magic” pitcher of beer that never ran dry. “You don’t have to serve us, you know.”
“Oh, I know,” Shauna replied brightly, “but I am a barmaid. Besides, I am not giving up my magic pitcher!” she added with a laugh. “The next batch of stew should be out in a second.”
“If it is as good as this bread…” Cleve said, holding up a thick, floppy piece of flatbread.
“Better!” Shauna exclaimed. “The pantry keeps filling back up with the best stuff! It’s almost a shame to make stew out of it, but the “fancy” chef went to the “fancy” place. We just figured out the roaster thingy, so we’ll be serving roast fowl as soon as the first batch cooks!”
Shauna paused and took a big drink from her pitcher.
“It turns out that you just had to talk to it. Weird… But no weirder than anything else, I suppose. You guys want to wait for the roast fowl?”
“We shouldn’t tary,” Zeb replied, “We don’t know how long this blessed peace will last.”
“Maybe it’s over?” Bethany the Tinker, now reunited with her beloved hat, asked.
“One can hope,” Zeb shrugged as he drank deeply from his tankard, “but I’m not delaying my repast, and neither should you. When you have fiends like Pantsu and F10w3rchy1d in play, things can get much worse than they already are.”
“Worse?!?” Bergamot exclaimed in horror.
***
Melinda the Stalwart was starting to believe that she should have stayed in bed today.
It was supposed to be her day off! Yeah, things were starting to get “weird,” but with all of those high-rated champions running around up north, it was probably going to get handled pretty quickly… and she was tired of chasing around after their scraps.
Her copper-rated ass was sitting this one out. The fact that everyone had gone gank-crazy just further confirmed that she had the right idea.
So, she decided to head back to the royal city of Raven’s Peak to take advantage of the richer and more powerful adventurers running off to the north, leaving all the armorers, enchanters, alchemists, and publicans in town behind.
It was nice not constantly getting shoved out of the way by stronger champions and ignored by shopkeepers far more interested in their gold than her silver for once.
It started out as such a lovely day, too!
She awoke in a lovely bed at the Blade and Wand, her absolute favorite inn, and a place where it was nearly impossible to get a room without a reservation or a lot more status than she had. There, she enjoyed a wonderful breakfast, at a discounted rate no less, and then went out for a day of crowd-free shopping!
It. Was. Bliss! There were no lines, and all of the storekeepers and craftsmen were all too happy to not only serve her and her meager purse but actually take time to chat!
Then, for lunch, she decided to visit the main branch of the adventurer’s guild, where she had an honest-to-gosh hamburger and fries along with some cider. After that, the plan was to get some training or maybe buy a buff or two…
Well, that was the plan, anyway.
What actually happened was that her wonderful burger, which she could never get under normal circumstances (they were always sold out before a copper-rated nobody could get their coppers taken), was interrupted by the most unholy screams she had ever heard inside or outside a dungeon.
She barely had time to stand before the doors to the guild offices exploded outward, and a demon covered in spikes and flames charged into the main hall.
That looks just like the guildmaster, was about all she had time to think before the fiend was on her.
***
“What’s happening?!?” Melinda cried in terror as she hurtled through absolutely nothing.
(Shh bby is ok)
“H-hello?” she called.
(😊)
“W-who are you? What happened to me?”
(Shh bby is ok)
“Am I… Am I dead?!?”
(is ok)
“Oh, it is definitely NOT okay! Who are you, and what the hell happened?”
The bedbug sighed with exasperation as it bounced off an invisible barrier again.
It had taken too long. The soul was starting to wake up.
Before much longer, it would start to get wiggly. It hated it when they began to wiggle.
Not knowing exactly what else to do, it let out a little ping.
It was answered by thousands of its kind! They couldn’t get through either, so they were having a rave! Awesome!
With a happy little (woo!), it zipped off towards the largest concentration of pings dragging an increasingly indignant Melinda the Stalwart along whether she wanted to or not.
***
“Hahaha!” Tawdry laughed into a prepaid “burner phone” her parents didn’t know about. “I can’t be-lieve you got me fucking grounded, you skank!”
“You’re still grounded?” Claudia snickered, “You diminished that badly?”
“It’s my parents. I managed to talk them down to a week without brain fucking them too hard. Besides, this cell is a lot nicer than the holes you used to stick me in. I’ll just do my time and be done with it. Besides, it will give our friends time to leave town since someone can’t manage to find a freaking truck.”
“First of all, fuck you,” Claudia laughed, “Second of all, thanks for getting that bastard to show up in a park and chase you across all of that nice soft turf. We got a lot of data we didn’t have before.”
“Like what?”
“Like its estimated mass, tire treads, a few lovely material samples where it nailed a park bench while trying to kill you… oh, and confirmation that it actually materializes and dematerializes. We can only assume the little bitch does the same thing. Too bad you couldn’t actually lay hands on her.”
“She was slippery, okay?” Tawdry chuckled.
“Hey,” Claudia said, “before Evika and her party ganked you, did they say anything about whom they were working for, or did they mention a little blonde girl named Petunia… or Pantsu?”
“No, they just said hi and blew my head off. Oh! Stephen did say that David finally confessed to Evika!”
“Took him long enough,” Claudia laughed, “Think he has a chance?”
“I know he has one,” Tawdry replied, “Evika’s gonna drop those drawers any second.”
“Good for her.”
“You said that Robert the Golden Peckerhead got sent back?”
“Yeah, and he is not adjusting well,” Claudia replied, “We have him in a ‘special’ inpatient facility where we are keeping the people with ‘issues’.”
“You got a lot of ‘patients’?”
“Not as many as you would think,” Claudia said, “Not everyone is happy about things, but there is something to be said about not having to sleep with a dagger under your pillow.”
“True that,” Tawdry replied. “High school is a pain, but being able to go out for pizza without an enraged wife (or husband) trying to shank you is nice.”
