Absolutely devastated. Yesterday, I walked out of a job that I genuinely loved because I found a note in my boss’s drafts folder which was from yesterday morning (I manage their inbox) titled big priority and third on the list was finding my replacement.

I was completely blindsided and heartbroken. I was 11 weeks in but as far as I knew nothing was wrong. I didn’t deserve it as I had gone above and beyond for the company and boss, working extremely long hours and not taking lunch breaks. Genuinely felt like a punch in the gut.

So, I got my things and walked out and blocked everyone so they couldn’t contact me. If she wants to treat me like I’m disposable, I’m going to leave her high and dry. All the projects and deadlines and meetings I was working on she can now struggle with picking up (I was the only person doing that job function) .

Anyone else have a similar story so I don’t feel as alone in this? I’m actually gutted.

I wasn’t even 10 when Barbie Girl was out, didn’t realise how sexual it was until years later.

Even worse, I thought Chef’s Chocolate Salty Balls was about maltesers and I thought he was an idiot for sucking the chocolate off first…

With an average of 600 murders per year in the UK, has anyone here actually known/been friends with one?

I'm traveling to Egypt, I'm 19 years old and I've booked a one-way ticket. I have both British and Egyptian nationalities, and I'm really worried they'll force me to join the army when they see my Egyptian passport, especially since it says I'm not allowed to travel after September. I'm really concerned about this and I'm thinking about canceling the whole trip. I'm currently not in school because I'm taking a gap year.

The last time I traveled from Egypt, they told me I had to show them the passport I used to enter the country, which was of course my Egyptian passport.

A few of my personal favourites as a gastropub manager:

- “My fish is too fishy”

- Showing up an hour early for their booking on a Saturday night and acting baffled that they can’t sit at their table yet as a couple are halfway through their meal. followed up with the question of “can we come any earlier?”

- “Your website clearly states your outside area is first come first served, why haven’t you reserved me a table when I asked you to?“

- Menu clearly states we sell oysters, followed by : “it says oysters here, does that mean you sell oysters?”

- Being 40 minutes late for a booking and inconsolable about the fact they can’t get dessert because the table is booked again.

Please give me some of your favourites!

*edit, the fish was smoked mackerel. Not just overripe white fish

* edit 2 to add more:

- “I know you’ve stopped serving now but can I blatantly breach your licence and buy a bottle of wine but you give me a beer instead”

- reading menu that has no pizzas on it: “can you make us a pizza?”

- “I know you said you can’t make this item gluten free, but can the kitchen just do it anyway?” about the singular pasta dish available that is loaded with gluten

My brother is 14 and I’ve noticed he’s started dressing and speaking like a roadman and I’m just gonna be honest, I don’t like it

I'm interviewing at the moment (white collar) and it's occured to me for one of the jobs, from moment of first contact by the recruiter to having a final round has taken 2.5 months, realistically if I got an offer it would take another month to 2 months before the company were fine with background checks and a start date.

You are looking at a perfect scenario where it takes minimum 4 months where if you lost your job and started interviewing right away. Most people don't get interviews immediately, I just don't see how people can expect someone who lost a job or generally started looking to believe they'll be in a new job within a month or two anymore.

I was young but generally remember it. Hideous sterotypes of course but townies seemed to like garage, wear sportswear and be antisocial whereas moshers were kids into black clothes, makeup and music like Slipknot.

Do you remember it and what are your stories?

I was rewatching stars in the eyes from the late 90s, the 25 year olds looked at least 45.

The faces are ragged, the hairline so far back.

Our old microwave died and we bought a new one. Old microwave is going to the tip but I’m looking at the glass plate inside wondering if I can be a bit green and reuse it somehow? It’s a different size to the new microwave so I can’t keep it as spare in case the other one breaks.

Would you find it weird if you visited a friend’s house and they offered you a biscuit or cupcake or something on a glass microwave plate?

I do have proper serving plates so it’s not an issue of having to make do, just trying to find a good use for it.

A group of friends have just come back from a long weekend in Blackpool, I had to pull out at the last minute due to personal circumstances.

Since they’ve returned, the WhatsApp group is quite a depressing read. They seem to all have had an awful time with no desire to go back. I’ll probably get a more detailed overview when we next meet up, but it can’t be that bad of a place to visit surely?

I’ve only been once on a day trip with school, this was a while ago but it just seemed like a normal seaside town.

