Month: August 2020

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People Share Loopholes That They Found and Took Advantage of

Some people are really good at figuring out loopholes and shortcuts.

Some of those things can be illegal and you should probably avoid them, while others are perfectly okay.

It just really depends, ya know?

But one thing is for certain: most people are going to exploit the heck out of loopholes if they happen to find them.

Let’s see what folks on AskReddit had to say.

1. Cruisin’.

“Was on a cruise ship a few years ago that had a pay-per-minute Internet policy. You’d buy like 200 minutes of wifi access for $100 or whatever crazy price it was. They had a little portal that you went to, to start and stop the timer, and tell you how much time was remaining.

I quickly realized that the timer counted by whole minutes. That is, if I started at 12:00:01, and stopped it at 12:00:58, then it counted as 0 minutes of internet use.

For the entire cruise I took advantage of this. Start the timer, fire up your internet apps like Facebook and Instagram and let your timeline and emails download, or launch a website and let it load. Stop the timer.

Browse your feed and photos and read your website and emails offline, compose posts and replies etc. Start the timer again to send/upload, stop it again within a minute.

I milked those 200 minutes for an entire 3 week cruise and still had 45 minutes left over at the end.”

2. What a deal.

“Moviepass was $10 a month and you could use it to get 1 movie ticket a day.

I lived next door to a Regal, and I went everyday because Regal would give their reward points for every ticket purchased. They didn’t care that Moviepass was paying for the tickets then giving them to me as part of my subscription.

In 8 months I spent $80 on the subscription and saw everything that came out and I racked up enough Regal rewards points for about 50 free popcorns or drinks.

Moviepass went out of business but I still had all the Regal rewards.”

3. Parking wars.

“In college there was a parking garage that charged around $2/hour. I couldn’t get a parking pass but learned the heated garage that charged $2/hour had a $20 fee for a lost ticket.

I would park my car in there for a few weeks at a time and when I had to leave would lose my ticket and be forced to pay the $20 lost ticket fee.

A parking pass was around $500 to park outside and I ended up paying around $300 in lost ticket fees to park in the heated garage.”

4. Free printing!

“When I was at university, the pay-for campus printers all worked on a system where you’d print your documents, release them at the printer, they’d print, then after they’ve finished printing, it would then contact the server to get the cost deducted from your balance.

That final step always took a while and I discovered in my first year that if I cancelled the print job as the final page was rolling out of the printer, it wouldn’t deduct the cost from my balance.

With this method I got free printing for nearly two years before they upgraded the system!”

5. OT.

“We had a situation at my old job (a huge, international company) where we’d work shifts, either 8/10/12 hours. Anything after 8 hours was overtime.

Sometimes we were scheduled for the next shift quite soon after the last one had ended, for example 05:00-12:00 and then 19:00-00:00.

Someone discovered that if there were less than 8 hours between shifts in a 24-hour period, anything after 8 hours total was paid the overtime rate.

We did it for ages and then in the context of some team chat, some twat asked one of the managers whether the above scheduling would still be feasible.

Turned out the management hadn’t even noticed and stopped it immediately. And back to minimum wage we went.”

6. Little bandits.

“When my brothers and I were 6-10 years old we found a crane candy game where you were “guaranteed to win” something.

We found a laser sensor in the area where you pick up your prize. This indicated whether or not something had dropped. So, by holding the flap door open at the bottom the sensor was never triggered so for 25 cents we nearly emptied the machine.

Thanks Red Robin!”

7. Free stuff!

“Early in the smartphone world there was an app that gave you points for watching TV shows and ads that you could turn in for gift cards or discount codes.

The rewards were not great but over time and by waiting for gift card restock you could make out like a bandit. However, the shows they wanted you to watch were not my cup of tea (a lot of prime time shows and reality shows) and I wasn’t home for a lot of them so I thought I was SOL.

Turns out, the app had a grace period where if you had recorded the show on your TV you could still get credit, so I just pirated the shows and set my phone up to “watch” them while I did something else. Then I realized it only listened for about 2 minutes before it gave you credit so I was able to get through the log of shows in about 40 minutes and make a killing.

Because of that app I was able to get a kitchen aid stand mixer, a smoker and a bunch of other stuff because of the gift cards.”

8. Bring on the pizza!

“I bought a card once for $10 that had 16 coupons for a BOGO pizza from Dominos. They were little stickers that you were supposed to pull off and hand in when using them, but they never asked for the stickers.

They also didn’t have an expiration on them. They also didn’t tell anyone it was supposed to be one per order.

We’d order 8 pizzas at a time, used them for two years. Thousands of dollars of free pizza really help when you’re a broke college kid.”

9. A good promo.

“Several years ago AT&T was running a trade-in promotion increasing the value of old iPhones way beyond what they were selling for on eBay/ CL at the time.

This promo thankfully wasn’t bundled to a new phone purchase and could be done on any active line of service with AT&T – so no limits on phone trade-ins.

I ended up buying 31 old iPhone 4s for about $70 each on eBay and trading them all in to AT&T on promotion for $200. Worked out to $6200 in AT&T credits (got myself 2 iPads, a 2 new iPhones at the time, and enough of a credit on my bill I didn’t pay for cell phone service for almost 2 years).

I really miss this type of promotion!!”

10. Thief!

“I remember being young and going to Chuck E. Cheese.

When you were pulling your tickets out, if you found this sweet spot  then you could just keep pulling the tickets out.

My mom had a hard time figuring out how I got 10,000 tickets in under an hour.”

11. Smart move.

“Right out of college I worked a job that had a 100% match to any retirement contributions.

