Looking for stores with elaborate bottles such as vehicles, guns, etc for a gift for my dad for father's day

I came back home to visit my mom. Right now she’s living at my grammas. She was extremely intoxicated, screaming, crying, acting a fool. I get triggered easily and kept yelling at her to stop. She got an Uber to take her to the store to get more alcohol. My gramma said that usually she is back within 15-20 minutes. She left at around 4 and hasn’t come back; it’s now almost 10pm and 54 degrees out. My mom has a broken arm and can’t really do much because of it. When she is drunk she will get in strangers cars, bring strangers home for whatever (socialize, sex, idk). She puts herself and people like my gramma in dangerous situations. She is severely mentally ill. Idk what to do. We’re out searching for her. Went to all the stores nearby and the one she went to to try and see if they saw her. Called hospitals and checking the jail roster constantly and her phone is dead or off, so I can’t see her location or get ahold of her. I’m staying calm on the outside but ready to break down on the inside. I feel so guilty that if I would have just sucked it up and taken her or if anything did happen to her that my last conversation was a yelling match. I told her I loved her but I feel like I could have been more sympathetic/empathetic, instead of letting myself boil. I’m not really looking for anything, I just needed to vent and get this off my chest. I hope she is okay. She’s survived many things but eventually peoples luck runs out and that’s what worries me.

Background:
The Maryland Port Authority has to constantly dredge the Baltimore Harbor, shipping terminals, and shipping channels to keep them open. Much of the dredge removed from the Baltimore harbor and Patapsco River near old industrial sites is contaminated with heavy metals, oils, and other toxic "forever" chemicals. The Maryland Port Authority (MPA) has to dry and store this dredged material in special "containment sites" because it is unsafe for human exposure. (See https://maryland-dmmp.com/). Before the 1970s, this material was often dumped back into the Chesapeake Bay. After ecological awareness arose in the 1970s and dumping was regulated, MPA was forced to create diked land-based dredge containment facilities to dry and store dredged material.
These sites, once created, are forever contaminated. MPA has done its best to create these sites where they make the least impact - often in already-contaminated abandoned industrial areas. MPA also creates conservation areas to make amends for the harm, makes clean dredge available for shoreline restorations and construction projects, makes contaminated dredge available for re-use research, and in some cases recreates islands lost to erosion (Hart-Miller Island, Poplar Island, and James and Barren Islands) using dredged material.
After significant pushback from communities near Hart-Miller Island for decades and years of litigation, MPA shut down the Hart-Miller dredge containment facility before its completion and shifted their attention to creating dredge containment sites near Baltimore in already-contaminated industrial areas next to Fort Armistead (Cox Creek DMCF) in Anne Arundel County and in Masonville next to Brooklyn. Ongoing dredging activities and plans to fill these sites to heights of 60 feet or higher with contaminated dredge and their runoff are already a significant concern for the quality of the water and the aquatic life in the Patapsco and its tidal tributaries. A potentially even greater concern is that because MPA is running out of land-based locations to contain contaminated dredge, it now plans to create Confined Aquatic Dredge (CAD) sites in the seabed of the Patapsco River to essentially bury contaminated dredge underwater in the sea floor. The first MPA full scale CAD site is planned to be built one mile off the shore of the communities of Stoney Beach and Riviera Beach near the entrance to Stoney Creek.
The planned Patapsco CAD site will be up to 220 acres in size. MPA plans to remove clean seabed material from the site for several months and make it available to construction companies and for shoreline restoration efforts and then replace it with contaminated dredge material for several more months sometime in the next year. MPA asserts that unlike historic dredge dumping, this CAD site will be "capped" and "safe". However, there will inevitably be a significant release of contaminants and turbidity into the Patapsco from this activity and permanent impact within and near the CAD site. Contaminated dredge material suspended in water can't be totally contained. Moreover, long-term ecological impacts from leaching and seabed shifting can't be predicted.
Concerns:
Northern Anne Arundel communities near the planned CAD site are very concerned about several potential issues related to its creation:

1. The noise from planned 24/7 dredging for several months at a time as well as spotlighting at night since this will be over a mile closer to Stoney Beach and Riviera Beach than the shipping channel.
   
2. The safety of residents in nearby waters to swim, fish, and engage in watersports on the Patapsco and in Stoney Creek, Cox Creek, and downstream tributaries during and after dredging from exposure to chemical and biological toxins released into the water.
   
3. The impact of such dredging on aquatic life and ecosystems including waterfowl that depend on it.
   
4. The long-term ecological impact on the CAD site, nearby shorelines, and the tidal waters around it.
   
5. The potential short and long-term geographical extent of ecological and human exposure to released toxins given unpredictable winds, currents, storms, tidal swings, and sea level rise.
   

