My (28M) girlfriend (24F) and I have been together for a few years. It’s a very stable, committed relationship, and we have lived together for two years now. For the last two years, she has been desperately searching for a full time job. Hundreds of applications in wide ranging positions. Finally, she got hired last year for a job that only last a few months before the whole company shut down. Her first promising lead in a while just lead to a rejection after multiple rounds of interviews. She’s not unqualified for these jobs. She has a bachelors degree in the field, and has some good (but shorter) experience in the field too.

This is not a post bitching about her or anything she’s doing, but about how awful this job market is. I feel so bad for her, and there’s really nothing I can do to help. Nothing I say can change the embarrassment she feels, or the pressure every time family or friends ask about it. She has been able to work part time to at least keep herself busy and to have some spending money.

Thankfully, my job is stable and pays well, so we are not in a situation where we are worried about paying bills. But this shit sucks. This job market sucks so bad, I cannot even imagine what this would be like without another persons income helping get by. What can I even do to help her feel like less of a piece of shit when she’s trying so hard to just get ANYTHING?

Dinner is loaded baked potato soup.

EDIT: To address some common comment themes:
She is already working part time, and has been the entire time she’s been looking for full time work. Also, money is not the issue thankfully. The problem is more of the absolute missile to her self esteem this whole process has been. She has been applying outside of her field too

When my engagement was falling apart my ex fiancée said “you’re fucking balding” to me and it stuck in my head. I had minor crown thinning. Over the months following I tried topical minoxidil but it didn’t work particularly well and the liquid sitting in my hair made the crown thinning look worse.

I was saturated with targeted ads for hair loss and people in my life, my barber, etc would ask me if I was taking anything for it. Multiple people I know took finasteride and were fine. So I got the oral formulation from hims. When it first came in the mail I had second thoughts and threw it in a drawer. Not throwing it in the trash would prove to be the biggest mistake of my life.

Almost 6 months later after a depressing birthday I spent alone, I was shedding in the shower and impulsively started the finasteride. I took it for a little over 3 months until it began to affect my performance in bed. My casual arrangement with the woman ended as a result and I quit taking the medication.

About a week later I crashed and was hit with all the PFS side effects like a truck, 10x worse than anything I experienced while I was on the medication. I could only sleep an hour a night, zero libido, erectile dysfunction, severe cognitive problems (IQ dropped 20 points), vision problems, severe GI tract / motility issues, muscle wastage and horrible fatigue. I feel 90 years old, it’s been three months, and none of the side effects have subsided.

I’m 38, have a solid career in one of the most competitive cities in the world, and I would have been set up for a wonderful future if I had never taken finasteride. I knew about ED when I decided to take it, but these other side effects I didn’t realize were even possible. I am posting this in the hope it will spare others that are thinking about this shit.

Dinner is polish food — kielbasa, pierogi, and hunters stew.

**Edit for people that didn’t read the whole post: balding does not bother me in the slightest now. At this point, my priority is trying to address the debilitating side effects of the medication.

Leftover hibachi from two days ago. As the title states, my best friend is getting married and his fiancé has forbidden me (and some other friends) from attending or being anywhere near the wedding. She says she's worried that he'll spend too much time with us and not enough time with her. I told my (soon-to-be-married) best friend that it sounds like she's not being fair or thinking straight, and I can't think of many happy marriages that begin with one person outlawing the other's friends from attending.

We went to high school together but now live in different states. I've been planning a multi-day road-trip to see and stay with him for the past several months and today was supposed to be the day that I left, but knowing that they live together and how she feels about me, it feels like she would become immediately hostile towards me or possibly resent me for taking her man's time, especially after all the "you're not allowed at the wedding" business. I've never met her in person before.

I can't keep spending mental and emotional energy into the situation. I haven't decided as to if I'm still going on the road trip yet or not. I haven't decided what to tell my friend if I don't, as far as I know he's still really looking forward to seeing me. I love him to bits but I don't want to cause or be a part of any problems.

EDIT: I see quite a few people saying he's not my friend or he used to be but isn't anymore, that we were just high school buds. All of the people mentioned in this story are in our late 20's now but he (my best friend) and I have continued to stay in contact over the years. In fact, we didn't really even become close until we were both out of high school. This is the dude that tackled another off of me when I was getting my ass kicked with a steel baking sheet. I picked him up from rehab and helped him rebuild his life. We would both go to the ends of the Earth for each other. I'm sorry if I didn't explain that well enough the first time, I thought it may have been implicated under the term "best friend".

Anyways, I don't agree with the notion that he did nothing to defend me. After his fiancé told him that she didn't want his close friends there he immediately got pissed. I only knew about it because he seemed upset and I asked him if something was bothering him that he wanted to talk about.

Long story short i’ve been super into this girl from work. She’s super smart, into the same shit I am, beautiful, but due to her having cancer when teenager and having real bad experience with guys, she was super defensive. I took my time, didnt rush her, even though it was hell at some points. We had a rough first date where i got anxious and basically rushed to intimacy too soon, even though she asked me before not to (i mean like kissing and holding her close, nothing crazy). We took a week off msing and recovered. Went to a second date yesterday, it looks real good, she’s asking to come home to me next time. Feeling so fucking proud right now, I was thinking I’m done for (late 30s), but turns out I can totally bag a baddie. Dinner is grilled chickin a la sushi bowl. I know nothing’s sure but I already feel like a winner, even if it ends.

Me (30M), my wife (35F). We have two kids, 4 and 6 years old. We got married 8 years ago.

After our second son was born, our sex life basically ended. It has been 3 years now. The last time it happened it felt forced, like she was just getting it over with. She never initiates, ever.

A few years into the marriage we bought a house and a car, both on installment. We spent years working together to pay them off while raising the kids. Around that time my wife got into a some kind of women health program and started selling affiliate health products with a group of women (I don't really like them). She got completely absorbed in that work and basically stopped paying attention to me. All she do nowadays is taking picture to post it on social media (she post something of 30 posts each month, basically everyday, despite of me constantly having attitude about it, basically our marriage is a public one, nothing got private anymore, she posted about almost anything about our daily life and of narrate to her view of it).