I was young, lived rent free with my parents, had no student debt, and could grab OT nearly every week. After some budgeting I figured I could throw 80% of my paycheck into retirement.

I did so for 9 months until my supervisor called me into the office to sign a policy change that limited retirement contributions to 50%. I’d stashed away nearly $35,000 on about a ~$32,000 annual pay.

I had no life for about a year, but d*mn if it didn’t jump start my retirement.”

12. Infinite burgers.

“The local Wendy’s had a survey on the back of their receipt that would get you one free burger of your choice with the purchase of any other “premium” burger.

They also had a special on where the Dave’s classic single, considered a premium burger, was $2.

There was no specification that the free burger had to be “Of equal or lower value”.

The first time I didn’t even make a purchase, just went into the store, found a receipt near the garbage, filled out the survey, got my code, and then ordered their Asiago cheese chicken burger (their most expensive item) with a Dave’s Single. 2 burgers for $2.

Then of course I had a receipt for that purchase, which lead to infinite $2 for 2 burger deals.”

13. Long lunches.

“Not sure if it’s a loophole but I’m currently remoting in from home to work because of COVID.

Since I’m salary I don’t log in or submit a time card. Instead they require all employees (hourly or salary) to log in on Skype so they can track how long you’re online.

Except that they didn’t disable the settings so I have my status remain “Available” for 20 minutes of inactivity so I can take 50 minute lunches and not get docked for it.”

14. Whoa!

“I lived near a casino that would let you get chips using your credit card.

I liked some if the show’s and restaurants there but never gambled. So every time I went I’d charge $5K to my credit card for chips.

Then I’d cash out at a different teller swing by the bank on the way home deposit the money and pay off my credit card. I did this maybe once a week.

Boom $5K of free points / cash back.”

15. Loophole or crime?

“Idk if it was so much a loophole as a crime, but in my defense, I like money

So, it’s 2009, summertime, and a new water park in Florida called Aquatica had opened up. In those days, they had two kinds of lockers; small lockers for $5 and large ones for $10. Both were unlocked by keys, and if you brought back the keys for the large lockers, you’d get $5 back.

Now, another thing you need to know so that there was a river that was basically the opposite of a lazy river. It had jets along the wall that pushed the current of the water to the point that it was difficult for even grown adults to stand in place. This also meant that whatever you put in your pockets, would get pushed out by the current.

So, my cousin and I would use swimming goggles and we’d find the neon orange keys, and we’d stagger which one of us would go turn the keys in and we’d space it out as well to ensure the employees handling the keys wouldn’t recognize us.

We’d go, turn in the keys, get $5 back, and f*ck off for about a half hour before coming back to turn in some more. Between that and the cash we’d find in the river and other pools in the park (sometimes it was just free floating quarters and mother times it was actual bills), we never had to actually pay for anything with our own money.

My dad would give us money each day so we could get this little arm band thing that would let us eat as much as we wanted from any of the three restaurants in the park, but we’d find so much money each day that even after spending that money, we’d still have some left over plus the money that my dad gave us. We weren’t so much having a vacation as we were doing a job that entailed finding money and keys, and turning in the keys for money.

We did this nearly every single day for the entire summer. From 9am to 6pm most days that we were there, sometimes until the park closed around 9pm.

I spent my money on video games and idk what my cousin spent his fortune on but knowing him, it was probably designer clothes

I always love telling this story and I haven’t had the chance to in a long time.”

Those are pretty interesting, don’t you think?

How about you?

Have you ever uncovered any useful loopholes?

If so, please tell us about them in the comments!

The post People Share Loopholes That They Found and Took Advantage of appeared first on UberFacts.

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5 Ways You Can Convince Your Child That Baths Are the Best

I don’t have trouble convincing my kids to take a bath or a shower. That said, they’re only 3.5 and 1.5, so I’m sure that day is coming…

I know people whose children hate or fight a bath, though, and I imagine that’s got to be a tough one. We hate to tell our children what to do with their bodies, but then again, we also hate to live in dirt, filth, and stink.

If you’re struggling with bath time, here are 5 tips for getting your kid to actually enjoying getting clean.

5. A Fun Playlist

My kids and husband (who does most baths/showers) have music they love to listen to and sing along with while they’re scrubbing and splashing. If your kid loves music, try putting together a playlist of favorites, or bath-specific tunes.

Here’s a suggestion, but feel free to tailor it to your little one’s likes!

4. Bath Crayons

Kids love drawing on things they’re not supposed to, and they don’t have to know the bath isn’t off-limits! You can make your own, too, if you don’t love the chemicals in the store-bought ones (that you know will make their way into a mouth at least once).

3. Toys and Games

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You can buy bath toys and games, but you can also grab things from your kitchen (a strainer and baster are both popular here) and let them go to town, too – try keeping some toys that are “just for the bath” to encourage them to get excited about hopping in!

2. A Bath Visor

If the reason your kid isn’t keen on getting clean is that he or she hates getting water in their wyes, grab a visor to keep their peepers dry.

Always have a dry towel handy, too, so you can quickly wipe dry any errant dribbles.

1. A Fun Robe

There are two benefits to buying your kid a robe. First, if you get one that’s based on a television series they love (our Paw Patrol robe has been well-loved through two boys), they could be excited to wear it “only after a bath.”

Second, babies look adorable in robes, guys.

Make the after-bath a fun ritual and the first part might not seem so painful.

Definitely putting these in my back pocket!

Have you tried any of these? Do you have tricks of your own? Share with us in the comments!

The post 5 Ways You Can Convince Your Child That Baths Are the Best appeared first on UberFacts.

