Impression management and online dating

Im new in Germany and came from SEA. There's this guy i met online before I even came here in Germany. We've been texting and sometimes sexting from time to time (on and off after few months) for more than a year.
Now that Im here he wanted us to meet and told me if I agree, we should flirt. 🤔 I dont exactly understand what does that mean. And ask him if he always flirts around, and said it depends on his mood. From where I came from, you flirt when you dont want a serious relationship.
I told him, he doesnt have to flirt with me if he only wanted sext/sex. He said it was not only for sex blah blah. For me, he dont need to pretend that he likes me, just so we can have sex for real.
And so I dont know what exactly does that mean. He said he likes me etc, but I dont feel it since we dont text that much. I mean for me, if you really like the person you will get to know her, talk to her, etc. But he doesn't do that, and so I dont believed that he likes me.
I dont know how German guys are when it comes to dating. How do they show their affection?

Adam and D-Sides Boyfriend, or DS for short, were deep into a game of Super Mario Bros Wonder on the Nintendo Switch."Yeah, this game is pretty good!" Adam agreed, just as the doorbell rang. He paused the game and got up. "Hang on, I gotta see who's at the door." Boyfriend nodded, and Adam walked to the front door. Opening it, he found Owen and Oskar standing there. "I often forget you know where I live," Adam remarked. Oskar darted inside, eager to escape Owen’s company. "Hi," Owen said, following more slowly. Owen took one couch, and Oskar took another, each eyeing the other warily.

Adam broke the silence. "So, where are your girlfriends tonight?" "Busy," they both replied in unison. "Well, okay then," Adam said. "I’m playing Mario Wonder with Boyfriend. Want to join?"
"You have a boyfriend?" Oskar asked incredulously. "No, his name is Boyfriend," Adam clarified. "You’re joking," Owen said, skeptical. "Nope. Hey BF, come out here!" Adam called. DS stepped out and waved. "Beep!" "Huh, you’re right," Oskar admitted.

Just then, someone knocked on the side door. "Hold on," Adam said, heading over. He opened it to find Isaiah and Eleanor. "Hi, Adam!" Eleanor greeted cheerfully. "Hi, guys!" Adam responded. Isaiah walked in, stopping when he saw Owen and Oskar. "Oh...who are you guys?" Isaiah asked. "I’m Oskar," Oskar replied. "I’m Owen," Owen added. Eleanor followed Adam, who closed the door behind them. "So, since there are more people here than usual, any ideas on what to do tonight?" Adam asked. "Beep Bo Bap!" DS beeped. "Boys' Night Out?" Adam suggested. "Boys' Night Out?" Owen repeated, confused. "It’s basically when just the guys go out for the night and have fun!" Adam explained.

"So, basically anything?" Oskar asked. "Yeah, as long as it’s legal," Adam said. "Are you okay with it, Eleanor?" Isaiah asked. Eleanor smiled and nodded. "Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll be fine. Your sister is home, right, Adam?" "Yeah, but she was a bit snappy earlier. I wouldn’t bother her," Adam warned. "Where would we go, anyway?" Owen asked. "Beep bap!" DS suggested. "Yeah, we can go to Applebee's," Adam said. "I’m okay with that," Isaiah agreed. "Can we go to the casino afterward?" Owen asked. Everyone stared at him in confusion. "Dude, we’re all 12-14 except for BF," Adam said. "Oh right," Owen realized. "We can go to the arcade next," Isaiah suggested. "That works," Adam said. "What about after that?" Oskar asked. "We'll figure it out. Ready to go?" Adam asked. "Yeah, I’m ready," Isaiah said. Owen got up. "Let’s go." Adam, DS, and Oskar followed. "Bye, Eleanor! We'll be back in a bit!" Isaiah said. Eleanor waved as the boys left.
After a bit, they finally arrived at Applebee's. "Alright boys, welcome to Applebee's. You know what I love about this place? The culture. I usually have a burger, but sometimes I switch it up. First meal, you’re in Asia; next meal, you’re in Greece!" Adam said.

"Beep bap bo!" DS chimed in. "Exactly, I feel like I need a passport to eat here!" Adam laughed. "So what do you recommend?" Isaiah asked. "What do I recommend? Isaiah, this is Applebee's. I recommend all of it! Wait, you're from New York, right?" Adam asked. "Yeah. Why?" Isaiah asked. "Brooklyn or Queens?" Adam asked. "Manhattan," Isaiah said. "Did you not go to Applebee's before?" Adam asked. "No, not really," Isaiah said. "Well, that's fine. You’re gonna love it," Adam assured him.

After a bit, the waitress came over. Adam’s heart sank. It was Mary Lou Maloney, a familiar face to him but not to the others. "Hello, welcome to Applebee's. My name is Mary, and I'll be your server tonight," Mary Lou said.

"Beep!" DS said."Y-Yeah..." Adam stammered, clearly unsettled. Mary Lou focused on Adam. "How about we start with you, handsome?" she asked, getting close and rubbing his hair. "What would you like to drink?" "Uh, I would like a..." Adam began to say. "You want a lemonade, right?" Mary Lou suggested. "Y-Yeah, that works," Adam said, visibly uneasy. Oskar looked at Adam, puzzled by his behavior. "I’ll have water," Oskar said. "I’ll have a Pepsi," Isaiah added. "Beep bo bap!" DS said. "He said he’ll have a Coke," Adam translated. "I'll take a water too," Owen said.

Mary Lou smiled and walked away. Adam faced the ground, holding his head. "Adam, are you okay? You acted strange when the waitress came," Oskar observed. "No, no, I’m fine. Just a bit hungry, that’s all," Adam lied, unconvincingly. "Who was that? You acted like she was your mom. Oh my god, was that your mom?" Owen asked. "What? No, that's not my mom. Look at me," Adam said. "Beep bap bo, skidoo bap?" DS asked. "No, not my ex or girlfriend..." Adam said. "Then who is it?" Isaiah asked. "Well, she's... a friend of mine. Yeah, a friend. I forgot she worked here," Adam said.

Mary Lou returned with their drinks, still grinning. "I have your drinks, boys. Now, may I take your orders?" "Yeah, that would be nice," Isaiah said. Mary Lou turned towards Adam. "Hey!" she said. "...Yeah?" Adam replied. "You want a classic bacon burger, right? Well done, fries seasoned?" Mary Lou asked. Adam’s heart dropped. "Y-Yeah..." "I’ll have a chicken sandwich," Isaiah said. "How do you want that cooked?" Mary Lou asked. "Crispy," Isaiah replied. "I’m not hungry, thanks," Oskar said. "I’m not hungry either," Owen added. Owen and Oskar exchanged glances, both thinking, "What's your excuse?" "Beep bo bap do bop!" DS said. "Alright, I’ll be back in a bit!" Mary Lou said, leaving with a tune. "Not your girlfriend, eh?" DS teased. "Why are you speaking English now?" Isaiah asked.
Meanwhile, Eleanor knocked on Esther’s door, but there was no answer. "Hello?" Eleanor called, knocking again. "Go away, Adam, or I’ll stab you," Esther threatened from inside. "But... I’m not Adam," Eleanor said. Esther opened the door and looked up at Eleanor. "Who are you?" "My name is Eleanor. You’re Adam’s little sister, right?" Eleanor asked. Esther groaned and tried to close the door, but Eleanor held it open. "Hey, what are you—" Esther began to say, but Eleanor's grip was strong. The door cracked as Eleanor instinctively burst it open, then sprinted off. "What the fu—"

Back at Applebee's, Mary Lou brought the food over, still grinning. "Enjoy your food!" she said, passing it around before leaving. "Damn BF, those nachos look tasty," Adam said. BF nodded, taking a bite and giving a thumbs up. Owen and Oskar’s stomachs growled. "You sure you aren't hungry? It’s not too late to order something," Adam offered. "I'm fine," Oskar said. "Yeah, me too," Owen agreed.

After around 20 minutes of eating, the food was done. "Wow, that burger was delicious," Adam said. "Beep…." DS said. "Yeah, it was," Isaiah said. Mary Lou came back. "I hope you enjoyed your food, now who's paying?" Mary Lou asked. Everyone looked at each other. "Uh, can you give us a second?" Adam asked. She nodded and left.

