Hi! I have a 2010 GTI, manual transmission, currently 120k miles, owned since new. Recently, when shifting into 2nd or 3rd, I've felt a vibration as if the clutch wasn't quite in all the way. It's only happened a couple of times over the last month.

Potentially Related Background: In 2017, I turned into a parking lot and couldn't/didn't see that there was a major curb separating incoming traffic. After a a horrific crunch (and some dripping evidence a few days later), I took the car in to a local VW tuning shop. They replaced the trans and clutch with used OEM parts, as was required by my insurance. Since then, the clutch has been weird, the gates to 1st and 2nd are really tight in cold weather, and my reverse lights don't work. (I know the latter isn't related, but it bugs me.)

My question: I'm barely skating by financially and need this car to last another 5 years. Is there any kind of preventive maintenance or other activity that can prevent what I fear?

I had an extraordinary experience today, but it didn't relate to a hobby or career or political topic. I tried to find an appropriate community but I guess I don't have the right terms. Where can one turn to share triumphs, defeats, and sacred moments?

In some 2000-10s comedy, "bish, make me a sandwich" is a common punchline. It begs the question, what goes in the sandwich?

As a follow up, how does that differ from the sandwich you might make for yourself?

TW: Homophobia, abuse

I work at a children's foster care organization that specializes in caring for kids who have experienced significant trauma. I'm somewhat acclimated to terrible parents.

As I walked by the front desk late this morning, the receptionist disgustedly thrust the phone towards me. On the other end was a woman asking if we are an orphanage, and if we can take her son. (This is not an unheard-of situation... Most of the time it's a stressed out parent using us as a threat to put their kid back on the straight and narrow.)

I answered as I usually do, giving her the referral hotline for social services. She immediately went ballistic, screaming and jostling the phone so that I could only hear every third word. But it was clear that the reason she was so upset is that she just found out her son is gay. She kept using the f****t word.

I had the receptionist, a resident, and a social worker all standing around watching, so I couldn't say what I wanted to. I was also in a bit of an adrenaline shock and nearly froze, but I gave the only answer I could muster... "Since you've chosen to use abusive language, I'm going to disconnect the call."

My vent is this: it's so easy to not be an abusive asshole. I hate living in a world where this person's vote counts the same as mine. I hate living in a world where people can be this hateful and aren't completely shunned from society.

My secondary vent is this: I wish I had a brain that didn't short circuit under stress, and that I would have thought to "play along" so that I could gather this woman's contact info and at least tried to help that poor boy.

Thank you for letting me vent. I don't feel better, but at least I feel like I've shared.

I make a traditional pesto and use it for all kinds of recipes. I adore this pesto for soups, pasta, veggies.

However, when I use it for pizza, I get this weird paradox where everything is too salty, but still feels like it needs salt. For toppings I use fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers and parboiled asparagus. I don't season them to offset the saltiness.

Any suggestions on how to make this pizza perfect?

Tonight I turned on the movie Elf thinking it was another movie entirely. Now I can't, for the life of me, figure out what it was that I intended to watch.

My clearest recollection is of a red car in a chase among an impossibly perfect green field, obviously on a sound stage. The movie was quirky, artful. I thought it featured Zooey Deschanel, but nothing on her IMDB list fits.

I thought it was a movie about corporate actors taking over the North Pole, but maybe it was all a fever dream.

Anyone have ideas what I am looking for?

It's not much to go on, but I'm hoping someone either remembers or has better Google-fu than I do.

Some time in the late 80s or early 90s I read a YA book about a teen-ish girl in the Aluetian Islands. My most vivid memory is of her description of crabs, calling some "Jimmies," and going into extraordinary detail about the fishing process. I have the shadow of a memory that she was the first girl/woman to embark on fishing.

That's all I have to go on. Ring any bells?

Every third product I search for has a check box coupon. Is there any downside to accepting those offers? Why not just list the item at the cheaper price?

I've gone through the prompts to attach an image from my phone's gallery to this post. I suspect that it won't be there, just like my recent attempts to post to [email protected]. Is this an issue with the app or my instance?

I can't see my own posts in my profile. I guess that's a side effect of my settings to hide all read posts. Still, this is confusing and causes challenges.

I'm trying to write a thank you letter to my step-mom. My Spanish is terrible, but I'd like to honor her. Can anyone point out changes I should make to the auto translation? I'm sure that the opening line is wrong.

ENGLISH Dear Tere, I am so grateful for the loving care and kindness that you've shared with me over the years, but I'm especially grateful for your help in recovering from my surgery. I ate all of the meals you prepared, and loved them all (especially the enchiladas rojas). Thank you for counting me as one of your kids.

SPANISH Estimado cliente, Estoy muy agradecida por el cuidado amoroso y la amabilidad que ha compartido conmigo a lo largo de los años, pero estoy especialmente agradecida por su ayuda para recuperarme de mi cirugía. Comí todas las comidas que preparaste y me encantaron todas (especialmente las enchiladas rojas). Gracias por contarme como uno de sus hijos.

Here's a low stakes question to start the community.

My father adopted me when he married my mother forty years ago. Unfortunately, she died only seven years later. Together they had two of their own. He's not an overly affectionate person, but in my adulthood he's been incredibly supportive.

Recently, he took a week off of work (a BFD for him) and flew halfway across the US to take care of me and my animals after a serious surgery. I'm trying to write a thank you note, but everything I write seems clinical or soppy. I've even tried chat GPT, but they're as awful and stilted as I am.

So here's the thing I want advice on... How do I thank him for continously choosing to be my dad for the last ~40 years?