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James Cordon’s 3-Minute Sing Along With ‘The Muppets’ Is Pretty Great

Most people have spent some time on the classic children’s series The Muppets. For my generation it was The Muppet Babies, a show my own children are getting into these days, and their recent revival in movies for adults has been a charming walk through our youths.

Celebrities are getting into it, too, grabbing chances to appear with The Muppets when they can, and James Cordon did just that when he invited some of them onto his show.

After Statler and Waldorf – the two grumpy old men from The Muppets – showed on on James Cordon’s late show to drag his monologue jokes, we’re sure that the Muppets aren’t big fans of the television hosts comedy.

The two heckle him over a video call until Kermit and Fozzie show up, presumably to rescue the human, but end up panning all of the jokes, too.

It’s worth a watch.

Image Credit: YouTube

Even if the crew isn’t into Cordon’s comedy, their newest video together seems to suggest they do rather enjoy his singing.

Or maybe they just like singalongs?

Either way, we’re glad for it, because him, Reggie Watts, and the house band singing along with the Muppets to the Beatles’ “With a Little Help From My Friends” is charming and delightful.

Image Credit: YouTube

Yes, all three minutes of it.

Go ahead and watch it, because you know you want to.

Keep the tab open, too, because the chances are high that you’re going to want a smile sooner rather than later.

You’re welcome!

The post James Cordon’s 3-Minute Sing Along With ‘The Muppets’ Is Pretty Great appeared first on UberFacts.

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People Share the Gifts That They Think Last a Lifetime

When looking for a present for a friend or a family member, it’s important to try to find something that will last a long time…or hopefully even a lifetime.

But that can be tough, right?

Luckily for us, a whole bunch of people weighed in online about gifts that they think will last a lifetime, so keep these in mind next time you’re looking for a gift for your loved ones.

Let’s see what folks on AskReddit had to say.

1. A good knife.

“A really good knife. Shun or Wusthof.

It’s safer to have a sharp, well-made knife. It makes cutting unimaginably easier.

200-300 dollars and you have the only knife you will ever need.”

2. Great memories.

“I keep all handwritten cards from birthday/Christmas/ any occasion gifts.

I’ve had a bunch from relatives that have passed away and I always love looking at them.”

3. A reminder.

“My best friend of 5 years (now boyfriend/baby daddy) made me a bracelet when we first started dating and I haven’t taken it off since.

Every time I see it I remember him excitedly giving it to me and tying it around my wrist, it’s hanging by a thread now and I’m gonna cry when it finally gives out.”

4. They won’t forget.

“An act of kindness toward someone.

They will always remember.”

5. Quality.

“Jewelry.

But like quality stuff, real silver or gold. I still have the jewelry from my great grandmother and my grandmother, it will last more than a lifetime if you care for it.”

6. Good idea!

“I was given a check to pay for Lasik eye surgery for Christmas.

That was probably the most amazing gift I’ve ever received, surgery is a month away!

Can’t wait, I haven’t seen clearly since I was in elementary school.”

7. Life lessons.

“Goes with “teach a man to fish.”

The gift would probably be experience or teaching someone how to do something that can help them in life.”

8. They last forever.

“A cast iron skillet.

It may oxidize, but it’s possible to clean it off and restore it. It will last more than a lifetime.”

9. A rifle.

“A good hunting rifle.

I have my father’s that was given to him by his father and it has put food on the table throughout his life and mine.

I have no sons or daughters, so, it will pass to my firstborn nephew.”

10. Memorable experiences.

“Any kind of experience, like a book, movie, videogame, or some kind of adventure.

Though if you ment something more tangible, consider a good watch, pocket knife, missing tools to an existing hobby, a good chefs knife, a cast iron skillet, Gold or platnium jewelry, A metal flask or refillable lighter (if appropriate).

Most of these things are more a matter of maintenance without becoming a white elephant kinds of thing.”

11. Travel the world.

“If you’ve got the money, travel.

Give someone the gift of travel. I always save up for this because it never feels like a waste to experience new cultures and see new places and I have the best memories of my time spent there.

Or a tree, plant a tree for someone.”

12. Photographs and memories.

“Honestly, a thoughtful photo collage.

A keepsake full of memorable photos of the two of you showing you both at that time in your lives is so beautiful.”

13. Homemade.

“A mug or an everyday object you made for him/her/them.

I made a cup for my mom when I was 7 and she still uses it.”

14. Very important.

“Friendship

Costs nothing, but is worth everything

Weighs nothing, but lasts a lifetime

Something one person can’t own, but two people can share.”

Now we want to hear from you!

In the comments, tell us what gifts you think last a lifetime.

Please and thank you!

The post People Share the Gifts That They Think Last a Lifetime appeared first on UberFacts.

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What Gifts Last an Entire Lifetime? Here’s How People Responded.

It can be hard to pick out good gifts for friends and family members.

Will they like them? Will they HATE them? Will they use them once and toss them in the trash?

That’s why it’s important to go for longevity, people.

What gifts last a whole lifetime?

Here are some interesting answers from AskReddit users.

1. Plant a tree.

“As silly as it may sound (and it needs space): a tree.

We were given a small lemon-tree ages ago, and each year got so many good lemons.

A lemon-tree lives for about 50 years, so not necessarily a lifetime, but you get the idea ;-).”

2. Good choice.

“Cast Iron skillet.

The cast iron skillet I used to make eggs on this morning was my great grandfathers and I believe he got it some time in 1920 or so. I’m kinda old, so do the math.”

3. Simple, yet effective.

“A high quality can opener

I’ve had the same can opener for something like 25 years and it shows no signs of wear.”