"Alright, I'm fine with paying if I need to but are there any takers?" Adam asked.
"...This might work," Oskar said. He pulled out Swedish cash from his pocket. "...Oskar, that's Swedish currency. I don't think that's gonna work." Adam said. "Oh…" Oskar said. "Wait, Oskar, are you Swedish?" Isaiah asked. "Yeah, Eli too," Oskar said. "Huh, I mean I can kind of hear it in your voice," Adam said.

Mary Lou came back and leaned close behind Adam. "You know, if you can't pay, if you come in the back with me Handsome, I'll let you off free…." Mary Lou said. Adam turned red as everyone turned towards him, dazed, surprised, and confused. “Uh..Uh..” Adam begins to say, dazed and confused. “Think about it handsome. I'll be back in a bit..” Mary Lou said, kissing him on the cheek. She walked away, humming to herself. Everyone just stared at Adam. “Did…Did she just…?” Oskar began to say. “I think…?” Owen began to say. Isaiah just stared at the ground.
“Bro, I think the waitress just offered to let us go free if-” DS-Boyfriend began to say, but Adam cut him off. “Boyfriend for everyone's safety DON'T finish that sentence,” Adam said. “...Are…Are you going to say something about what just happened….?” Isaiah asked. “I would rather not…” Adam said. Everyone just stared at each other. “You know what? I'll pay. That way we can simply move on.” DS said. “Really?” Owen asked. “Dude, when a waitress offers to bang your best friend to get out of a restaurant without paying, that's when you know you gotta get the f**k out of dodge,” DS said. “Hey, nice reference,” Isaiah said. “Thanks,” replied. “How can you afford to pay?” Owen asked.

“My parents are CEOS of big companies, that's how,” DS-Boyfriend said.
“Hey Adam, can you get the waitress?” DS-Boyfriend asked. “...Why me?” Adam asked. DS-Boyfriend gave a sh*t-eating grin. “Oh you gotta be kidding me,” Adam said agitated. “Hey, don’t look at me, she’s the one into you,” DS said. Adam rolled his eyes and got up, but when he turned around, he bumped into Mary Lou, who was walking back to the table. “Oh hey! Taking my offer?” Mary Lou asked. Before anything could happen DS stepped in. “Actually he was going to get you so we can get the hell outta here,” DS said. Mary Lou looked down before nodding her head. “Alright, we can have some fun another time then.” Mary Lou suggested. Adam turned red again as DS got up from his seat and handed Adam the Money. “Here you go,” Adam said. Mary took it and smiled. “Alright, you can go! Have fun boys!” Mary Lou said with a creepy smile. The others got up from their chairs and quickly left through the door. But before Adam could Leave, Mary Lou grabbed his arm. “...This was nice. Can we do this again sometime?” She asked. Adam shrugged. “I guess so,” Adam said. Mary Lou smiled. She took off Adam’s hat and rubbed his hair. “... It's a date then, see you later…alligator.” Mary Lou said. “YO ADAM, WHAT’S THE HOLD-UP, COME ON!” DS yelled. Adam turned and left through the door.

Eleanor was sitting outside on the steps in the backyard, thinking to herself about what transpired. She didn’t know what came over herself, she didn’t even mean to get so aggressive. She was about to just get up and go take a walk down the road when she noticed a toy Rabbit sitting near the gate. It wasn’t there before. It was grey, and one of its eyelids was drooped down. It had a red vest and a blue bowtie and its eyes were purple. “Where did you come from?” Eleanor asked. The toy roared to life. “R-R-R-Ready to Rocket!” the toy belted. Eleanor gasped out of surprise and dropped the toy, causing it to stutter on one line. “Bon is here- Bon is here- Bon is here- Bon is here- Bon is-” But then the rabbit stopped, its eye slowly turning to look at something in front of it. “H-H-Hi Bon!” Eleanor looked up and saw him. A large 7 ft rabbit animatronic stood in front of the gate, but he looked…damaged. The rabbit had a white latex mask, with a cigar in his mouth and its eyes glowed a bit white as it stood there.He wore a red bowtie connected to a dickie. The torso had a large hole in it, and it was…slightly lined with blood. His vest was tattered and damaged. It had a bunch of holes in it. He had a name tag on his vest “HELLO! MY NAME IS BON.” But it was slightly ripped. His lower arms were exposed with an endoskeleton, but the fingers looked like claws. His lower legs were exposed with an endoskeleton as well. Bon wasn’t looking at her at first before his eyes slowly tilted towards her. The rabbit slowly moved its head, a creaking sound coming from it. The mouth opened, and at first, nothing came out, but then it spoke. “M-My. Name. Is. BON.” The rabbit went to walk towards Eleanor when Esther opened the side door. “Hey. Knew I’d find you out here.” Esther mentioned. Eleanor looked back, but Bon was gone. It was as if..it were an illusion. She looked down and the toy rabbit was gone as well. “Oh, hey,” Eleanor said, trying to sound as normal as she could, albeit possibly hallucinating. Esther sat next to her. “Listen, I don’t know what that was back there, but I’m not going to lie, it was kind of cool,” Esther admitted. Eleanor smiled. “My name is Eleanor, what’s yours?” Eleanor asked. “Esther,” Esther replied. It seemed like she would continue the sentence, but she left it hanging. Eleanor smiled before she asked something, following up on something she heard earlier. “...Hey, can I ask you something?” Eleanor asked. Esther nodded. “...Why do you hate your brother?” Eleanor asked. Esther frowned a bit. “It’s…not that hate him. I’ve been in other homes before this one and most of the time my brothers were…assholes.” Esther explained. “And…is Adam one?” Eleanor asked. Esther sighed. “No...Not really, he’s been nothing but nice but..I just don’t believe it. Like how could someone just be so nice? I haven’t even seen him snap in anger yet. I know it's bound to happen eventually but still.” Esther admitted. Eleanor shrugged. “Guess I understand,” Eleanor whispered. Esther got up. “Well, it was nice meeting you, I’m going to go back into my room ok?” Esther asked. Eleanor gave a thumbs-up as Esther left.

“Right so, where is the arcade?” Oskar asked. DS looked at his phone. “Uh, somewhere around…Here!” DS shouted, pointing at a building. The Building was red, with white glowing neon lights. The arcade was called “THE NEON ARCADE!” “Dude this place looks awesome,” Adam stated. “Where did you find this place?” Owen asked. “I came here with my girlfriend once, gots a sick amount of arcade machines,” DS stated. “Well what are we waiting for, Let's go have some fun!” Isaiah shouted.

The gentlemen walked into the arcade, it was literally what you expected, mostly just an arcade, but there was a play zone, food court, and…a bowling rink! Yeah, that should be about it. “Dude this looks straight out of the 80s!” Oskar shouted. “How would you know? It’s not like you were FROM the 80s!” Adam replied jokingly. Oskar just stared at him, his face serious. “...Calm down! It was a joke!” Adam said, putting his hands up. Oskar made a sigh of relief. “Good, I thought I’d need to kill ya,” Oskar said, joking back. Owen stared at Oskar, his eyes wide with fear. Oskar looked at Owen, seeing the fear in his eyes. “...What?” Oskar asked. Owen didn’t respond, as if remembering…bad times. “Owen…Owen!” Adam shouted. Owen snapped out of his trance. “Oh, sorry...Just thinking of something.” Owen admitted. “Your girlfriend?” DS chuckled. "Something like that," Owen muttered, wanting to change the subject. Adam glanced at him, concerned but deciding to let it go."Alright, let's split up and see who can get the highest score on any game!" Adam suggested, trying to lighten the mood. "Winner gets bragging rights for the rest of the night." DS chuckled. “Bet I can get the highest score,” DS spoke cockily. “You sure about that?” Owen asked. DS looked up at Owen Smugly. “Wanna bet?” DS asked. “No, I just don’t wanna see you lose it.” Owen replied. “BET.” DS stated.