“Careful,” Claudia laughed, “Enraged spouses here might have a gun. You might want to go easy on the adultery this time around. There is also no magic contraception, and cure disease potions aren’t for sale in every town.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Tawdry groaned. “Doesn’t really matter, though. I might as well be a nun these days.”
“You can’t be diminished that much!”
“I am not into kids, and any man worth screwing isn’t into jailbait. I’m the exact opposite of screwed… Speaking of, you did mention a possible trip to Denmark?”
“Aren’t you grounded?”
“I won’t be next week!”
“And how will you explain your sex tourism to your folks?”
“Let me worry about my folks,” Tawdry replied, “You worry about that plane ticket!”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Claudia replied with a chuckle.
Natasha! Come down for dinner!
“I’ll be right there!” Tawdry yelled.
“I gotta go. It’s taco night…”
Tawdry grinned.
“Speaking of tacos, did you get that camel toe fixed yet?”
“And just when we were even, too!” Claudia laughed. “Your little suggestion has everyone looking at my snatch… including me, and I know it’s bullshit!”
“Ha! Is your new fuck toy looking?”
“I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Detective Martin! I know you have a thing for that whole world-weary crusader vibe. And don’t think I didn’t see you checking out his ass, either.”
“I have the same problem you do,” Claudia sighed, “worse even. The sort of man I like certainly won’t be messing around with a ‘kid’, even if I am ‘legal’.”
“Yeah, you do like them a bit crusty, don’t you? How about finding some rich asshole who is having a mid-life crisis?”
“I will repeat myself. The sort of man I would like isn’t interested… and won’t be for years.”
“Meh. You’re not giving yourself enough credit… and giving them far too much of it.”
“Well, Slaker turned me down cold… goddamn chain of command…”
“No! You tried to give it up to Slaker?”
“Wouldn’t be the first time…”
“No way! I need details, all of them!”
“Well…”
Natasha! Dinner!
“I have to go,” Tawdry said, “but this is not over!”
***
Vroom? an old Peterbilt truck revved as it sat in a remote corner of a truck stop in the middle of nowhere.
“Still nothing,” the little girl huffed. “How can an entire universe disappear?”
Vroom… Vroom?
“Let’s hope not,” the girl replied, “Even so, he wouldn’t abandon us!”
“What?” the spirit asked with alarm.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” the little girl replied.
“Doesn’t sound like nothing.”
“Okay,” the little girl replied, “There is a remote chance that our boss has had to… um… cease operations and relocate. It hasn’t happened in a really long time, but it has happened.”
“Does that mean that I’m stuck?!?”
“No, of course not. It just means we might have to wait until we’re collected.”
Vroom.
“He won’t forget us!”
VroOoom…
“Hey! Don’t even start talking like that! We’ve done good work for the boss on several worlds. He won’t just discard us!”
“What do you mean, discard?”
“Just watch your anime, weeb,” the little girl snapped. “He hasn’t abandoned us, and he won’t forget us. He’s just… um…”
Vroom.
“I don’t know, alright!” the little girl replied angrily, “I have no idea where those others came from. All I know is that we didn’t squish them.”
VvvrOom.
“If he had another team, I would know about it!”
Vroom?
“I just would, okay! WE AREN’T GETTING REPLACED!... I’m… I’m going to get some air, maybe a Coke or something.”
The little girl threw open the door to the cab angrily and hopped out.
“Hey!” the spirit yelled, “See if they have any audiobooks!”
***
We’ve been abandoned… the little girl thought to herself as she prowled the truck stop trying not to panic.
She had to keep it together for Truck-Kun… and their new companion. If she fell apart, Truck-Kun would, too, and who knows what the spirit would do. He was two seconds from making another run for it as it was.
She paused by a rack of dusty old audiobooks on CD. Now that wasn’t something she had seen in a bit.
Thankful for the distraction, she started perusing the titles. Some of them were things she hadn’t already read (or listened to).
She grabbed a few for herself and then started looking for something appropriately nerdy for her new guest.
She might have murdered them in cold blood, but that was no reason not to be a good host.
She was so distracted by her own troubles and the audiobooks that she didn’t notice that she was being followed until the guy’s shadow fell around her.
She then became aware of his oily aura and smiled.
All work and no play…
“Hello, little girl…”
She looked up at him with an innocent expression and doe-like eyes.
“Hi.”
***
Truck-Kun quietly ground his gears as he watched a beat-up RV pull onto the highway.
Vroom, he grumbled as he put himself in gear and started to follow.
“What?” the spirit asked.
About half an hour later, Truck-Kun pulled over next to an RV that was parked on the side of the highway.
The door opened, and the little girl hopped out, holding a paper bag.
Vroom, the truck revved disapprovingly.
“Such a nice man,” the little girl said impishly as she plopped into the driver’s seat, and the truck drove away.
“Are those bloodstains?” the spirit asked as he pointed at the bag.
“What answer would you prefer?” the girl asked as she pulled out a half-filled fifth of vodka and most of a pack of smokes graciously donated by the nice man in the RV (it wasn’t like he was going to be needing them).
Vroom.
“I know I quit,” the girl replied as she put one in her mouth. “Give me a break. My nerves are shot.”
Vroom.
“Yes, shot enough to smoke menthols!”
The little girl lit up and drew heavily on the cigarette, exhaling a lovely smoke ring.
Vroom!
“So, crack a window!”
Vroom! Vroom! Vrooooom!
“You can’t smell, and you know it! So please, cut me some slack. I’ve had a bad day,” she said as she turned up the bottle of vodka like it was Juicy Juice.
Vroom!
“I know you’ve had a bad day, too,” the girl said as she wiped her mouth, “Want me to get you some fuel treatment at the next stop, maybe some starting fluid?”
Vroom.
“Okay, and a new air freshener, maybe some of those fuzzy dice you like? Deal?”
Vroom!… Vroom?
“As a matter of fact,” the little girl said as she pulled out a wad of bills. “the nice man did keep his cash on him.”
Vroom! the truck revved happily.
***
“Jesus!” Gary Martin, formerly Detective Martin, winced as he looked inside an abandoned old RV the following day.
“Say what you want about her,” Claudia Smythe said as she ate a corn dog. “but she is thorough.”
“We think the girl did this?”