4. Start peelin’!

“I was gifted a $30-35 vegetable peeler and it is light years better than any cheap peeler I’ve owned.

Peels anything easily and after a few years it is as good as new. I plan to slowly replace all the metal gadgets in my kitchen with high quality ones now.”

5. I have a very old one, too.

“I’ve had my great grand father’s dresser since I was born.

So I guess that thing has lasted 4 generations now.”

6. Be smart with that money.

“Honestly, teaching someone financial responsibility.

When I was 18, someone gifted me a class. I thought what a terrible fucking gift. I’m nearing 24 now, and never been more grateful to that person.”

7. Yes!

“If they’re a reader, a good book.

They may only read it once, but the lessons and feelings of the journey will stay with them.

If they’re not a reader, still a good book is a good choice, just try to make it one they have a strong inherent interest in from the get-go.”

8. Important.

“Debt-free education.

Was lucky to have a single mom that somehow supported me all the way through college. Cue multiple offers upon graduating, i had the power to walk away from any offer as there was no pressure to repay any loans.

It gives you the confidence to play hardball in the interview, which vastly improves your prospects.”

9. Knives out.

“A good knife.

It doesn’t matter what type of knife it is or what its intended purpose is, be it a filleting knife for fishing, a blade on an expensive high quality multi-tool, a hunting knife, a (functional) decorative knife, a high quality kitchen knife or whatever else.

A good, high quality blade – with proper care and maintenance – will last a lifetime.”

10. Learn to cook.

“Teaching someone the basics of cooking!

Teaching myself to make eggs was the first step in my culinary adventure that started when I was a kid and is still continuing today. I taught my younger siblings how to cook basics like eggs and pasta and they’ve only improved since.

My gf couldn’t even turn on the stove when we got together (super spoiled kid growing up) so when she finally learned how, the first thing I taught her was scrambled eggs. She makes full, delicious meals now.”

11. Use it wisely.

“Your time. You will never get it back, no refunds, no replenishing your “time bar”.

You spend it, it’s gone.”

12. Timepieces.

“A good watch!

Something you can pass on generation to generation.

I have my grandfather’s pocket watch. It was made in 1912.”

13. Light my fire.

“A zippo lighter.

Even for non-smokers, it’s a cool gift that has tons of uses!

Some of the most resilient things I’ve ever seen.

I’ve seen so many Vietnam-era zippos that still work it’s insane.”

14. A real gift.

“Friendships.

You’ll never know if a simple hello can turn into a life long friendship, maybe even companionship.”

15. The most important thing.

“Love. Especially growing up with it.

It really changes the way you see the world and how you treat others. My boyfriend came from a lovely family who care for him (and I) immensely.

My family? Talk shit all the time, say rude things, and didn’t give me all that much affection. He’s confident, aware of emotions and them being valid, and lacks anxiety issues. I’m self conscious, feel guilty for showing certain emotions, and have bad anxiety issues.

Love really does impact people, and its never to late to show it.”

How about you?

What gifts do you think last a lifetime?

Talk to us in the comments!

The post What Gifts Last an Entire Lifetime? Here’s How People Responded. appeared first on UberFacts.

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These Insects Preserved in Amber Are Still Glowing Nearly 100 Million Years Later

Scientists can learn so much from studying fossils. But these precious pieces of preserved life still leave us those science sleuths with many unanswered questions.

For example, scientists can’t tell what color an animal was based on just a fossil. Luckily, though, there are exceptional cases that do allow scientists to glean more information than what happens in most cases.

Photo Credit: NIGPAS

Recently, a team of researchers at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology published a paper in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. And in doing so, the group successfully identified the true colors of three ancient insects that have been preserved in amber.

Incredibly, the insects have been on Earth for quite some time—99 million years to be exact (kind of). By staying preserved in amber, scientists have been able to see their true color, which certainly represents a rarity in the field of fossils.

James Lamsdell, a University of West Virginia paleobiologist who was not involved in the research, said…

“The way that the color is preserved in these things is really remarkable.

There have been reports of color in the fossil record before, but often what we’re looking at is not the true color, because it’s been changed by the fossilization process.”

Though in some cases finding the true color proved difficult, Lamsdell explained that scientists can gather clues from the cellular structure of the exoskeleton and extrapolate what the color most likely was.

Photo Credit: NIGPAS

However, in this case, after polishing the amber off the specimens, scientists could see blue, green, and purple colors when viewing the insects.

While the discovery certainly deserves attention, it also brought up a potential downside. Because amber comes from the sap produced by trees in Myanmar’s Kachin state, that means harvesting amber has become a lucrative business that can have a negative effect on the environment.

Photo Credit: NIGPAS

Perhaps in showcasing these awe-inspiring insects, scientists have also shed light on the potential dangers of amber harvesting.

Have you ever taken a look at fossils back in science class or at a museum? What interests you in learning about ancient animals? Tell us more in the comments below!

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People Share the Best and Worst Advice They Got From Therapists

Therapists are paid to give us advice and help us out.

Hopefully, that advice is good and it improves our lives, but it doesn’t always work out that way.

Hey, they’re only human, too, so I guess sometimes they just get sidetracked and dish out bad advice on occasion, as well.

Want to hear some good AND bad advice that people received from their therapists?

Here’s what AskReddit users had to say.

1. That’s reassuring.

“My psychologist told me as a 16 year old that I will never recover and that I should prepare for a struggling life.”

2. Good enough.

“I was in hospital after having had a suspected miscarriage of a very much wanted child. The hospital knew about my mental health history so they wouldn’t release me without having spoken to a psychiatrist.

