As an atheist/agnostic, I believe the 9% are indeed people who think end-timers will kill us all in a man-made catastrophe while screaming the fire they set themselves is proof of god's final judges.
As long as he was accepting the no's gracefully, and wasn't an asshole to any of them... Then yeah, that's a pretty honest way to play the numbers game and find someone who is also dtf.
And this was at a frat party... not work or church... so appropriate time and place as well
I grew up eating garden tomatoes. Went to college, for the first time bought a grocery store tomato. Cut into it, tasted it... turned to my friend, what the fuck is this shit?
Real butter for things where you can taste it. Store brand for things where the other flavors are more overpowering and don't really notice the butter.
I got a tortilla press and masa harina. I will not buy premade corn torillas again. Masa isn't that expensive, add salt, water, mix, press, and cook on a dry pan (or super lightly oiled, i put a very light layer on mine since it's cast iron)
So much tastier than store bought and better texture.
My parents lived next door to my grandma. Mom would say "wanna go to Grandma's" to her cat and he'd jump up on a speaker beside the door to be picked up and carried. Grandma would make him a scrambled egg or give him some tuna.
After Mom passed away, I was visiting Dad and thought I'd try "Wanna go to Grandma's?" He jumped up and let me carry him to Grandma's and back. (After his scrambled egg, of course) He lived to be 21 so I carried to him see Grandma everytime I visited.
What's kinda funny, this is exactly why I like Mastodon. I'm only seeing what I want.
But I spent a bit of time everyday checking out people that the people I followed had reposted and various recommdation lists. Then discovered hashtags, now I collect those. #bloomscrolling and #caturday amongst the first to freshen up the feed.
It took a few minutes a day and it was kind of fun finding communities and people.
I'd rather Bluesky properly federate so I could have Mark Hamill and a few others in my Mastodon feed without having to check Bluesky too.
Mastodon is like going to the local pub, I see my people. Bluesky is like going to Summerfest or your insert favorite huge music fest with tons of famous bands and tiny side stages and super crowded and it's easy to lose your friends.
Women are also fed lies that men don't need emotional support. Also, women are told constantly that men don't want to be friends with them and only want sex.
So there's a good chance his friends that are women think he's not having a hard time and/or he wants to sleep with them instead of talk.
I'm sorry OP that you are going through this. The advice to join an in person hobby or interest group is probably best. (To supplement your therapy)
Also, it's also entirely possible, since it's been 5 months, that everyone is overwhelmed with life and the world. I know I've not reached out as often to my friends the last 6 months (I'm stressed by country and the grief of losing my dad a few months ago.)
Also you say it seems like everyone is supporting your ex. Are they really? Or is she holding them hostage with her drama and steamrolling into their lives?
He might ignore it and keep yelling out numbers. But doesn't this mean the people actually collecting the tariffs have to stop? And especially entities in blue states would use it as an excuse to stop collecting.
If you are safe from the prisoners and guards, get clean accommodations, are well fed, get outside/gym time for fitness, medical care, time to learn a vocation or study, occasional entertainment time (tv or whatever)... the only thing missing is a romantic partner... honestly, it sounds as good as an all inclusive retreat/vacation.
I imagine not having control over your own life for years at a time would wear one down. But months? If I knew my outside people weren't suffering because of my actions, it sounds kind of nice.
But I'm an introvert that works from home, so, I'd miss my pets.
If I buy a bag of jelly belly candy, I will eat the whole bag until I have a stomach ache, and then eat until the bag is empty. So I buy smaller amounts.
But other sugary snacks? I went cold turkey and cut out all sugar and it was all I could focus on, I craved sugar to the point of being miserable. I bought a bag of chocolates, told myself I could have one a day (like a mini snickers) - what happened will shock!
I ate one a day, and sometimes not even that. Just knowing it was there as an option took away the obsession and I ate overall a lot healthier.
So, yeah, I could do sugar in moderation with chocolate, but not with those tiny jelly beans.
Whatever your addiction is, only you know if you can really do moderation or not.
I know of other people that kept a pack of smokes or a pint of whiskey in the back of a cabinet. Knowing it's there is enough, and they just keep putting off partaking until suddenly they realize it's been a year or more and they haven't thought about it in ages.
As an atheist/agnostic, I believe the 9% are indeed people who think end-timers will kill us all in a man-made catastrophe while screaming the fire they set themselves is proof of god's final judges.