The boys went to different games as the hunt was On. Adam saw this cool game called “Death by AI”, while Oskar played a game called “Ring Out”, while DS and Isaiah played Air Hockey. Owen on the other hand, didn’t exactly know what he should play. Sure, there was Miss Pacman, but he didn’t feel like playing that without Abby. That’s when he noticed a game just..sitting there in the corner. It was an arcade game from King of the Jungle Cafe. But that closed a long time ago. How did it make its way here? The game was called “ZOO ESCAPE”. It was about King Louie and his animal friends being sent to a zoo and they needed to escape. Owen looked around. No one was watching him. Why not give the old game a go? Owen walked over and placed a token in. The game rocketed to life, the familiar jingle playing out. It put a smile on his face. And so, he began to play. Despite how old the game was, it was still fun to play. He was playing for a while when he sensed someone was watching him. He at first thought it was Adam, but he realized it wasn’t. It felt off. He paused the game and saw someone leaning against the arcade machine. It was a boy. He was wearing a black teeshirt with white stripes. It had the earth on it. He had a purple and blue bracelet on one of his arms. He wore tan pants with white shoes. His brown hair went slightly over his eyes. From his face, Owen could tell he had braces and freckles. “Enjoying the game, huh?” The boy asked. Owen nodded. “Yeah, it's fun, I used to play this all the time,” Owen admitted. The boy chuckled. “I used to love playing this thing.” The boy agreed. “..I’m Owen, what's your name?” Owen asked. “Ronny, nice to meet you. ..Though, I swear we met before.” Ronny pondered. “What do you mean?” Owen asked, tilting his head. Ronny shrugged. “Nevermind, it's nothing,” Ronny said. Owen wa about to respond when he heard Adam shouting from the other end of the room. “OWEN, WE’RE ABOUT TO HEAD OUT, YOU READY TO GO?” Adam cried. “Yeah, Coming!” Owen shouted back. Owen looked back, but Ronny was gone. He looked around, but couldn’t see any trace of him.

Adam and the others gathered near the entrance, their faces glowing with excitement from the night's activities. "So, who got the highest score?" Isaiah asked, smirking as he pointed at the air hockey table, where he had just narrowly defeated DS. “AI had nothing on me,” Adam replied. Oskar chuckled, shaking his head. "Ring Out was a blast. I reached level 15, but I think you might've beaten me, Adam." "Did anyone check the scores for Owen?" Isaiah asked, looking around.
Owen shrugged, a small smile on his face. "I was just playing an old favorite, 'Zoo Escape'. Didn't check my score." "Old games for old souls," DS joked, giving Owen a friendly nudge. Owen glared at him but shook it off. "Alright, boys, let's tally up and declare a winner."

The group walked to the main score screen near the entrance. After some friendly banter and a quick check, Adam emerged as the victor with his impressive score on "Death by AI". "Bragging rights secured," Adam announced, striking a triumphant pose. "Now, what's next on the agenda?" DS pulled out his phone to check the time. "It's getting late. Maybe we should start heading back." Adam yawned. “Yeah, I agree, come on gentlemen,” Adam commanded.

The group began their walk back to Adam's house. The air was cool and refreshing, a welcome change from the bustling, neon-lit arcade.
"So, what was up with that waitress at Applebee's?" Isaiah asked, breaking the silence. "She seemed...intense." Adam stopped walking and rubbed the back of his neck, clearly still embarrassed. "Yeah, Mary Lou's...interesting. I guess she likes to mess with me." "Mess with you? Dude, she was all over you," Oskar pointed out, raising an eyebrow. "You sure there's nothing more to that story?" Adam sighed. “Look, I don’t really know, I guess she’s just…like that. I have no idea what’s going on in her head. I guess she just has a unique way of interacting with people she likes.” Adam suggested. Owen looked around. “My house is nearby here, I’m gonna head out,” Owen said. “Right, see ya man.” DS waved. Owen waved goodbye as he separated from the group. “Actually, looking around now, I think my place is around here too. I’ll see you guys later ok?” Oskar said. “Alright, see you later man,” Isaiah replied. Oskar walked away, now it was just DS, Isaiah, and Adam here. “You know what? This was fun.” DS Remarked. “Yeah, it was,” Adam responded, a bit tired. “Just a question, why did you start speaking English out of nowhere?” Isaiah asked. “...Eh, I just felt like it.”

It took them a bit, but the trio got back to Adam’s house. “Welp, that was fun boys but I’m gonna head home, see yall later!” DS shouted. Adam waved goodbye as DS walked away. “Don’t know about you, but I’m tired,” Adam said. “Same, goodnight Adam!” Isaiah replied. Adam waved as they walked into the house, Adam walked into his room, as Isaiah walked downstairs.

Isaiah got back into the apartment downstairs and closed the door behind him. He breathed a sigh of relief. Unsure why he did that. “Isaiah.” A voice called “S**t!” Isaiah yelled out of fear. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” The voice responded. Isaiah focused his eyes and noticed two eyes staring at him from the darkness, but he recognized the voice. “It's ok Mom,” Isaiah replied. “Where did you go?” Naiomi asked. “I went with Adam and some of his friends on a boy's night out. Where’s Eleanor?” Isaiah asked. “In her room waiting for you,” Naiomi responded. “Thanks,” Isaiah replied. He was about to walk into the room when his mother stopped him. “...That Adam…is he any good?” Naiomi asked. “What do you mean?” Isaiah asked. “Is he treating you right?” Naiomi asked. “Yeah, if anything he’s like a brother,” Isaiah stated. Naiomi stared before nodding. “Alright, good. Goodnight Isaiah.” Naiomi said, with a deadpan voice. “Good Night Mom,” Isaiah responded. He entered the room as Naiomi looked at the door upstairs. But she decided against going up there, she’d need an invitation after all.