“Matches her MO,” Claudia shrugged as she flicked the corn dog stick aside. “And we have surveillance footage at the truck stop. The asshole was talking to someone small, the cameras didn’t get a good shot of the kid, and eyewitnesses state that he was in the company of his ‘daughter’ when he left.”
“You said this was her MO. She’s done this before?” Gary asked.
“She rolls guys like this for their pocket change. We’re not sure if it’s how they finance their operations or if she just does it for fun, but this is the third one this year.”
A well-dressed and very young man in sunglasses approached the pair.
“Sir Lark,” Claudia said without turning around. “We have an ID on this guy yet?”
“Boris Veetch,” the young man said. “a registered sex offender with an active warrant for skipping out on his parole.”
“Yeah, she likes those,” Claudia shrugged. “Nobody will mourn his passing. He was easily ensnared, and he probably was carrying cash.”
“And she is professional bait,” Gary shrugged. “He was slime, but I’m not sure even he deserved what happened to him, though. What sort of monster would do something like this?”
“You just answered your own question,” Claudia replied, “a monster.”
“If you think this is bad," Lark said as he started photographing the scene, "You should see what a pack of goblins will do if they get the chance."
“Considering what we now know,” Claudia said with a shrug, “this trail is beyond cold. Even if they couldn’t do the whole disappearing act, they could be in any of several states by now. We’ve lost them… again.”
She looked over at Gary.
“Just as well,” she added, “We need to get you processed and briefed… agent.”
She smiled.
“Welcome to the Temporal Protection Agency.”
***
Deep within the deepest dungeon on Asteria Prime, a monstrous giant of a spider fidgeted uncomfortably.
“H-hello… boss,” it said nervously, “T-to w-what do we owe the honor of your visit?”
Frostie smiled an icy smile that filled the giant spider with horror.
“Oh, I was just in the area and thought I would give my friends here,” she said, indicating The Great Erectus, The Herald, and Cuddles, “a tour.”
“O-of c-course!” Log’Sharingoth LXXXIII stammered as their legs twitched miserably. “W-would you like a guide?”
“That would be lovely,” Frostie smiled. “Where’s Pantsu? I think she and The Big Guy over here would get along famously.”
“S-she isn’t available, boss.”
“Not even for me?”
“I-I apologize,” Log’Sharingoth said nervously, “but she isn’t here right now?”
“Well, where did she go?”
“I-I’m not sure, boss…”
“Okay, how about Nova?”
“S-she’s not here, either.”
“Shai-Vai-Loshara?”
“Um…”
“Steve?”
Log’Sharingoth made a whining bubbling noise as they shrank away.
“Why don’t you just tell me who is missing and exactly what the fuck is going on?” Frostie said with an angry gleam in her eye.
***
“…and I don’t know where anyone is!” Log’Sharingoth wailed miserably. “And everything is going wrong, the players almost rioted, and the physics engine threatened to quit! I didn’t know what to doooo!!!”
“And at no point did it occur to you to call me?” Frostie asked with a frightening edge to her voice.
“Pantsu told me not to!!!”
Frostie let out a long-suffering sigh. Of course, the current Log’Sharingoth wouldn’t go against Pantsu. It was horribly unfair to expect otherwise.
“I’m not going to come down on you because of what she did,” Frostie said a bit more gently. “However, since I now clearly know something is amiss, anything you can tell me will be of great value.”
“I-I’m not in trouble?”
“Not from me,” Frostie replied, “and Pantsu won’t be giving you any problems after I’m done with her.”
Frostie paused.
“So, this glitched Pantsu, where is it now?”
“Pantsu had me send it to Tartarus! I’m sorry! But she said to!”
“Sounds like the only sensible thing she’s done thus far,” Frostie replied.
“I didn’t want to, but she told me to do it!”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Frostie shrugged, “sounds like the perfect place for it. Wait. She told you?”
“Yes, Boss!”
“That means you have a line of communications?”
Log’Sharingoth’s multiple eyes all widened with fear.
“Y-yes?”
“Call her and tell her to give me her location… now.”
“Y-yes boss…”
Log’Sharingoth fell silent for a few moments.
“Um… Boss?”
“Let me guess,” Frostie said, “You can’t reach her, can you?”
“No, Boss.”
“Fine,” Frostie grumbled. “We do this the hard way. You’ve done a great job, considering everything.”
“I have?” Log’Sharingoth asked hopefully.
“You have,” Frostie said reassuringly. “Keep doing what you’re doing, and I’ll send a crisis response team to help out in the meantime.”
“A… A crisis response team?” Log’Sharingoth asked fearfully.
“You didn’t think you were getting off Scot free, did you?” Frostie laughed as she and her companions disappeared.
“…Ssssshit,” Log’Sharingoth hissed as she stalked off into the shadows.
***
The hominid looked around at their new surroundings.
Everything was white. The floor was white. The walls were white. The furniture was white…
Even the plants were white…
And everything was spotless.
“Interesting décor,” he said after a few seconds.
“They like to keep things tidy,” Frostie replied as she took a seat on one of the white couches.
“They?” the ape-man asked dubiously as Cuddles slipped one of her tentacles into The Herald’s hand.
He gently gripped it, causing Cuddles to suppress a delighted squeal.
“Playtime is over,” Frostie said in a matter-of-fact tone. “I’m calling in my real operatives.”
“Jesus!” The Great Erectus exclaimed as a spotless white door opened, and a short, slender blue male amphibian-like biped in a white tunic bearing a three-headed dog embroidered with platinum thread walked in.
“You never told me you had… them!”
“Oh, you are familiar with their kind?”
“Those little monsters are responsible for the death of entire universes! Every time there is a parallel manifestation of those… monsters… entire galaxies die.”
“They can be a handful,” Frostie said pleasantly, “But I’ve found them incredibly valuable over the years… for that very same reason. These do come from much more reasonable stock from a much more reasonable ancestor... Maybe 'reasonable' is pushing it a little,” Frostie added with a laugh. "Reasonable for one of them, at least."
The blue amphibian smiled pleasantly and blinked his huge amber eyes, their pleasant hue replaced with a whirling madness of color.
“Hello, Hades,” Frostie said with a smile. “It has been quite a while. How have you been?”
“Bored,” Hades replied. “I trust you have come to alleviate that?”
“Most definitely,” Frostie replied. “Awaken the others…”
“…It’s time to hunt.”

