Day trips from johnson city tn |

Hey fam! I came across an interesting company called Cepton Inc the other day and decided to do some research into them. I figured I would make a post with my findings and see what yall think about them. From what I can understand they’re a company that. provides lidar-based solutions for automotive, smart cities, smart spaces, and smart industrial applications in the United States, Japan, China, and other countries around the world.
I decided to break down my findings into positives and negatives so that I could get my thoughts across a little better and so people don’t have to read a massive paragraph lmao. So if you have any thoughts on any of my points or would like me to expand please don’t hesitate to drop a comment.
Positives:

LiDAR technology's growing importance in autonomous vehicles, mapping, and other industries.
There system is currently being implemented by researchers at the University of Texas Arlington at two busy intersections in two Texas cities: one in Arlington, Texas, which connects two UTA campuses; the other in the neighborhood of a high school in Irving, Texas
Cepton secured a multi-million dollar Lidar contract from a leading US highway tolling system operator
Continually trying to update their systems so that they can be the best they can (found in Q1 2023 reports)

Negatives/uncertainties:

One of my main negatives is that they haven’t been keeping investors up to date on their multi-million dollar deal that they were hyping up - need more updates
Not super familiar with the Lidar tech sector so I’m unsure how competitors match up against them
First quarter 2023 product revenue was $1.2 million, a decrease of 16% compared to the prior year comparable period

These were my main findings/positives/negatives on Cepton. Hopefully this wasn’t a painful read and was rather quick and to the point. What do you guys think about em? Is something to continue exploring or should I move on? Would love to get a bit more insight on the sector and company so please let me know! All the best

I think my boss is either trying to get away with not compensating for what she calls mandatory training required by the city, or is perhaps just ignorant of the law. Or maybe it's me who's ignorant? That's why I am here! Also, sorry for any formatting or grammar mistakes!
I work at a restaurant that sells alcohol and they are enrolled in a city program called the Best Practices Program. I have copied and pasted the city's explanation of the program below, as well as the cited section of the city code. This is all the information I could find from the city's websites. I am currently waiting on an email response from the city after I asked them how it's legal for the them to require this training without fair compensation from neither the restaurant or city.
From my own initial research, this is just plain illegal, but I am no expert in the law! Do small mom and pop restaurants get "special" treatment? Are they truly exempt from paying for this type of training? Or is she just lying about it being required by the city? It very much seems to be a voluntary program she opted her business into.
I know this is pretty vague, but any help is appreciated! I want to be confident in this matter when I confront my boss about it. If anything comes off as unclear, I will do my best to answer any questions!!
Best Practices Program -City Code Title XI: Business Regulations -Chapter 111: Alcoholic Beverages -Section 111.10(C)(2)
Purpose: -The Best Practices Program (BPP) is a City sponsored program aimed at eliminating alcohol sales to youth. This free voluntary program is offered to all liquor license holders in the City. The BPP offers incentives to participating licensees to undertake certain practices with the objective of avoiding alcohol sales to minors.
Benefits of Participation: -Benefits to liquor license holders participating in the BPP include: regularly scheduled, City-provided training at no cost; and a reduction in penalties if a violation should occur. Best Practices training is not offered to non-registered liquor licensees. Additionally, insurance companies may offer a discount or require employees be trained in Best Practices
-If a Best Practices Business has two (2) or more violations within a three (3) year period, the City Council may choose to disregard a business’ participation in the program and apply penalties different than the BPP presumptive penalties. Participation -Licensees are notified of this program at the time of licensure and restated at the time of license renewal. However, enrollment may happen anytime during the license period; July through June. Interested licensees need to provide written intent to participate in the program. Upon successful completion of the BPP’s requirements, the licensee will be categorized as a Best Practices Business. -It is the licensee’s responsibility to ensure continued compliance with the program. Recertification will be required during annual renewal of a liquor license. -Best Practices trainings are typically offered at time of renewal. You will be notified once training dates have been determined. -Liquor licensees with an established employee training program and certification process may apply for a waiver from the City.
111.10 Suspension Or Revocation Of License A. Suspending License. The City Council may suspend any retail license for up to 60 days or revoke any retail license for the sale of alcoholic beverages upon the violation of any provision or condition of this chapter or of any state or federal law regulating the sale of alcoholic beverages. The City Council shall revoke the license for any willful violation, which under the laws of this state, is grounds for mandatory revocation.
B. Notice To Suspend. Before the Council shall suspend or revoke any license issued under this chapter, the licensee shall be given at least 10-days’ notice stating the time and place of the hearing and the charges against the licensee. The notice shall also state that the licensee may have a hearing conducted under M.S. §§ 14.57 through 14.69 of the Minnesota Administrative Procedures Act, as they may be amended from time to time.
C. Presumptive Civil Penalties. The following process and presumptive penalties shall apply only to liquor license violations involving failure of routine alcohol sales, compliance checks or sales of alcohol to underage persons. There shall be no presumptive penalties for liquor license violations of other types and the City Council may impose any penalties allowed by law for those violations after the notice and opportunity for hearing provided in division (B) above.

