Quick description for dating site

I began by saying I'd like a chicken quesadilla meal, with a soft taco. I asked if it was possible to make it in burrito form instead of a quesadilla. There are no burritos on the menu with the same ingredients, so my logic was that it was simpler to just send a quick shout back to the person making it to roll it and grill it as a burrito than it would be to custom order a grilled stuft burrito with all the ingredients I wanted. Nope. It became a huge ordeal. A manager had to come up, roll his eyes, and custom enter the most complicated burrito order to date. And I didn't get any benefit of ordering a meal. I had to pay for everything separately.
Why, Taco Bell? Why? When I worked for McDonalds way back in the day, I would make all kinds of crazy things for people if they asked nicely and it wasn't busy. I didn't feel obligated to make sure the receipt was 100% accurate to what the customer wanted as long as the customer was happy.

Hi, I’m posting on behalf of my sister.
She was suppose to be paid on 31/05 but it’s now 02/06 and there is no sign of her wages.
She and many others have received the following message from the business owner:
“Whilst this is not going to be a well-received message, we need to inform you of a short delay regarding the release of pay slips and wages for this month. Due to the temporary closure of some of our stores due to factors outside of our control, there has been an unforeseen delay in processing and distributing pay slips for this period.
During this temporary closure, we want to reassure you that any affected staff will continue to receive their guaranteed pay. However, in order to ensure accuracy in the pay slips, it is necessary for us to meticulously verify the wording and calculations. This process is essential to confirm that everyone receives the correct amount of pay and that holiday entitlement continues to be accrued correctly during this period and that the Company continues to stay on the right side of HIMRC.
Our payroll team is working diligently to resolve this matter as quickly as possible. We understand the inconvenience and stress that this delay may cause and sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate through this challenge.
Please rest assured that we are committed to releasing pay in a timely manner and maintaining transparent communication throughout this process. Should you have any immediate concerns or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact the HR department in the first instance.”
For clarification, the site that she works at has remained open and trading as usual. She has received a wageslip but no wages. Our mum, who also works there has been paid as normal and hasn’t received the message my sister has.
Is this legal? Where does she stand?
Thanks in advance

I just started a college football channel (one upload and a couple shorts) along with a blog site to coincide which has about 20 articles to date.
What are some ways you drive traffic to the channel? I’m completely new to YouTube, so I’m unfamiliar with pretty much every aspect. Looking for any tips/advice for someone just starting out regardless of niche. Are video tags beneficial at all? Thanks in advance guys!

I've read a lot of posts about people saying their pay is low ($13 /h really?) and the doom and gloom about job applications.
I was there, and had asked on this sub for advice too...
I have a B.Sc. in Biochem from a decade and a half ago. I didn't get my first job until 2022, which was $24 /h, and I stayed 4.5 months. Moved to an HCOL, high population state in the east coast.
I secured another job as a QC chemist at a pharmaceutical a month after my move. $23/h. I was terminated from there for making a mistake after 3 months.
I started mass applying via indeed, but had to take a high school job at a medical lab (so irrelevant, industry-wise) for financial upkeep. That lasted 3 months.
I got on unemployment and kept applying. Stayed unemployed for an entire year, sent in 200+ indeed apps. Recruiters gave up on me, lol.
Started doubting my worth... Then I went on reddit and found: https://www.reddit.com/jobs/comments/7y8k6p/im_an_exrecruiter_for_some_of_the_top_companies/
He's right. It dawned on me that the FIRST PERSON to see your resume and make an initial decision on passing you over or not is AN IDIOT / not a science person... it's a company recruiter / talent acquisition person who, at most, holds a psychology degree, or at worst, holds a marketing degree.
I followed his post to the letter (my resume was 4 pages with all my research and achievements... and i cut it down to 1 dumbed down resume for dummies) and suddenly... I'm landing 5 on-site interviews in 2 weeks... blah blah. Like a month or two later, I received two offers, one for $21, the other for $26.
I've taken the $26 and will start work on the 17th.
My takeaways:

1. a STEM degree is so valuable, you can keep it stagnant for 10.5 years and still find work
   
2. Science and job hunting are two extremely different fields even when you're applying to a science jobs. You need to learn the game (if you're living in a competitive state/location).
   
3. I've seen so many B.S. job postings... ICP experience + hplc experience... paying $18 per hour? LOL? Other $18 / h positions KF-titration experience... all turning me down :P. (but i've never seen a friggin sub-18 per hour position on indeed)...
   