Despite an impressive showing by Diana Ross, in the end, Simon & Garfunkel won the 1970 is a very decisive victory.
***
BTW, for singles that are credited are Double A-Sides, I’ve decided to just put the most famous song of the pair on the poll.
***
1) “Joy to the World” (Three Dog Night) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVcpKjXYa5c
This is the 2nd of 3 chart-toppers for American rock band Three Dog Night. It was written by Hoyt Axton. The song is a mix of rock and pop with a playful, feel-good vibe. Hoyt Axton wrote the song, originally intended as a part of a children's television program. The song's whimsical and nonsensical lyrics reflect this origin. "Joy to the World" is a cheerful and upbeat song that celebrates happiness and unity. The lyrics are light-hearted and fun, with the famous opening line, "Jeremiah was a bullfrog," setting a playful tone. The song features a lively arrangement with prominent electric guitar, keyboards, and brass. The production is energetic, capturing the band's dynamic performance. Chuck Negron, one of the band's three lead vocalists, sings the lead vocals on this track, delivering a spirited and enthusiastic performance.
Very enjoyable song. I like Three Dog Night quite a bit. A fun band, though basically a covers band.
2) “Maggie May” (Rod Stewart) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlFPDi1B-jM
The first of three solo chart-toppers for Sir Rod Stewart, it was written by Stewart and Martin Quittenton. The song blends elements of folk rock and blues rock. The lyrics of "Maggie May" are semi-autobiographical, recounting a young man's relationship with an older woman. Stewart has said the song is based on his own experience of losing his virginity at a jazz festival. The song features a distinctive acoustic guitar riff, played by Martin Quittenton, along with mandolin played by Ray Jackson of Lindisfarne. The arrangement also includes electric guitar, bass, drums, and Stewart's raspy vocals. "Maggie May" is widely praised for its storytelling, Stewart's emotive vocal performance, and its memorable melody. “Maggie May” was credited as a double A-Side with “Reason to Believe”, both from the album Every Picture Tells a Story. The song has been included in numerous "best of" lists and is considered a classic rock staple.
A monster of a song. Just wow. One of my favourites from this era.
3) “It’s Too Late” (Carole King) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkKxmnrRVHo
This is the sole chart-topper by singer-songwriter Carole King, but as a songwriter, King had written/co-written many Top 10 hits prior to this including several No. 1s. It was billed as a double A-side alongside “I Feel the Earth Move”. Both songs came from her second album Tapestry, which would go on to become one of the best-selling albums of the 1970s, and has been certified Diamond in the US. The music of “It’s Too Late” was composed by Carole King, but the lyrics were written by Toni Stern. Reportedly, the song might be about James Taylor who had dated Stern, and who would score a No. 1 hit of his own covering King’s song "You've Got a Friend”. “It’s Too Late” is a blend of soft rock, pop, and jazz influences. The lyrics deal with the end of a romantic relationship, capturing the bittersweet emotions of accepting that a relationship is over.
Nice song. It’s not my favourite off Tapestry, but it’s a solid song.
4) “One Bad Apple” (The Osmonds) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-pUJAWzUk0
The sole-charter by American pop group The Osmonds, a group of brothers who were teen idols in the early 1970s (particularly younger brother Donny Osmond). It was written by George Jackson and is a blend of pop and R&B, with a sound reminiscent of Motown and especially The Jackson 5. In fact, this was to be recorded by The Jackson 5, but The Jackson 5 themselves weren’t impressed and so it wasn’t released. The Osmonds recorded "One Bad Apple" in 1970, with Merrill Osmond providing the lead vocals while Donny Osmond sings part of the main hook. The song is about romantic reassurance. The lyrics tell a story of a boy trying to convince a girl that although she has been hurt by a past relationship ("one bad apple"), she should not let that experience ruin her faith in love. The song features a lively arrangement with upbeat rhythms, harmonised vocals, and an energetic pop sound. The production includes prominent use of strings and brass, adding to its vibrant feel.
People hate this song, and I get it. It's such a Jackson 5 rip off, but I love it. So catchy. I like the Osmonds.
5) “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” (The Bee Gees) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzhmwJI8Bps
The first of nine US chart-toppers by The Bee Gees, this song was written by Barry Gibb and Robin Gibb. The song is a blend of soft rock and pop, with soulful influences. The song was written during a period when the Gibb brothers were reconciling after a brief breakup of the Bee Gees. The lyrics reflect themes of heartache and longing for resolution.
I dunno, I like The Bees Gees a lot, but I find this song painfully boring and unmemorable. They had another song from around this time called "Lonely Days" which went #2 Hot 100 and #1 Cash Box that I think is much much better.
6) "Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)" (Raiders) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVxYL2sI1oM
The sole chart-topper by the rock group the Raiders, formerly known as Paul Revere and the Raiders. As Paul Revere and the Raiders, the group had enjoyed multiple Top 40 hits during the mid-to-late-60s, including several Top 10 hits. The song was written by John D. Loudermilk. The song was originally recorded by Marvin Rainwater in 1959 under the title "The Pale Faced Indian," but it did not achieve significant success. The Raiders version however was a No. 1 single. The song's lyrics recount the forced relocation of Native Americans, particularly focusing on the Cherokee's removal from their ancestral lands in the south-eastern United States, which is often referred to as the "Trail of Tears." It serves as a lament for the suffering and loss experienced by the Cherokee people.
I actually really like this song, but I have a feeling most people in this sub won’t.
***
Rounding out the Top 10 is “Go Away Little Girl” (Donny Osmond) (No. 7), “Take Me Home, Country Roads” (John Denver) (No. 8), "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" (The Temptations) (No. 9) and “Knock Three Times” (Tony Orlando & Dawn) (No. 10).
An interesting and eclectic Top 10. Not the best (and not indicative of the behemoth that is 1971 in terms of music quality), but certainly not the worst of the 70s.
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Hi everyone- thank you in advance for reading…. Although, TL;DR I am at my wit’s end- at this point, even with medication and counter conditioning it feels like it’s 1 step forward and 3 steps back. And I can’t pinpoint why! Why has her fear and anxiety gotten so much worse in the past 3 years? Is the issue lack of trust? If we had experienced some kind of traumatic event at least I would know what had triggered this, but we didn’t. I wish I could just talk to her and understand.
Has anyone else experienced a sudden regression in feaanxiety response (without a triggering event)? Or feaanxiety that doesn’t improve substantially even with treatment, but instead even worsens over time? If so, what did you do? How did you manage? And most of all- is there hope? I just want my adventure dog back.
I have had my dog since she was 6 months old- prior to adoption she was a found as a stray. She was skinny, had worms, and had a broken femur (suspected car accident).
I focused on healing her up, built trust, did basic training, and we became besties & mothedaughter. We definitely experienced separation anxiety, but it didn’t inhibit her. She has been slightly fearful of long car rides and traffic noise in the past, but she especially overcame this when we moved cross country in my car- there was a bit of help from trazadone there, but mostly because I wanted her to just sleep on our 9-10 hour driving days. The trip went well- she has been the best adventure buddy.
Fast forward to living in our new state- we moved 4 times in one year (pandemic!) before finding a wonderful permanent house with 2 women. I worked from home at first, then went back to the office but one of my housemates worked from home, and she had a dog who my dog was besties with. We rarely had issues with fear or anxiety during this time, only on the rare occasion of neighborhood fireworks (new years and July 4th). Her separation anxiety vastly improved in this living situation, and she was never really alone.
Then we reached a turning point: I began dating a person who lived 30 minutes away, who has a dog that ‘doesn’t know how to dog’ imo- history of reactivity (aggression), and even after getting them used to each other never learned how to play with my dog (who can play with any dog!) This somewhat long distance relationship involves me driving 30 mins to their house and 30 mins home every weekend. And my dog became INCREASINGLY anxious in the car, to the point of panting, shaking, drooling- nearly a full panic attack. We went to vet, described what was happening, they suggested trazadone - I tried it, because it had worked in the past, but it made her seem just high and still anxious now- like she felt out of control or something. So instead I focused on counter conditioning in the car as best I could with tons of high value treats on car rides, and this helped- for a time.
Housing situation changed due to landlord selling home, we had to move again to a neighborhood with lots of construction. (Also will mention that leases here often are July to July so moving right before firework holidays- ugh). She started to become increasingly noise adverse, more than ever before. Someone cold slam a door outside the house and she would go into full panic fear response. Car rides anywhere became awful!! Returned to vet, they suggested puppy prozac. Started her on that and found some improvement, but it was not the miracle drug I had been hoping for.
Finally, to date, partner and I move in together. My dog is now 6 yrs old. I am super excited to see her improve due to greater housing stability and wayyyyy less car rides. Of course, we have to get through a very difficult 4th of July again, right after a new move, but it is ok. However, her car ride fear is as awful as ever. At our annual vet check up they ask how she’s doing and I mention continuing fear responses so they suggest adding Clonodine to the Prozac, so I do. I saw a small amount of improvement. But just this weekend we drive out to dispersed camp, something she’s done MANY times- the car ride was bumpy/spicy at times and even with trazadone she had a full fear response. AND unfortunately the campsite was windy AF so she had a fear response the whole evening, to the point that she couldn’t settle at all, despite being exhausted - she shivered and shook, sitting at alert while struggling to keep her eyes open- it was heartbreaking to see her struggle so much with something we used to enjoy together.
Thank you thank you for reading!