1. Purpose. The purpose of this section is to establish a standard by which the City Council determines the length of license suspensions and the propriety of revocations, and shall apply to all on-sale and off-sale licensed premises. These penalties are presumed to be appropriate for every case; however, the Council may deviate in an individual case where the Council finds that there exist substantial reasons making it more appropriate to deviate. When deviating from these standards, the Council shall provide written findings that support the penalty imposed.
2. Best Practices Program. The Best Practices Program (BPP) is a program offered by the City with the intent to eliminate sales of alcohol to youth. Participation in the BPP is voluntary, it is offered to both off-sale and on-sale liquor establishments and offers incentives to participating licensees to undertake certain practices with the objective of avoiding sales to minors. The City will assist participating businesses with training and a different set of presumptive penalties will apply to those who choose to participate, should an illegal sale to a minor occur. Licensees may enroll at any time during their license period, and will be offered an opportunity at the time of annual license renewal. Interested licensees will provide written intent to participate, and will be categorized as a Best Practices Business once they have successfully completed the requirements of the program. It is the licensee’s responsibility to ensure continued compliance with the program; the City may conduct random verification checks, and recertification will be required during annual renewal of a liquor license. If a Best Practices Business has two (2) or more violations within a three (3) year period, the City Council may choose to disregard a business’ participation in the program and apply penalties different than the BPP presumptive penalties.

Required Items -A minimum of 75% of alcohol selling employees (at any one time) have attended alcohol training conducted by City's Police Department (or other training pre-approved by the City) -Business has an internal program in place for providing ongoing training of both new and current alcohol selling employees (copy of program and tracking must be provided) -Business has an internal policy requiring identification checks for anyone appearing to be 40 years old or under (copy of program and tracking must be provided)

1. Underage sales and compliance check failures. The following presumptive penalties apply to liquor license violations involving failure of routine alcohol sales compliance checks or sale of alcoholic beverages to an underage person(s).
a. Multiple violations. At a licensee’s first appearance before the City Council, the Council shall act upon all of the violations that have been alleged in the notice sent to the licensee. The Council in that case shall consider the presumptive penalty for each violation under the 1st Violation column in division (3) above. The occurrence of multiple violations shall be a basis for deviation from the presumptive penalties in the Council’s discretion.
b. Subsequent violation. Violations occurring after the notice of hearing has been sent to the licensee, but prior to the hearing, shall be treated as a separate violation and treated as a subsequent violation before the City Council, unless the City Administrator and licensee agree in writing to add the violation to the appearance and hearing on the initial violation for which notice was sent. The same procedure shall apply to a second, third or fourth violation considered before the Council.
c. Subsequent appearances. Upon a second, third or fourth appearance before the City Council by the same licensee, the Council shall impose the presumptive penalty for the violation or violations giving rise to the subsequent appearance without regard to the particular violation or violations that were the subject of the first or prior appearance. However, the Council may consider the amount of time elapsed between appearances as a basis for deviation from the presumptive penalties imposed by this section.
d. Computation of violations. Multiple violations are computed by reviewing the time period of the two (2) years immediately prior to the date of the most current violation.
e. Stipulations in lieu of hearing. When a liquor license violation involves a licensee’s failure of a routine alcohol sales compliance check or sale of alcohol to an underage person or persons to which these presumptive penalties apply, documentation of the illegal sale shall be sent to the City Council by either the Chief of Police or the City Administrator, together with notice of the applicable presumptive penalty. If no Council member objects to application of the presumptive penalty or otherwise requests that the matter be brought before the Council within 7 days, the City Administrator or City Attorney may enter into a written stipulation with the licensee which shall include a waiver of further notice and hearing by the licensee, a recitation of stipulated facts describing the alleged violation, and setting forth the applicable presumptive penalty to be imposed, provided that all such stipulations shall be subject to the approval of the City Council and if the approval is not granted, the licensee shall have the right to withdraw its waiver of hearing and to demand a hearing before the Council.
f. Other penalties. Nothing in this section shall restrict or limit the authority of the City Council to suspend a liquor license up to 60 days, to revoke the license, to impose a civil fee not to exceed $2,000 to impose conditions, or to take any other action in accordance with law; provided that the license holder has been afforded an opportunity for a hearing in the manner provided by this chapter.