The point is, you get lulled into thinking "if the low paying ones aren't hiring me, then what i worth!?" But that's simply not true. Pay =/= hireability. Just keep applying. Don't take any of these b.s. job postings. The science majors who desperately apply to them are caught in the mouse trap.

1. If you're in a unique circumstance, like mine, where you've been out of school for awhile, REMOVE all dates (except employment dates). Remove irrelevant employment experience too if it makes you look bad.

It's bad manners to ask a candidate education dates, as it's seen as a red flag. I've noticed most interviewers are nice and aren't out to sniff out red flags as long as you don't present any (gaps). It's a very "don't show, we won't ask about it" thing.
Anyway, I hope this post helps someone!

We went on dates over the span of 3/4 months and I felt that there was mutual romantic interest. Eventually, he started fading out—taking a lot longer than usual to respond to texts, made an excuse to not come to a picnic with friends that I invited him to weeks in advance, and just overall seemed kind of unenthusiastic—he honestly seemed kind of dead on our last date. I was starting to accept that it was time to move on, but decided to hear him out to see if I was misinterpreting things.
I asked him if everything was okay and gently voiced my concern, and he said that things were fine but was still slow to reply. Two days later he texted back saying that he wasn’t ready for a relationship. He then asked if we could still be friends. While I accepted that he wasn’t ready for whatever reason, I was still hurt. I said no to being friends and said that we should part ways. He then said “I understand. Take care, Time_Sir”. I didn’t respond, and that was it.
Was this too dramatic? He wasn’t particularly aggressive or anything, but I’m just so over guys fading out, flaking out, and acting weird instead of communicating, so I do go pretty scorched earth (swiftly and immediately cut all ties) if I’m dating a guy, sense that things aren’t right, and try to communicate only for him to refuse to or be wishy washy. With that said, I do want to be reasonable, I’ve been told at times that I’m too quick to cut men off. What do you think?

Like that they don't overwrite each other anymore, that there is a normal date and time displayed for each, and that they appear in chronological order? I've lost a good chunk of science progress in modded KSP today (about 5h), because of how wacky the quick saves are. And it's not the first time, I can't handle this anymore.

Lifetime - Staked: 921.15u, Profit/Loss: +14.81u, ROI: 1.61%, Parlay Suggestions: 177-69 Dog of the Week: 13-18, Picks: 8-3 (73% accuracy)
2024 - Staked: 274.05u, Profit/Loss: -18.55u
As always, scroll down for UFC Louisville Breakdowns. The following is just a recap of last event’s results.
~UFC 302 (PREVIOUS CARD)~
Staked: 12.5u
Profit/Loss: +7.64u
ROI: 61%
Parlay Suggestions: 3-0
Dog of the week: Cesar Almeida ❌
Picks: 8-3
Underwhelming card, but as expected it was a pretty easy one to predict. The favourites were mostly consistent, and most of the expected methods of victory landed. Nice profit made for once, but I think I had some fantastic reads on the card in spots that I didn’t bet. I said I expected Poirier to be competitive, and that Islam ITD wasn’t the lock people said it was. Matthews Decision was one I wanted to bet. I warned people that Hafez or Morono were the most likely bed-shitters. Basically, I think last week’s post would have been very useful to read.
✅ 2u Sean Strickland + Over 1.5 Rounds (-130) (won +1.54u)
✅ 2u Sean Strickland in R4, 5 or by Decision (+175) (won +3.5u) (accidentally edited this to 1u on the previous post, which wasn’t the intention. It’s was originally listed as 2u, and was tracked as such on my BetMMA record).
✅ 2u Kevin Holland + Grant Dawson (+110) (won 2.2u)
❌ 2u Cesar Almeida (+125)
❌ 1u Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (+150)
✅ 2u Ailin Perez + Over 1.5 Rounds (-120) (won +1.66u)
✅ 1u Makhachev, Strickland, Holland, J. Almeida (+224) (won +2.24u)
❌ 0.5u Morono, Matthews, Hafez, Perez (+401)

~UFC Louisville~
Good to see more touring cards, and a slight step up in calibre from the usual Apex shit. Not a lot of spots I am confident in, I have to be honest…but I see a few underdogs that I’m sprinkling on.