We have questions related to these concerns and would like a greater understanding of how impacts will be measured and mitigated and what the potential risks to our communities might be - including being exposed to chemical and biological toxins. Of particular concern if this program moves forward is how will toxins be measured, where will they be measured, how will communities be notified if toxins in the water around their shoreline reaches harmful levels, and what might the long-term effects of such toxins be that might settle around our shorelines?
While we are concerned, we also appreciate that MPA is creating conservation sites such as the Swan Creek Wetlands next to the Cox Creek facility and making clean dredge material available at little or no cost to communities engaged in shoreline restoration efforts - including Stoney Beach which is planning an important natural shoreline project to protect a highly eroded natural area at our point where the Patapsco meets Stoney Creek. This greatly reduces the cost of shoreline restoration.

Memory transcript subject: crejic gojid civilian Date [standardized human time] September 29th 2136
I felt some pretty severe embarrassment as my stomach growled in front of Tailhitch and alkia, but I couldn’t help it. I hadn’t eaten since before I had met Tailhitch and he, presumably, accidentally nicked my ear when he shot the arxur that was going to take me, I supposed I couldn’t really complain about losing a small part of my right ear compared to losing my freedom and life.
Said robot sighed and opened the door for alkia to crawl out, surprisingly quickly might I add, which made me wonder what had her so flustered? I crawled out after her and untied her hands. She avoided looking at me as I did so and her cheeks were a deep shade of blue, odd.
Once we were a few feet away Tailhitch transformed from the human vehicle to his tall boxy robot form. It had only just occurred to me how little roundness there was to him. The only round parts I could see were the tires on his elbows and knees and the one on the weird flapping part around his waist and hips, as well as the tip of his antenna. Not even his eyes were round but rather they were octagonal.
Despite the trust I felt towards him it still freaked me out a bit every time I saw him do it. Maybe it was the inherent strangeness of watching a vehicle become something that walked, maybe it was the noise that accompanied the transformation, I didn’t know. But Alkia's wide eyed expression was absolutely hilarious and I nearly burst out laughing. Was that how I had looked? Great protector I was glad Tailhitch had been the only one to see it.
Tailhitch closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his mask before looking at us again. “Alright I forgot that since you guys are organic, you need to eat. So, what do you eat exactly? And where can we hopefully find some?”
Looking outside from our hiding spot I saw a grocery store that I had visited several times in the past. Pointing at it I spoke up “I think that store over there might have some stuff we can eat.”
Moving surprisingly quietly for something of his size Tailhitch made his way over to me and looked at the store for a few seconds before nodding. “Alright you two go in there and grab as much as you can, be quick and be quiet about it. I’ll keep watch like I did with the map. Alkia I am going to trust you and let you have your flamethrower back ok?” She nodded as the top part of his chest opened by folding down. While he was reaching into his chest to grab her flamethrower I saw a strange symbol shaped like a face.
“Hey Tailhitch what’s that symbol mean?” I pointed up at it and tilted my head a bit. His head turned to me before he spoke “Oh this? This is the autobot insignia, all autobots have it somewhere on their body. The Decepticons have their own insignia as well that they have on their bodies in case you were wondering.”
He closed the top part of his chest and gave it a few pats as alkia put her flamethrower on. With that we snuck out of our hiding spot and dashed to the nearby building. Soon after Tailhitch followed behind, continuing to remain amazingly quiet for his size.
Not that being quiet would do him much good considering he was 17 feet tall and was blue black and grey with faintly glowing eyes the same shade of orange as venlil blood. As alkia and I made our way inside the building I heard his arm transform. It was a small difference but I could tell when it was his arms changing and when it was his whole body. His arms transforming produced a higher pitched noise and it was a bit shorter compared to the vehicle to walking form transformation.
I smiled when I heard it. Those sounds his body made during transformations gave me a sense of comfort despite how alien they sounded. To me they meant that I had a large powerful guardian watching my back.
While we rooted around for some food I looked over at alkia who seemed to be doing her best to not look at me. The silence was getting to me so I decided to try and break a bit of the tension between us and cleared my throat.
“So uh alkia” she jumped a little bit and looked over at me as she put a tuber in a basket she had found. Protector what was with her? “What uh, what do you think of Tailhitch now? Still think he’s a big scary untrustworthy monster?”
This made her shake her head a bit and her shoulders seemed to sag as though she was tensed up and nervous but all the tension was suddenly released, “honestly crejic? I’m not sure what to think of him. Every instinct I have tells me to run or try and burn him, but…after what we heard last night? I just feel bad for him and I’m still trying to wrap my head around how he can still function as well as he is. He mentioned getting therapy but…would electric shocks even work on something like him?”
The mention of electricity made me quirk an eyebrow at her “considering how harshly he reacted to the idea of predator disease and his disdain for exterminators, I’m wondering if he has a different idea of what therapy entails”
Alkia tilted her head confused “How did he react?”
I snorted as I tossed a ruined fruit to the side “with extreme disdain and disgust. According to him, predator disease isn’t real and is just a way to get rid of quote-unquote problematic people who the government might not like. As for exterminators? He thinks the job is horrible and stupid and shouldn’t exist, he wasn’t exactly fond of you when we first found you burning an arxur to death.”
She looked away seemingly ashamed. “Oh..well maybe we should ask him about his therapy when we go back outside” I nodded in affirmation at this and looked at the basket of food I had gathered from around the destroyed store.
Continued in comments

