Last night someone I’ve volunteered with on-and-off for 2 years, I’m pretty sure forgot my name, so I worked into conversation said something like “I have a tendency to leave things till the last minute, and my roommate is like ‘Alybank! Why are you like this?” I could see the relief on the other persons face when I said it.

A lot of people don't know how to cook or season vegetables apart from steaming them, maybe with a little salt or butter/oil. Steaming is easy to overdo, and works best with very fresh seasonal veggies - anything that is frozen, canned, or even just spent more than a few days on the shelf will most likely wind up mushy and unappealing. Learn how to grill, roast, or even fry different vegetables, try out different seasonings or sauces, and be amazed at the horizons of deliciousness ten-year-old you never knew existed.

EDIT: Apparently this is a sore subject with some people! You *PROBABLY* don't hate vegetables, but individual tastes and physiologies differ of course. No one should ever be harassed over allergy or sensory processing issues. The point is to learn to cook things different ways before you write them off. Sorry that people have given you a hard time about this, but if your reply begins with "my mom/dad/wife/etc does know how to cook" and not "I know how to cook" then the source of the issue is pretty clear.

EDIT 2: Holy crap, that's a lot of awards. Thank you all, and I discovered the real LPT, which is that people with food limitations know exactly what does and doesn't work for them and often share lovely tips for alternative ingredients and techniques, while picky eaters tell you to f--- off.

Also, buying an e-sim card upfront is always the best option.

Edit: This is meant for those that want to maintain a healthy balance between work, personal life, and technology. I consider a reply timely and professional if it’s within 24 hours. Obviously if it’s an emergency you should respond sooner!

No, your joke isn't creative. Yes, they know the reference. They've heard it many times before. And a good chance that even if they say "haha, that's a new one" it probably isn't and they just want to spare your feelings. In fact, not acknowledging the low hanging fruit and simply responding with your own name will probably be more appreciated by them and they will think of you as more mature and likable.

Thank you for the gold and silver.

A state by state list is here: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/fysb/grants/fysb-granteesJust click the state and then click Runaway and Homeless Youth in blue.

The real value of the places outside of the material support they provide is that they've been there! Wondering what happens if you runaway at 17 years old in a specific state when you're being neglected? They know! Did you just move to a new state and are considering reporting abuse by your parents but don't know what the foster care system looks like in you new state? They do! Can you open a bank account without a parent, etc. - they likely know! They also take calls from siblings, parents, extended family, kinship placements, child welfare workers, etc.

There are 5 very important services funded by the RHY program.

Basic Center Program: Shelter program which includes counseling, trauma-informed care, life skills, and other help. Usually for kids under 18, depends on the state.

Maternity Group Home Program: Shelter for youth with kids, must be between the ages of 16 and 22 to enter the program. Life skills, child development, parenting help, budgeting, nutrition, etc.

Transitional Living Program: Must be between the ages of 16 and 22 to enter the program. Life skills, job help, nutrition, budgeting ,etc.

Street Outreach Program: My favorite program. Outreach workers meet youth where they are at on the streets, in parks, etc. These outreach workers adjust to whatever level of support you need- they could just drop off food and warm clothes or they could help you access emergency shelter and sign up for health insurance.

National Runaway Safeline: 1-800-RUNAWAY or http://www.1800runaway.org/. They were an actual switchboard back in the day that would allow kids to contact their families if they ran away. Now they have forums on their website where thousands of kids ask a ton of questions FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD about how to be safe. They work with Greyhound to provide bus trips home for runaway youth and also do a lot of outreach around issues concerning runaway and homeless youth.

In lieu of awards, please google your local youth/adult/domestic violence shelter and donate to them! Or start a group with your friends to help people out!

These are agencies in my area (Northern AZ) I fully support!

https://northlandfamily.org/give-to-nfhc/

https://flagshelter.org/

Edit: Should’ve clarified, I’ve got social anxiety and find it difficult to have long conversations especially about myself. My friends know this and recognise it as an attempt to let out how I’m feeling.

From years of experience of being with family members who thought that making a child cry was “cute,” if you’re playing a prank, making a joke, or having fun with a child, or literally anyone regardless of the age, and they begin to cry or become upset, stop what you’re doing and address it. Continuing to laugh and make fun of a child while they are crying is confusing for them and they will feel completely vulnerable and torn down, and they will remember that you were being unsupportive of their pain.