D. Costs. Once a notice of intent to revoke or suspend a license has been mailed to the licensee, the licensee becomes responsible for all reasonable costs of investigation, administration and hearings associated with the action as a condition of reinstatement, termination of suspension or dismissal of the allegations prior to a hearing.

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No clue what to expect.
She abruptly called it off after something I said triggered traumatic memory from seven years ago—for which I was responsible. I had thought we had put that behind us, but it seems like that’s not the case. When I asked her then if she would consider meeting me when I visit her city, she said no. She did not even want to remain friends. [You can find the details in my post history]
This was a month ago. She knows I am in her city now. She hit me up a couple of days back asking if I would be comfortable meeting her to ‘catch up.’ She added that she absolutely did not want to get back together. I told her that talking to her makes me hopeful of reconciliation and we should not continue talking any longer. Sometime later, she asked me for a help, which I did. Afterward, she told me she would like to treat me. I told her that is not necessary. She insisted. She gave up when I reminded her of how ashamed she felt being back with me. Sometime later, she sent me a text apologising for how things went down. After some back and forth, we decided to meet.
I know peeps here are dead set against rekindling broken up relationship. I feel that way too given the excruciating events of last one month. If you read my previous post, you might even find good reasons for it. But I am apprehensive about this meeting. I don’t know what to expect. I am hurt by a couple of things she said and did—especially when she drunk called me to tell me she made out with someone. This was the first time we spoke after she broke up with me over text and refused to get on a call with me to talk it out. I want to bring these things up with her, but I am not sure if that is useful. She is in pain now and I don’t know if being told she hurt me is a really good thing to do. I also feel like bottling it up is not helping since it seems to be making me resentful.
We have a day together. Any idea how we could amicably discuss stuff without getting worked up or hurt? If you had any experience like this, would you consider sharing it too? Many thanks!

I'm going away for a few weeks so it's time to thank the lovely people who have filled my mailbox this week! Next post will be after I'm back.

u/TheFeistyFox: Thanks for your inaugural card to my new address! Yup I've finally moved here, I'm happy so far even though I've only left the vicinity of my flat twice in the first month (one of those times was to catch up with u/LeeElla and u/isar-love). We did have a public holiday recently and we have another one coming up soon. Sadly I'm an idiot and failed to take advantage of any of the potentially long weekends this year for any trips. Next summer I'll have to do better!
u/PinkPengin: Thanks for the petrified forest card that you sent jointly with u/sebisrude and u/KeenEvergreen! I've not card-met these other two - if you send me your address then I'd happily post a card to you!
u/Intrepid-Researcher x3: Thanks for your several cards (some arrived a few days ago, and one arrived today)!
- The last card to arrive was one of the painter Alphonse Mucha, decorated with washi tape, a sticker, and my favourite stamp from your country! ❤️🤍💙 You wrote in two different colours and asked me about my move. Honestly my progress on unpacking kind of stalled over the last three weeks, but the initial set-up to make the place somewhat livable went okay. Now I just need a sofa, some bookshelves, and more kitchen appliances! I might better wait until the next couple of paychecks, moving is expensive and I'm going on a trip soon!
- You sent me two more cards in a fat envelope with another very pretty stamp and a ton of stickers (the rooster stickers were pretty cute!); the stamp seems to be from the same series as the other! Very nice. You included some tea (I'll share it with my gf since she drinks more tea than I!), an origami dove, and several artsy stickers. Thank you very much! And of course there were the actual cards:
  - You decorated the pink mood card with matching washi tape. Your life update sounds challenging! Getting into arguments with loved ones is always tricky - no wonder you are upset! Reading and drawing sound like good activities (I tend to overeat when I'm stressed which is way worse!). I hope you'll be okay. Sending big hugs!
  - You also sent a "Starch the hard way?" card. TBH I don't quite get the illustration on the front - it seems to be a reference to an old-school ad? I'm probably missing the context. Don't worry about me - I'm used to (physical) health challenges and one just has to deal with it.

