u/Amazing_Platypus4088

I went to Chicago to attend an event and stayed in a small hotel in Chinatown by myself. When I first check in I am the only person around besides the one employee. He is making conversation with me and when I buy a drink from the minibar he gives it to me for free. I didn’t think much of that first interaction it was normal enough. The second time I see him is because I went to ask where something was. He tells me “and may I say you are looking very good” and does this douchey nod. I just say thanks and go back to my room. The rest of the night while I was in my room I felt a little creeped out.
The flirting itself wasn’t as much of a problem as it was the environment plus the flirting. I’m traveling alone, the hotel is smaller, and while I feel I can walk around at least the touristy parts of Chinatown by myself, this hotel was a bit further away and it’s not like Chinatown is #1 in safety. Maybe he was just hitting on me but it during the night actually made me mad thinking of how he knows that could come off as scary to a woman when what seems like the only employee working is interested in you.
When I mentioned this in front of some friends (both men and women) I got some accusations of being dramatic. They did admit it would be awkward, but they also said I am very paranoid from watching true crime and was overreacting to getting a free soda and a compliment. AIO?

One example - I had a discord full of a small handful of mutuals over a show we all liked. We had a channel for talking about music. One girl was that stereotypical “swiftie” constantly brings her into conversation and announces her new variants and drops. This was a small space I had to really go in depth about music. I could have deep conversations about a subject I’m passionate about then all of a sudden it’s some TS announcement that nobody reacts to. I love singer songwriters and I’ve heard a lot about TS’s abilities(?) in that area but every time I think of trying to listen to her I think of this annoying internet friend I briefly had and get irritated.

On the flip side - I think of one of the others users whenever I hear the beach boys. I’m not into them myself but she would describe what she loved about them in a way that made me want to hear the music. When one of the bandmates died she spoke about how she felt and what it was like to have a personal musical lifelong favorite pass. the swiftie interrupted to talk about TS announcing a new album. Brief spat ensued.

Something about that interaction apparently stuck with me because TS and the beach boys are now interlinked in my head. It was like that interaction perfectly encapsulated something I can’t quite put words to in terms of how I feel about music and how it connects/disconnects us and so many other things in terms of the industry itself

I just wanted to know if anyone else had a similar experience and who the musicians are

When I hear "it will get better" it makes me angry. I have been dealing with this for as long as I can remember. I always feel numb. Even in objectively good or fun situations I just can't feel anything. I have far more bad memories than good ones. I spend all my time alone and always have. It's extremely lonely. I can't make friends because I have nothing to talk about. Ever since I was a kid, all my peers would make fun of me, and it has made me unable to connect with others. Depression is the only thing in my life, and I don't want to always be a bummer, so I just stay out of conversation. I never really dated mostly because I don't even feel the need for a romantic relationship. There are other more physical reasons I don't feel the need to get into. I'm stuck between wanting company and also feeling like I cannot imagine spending most my time with somebody else. Everything in life that requires more than one person is walled off from me. There really just aren't many good things to say about me, and I just learned to stop caring. I am constantly exhausted and no doctor I have been to can give me an actual reason as to why. I've tried medication, it didn't even make a dent. All I can do in therapy is just cry. I feel like I've gone past the point of no return. If I have to feel this for the rest of my life, I don't want the rest of my life.

I love when someone unabashedly loves something. Anything. All my life my interest have been made fun of. The weird thing the stuff I like isn’t even out there or niche in any way. My favorite show and musician are wildly successful and popular. But because I like it, I’m “obsessed”. I swear people can’t recognize that their own taste aren’t universal. If you like something niche it’s “weird”, but if you like something super popular oh it’s “actually not that good” to these people. They love to comment on anybody with their own sense of style that’s even slightly differs from the everyday norm. Funny part is when I ask somebody like that about their favorite things, they always have a different answer of no answer at all. There’s nothing wrong with having a mainstream style or interest, but I’ve found the people who do and still criticize others for having a love or anything they don’t personally enjoy to be uninspired, joyless, cowards.

I love a good romantic subplot. My favorite being fry and leela in futurama. What are yours?

I’m looking for an anime with the following criteria:

- good romantic arc
- NOT set in a highschool or revolved around HS
- Funny but has some deeper/drama moments

I really haven’t seen much when it comes to anime so anything you suggest I haven’t seen. Open to anything with a good romantic subplot

Principal Lewis is talking to one of the main characters outside of the school.
“Is that kid smoking cigarettes?”
“He told me he was out of cigarettes!”

I can’t find a clip anywhere and don’t remember the rest of the episode

I grew up in a military family. We moved often. I liked being around other kids who moved often; we could understand each other. When I got around “civilian” people I felt a huge disconnect. I didn't think about how most people stay relatively close to where they were born for large chunks of their life. They have their own friends they have known most of their life. I often lost friends simply because they moved away. Making new friends after high-school got difficult because everybody already had a group. Deployments sucked. I didn't get to know or connect with extended family. Don't get me wrong - there are positive effects of growing up this way. I got to travel more than most people ever do, the kids at my school really never made fun of others on account of race or ethnicity (for as many faults at the US military has it also the most diverse organization on the planet). I feel I adapt quickly, and it made me resilient. I think of the negatives vs positive and for me, it is split down the middle. If you have a similar background I am wondering how it is for you.

