I'm really sorry that life got you off to a hard start. My mother's sisters weren't as successful at overcoming their abuse as my mother, and I wish I could isolate for you the key ingredient so you could duplicate her success. All I can narrow it down to is she developed an aversion to hurting others, while at the…

I'm not a joiner. Of anything. Which is unfortunate and my loss in many ways, I realize (my husband certainly has some lovely memories from his decades of team sports, frat life, etc). It's not conscious or to my credit, I just seem to be constitutionally incapable of the mentality or skillset required.

Depends: if the person in question has internalized the abuse and continued the pattern, there's an issue. If the person in question simply fears that coming from shit means they are doomed to being incapable of rising above it, I offer this:

Dammit, I swore I'd never applaud one of those jokes...

Yeah, I'm another 6 years on you but truly LOOK about ten years younger (I deserve no credit for that, I'm just a hermit so the sun would have to bore through fucking walls to mess with my skin). But despite what the mirror and my vanity tell me on the outside, stuff like this ride-stuff always brings me back to the…

I've noticed that as well. I am torn between thinking "rides have changed since I was a kid!" and "I have changed since I was a kid, and now this shit makes me nauseous."

On the main page (with its smaller pic) this guy totally looked like Schmidt from New Girl.

Y'know, i started 3 brit coms at once (IT crowd, Gavin and Stacey, Pulling) and I don't think I remembered to go back and finish them. I got distracted by The Inbetweeners, which was crassly enjoyable (not the US version!)

I'm really glad to hear that, I saw a clip of it just this week and it *looked* really good, which immediately made me worry that it was probably crap. Also on my "waiting to hear if it's good" list: Moone Boy (because I love that dude from Bridesmaids etc).

Oh, good!! I'm always a little nervous to rec things because taste is so subjective and others might think that it's shite.

Hmm. Well, I've never asked myself if it's feminist or not, but try TiMER.

You're welcome! I'm no expert, so do your research to make sure you have your extended-travel adventure in the most legal and cost effective way. But, clearly I'm all for sowing oats and having a cultural exchange while you're young and have minimal responsibilities. life is too short to stay in one damn place (and…

You can't legally work, no — I'm sure lots of people do, under the table, but that's not my thing. I moved to the states when I was roughly your age, but I was very fortunate in that I'm in a freelance line of work that can be done anywhere, so I could afford to take a 6 month sabbatical in the US and fund myself…

Are you looking to MOVE-move (set up a life and get a job etc.) or just an extended stay? Because Canadians can enter the US without needing a work Visa or other permissions, and legally stay for 6 months at a time. A "test run" of a few months might be best, if you can swing it, because it's a big country and a…

That's great to hear! (Re: the excellent therapist, I mean.) Hopefully she can talk you through this rough patch and you'll be feeling like yourself again soon. It sounds like you've been kicking ass in school, I hope next year brings you more of the same (and no panic attacks!)

CLEARLY, this classic ep is meant for you:

I'm not sure it would help, past habits suggests that she will simply change to a new burner and start again. I agree that it's annoying, but I also find it quite sad, really. On the plus side: she doesn't seem to engage or be an antagonistic troll like that Angelina stan we get around here every once in a…

(Also: here's a pretty decent link if you want to get a feel for what tests the doctors might need to run, and why — http://www.aao.org/yo/newsletter/… )

Don't be scared! Getting an official diagnosis can be stressful, but try to see it this way: if you have nothing, they'll find nothing. So if they DO find something, all it means is that you can finally get legit help for something you already had, anyway. It's all positive! Mine was diagnosed about 4 yrs ago…

I have a related condition (spondylitis/spondyloarthropathy) that very often includes uveitis/iritis as a symptom, so I've certainly read up on it, and send you interwebs empathy hugs.