I relapsed this month and so it's still my first week into getting back on the wagon. Normally I've been able to make it past day 5 before, but something absolutely gripped me today and would not let go. The demon, of course, asking me very sweetly to feed it.
Maybe it's the fact that it's boiling hot. Maybe it's the fact that I went to the beach today and I associate this kind of weather with drinking. Maybe it's the fact that I felt really lonely with all these happy people around me. Or maybe it's just the fact that I'm an early recovery again. But what happened is that I came home, and this absolute need to drink washed over me in a way that was almost paralyzing.
And I live one block from a liquor store. You can imagine how well that has served me over the years.
I took a shower. While I was showering, I kept repeating out loud, "I am going to starve you. I am going to starve you." Speaking directly to the demonic presence, of course.
I hauled out all of my recovery literature. I made some popcorn. I finally left my apartment and walked to the local Asian market and bought something. I got an iced tea lemonade from the local coffee shop. And by the time I got back home, I felt calmed down.
From what I read, urges last about 20 minutes. You can either fight them and have a negative experience, or ride them like a wave. I'm training myself to do that. But holy fuck, this one was harsh. I'm proud of myself.

My dog is 3 year old golden retrievejindo hybrid that we raised since he was a puppy. He was pretty well socialized as a puppy and he loves people. He would even pull towards any stranger we pass nearby on our walks so he can get petted. He’s also very playful. He was totally ok with other dogs until the past year I noticed when another dog sniffs him for too long or jumps on his back he will snarl aggressively and almost looks like he is about to bite them. Not sure if he actually intends to bite them or just trying to back off the other dog. What causes this behavior? He will do this whether leashed or not and mostly to dogs close to his size. He hasn’t done this to small dogs yet. This happened today at a dog friendly outlet when a person approached mine with her dog while we were sitting at a bench waiting for my wife to come out of the store.
An example of an off leash situation was when last week we had a family bbq and met my cousins friends puppy(lab) for the first time(there were 3 other small dogs there) and he was very playful so kept on going around my dog sniffing and occasionally jumping on him but my dog didn’t like that and aggressively backed him off. I assumed my dog was just trying to show who the dominant one was but otherwise he was comfortable with him. He even went and sniffed around him later and played around. No dogs were leashed, all loose in an enclosed yard. It just happens when other dogs of similar size starts physically interacting with him. I’m a little worried that one day he will actually bite and harm another dog. I don’t usually let him interact with another dog while leashed, btw.

Does anyone know if they sell those mini bottles at the liquor store or anywhere else?

Gray Tools is a Canadian professional tool company based in Brampton, Ontario. Founded in 1912 by Alex Gray (1883-1969), Gray Tools is Canada's largest professional tool manufacturing company, with 4000 industrial products available.

Gray Tools Canada was founded in 1912 by Alex Gray as a machinery equipment supplier. As the automobile industry was starting up, Gray began making automobile manufacturing tools and tool kits specific to the automobile companies in nearby Detroit. In May 2012, President and owner Alex Gray III sold the company to Garry Nuttall and Frank Dominguez. Alex Gray III remains with the company as chairman.
As of 2013, the company employed 60 people at its head office in Brampton, Ontario, where all manufacturing is done. Company warehouses are located in Brampton and Edmonton, Alberta.
Gray Tools celebrated its 100th birthday by making a large donation of tools and equipment to local schools and by initiating the Gray Tools Canada Highest Standard Achievement Award, presented to a student with exceptional success in vocational education.