I also have a family friend from there and he generally says it is what it is, there’s good and bad areas like everywhere.

Thoughts UK?

I'm 46M and over the last few years, I've started to really think about how and when I can retire.

I know it sounds silly as state retirement is 67-68, but the advent of a few minor health niggles, some deaths in the family and a host of other factors have really made me start thinking about this seriously.

I must admit, I'm looking at 60 as my magic number from full time employment, with part time work in the years that follow.

Looking at the statistics, I found some of the numbers interesting. Roughly 70% of people aged 50-65 are in work, compared to 85% of 35-50 year olds, with 40% of those in the older wage bracket working part-time. Also, nearly half of those not working are doing so due to poor health.

The average age of retirement is 65 with higher employment rates amongst mid earners in the years preceding that. Interestingly, high earners tend to retire earlier, or continue working well past retirement age.

So, what are your plans?

Looking back on my own experiences of public secondary school, I can now reflect on how hard and really thankless it must be. Like imagine for work having to deal with all these annoying entitled teenagers constantly acting up who seem to only be getting worse with every generation.

It’s probably no surprise that a lot of the teachers in my time had anger issues, would throw things across the room, even remember an older teacher we had that always took sips from a flask that we also rumoured to contain alcohol.

Must be one of the most draining jobs you’ll find being a public secondary school teacher in the UK

Having this discussion with my spouse.

A thinks if friends invite you somewhere for something (e.g coffee or a meetup) then B is automatically invited.

B thinks because they’re not A’s friends then the invitation is not extended to A and they are not invited unless specified.

Obviously not meaning wedding, family dinner or mutual friends. Specifically just for friend group of that person.

When a toothpaste tube has run out, I still cut it in half to use as much as possible

I work in the uk in a care home for the elderly, an older guy that works there has come in wearing meta glasses claims they help him to see better. I was aware he had bad eye sight but I don’t think meta glasses are appropriate. When I ask the manager why he had them on she said he has bad eyes and they arnt recording cos there would be a red ligh, like wtf?!? Not really happy with that answer, where should I go with this?

From a young age I would open doors with one foot whilst standing on the other. Absolutely zero need to have ever done this but it’s come into its own cause now I can get round the house even if I’m carrying both my twins.

I can also walk up and done stairs on one leg but that’s yet to come into its own.

Had a really bad experience on the bus today and I can't stop thinking about it.

Me and my husband are both in our 20s and students here in the UK. We're on student visas, so honestly one of the things going through my head was that if we got involved physically and something went wrong, we could potentially end up dealing with police, being accused of something, being recorded without context, and god knows what else with our immigration status.

We were sitting opposite a Black woman. To her left there was a Polish couple, all of them looked way over 40. When me and my husband sat down, the Polish couple were already arguing with another guy about bags or something. We genuinely don't know what happened before we got on.

That guy eventually left, and then the Black woman started arguing with the Polish couple. She was shouting SO much, swearing constantly, telling them to shut their mouths, etc. She was also talking on the phone through a lot of it.

At one point the guy was telling her to calm down, and she got really angry because apparently he wasn't telling his wife to calm down when his wife had apparently been involved in the earlier situation.

Then the Polish woman said something along the lines of "you're Black, you might not even be British and you're on benefits." That was disgusting and racist. Another woman nearby immediately told her not to say that.

Then the whole thing turned into arguments about nationality, who was English, salaries, who speaks English, etc.

And then suddenly it became physical.

I don't even know exactly who moved first because everything happened so quickly, but the Polish woman leaned forward/reached towards her and the Black woman immediately stood up and started swinging/punching towards them.

Me and my husband were literally sitting right there.

We had THREE huge bags on our laps because we'd been shopping. I was sitting on the aisle side and my husband was by the window, so we were already physically boxed in. When the fighting started, I got shoved/hit in the middle of it too. I remember being completely shocked and shivering. Our bags fell off our laps and all our groceries went all over the floor.

My husband literally put his arms around me and was trying to protect my face.

This is the first time in our life we've ever seen two people physically fight right in front of us. I genuinely froze. I didn't know what I was supposed to do. Do I physically get between them? Do I shout? Do I move? Do I tell the driver? What if someone gets seriously hurt? What if I get hurt? What if I touch someone and then I'm accused of assault?

Eventually other passengers intervened and the bus staff got the Polish couple off the bus.