The most effective study methods for academic success boil down to:
Time management
There are countless time management techniques, but one beautiful thing about going to school is that a lot of your time is managed for you.
The week and when you need to be in class is arranged.
Professors tell you when assignments are due, etc.
Heck, when I was in university they even gave us calendars for use to write in our due dates.
So the number one thing is to combine what you know with the tools everyone has: the calendar.
In many cases, you can also get advanced notices from professors by simply talking to them before the semester even begins.
You would also do well to explore techniques like the Eisenhower Matrix, time blocking and the Pareto Principle.
Above all, make time management something you study unto itself.
There's no one-size-fits-all approach. But those who study it as the discipline it is will win.
Study Environment Optimization
Studying effectively cannot be random or subject to interruptions.
If you have to study on transit, invest in custom ear plugs of the kind musicians use, not noise-cancelling headphones that will put you at risk in the case of an emergency. Custom ear plugs have filters that let you still hear without being bothered by shrill noises and you can switch between light and heavy filters.
Having multiple study locations worked out in advance is a great strategy because you can walk between them and percolate your thoughts – literally remembering more by simply getting in a bit of exercise. I used to call this "Road Work" when I was in university.
When at home, put a "Do not disturb" sign on your door. Make it clear to others that you are studying and train them to respect the hours you want to put it. Do not compromise. It's your future.
Note-Taking Strategies
There are many different kinds of note-taking methods. My fave is to use Zettelkasten in combination with Memory Palaces.
These two videos detail how the Zettelkasten Method operates in combination with the Memory Palace technique:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIQRiqQFKQY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrN0kaE6DkY
Memory techniques
Like time management, the topic of memory improvement is huge. Make sure to spend a good three months learning all of its ins-and-outs.
The key techniques you'll want to master are:
The Memory Palace A Alphabet System (or pegword system) A Number System (usually based on the Major System) A Symbol System A Spaced Repetition system
These accelerated learning techniques may feel like you're building an airport in the beginning, but think about it:
You do need airports to launch and land planes as effectively and efficiently as possible. It's the same with memory techniques.
You can also do yourself a favor and learn more about memory science. It will teach you about how the mind and memory work and give you ideas that will only arise if you know a little bit about what researchers have found.
Stress Management For Students
Don't make my mistake. I drank like a fish and ate poorly throughout university. This meant that a lot of the experience was lost to depression.
Sure, memory techniques helped… but I can't help but imagine how much more successful I would have been during and after if I'd had better ways of coping with the stress.
Diet, fitness, mindfulness practices, time off with friends for positive and healthy recreation. This is not complicated, though when you're young, impulsivity can certainly make it seem that way.
Exam Preparation Strategies
This basically comes back to properly using your calendar and memory techniques.
For the benefits of what is sometimes called state-dependent or context-dependent memory, it can be useful to study where you will take your exams. It's advisable to use Memory Palaces based on these exam rooms whenever possible.
(Those terms are the kinds of insider memory hacks you'll enjoy only when you understand your memory science, and there are many more that can help you with your exam prep.)
Take mock tests as much as you can. Reflect on what you're learning often. Talk about it with other students.
Don't cram and avoid wasting time on the fantasy that there are any "subject-specific study tips." Maybe if you're in nursing school and need to have patient bodies in specific position, but generally tests are about words, numbers and symbols. Learn how to commit them to memory and talk as much as you can about the information so it is well-exercised before you sit for your exams.
Form Effective Study Groups
There are many benefits to group study if you can select solid group members. This can be tricky, but one way to do it involves a slightly involved strategy:
Try to be part of a club or association. I was president of the English Undergraduate Student Association at York University in Toronto, for example. This drew precisely the right people because anyone who wanted to be part of the association already loved English Literature by default.
After you find the right members, it's just a matter of scheduling regular meetings based on decent agendas and following reasonable time limits so you don't burn out.
One thing my fave study group in university did a lot was to share reading. In other words, we'd each tackle an article or book and then present on it.
Ultimately, you still have to do the reading yourself, but it forms a nice mental framework that makes reading faster and easier when someone you can speak with has summarized the core ideas. These days, you can search YouTube and podcasts for this kind of summarization much of the time, but it's still not the same as being in a study group with other people.
You also get experience with peer teaching and tutoring this way, which is hugely beneficial for your memory. Even if you never intend to teach yourself, the simple effort that goes into preparing and delivering short presentations will benefit you in the short-term for your exams and long-term in your career. Collaborative learning also gives you something powerful to put on your resume, especially if your study group is linked with a formal university institution or group.
Work On Your Reading And Comprehension Skills
The main shortcut here is to simply read a lot, boost your vocabulary as you go by memorizing terms and write summaries as much as you can.
Doesn't sound like a shortcut, I know. But it really is. It helps develop pattern recognition and that's how you ultimately wind up quickly assessing the key points and inferring many things correctly.
Be humble, though. Mistakes will always happen, so be willing to go back and read things again.
Another key aspect of reading is to challenge yourself. Get outside of your comfort zone and read above your level at least a few times a week.
Don't worry about whether you understand what you're reading or not. Soon, moments of insight will arise.
Even if it doesn't happen soon, rest assured that will. There are aspects of philosophy that didn't come clear to me until after 30 years of reading. I'm not ashamed of this at all. I just haven't read and reflected enough to connect the dots. But if I had read above my level sooner, I probably would have had the insights sooner.
Motivation and Discipline
Technically, motivation is not necessary when you have systems. That's what discipline is all about.
That said, it's useful to know about intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. These will be arranged differently in different people as some people respond well to threats of pain whereas others respond better to promises of reward.
Know thyself.
Hire a coach if you have to, as it will be worth it in the end. Many exist and some universities have behavioral science programs, learning disability labs and other institutions where you can learn more directly about these issues.
Finally, you can learn about the difference between tonic and phasic dopamine relative to how the Default Mode Network of your brain is in a kind of battle with the Task Positive Network. This area is kind of heavy on the brain science, but well worth an afternoon or two to figure out the implications in your life.
Just watch out: When optimizing your dopamine levels for motivation, you could wind up enlightened and have your ego make you think you're better than everyone else… which would not be enlightenment. But it'll sure feel that way.
That's why the next category is so important.
Make Time To Learn Critical Thinking
A lot of education involves humans who weigh what they teach and how they teach it based on subjective agendas. It's pretty difficult for anyone not to do that.
When you spend some time developing your critical thinking skills, you'll be able to determine when teachers and writers/video creators, etc. are being too subjective or otherwise slaves to any number of cognitive biases.
Likewise, you'll be able to spot them in yourself and weed many of them out before they can distract you.
The simplest way to use critical thinking while studying is to put Why, Where, When, Who and How up on a Memory Wheel and constantly rotate through it.
As you learn more about different thinkers, you can also start to ask, "What would Freud say about this? What would Skinner say? What would x say?"
To do this, study as many of the sciences and Liberal Arts as you possibly can. If you don't know where to start, go through the Trivium and then the Quadrivium. Knowing how to think through those seven lenses and ask what the major figures in each field would generally say will help you "triangulate" just about any issue and think both objectively and subjectively about it and know which is which.
Self-Assessment And Improvement
Ultimately, the best judge of your progress is you.
To make sure you're giving yourself good materials to judge yourself by, journal, ideally daily.
If you can, keep two journals:
A snapshot journal that simply lists what you did on a particular day.
A discursive journal where you reflect on your thoughts about how things went.
There are many formal products you can buy that will help you journal in particular ways. The Freedom Journal has been one of my faves, but the real tip is to experiment with as many journaling styles as you can in the two main styles I just mentioned.
As you can tell, there's not that much when it comes to embracing a wide number of learning strategies. Apply these tips to the study resources you need to cover on your way to the exam room and you'll do well.
Take Care Around Technology And Studying
There are tons of apps that can help "gamify" these activities, but at the end of the day, gamification is really just a mental metaphor. If it doesn't work for you, find a better metaphor.
Nir Eyal discussion the power of mental metaphors based on some research in Indistractable and more on the matter is found in The Victorious Mind by yours truly. There was even recently a Duke University study showing just how powerful adopting mental metaphors can be for remembering information.
Academic success can indeed be enjoyable, and all the more so when you work out what will make it enjoyable and meaningful for you. Personalize as much of the journey as you can, constantly applying critical thinking to every suggestion you come across and all of your study experiences will become much, much more rewarding.

First of all, is anyone scared to post their story here incase of getting found out? Like lol… pretty sure no one I know would be here. Anyways, I had two LOs that I worked with and became obsessed with. One of them I dated on and off (mostly just him liking my attention and sex) for 3 years and treated me like garbage. They were both my managers at work but the one I didn’t date I was super limerent for after I quit. He was friendly and sometimes texted me but since he was married it blew up into a huge thing in my mind where he wanted me and was jealous of the guy I dated. I cared so much what he thought of me and it was so bad to the point he came into the coffee shop I worked at one day and I started shaking. I had no clue why I was feeling this way around him cause I didn’t feel anything for him before. Then out of nowhere I started having vivid sexual fantasies about him to the point I had to think about him to finish with the other guy. I will sometimes forget about one of them and fixate on the other. It’s weird. Now I don’t talk to either of them and have a new bf.
Does anyone else have multiple LOs?