To cut to the chase - I was born with a rare heart condition. I grew up regularly going to doctors to keep an eye on it. I wanted to share a weird conversation I had with a doctor. During the appointment I did all the test I need to do and eventually sit down with the doctor to see how I am doing. He tells me "I believe your heart is strong enough to carry a child." I was 15 years old. That was the whole conversation. At the time, I assumed I would one day have children (obv I have changed my mind since then), but even so I felt that was really off. Why are doctors more concerned with a fetus that doesn't exist over a real person sitting in the room with them? I go for a heart checkup and your only concern is that I can have a baby one day? That was weird as hell right?

I cannot stop ruminating on my past mistakes and bad experiences. It is constant. If I'm looking at an object/watching a show/or anything really when thinking about a specific memory, I know it will happen again next time I see it. I usually have multiple different memories I ruminate on in a day. It's the first thing I think about when I wake up and last thing I think about until I go to bed. Even when doing an activity to try and forget it, It pops up regularly. I can pick one mistake i made and dwell on it for hours or just have a rapid fire montage of sorts. This has been going on for quite some time. I tried the tricks - hold an ice cube, try and redirect your thoughts, ect... yet here we are every single day. I am at the end of my rope. I can't function normally anymore. If you have ever experienced this, please help me and give me suggestions. Thank you.

I don't know where to start so I will just jump in - I (F-30), have had a lifelong battle with depression. My therapist has suggested I have a personality on the schizophrenic spectrum (not schizophrenia itself). I simultaneously have little desire to go make social connections yet I am aware this had led to being lonely. I'm an only child, I grew up military so I have made few connections in life. My favorite childhood memories (I should say memory because I can only think of one) are memories where I am alone - which was most the time. I feel like a normal life is impossible for me. I have no motivation, I am constantly tired, I can tell people think I'm weird. I have no interest in romantic relationships. I have cyclical vomiting syndrome - this has led to me losing jobs and friendships. I wake up everyday and think about every bad memory I have all day. I cannot conjure up any positive memories because I just don't have any. I have been able to do some cool things like travel during my childhood. Somehow, I am not able to enjoy anything. I've been told this is temporary - but it has always been this way for me. I've always had a preoccupation with death. Once my parents are gone, I will truly have nobody. I struggled in school and that led to everybody thinking I'm stupid. I have a hard time communicating with people so I see why they say that. I was blamed for my depression, my words are constantly twisted by my own mother. She misinterprets what I say, then turns around to her family and makes me out to be a bad person. People make fun of me to my face regarding all the "stupid" things I have done meanwhile they get every detail wrong and include straight up lies. I feel like I hate everybody I know. I have tried to get better. I've tried so many anti-depressants and they don't do a thing for me. I'm in therapy. I started a mood stabilizer and if it doesn't help me I'm done. I don't want to hurt my parents. However, I get into moods where I don't care if they're upset. They upset me my entire life. Cold and neglectful parents are a root cause of my (suggested) personality disorder. Sometimes I think it isn't worth having living a terrible life just so they can be less miserable. I am both physical and emotional pain. I have a plan and I think about it constantly. All I ever wanted is to feel peace - even just a little bit, and have some connections to other people in life. I don't think that was too much to ask for. I have never been able to "clear my head". It's constant noise and a voice telling me it's too late, and that I can never have a life worth living. It has only happened a few times, but I am beginning to experience both auditory and visual hallucinations. The only comfort I get now is thinking about the plan I have to end my life. I'm going to go to a hotel and overdose on sleeping pills. I will give it until my next birthday in a few months. If the mood stabilizer doesn't kick in, I am going to do it. Sometimes I fantasize about what I would like my life to be. There is a part of me that wants to get better, but I have tried so many times to no avail. It's like I am incapable of feeling human emotions. I so deeply want to be somebody who can find joy in life. I'm just not that person. Nothing anybody has said on the subject has gotten through to me. I'm starting to think it is time to wrap this up. Death is not the worst thing that can happen to someone. I think of it as saving myself from a life full of torture.

I cannot stop ruminating on my past mistakes and bad experiences. It is constant. If I'm looking at an object/watching a show/or anything really when thinking about a specific memory, I know it will happen again next time I see it. I usually have multiple different memories I ruminate on in a day. It's the first thing I think about when I wake up and last thing I think about until I go to bed. Even when doing an activity to try and forget it, It pops up regularly. I can pick one mistake i made and dwell on it for hours or just have a rapid fire montage of sorts. This has been going on for quite some time. I tried the tricks - hold an ice cube, try and redirect your thoughts, ect... yet here we are every single day. I am at the end of my rope. I can't function normally anymore. If you have ever experienced this, please help me and give me suggestions. Thank you.