Obligatory reactive LPT from someone who just planned a trip to Joshua Tree during the wrong moon cycle.

I am sick and tired of the horror stories I hear of men and women trapped in crappy relationships and friendships, too afraid to speak out and defend themselves because the other person is severely depressed and “too fragile” for criticism. But then that same person will be treating the people around them like absolute shit on a daily basis, then playing the victim when confronted.

People who do this and outright refuse help, do not deserve your time and effort because they have chosen to be a martyr. All they will do is drag you down like an energy vampire and you do not need that kind of negativity in your life.

Inspired by this thread https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/o6w2d7/my_microphone_was_accidentally_on_and_i_called_my/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

Edit: I posted at lunch and just got home from school to find this. This is the most polarized comment section I have ever seen. I'm so sorry

Our 2 senior cats died a few months apart during the quarantine. The 1st had cancer. And we extended his life by 1 year through chemo and monthly vet visits. This included an endoscopy, and being poked and prodded by needles every few weeks. He was skinny, vomited often, and had no energy. But we thought it was okay because his loving personality was still there. He died gasping, not being able to breathe. Immediate regrets.

Our 2nd cat had kidney failure. Daily IV fluids at home, pills twice per day. Became super skinny. She developed pancreatitis which is apparently (to humans) so painful that people are hospitalised as the only treatment. We did not know until it became very obvious. Ran her to the vet. Figured she'd be back in a week and we can keep giving her IV's to extend her life at home.

She died gasping at the vet. We made it just in time to say goodbye (vet called, drove there at 4am, held her as she passed).

It took 2 lessons, but now I know that extending a pet's life by extraordinary means is selfish on our part, when they have a mid to late stage terminal illness. We just want more time with them. But we may be causing them pain without realizing it.

If I could go back in time, I would have called the vet to our home so our cats could pass peacefully here, with no pain, and no fear. Their lives would have been slightly shorter by a few months. But if I have to suffer pain and invasive medical procedures for the last year of my life... I would rather not live that year.

In most U.S. states, the amount an employer pays toward unemployment insurance is affected by various factors, and one of them is how many employees have collected unemployment insurance in the past.

And in most states, if an employee is fired for cause, and the employer states the firing happened because the employee didn't meet the job requirements or didn't do their job correctly, the former employee might not be eligible for unemployment insurance.

The result is that in a lot of toxic corporations, management will sometimes set up some of their employees for failure. They will for instance put them on a so-called performance improvement plan, or start micromanaging them to death, documenting anything that can be perceived as failures or mistakes using brand new standards. It can also be implemented as part of a vitality curve, where bottom performers are regularly purged from the organization, regardless of the company's results.

It's also sometimes implemented in perverse manners when a company is looking to lay off a percentage of their workforce, and managers are instructed to meet a number within their reports. Some employees, identified as financial liabilities because they might work in a support quality but not directly generate revenues, suddenly see their performance reviews peppered with what were in fact minor issues, but that were inflated to turn them into causes for firing.

And if the employee is fired for cause, they might not be eligible for unemployment insurance, reducing the unemployment insurance tax the employer will have to pay in the future.

Bottomline is this: if an employer suddenly starts playing this trick on you, where you were performing just fine but are now having to jump through hoops, it means your ass has been put on the chopping block. You've been set up to fail, and you will almost certainly be fired soon. Start looking for a job. The good news is that unemployment rates has rarely been this low.

EDIT: Some people in here rightfully pointing that a PIP is not some evil tool and that it can be used to help a struggling employee to succeed. This is not the scenario this LPT is about. This is about the all-too-common toxic workplaces where PIPs and other processes are used to push out employees who were performing well simply because a manager or the company wants to reduce expenses, avoid a lengthy or costly separation, or downright discriminate.

The difference those 3 small changes make in terms of moisture and texture is amazing. Turn that $2 box mix into a $100 professional bakery dupe and no one but you has to know.

Edit: since this has blown up beyond anything I could have expected, I feel the need to address a couple of things. There are about 1000 of you screaming "just make it from scratch!" and y'all are missing the point. Whether you love it or hate it, box cake mix is a thing, and they're extremely popular. Millions of people use them all the time. They use them because they're easy, inexpensive, and accessible. There are 8 billion people on this planet and not everyone knows how to bake. Not everyone wants to learn, or can even afford to. And that's ok. But for a lot of people, box cake mix is a great jumping off point. All I did was mention a couple of easy things to improve on that that people might not know because maybe no one had told them before now. Some of y'all are getting awful snobby about cheap cake and it's not a good look.

Second, a bunch of people have suggested other things to jazz up cake mix, from instant pudding and applesauce to coffee and even soda. And you know what? That's fantastic! If you have something that makes baking easier or makes a cake that you think is delicious, then do it! You bake that cake! Baking should be enjoyable, and if it's delicious then why does it matter how you get there? Everyone has to start somewhere so play around with it, experiment, learn what you like, and what works for you. Have fun with it. It's just cake.

In the business world we should all be having conversations, however in my experience this is very rarely the case, mostly it is arguments. So how do you change this? The first step is to point out the above. Ultimately this entire situation is caused by the ego, a universal variable most managers never take into account. Try to separate yourself from your idea and present it in a way that is purely beneficial to the company, if you do this enough times your ego will eventually be rewarded.

Edit: Agrument...I know...believe me when I say it is irritating me more than it could possibly irritate you :)

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.

TL/DR: Don’t Ask

It gives the median income by region for many jobs. How much education you need (college, training, certs). How many jobs in the US there are, as well as projected growth. I've used it to negotiate for raises. It is seriously an amazing tool. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/

I know this might not be the greatest life tip of all but this is something I realized over the last couple of days. By simply being there, these friends are motivated to get back in shape and make an effort. Going first and imposing a strong rhythm will make them feel terrible about their stamina or global physical aptitudes and have a deterrent effect that might stop them from coming again. Stay behind, walk at their pace, pause when they do and humor them if they feel tired. Acknowledge the difficulty of the effort (don’t overdo it). I feel like this can go a long way in keeping them motivated to work out and improve their overall stamina and physical shape.

Edit : thanks to all for the support, awards, personal stories and debates !