It was Sunday morning so the dude wasn’t on site, so I’m lying in a hospital bed and they bring in a phone and the psych is on the other end. I say hello and he says “so I’ve heard you had a miscarriage”.

Me – “well that’s what they think, it’s not certain yet but…”

Psych – “So are you going to kill yourself if we send you home?”

I was like, what the fuck? No empathy or “how are you feeling about this” or “do you have loved ones at home”. Just, like, let us know if you’re killing yourself or not.

I said “I’m not sure. Probably not”.

Apparently that was good enough and they sent me home an hour later.”

3. That’ll fix it!

“I had a religious therapist once tell me I just needed more water to solve my depression.

She concluded this by having me hold out my arms and she tested the strength of each one by pushing down on it and I had to resist against it.

Looking back I should have told her it was BS but I was so caught off guard i was just like, well ok I’ll have some more water.”

4. A pivotal moment.

“I had a psychologist that I was only occasionally seeing at the start of my mental health decline (not his doing, but the help I needed then was more then the once a week meetings could fix).

He had such patience with me and my fear of never getting “over” my anxiety and depression.

He looked at me on our 3rd session and told me straightforward “what if you don’t get better? What if you have this all your life? Why not try to work with it and learn to manage rather than fight it?”

And that really was a pivotal moment on self acceptance for what was going on with me, that this isn’t going to go away like I want it too.

It caught me by surprise, because I was so angry at myself for being depressed, I didn’t think to just accept it.

I’ve been through different programs, doctors and hospitals since, but his words really stuck with me.”

5. Can’t help you.

“”There’s nothing I can do for you. Your problems are untreatable.”

I was 11. The honesty is now appreciated, but at the time it was so traumatic that I repressed the memory of hearing that and acted out so horribly that Toronto health care people have seen me as The Enemy ever since then.”

6. Great…

“I had a Psychologist lean in sort of conspiratorially and ask if I was a spiritual person.

I replied yes and she proceeded to tell me that upon hearing the traumas I’d been through she wanted me to know that I was probably from a cursed bloodline and that I could talk to people from her church about it if I wanted to find out more about it.”

7. Don’t cry.

“I went to a psychologist for a little while for my anxiety and it was clear he wasn’t right for me (much, much older than I was, never let me speak, always changed topics, etc) so I was planning on finding a different person to talk to.

But the kicker was went I was talking about my mother and started crying. To preface, he was big on rationality and staying rational (which is an understandable thing if you’re trying to help with anxiety but he did it in all the wrong ways).

I started crying, and this grown ass man looked at me and said something I will never forget with utmost seriousness.

“Don’t cry. Crying is an irrational response.”

Went through the rest of the session feeling like shit and never went back.”

8. You’re right!

“I had explained to my psychologist how I felt really bad about not wanting to go out on another date with this guy. Felt really bad, guilty, everything.

He looked at me and said ” Well why dont you fucking marry him?”. I just sat open eyed and then laughed, and said “wow, your right…” and never thought about that again. So now, whenever i feel bad about something inconsequential or little I think back to his words haha.

My psychologist was amazing though and I always valued his bluntness as that was usually the best way to get through to me.”

9. Family counseling.

“My mom got family counseling with me (her son) and her and after she had her ten minutes alone with the counselor she called me in for my ten and she told me something I’ll never forget “ya just go live with your dad”(parents were divorced) and so I did and I haven’t had a problem since.”

10. You can leave.

“I was depressed as all hell my first semester of college, and told my therapist about wanting to injure myself or half-ass a suicide attempt so people would take me seriously when I told them I was caving under pressure.

Described the all-nighters, 70+ hours of studio work, cutthroat competition, pressure to perform, vindictive professors. Lamented that this was “the thing to do” after high school and I had to stay on track.

She told me I could leave.

That had never occurred to me. I packed some essentials and drove home that night. I checked into a mental health facility just past midnight.”

11. A wakeup call.

“I had an eating disorder that I lied to myself about and considered just ‘disordered eating’.

Anyway, the self delusion ran deep. I also believed my therapist was an eating disorder specialist. When I moved from the city I was living in, to the city I’m in now, we were wrapping up our final session and when I asked what she used as my diagnostic code, she told me she was treating me for an eating disorder.

I was shocked; but I said I knew she was an eating disorder specialist. She then told me she’s not, she’s a drug and family therapist. Long story short, i was totally deluded and had my entirely own narrative.”

12. Not cool.

“I had a therapist call me an underachiever.

As he sat and talked about all the great things his son of the same age had done. Which was not really much of anything. What a Dick, that shit sticks with you.

I need freaking therapy for going in talking to a therapist.”

13. No longer blind.

“I was 27 before it was brought to my attention that I have debilitating self loathing and I dont like myself.

Legit, I was totally blind to it.”

14. The last straw.

“A psychologist I visited briefly (to treat anxiety and depression) began telling me really personal details about other clients and their sessions.

And not vague stuff, more like “he was hearing voices and the voices said they wanted him to kill me [psychologist] and that was extra scary because he is the owner of [local NFL team]!! Isn’t that scary??” Or “she was addicted to cocaine and cheating on her husband, who is the owner of [local mall chain].”

I grew increasingly uncomfortable with these personal anecdotes, and they began to take up larger and larger chunks of our sessions. By the end there, I would have to interrupt her to redirect her back to MY issues. I was paying her to help me address them, after all.

The last straw was when she left the office for over 15 minutes to go eat lunch, then charged me for a full session.

I confronted her, saying I didn’t want to hear these private and confidential stories anymore, and that I would prefer to stay focused on my issues during our sessions, as I was hoping she could teach me how to work through them (crazy, right?)