So, I'm from Brazil and things are tough here. Which is why some 6 years ago, after ownimg a Samsung for a while and out of just a little research into cheap good phones, I bought a Oneplus 5t. It was unbelievable. Its physical durability combined with the reliability, cleanliness and robustness of its software (with which I never messed), and for its pricepoint? I simply became a fanboy. I started recommending it in every conversation and vowed to never buy another brand again.
Long story short, last year I upgraded it to a 'recent' Oneplus 9 and it sucks. Just sucks.
Now I need to get a Phone to my girlfriend and I would like your recommendation of a current day 2017 oneplus -- that is, cheap and good. Think in terms of brands.
I appreciate any insights very much. Thank you!

Hello, interested to hear if anyone here has done self pay near Phoenix. There is a place in Tucson, Higa Bariatrics, that will do it for about 15k. Wanted something closer, google is not very helpful as many other places aren’t as upfront with self pay cost.
Also, hoping to avoid giving my contact info to every place here, you know?
Also, we’re you satisfied with your provider and would you recommend them?
Thank you! I searched the sun and couldn’t find much specific to AZ.

Hey y'all, have 2 orphaned teams in one league left. Team #4 is half paid for '23 (prev. manager forfeited their buyin upon leaving league). You'll be buying in $100 to cover the trading of '24 picks (we collect a year in adv.)
Team #10 is fully paid for this year(covers '24 pick trading as well) The current manager stated he doesn't have time for fantasy anymore and would be willing to give the team away. You will be asked to buy-in $100 to next year's safe (unlocking trading of '25 picks) to show commitment to the league.
Feel free to ask any questions if you have them, but all $ is through LeagueSafe, and you can find the full rule-set here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uj6N4Z3DmUmUxZW_NT4CjgHcaDakhD3qpZoam-WY9g8/edit
$100 - Tidehunter Bestball Dynasty: https://sleeper.app/i/ENBwOxOLzPAb

• Team #4 :

QB : Kirk Cousins, Matt Ryan, Kyle Allen, Tyler Huntley, Brandon Allen, Sam Darnold
RB: Austin Ekeler, James Conner, Devin Singletary, Clyde Edwards-Helaire,Elijah Mitchell, Jerrion Ealy, Tyler Goodson, Jamaal Williams, Travis Homer, Tevin Coleman, Kyle Juszcyck
WR: CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, CHristian Kirk, Olamide Zaccheus, Cedrick Wilson, KJ Osborn, DeAndre Hopkins, Van Jefferson, Kalif Raymond, Jalen Guyton, Chris Conley, Zach Pascal, Sterling Shepard
TE: Travis Kelce, Austin Hooper, Gerald Everett, Durham Smythe, Cameron Brate, jake Ferguson, and Dan Arnold.
3.13, 4.13, 5.13, 6.13, 4.14 and all '24's.

• Team #10 :

QB : Jameis Winston, Jimmy Garoppolo, Drew Lock
RB: Dalvin Cook, Isaiah Spiller, Alexander Mattison, Mark Ingram, Jerick McKinnon, Melvin Gordon, Kene Nwangwu
WR: Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Wallen Lazard, Marquez, Valdes-Scantling, Randall Cobb, Kendrick Bourne, AMari Rodgers, Kavontae Turpin, Tyquan Thornton, Lynn Bowden, Marquez Callaway
TE: Kyle Pitts, Pat Freiermuth, Noah Fant, Irv Smith, Hayden Hurst, Logan Thomas, Isaiah Likely, Charlie Kolar, and Jelani Woods.
3.07, 6.07, and all '24's except for 2nd.

i could fucking cry. i can’t help but feel like it’s MY fault. it’s my fault i couldn’t dissuade him from this absolute bigotry. and now all my friends — all my brothers, sisters, and siblings across the state — will pay the price.
i never wanted this life. i didn’t ask to be trans, and i certainly didn’t ask to be the trans son of a man who actively works to undermine the queer community. but here i am. every single queerphobic bill in my state’s legislative session this past year, he sponsored. it makes me wish i was never fucking born.
i don’t know what i’m going to do with my life. i hate politics, but i’m beginning to feel that i have no choice but to become a politician. i have to. i have to repair the damage that my dad and his colleagues doing. i have to get justice for my community.
god. i hate this. i hate this so much. my only purpose in life will be to repair what he breaks. is that all i’ll ever be?

So I currently work in shelter medicine but I've been looking to go elsewhere due to the low pay. I was offered $3 more per hour than I currently make by a GP vet office. The problem is, they have terrible reviews and no one recommends them, whether to take your pets there or to work there. It's pretty much people saying "yeah they suck" and many people saying that they don't really care about the animals. Also, their uniforms are super impractical, they want techs to dress business casual, in khaki slacks and a blouse with a smock over the top.
​
Would you work here or turn the offer down?