Honestly, we were already fighting constantly before that, like 2 to 4 times a week. We would argue, then give each other the silent treatment for days. It was tense and exhausting. The main reasons we stayed together were the kids and the debt.

Last year we decided to sell the house, pay off all the debt, and buy a cheaper place. The sale also cleared the car, so we are now completely debt free. Money is a bit easier, but nothing else changed. We still fight all the time. The new place is smaller, only 2 bedrooms. We do not sleep together. My wife works from home, she sleeps in one bedroom with our two kids and uses the other bedroom as her office. I basically have no space of my own in my own home. Everything feels cramped and suffocating. I constantly used alcohol and other substance to numb the dread feeling and I hate it. Each time we have a fight, she always tell my parent and then they pressure me to reconcile with her and I'm super not happy about it. Feel like my like is constantly being controlled by someone else. I recently snapped I texted her parents about the need of her to stop contacting my parents and now they hate me because I suppose to suffer it?

So now I am seriously thinking about divorce. When I brought it up, my wife had a proposal ready: she keeps the house, I keep the car, and I pay no child support. It really feels like she has been thinking about this for a long time and what she wants most is the house.

Here is my problem with it. I worked for almost 6 years to get that house and paying off the car. Losing my share of the house would hurt a lot. My income is low right now and I am looking for a new job, so I honestly do not have much to give for child support anyway. But I also do not know what a fair amount would even look like, or if trading my half of the house for no child support is a good deal or a terrible one. For context, we live in South Asia, and the kids would live with her.

I want to be clear about one thing: I love my two kids more than anything. They are honestly the main reason I have stayed this long. But with my wife, the feelings are just gone. These last few years it feels like all she cares about is her work. To be fair, she takes very good care of the kids, and I know she is genuinely busy. But the house itself is never taken care of. It is constantly messy, stuff everywhere, nothing ever gets put away. I used to clean up after everyone, but it would just get messy again within a day, and eventually I got fed up and stopped trying too. So now nobody takes care of the home at all, and I am just tired of living like this. On top of that, we fight constantly, and the thing I hate most is that it happens in front of the kids. I do not want my sons growing up watching their parents argue every week and thinking that is what a family is supposed to look like.

I have been torn between staying and leaving for about a year now. I kept hoping something would change, but at this point I honestly do not think I can stay in this marriage anymore.

When I finally sat her down to talk about separation and divorce, the very first thing she did was take out her phone and start recording. That honestly bothered me a lot. I told her straight up that I was not comfortable being recorded, and that I would not say a word if she kept it on. She did turn it off, and only then did I open up and tell her honestly how I felt. What also struck me was how prepared she seemed for the whole conversation, like she had been expecting it and planning for it for a while. Afterwards, she insisted that I have to talk to my parents about it too, which I really do not want. We are both adults, this is a decision between the two of us, and I do not want my parents dragged into it. Maybe I am overreacting, but the recording thing made me feel like she was already treating me as an opponent instead of her husband. What do you guys think about that? Is recording your spouse during a divorce talk normal self-protection, or is it a red flag?

What do you guys think? Is her proposal fair?

TL;DR: Married 8 years, dead bedroom for 3 years, constant fighting, sold our house to clear all debt and moved into a smaller place where I have no space at all. I want a divorce. Wife proposes she keeps the house, I keep the car, and I pay zero child support. Is that a fair deal?

Dinner is some sort of beefsteak on a cow-shaped plate

My former roommate moved out in July. The longer I lived with him the more I grew to dislike him. He mocked the way I cook food, the meals I ate, my sleep and study schedules. One time he called me a “faggy queer” and he never apologized (he is gay as well…). Earlier in our lease he mocked me as I left the common area and closed my bedroom door then shooed me away when I walked back out to confront him about it. He told me to “shut the fuck up” half-kidding because I coughed while drinking water. He called me “obviously autistic” for not drinking alcohol of all things? then denied having said anything when I confronted him.

I told him that I don’t appreciate being bullied by my roommate in my own living space, to which he replied “If you don’t like it, leave. It’s like cyberbullying; just turn off the computer. It’s not that complicated.”

We’re both graduate students, and in March he was kicked out a one of his courses for being disrespectful to the professor (“I’ll pass you, but you’re not welcome in my classroom. Don’t come back.”) and of course he thought it was the professor’s fault. I saw the professor speaking to my roommate’s main graduate advisor for at least half an hour in the office a few days earlier.

(To be honest, when I met his parents they were the same way).

In the past when I told him he’s being an asshole he mocked me and continued. So I decided to tell him in a way he would understand. I told him he’s a “fucking pathetic coward who behaves like he never got the belt as a child, or any form of discipline at all for that matter. He’s 24 and should know better than to speak to people the way he does.” After that he was super aggro and throwing these middle-school jabs at me about “neurodivergence” and has been alluding to a physical altercation. One comment from me and all of a sudden he breaks down completely?

I’m a pretty reasonable guy, but I had to consciously decide I wouldn’t start a physical altercation back in like February.

He was pretty universally disliked in our graduate program (surprise!). He moved out of the state at the end of our lease to work as a public school teacher. Well, he had published this announcement on his LinkedIn that he’d be starting a new position with the beginning of the school year. Since then, he’s taken it down, privatized his employment history, and is no longer listed as faculty on the school district website.

Can’t say I cried over it. Matter of fact, I may have grabbed some pizza to celebrate.

Dinner is a chirashi bowl to fuel up for a long run tomorrow morning.

In April 2024 I matched with the most beautiful girl on Hinge and remember letting out an audible “yes!” when she agreed to go on a date. I’ll call her Julia. Turns out Julia lived a 5 minute walk from me (a true rarity in my city) so we met at the local bar.

I pretty immediately felt a lot for her after hearing about her family, hearing her laugh, and looking into her eyes. I walked her home last night and left her with just a hug.

Got a second date and we had sushi. But it must not have gone too well because she texted me the next day letting me know it wasn’t going to work out. She said she had just come out of a relationship and being on a date made her realize she wasn’t ready yet. I was pretty devastated but also knew dates come and go and this wasn’t the end of the world. I texted her back telling her honestly that I was more excited about her than for anyone I had been in a while but understand her point of view. And of all the dates I’d been on, I decided I’d try to play the long game with Julia.