i'm 16 (female if that matters), my boyfriend is 17. we have had a rocky relationship. it's been on and off a little bit. i'm aware, already unhealthy, but we're teens and i figure things won't be easy. within the time we were broken up we both coped in unhealthy ways with rebounds and substances which is cause for some trust issues now. but this time that we've been together it was really great for a few months. like romance movie great. he seemed to have matured a lot and we got along better. while not technically official but i was under the impression we weren't seeing other people, he took a girl on a date that he claims was not a date and didn't tell me until months later. i was able to grit my teeth and look past it since we didn't have a talk saying things were official. he started messing around with the girl he told me not to worry about inbetween our relationships. i still trust him, but because of what i did between our relationships, he does not trust me. he tracks my location and makes me explain myself any time i go anywhere even if it's to get gas or snacks or even if i'm going to dinner with my family (which he usually doesn't believe). he doesn't like me talking to my friends and parents about our issues because he thinks they won't like him (they don't but i tell them like it is from my perspective). i have severe anxiety and talking to people helps me calm down from my panic attacks caused by our arguments (probably not entirely his fault, i've been in therapy and on meds). he tells me i can't wear certain things like crop tops because he tells me i'm asking for attention from other guys even though i only wear them when i'm with him because i want him to see me and think i'm pretty. one time i wore one to go to out with him and the whole time i was hearing "that guy is staring at your tits" (i literally have no cleavage) and he made me wear a jacket even though i was complaining about being hot. i know it could have been protective but it just felt patronizing and made me feel bad and uncomfortable. he makes 'jokes' about things i'm insecure about on my body when he KNOWS i'm insecure about them and gets mad when it hurts my feelings because it was just a 'joke'. he's made fun of me for my eating habits and how fast/much i eat and made me uncomfortable eating around him (i'm a healthy weight so he has no reason to be concerned about that). he sometimes laughs when he makes me cry but says it's just because it's awkward but it really hurts my feelings and he knows that and doesn't seem to try to refrain from it. he really is mostly good to me but i definitely have some concerns about how healthy this is. this is also not to say that i don't/haven't do(ne) anything wrong but even so i don't think it would justify his behavior.
any advice/input would be super appreciated!!! (also really hoping he doesn't see this cause i bet he could tell it's about him)

My brother R has a heart of gold, sometimes to his own detriment. A month ago, he started getting strange handwritten letters in the mail. Most of it was gibberish, but the stalker said they wanted to touch R, be his friend, and warned him not to tell anyone.
Then, brand new gifts began appearing on R’s lawn. He called the police, who took the letters, the gifts, and made a report. The cops were dismissive calling the stalker 'a friendly neighbor.'
Now the letters have escalated. The stalker knows R spoke with the police, probably saw the cop cars, and is upset about it. The stalker says they want to live and die with R. They claim they bought side by side cemetery plots for them both. They say they’re going to come to R’s house on a specific date very soon.
We identified the stalker. R has never met them before, but we dug around. (They signed the letters with their real name & address, but they happen to share the same first, middle, and last name as a famous serial killer from the same area so it was difficult to find more information about them online). They have a long history of stalking. R’s neighbor is giving money to the stalker.
R doesn’t want them to get in trouble, but I’ve convinced him to get the restraining order. I’ve filled out all the paperwork for the petition, but I’m having trouble getting a response from the court. It’s completely insane. My brother doesn’t deserve this.

Hey Everyone! I recently inherited a hat collection with roughly 300 hats, with hats dating back to the 80s. The collection includes trucker hats, snapback hats, velcro adjustable, and strap adjustable caps. I don't have the space to keep these hats and have been looking to sell them. I have finally managed to post all the hats for sale on Mercari as of yesterday. I understand this thread is avoiding self-promotion and selling, but I wanted to reach out to a thread that would take the hats to a good home. If anyone is interested, the themes of the hats include:

• Racing Teams and Racing Sponsors
• Dad Joke/Gag Gift
• Tobacco & Alcohol Companies
• Tractor Companies (e.g. John Deere & Oliver)
• Travel Destinations
• Hunting/Outdoorsman
• NFL/NBA/MLB/NCAA (mainly Ohio teams)
• Golf Courses
• USA Theme
• Other Local Ohio Companies & Restaurants

If you have any interest in the hats or just want a collection to take a look at, my Mercari link is listed below. Please reach out to me via the message feature on Mercari if you are interested as prices are extremely flexible due to my need to move them out. Also, if you're interested in a bundle, I can work out deals to get those to you. Thank you again and I hope you all have a great rest of your day!
https://www.mercari.comvintagehatandcloth/?sv=0

If you're on the apps—whether you're looking for marriage, looking for a hookup or you're just looking for a nice night out on the town—one thing is for sure: You have seconds to make a first impression that keeps someone from swiping left. What's the key? Knowing how to make your Tinder bios stand out among the rest.
If you're wondering: "What is a good bio for Tinder? How do I spice up my Tinder bio?" then you've come to the right place. Marissa Moore, a counselor and couples therapist with years of experience, gave us all her recommendations for making your bio the best of them all (plus 40 ideas for the best Tinder bios, below!)
What to Put In a Tinder Bio
So, you've opened up the "edit" section on your Tinder bio (or Hinge bio or even Bumble bio, too) and you're staring blankly at your phone. How are you supposed to know how to write a Tinder bio that will stop someone in their tracks?
How Dating Apps Are Changing Our Psychology
The secret, Moore says, is deciding between a few different formulas, and sticking to one. Remember: This doesn't have to be super complicated. It's actually supposed to be fun! To get started, use these are a guide on what to put in Tinder bio:
Everyone loves a perfectly-timed one-liner, right? Write something that captures your personality or sense of humor.
Want to keep it straight forward? Go the old-fashioned route and write a brief description of yourself, highlighting your interests, hobbies or passions.
You're funny, so maybe use this time to show it off. Using a joke or witty remark can be a great way to give someone a sense of your personality, too.
Lastly, if you're a romantic at heart or suave in your own right, try using a creative and flirty pick up line that stands out (but avoid anything overly cheesy or inappropriate.)
How to Write a Tinder Bio
Now that you've got a road map for how to make a good Tinder bio—i.e. you've chosen a one-liner, keeping it straight forward, leaning on your humor or a pick up line—what is the best way to approach actually writing it all out?
Whether you're looking to write clever Tinder bios, Tinder bios for guys or just wanting to make your dating app bio shine with your personality, Moore has a few tried-and-true tricks up her sleeve to stand out.
Be Authentic
It might be tempting to want to make yourself look "better" than you are IRL, but this is never a good idea, and your dates will learn the truth eventually. That's why Moore suggests the biggest piece of advice: to be authentic.
Good Morning Texts For Her
Wake Her With A Smile With These 82 Good Morning Texts
Let her know that she's always the first thing on your mind.
Woman looks at her phone while smiling.
Funny, punny and non-corny inpsiration, right this way.
"Showcase your genuine personality and interests," Moore says. "Rather than trying to portray yourself as someone you're not."
Keep it Concise
Next up? Make sure to keep your Tinder bios as concise as possible. Remember: you've got seconds to impress the person on the other end — let's make sure you get a swipe right.
"Aim for a bio that is clear, concise and easy to read," she says. "Avoid overwhelming potential matches with too much information."
Show, Don't Tell
Another tip? Show, don't tell. According to Moore, Instead of listing qualities about yourself, you might consider sharing anecdotes or stories that illustrate who you are and what you enjoy. This can sometimes be more intriguing.
Highlight Your Unique Traits
What makes you unique is a good thing! Use it to your advantage. By focusing on what makes you stand out from the crowd, and what you can offer in a relationship, you may find someone who already loves your quirks and differences, right off the bat.
Funny Tinder Bios
Do you consider yourself a comic? If so, you might have chosen going with the funny Tinder bios route. If so, here are some ideas to use, below.
I'm not a photographer, but I can picture us together.
Looking for someone who can keep up with my pun game.
Swipe right if you're ready for cheesy pick up lines and spontaneous dance parties.
Looking for a wingwoman to hunt down the best tacos in town on a random Tuesday afternoon.
Seeking someone who will support my travel addiction and my obsession for squeezing everything into a carry on bag.
If you date me, you'll be the good looking one.
Looking for someone to appreciate my puns and share pizza with. If you can't handle my cheesy jokes, you're not the one for me. Let's see if we can find the perfect slice together!
You're single, I'm single. You know what that means? Nobody wants us.
Life's too short for boring conversations and dull dates! Let's do both.
I'm really bad at putting together IKEA furniture—looking for a cute helper 😉
Clever Tinder Bios
Maybe a clever bio is more your speed. If so, there are plenty of ideas for Tinder bio that fall under clever and smart, too.
Currently accepting applications for a partner in crime and fellow Netflix binge-watcher.
Like a 'Fun-Size' Snickers bar, they say good things come in small packages.
If life is a game, consider me your cheat code. Swipe right and let's unlock some bonus levels together.
I'm like a Rubik's Cube—complex, colorful and slightly frustrating at times. But once you figure me out, you'll realize I'm worth the challenge.
If you can guess my favorite pizza topping, you win bonus points.
Seeking someone who can match my level of sarcasm and appreciation for dry humor.
Looking for someone who can handle my impeccable taste in music, questionable cooking skills and my uncanny ability to always find the best meme for every situation.
Outdoor enthusiast and indoor Netflix champion.
Professional overthinker seeking someone who analyzes texts as much as I do. Showcases self-awareness and a touch of vulnerability.
Chapter 23 - Looking for someone to co-author the next chapters. Indicates a life seen as an unfolding story, inviting collaboration.
Cute Tinder Bios
If being cutesy is more your thing, look no further: using cute Tinder bios has been proven to work again and again. Being and feeling cute can be a confidence boost when dating — here are some of our fave examples.
Lover of sunsets, dog walks and spontaneous adventures. Let's create our own love story.
Looking for someone to share lazy Sunday mornings and late-night conversations with.
Searching for my partner-in-crime to explore the city, try new foods and cuddle up with on rainy days.
Puppy enthusiast. Ice cream connoisseur. A seeker of great coffee dates.
Might steal your heart, will steal your fries.
Just a Jim looking for his Pam. Bonus points if you give great bear hugs!
A believer in fairy tales, serendipity and the magic of a good cup of coffee.
Looking for someone who's all about making everyday moments a little bit extraordinary.
Cuddling champion searching for a worthy competitor. Must be fond of star-gazing and midnight snacks.
Looking for someone to share in my adventure of finding the best tacos in town.
Simple Tinder Bios
If being cute, funny or clever doesn't speak to you, it's OK to stick to simple, too! Here are some ideas to try on for size.
Looking for a real connection, not just a one-time thing.
Just trying to find my other half.
Drinks?
Come say hello.
____ born & raised.
Looking for more laugh lines.
Traveling and exploring. Want to join?
Let's see how this goes.
Looking for an adventure partner.
If I am not home, you can find me ____.