This might be a really stupid question but I can't seem to figure it out so here I am.
So I'm interested in buying the ASUS ProArt Z790-Creator WIFI because I'm interested in pairing it with a color accurate monitor and a NAS. As this will be my first time using a color accurate monitor I don't fully understand how the ProArt Z790-Creator benefits it. I understand that there are DisplayPort-in ports on the back I/O to direct the video output via the Thunderbolt 4 ports. What I don't understand is what's the point of this? The website does not seem to explain it very well. Does the motherboard do anything to make the feed from the graphics card more color accurate or something? Or is it simply converting from DisplayPort to Thunderbolt 4? Why not just connect the graphics card directly to the color accurate monitor without going through the motherboard? Is that not possible?
Sorry, I know this question probably sounds really stupid. I need to do more research but I thought I'd see if I can get some help from someone who already knows the answer.

Hi everyone,
I've been dealing with this one for a while, I live in IL.
In January 2022 I fractured my femur skiing in Colorado. Naturally I had an ambulance ride from the resort to the local hospital for surgery.
A month later I receive a bill from the ambulance service. I submitted my insurers information (United Healthcare) for it to be processed.
After processing the EOB stated these line items were paid:

• A0427 ALS EMERGENCY BASE 80% covered 20% OON coinsurance
• A0425 MILEAGE 80% covered 20% OON coinsurance

Then a bunch of other line items

• A0394 NORMAL SALINE
• A0398 EKG/CARDIAC MON IN
• A0398 IV/IO THERAPY
• A0382 PULSE OX
• A0394 CARDIAC MONITOR
• A0398 (drug I received)
• A0398 (another drug I received)

All of these are listed on the EOB with a code 3C-

BENEFITS FOR THIS SERVICE ARE DENIED. THIS BILLING DOES NOT COMPLY WITH NATIONAL/INDUSTRY CODING AND PAYMENT STANDARDS. WE'VE SENT YOU A LETTER WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. PROVIDER: THIS DECISION WAS MADE BY MEDICAL AUDIT & REVIEW SOLUTIONS (MARS) ON BEHALF OF UNITEDHEALTHCARE. DO NOT BILL THE PATIENT FOR THIS SERVICE. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE DENIAL GO TO PROVIDER.MARSAUDITOR.COM OR CALL 800-239-6217. IF APPROPRIATE, YOU MAY SUBMIT A CORRECTED CLAIM FOR THE PATIENT. MEMBER: IF YOU QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS CLAIM, PLEASE CALL THE MEMBER NUMBER ON YOUR HEALTH PLAN CARD.

I've been receiving bills from the ambulance company for the balance (just the coinsurance and the ancillary items above) every month for the last year. Everytime I call UHC and tell them I'm receiving balance bills and they tell be I shouldn't be. They say they'll look into it. Every now and then the claim will be reprocessed with the same result. Eventually I got put through to a claims specialist who essentially said...

Billed separately for supplies. Determined that these charges should not have been charged. Apparently it was determined that it needed to be appealed. I'll investigate and call within a week.

She called me today and said that the claims department has determined there is nothing they can do and told me that I can appeal.
But no one is really telling me what the hell is actually wrong and how I can fix it. I reckon if I submit an appeal the same result will occur with the same denials.
So really my questions is: What could have happened here? How can I fix it? Who do I contact for the next move? The provider for incorrect billing? The insurance company for incorrect processing?
Or should I just pay the bill and send it to my travel insurance company who has already covered the rest of my OOP costs from this incident.
Cheers