Thank you for the cards, you lovely people! 🥰

Hi there!
Looking for itinerary suggestions for a 14 day trip in Okinawa in late September to early October. I've been to the main Japan archipelago multiple times but this will be my first time in Okinawa hence I'm looking for any and all suggestions on what to do.
Travelling with 2 friends and we're planning to rent a car for the entirety of the trip.
We're from Malaysia so we'll first be arriving in Taipei (Taiwan) for a short layover then flying to Naha via Peach airline.
First off, some locations we've bookmarked: Churaumi Aquarium Okinawa World Kouri Island Umikaji Terrace Zamami Island Ishigaki island (if possible....Peach doesn't seem to service Okinawa to and fro Ishigaki...)
There are other miscellaneous places but we're currently overwhelmed on how we should start our journey in Okinawa...ie. should we head northwards on the first day then make our way back south to Naha? Or should we go from Naha slowly exploring north then just drive back down....
Any and all input is appreciated!!!

I am finalizing a big graduation trip for next February and the hotels and flights are mostly booked! It will be a whirlwind trip, which is the way I like to travel. Someday we will go back to these places so we will just get a taste of everything.
Flights
PHL-BOS-NRT-HAN (overnight in Boston)
70k AA + $46 pp for JL business class.
Hanoi - Chiang Mai
~ $100 pp Air Asia
Chiang Mai - Bangkok - Siem Reap (full day in Bangkok)
~ $115 pp Air Asia

Now for the complex trip with Aeroplan
1st leg: REP-SIN-IST-CAI (full day in SIN, overnight to IST, full day in IST)
SQ from REP-SIN-IST and TK from IST-CAI
~ 48 hour stopover in CAI
2nd leg: CAI-AUH-JFK (4 hours in AUH)
all on EY
120k Aeroplan + $180 in fees pp, all business class except CAI-AUH

Hotels
IHG free night certificate in Boston
2 nights at Airbnb in Hanoi ($40 per night)
2 nights in Chiang Mai (1 night at an elephant sanctuary, 1 night at TBD)
3 nights in Siem Reap at Park Hyatt Siem Reap (12k Hyatt per night, $418 per night value)
2 nights in Cairo at Hyatt Regency Cairo West (8k Hyatt per night, $395 per night value)

Total Points
52,000 Hyatt (from Chase)
240,000 Aeroplan (from Chase)
140,000 American Miles

Bogus Cash Value for Trip
I know most people think these valuations are BS but here it is anyways.
PHL-BOS-NRT-HAN: $4,453 pp for exact flight = $0.064 per mile
I have to price the Aeroplan award as a separate ticket for each leg
REP-SIN-IST-CAI: I can find REP-SIN-IST for $1771, or about that same price for OneWorld all the way to CAI so we will call it $1771 for that leg.
CAI-AUH-JFK: technically this leg is $3575 right now = $0.045 per mile (including first leg). There are cheaper ways to get home with cash but I think EY will be nice.
Obviously there are cheaper legs for CAI-JFK but we wanted to avoid MS and didn't want to stay overnight somewhere in Europe so we took the flight that leaves Cairo in the evening.

Booking a 5 leg trip with Aeroplan was insane. I used cowtool for pretty much all of my Aeroplan searches and had a lot of flights on hold with AA until the dates all worked out. I think the trip will be exhausting, but we will get to see a lot of cool places, fun airlines, and most importantly no kids. This trip would cost something like $12,000 minimum to put together but we have paid maybe $700 out of pocket in fees and cash tickets total.