A simple philosophy

Having left home at 16, Alex Gray travelled the world for many years before settling in Toronto, Canada. During his travels, he met a wide variety of tradesmen who earned their living with their hands and their tools every single day. He quickly learned that the quality of a man's work and his choice of tools were the difference between prosperity and poverty.In 1912, he decided to establish Gray Tools and began manufacturing hand tools specifically for the accomplished professional. His early experiences taught him the value of maintaining close relationships with the users and the resellers who served them. The strength of these relationships and the mutual respect they created helped Gray Tools become the standard amongst these uncompromising users.Today, over 100 years later, the business continues to be built on relationships and trust. No different from generations before, we continue to spend time with the people who use our tools and appreciate the difference a better hand tool makes in their hands.We are extremely proud to be the only industrial-quality manufacturer of hand tools in Canada. Our goal is always to exceed your rigorous expectations for quality and reliability. We continue to deliver tools of the highest standard, providing tradesmen the confidence to perform and achieve exceptional results.As we enter our second century in business, we look forward to being a part of your future projects, achievements, and successes.

-The Team at Gray Tools Canada Inc.

Part of Your Success Since 1912

1912. The year 1912 was one of great personal significance for Alex Gray 1st in that it set his family’s course for a century.
Alex, now twenty-nine, and two of his brothers incorporated the Gray Manufacturing & Machine Company Limited in September.The letterhead described the company as a “Manufacturer of steam and power pumps and special machinery”.
1920's. The first hand-tool catalogue was printed in 1922. There were two editions of the catalogue, which were identical except for the cover. The Canadian edition Gray-Toronto was issued by the Gray Ball Bearing Company Limited.
The catalogue listed 302 different hand tools including sockets, wrenches, handles, extension bars, universal joints, and associated parts. In addition, many wrench sets were produced specifically for certain cars made at that time. Tool sets were packed in handsome hardwood boxes with a natural-stain finish and brass trimmings.
1930's.To take advantage of the prosperity of the forties, the business had been gradually growing for many years, not only in technology and manufacturing expertise but also in physical space.
In 1937, a single-storey addition was added to the west side of the factory. This increased the building size to 43,000 square feet so that it extended the full length of the city block. The company now had three street frontages and was at a main intersection serviced by two bus lines. This made it a site that employees and customers could easily access.
1940's. After ten years of decline and misery, Canada was pulled out of the Great Depression in 1939 by the Second World War.Hundreds of Canadian factories devoted their energy and resources to supplying the Allies with massive quantities of war material, and Gray-Bonney did the same.
The Canadian Armed Forces became the single largest customer for the company, buying tools, machines, and other miscellaneous metal parts for military use.
1950's. Gray Tools continued to expand with the catalogue now listing more than 1,800 items. In addition, new products were often larger: for example, pry bars were longer, tool boxes had more drawers, and roller cabinets needed extra room.
To fill that need, a 17,000-square-foot, two-storey, cement-block warehouse was built in 1953, on the east side of St. Clarens Avenue directly across from the 1929 factory.
1960's. Peace and prosperity followed World War Two. Canadian factories and businesses had not suffered the devastation of bombardment.
For the first time, several innovative marketing features were added to the Gray-Bonney line. The wrench sets were packaged for the first time in colourful cardboard boxes with cellophane wrapping.
Also in stores now were multi-panel counter displays that mechanics could revolve to better see and touch the many different tools that were available.
1970's. Due to increased customer demand the need for expansion became evident.
The construction of the current Gray Tools facility in Brampton, Ontario took place throughout the winter of 1969 and the spring of 1970. One major improvement came in 1974 when a nickel-and-chrome electroplating line was purchased and installed. Although for many decades all of this work had been done by Industrial Electroplating, the increased factory space in Brampton made it more economical to have an in-house plating line.
1980's. In the early 1980s, Canada entered a new economic era defined by a revolution in information technology and globalization. Although always important, it was particularly necessary at this time for the company to try to differentiate itself from its competitors.
A very effective way was by providing excellent customer service. Travel allowed C. Alex to establish a connection with customers that they rarely, if ever, had with another company or company president. Over the course of several decades, C. Alex journeyed all across Canada for at least two months of each year, visiting distributors in many cities, towns, and villages.
1990's. As the demand for tool storage solutions increased Gray launched the PRO, GT and XL series of “Made In Canada” toolboxes.
For the mechanic who needed to store many pounds of tools as well as hard hats, safety glasses, and other work-related objects, a larger and more substantial box was especially useful.
So the box itself was made using heavy-gauge sheet metal, and the casters were made wider and larger to support the weight and to roll easily on the floor. Often, the box was sold as a set consisting of a bottom roller cabinet with a second, stepped-in top chest resting above.
2000's. In 1912, Gray Tools was the only company that manufactured a broad line of hand tools in Canada. In 2012, Gray Tools is still the only company that manufactures a broad line of hand tools in Canada.
With over two hundred million tools manufactured and sold, the company has a proud history. The business standards of integrity and quality, the emphasis on customer service, and the respect for Canadian heritage have persisted unchanged for a hundred years.