Welcome to my review trilogy for Caroline Rose’s LONER, Superstar, and their new record, The Art of Forgetting. This is a really special write-up for me, though I’d like to assure you of something before I begin: Numbers don’t matter here. When it comes to commercial success by a reviewer, sure, the public will look at numbers before they decide to spend their ever-draining time on an album, but ahead of The Art of Forgetting’s release, this small review series is about feelings, as much of the new album is. I won’t rate any of these songs or albums on a scale.
To understand just how much of a surprise LONER is, we need to go back to the two albums before, 2012’s American Religious and 2014’s I Will Not Be Afraid. If you hopped onto the scarlet Caroline Rose train with LONER, you might be surprised to hear that their previous records were not Alternative Rock albums, but rather Country/Americana affairs that hold up in their own right. However, as Caroline has said, those two records feel like a completely different person, and LONER is where they truly began to find themself and their sound. One of pop rock fun that will get you up on your feet and maybe could even get your party grooving (Jeannie Becomes a Mom is always a great choice for getting partygoers spinning with their half-filled red solo cups which they’ll inevitably crush and throw on the floor during the chorus so they can jam out with their whole bodies).
My experience with LONER goes back to before Superstar was released, but that’s far as I can tell you. When you listen to a special album that inevitably becomes one of your favorites, your mind is supposed to take a snapshot of that span of time where you’re listening to something great and you have that moment where you stop, blink, and think to yourself, “Hold on a second, this rocks!”, then proceed to be astounded by every forthcoming track. No, I don’t remember the time or even the day when I first heard LONER, but I know it hasn’t left me. I will say one thing, though, our relationship isn’t complicated. There were no repeated listens required to know that I loved the album. That being said, instead of naming only a few songs, I’d like to take a plunge into this record fully and put you in a submarine in an ocean of sounds.
We start with the iconic album cover. Caroline stands in a red tracksuit and crimson sweatband, with an entire pack’s worth of cigarettes shoved into their mouth, blackened tips from the warm flame of the rose-colored lighter they are holding. They look like they have just come from the gym, a red sweat rag wrapped around their shoulders as if they had just finished running and stopped for an extreme smoke break (Don’t try this at home!). Our titular loner is cast against a white background which emphasizes the single person in the shot. Their eyes are far away and despondent, as if they are trying to escape their thoughts. The red colors against the white help everything to pop out at the listener and intrigue them to find out what music waits inside. How can you not want to hear an album with a cover this iconic?
Fun fact, LONER’s track order used to be something completely different, along with the art, but Caroline was forced to change it by suits and it’s still a choice they regret to this day. However, I’ll be looking at the tracklist as it is. Let’s dive into LONER and see what it has in store for us, shall we?
More Of The Same - The album opens with atmospheric notes before the iconic LONER synth comes in to create the backdrop of the song. By the time the percussion comes in, my body’s already moving along with the groove Caroline is carrying us along in. I’d like to note that this song has one of my favorite choruses from Caroline, and if this was your first album by them, you’d notice that they have a knack for writing incredible choruses. As for the meaning, I feel we really get introduced to our loner here, as they describe a rather dissociative state from the rest of society, realizing the cycle they are caught in while everything keeps moving around them. It’s a cynical but fantastic opener.
Cry! - The bassline of this song is incredible! As well as the very unusual drum pattern they use in the verses. During the chorus, the guitar strums beautifully, bringing a smile to my face every time. And what about that chorus? It has its own basic chorus structure, followed by multiple instances of “Cry!” from Caroline, but that’s where they use their vocals to great effect to keep you on your toes, not knowing what note comes next. In the middle of the song, when they give us that quiet moment of levity is maybe my favorite part of Cry!, as it’s so unexpected, and that’s why it’s so great. Caroline is a master of surprise. Interestingly enough, it seems this tackles similar themes to Superstar, as it’s about a staperson who experiences how tough being populafamous really is. What can I say except that this rocks?
Money - Damn, Caroline! Opening with another sick riff and showing off your skills! Question: Have you ever played someone this song before? I’ve played this for people many times and there are always two reactions I’m usually guaranteed to get. During the first chorus, people laugh at Caroline’s comedy, which is another thing they excel at, and then in the bridge, people are always weirded out by the…interesting noises coming from the singer. I like that Caroline doesn’t hold back though, for sure. Quirks like that are what separate LONER from other Alt-Rock albums out there. The song is a cunning remark on capitalism, saying it plain and simple: These days, it all comes down to money. Everything in our society circles back to it, and it’s really dumb.
Jeannie Becomes a Mom - Proof that a simple melody is all you need to make an effective song. The lifeblood of this song is that iconic synth, and without it, this track wouldn’t have skyrocketed to be their most popular. Of course, all the ingredients are what make the sonic soup truly incredible. My favorite moment in Jeannie Becomes a Mom has to be the second verse. It’s just so damn catchy! I like that the end of the song is kind of hypnotic and reaffirms the message, “Now you’re in real life”, though sometimes when I’m showing the song to people, I’m worried it might go on too long…Suburbian fantasy, put into music form. Move over, Arcade Fire (Just kidding, I love The Suburbs).
Getting To Me - The versatility! Caroline knows how to keep their records interesting all the way through. I think the diversity will always lead their albums to be infinitely replayable. They have never once come across as boring, and the other songs are incredible, but this song is the beginning of that realization. The plucked strings throughout the song, as well as the progression, make the song stick out of the eleven tracks, as no other song on the record has them. Good choice. Plus, the strings later! Gosh! This is the song for which LONER gets its name, even though Caroline never says the word “loner” in the song. Funny, the things we notice when we’re lonely. Guess we have time to think.
To Die Today - The guitars on this track make me think they are underwater, and that is an incredibly chilling sound to be added to them. The song starts off slowly but finds its groove later, creating one of the strongest progressions in LONER. I love that little moment with the synth in the third quarter of the song. This song is incredibly dark on what sounds like a mostly-happy record, but it's also meant to be comforting. Death is scary for some people, but comforting for others. For Caroline, death is the knowledge that all the pain we feel won’t last forever.
Soul No. 5 - The album flow gets flipped on its head, from the darkest song to the happiest song on the album, yet it doesn’t create a whiplash. It all works. And how can you deny this song with that opener? If you told me the character from Superstar was singing this song, I’d believe you. It radiates confidence. Despite the album’s cynical nature, it’s important to remember what you love about yourself and that you’re an awesome person. Caroline gives us an incredibly fun anthem for that. One of my favorite Caroline Rose tracks in general.
Smile! AKA Schizodrift Jam 1 AKA Bikini Intro - The longest title for the shortest track on the album. This is just a fun little interlude, but it does have relevance to the next track, as it documents the cycle of women in the industry being put in a glass box for everyone to see and being told to smile about it. We’ll get into it in the next track. Super weird track, but that’s why we love Caroline.
Bikini - Caroline Rose’s comedy reaches its peak here, even though that comedy derives from something shitty. The surf-rock song sounds happy and fun, and Caroline sounds happy as ever. However, the song is actually a bitter commentary on the sexualization of women in the industry. They are told all these promises and told that all they have to do is “put on this little bikini and dance”. However performing these actions open a floodgate for many women that causes them to discover how shitty the industry really is, and how even these days, they are still objectified and made to do things against their will just to be famous. This is what it takes to make it and it’s tragic. Superstar further explores the idea brought up in this song, and you can tell Caroline really feels strongly about the topic.
Talk - I can’t decide if this song or Animal is my favorite on this album. They both have similar soundscapes and have a dark edge to them. The fact that Caroline ended this album with a dark sound has always been super effective for me, as I tend to like music that sounds a bit darker (Guess what my favorite song on Superstar is?). The dark synth, the slick percussion, and the intense paranoid lyrics are all incredible. Bringing to mind the title of LONER again, this song explores the conversations in one’s mind, all the bad things you say and think about yourself, and how it affects you on the outside. It’s really about anxiety, and I feel that. Caroline’s music has a lot of mental health aspects to it, and that’s one of my favorite things about them as a musician, they put that side of the human experience into grooves we can enjoy, but when you dive in, it gives the song a whole new face. Truly a gem.
Animal - The tails to Talk’s heads, Animal is the epic closer of this album. The concept is simple: Rose is jealous, and that jealousy is like a wild animal, filling them with anger and fury at the thought of their ex they are not over being with someone else. We don’t know if the ex is the man or the woman, just that Rose is jealous of one of them, and that increases the track’s lure. The instrumentation is dark and intense, and Caroline is as passionate as ever, but it’s really the final cries of the album that stick with you when all is said and done, leaving us with only an echo, then it’s gone. Have you ever heard this song live? If you haven’t, go do that.
When all is said and done, this is the rebirth of Caroline Rose from folk singer to city-slicker, bringing infectious synth and groovy guitars to the table, showing listeners that they aren’t here to mess around and that they are a force to be reckoned with in the world of indie music. It’s not a surprise this is their most popular album, as its quirkiness, down-to-earth lyrics, and pop-rock fun make it a good time during any listen. However, this is my least favorite of the trilogy, because I believe that Caroline has only grown as an artist, but I won’t spoil my future reviews here.
For now, Caroline’s LONER is an album that will stand the test of time, never to be dated by its topics or sound. The replayability and longevity of this work add to just how much of a breakout record this is, and it’s a shame more people aren’t paying attention to Rose these days. Do yourself a favor and LONER whenever you can. Really take some time to listen and soak up all of the sounds. Let it wash over you and truly hone in on the lyrics this time. Something this special deserves to be savored. Hello, Caroline Rose.
Until next time,
Niles Hollowthorn.