In an apartment on the south side of Boulder, Colorado, lived a man named Anthony, a college boy who lived for success in his grades. Anthony studied so hard, day in and day out, to get ready for college exams. Anthony lived in a three-room apartment on the 4th floor with two other roommates who went out a lot. He barely noticed his roommates going in and out of the apartment and was always easily angered if disturbed while he was studying. What kept Anthony awake these past few days was just a hot brew of coffee his roommate makes way too much of. The night that changed everything was August 14th, 2016. The night was cold and dark as the clock slowly passed 2 a.m.
Anthony, fighting to stay awake, drank his last sip of coffee, trying to finish studying for the midterm exams. Anthony had gone out of his room to get more coffee, but then he heard music coming from outside his apartment door. Thinking this was just a prank his roommates were putting on him, Anthony slowly inched to the front door to hear what was being played, and what he heard was old circus music loudly playing at the door. Anthony looked through the peephole to see nothing. He opened the door slowly to see an old music box loudly playing a muffled version of classic circus music.
Anthony angrily grabbed the music box, thinking it was some type of prank keeping him away from his studies. Anthony angrily mumbled while walking to his room, "Time wasted dealing with this rather than studying. ", He heard the same classic circus music outside his door. Confused, he looked through the peephole again to see no one outside the door. When he opened the door, he saw a similar music box, but this one had a note taped around it. He shut the music box off and took it inside. He opened the note, and it had writing in crayon saying, "Those who do not value their lives deserve a special surprise."
Anthony felt uneasy, thinking that this prank was going a little too far. He wanted to catch the person who was behind it as much as possible. So Anthony grabbed one of the smallest cameras he had and taped it across the hall, pointing at the front door. Tired, confused, and angry, Anthony went back to his room to study, and for a moment, there was nothing. When Anthony heard the music again, he grabbed his phone to see what was going on in front of his door and was shocked to see a dirty, beat-up, messy clown swaying its body to the music. Anthony sat there, shocked and horrified by what he saw. He then got up to check the front door.
Anthony cautiously and quietly approached his front door and slowly put his face up to the peephole. All Anthony saw was a sad clown with messy makeup and a very wide frown and pink hair, swaying to the music. A horrified Anthony asked what the person wanted, trying to hide the shakiness and fear in their voice. The clown stopped and looked directly at the peephole as if he were staring into Anthony's soul. Anthony waited a long time for a reply, but there was none. Anthony repeated himself in an angrier tone, "Who is this? What do you want?" The clown then started bashing his head against the door.
The force knocked Anthony onto his back. Breathing heavily, Anthony tried assessing the situation. He checked his phone and saw the clown repeatedly banging his head against the door. Anthony noticed that blood was splattering all over the door. Anthony quickly got up and ran to his room, tripping on everything in his way. When Anthony finally went into his room and locked it, the front door loudly broke open.
Realizing this wasn't a prank anymore, Anthony pulled out his phone and started dialing 911. Anthony heard the clown running toward his door. Anthony's phone was ringing while his heart was pounding and racing, trying to get any answer from the phone. Anthony then heard loud, vicious knocks on his door with his canonical laughs and his loud honks, making it hard to focus.
When he finally heard, "911, what's your emergency?" With a little side relief, Anthony was about to answer the operator when he heard the same classic circus music, but not from his desk but from under his bed. Anthony slowly looked at the darkness under his bed and saw a music box sliding out from under the bed.

Dear Community,
I trust this message finds you well and in good spirits.
My name is Daniel, and I am writing to you from the heartland of Oaxaca, Mexico, where we've been cultivating the wisdom and practices of traditional plant medicine. I am excited to announce that I will be journeying to New York City, carrying with me the Oaxaca Awakening Retreat experience.
From June 14th through July 10th, I will have the honor of sharing our transformative Kambo Ceremonies right from the comfort of a home setting. For those of you unfamiliar, Kambo is a powerful healing ritual involving the medicinal secretions of the Amazonian tree frog. It is a sacred rite that has provided people with profound spiritual, emotional, and physical healing.
The Oaxaca Awakening Retreat will also be available, which provides an immersive experience in plant medicine and indigenous traditions. Our aim is to guide individuals toward personal awakening and a deepened connection with nature and self.
I would be thrilled to connect with you, whether you're interested in learning more, or you already feel called to participate in our offerings. Please do not hesitate to reach out.
For more detailed information, you can visit my website: https://www.myplantmedicinejourney.com/nyc
May you have a beautiful day filled with peace and light, and I look forward to potentially meeting some of you on this journey.
In warmth and wellness, Daniel