Hey Folks,
I am travelling the world with my partner for a year and we hope to arrive in Bishkek on Friday. We will come from Almaty.
My questions are about whether booking tours last minute, when we arrive in the city, is possible? Information is a little difficult to come by and I get the impression that a lot of what is online is overpriced.
We want to visit Ala Archa and Issyk Kul lake and to hike.
We have a very limited time frame of 10 days between Almaty and Bishkek so don't want to do too much. We also speak absolutely no Russian.

1. If we did book last minute where would be the best place to go?
2. Can people recommend a hostel/guesthouse where we might be able to do this?
3. Does anyone have idea of what hiring guide/driver with English might cost?
4. Any good recommendations for a 1 or 2 day hike?

Thanks in advance

Hi, I'm pretty much new to Reddit and decided to come on to read more about dating someone with BP.
I (30f) have been together with my partner (36f) for more than two years now and we've been living together. She has BP & ADHD. To summarise our relationship, we've been doing really well. I've seen her during her very very bad episodes and we have both learn to manage "the thing" a lot better now - episodes are a lot shorter now. Her doctor has also stopped her medication for about 9 months now.
However, we have this issue where my partner is a super jealous person. As a queer person, I am surrounded by my exes and people I've slept with and we're all very close friends. She has met most of them and have hung out with them. She likes them etc. She even asks me to hang out with them more because she knows how important friends are to me. BUT everytime I come home from hanging out wth a friend, her episode would start....and I feel super frustrated having the same conversation a 100 times and also confused to what I'm supposed to do.
So, I am also wondering - is this part of her BP that I can't really do anything about it or part of her that we can work out?

This is too boring, mundane, & irrelevant to bother posting anywhere else, so I’m spewing my nonsense where it nearly nary will be seen but hopefully get out of my motherforking brain.
Last year for the first time ever, we had family photos done with everyone on my (immediate) side of the fam. It was awesome, and we ended up with some stunning photos of all kinds: just our kiddos, my sis & I with our parents, kiddos with grandparents, our fam of 5, etc.
We wanted to do family pics again this year because we loved them so much, so we managed to book the same phenomenal photographer. This time just the 5 of us + my MIL. My husband was thrilled with the idea, especially since his dad has recently passed. It’s still a very tender matter, and I try to offer as much tlc & grace to my my husband & MIL as possible.
The only hiccup in all this has been getting a date solidified. We had a date booked, but the weather was awful for the planned outdoor session so (after checking w MIL), we rescheduled. Unbeknownst to all of us at the time, the new date aligned w the local high school graduation.
Small tangent.. my husband has a crummy brother & scummy s-in-law (sisteslut.. we assume they’re still married, but who knows. Brother’s w___e is still fitting as well.) and their youngest kid just graduated high school. Easy to see where this is going.
MIL didn’t want to miss the graduation (totally understandable); even though my husband & his brother have been cordially communicating a bit within the last couple months, we weren’t specifically invited to the graduation, etc. and we had no reason to attend, much less even know the date. Why feed the already obese llamas?
Photos were rescheduled for the 2nd time, and I made plans for graduation afternoon for me & the Littles. Though MIL did somewhat-gently encourage my husband to attend the graduation with her, he opted not to go. “It’s open to the public and I’m within my rights to be there” .. oy vey. That’s an expression I heard sooo many times from my MIL over the years. I don’t disagree, but I prefer not to go where my presence isn’t requested or desired. Which is absolutely the case in this situation. Plus, whyinthefuck would I go to a long-ass graduation for ~a thousand kids I do not know at all? I haven’t seen husband’s brother’s family at all since FIL’s funeral, and it was almost 2 years no contact prior to that. Plus I didn’t even attend my own HS graduation of less than 100 grads.
We’re finally coming up on the 2nd rescheduled date, and wadayaknow.. high school baseball playoffs are going on. Husband’s nephew is a key part of the team, and MIL has been religiously attending every game she can. Against tremendous odds, the team advanced. My husband wasn’t certain of the day/time of the next game at that point, and warned me that MIL might not be able to make it to the photos if the times conflicted. Then websites were saying one day/time, school was saying another.
As of yesterday, it wasn’t even an issue. Game scheduled Saturday, photos scheduled Sunday. Today, it was a big fat question mark. Rain had been constant, though mostly light/moderate. Game actually got underway.
It then got called & rescheduled. Luckily for Monday, so no conflict issues.
This was really just more annoying than anything else, so I just needed a little vent.

I started working here about 2 months ago in a temp position. About a week ago my manager gives me the talk and tells me I’ll need to reapply just as I did but for a full time (part time but not temporary lol) position. He said he’d talked with the shift leads/fellow management and that they were offering me the full time position. I said okay and reapplied online. A few days later I got an (automated) email back that basically said “thanks for your application but after consideration we’ve decided you’re unqualified and won’t be moving forward.”
Today my manager mentioned that I’d have an ‘interview’ tomorrow to go over what J needed to work on. I’m just kind of confused on what I’m supposed to expect and if this is all normal procedure for transferring from a temp to full time? I also asked my manager if they were interviewing anybody else and he seemed to hesitate and not give me a direct answer. I’m just confused as I’ve never been in this position before and I’d like to plan ahead accordingly since my 60 days nearly up.