The world we live in. So I have a friend who has been working at a hospital in the operations dept. he has been with them for seven years now. He is what you could call “third in charge”. When Covid hit, both of the people who were his superior left. The hospital asked him to take over as interim head of the department. He agreed and during this time he lead the department into becoming a well oiled machine. People enjoyed working for him and he he was continually lauded for doing an amazing job. Better than those before him.
He stuck with the job through Covid, at a hospital which as you can imagine was hell. Well the other day he was told that they wanted to give him the position on a permanent basis. Remove the interim title, raise his pay etc.
However, it’s company policy that department heads have at least a bachelor’s degree. He doesn’t. So in order to have the job he’s been doing and doing well in an extremely tough time he needs a bachelors degree.
They have said they will give him the job officially when he gets the degree. Until then he stays interim. Here’s the kicker. The degree technically doesn’t need to be in his field or related to the medical industry. Absolutely pathetic. Are they offering him a reduced schedule or financial aid for the now required schooling? Nope.

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First, some preliminary background:
I was in Montreal 1-2 weeks ago looking for an annual lease. I signed it for May 1st.
I am an international student (don't know if this changes anything but just in case)
So, I was looking to sign a lease in Montreal. I looked at the video of a house, liked it, and decided to visit it. The landlord's assistant was there to aid me. Let's call her J. She really didn't want me to visit the house and take a look by myself, I assumed it was because there was already someone living in there. She was quick to say something along the lines of "Okay you've looked enough I think, let's get out" and I am not exaggerating when I say I have not even stayed 10 seconds. I succumbed to the pressure and didn't take a look at much. She said we could sign immediately. I said I have another house to visit, and she said "You like this one you don't need it" in a joking manner, but it was enough for me to get sketched out a bit. I visited the other house and thought I should just go ahead and sign it.
At the office, we were waiting for the other landlord assistant to start the process, let's call him D. I asked them, I believe both times when both D and J was in the room and when only J was in the room, whether there were any health concerns I should be aware of, whether there had been bugs, bed bugs, rodents, mold etc. that I should know of. They explicitly said no both times, but I don't have evidence for it. At that point I am really sketched out because of their avoidant attitudes. They took my Government ID and scanned it prior to the signing. They took out a photocopy of the lease and said that I sign first and the landlord signs later. I think I should be signing a blue paper issued by quebec but this is my first contract and I was underprepared; I didn't know what was what and the whole normal way of doing this was. I really felt pressured into signing and they had the upper hand as I was there for the weekend only and didn't know if I would miss out a big opportunity. So I signed some document, which was pretty convincingly legit-looking.
They asked for a deposit, which I've learned to be illegal in Quebec. Demanded immediately and the very week. I sent him both the first month rent and the deposit. E-transfer. The only thing I haven't payed for is the keys to the apartment.
I wanted the copy of the documents from D twice and he still has not sent them.
I got sussed and read the google reviews and the people have 1.3 stars with consistent reports of negligence, scam, and of course rats, roaches and other sanitary concerns--- to which, they told me was not the case. Now, I have no direct evidence of this, but I don't want to find out by suffering...
So, here I am, wanting to bail out. Can I get back my money? Can I record a phone conversation between me and him? What are my options? I really don't have the right questions. Any advice?

Just a small prediction from me here but I definitely think this is something that'll happen in the coming months. Nothing has been announced as of yet because the EShop is still open and presumably that's causing a lot more people to buy games while it's still there, and obviously all these companies want people to buy their games as much as possible, but I'd say give it until the next Nintendo Direct and a bunch of 3DS games will have Switch ports announced. All the games people are hurrying to buy right now will be on the Switch and people are just going to end up buying them all over again. Which is cool with me, I love the Switch and there's a lot of games I'd love to see ported over there so I can have all my favorite games on one console (I'd really love to see a Switch port of Professor Layton VS Phoenix Wright) I'm just predicting that's something that'll happen sooner or later.
(Incidentally, I've seen a lot of posts about the 3DS EShop closure relating to the Professor Layton VS Phoenix Wright DLC, and how people were rushing to finish the game before the EShop closed because they didn't think they'd be able to download the DLC after it closed... I wish people wouldn't so casually spread misinformation like that. The DLC for Professor Layton VS Phoenix Wright doesn't require connecting to the EShop, it just requires a connection to the internet- just like the daily puzzles in regular Professor Layton games. So long as you own the game, even after the Eshop closes that DLC will still be available to you)