A week later my old childhood friend is over and is telling me about her new friend named Julia. No way this is the same girl right? For context I live in a huge city. But to my luck it’s the same girl! Must be a sign.

Over the next 2.5 years Julia and I become good friends. We go out together, on trips together, to the beach together, but importantly, always in a group. Meanwhile we both date, I get a girlfriend eventually and even introduce my girlfriend to Julia. That girlfriend didn’t last long. While the romantic feelings towards Julia faded a lot, there was always a dormant feeling and baseline hope that one day it’d work out. At this point Julia and I were in many ways the glue that kept a friend group together, a friend group I loved, and so my priority was always just being a good friend, a good person in general, and never making it awkward with any slipped feelings.

5 years of casually dated has really jaded me to the point where I have no idea what I even want. I end things prematurely at the slightest boredom. Probably only have myself to blame for that. And meanwhile I look at Julia and just know we’d be great together. I also am very likely leaving my city mid next year, and kept thinking how ashamed I’d be if I’d left without at least asking her out again.

In July Julia invited me to her parents vacation home with some of her closest friends, so I got to meet her whole family and spend the most wholesome long weekend with them. On this trip I built up the courage to ask her. I ended up driving her home from the airport and told her how I felt.

It was late and sudden, so she told me she’d think about it and we’d talk in 2 days. Those 2 days of waiting felt like hell. But I get through and we finally talk. She tells me basically what I expected: that she’d be lying if she said she hasn’t also thought about it, that she thinks I’m a great guy, but she was worried about losing a friendship. I knew that any hesitancy at that point was evidence enough: at this point we’ve known each other for years so if it wasn’t an immediate yes, then it’s a no. And honestly, I was ok with it. After all the years of being friends I couldn’t really picture what a romantic relationship would look like, and thus had my own hesitancy. And honestly, just being confident and asking made me feel great.

Last week it was her birthday. She invites me along with about 12 of her friends and we get drinks and go dancing. To me, it felt like a totally normal night: I didn’t sense any flirting beyond her normal bubbly demeanor. We all had a great time.

Since we live so close, I offered to get us an uber home. I obviously put in both of our addresses as well as another friend on the way. We dropped off that other friend, and then it’s just us. We pull up to her apartment and I’m expecting just a goodnight and happy birthday hug. But instead, out of the blue, she says “wanna get out with me?”

My doubtful mind is still just thinking she doesn’t want an awkward car hug. But then she invites me up and says “let’s talk” with a look I’ve never seen her give me before. She takes my hand and leads me upstairs.

We get as deep as you can after a night of drinking, talking about what this all means, what changed, how we each feel. She tells me that ever since the conversation we had in July, she’s been thinking more and more about me, and that my emotional intelligence during that chat really opened up a lot for her. And then we start making out, and I spend the whole night with her cuddling until the sun came up. No sex yet, but about everything else. I tell her she looked beautiful that night, and she tells me she felt beautiful.

Going home that morning was quite strange. She’d been my friend for so long and I didn’t quite know how to text her. Was this just a drunken night, a mistake, a one-off? But we make plans to hang out again, this time sober, and everything just felt right. She showed me her childhood photos and I told her my most embarrassing memories. We both had to be up early for work the next morning, and when I reluctantly left her that night, I could tell by her eyes that she was feeling the exact same thing I was.

Now I know that this is still very early, and that we’re flirting with a lot of potentially dangerous feelings here. Julia and I talk about not labeling or deciding anything yet, just feeling it out for now and living in the moment. But it’s so hard for my much-too-logical brain to not think of the consequences that if we continue on, there will be a point after which either her or I or both of us will have too strong of feelings to simply return to how things were. We haven’t told anyone in the friend group yet, but I’m sure it’ll get around.

So for any guy still reading, don’t give up on that long game. It’s probably too premature for me to tell you that, but man do things feel good for me right now. Just be that good guy she feels comfortable with, and if you feel it, let her know how you feel. And follow the coincidences. Most likely if my childhood friend hadn’t met Julia, I would have never seen her again. If that’s not a sign, I don’t know what is. Godspeed fellow men.

Weed and alcohol ruled my life from age 16. Hospitalized twice for alcohol poisoning, once when I was 16 and once when I was 17. I’m not religious, but AA helped. If substance abuse is ruining your life, there is always hope. Make good choices, and eat good food.

pulled pork: diced white onion, cooked in brown sugar and spiced rum, deglazed with sherry, roasted tomatoes, chipotle peppers, and adobo

carrots: olive oil, garlic pepper, balsamic vinegar, hot honey

I don’t really feel like writing too much but I’ve been ghosted or stood up for three different dates in a row. All different women, I’m not a masochist, but it’s getting really disheartening. I also saw my ex wife out with the guy she started dating right after I left her, and a little while later saw my ex girlfriend out with her new guy. It just feels like rubbing salt into a wound.

Connection is super important to me and I’m getting real sick of being single, Tonight though, I chose to treat myself to something and not let myself feel too sad. Date myself tonight. Probably pick up some craft beer a little later.

Dinner is a pineapple and locally raised/ butchered bacon drizzled in a local hot honey.

Goldene Ente from Mama Cook in Berlin (I’m not German).

I have a rule that I want to have a relationship where both people work if able. Right now that belief is being challenged where my partner doesn’t like her job. She wants to know if I would support her for a few months while she pursues a short term certification.

I’m afraid this will turn into a longer term of no work. I have anxiety over being the sole breadwinner along with my fear of losing my job.

I also have my dream of traveling abroad every few months which I cannot afford if I support her too. We are proportional in our bills right now according to income.

I feel my own dreams come at odds with her want to not work for a while and pursue her certificate. Her terms are she wants to be taken care of. I feel uncomfortable with this as I don’t feel taken care of in the relationship nor do I want to be a provider in that way. She states that I can afford to take care of both of us (which is true) but I both want both of us to work and to be able to pursue my own dreams.

She doesn’t care for traveling much so she doesn’t go with me all the time. The most recent times I’ve traveled I paid for her share.

