This sounds like the beginning of a math story problem.

That’s… a good point.

Where are the swatting trolls when they could actually be useful?

My favorite so far is the people who follow these fuckers around with megaphones and broadcast the rights people have when dealing with ICE, numbers of local lawyers and advocates, and other instructions to help people either avoid the interaction or at least have a fighting chance to due process if they are detained.

Looks like a violent riot to me.

Are you sure it’s not a group of protestors? Because then covering your face is illegal in some places now. Better call the cops to get those protestors back to the free speech zone.

BUT THIS IS STILL A TOTALLY NORMAL AND FINE DEMOCRACY, RIGHT CONSERVATIVES?

They’d blend in a lot better if they didn’t look like old western bandits about to rob a train with those masks.

Cowards. All of them. I hope they all get doxxed.

Oh hey, it’s the same host as Behind the Bastards. Thanks for the recommendation!

It’s ok to take up space. You don’t have to become invisible in order to be around people. Assume others know they’ll be around people in public and that they’re comparing you against the assholes on the subway or the screaming, entitled weirdo who is harassing employees. Since I get the impression you don’t act like that, no one is paying much mind to what you’re doing.

Not to pathologize everything, but I’ve found a lot of help in therapy to deal with past experiences, hang ups I’ve had that I didn’t understand, and things I didn’t like that I couldn’t unlearn on my own. Maybe that’s something that could help you be more content in your interactions with people?

My advice on effective therapy: There are bad therapists out there. Find a therapist you click with. There’s evidence that shows the relationship you have with your therapist is the highest indicator of success. So if you don’t jive with them during the first contact (sometimes that’s a phone call to ask questions before committing, sometimes it’s the first session), find another therapist.

The amount of times I’ve been in a pleasant conversation with a dude and when it becomes apparent I’m not available, they just immediately stop talking to me. Like… what? It’s abrupt, obvious, and super shitty to do to someone. And for the readers making assumptions about the scenarios–this wasn’t in a bar or a social event. It’s just random places in public where two people might make small talk.

I hope everyone takes your advice. Just talk to people to talk to people, without a transactional goal. Worst case scenario, you practice your conversation skills. Best case, you meet cool people and sometimes those people might want to meet up again or start texting etc. Boom a new friend that could be a relationship if you both are into it. Or you can just collect cool friends.

Disclaimer: This is for relationships and not just people to fuck. Go to places where other people are looking for that if you want to speed run fucking (bars, clubs, mixers, anime cons, etc.), which is totally fine.

I had these once. It was psychologically terrible. If you already struggle with sleep or mental health, you’re going to have a very bad time living there while you treat the place.

I saw some good advice in the comments as far as diatomaceous earth and freezing. Make sure you look up the actual temps things will need to get to. I recall baking my clothing in my oven at 110 F, or something like that, before leaving the apartment every day so I wouldn’t spread them. Ugh.

I ended up throwing out most of my stuff, bagging up anything I wanted to keep but didn’t need to access for ~6 months (or whatever their lifespan is) into tightly tied garbage bags with diatomaceous earth inside, and for the remaining possessions, I heated them or sprayed the shit out of their cracks (like wood furniture) with bedbug spray.

Just assume your stuff is infested and treat anything that was in there with you. Don’t fuck around. Go full nuclear on your shit after you move out. It’s the only way you’ll be able to sleep soundly for years.

Best of luck to you. I really hope your living situation gets better. I think I saw your fallback option was loud. I sleep with an earbud in whichever ear isn’t smooshed into my pillow. I also recommend those white noise machines that have an actual fan inside (or just a loud-ass fan lol). Even if it doesn’t drown out all the noise, it’ll cut out a lot and it’ll be easier for your brain to tune out stuff. Maybe that’s something you can try.

Yes, PLEASE! The rich fucks need to start feeling the consequences of this bullshit where it hurts. It’s the only domestic demographic that can offer enough pressure to motivate this administration to change their behavior.

Excellent Dr. Horrible reference.

Woah this blows my mind. I thought I was just weird.

Did you use that build that’s meant for Surfaces (the name is escaping me)? Or did you use a non-specialty OS and wrestle with the drivers?

I’m curious because I have a 4 Pro and 6 Pro and I’ve been hearing mixed things about the touchscreen and the pen on Linux.

You’re the person I enjoy talking with at parties.

Deeper than BRICS?

Same, and I limit short video scrolling on Instagram to doing it for a set amount of time with my partner, since it’s like a little comedy break for us. I know myself well enough to avoid that shit like the plague, otherwise.

I haven’t ever cheated but I’m an armchair human development nerd and I’d assume that there are some things at play like:

• Social narratives that make it seem like there’s only one true love out there for you (assuming the cheating here is only physical and not love).
• There can be shame in divorce or breaking up.
• There’s the sunk cost fallacy of staying with someone because you’ve put so many years into the relationship.
• If there are kids, people can believe (whether it’s true or not) that it’s harmful to the kids to separate
• People compartmentalize and can develop really weird cognitive dissonance where they build two realities and can operate as if the two have nothing to do with each other. It’s hard to explain.
• All the other collateral with separating, like potentially moving, new financials and potential child support/alimony, custody challenges, health insurance through marriage, job shifts, etc. etc.

Before you angrily hit reply, dear reader, I’m not defending or condoning cheating. I’m just trying to answer the sociological question of why it’s a behavior that happens enough that we’re talking about it in this thread.

I’m not sure how you interpreted my comment to mean that “Mommy and Daddy” would need to pull her out. I only suggested they be there with love and not shame so she doesn’t stop speaking to them.