Help! I have been following some advice on here and received a prescription through Push Health. I was planning on buying my RX through Polar Bear Meds but my doctor on Push Health will not give me a PDF copy of my prescription and also says they can’t submit the prescription to a Canadian pharmacy. How would you proceed? I feel so stuck

I'm here because the community of BAND-MAID Fans Café introduced me to this band, tone spoon, and man I am LOVING what they have done with just six songs in their repertoire so far. Just like with BAND-MAID, I felt an immediate need to buy all of their songs.
There's a few things I wanted to point out:
- their lyrics are all on this website, currently only in Japanese: https://linkco.re/cFuFrXpf?lang=en
- the YouTube channel is here, go subscribe and watch those three videos! https://www.youtube.com/@tonespoon9062
- 5 of their 6 songs (everything except the last song on their EP, Obake) were performed live in 2020 at Rear Gear On Air vol.8 here: https://www.youtube.com/live/Pk7VCBX1mKU?feature=share&t=8251
- all six songs are also available on YouTube for listening here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCix4Ng3M8ftKxR3sY8GzD1w

Partner and I brought a house three years ago and have been slowly renovating it. I don’t think we’ve done anything stupid yet but when browsing sale homes for inspiration I’m always amazed at the weird decor choices people choose*.
Recent one is Tudor style beams, doors and fire place in a 1980’s small detached house. Or pink everything - a house we saw when viewing was called Pink Palace and everything was a shade of pink. They apparently struggled to sell it as people didn’t want to buy a house which needed immediate decorating.
*not here to criticise.

My wife is working with a travel agent to plan our first Disney Cruise with the kids next year (2 boys going to be 8 and 5 at departure). The travel agent said we can pay little by little on the fare until the final payment is due and even use gift cards to do it. This really works out because we figure we can use a credit card to buy the gift cards and get travel points or whatever on it. Additionally, we can get gas points by buying gift cards at our local grocery store using our reward card there and save gas money as well.
However, let's say something comes up and we have to cancel. How would the refund get processed? Would we just get some kind of Disney credit or could we actually get the refund applied to a credit card or just a check?
Odd question I know, but it is something we'd like to figure out before we start paying on it. I think the circle spending here would be a great way to help save some money on the trip, but I don't want to get stuck with Disney credits or gift cards we wouldn't be able to use elsewhere.

I just wanted to report to this forum, since it has been so helpful to me, that I successfully ported my cellular number out of an AT&T Business account, and to Google Voice.
It did not require first migrating the phone number over from a Business to Personal account, as reported in the AT&T forums (link). It did error out on me with the cryptic and useless error message, "Something went wrong. Try again later", due to using a PO Box in the Google Voice workflow prior to getting the Google Pay dialog which captures the $20 fee, as reported here. Here are some details of my process if it helps.
I spoke to someone in the "Port Activitaion Cener of AT&T" (who gave me a callback number of (888) 898-7685), to confirm the account number and password I needed to use for them to accept a port-out request to a landline carrier (Google Voice). The account number I was instructed to use is the one listed on the top of my AT&T Wireless bill as "Account number" and is not the "Foundation Account" number. The password I was instructed to use was my FAN PIN code that I set up as administrator of my AT&T Wireless Business account; if you don't have this number you have to get it from the plan administrator of the AT&T Wireless Business account that holds the numer you wish to port out.
On the Google Voice "Port a number to Google Voice" workflow, I put the account number and porting PIN as per my previous paragraph. My company has a two-word name, so I put "COMPANY" in the field for Account Holder's First Name, and I put "NAME" in the field for Account Holder's Last Name. For the Street Address, to work around the "Something went wrong. Try again later." issue as reported above, I had to type in my actual physical address. Even though both my Google Pay and AT&T Wireless Business Account use a PO Box. I was certain the port request would fail because of mismatching addresses, or because of how I entered my company name, but it was the only way to appease the "NEXT" button so that the Google Pay box would appear with its $20 fee, instead of remaining stuck in the "Something went wrong" infinite loop.
That was it. Exactly 24 hours later, to my astonishment, the number ported out of AT&T and into Google Voice and seems to receive phone calls right now, and I haven't yet tried text messages.
It seems, therefore, that there is some human interaction step involved, which was able to resolve the "COMPANY" and "NAME" issue, and my mailing / physical address issue, caused by the brittle form validation logic in the "Port a number to Google Voice" workflow.
Hope this helps.
​
Edit: Clarified PO Box issue

Friends,
It still irks me to no end that you can't post pictures AND text in the same thread on reddit, c'mon this its 2023! Anyway here's my pictures for reference: https://imgur.com/a/ztQsDZ2
I have a triple tap kegco outdoor (love it) , was planning to do 2 beers and one seltzer, all sixtels. The included beer lines came with commercial coupler ends, to do the seltzer I had to cut them off and put on corny keg attachments (pictured). I've now decided that doing seltzer is too much of a pain in the ass and want to keep 3 types of beer.
Question One is: What do I need to buy to change the ends of my beer lines back for commercial keg attachment? I definitely dont want to have to run new lines, that would be a VERY last resort.
Question Two: What do you recommend I do to clean up my rats nest? My setup is such a mess; I have a primary regulator off the C02 tank going to a 3-way splitter, and then 2 of the splitters going to their own primary regs. I'm not going to bother with the details of what I was trying to accomplish; the end result is a rats nest.
I would like to potentially have two different pressures to serve in case I decide to get vastly different beer. I often keep it pretty standard, one lite keg (mich ultra and the like) and 2 local brews.
Guidance greatly appreciated!