The Blackwood Forest has always been a source of legend in our town. Not for anything good, though. Everyone here fears it. They always remind newcomers to “Never go into Blackwood Forest.” Nobody who enters it ever comes back. At least, that was how things used to be.
​
One of the most famous incidents surrounding the forest occurred around 1989. A family of 6, the Franks, moved into a house not far from the forest. It had an expansive backyard, stretching up until the edge of the dense clusters of trees that make up the boundary of Blackwood Forest. One evening, they decided to eat dinner in their new backyard. They weren’t going into the forest, just the fire pit about halfway between their house and the trees. Another family of 3, the Andersons, joined them. At around 8:30, screaming was heard by nearby neighbors. The police were called. When they arrived, they found that the benches, tables, and chairs were soaked in blood. The grass was smeared with it in a path leading into the forest. There was no sign of either of the families. The police confirmed the blood of 9 individuals was present at the scene. Enough blood was lost to assume the deaths of all 9 individuals.
​
After that day, a massive fence was built around the forest, to keep us out, or keep other things in. The fence is 11 feet tall and designed to be impossible to climb over, with almost no footholds. A gate is kept locked tight, located at the end of a worn path leading out of the side of town. Nobody goes in, and nothing gets out. Not that anyone knows what took the Franks or Robinsons. Except, of course, for me. I’ve seen what lies beyond the gates of Blackwood Forest. I’ve seen the beasts that took those families, all those years ago.
​
The fence wasn’t really necessary to be perfectly honest. There aren’t really any trails to hike through the forest, and we don’t have many issues with kids doing stupid things like trying to sneak in for “fame.” Even if we did, the fence keeps them out. Therefore nobody has any reason to go into the forest. Everyone is too afraid.
​
But, although I listened to what everyone always said; “Never go into Blackwood Forest,” I was curious. My morning run took me past the fence and gate, and I would sometimes glance in to see what was in there. I thought it looked like a normal, albeit dark, forest. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was very off. There weren’t many animals, like birds or squirrels, and you couldn’t hear the ones that were there very well. It was oddly quiet. At night, no crickets would be heard. No fireflies during the summer. It was oddly devoid of animal life for a dense forest with so many places for a small critter to live or a bird to make a nest. However besides that, it really didn’t seem that dangerous.
​
A few weeks ago, my curiosity got the best of me. I decided to see if there were any openings that I could slip into. Sure enough, on the very far side of the fence, opposite the side with the town, I found a small gap I could squeeze into. I decided that the next morning, I would grab my phone and camera and explore some of the forest close to the fence. I was excited to see what lay within, and wondered about what sort of stuff I might find. After all, nobody ever went in there.
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The next day came, and after eating breakfast, I jogged to the small opening I’d found the previous day. I had a backpack with some water and food, as well as the camera and phone. I pushed my backpack through first, and then squeezed through the opening.
​
The first thing I noticed upon entering was how dark it was. The trees blocked out much of the sunlight. It was hard to see very much. Thankfully, I could use both my phone’s flashlight and the one attached to my camera. As I walked, the quiet of the forest around me felt eerie. There should have been the sounds of animals beginning to wake up and start their day, but instead there was silence. Every sound I made, like stepping on a tree, quickly was dampened out, as if swallowed whole by the trees.
​
After a few minutes of walking and taking pictures, I came upon a worn path. I was confused, since there was no reason for any path to have been here because nobody had ever lived in the forest. I took another photo, and decided to follow the path. After another few minutes of walking, I noticed a clearing with sunlight pouring into it ahead. In the very center of it sat an old, decrepit stone building. Off to the side, there was an old well. The building had a very weathered but readable sign, identifying it as “Blackwood Church.” I took a photo of the church and well and decided to enter. I was very curious, as nobody should have ever lived out here, this deep into the woods. There was a church that had been built as part of the original town, so it didn’t make sense for this one to be there.
​
I walked through the place where the doors would have been, had they not rotted off of the hinges. I could see the space around me because of several holes in the roof allowing sunlight in. It seemed like it was once fairly normal, though weeds had sprouted up through the floorboards which were falling apart. I stepped outside after snapping some photographs. I was going to leave back along the path and get out of the forest. As I walked, I noticed that there seemed to be several old buildings, almost destroyed, spread out on the edges of the clearing. I began to see the old worn paths made of cobblestone and dirt, almost invisible, having been reclaimed by nature. This wasn’t just some church, this was an entire town.
​
I was both shocked and excited. I spent the next hour taking photographs of all of the somewhat intact buildings and their rubble counterparts. I spent around an hour exploring the town, exploring a butchers shop, clothes store, and general store. I finally made my way to the path I had come in on. I noticed, underneath all of the foliage, there seemed to be a sign. I brushed some of the growth away and read the faded words; “Welcome to Blackwood, Population: 349, c. 1903.”
​
At this point, on top of the confusion, there was a growing feeling of nervousness in my gut. I’d never heard of any town in Blackwood Forest. Our town, Greyrock Springs, was founded in 1909. I searched the other houses on the outskirts of this ghost town. In one of them, I found the journal of a 19 year old girl named Ellie. She had moved into the town with her family, the Wilsons, and another one they were close friends with, the Millers. They had moved in 1905. The first dozen pages were normal entries about life around the town, her friend, 19 year old Janie Miller, and her older brother, 21 year old Shaun Miller. She and Shaun were apparently set to get married in a year, something Ellie wrote almost endlessly about. The 20th entry, dated September 17, 1905, however, was different.
​
The 20th entry said that 7 townsfolk and gone missing suddenly overnight. It read, “Last night 7 of our neighbors vanished. The Smith family and Mr. H. The Sheriff doesn’t know what happened to them. Their beds appear to have been slept in, and their homes appear normal. But nobody has seen or heard of any of them since 8:00 last night. I’m getting worried, some of the other neighbors are talking about dark shadows in the trees snatching them away. I hope they’re alright.”
​
After reading this, my anxiety started growing. What could have happened to the people who lived here? I looked at the next entry, 6 days later. It read “Almost everyone has vanished. The night after the first disappearances, 14 people vanished. The numbers got worse from there. The Sheriff, the butcher, the schoolteacher, all gone. Last night, 34 people, including the Millers, vanished. There are only 115 of us now. Janie and Shaun are gone, their beds unkempt, everything else in place as if they just got up and walked out. It’s 7:52 at night according to my clock. There are things making weird screeches out there. I can see the shadows outside. They’re drawing closer. I think I’m going to join Janie and Shaun tonight. At least I won’t have to live on without my friend and love.”
​