First, allow me to say THANK YOU to all those commenting, responding, sharing your experiences and otherwise sending good wishes and wonderful vibes. I had no idea I would stike such a nerve with so many and the response has been overwhelming to say the least! Sharing my experiences here has been very therapuetic and I truly do appreciate the comments- I love the online community and there is indeed support to be found here.
Having said that, I'm also absolutely terrified! I'm not an eloquent speaker (or writer) by any stretch, and I fear that the ensuing continuation of my experience this past Sunday may be a let-down for some folks. I'm not trying to rack-up likes or faves or blue checkmarks or whatever the heck makes things work as they do on these social media sites. I tend to really ramble and sometimes my words and thoughts get the better of me, so my apologies if Part 2 isn't up to par. I'll do my best to stay focused as I write this but it may be a bit long.
Second, I really do love my Bishop and I'm not trying to paint him in any particular negative light because he really is a great guy and I consider him a friend. He is STRUGGLING to do what he thinks is right, in the name of Deity, out of a higher sense of purpose, to truly help when and where he can, with impossible mandates/expectations from higher leadership and all the while sacrificing his time and even his family to do it. He is a YES man through and through but I find NO PLEASURE watching someone devote so much and then on top of that have to deal with his own problems/anxieties/issues. And you should see the guy that's been his First Counselor the last few months! NO ONE should have to put up with that guy either! He really is a good guy, in fact all of our local leaders are fantastic people. I do think our ward and stake won Leadership Roulette with our Bishop and our Stake President, but alas, sometimes even they cannot see the forest for the trees, thus my posting this. I just wish I could've done more. So here goes..
So immediately following our Bishopric meeting this past Sunday, Bishop hurriedly dragged me into the Clerk's office to question me. I was admittedly nervous, but also thinking how long it would take before word-of-mouth spread to the rest of the ward. I have a vivid imagination and as I walked into the clerk's office, I was imagining the other members of the Bishopric texting their wives "Honey! You'll never guess what happened in Bishopric Meeting today!!" So I had a stupid grin as the Bishop began to question me. He simply asked what was up and I told him that I was going through quite a lot right now, and, of all the problems I was having that were BEYOND my control, my calling as First Counselor was something I COULD control. He asked me if there was any one particular reason why I thought I couldn't handle my calling and I told him there were several:
- I told him that our ward wasn't growing and that this was evident to me for several reasons (this becomes a very interesting if not humorous point in Part 3). Of all the units that meet in our building, ours is the only one that CLOSES the curtains to the overflow for our Sacrament Meetings. That Sacrament attendance has been steady if not in a slow decline for the last 2 years since they split our ward, and there is a clear dearth in leadership as a result. They gutted our ward and gerrymandered the boundaries just to create one additional unit. I've harped to him about this before because while we gave up half our active members and priesthood holders to 3 other units, we gained nothing but hundreds of inactive members on our roster while almost tripling the size of our ward boundaries. I mention this point specifically because it comes into play later. High Priests in our ward are few in number and finding such to fill leadership positions is a futile endeavor. This lack of priesthood holders, I think, is leading to some very desperate callings being made. Got any evidence Bro. Peabody? Yep: my very own calling. I reminded the Bishop that the Lord didn't call me, but HE did, simply out of desperation. And once Bishop realized I was having my own faith crisis, questioning so much about the church and having real serious issues about the organization HE STILL OFFERED ME THE CALLING. If that's not desperation I don't know what is.
- We average about 120 members or so attending Sacrament each week and that hasn't changed really since the Pandemic. So it's the SAME families each and every week, and yeah, the dread when I approach them to speak/pray is clearly evident. I told the Bishop I am tired of calling upon the "SAME TEN PEOPLE" each and every week.
- I have NEVER been trained as a counselor (was previously on the HC), will NEVER be trained as a counselor, and the calling as I understood it has drastically changed since I last served in a Bishopric in the mid 2000s. And the Handbook of Instructions is of NO HELP in this regard. The stake doesn't see fit to train us either and the SP and his counselors will be released this October so I doubt anything is coming down the Pike training-wise in the months ahead.