~Jared Cannonier v Nassourdine Imavov~
Not another Nassourdine Imavov five rounder! I’m a fan of his skillset, but I think his cardio is suspect across 25 minutes, which ultimately makes his fights tricky to predict in spots like this. He’s not exactly a potent finisher, and I can’t trust him to win rounds four and five…so I think his path to victory is therefore limited by principal. A Nassourdine Imavov in a main event relies heavily on him winning R1, 2 and 3.
On the other side, Jared Cannonier is a guy I’ve never truly given the respect he deserves. A split decision win over Sean Strickland in a 25-minute fight is certainly impressive, as is the absolute beating he put on Marvin Vettori straight after* (* I believe Vettori has declined massively and is washed, so I won’t be going crazy in overreacting to that). Cannonier is a hard hitter, but he’s also gotten really comfortable in upping his volume across five round too, landing 141 and 241 significant strikes in those two aforementioned bouts respectively. The quantity didn’t dip in rounds 4 and 5 either, which is key considering my comments on Imavov’s cardio.
So I give Cannonier an advantage in R4 and 5, but what about across the other three? Well, the power advantage also goes to him, but the diversity with grappling and submission attempts falls with the Frenchman. Cannonier has started mixing takedowns into his game a bit more, which does present an opportunity for Imavov’s nasty front chokes…but other than that I’m not really sure where else I give Imavov a clear advantage outside of age and height. He’s the bigger fighter, but Cannonier is a strong dude and has looked just fine against other Middleweights (no one of Imavov’s size, to be fair).
Jared is now 40 years old, which is a bit of a dreaded number, which I think is the reasoning for this line being the way it is. People seem keen to blindly fade that age, regardless of whether it’s presented itself on tape. I see what they’re getting at, but Cannonier has put in two of his best performances of his career in his last two…I am not convinced it’s as simple as fading a 40 year old here.
So with that aside, I see far more merit to Cannonier’s side than Imavov’s, so the +100/-125 betting line feels off to me. I understand that Nassourdine just put in convincing performances against Roman Dolidze and Chris Curtis, but personally I think both of those fighters are a cut below Jared Cannonier (and I bet Nassourdine in both spots there). Cannonier would have looked good there too.
However, we have seen Imavov challenged against some of Middleweight’s common names, such as Sean Strickland and Joaquin Buckley…whilst Cannonier has looked good everywhere except against Izzy and Whittaker (he did drop a couple of rounds to Kelvin Gastelum, but it’s hardly raises alarm bells to me as Kelvin’s a tough guy to beat across 25 minutes of kickboxing).
I would personally make Cannonier the favourite here, anywhere between -125 and -150, and I assume the dreaded age of 40 is the reason for the odds here. I ask you this…if Jared Cannonier was 35, would the line be different? I believe it would be, and age is relative in MMA. It’s something to take seriously, of course, but I don’t think Cannonier even looked like he had started to decline in his most recent fight against Vettori last year.
I’ll be backing the underdog here at +100 or better. The line looks to be moving in Imavov’s favour so I will be patient.
How I line this fight: Jared Cannonier -137 (58%), Nassourdine Imavov +137 (42%)
Bet or pass: 1u Jared Cannonier to Win (+100 or better)
Prop leans: None
Live Betting Leans: If Cannonier looks to have won any of R1, 2, or 3 but is still a bettable price going into the championship rounds, I think he should be favoured to win those so could be a good entry in-play.

~Dominick Reyes v Dustin Jacoby~
This one should be fun for the live audience, but it’s an incredibly volatile fight for the bettors.
Very obvious to see why that’s the case for Dom Reyes – he’s got heaps of potential on a good day, but his chin is dust at this point. Seriously, he got knocked out cold by the jab of Ryan Spann. In a striking based fight at 205lbs, that’s all you need to know to decide that putting money on him is an uncomfortable idea.
Dustin Jacoby on the other hand is not the most potent finisher at Light Heavyweight, which immediately makes me think that Dustin isn’t the kind of guy you’d want to play executioner when he’s the favourite against someone with a flaw like Reyes’ chin. You want someone you can trust to put dudes to sleep in one punch – I don’t think that’s Jacoby (having gone the distance in seven of his 11 fights in this second UFC stint, and winning via leg kicks in one of the stoppages). Also, he’s not even particularly reliable to win rounds either, given that he was supposed to be the more technical fighter compared to Alonzo Menifield, Khalil Rountree, Azamat Murzakanov, and Maxim Grishin – where he was a moderate/big favourite every time, and never covered the price.
I still expect Jacoby to probably be the superior fighter across 15 minutes, but his -225 price tag definitely implies that a finish is expected by the oddsmakers…and I just have a whole lot less confidence that he lands it. From there, I also have less confidence that he’ll be the one winning rounds, given how easily he’s fumbled that in the past…so I just don’t see how you can have around 70% confidence in him winning here. Honestly I don’t really think Jacoby can ever justify that kind of pricetag at a UFC level when we have seen him shit the bed so many times.
On the other hand, I couldn’t trust Dominick Reyes’ chin to survive a strong gust of wind, so there’s no way I’d want to play him either. A very easy pass. I’ll pick Jacoby to win though, but I’d never bet him at this number.
In terms of thinking about props, I might be interested in looking at the Over 1.5 Rounds here, given that I disagree with the oddsmaker’s believe in Jacoby’s finishing ability. That’s going to be a horrible bet to sit through, so I’d probably need a decent price like +150 or better. We’ll see what they’re offering, but I doubt it’s that good.
How I line this fight: Dominick Reyes +175 (36%), Dustin Jacoby -175 (64%)
Bet or pass: Over 1.5 Rounds (+150 or better…no idea if that’s anywhere near what we’ll get)
Prop leans: See above