Terror was beginning to take hold now. I looked around the room. I realized that it was now noon. I had been reading for so long I had lost track of time. I got up, grabbed the journal, and ran out of the house, the feeling of being watched nearly overwhelming me. I got to the path I had walked in on. It was then that the screeching and wailing began.
​
It started as an inhuman, deep, gravelly sound, and then cracked and sounded like a dying person giving a final cry for help. Soon, a chorus of these other-worldly howls filled the forest. Terror shot through my body. I felt chills. I turned and scanned my surroundings, searching for the source of the sounds.
​
That was when I saw one of Them for the first time.
​
I don’t know how to describe Them here, but I will do my best to give you an idea of what lurks in those woods.
​
They are tall, around 7 feet, with pure black skin. No light reflects off of any part of Them, except for their milky white eyes. Brown veins reach for the center of the eye, where the iris and pupil would have been. Instead, there was just more white. In some places, Their flesh clings to Their bones as though they have been vacuum-sealed. In others, the flesh is gone, and only bone remains. Their entire body has pulsating, grey veins spiderwebbing from place to place. And Their mouths stretch from one side of the head to the other, nearly to the hinges connecting the jaw to the skull. Their teeth are thin as a needle, and they have hundreds of them.
​
One of Them was standing close to me, looking at me. It let out a screech-wail and started to run towards me. I turned and bolted, running towards the church, hoping to escape through an window-opening. As I reached the church, I turned and glanced back, only to see It standing near the well, not moving. Instead, it was growling at me. As we stared each other down, more of Them began to appear. They formed a ring around the church. I was now trapped. Panic began to set in more deeply, as I looked through the window-openings, trying to look for a weakness in the circle I could use to escape, and there was one. Directly behind the church, there was a large opening in the ring of monsters surrounding me. Taking several deep breaths and becoming as calm as I could given the circumstances, I took my opportunity and ran. I jumped out the window and sprinting with more force than I have ever used in my life.
​
I made it to the trees, hearing their horrible screech-wails following uncomfortably close behind. I didn’t stop, running through the foliage like my life depended on it, which I could tell it did. Most of Them remained behind, but a few followed me deeper and deeper into the forest, not letting up. The trees and brush whipped at me, stinging and cutting my skin, but a continued, even going faster. I finally stopped when I couldn’t hear Them behind me anymore. By this point, it was closer to 2:00 P.M. I had run in the opposite direction I had entered Blackwood from. The adrenaline I had felt began to wear off, and I wanted to collapse from exhaustion, but I knew those things would keep looking for me until they found me.
​
I spent the rest of the day cautiously searching for the fence, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t find it. By the time it got dark, I was exhausted. The adrenaline from the whole day had turned into a mix of emotions, namely fear and anxiety. I decided to hide in a tree, in the event They found me. As I sat there, looking, I began to hear that screeching wail and those deep growls and grunts. They were close. I held my breath as the first one approached. It looked around, peering through the forest, searching for me. I got the feeling it knew I was close.
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It started to scan some bushes near the tree I was in, when It looked up suddenly. I fell from my spot in surprise, hitting the ground hard and with a grunt. It let out a wail, and started to approach me. I searched for something to use as a weapon, and found a sharp rock. I looked at the large veins covering It’s chest area. It seemed like the perfect target. It began to run, screeched and then lunged. I pulled the rock from behind my back and sliced with ferocity, cutting through the veins like paper. It screamed and shrieked, black ooze shooting out of the wound like a hose until it stopped. The creature let out a final wail before collapsing to the ground. I looked at it. I could hear a sickly breathing coming from the thing. Before it died, I heard a distorted but human voice mutter a weak “Thank.. you..” and then the breathing stopped. I was stunned. I didn’t have much time to think about it, because more wails could be heard approaching fast in the distance. I continued to run through the forest, more adrenaline pumping through my veins, fear at the back of my mind. I ran for a long time until I ended up back in that town. I hid in the church, underneath the floorboards. At some point, I fell asleep from exhaustion.
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The next 6 days were awful. I spent most of them hiding, slowly running through my food and water I had packed. One morning, as I reached the last of my water, I realized I had to escape. Although They searched the forests for me, I thought I could slip past Them and make it to the fence. But after a few minutes of preparing, I heard those wails approaching from the distance yet again. I grabbed my backpack and stepped outside again. I looked, seeing the creatures from before step out from the trees. I prepared myself, and ran. All of them began to follow me, their screeches cutting through the quiet of the forest and reminding me of how close I was to death. I went down that same worn path, sprinting through the woods. One jumped out in front of me, forcing me to veer off the path and into the forest. I ran, nearly tripping and getting cut on the branches. That was when I saw it. Ahead of me, finally, lay the fence. I took off the backpack as I approached. There was the gap. I was about to escape. They were close now, just a few yards away. I forced the backpack through the opening, forcing myself through it just as they reached the fence.
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I turned to look back at them, snapping one final photograph. I’m not entirely sure why I did that, but maybe I just wanted proof of the truth. That I wasn’t crazy. What I saw was real. I grabbed the backpack and ran back towards town, towards safety, towards home, their growls and wails fading behind me.
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I want to say that I’m safe now, that everything is ok, but it isn’t. A week ago, I started to hear whispers from my neighbors of wails, screeches, and growls coming from the fence. If anyone looked in the direction the sound was coming from, it stopped. I had to walk past the fence a few days ago, and I heard it. I was all alone. The fence started to rattle as well. I turned to look, but only saw a tall shadow slipping into the darkness of the trees.
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Last night, two people who were walking past the fence vanished.
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That brings us to today.
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I know what They want. They are angry. I wasn’t supposed to escape. I don’t want to do this, but I won’t endanger anyone else who lives here.
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I’ll leave the photos, camera, and journal in my desk for safe keeping. That way people will understand what I saw, at least partially. People will hear the story of the townspeople of Blackwood. That is the reason I’m posting this. So more of you know.
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I have accepted my fate. After I post this, I will walk to the gate, and I will be taken. I don’t know for sure, but I think I will become one of Them, cursed to walk Blackwood Forest forever. My consciousness will be left a fragment, my humanity gone, as I walk the forest and wail, screech, and growl. This is the end for me. If anyone cares, my name is Daniel. I am 29 years old. I live in Greyrock Springs. If you come here, to find me or Blackwood or those things, or maybe even the pictures and journal, remember one thing.
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Never go into Blackwood Forest.