She recently said that she may have to raise her standards for what I do for her and that she may resent me in the future if I don’t support her in this way.

Dinner: Cheese dip and a stale hard shell tortilla

I am a man. I have been openly transgender since I was 10, and I love my community and the people that support me... but God is it hard to stay positive right now.

I live in the South, in a state that specifically just loves to talk about transgender people. Every single day I have to deal with those ads with the same exact rhetoric... "transgender agenda" is wrong, and all parents should hate trans kids. Im quite used to these comments and stuff, i mean, im literally half arab and my home country has being trans completely outlawed. But its just getting harder now.

I am hearing my peers threaten trans people, mock them openly, or use it as a talking point to demean women... even my teachers. I am not shy about my identity, but I dont put it on blast either; I use my last name in all my classes, I introduce myself with my preffered name, I correct people who assume im a lesbian or something, and i dont allow people to use my dead name at all.

I feel bad for not stepping in, because i have been directly bullied before (both verbally and physically) for my identity, and i know exactly how hard it is to be the butt of the joke... but I can not put more of a target on myself. Every day, I have to just sit there and listen to these people talk, threaten, and use people exactly like me. It hurts to hear, and i want so badly to step in, but everytime I have in the past it just results in more social torture.

I've just got to put up with it. I've got to learn to be quiet until I actually have the power to step in without risking myself.

I am a man. And just because some may not agree with my identity, it shouldn't result in my death. I hope things just ease up soon already.

EDIT: wow. Just... wow. Thank you guys for the sweet comments, but good god there was a lot of insanely transphobic and cruel comments, so i just want to hash some things out...

1: I am NOT ashamed of my identity. I am proud to be transgender, and I hold that label proudly because of the solidarity within my community. I am a man, and i am transgender, and i will never change that.

2: how i discovered my gender identity early on is my own story. Please stop making assumptions about things. I always felt a little uncomfortable in my skin when I was young, jealous of my male family members and friends. Puberty hit me really early, and the development made me realize just how much more my body was going to change, and so I did research and found out about the queer community. Found the transgender identity about a week in and stuck with it. But my journey has not been easy, yes ive had moments of questioning and social detransition for like 4 months when I was 14. Not to mention, I got an entire year on my own due to covid where I got to actually look into myself.

3: this is not a matter of value or love or whatever else... it is a matter of danger. I do not care that people dislike me for my identity, I do not care that there will always be someone uncomfortable by it— i care that existing makes me a target. I am afraid of the violence because I HAVE been hate crimed before, I have been threatened, I have been doxxed, ect. I understand that I need to move out of the south, but i am at a huge disadvantage. I am in a low income, single parent household, and still only 17. I cannot access medical transition, nor could any job i get help me afford moving north.

With that out of the way.... thank you to all the people that shared their stories and love. I am so happy to see all my trans brothers and cis brothers stories, and i appreciate all the care and protection from the backlash.

Porridge, honey, hot chocolate and a yoghurt.

5 weeks ago my sack swelled up like a tennis ball - especially the left side. It was sore and agonising. I even got to have iv morphine for the first time. I was feverish and shaking. Oh I also had a deposit up the butt to get the fever down!

Went into the hospital, pulled down my pants for many a doctor and nurse. Finally had an ultrasound (it's a boy) and at that time the infection was in the tubes at the back of my left testicle. Got to go home with antibiotics and painkillers. And the fevers mostly stopped though the swelling didn't go down relatively stayed the same but less painful and was told it can take awhile.

Fast forward to the weekend just gone the swelling got worse. Went back in and had another ultrasound (still a boy) and they confirmed the worst for me. Infection had spread to my left testicle (Lefty). Our scrotums have many layers and that's at the bottom. They were hopeful it would be salvageable but wouldn't know until they explored.

Yesterday they put me to sleep and opened me up. It was bad. It had ruptured, the infection truly got mad and broke free taking Lefty with it. They had no choice but to remove it so now it's gone.

So I'm currently in recovery with a drain for any remaining puss and bad stuff to fall out of and will be discharged later today. Drain comes out Monday. When it's all cleared up and healed I will likely get a prosthetic.

Edit: The cause is pretty much unknown - was likely a bacterial infection that could have come from a UTI or just travelled through my blood stream. And I should put more emphasis on how impressed the docs were with the amount it ruptured. To quote them, they had never seen something that bad.

Edit 2: Going home, Monday will be a gp to remove the drain. Thank you everyone for the laughs and advice. Will answer anything new later tonight.

TL:DR F's for Lefty.

Feel free to ask me anything.

thin-cut steak from a local butcher with dried herbs and black pepper, pickles, veggie dumplings, and a dark beer.
——
I have one photo from the day my daughter was born. I'm holding her, looking at her with a face I don't have anymore. Pure pride and hope.

Fast forward 6 years. She's nonverbal autistic. The deep kind. She won't talk. She won't be independent.

I've been mourning for years now. Mourning someone who is still here, which is a strange kind of grief. The life I dreamed of. Gone.

I would have been a great dad. The "I complain about driving her to her friends' houses but I'm secretly happy she asked" kind of dad.
She won't have friends' houses. She will not ask.

Nobody is prepared for this. I used to make jokes about slow people like anyone else. I can't anymore. Because, honestly, I wish she were at least that smart.

Every afternoon I pick her up from school (special classroom) and we walk home through a little pine forest. Silence.

I've learned to read her body. The way she squeezes my hand. The way she slows down when the light comes through the trees. I can tell she likes the walk with me.

Lately, watching her run between these pines, I had this thought: she isn't fully here? Like part of her doesn't belong to this world. Like a fairy 🧚 that wandered in by mistake.

Nonsense, I’m not bananas I promise.

At bath time she waits for me to blow on her belly. Prrrrr. And she laughs. That laugh is the closest thing to a conversation wewil have.

At some point I started doing the math. I was 29 when she was born. Where we live, women outlive men by about 5 years. So I won't be by her side for 30+ y.

This keeps me up at night.

So I started fighting for life span. A Personal trainer, 3 times a week. I train on my lunch break. Every rep is one more day with her.