She immediately raised her voice at me and tried to tell me I was imagining the whole thing and having some sort of delusion (an issue I’ve never been diagnosed with or struggled with).

Then she backpedaled and tried to say that all those stories had been from HER imagination, meant to benefit me. I pointed out the contradiction and expressed that I didn’t want to spend large chunks of our sessions talking about people in her personal life, imaginary or otherwise.

That’s when she cracked up and told me that I wasn’t “worthy” of someone with her talents, and could never hope to achieve mental health.

I walked out and haven’t been back to therapy since. Got into a supportive community, and they helped me heal, WITHOUT gaslighting me or breaking confidentiality.”

15. Surreal.

“I tried to see a therapist for some light-to-moderate incest-based trauma, and chose the wrongest shrink.

I didn’t exactly do my research: I picked the closest therapist to my office, that my insurance covered; it was billed as generic family therapy – “Perfect, I thought!” And booked an appointment for immediately after work.

When I walked up to the front door, I noticed that it said “Christian Marriage and Family Therapy”. I was immediately uncomfortable, but I was trying to be more open-minded towards those with a religious bent, and figured that as long as they could do their job; their religion was no concern of mine!

I explained to the gent, manning the desk that I wanted to talk about some mildly disturbing experiences, and I wasn’t religious, or even aware that I had booked an appointment at a religious clinic. He was very kind and explained that he helped all sorts of people, and had heard it all. Then he lead me to the therapy office, which consisted of a very large chair, a tiny rickety footstool, and wall-to-wall racks of tapes. I told him about a traumatic experience that had happened days previously, and his reaction shocked me. My therapist:

cried; he at me through watery eyes and said “I don’t know what to say…”

tried to convince me that I wanted to have kids some day and that only him resolving my trauma would help me be the best mother I could be. I still don’t want kids, so that was confusing

Expressed a relentless interest in trying past-life regression and/or hypnotherapy. I point-blank asked him: “wasn’t that proven to be ineffective in the 70’s?” And he assured me that he had been a part of a lot experiments and tests in the 70’s; and this was the real deal!

the last thing he said to me, after I told him I didn’t want to have another appointment, was to rub his hands together and say “Wouldn’t it be great to get into that head of yours; like a steel-trap!”

To date, this was one of the most surreal things that has ever happened to me.”

How about you?

What’s the best or worst thing you’ve ever heard from a therapist?

Talk to us in the comments, please!

The post People Share the Best and Worst Advice They Got From Therapists appeared first on UberFacts.

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A Girl on TikTok Reimagined ‘Twilight’ as If Bella Was a Regular Teen

You probably remember the Twilight movies, obviously based on the book series by Stephenie Meyer. The books and films are known for being a little extra. Which makes sense, considering the core plotline is that a family of vampires lives in a quiet town in the Pacific Northwest and a human girl is in love with one of them.

Plus, all the vampires glitter!

One of the funniest parts of Twilight is how wildly and fully the girl at the center of the story, Bella, throws herself into a relationship with Edward Cullen, the vampire she’s in love with. While she is portraying a teen girl, Bella definitely doesn’t have her head on straight.

That’s what makes this series of TikToks from seventeen-year-old Olivia Henry so funny. Olivia has reimagined the series as if Bella responded to Edward the way any regular teen would.

In part one, Bella meets Edward and is politely… confused.

@boogiewoogie99

@sherrnerr894’s vids inspired me to make my own, I had fun with this #twilight #bellaswan #edwardcullen #twihard #fyp #thecullens

♬ original sound – boogiewoogie99

Olivia also recreates the all-important scene when Edward reveals he is, in fact, a vampire.

But instead of being super into Edward’s troubling habit of whisper-speaking everything, Olivia’s version of Bella is distinctly uncomfortable.

The best part is that her reaction to some of the dialogue is absolutely spot-on.

@boogiewoogie99

Here’s Part 3! ? One of the most iconic scenes #twilight #twihard #edwardcullen #bellaswan #fyp #humour #thecullens

♬ original sound – boogiewoogie99

Olivia also took it upon herself to recreate the scene where Bella and Edward are lying together in a field.

Anyone who has ever done something similar knows that it’s not always quite as romantic as it might look, which Olivia definitely addresses.

@boogiewoogie99

Here’s Part 4!! New Moon is coming soon ? #twilight #twihard #edwardcullen #bellaswan #thecullens #fyp #humor

♬ original sound – boogiewoogie99

Olivia is actually a big fan of the series herself, and you can tell she’s really enjoying putting these TikToks together.

Definitely make sure this pure art with your Twilight-loving friends.

Which part was your favorite? Let us know in the comments!

The post A Girl on TikTok Reimagined ‘Twilight’ as If Bella Was a Regular Teen appeared first on UberFacts.

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People Talk About the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Advice They’ve Heard From Their Therapists

Even if you don’t think you necessarily need any therapy, you should go at least a couple of times to give it a shot.

You never know what advice could potentially give you a new outlook on life…

But that doesn’t mean it’ll all be good. Not by a longshot. Therapists dish out all kinds of advice and it runs the spectrum from great to awful.

Let’s dig into these answers from AskReddit users.

1. Are you awake yet?

“When I was in first or second grade, the school counselor fell asleep when I was describing a bullying situation that I was in.

I was so young that I didn’t know how to respond, so I just sat there in his office until he woke up.”

2. That was helpful!

“Was talking to my school counselor about some mental health issues and told him that I like playing card games to take my mind off of it.

The man literally opens his cabinet and pulls out a briefcase full of Yugioh cards (I’m a massive nerd) and says “Sooooooo….. wanna play” ?