he was on this white speedboat with some of my other relatives from my dad's side. we were underground so everything was rocky and shallow and dim and green. the boat flipped over and the front part turned red and people nearby screamed and went down and tried to flip the boat back over, my dad was the only one bleeding. He was losing a lot of blood there was a LOT of blood on the water and on the boat and his skull was cracked open and he wasnt moving at all so I thought his neck broke as well and it was just his eyes moving around I was on top of the bard trying to see wtf happened and if he was okay and then i ran to my right but still on the bars and saw him trying to get up but i was like wtf dont cus hid neck might be broken and also tf his skull is still open and bleeding so idfk how the hell he’s still moving i lost all hope that he would survive that but holy shit he did. I was also living with sha and gab underground that time and we were buying shit from sketchy lookin stores n stuff like the type ud see very late at night or on the sketchy malls where the surroundings are dark and they sell stuff? we went there and bought some chakras but it seemed so normal that i didn't really realize it till im typing it rn but anyway we thought it was bs and we went to the sitr where the boat flipped over and we got past the bars and onto the water and we were chilling there until we felt something weird and then somebody popped up it looked like a moving rotting corpse suddenly talkjng to us that the site did have a lot of accidents that are precisely the same as ours and that my dad just got licky cus everybody else died there, and if there were any other children they got decapitated when boats would flip either that or get their heads and bodies pierced from the shark icicle looking things on the floor cus its a cave and all and as her story continued she got madder and madder at ud tho we weren’t even saying anything and then she made a vow to murder my dad and the rest of the ppl who survived in that boat it was so fuckjng weird
i have multiple dreams i just remmeebr those two^^^
and also this one
i was on this dame room and i was with my mom sleeping in the couch and my aunt which was the youngest sister of my mom was sleeping behind the curtains and then my other cousins slept on the bed near the tv and it was 3 am and both of my mom and i were restless as shit (i dont remember most of this dream that much its hella blurry) and so i trieed getting myself to sleep by watching stuff on my phone and then i looked at my mom and asked her why she could sleeo and then wealso heard some phone noise from a video behind the curtain bed and we opened it and my aunt was also not asleep so all three of us cant sleep but she had this off vibe to her fsr and she seemed upset so i got up and went to her bed as my mom was getting some food and then something weird happened but i dont rememebr but she wasnt my aunt at all and there was this sound and air that flet past me and i felt the air from my lungs getting sucked out like FULLY getting sucked out until my mom pulled my foot away from the bed, the bed is now empty