~Julian Marquez v Zach Reese~
Julian Marquez is a really fun fighter to watch, I’m glad to see him back inside the cage. He’s never been the most talented, but he’s a C+ at everything and has A grade heart. To beat him, you need to be clinical or vastly superior in one area, or Marquez might surprise you and turn the fight into a war of attrition.
Zach Reese is a 6-1 fighter that lost his debut Cody Brundage (I actually bet Brundage there, haha). Talk about fumbling the bag. He just seems like a classic DWCS fighter, who scores quick finishes against taxi drivers and then is suddenly expected to be diverse and talented enough to take on an actual trained professional that’s been competing against a much higher level for years. The difference between the regionals and the UFC has always been vast, and DWCS proves that time and time again.
Zach Reese’s longest fight time is 4 minutes and 13 seconds. He has literally never been in a fight that’s hit the second round. Julian Marquez, on the other hand, has gone longer than that in five of his 6 UFC appearances to date – and his opponents have all competed in the organisation at least five times. I genuinely think that tells you all you need to know.
And the craziest part is that Zach Reese ain’t even an inexperienced young gun. Him fumbling the debut wasn’t like Tom Nolan, a 24 year old kid that believed his own hype and got sloppy in his debut. Reese is THIRTY YEARS OLD.
The gulf in experience is massive, and the difference in age isn’t. I know Julian Marquez’s UFC record isn’t pretty at all, but how well do you think Zach Reese would fare if he faced the same opponents at the time Marquez did? I reckon he’d be 0-6.
Maybe I’m crazy, but Julian Marquez deserves better than to be a + money underdog against a literal regional opponent. Reese has tall man’s defence, he got tagged in both fights in DWCS/UFC and they were on the feet about 20 seconds combined. Yes he’s clearly got a great submission game on bottom, but Marquez has never been submitted, is a BJJ purple belt and has trained at decent camps before. He’s currently at the MMA Lab and has been training with Cannonier for this one.
I’ll be rolling the dice on the more proven fighter at +100.
How I line this fight: Julian Marquez -150 (60%), Zach Reese +150 (40%)
Bet or pass: 1u Julian Marquez to Win (+100)
Prop leans: None
Live Betting Leans: R1 finishers often have bad cardio, so if we get to the stool then Marquez is definitely worth a bet to turn the tide.

~Brunno Ferreira v Dustin Stoltzfus~
I can’t figure Dustin Stoltzfus out. He’s always presented himself as a good but one-dimensional grappler, judging by performances against high level competition such as Rodolpho Vieira and Gerald Meerschaert…but the way he showed up against Punahele Soriano made him look like a completely different guy. He was supposed to be easily outgunned on the feet there, but he looked seasoned and composed in the striking, and ultimately ended up getting a finish that I think very few people saw coming.
Brunno Ferreira is a super explosive Brazilian powerhouse that hasn’t gone past the halfway point in a fight yet. He throws heat and has that madman style, but his fights are so short I’ve no idea if he actually has any redeeming qualities from a technical or minute-winning perspective. As you probably know by now, my least favourite fighting style is ‘big strike go brrrr’. Ferreira has also had some bizarre results himself, pulling off a huge upset against Gregory Rodrigues, and then getting starched by Nursulton Ruziboev.
The only thing I know about Brunno is that he’ll go to war with an opponent that wants to meet him in the middle…I’ve no idea if Dustin Stoltzfus really wants to do that. He handled himself really well against a similar kind of style in Puna Soriano…but he’s also the same guy that got womped in under 20 seconds by Abus Magomedov.
To conclude, I think I could easily see Brunno Ferreira scoring an easy KO inside a couple of minutes, but I could also see this one looking way more competitive and close than the betting line suggests if Stoltzfus makes it to the stool. Lots of different possibilities, not a lot of confidence in any one outcome.
Brunno Ferreira kind of presents similar red flags to Zach Reese in the last breakdown. The difference between the two, and the reason I am fading Reese and not Brunno, is that I have confidence and knowledge that Marquez can handle that early chaos. I can’t say the same about Stoltzfus, so I won’t be taking a stab on him. Personally I think he’s absolutely the value side though, so if you’re someone who wants to bet every fight then absolutely take him.
I will also be picking him to win, but not because I think he does so 51% or more of the time…just because Ferreira is only known to have a limited path to victory that could easily fall apart.
How I line this fight: Such a volatile fight, I have no idea.
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: None

