I am sorry to hear of yet another person abroad who is personally feeling this. Yes, many here & there are caught up in it. I also feel it deeply. I have a new business... and it struggles. We all have to try to stay calm and get through this. It will be a long ride.
Dana, if there's one thing CS should be, it's s source of support when people need it. Anyone who would dare to open their mouth against a person who had to endure these event... well they should be drawn and quartered slowly with dull spoons, in a pit of salt. But I really shouldn't keep my feeling all bottled up, now should I?
Adam's life should be celebrated now. Three cheers for Adam... and the amazing young man he was.
Long enough to recognize the smell of BS... to know when to let lose, to know who's worth their weight in gold & to recognize who's really been here the longest.
Each man has a level of credibility that is established and gets built upon with time.
If said mystery man were to come out in first contact with outlandish offers... hell no. Why would I? He no more took the time to get to know me than he did to have a little inner dialog about being creepy.
Now if he take the time to ask me a few important questions, shows some willingness to exchange with me... then his advances would be received with growing warmth.
It is not a matter of if I know what a person thinks, it is a simple fact. People post pics of themselves. That's the idea behind a profile, to represent ourselves to strangers. Even in the midst of our playful games with cartoon pictures, we are telling a story... part of our story. Now, if we all had complete strangers post pic for us, then there would be no "soul" to the display.
As for the voting: no one votes on my pics... male or female. They are welcome to vote on the cats, but more out of sheer novelty.
Do you realize the term "perfect" is a human invention. Nature is not perfect, yet it's charming.
"perfect"... It's a fluffy ideal, helping us to aspire to some mythical concept of Nirvana. It's supposed to make reality easier to bear, even as it leaves many disillusioned and emotionally stunted.
Back on Earth where reality is king... perfection is a pipe dream, a facade, about as useful as hanging a bed sheet over a missing front door. If you squint your eyes just right, you can allllllllmost believe it's the real thing.
For some completely bizarre reason, people have come to desire and expect "perfection". There is a saying... if everything was perfect, I'd have to kill myself from the boredom of it.
Instead, why can't more people(credit goes to those who DO...) look forward to the learning process, to the exchanges and memories they will make. If it's a good one, laugh and cherish that joy. If it's embarrassing, get over it with the knowledge one day you will be able to laugh about it. Let anger go, practice forgiveness & master agreeing to disagree. If all else fails, simply live and learn.
You are only as damaged as you choose to be... and it's only as heart wrenching as you let it be.
My perfect relationship? That would be the one you least expect, you most want, and get the most memories out of... regardless of how it ends.
Easy there... some may find that slightly offensive.
People post pictures that they feel represent who they are. We all have our own way of smiling. A big dumb tooth grin might not very very attractive to someone who prefers a more refined image of self control. There is no one universal image that anyone "should" follow. With that in mind, to each their own. (personally, I find those unusual photos can tell you more important information than a staged studio pic )
Try heating a pan of water in the oven and let is create steam. The baked goodies will take up a bit more of a crispy texture on the outside. Depending on how thick a batter you've used, can come out anywhere from crackly crisp to shiny chewy(think bagel).
It's a great technique to experiment with too. You can literally infuse a flavor into the baked goods with a few drops of lemon, orange or peppermint oil in the steam water.
RE: Good Bye Phil- (username - Detente)
for Phil:(*) (*)