And work… I used to be a programmer. We were entitled dicks who felt untouchable. AI changed that overnight. So I worked harder than I've ever worked in my life. Because someone has to provide for her when I'm gone. I'm getting promoted.

I’m more of an asshole than I used to be… Small problems don't get to me anymore. Other people's drama like, I just don’t care. I just focus on my family.

At least, my wife and I became a solid team. In Spain we have a saying for this: hacer piña. To close ranks like the scales of a pineapple, tight, so nothing gets in.

I'm not the dad I thought I'd be. Maybe… im her guardian? Instead. I wish my life would have been different.

Thanks for reading.

Home made beef and broccoli, I've been trying to eat out less.

Hurting a lot rn boys so just trying to get it out. Like the title says. I (37m) met this girl (35f) about 6 months ago I will call her X and started dating soon after. Hands down one of the best summers of my life. We went to wineries, live shows, we traveled, even hit a few festivals. We were starting to talk about the future, moving in together and kids down the road. Everything was perfect, we even booked a cruise to Mexico in March.

At the end of September we went to a festival and had one of the most magical times of our lives. We were head over heels for each other at this point.

Once we got back everything changed so fast. X is not a big girl and is super attractive, but she was insecure about her weight. Mind you she was a very active person, we went on many hikes, she had a personal trainer and was in the gym at least 3 times a week. However she felt like she wasnt dropping enough weight to reach her goal and decided to talk to her doctor a week after our festival.

She did not want ozempic or any shots so the doctor prescribed a stimulate as an appetite suppressant. I instantly noticed a difference day 1. She started to hyper focus on work during the day and was on her phone much less. Understandable.

The first weekend after she started taking it we had plans to help a friend paint. That weekend she hyper focused into painting and did not show me much attention all weekend.

Monday rolls around and she complains about feeling super cracked out all weekend and wasnt able to sleep. She went and talked to her doctor about it again and her doctor said she could skip taking it on the weekends.

Thats what she ended up doing the next 3 weeks. During this time I tried to give her as much space as she needed to adjust to the new meds, and anything I could do to support her. We went from talking almost all day to me getting a handful of texts a day. I noticed her mood swings were increasing and she was very snippy on the weekends (which I assume is a slight withdraw from the stimulants)

Now this brings us into October. We had another 4 day festival and it was the beginning of the end. The first day she got mad at me twice for accidently losing her in a crowd of 15,000 people. She even mentioned to me she saw me walk by at one point but didnt say anything because she wanted to see how hard I was looking for her. Second time I lost her I looked for over an hour in the darkness before heading back to camp alone. When she got back she yelled at me for leaving her at the stage. Cool shes normally not like this and were all intoxicated at this point what ever.

Following days we got rained on hard. We decided to leave the stage and head back to camp to get everyone dry clothes and head back out. Half way back to camp I turn around and shes gone. I panic after being yelled at twice for losing her on previous days. I looked for 30 minutes and finally found her by the vendors. She told me she saw a pretty ring and went to buy it and figured she would meet me at camp.

I got upset, I was just yelled out for losing you and now you are telling me were adults and free to split up. She said I was being stupid. What ever I brushed it off and we had a great time that night.

Next day I woke up in a really bad mood. We packed up camp and started our 5 hour drive home. I was quiet for the first hour of the drive as I was trying to sort through my feelings.

She finally blunts out. "Are you gonna break up with me?" I said X im not going to lie that thought passed through my mind, but no that would be an irrational thing to do just because were upset with each other.

The rest of the car ride we discussed everything I dropped her off, hugged her and kissed her goodbye. The next week I can tell shes entirely shut off.

I finally ask her if we are okay and she admits to having doubts and said the fact I thought about breaking up with her so soon into our relationship was a red flag. I wake up this morning to a breakup text.

Dating in your late 30s sucks and this may have been my final attempt at it boys.

TLDR: Had the best 5 months of my life, then gf started new meds and everything went downhill so fast.

Dinner is leftover pizza from Aldi

My(32M) girlfriend(27F) and I haven’t had sex yet. We met a little over a year ago, and have been in a relationship for about nine months. I’m insanely in love with her. She’s the most wonderful thing to ever happen to me. She understands me on a deep level, she makes me laugh, makes every day worth getting up and out of bed. I love making her smile, whether it’s baking for her (I have a great recipe for tiramisu brownies that she loves), getting her flowers, or just holding her when she’s scared or feeling down, her and I have a close bond. She’s incredible. I truly feel lucky and blessed to have her in my life.

My girlfriend has severe body image problems. She hates how she looks. She was bullied a lot as a kid, by her foster family and by kids at her school. It ruined her self image, her confidence. I find her very beautiful, and I tell her every chance I get. Because she IS beautiful. I’m very attracted to her. And she’s attracted to me too. We have done some things, it’s a slow process. But she hasn’t let me see her completely nude yet. Honestly, I think she’s scared I’ll leave her when I see her fully naked, because of how much she hates her own body, and how bad she feels in her own skin. And that couldn’t be further from the truth. I know I’ll love how she looks, because my heart beats for her. But she’s not ready for sex yet, which I understand, and I will continue to wait until she’s ready.

I’ll never force her, or push her, or coerce her into sex. I have no problem waiting until she’s ready. I just… I want to go all the way with her. Not because I get off, I want to share that part of myself with her, I want to share my vulnerabilities, my body, my soul with her. But she’s not ready for that yet. So I’ll wait, and I’ll be patient. Because she’s worth it. She’s my soulmate, I truly feel that deep within myself. She’s the most amazing thing to ever happen to me.