Don’t get me wrong but this guy had a lumberjack beard, was fit and looked more like a athlete than a counselor so I was shocked. Got over my problems and played every Wednesday against him!”

3. Can we talk about me?

“I paid and sat through an entire session of therapy during which my therapist ranted as to how great of a career he could have had as a stand up comedian and how much he regrets his current profession.

I kinda agreed with him near the end.”

4. Got it all figured out.

“I had a therapist tell me when I was a teenager that she didn’t know what else to do to help me because it seemed like I already understood everything pretty well.

This was after my overbearing and crazy helicopter mom dragged me in for being depressed. Then she switched to therapy-ing my mom and my mom quickly was in tears because she has the emotional strength of a child and wanted it to be about me when it was actually all about her.

I knew exactly why I was depressed. I was stuck by myself in the middle of nowhere with her crazy ass. No personal space, no ability to get away, not being able to say no, her getting jealous of my friends when I spent time with them. It would make anyone depressed.

She didn’t even let me sit with the therapist by myself.”

5. Go to the ER!

“My therapist once abruptly ended our session after telling me I needed to go to the ER.

I had been in a car accident the day before and had an undiagnosed concussion that was pretty bad. I was so out of it I didn’t even realize I was out of it.

He later told me I was talking about inappropriate topics (I was so embarrassed I didn’t ask what I specifically talked about–i didn’t want to know at that point) and wasn’t making much sense.

I’m just glad he recognized I was off that day and helped me get to the hospital.”

6. Uhhhhh, weird.

“First time I saw a counselor, he was looking over my paperwork and said he could tell from my handwriting the I was good in bed. I kid you not.

I was so caught off guard all I could say was “uh, I think I am.”

So young and not assertive at all. Found out he got in trouble for an inappropriate relationship with a client.

But it really screwed me up for a bit him saying that because I have problems setting boundaries with men.”

7. Good advice.

“She said, “You don’t HAVE to forgive someone, especially when they were so cruel and are not sorry.”

Shocked the hell out of me as every therapist before that tried to get me to forgive, but I can’t.

I live with it and I don’t think forgiving them would bring me any kind of peace.”

8. End on a high note.

“My therapist and I would end every appointment with a discussion of the latest Game of Thrones while it was airing, a great way to end things.

Even the shitty end of the show got plenty of lighthearted ribbing. It was great bc it wasn’t too personal and after talking about sex abuse for an hour I could leave without being such a sad sack.”

9. Sibling rivalry.

“I was in my second ever session, which coincidentally was right after my nans funeral.

I was talking about some stuff that had happened with my sister (who I had already said was probably my biggest issue) and he asked ‘why is this person in your life?

Why do you want to continue a relationship that hurts you so much? Do you actually want this relationship?’

I was floored. It had never occurred to me that my sister didn’t get a place in my life by default because family. I cant tell you how much this improved my life.”

10. PTSD.

“I’ll never forget my first day of therapy.

My therapist asked me if I had ever been abused as a child. I replied, “No, I had a normal childhood. I had everything I needed- food, shelter… I mean, my mother slapped me and would tell me to kill myself, and my dad would drag me by the hair everywhere and pull my hair out… but no, nothing abusive or anything.”

There was at least 30 seconds of dead air between us as I watched her blink while trying to figure out how to respond to what I said.

Eventually she put down her file, crossed her legs and said, “My dear, that IS abuse.” My world came crashing down all around me at that moment.

For so many years I had buried my feelings about what they’d done so deeply that I’d managed to convince myself that what they’d done wasn’t wrong.

Less than a year later I was diagnosed with PTSD and panic disorder from the trauma, and I cut off all communication with my parents.”

11. Me, too!

“My most recent therapist experience lasted for 2 sessions only. Both times, every time I’d discuss an issue i was having, my therapist would say, “OMG me too!”

Like, I’m here for you help me. If you’re just gonna say that I can have this conversation on my own.

The last session the therapist said, “if we met outside of this scenario we’d be really good friends.”

That was it for me.”

12. True, but…

“During my first and only session with a particularly memorable child psychologist, he referred to me as a “miserable bitch”.

It was true, but he didn’t have to call me out like that.”

13. A good tip.

“Had a therapist tell me to make a fuck budget. Hear me out lol!

He said you only have so many fucks to give before you blow, so just like with money you need to budget it out, start with things you have to give a fuck about, kids, work, health and then cross the things you dislike giving a fuck about, like people’s opinion of what you wear, off the list and don’t give a fuck about that shit!

This was an older gentleman who was cool but for the most part very well spoken and didn’t cuss. Hearing him say I needed to stop spreading my fucks so far made me die of laughter and immediately feel better.

To this day I still have a fuck budget that I do every month religiously and it has taken so much stress off my shoulders.”

14. Gee, thanks a lot.

“When I was in high school I was hospitalized for being suicidal.

My doctor there told me some really brilliant advice that totally cleared things up for me, basically just fixing me on the spot:

“You just have to be a normal boy”.

Lol.”

15. You’re too happy!

“I had been suicidal every day for over a year.

When I was 14/15 I started seeing my first therapist. After a few sessions she told me I was “too happy” to be in therapy and kicked me out. And it messed me up a lot lol.”

16. This is bad.

“Went to a psychologist when I was probably 13, I had depression, anxiety, and an eating disorder and they often manifested in bad panic attacks and anger.

After seeing him a few times and telling him everything, he brought my parents into the room and proceeded to tell them that I was fine, I was just angry at my parents and seeking attention. I tried protesting and explaining myself but he refused to listen and tried arguing with me.

Needless to say, I never went back there and my parents took me to a new psychologist. It definitely fucked me up a lot, and even thinking about it makes me angry.”