- I told Bishop that I have more than enough "duties" in my calling that I will NEVER complete/finish because the higher ups seem to think I live for this. I reminded him that while Church has been an important part of my life, Church IS NOT MY LIFE. I also reminded him that before I was set apart that I wasn't available for most of what HE thought I was responsible for, and that I was NOT the solution to his manpoweleadership problems. I agreed to do what I could, when I could but handling the Youth and supervising the Young Men were not my problem. I was trained my entire life in the Church to be a Scout Leader, and since the Church dumped the Scouting Program and all the good that went with it, I have no idea what this new youth program is about or what I am to be doing with it (see previous point about lack of training). When he reminded me that Young Men was part of my responsibilities, I reminded him once again what I agreed to before I was set apart. (I've posted this before, but it seems appropriate to again share this example of me pointing out the absurdity of some Church Leadership Decisions: Bishop was giving me the what for about how I was supposed to be doing X/Y/Z with the Young Men as part of my calling, and I told him "What you need Bishop, is to call a Young Men's President." [Very Long Pause] I continue in a very sarcastic voice while rolling my eyes- "Oh, yeah, that's right, Jesus told his One True Prophet to do away with that calling. I wonder why Jesus would do that?" If looks could kill, but he knew I was right, so I told him "Be that as it may, you CAN still call someone to do that calling, just don't call it YM President" and that's exactly what he did and the guy he called to do it is PERFECT for that role.)
- He asked me about what I would do to retain my relationship with God and Christ, and I told him it will be just like old times- that my family was left to our own selves during the Pandemic and we never felt closer to our Redeemer or Heavenly Father than during that time. Turns out Church needs us more than we need Church, and as for continuing that relationship, my faith is now on me, and will be more real than at any other time in my life, because it will be a faith through action, not just to put checkmarks into little boxes, or pass a quiz to gain entrance into an expensive white building.
- My faith crisis never went away. I may be more "mellow" as he puts it, but my life is way more chaotic then it was a few months ago. I don't sleep well, I have anxiety, I'm sure depression is part of that mix and my relationship with my wife isn't exactly the Cleaver Family ideal. Some of the things we talk about in Ward Council HAUNT ME. I mean it. I have actual nightmares about it. These are real people with real problems needing real help being discussed by people who aren't trained in such matters inviting themselves into other's problems with no real solutions and then patting themselves on the back for all the good they thought they did. WARNING: relevant true story coming. The sister missionaries in our ward were teaching a young unmarried couple. The young woman, an unemployed mother of 3 I think, really wanted to get baptized. The young man was a college student, owned the only car they had, and it obviously was a relationship of convenience. I think he had a part-time job while also trying to go to school so he was the only bread-winner of their little family. The problem of course is that this couple was COHABITATING. Gasp! They're living together, unmarried, in sin! The Sisters were advising her that in order to qualify for baptism, she would either have to marry the guy or leave him and they were leaning heavily that she should leave him. So the discussion in Ward Council was along the lines of how they could somehow convince her that this guy was nothing but trouble and she could do better, and that since they were having issues in their relationship, leaving him wasn't so bad. And right in the middle of that, in the midst of some levity of the moment I asked- "so how many kids does this mom have?" Sister missionary: 3. "And how old is the youngest?" An infant, maybe a few months old. "And who is the father of the youngest child?" This guy, the college student. And suddenly the room got very quiet. I looked at the Bishop and I said, "how does this work? In order for this young woman to be baptised, she has to leave the father of her youngest child. That poor baby will literally be orphaned from their father just so their mom can join the Church?! Where is Jesus' love in that?! And worse, since this would be a convert baptism, it falls not under the Bishop, but the local mission, so a 20 year-old Elder who has NO time invested with this woman would be making that decision, NOT the Sisters who have been working with the family. And that Elder would be looking to boost their baptism numbers at all costs, the needs of the infant to have a father in the home be damned! So she leaves the father, gets baptised and loses her only means of financial support and now it will be left up to the Church to take care of her?!" There was no more laughing in Ward Council. There were no smiles. Slowly the stupidity of the process was crossing their minds and the Sisters were slowly coming to the realization that they were breaking up a family just so one person could be baptized and a +1 added to their stats. THAT ONE CASE in Ward Council kept me up at night for the next several days, so yes, it truly HAUNTED me. Why did an infant child have to lose their real father just because their parents weren't married and the mom wanted to be baptized? It also pissed me off that I was the only idiot in the room to question the situation and what possible future outcomes could result for that child. I would like to say there was a happy ending, but, like so many other Ward Council outcomes, it will be taken up at the next meeting.