Edit: she does see a therapist regularly. She knows she has issues and is trying to work through them as best she can

edit 2: there's enough people asking for this Tiramisu Brownie recipe, and it's really damn delicious, so here it is!

set oven to 350

brownies base:

1 cup flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup melted butter

1 cup of sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup chocolate chips

pinch of cinnamon

COOLED OFF coffee. don't use hot coffee, it'll ruin it

"tiramisu topping"

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup powder sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

8 oz mascarpone cheese

1/2 teaspoon espreso powder

cocoa powder dusting on top

brownies section first. in a mixing bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and cinnamon until combined, and set aside. In a stand mixer, mix the sugar and brown sugar until combined. when combined, pour in the melted butter and mix until combined. add the eggs one at a time, mixing until they're completely incorporated until the next egg is added. scrape the bowl down as you go! once the eggs are in, add the vanilla and mix. Then, slowly add in the dry ingredients as the stand mixer is on low. When it’s mixed in, add in the chocolate chips, and either mix or fold in. pour the brownie mix into a 13x9 pan, and bake it for 25-30 minutes. I think the sweet spot is 27 minutes, but every oven is different! once it's baked, wait for it to cool down before pouring the cooled coffee onto it. you want just enough to cover it, maybe a quarter cup, the coffee is gonna sink in. I like to poke a couple holes around it with a toothpick to make sure the coffee gets in there well.

Now for the tiramisu topping. in a stand mixer, mix the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and the vanilla until you have a nice whipped cream with stiff peaks. sprinkle the espresso, then FOLD IN the mascarpone cheese, Once it's mixed in, put the tiramisu mixture on top of the brownies and top with a light dusting of cocoa powder

Meal: Hospital burger. Not bad, but a bit dry. I did add ketchup and mayonnaise.

My original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/BoyDinnerDiaries/s/34Zug5Blti

Quick summary in case you don't want to read all that. I've been with this woman for 8 years. We have a son. I bought us a house. I'm trying to do everything for her to give her the life she says she always wanted because I love her. Earlier this year, in the late winter or early spring, she plans a trip to the UK. I think thats great. She always wanted to go. She can visit her trans woman friend and her wife. She's known her on Facebook since high school. Sometime early summer she mentions a male friend she will also visit. She buys him gifts, makes him a blanket. Starts hiding her phone. Stops giving me affection. I get suspicious in late August and log into her Facebook. She is sexting him. They plan to fuck over there. I find lingerie she bought specifically for this trip hidden in her bag. I confront her and we stay in limbo for a bit until mid September when she says its a good idea to separate while we both go to individual therapy. She was supposed to move out to her parents the day after I made that original post.

So yeah. She did not move out that weekend. I guess just didn't move enough stuff. Not really sure if thats the case or she's just delaying but whatever. I didn't really mind whats another week? The week goes on. Wendsday throws us all for another loop. Her mom is found at home on the floor. Was having a stroke for nearly 8 hours. So understandably she does not go to work that night. She goes to the hospital, and spends the night with her dad at her parents house.

Thursday morning she comes home and arranges to work first shift that day and Friday. She got back after our son got on the bus and I just fall back into boyfriend mode. Figuring whatever is going on between us I should be supporting her now. I give her shoulder to cry on and as she gets in the shower I tell her it was kind of her to stay with her dad last night. She cries harder and says she doesn't have much choice because she can't stay here. I almost cry at this too, but i just go about making things easier on her. I make her tea cause her stomach is upset, I pack her lunch, I get her work clothes ready for her. Before she leaves I tell her if she needs anything let me know. I can take the day off if needed.

She calls me on her way to work and asks if I would take the day off to be with her Dad at the hospital so he doesn't have to go alone. Now I don't like her mom. I don't like her because of how she abused gf as a child, and her mom also treats her husband and other family members like shit. I like her dad. He is a really good guy. Gets on my nerves sometimes because he can be irresponsible with money and often tries to hide mistakes he makes. But a good dude. Both her parents love me. I guess I'm the only one to ever treat their daughter good enough for them. So I agree to go. I take the day off and go be with him. Give him a shoulder to cry on and I keep her updated on how her mom is doing and what doctors are saying. She really appreciates me supporting him. Her mom is doing better that day according to her dad. So thats a good sign.

Friday comes around and after work we take our son to be with my parents. While we drive she holds and kisses my hand. She takes me to my therapy appointment and picks me up after. I can see she was crying in the car after I got in. We go home and go to bed and we cuddle. I get the feeling she wants sex so I initiate and she acts suprised but she's into it. After she says she was just cold not expecting sex, but she doesn't mind. Saturday morning we get up and go see her mom in the hospital. Before that we go to her parents and I ask to see the room she's staying in. Its so tiny. Our room at our house used to be the garage. This room is barely bigger than our half bath in there and our closet combined. I tell her I like the color of her comforter and pillow cases. She points out the drapes and says she did things in my favorite colors. I asked if she did that to remind herself of me. She said yeah. Its her way of coping. Then i notice this huge travel case. The last thing she really needed for the trip. She sees me put two and two together and says not to worry about it as its months away. I notice something near her bed and pick it up. Its a piece of the lingerie I found in her duffle bag. She says there was a hole in it that she fixed. She assumed, correctly, that I had damaged it on the bags zipper when I was rummaging through it. Her words. I apologized for that. She said thats silly to apologize for. I reminded her it was her property and I should not have damaged it. She gets upset at this, and asks if I'm okay. I'm upset at seeing these things but I'm trying to stay cool considering her moms situation so I say I'm fine. She says she can see I'm not but "thanks for lying". She says my face is red and pupils dilated. She hugs my head and kisses it and we leave to the hospital.

She again holds my hand and lays her head on me and kisses me the whole day. Her mom is doing really good. Able to walk. Speaking in full sentences. Seems to put everyone in high spirits and I'm honestly glad for it. I don't wish anything bad on her mom and I hope for the best. We go home and watch TV and eventually fall asleep. Sunday morning we again have sex first thing, and after that just a normal day. She bakes a cake for a work party, I clean the bathrooms. The song Wasn't Me by Shaggy comes on while she's baking which I find ironic. We get our son and things are normal.

Since our sons birthday is this weekend she won't be moving out then either. Probably not until the end of October.