Have you ever had a particularly interesting session with a therapist?

If so, please tell us all about it in the comments.

Thanks in advance!

The post People Talk About the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Advice They’ve Heard From Their Therapists appeared first on UberFacts.

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People Tell Their Stories About Making a Lot of Money by Sheer Randomness

Some people just have all the luck…

You can work your ass off your whole life and barely have two dimes to rub together, and then some schmuck makes a fortune totally randomly.

That’s life, huh?

You’re about to read about folks who made a lot of cash through totally random circumstances.

Let’s take a look at these stories from AskReddit users.

1. Bitcoin.

“Forgot I had 11.something bitcoins from back in the day leftover from buying “pizza”. Tried to set up a new account to invest in bitcoin since I’d used it before and saw I already had an account.

Logged in and WOW!! Sold it all and made like $7k.

Imagine the feeling knowing it would eventually reach $20k per coin.”

2. Business trip.

“I was on a business trip that passed through Lake Tahoe. Three people in one hotel room, so I went down to the casino to get some space. Couldn’t find a blackjack table to lose my $100 at, so I sat down at a Wheel of Fortune slot machine instead.

Ten minutes later, I’m absent-mindedly pressing the spin max bet and hit the progressive jackpot.

$1.1 million. Its the sort of thing you assume never happens, but it did. Took a lump payment of $690k, which after I pay taxes next week will end up being about $390k. I quickly got a financial advisor, bought my car, now own a couple investment properties, and bought my now-wife her ring! Everything else is quite literally the exact same, except I have an epic story to tell to strangers on reddit.”

3. A fat check.

“I got into a car accident on my way home from dropping my son off to his mom. I’m grateful that that’s when it happened, and not while he was in the car.

Dude in a company truck blew a stop sign and creamed the shit out of me, breaking my arm, and giving me a concussion. Well, a few months later, after I had almost entirely healed, I got a fat ass check for 70 grand.”

4. On a whim.

“I made a reaction GIF and posted it on Imgur/GFYCat, I got a message randomly months later asking if I had made it because they wanted to license it.

It ended up being used in a NIKE commercial & they paid me pretty handsomely for something I did on a whim.”

5. The funky bus.

“1999, Living in a school bus with 8 of my friends, traveling down the California coast.

The bus started to smell pretty funky so we stopped to collect eucalyptus nuts to make it smell better. Found a roll of cash under a tree.

Took it back to the bus, it was $3050.”

6. Stocks.

“Got lucky on my first career job which paid me peanuts 40k.

Company did exceptionally well. I was living at home at the time so I invested my earnings on the company stock.

My 12k turned into 230k in 1.5 years.”

7. Family money.

“Inheritance.

I’m sort of surprised there aren’t more inheritance stories in here. I got some money and land from my grandfather when I was 21. I invested it and I’ve never worried about money my entire adult life because I know I can pull that out in an emergency.”

8. Sugar daddy.

“I was working as a stripper for a while.

One night, I approached an older man, who looked like a regular joe. Turned out, he was actually very wealthy and he became my long-term sugar daddy. I stopped stripping shortly after meeting him.

He’s not J. Howard Marshall rich, but I’m living a very comfortable lifestyle and I don’t have to worry about working or paying bills.”

9. You just never know…

“I randomly emailed 3 YouTubers I watch, both at the time were all small. Paid me $20 a video this was for 2013 – 2017 and than Fortnite came out.

And now ever since about late 2017 I still edit for the three of them. They blew tf up big time. I got paid about $240K for 2018 and almost $300K for 2019 and I get paid monthly so you can do the math.

Their Organization pays me $25K monthly and I’m just a 21 year old living in Tokyo. It’s stupidly high just for editing cut comms. But I’m not complaining one bit.

I was a broke teen and this saved me and I was able to accomplish my goals and dreams of school and etc.”

10. Housing.

“I bought a really crap house that was due to be bulldozed down. The owner offered to knock it down for me with his bulldozer.

But I fixed up the rot and painted it up nice, and now it is valued at (over $2million) 15 times what I paid for it.”

11. One summer…

“I ended up making $50,000 in 3 months one summer when I was 23.

About 2 years ago I was working a job for my company, we were in a county with weird rules and I didnt fully understand why but instead of paying for my benefits, they just put the money on my paycheck.

Not only was I making insane hourly pay and 20+ overtime hours per week, but the benefits payout was a second paycheck.

We get paid weekly and when I saw my first weeks pay I honestly thought the company fucked up big time and over-payed me a few thousand dollars

I was also still covered by my dads insurance so it really was a win-win for me.

I just left that company for a huge pay raise, great benefits, phone bill paid for, and I’ll finally have a company vehicle with gas card. Exciting times!”

12. Good fortune.

“I moved to a new town because my fiance lived there. Got a job off of Craigslist and accepted the first thing I found. Company was a small but up and coming startup.

Cut to now it’s on the S&P 500 and I have a house and 4.25 million in investments.”

13. Nice job, Mom!

“My mom bought some paintings at a yard sale for no reason. Maybe spent $50 for the three artworks.

She listed them on ebay and sold them for around $3500 each, plus international shipping.

Turns out, they were painted by a world renown Japanese painter who has a museum in Japan. My mom packaged them and shipped them there where they are on display. If theres enough interest, I’ll ask my mom for more details and the name of the artist and such.”

Do you know anyone who’s made a fortune by chance?

Is that person YOU?

If so, tell us about it in the comments.

Please and thank you!

The post People Tell Their Stories About Making a Lot of Money by Sheer Randomness appeared first on UberFacts.