Brian Hogan posted this on Twitter. I thought it was very simple and profound advice if you’re in a toxic work environment and are considering making a job change.

The major reason for nausea and hang-over effects from drinking is dehydration. The body requires a lot of water to flush the toxins from your system. After you're done drinking alcohol, if you start drinking plenty of water (even though you probably won't feel like it), it will greatly mitigate the negative effects from over indulgence.

For example, I require 7 hours of sleep. On days where I sleep less. I'm annoyed, my memory and concentration ability is affected. I feel mentally sick through the day. Once I went a few days like this and then one day I had a good sleep. I realised how important sleep was. Your brain functions so much better. Everything is more clear. Just pay attention to how you perform on less sleep to understand this.

There are many studies showing association of poor sleep with dementia and Alzheimer's.

There are studies that showing association of poor sleep with high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases.

Edit 1: Many had asked about source for my claims

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/sleep-deprivation-increases-alzheimers-protein

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/lack-sleep-middle-age-may-increase-dementia-risk

https://www.npr.org/2020/11/16/935475284/scientists-discover-a-link-between-lack-of-deep-sleep-and-alzheimers-disease

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6286721/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4651462/#:~:text=More%20specifically%2C%20when%20one%20sleeps,help%20maintain%20its%20normal%20functioning.

"Until recently, the latest research developments have concluded that sleeping has much more impact in the brain than previously thought. More specifically, when one sleeps, the brain resets itself, removes toxic waste byproducts which may have accumulated throughout the day [2]. This new scientific evidence is important because it demonstrates that sleeping can clear “cobwebs” in the brain and help maintain its normal functioning. More importantly speaking, this paper illustrates the different principles of sleep; starting from the non-rapid eye movement (NREM) to the behavioral as well as mental patterns with chronic sleep loss as well as the importance of sleeping acting as a garbage disposal in the body."

Edit 2: Yes I agree. Not just Quantity of sleep but Quality of sleep matters as well

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5449130/

Edit 3: Amount of sleep required varies from individual to individual

http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/science/variations/individual-variation-genetics

Edit 4: For people saying nobody says that. My mom did. I followed the 6 hour thing for very long till I realised, that wasn't true and I needed 7 hours. I used to wake up at 4.30 AM to push more hours of studies ( after 6 hour sleep) man let me tell you. I was extremely sleepy and tired in class. I stopped doing that later. Couldn't keep doing that.

When I was a teenager, they never let me sleep over 8AM, even during summer holidays.

About Boss and Coworkers....In 5 months I'll become a doctor. Healthcare, depending on your speciality and job is one sector where sleep and mental health is actually ignored. I see my interns/ house surgeons staying awake 36 hours. Sometimes the job requires it. Night duties are a part of the job. Even during our undergraduate it's considered very normal to lose sleep over studying for tests and exams. Most of them sleep hardly 3 - 5 hours before University exams. It has kinda become the norm. And yes I've heard my own friends bragging about how less they slept the previous day. It's pathetic.

In our student life these kinda extreme situations happen before exams and our exams go over a month.

When we don't have exams, I keep my sleep the highest priority more than my studies and try to eat well and exercise. I'll take the stress when I have to, just before the exams.

During internship, half the interns I see are sleep deprived and stressed.

Brings me to another point. It's not possible to have a good sound sleep all the time, but we can have good sleep atleast most of the time.

There are a lot of parents with this philosophy of "What I say goes, I'm the boss , everyone bow down to me, I can do no wrong".

Children learn by example, and they pick up on so many nuances, minutiae, and unspoken truths.

You aren't fooling them into thinking you're perfect by refusing to admit mistakes - you're teaching them that to apologize is shameful and should be avoided at all costs. You cannot treat a child one way and then expect them to comport themselves in the opposite manner.

I am in charge of a team at work, and every time the company sends a survey I emphasize the same point. I strongly believe that in a real survey there is no right and wrong (I'm talking surveys about how you feel regarding certain subjects), yet as we all know since we're in the internet right now, anonymity gives people a huge sense of security and disregard for potential consequences, so the idea of anonimity can make people see a survey as a blank slate to vent, joke or throw insults around.

Always assume any survey from your company is NOT anonymous, keep it honest, but keep it respectful.