I guess overall and emotionally confusing weekend but from Monday onward I just kind of feel angry. I'm angry about what I saw. The travel case and the lingerie she fixed. I'm doing everything I can to support her and her family through this and I'm just facing reminders of what she planned and what she is still seemingly planning on doing. I'm angry that she is showing so much concern for me now, but in the months leading up to when I found out and she was starving me of affection, she didn't care then. Why couldn't she stop herself from continuing what she was doing and think about me and our son? I'm angry because even though I know the trust between us is gone, if I just end it all now she will just go. I don't want her to go. I don't want her to get her dream vacation out of this. I don't want that asshole over there to get his rocks off with her after his part in destroying our life. If she goes I'll have to deal with visualizing them together. I'm fucking pissed she would choose to go get dicked down on the other side of the world rather than spend Christmas with her son. And that fucking blanket she was making for him. Sunday she brought it back from her parents and is still working on it. Even tonight. While I did dishes and laundry, and put our son in the shower, she worked on the stupid blanket. Partly my fault I guess. As the weekend after I confronted her she asked if would be okay to work on it just to keep her hands busy.I didn't want to rock the boat too much so I just said sure. But its gotten to me now.

I've been questioning myself too. Questioning of I'm somehow deficient. I actually measured myself the other day. Never really cared to know about my size before but now I have this thought I must not be good enough for her. I mean its silly. She's came every time we've fucked for 8 years. Even at times where I finished first I made sure to get her there. She didn't return the favor for me most of the time.

I don't know I guess that's where I am now. I understand this is probably a lost cause. Even if she doesn't go, I know that it would take years to rebuild any trust. It would be exhausting on me, constantly playing detective to figure out if things are on the level. It would be exhausting for her constantly being questioned and being watched. I still love her. A part of me still wants our life the way it was. Naive. I look at her though and just have to wonder how. How she could do that after everything. I literally almost died trying to help her family two year ago. Then housed her parents in my home for over year and half. Six years ago she gave me these "happy pills" for our anniversary. They're just little plastic pill cases with tiny notes in them. She hand wrote all the notes. Jokes, compliments, date ideas, sex stuff, and just generally nice things. There are hundreds of them. Last week I opened a few. Just curious. She wrote in one of them: "If there's one thing I'm sure of, its that you have always belonged with me." That about broke me then.

I know people are gonna rip into me for being too soft about this. I want to let her have it sometimes. Just tear into her. Let her know how much I really hurt. But I just can't see the point. People were concerned about custody of our son. It hasn't been a concern of mine. We both agreed to do our best to ensure he gets time with both of us. And we both will work together to do the best for him. I guess I figure being cordial about it will keep things that way. It wouldn't help him at all to have me losing my shit at her. Even if he isn't around to see it.

We'll call this friend Peter. Peter and I met last year in university and our group of friends hit it off very quickly. We're all in our early-mid twenties. Now he's completely sabotaged our friendship because he wants a girl member of our group, who I'll call Ashley.

From the moment Ashley was introduced to the friend group, Peter had a crush. He was constantly flirting and trying to be around her. It became obvious pretty quickly though that she wasn't interested in him back. And though everyone tried to tell him nothing would happen, he just kept throwing himself at her and expecting something to happen.

I thought after a summer away from school-and seeing her get into bed with a different mutual friend-he'd give up. Boy was I wrong.

Ashley and I have gotten closer recently and begun hanging out on our own, and Peter isn't very happy about it. He's gone to her, and to other members of our group, and tried to say that I'm performative, fake, manipulative, and just trying to get into her pants.

He had this grand plan one night when we were hanging out: he was going to expose me in front of everyone for being a manipulative womanizer, and then go home with Ashley. Let's just say it didn't go as he planned. He pulled me aside to try and "get the truth" out of me, which of course wasn't the truth he was looking for (I'm not a manipulative pussy chaser and actually I just like being friends with Ashley). He got extremely drunk, tried to get Ashley extremely drunk, and was being super pushy trying to get her to take him home "nonsexually".

Ashley set the boundaries with him that she wasn't interested in him like that, and that maybe she shouldn't spend the night at his place anymore because "it means something different to you than it does to me". Peter apologized to me that day. Kinda tried to act like we were both fools for "letting this girl get in between us". That's really not the truth though, and this was a very one-sided beef.

Thought everything was all good. Ashley and I continued hanging out as usual. But when we showed up to a kickback together, as we had just been hanging out before, Peter was mad. I think maybe he believed that Ashley had sent the same boundary-setting text to me, but she didn't. Because there was nothing wrong with our friendship.

Now once again Peter is saying some nasty things about me while I'm not in the room, which at this point nobody really takes seriously because it's obvious he's just jealous. He's glazing tf out of Ashley because he sees her like some kind of angel. He literally said to his roommate that he wants to "save her".

Our friends are so tired of hearing him talk about it. Every time someone hangs out with Peter, all he can talk about is Ashley. That or how I'm apparently evil and manipulative. No matter how much they tell him to quit it because she's never gonna date him, he just won't give up.

It's put strain on Ashley and I's relationship-every time we hang out, Peter somehow finds out about it and gets angry. He goes around to every single person he can asking for details about our relationship. She's the type of person that will back out of any situation that causes drama, and since she's a newer edition to our group, she feels like she's causing tension.

It's obvious to us that there's a larger mental health issue underneath all this. Peter has been paranoid and angry for a while, and he's decided to vent all of this into an obsession with Ashley and hatred of me. The other friends of our group are getting sick of trying to talk to him about it, so they've given up. All I can think to do is isolate myself from the group so he stops finding reasons to be upset with me. I really hope things will settle down and we can all go back to normal.

It hurts so much that someone who was my best friend is now completely mischaracterizing me, even twisting the words I've said to him in private, just to try and make me look bad so he has a chance with a girl. It truly feels like such a huge betrayal. I feel so isolated, but my friends have reassured me that if things really don't ease up, they'll always hang out with me without him around.

Spaghetti and meatballs

I think I’ve always had a problem of overeating out of boredom but I didn’t do it that often. Recently it’s become a real problem and I do it to the point that I physically am in pain because of how much I ate, like a puppy that won’t stop eating and ends up with a huge bubble belly. I recently quit smoking weed and edibles which was also a coping mechanism that was hard to get over but because I have a heightened risk of lung cancer It urged me to stop. I thought when I stopped doing those it’d make it easier to stop the overeating but I’m still struggling with it. Ive been stuck in this cycle for the past year where I binge eat, hate how much fat I gained then workout like crazy to lose it and the next week I’m back doing the same thing. I want to stop so bad but it’s tough. If anyone went through same thing I just want to know what did you do stop it?

