Ginger_Warrior

You should be done your tests by the time it rolls out I would imagine. It's a minor point, but you can't possibly know that. You don't even know when his exams are. If they're after Christmas, which isn't unusual, your reassurances fall flat.

It would help if you explained a bit more...

Easiest time to go home, and most drinking places tend to full of non-students (people who work full time) as well. It does sort of kill the 'student vibe', although to be honest, speaking as a slightly older student, I don't think that's such a bad thing.

I'm usually exhausted by everyday life. Talking to people, having to listen to their problems. I genuinely enjoy helping people but the burden leaves me feeling very drained, and I need a hell of a lot of time to myself to recover, or I get moody. Exercise is definitely an idea, even if it's just a walk or a jog. Obviously makes you fitter, makes you feel more energetic, and it takes your mind off things. Music lets me relax and unwind. If I'm feeling angry or frustrated, I channel it "productively" by gaming online. Basically it depends on how I feel and how I'd like to feel afterwards.

I used to hate auto-correct with a burning passion... until my Samsung came with SwiftKit. Now it's all I ever use. :)

I think that guy is what Yanks on the 'Net refer to as 'butthurt'. :P

I'm pretty sure my housemates and the neighbours think they're living in an episode of Jersey Shore. They do [bleep] all uni work, and spend half their nights in clubs, getting drunk and hooking up with each other. The girls spend the next day talking about the 'mistakes' they made the night before and that they regret shitting on their own doorstep, while the guys brag about it. In a rather schizophrenic and confusing manner, both sexes agree that in the interests of sound future decision-making, they'll never get that drunk again, before getting drunk that again and proudly declaring, 'I've never been that drunk before!' Their collective understanding of the outside world seemingly extends to soap operas and Christmas shopping; I mentioned the hurricane in the Philippines yesterday and how shocking it was that thousands of people died in the disaster, and most of them stared at me with a blank face as if basic human empathy were some kind of superfluous trait which only the weird and the strange would bother about. Apparently it's more relevant to the world that Sam Callaghan was voted off of X-Factor, and Spencer cheated on (yet another) girl on Made in Chelsea, but that he's an aw-right guy really because he's "fit". If any one of them establishes anything more than a strictly casual relationship with a member of the opposite sex, they're chided for being "gay" and not part of the uni lifestyle because they're allowing themselves to be "tied down". This, somewhat ironically, coincides with a pre-drinking ritual of tasking each other to pull someone during the night. There's a clear requirement for sexual relationships in this subculture, and yet a paralytic fear of one such relationship lasting any longer than a week or so. I guess if I had one word for it, it would be 'laddish' and it's really nauseating watching perfectly intelligent adults, both men and women, in their early-20s being pressured into following a culture which essentially requires you do boil yourself down to a lowest common denominator like pre-pubescent children in a schoolyard.

Ty, what's making you believe that the girl is being abused, as opposed to this guy getting worked up over nothing? I get it that he's agitated, but where's the link to her being potentially abused? Are there any other signs?

Food, of course... ;)

Who exactly is being "higher than thou" here? Furthermore, your desire to have fun is a not a God-given right which should be protected above other people's rights, where the latter may be compromised in the act of somebody doing the former.

For those outside of the US: I have a digital radio app on my phone which has Loveline episodes from August ready to play. Truthfully, I miss Goddess. She had a significant impact on my decision to leave med school. It was the biggest decision I've so far had to make in life, and it's not one I regret in the slightest. Her view of life and of people in general really inspired me.

Are one night stands really that taboo? Only if you're looking at it from a male perspective. I've never known any guy receive grief for shagging a girl after a drunken night out (Jack The Lad), but girls on the other hand, as you say, are "sloots" for doing exactly the same things. I'm not suggesting you're a closet misogynist or anything...

While I've agreed more on your side over muggi's thus far, surely this argument is counter-intuitive. If a person is shy, surely trying to set up dates in an environment which doesn't have body language and face-to-face communication would be preferable to a "real life" environment where all the normal rules still apply. Furthermore, shyness doesn't equate to "It's all in my head". Shyness is a very mild form of social anxiety. What you're referring to there is over-sensitivity, which can be symptomatic of anxiety but does not indicate shyness itself. People can be timid and composed about a situation at the same time. For example, if we're using personal anecdotes, I'm a very timid person when it comes to approaching people I've never met before, something which has always held me back in the dating game, but I can still introduce myself and develop therapeutic relationships with fourteen patients on a hospital ward every day. Exposure to our fears provides us with opportunities to develop coping strategies; in my example, I have a framework in my mind for that initial conversation for introducing myself, and getting the information I need as quickly as possible. It's entirely possible to be shy normally, but still hold yourself together when talking to girls and not becoming overly attached too soon.

Conversation between any two people who've just started dating or who've just met each other will be awkward. Even if you are a raving extrovert and full of confidence, there's still that initial fear of approaching someone else or being approached yourself. If he's as nervous as you say, he'll probably be more awkward than most and that might take some time. I understand what you say about making the environment as comfortable as possible, but I really cannot overdo this point about effective communication. Relationships are a lot like life, in that there are always problems, whether it's a short-term crisis or something more long-term. Sex, money, family, careers, friends... it all gets thrown into the mix. The only difference is that you're both in it together, and you need to be talking to each other about those issues, because if you don't and one or the both of you become dissatisfied, the relationship will break apart one way or another. It's okay to be awkward now. Three months down the line? Be careful about that. But let's not get ahead of ourselves... one date at a time. :)

Erythrocytes (red blood cells) usually last 90 days before they start to break apart, eventually splitting after around 100 days. Let alone 7 years!

I was more referring to the relationship breaking up part. Which does get easier with time, whether that's days, weeks or years.

It gets easier with time, and you won't be unemployed forever. Have you spoken to anyone IRL about how you're feeling?

Never got a chance to reply either, but these are the bits that stuck out to me: ...he's shy... ...shy... SHY What do shy people do when someone asks to meet up with them? They look for excuses not to meet up.

Well... this is awks...

Wow... what an experience that looks like! :)

My phone keeps a record of where the data it's downloaded has come from, and I've noticed that Facebook now downloads a shit ton of data, especially if it's on the Facebook app. The website version uses a bit less. To put it in perspective, the only thing that uses more data is Last.fm, which is streaming music for a couple of hours a day.

That's understandable. When you have a good relationship with your sibling and then the two of you move apart from each other, it's normal to miss each other. I wish I could suggest an idea which would fix that, but I can't. The best idea I have is Skype calling, because at least then you're actually talking face-to-face (kind of). It makes the times you get to meet up with each other, like Christmas and stuff, all the more special, though. I'm having real trouble with Firefox on my Android (Galaxy S2) and the Facebook website. For some weird reason my phone starts running slowly and overheats if I leave it on Facebook too long. The problem isn't replicated on other browsers, so it's definitely a Firefox thing. I might switch to Chrome, but I don't want Google shoved down my throat at every corner.

This topic is ridiculous. Lock plz.

You'll still stay in touch though, right? I mean there's so many ways to contact people these days and stay connected. I'm sure if you both sorted out a time in the week where you're both free to talk, you'd still remain close to each other.