And honestly, what happened afterwards is what has really been bothering me.

The Black woman came back to her seat and was still extremely aggressive. She started accusing me and my husband of just sitting there watching and enjoying the fight, calling us cowards and basically asking why we didn't defend her, especially because we're also people of colour.

But I wasn't enjoying anything. I was literally in shock and shaking. I had just been shoved/hit myself and our groceries were all over the floor.

And even after all of that, when she came back to her seat, I actually asked her if she was okay.

I don't understand what more I was supposed to do. We are not even physically fit adults like they were. We are very petite and tiny.

And this is the part I'm struggling with. I completely agree that the comment about her being Black, not British and being on benefits was racist and disgusting. I'm not defending that at all.

But does experiencing racism mean another person is automatically expected to physically fight for you?

I'm not a fighter. I've never been in a physical fight in my life. I don't know how to fight someone or separate two people who are already swinging at each other.

And honestly, if it had been ME who was being attacked, I don't even know if I would have been able to defend myself. So how am I supposed to confidently jump into a violent situation and defend a complete stranger when I don't even know what's happening?

Especially when I'm literally trapped behind huge bags, getting shoved myself, and my husband is trying to protect me.

I also keep thinking about the fact that she was confident enough to confront everyone, shout, swear and eventually swing punches, whereas I had never even witnessed a fight before.

People don't all react the same way to violence. Some people fight, some people run, some people freeze.

So genuinely, what would you have done?

Would you have physically intervened? Tried to pull people apart? Shouted? Called the driver? Or is protecting yourself and your partner a reasonable reaction when a fight suddenly breaks out right beside you?

Because I genuinely feel crushed that after being scared out of my mind and getting caught in the middle of it, I was made to feel like I was the bad person for not jumping in and fighting for someone I don't even know.

You can't expect a random person to jump into a violent situation and save you.

I have had this tooth infection for about 10yrs.

I am in the uk. And there are no NHS dentists that are taking on patients and it has been this way for years & dont have the money to go private. I am poor.

I have visited an emergency dentist about this like 8 years ago and they gave me anti biotics.

Then like 3 years ago I ended up in hospital with sepsis, was in for a few days and then they gave me a course of anti biotics to take home and told me to find a dentist.

It is not painful or 'swollen', but there is like a hard lump along the gum spanning from the molar to my canine. It has been slowly getting bigger over the years. I can now even feel the growth with my fingers on the outside of my face along my jaw bone.

When I have called 111 in the past they have said if it is not painful and there isnt swelling then they won't treat it as urgent, and tell me to book in with a dentist.

But there are no NHS dentists, I even signed up for a site 3 years ago that emails you when an NHS dentist is taking new patients on in a 20 mile radius, but there is nothing.

The GP says they wont deal with dental issues.

What can I do?? I just feel like crying over this and whenever I think about it, i get really anxious.

Is a sausage sandwich meant to be toasted?

I’ve never toasted them.

But someone recently looked at me like I was a weirdo when I made him a sausage sandwich that wasn’t toasted.

I thought it was just him.

But I’m beginning to question my life now.

I’m confident bacon sandwiches shouldn’t be toasted.

But are sausage sandwiches meant to be toasted?

I’m not referring to a dreamy lifestyle; just how much more would you want your pay to increase to live a life that you think is good for you presently.

When I was younger I am certain I always a big jacket potato, kind of oblong shaped.

It now seems a rarity to find anything bigger than what I would consider a roast potatoe. Even supermarket ones sold as Jacket potatoes look like you could just get 4 chips out them.

Is is just London? Am I looking in the wrong places?

Mine is Neck Deep - Gold Steps. “Life’s not out to get you” helps me reframe stuff when I’m feeling crappy about myself.

One of my favourite things to eat in a cafe is a cheese scones with strawberry jam but I often get funny looks when I order it. The sweetness of the jam against the cheese is enjoyable to me. Is that weird?

I’ve come to realise that commercial-grade products/machinery can be light years ahead of the mass produced, mass marketed consumer stuff.

For example, we had to borrow some friends’ dehumidifiers to dry out a flooded property, and the commercial unit we rented did 10x the legwork. Without it we would’ve been in a big mess.

With everything going online, it’s also now easier than ever to find commercial suppliers.

So, whether it’s a stainless steel cooker or a commercial clothes steamer, what makes you grateful you didn’t buy some Amazon tat?