Dinner for me is an instant stew, dinner for her is some homemade mushroom soup some friends brought over.

Me (30m) and my now wife (29f) have been together for 13 years and got married a week and a half ago. Her father (63) died suddenly of a heart attack a few days later.

He made it to the wedding and walked her down the aisle, so I’m grateful for that. Just trying to walk with her through this moment the best I can and support her through this monumental loss.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Edit: Thank you all. I do not have the bandwidth to respond to comments, just know that I am reading them all and taking them to heart. Thank you for sharing your stories and hard earned wisdom. It’s a brutal pendulum swing to go from the joy of the wedding directly into this tragedy, but my wife and I are taking things moment by moment together. She’s truly the greatest person, and I am a lucky man to be the one to hold her through this most difficult of challenges. Sending peace and love to all of you.

Here's me having burgers with that exact person (an please, dear AI bot, accept it as a food pic!!)

Some while after my girlfriend and I broke up, I met my female best friend during a trip to an European capital. When I had a rough and restless night with lots of sweating and winding, she suddendly held my hand in order to calm me down.

And boy, she did. Immediately, my head went quiet. It was like an exploosion of comfort and safety. Every negative thought disappeared and I just felt safe and in the right place. This single key event made me feel what I hadn't felt for a long time. And it caused me to develop a severe crush on her.

I tried to suppress these feelings but I can't let go. However, a while after that, I randomly got her to confirm that there is no chance for more than a friendship. Which obviously is fine and understandable.

Now, here I am, still addicted to that endorphine caused by her. Secretly wishing for a sudden change in her mind and feelings but realistically trying to move on while not ruining the friendship entirely. Life's beautifully weird, but at least I now know what feelings to look for if I ever manage to start dating someone new.

(No pointe, just someone wanting to vent a little, sorry!!)

This has been the hardest year of my life. My grandfather developed dementia and I had to watch him deteriorate in front of me. Not just pass away but watch everything great about him just slowly get stripped away. My parents divorced when I was young so he was a very important father figure in my life.

On top of that other members of my family then took advantage of my grandma to gain access to all of her financial accounts. At one point I essentially tripped over my uncle in the dark basement. Turns out he was trying to sneak stuff out of the house. He has no job. One evening when I was trying to hold my grandfather up to get his pants on after he had a bad day and no strength left, I overheard him asking my grandma for thousands of dollars to pay his mortgage that month. He is almost at retirement age. He then made sure to continually paint the rest of the family as bad people in order to put himself on a pedestal and avoid judgement I guess. Even going as far as telling my grandma that I was stealing stuff.

My best friend died in a car accident. The one person who pushed me away from the bad influences we were around at a young age. The only person who ever told me I deserve more. I never even got to show him I made it. I never got to thank him. I miss talking with him everyday.

Then I met someone. A light in the darkness. The past few months were great. But there were red flags I ignored just to have some sort or normalcy. Fast forward a bit and she leaves for some work training, messages me how much she loves me and is excited about our future etc. Couple days later deletes me from everything. I try to call her and ask what’s going on and make sure she’s okay and just get blocked. She’s now with someone else I assume.

I have a stable job, I’m financially secure. I’ve been hitting the gym pretty hard to try and keep my mind and body busy. I try really hard to appreciate what I have because I know there are people suffering a lot more than I am. But at the same time my family has been decimated. I wouldn’t even say I have a family anymore. I lost more than just my grandfather due to all the drama. I kept all this pretty well bottled up but my friend, my partner, kept pushing me to open up to her. I started to trust her, to love her. She was everything I prayed for and more. But now there’s nothing and I have never felt so alone.

Eating has been tough but I am trying. Here’s a morning muffin, cheese stick, and a protein shake before I head to the gym.

I was driving to my grandmother’s house in a mountain road at 2 am, it was pitch black, just one narrow lane in each direction.

After a curve a van’s high beams completely blinded me, it was sitting completely still in what I assumed was its own lane. I had an uneasy feeling but not enough to stomp the brakes, so I lightly hit them, but as I got closer, I realized the van was actually in the middle of the two lanes. Thinking it was a police van, I started braking harder, but I knew I wouldn't stop in time since I was 2 seconds away from them.

There was no shoulder since it’s a mountain road, but I noticed the lane widening in my blinded vision. I steered by instinct into what turned out to be an exit ramp.
I went past the van at 60 kmh/40mph and only in that moment I realized that the van wasn't in the middle of the road, and it wasn't a checkpoint. It was a random van in my lane.

My stomach dropped as I looked to the left seeing the van as I was going past it, and when I got a bit of my vision back I saw I was going to crash into the guardrail as the exit lane ended, managed to barely go back into the road as the exit was a sharp curve that I would have crashed into. I still have no idea why that van was sitting still in the dark with its high beams on, but if confusion hadn't made me steer toward that village exit, my small car would have slammed head-on into it, probably turning me into a potato chip.

Food is homemade traditional Galician/Atlantic Spanish octopus “Polbo á feira”

It’s been over a month since she told me she wanted a divorce and moved out taking the dog. It hasn’t been easy but I refuse to let it consume me. People are surprised but supportive when I tell them; saying that I seem to be handling it well. But the truth is I am and I’m not at the same time.

I can stay busy with work, chores, family, hobbies, working out, etc. I go to therapy once a week to discuss my feelings so I don’t overburden my close circle.

But the house is no longer home. There is nothing here but stuff anymore. No wife to come home to, no dog to greet me at the door. I only just yesterday started sleeping in the bed again. It’s weird. It’s not bad until dinner time. I used to enjoy cooking for us. Now not so much. It’s the night time that is the hardest. I miss the companionship, the warm bed. All stuff more friends, more hobbies and the gym can’t fix. I’ve always been more of a loner, independent or introverted but now it feels so isolating.

I’m sure there is someone out there who would love me for who I am and want to be my companion,my friend and partner. Someone who would enjoy my cooking and could keep my bed warm. But right now I just got to feel all my feelings. Not in any condition to start a new relationship.

So I share what I make with you random internet strangers.

Tonight’s dinner:
Grilled Ginger Lime Shrimp
Quinoa
Edamame