I've finished the vast majority of moving. I've even got a lot of my room set up. I've also put strips of LED stuck on one of the walls and it looks very cool. I told myself that I would stop drinking once the stress of the move was over, and I had one beer two nights ago, none last night and don't plan on drinking tonight. I just want a nice, relaxing evening of anime.
This. This is what TSM has truly given me. Choice. It's given me my choice back on whether I want to drink or not. I can use alcohol as an easy coping skill when my mental load is too high and I don't want to have a meltdown or psychotic episode.
I know that alcohol isn't the best coping method, but there is a negative symptom of schizophrenia called avolition and it's where it becomes impossible to do stuff. Not because of a lack of desire or being to lazy to do stuff(like higher effort coping skills), but it's the lack of initiation to even start to progress on them. Like there is a hole in your brain where you want to do something, a common example is taking a shower, where you know you like taking showers, and you really want to take a shower, and you enjoy smelling nice and how the hot water feels as it runs down your body, but something is just broken in you and you can't just go take a shower. It's infuriating and I don't know when it will hit or how hard, and I have lots of stuff set up to make things easier for me, like having baby wipes so I can just wipe myself down when a shower is impossible.
It's avolition that has me coming back to alcohol every so often to de-stress and relax because it's very easy to just get to a liquor store, buy a couple beers, wait my hour, and then drink. And I get that relaxation from alcohol, and, you all know the rest.
I've now quit smoking, moved houses, started setting up my whole, new, big room, and I feel really accomplished and content with myself. Things are coming along nicely. I'm happy. The grocery store is literally 500 steps from my house and I can be like some kind of European and just pop by the shop to pick up fresh ingredients for food.
Now, I'm not stuck binging every night while being unable to fully quit because I just couldn't resist buying enough to get drunk. Being free from that cycle of abusing myself every morning for being unable to stop and then relenting every evening to stave off the withdrawals. Now, after a period of increased drinking(a "spike" or "extinction burst") and I can say, "just one/two tonight, just to be safe" in order to ensure there are no withdrawals because those scare the fuck out of me. I can trust myself when I say that.
So I guess, when it boils down to it, TSM and naltrexone have given me back two major things. Trust in myself with regards to alcohol, and choice in whether to drink or not. Two big things that I lacked for nearly 10 years. I'm sure a lot of people here know that loss of trust in yourself. That cycle of telling yourself one thing and doing the opposite. I still feel that way about other stuff, like fast food, or ordering from amazon. But it's not the super destructive fast track to death that alcohol is.

My wife and I let our membership expire, as we never went to the store enough to warrant it. With that being said, can we go to their liquor store and purchase without being a member? I know Alabama and the ABC stores has some weird rules, so was unsure in this case.

I need to drink so bad :(
on day 5 right now

I want to order a heavier pair of kettlebells as I currently only have a 16kg pair,and want to start Dry Fighting Weight which recommends the weight of your 5RM for the press.The thing is I haven't a store or gym nearby to try my 5RM.
I can press around 30 reps max with two 16kg. Male, 161 pounds.
Should I go with 20kg or 24kg? or heavier?