I (M25) have been overweight my entire life. I have never known what it is like to be normal size, and it eats at me every single day. I have never had a girlfriend or anything close to it, and I think a lot of it comes down to my weight.
Whenever I go out with my tall, skinny, and athletic friends I never have any girl even look in my direction. I feel so inadequate and so out of place.
Online dating was a complete disaster, as I hated how I looked in every photo I had on my profile and got zero matches that went anywhere. It dropped my confidence to an all time low.
I've been trying to lose weight for so long. Suffering from binge eating disorder and emotional eating certainly doesn't help.
I just need to know if meeting people and dating gets any easier after losing weight. I need that motivation, I need that drive.
I'm sorry if this post comes across as 'forever alone'-ish or incel-ish but I just need reassurance right now. Any wisdom you can share would be greatly appreciated. :)

GF broke up with me
So Ima just spill the beans
My girlfriend (24) and I (M26) broke up today. I felt and knew it was going to come, eventually, and she’ll be the one calling it off. The reason was because of me sending an angry voice note to her where I was yelling. Yesterday afternoon she mentioned if I wanted to go to her friends bday party at some club. I was on the fence about it since I’m low on funds for the week but said yes. She spoke about it before to where she said she didn’t want it to be awkward with the her friend which their is some tension between them. She said maybe you could come and just be with me. I’m not a club guy so I said I rather spend the money on a personal outing for you and I and she replied by saying but this is a me and you thing.
So while I was in class she’s texting me saying if I’m going or not since I would have to send some money. Then she said she was anxious of me going because there was a time where I slid in her friends DMs. I’m not really sure if I ever said something explicit. Perhaps I did maybe reacted to her stories with heart emojis and said hey. It was just me being wanting to talk to a female and perhaps one thing leads to another but I never thought of her as a potential gf. Also there was this one time where I was drunk and blurted out her friends name while we were on FaceTime. I was lying down and wanted to yell out my gf name but Idek how I yelled out her friends name. But to my defense I wasn’t all nor do I think of her friend AND her friend also shared the same name for my bartender that night so idk but still also not thinking of my bartender.
I was upset she brought this up. I know feelings like that don’t go away overnight but that was in the first month of us dating, and obviously we weren’t talking when I tried hitting up her friend. We were dating for 6 months so far. I also told her not to worry that. It’s pointless why are you feeling that way. And she got mad saying that I was saying her feelings was pointless. I also said what’s the difference if you’ll be shaking ass with her guy friends around there to if I’m there or not.
Last night I got drunk and she didn’t want me to call her because of something going on in her household but My heads was in the clouds and was so drunk I kept calling her even thought she said not to because of the whole situation going on. She said she was overwhelmed and that’s all I got and I just wanted her to tell me what was going thinking it was about me still. At this point I’m still calling her and thinking it was about me till she got mad texted me what was going on and was pissed at me. Saying not everything is about you. Regardless of the matter I still managed to be on my bs and say so do you want to be with me or not. I told her stop fucking play with me.
I really loved her. I feel like it sucks since it was always going to be me being the reason she leaves. I always felt like I wasn’t good enough for her. She is more established than I. I’m just getting my life together. She once said me not having a license is an issue because she doesn’t want to drive all the time. She said she wasn’t sure if she wanted to present me to her parents because I’m a boy that doesn’t have his shit together. She was always just saying how this relationship been stressful and she’s been trying despite the factors of me talking to her friend and me not having my life established with my unwise decisions. I’m looking back at the texts of last night and I really wish we could work this out but I know she’s never coming back. I want to fight for her. I wanted a future with her. I wanted her to be my wife. What do you guys think?

Hi! Hope all of you got the rest you deserve.
I've been working since 2nd sem ng 1st year ko (currently 3rd year student) and honestly am tired. Tired of expectations sa work and school. Tried doing things to impress people sa work. I'm planning to resign na po, since sobra toxic ng management namin. Overworked kami, and they kept on expecting na everything na gagawin namin should be 100%, no crumbs should be left. But on the other hand, I have goals. Due to unfortunate situations, I wasn't able to save money. I don't curse, but life is fuck*d especially for those unfortunate students (like me). I'm not looking for sympathy po, just want to rant lang. Sorry sa bad word. Thank you!

This all took place over the course of about 6 weeks. It was a little over two weeks until we were able to reserve a car and then had to wait another 4 weeks for delivery. My wife and I took turns reaching out to dealers in between work and kids.

• Dealer 1 - $5k markup, non-negotiable, no Siennas on the lot and everything had a waitlist.
• Dealer 2 - Woodland, found car on toyota.com, started purchase online through Toyota’s SmartPath (the estimate you see online is what you’ll pay at the dealership). Received call immediately and said they would send over all the details so I can confirm and move forward. I thought this was strange since all the details, with OTD pricing was online. Six hours later they send a new price breakdown with an additional $5k markup. When I asked why the price changed they came back with a $2k markup for window tinting. I said MSRP and they said sales manager won’t go any lower since I am not local.
• Dealer 3 - XLE, MSRP price, but required GPS-based theft prevention add-on for $1,300, no deal.
• Dealer 4 - No cars available, reservations are only for locals, if you are out of town you can only buy what is on the lot
• Dealer 5 - MSRP, no add ons, 6-8 month waitlist, but will probably be sooner.
• Dealer 6 - XLE Sienna on lot, $3k markup. Dropped to $1k markup after I asked for MSRP. Back and forth was slow as both of us were busy, they ended up selling to someone else.
• Dealer 7 - 2 Siennas on lot (XLE & XSE), setup appointment and showed up the next day. (Website shows MSRP pricing) I show up the next day and there are no Siennas on the lot, but one coming in next week, which I can have for a $7k markup. I said MSRP and was told no way, so we left.
• Dealer 8 - XSE, MSRP pricing, but would have to have it shipped from the East Coast. Asked for dealer to pay shipping, but no dice. Felt like we could do better.
• Dealer 9 - Limited available, waitlist for other trims. Avoided question on dealer markups.
• Dealer 10 - XLE on lot. Antitheft required addition. Tried negotiating, but conversation petered out.
• Dealer 11 - XSE on lot with $2k markup, $1,200 theft prevention, and a few dealer options installed including paint protection. They weren’t negotiating.
• Dealer 12 - MSRP pricing, waitlist 6-12 months
• Dealer 13 - MSRP pricing, waitlist 6-12 months
• Dealer 14 - MSRP XSE available, however it came with the premium package and I didn’t want to pay for that.
• Dealer 15 - No Siennas available, said they usually sell them for above MSRP
• Dealer 16 - XSE available for reservation, but I had to do it in person. They kept providing ambiguous answers in regard to their pricing. It was a 3.5 hour drive for me, so I wasn’t going to go unless they provided some details. They promised to send over pricing info, but never sent it.
• Dealer 17 - XLE and Woodland available for reservation at MSRP (long drive for me, but doable). However paint protection and theft prevention are required for $1,300, not negotiable unless we did a trade in at a price that was thousands below my best offer elsewhere. Kept trying to negotiate, but they weren’t budging much. Finally salesman agreed to knock a few hundred dollars off, but sales manager said no. Surprised on this one, we thought we were going to make a deal and a few hundred apart they wouldn’t agree. We were honest with informing them we were considering another car that had more add-ons. They must have done some sleuthing through Toyota’s inventory with the car details we had shared and identified who we were talking to. They named the dealer in our conversation and bad-mouthed them, saying they would pull dirty tricks once we went to purchase the car. This deal fell apart at the finish line and left a bad impression on us.
• Dealer 18 - XLE and Woodland available for reservation. No dealer markup, but dealer installed options inflated the price. I could easily fly to this dealership on a cheap ticket, no BS from sales, so we agreed on MSRP price and placed a reservation.

My mistake through all this was trying to use the internet as a tool to identify Sienna inventory. It seemed to me almost all dealer websites were works of fiction when it came to showing their Sienna inventory, what was reserved and what was available. Toyota.com seemed more accurate, but compared to dealer website, it isn’t saying much. Sometimes a car listed as available on Toyota.com was actually available.
What I would do differently

• Reach out to dealers over the phone instead of submitting requests online. This will just be a more efficient use of time . Half the time I was put in contact with someone who wasn’t a sales person and couldn’t provide the information I was looking for. A number of times I asked a question and it was ignored or side stepped. Sometimes I got no response from the internet team.
• Treat window tinting, paint protection, and theft prevention as a red flag. Any dealer who mentions one of these or has added it to their car, I would cross off my list and never talk to again. There are plenty of dealers who don’t do this and I think it is an easy tell that you don’t want to work with them. I didn’t have any good experiences when this was on the table.
• Negotiate harder on having dealer installed options removed that I don’t care about.
• See who is active on the No Markup Toyota Facebook page and talk to them first. I only had positive and productive interactions with the people on there.
• Focus on building a short list of dealers you want to work with and figuring out how they operate. Then i is a matter of checking in with them periodically, especially around allocation time.