- I accepted the call more as a means of payment-in-kind for all those great and wonderful church leaders I had while in my youth, because our ward HURTS desperately for such leadership. You know, giving back and all that Jazz. And not just accept the calling but to do so knowing full well all of the problems and issues with the larger organization. I couldn't think of a better analogy but I asked Bishop if he ever believed in Santa Claus. He said he thinks he did, but it was too long ago. Did you ever write letters to Santa? Maybe. Well for me the Church is like Santa Claus. How did you feel when you realized that Santa Claus wasn't real? Multiply that horrible feeling times 250 billion (thanks Ensign Peak Advisors!) and that's where I am faith-wise. No amount of believing can bring Santa back to me, but I'm still a huge fan of Christmas- I like the smells, the food, the lights, the feelings. So I may not believe in Santa anymore, but I can still be a good elf and serve the cause of Christmas right? Mormon means "more good" and that's why I accepted the call. Bishop knew my baggage before I accepted so he was truly impressed I held it together for as long as I did, but neither of us were surprised.
- I told him I have even more issues with the Church then ever before. When my non-member neighbors, my non-member friends and my non-member co-workers are doing MORE in my community than my church, I have issues with that. When other churches in my community, with paltry resources compared to Mormon Inc., are doing more to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless and visit those in prison than my church, I have issues with that. It's never been more plain to me what Jesus taught, and what we as a church should be doing yet WE ARE NOT. I was a Stake Auditor and I know exactly what our stake spent in this community last year ($25,591.82 for a city of 270K+). I told Bishop that I would be supporting those organizations in my community with both my time and money that at least are doing things to help people here. [That dollar amount is exact for the entire year of 2022 for ALL expenditures in our Stake. So that includes re-imbursements, YW's Camp as well as all Fast Offering expenditures to help those in need. So subtract the re-imbursements and other costs and you quickly see that even LESS was spent in our stake for the poor and needy than the paltry $25Kand change would suggest.]
- He asked if I wanted to be "left alone" and what future church involvement might be and I said I wasn't sure. My wife, who has been quite content not attending church, mentioned to me recently she might want to resume attending. I told Bishop we're not asking to have our names removed, and if nothing else, we're here and available for others who will soon be questioning their faith and perhaps can be supportive about that. I got a blank double-blink from him on that one!
He asked me if he could call the Stake President, which seemed silly to me. Of course! He's gonna find out sooner or later and probably needs to know! Our SP is currently in Europe and I cannot wait to hear from/visit with him about this. I spent about 12 minutes alone with the Bishop by which time other members of the Ward Council had arrived and then we headed into our next meeting. Now I really do love my Bishop and he's the one I feel most sorry for. He has shared with me some of the issues his own family is dealing with and I remind him constantly that HIS top priority is HIS family. And I feel for the 2nd counselor too. I love these men, they are great people yet they cannot see the forest for the trees sometimes. However, the best part for me about church Sunday, and maybe even with some schadenfreude added too, came during Sacrament meeting...
- End of Part 2 -

I ordered a pair of Hoka hiking shoes on March 20. The item was not on back order when I placed the order. I didn't receive the shoes until May 13! By then I already asked for an RMA and return shipping label and found another site to buy the shoes (at a cheaper price!) since I was leaving on a long trip on May 19. As soon as I received the box from Campsaver I returned it that day. They received the return on May 17 (per UPS tracking). Campsaver's return policy is that they will issue a refund within 10 business days. 10 business days from May 17 is May 31. It is now June 6 and I still haven't received a refund. On chat with their customer service, they tell me that I will receive my refund within another 2 weeks. They had my money on March 20, and now I won't receive my refund until June 20 - so they had my money for 3 solid months. Absolutely horrendous experience.

Day trips from johnson city tn

DC Social Club