~Punahele Soriano v Miguel Baeza~
Speak of the devil!
Punahele Soriano is so, so overrated. I have no idea how he’s even still in the UFC, or how he even got there in the first place. He was hyped up by Dana and the promo team as this scary and lethal striker….but then he pussy’d out and grappled his way to a decision win against Jamie Pickett on DWCS. Surprisingly they rewarded him with a contract (but didn’t want Brendan Loughnane!). Since then, lethal KO artist Puna has scored just three knockouts…but in the four fights he hasn’t, he’s looked like absolute shit. Getting schooled on the feet by Dustin Stoltzfus and Brendan Allen is a really bad look when you’re being advertised as a striker…and losing a decision to Nick Maximov isn’t a good look either!
To their credit, this fight against Miguel Baeza is a genius pairing by the UFC matchmakers though, because Baeza’s career has kind of panned out the same as Soriano’s. A hard hitting DWCS graduate, Baeza got off to a decent start with three consecutive finishes, most notably against Matt Brown. He stepped up the level of competition to face Santiago Ponzinibbio, which resulted in a life and death decision that he narrowly lost. Unfortunately, the losses snowballed dramatically as he was later KO’d by Khaos Williams and Andre Fialho. The latter result the most shocking, given that Fialho is dogshit. Baeza has since taken two years off…and everyone forgot he existed.
Apologies for taking two massive paragraphs to give you both men’s life stories, but it really does paint the picture of this fight from a betting perspective. Both men are overhyped KO artists - with one lacking in durability, and the other lacking in brain cells.
Puna is probably more likely to walk away with the KO win due to Baeza’s declining durability, but he’s also the more likely to get out-struck and styled on if this one turns into a longer distanced fight. Who wins that kind of fight? I have absolutely no idea. I’m just glad that one guy gets to stick around after this fight is over, because I’d be keen to fade both guys in the future.
I have little confidence so it counts for nothing, but I’ll pick Baeza simply because I like to fade finish-reliant fighters, and Miguel seems to be the more technical. His leg kick should work nicely here.
How I line this fight: Punahele Soriano +125 (45%), Miguel Baeza -125 (55%)
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: None

~Raul Rosas Jr. vs Ricky Turcios~
I’ve copy/pasted my breakdown for this fight from the UFC Mexico event, and made some updated changes:
I’m still pretty gassed about hitting the fade on Raul Rosas Jr with Christian Rodriguez – definitely one of my favourite bets of 2023. I saw an untested 18 year old that was the beneficiary the UFC hype machine, and a then unknown opponent who had proven tricky to beat with the style Rosas Jr has. I saw it as a pick’em, and Rodriguez was +200. Easy bet to make.
In that fight, Rosas Jr kind of cardio-dumped and gave up once it was obvious that early finish wasn’t going to present itself, and that’s certainly a concern until we see him fight competently for 15 minutes at this level. I can think of countless UFC hype trains that hid their shocking minute winning ability behind dominant and exciting R1 finishes (Edmen Shahbazyan was my initial example, but since writing this Joe Pyfer has given another great recent example), and I therefore simply cannot trust Raul Rosas at this stage in his career when he’s still going to be sitting at -250 on the betting line due to his popularity.
Is Ricky Turcios worth the gamble as an underdog? I don’t really think so. He has been taken down seven and six times in two different UFC fights, has losses to Aimann Zahabi and Boston Salmon, and his wins were against Kevin Natividad and Brady Hiestand…which were both splits. The UFC are clearly treating this as a lay-up fight for Rosas Jr, but without feeding him a promotional newcomer or a fellow inexperienced guy. I don’t mean lay-up as if it’s a squash match, but it’s assumed that he SHOULD win here, instead of them throwing him to the wolves or making him go up against a fellow serious prospect.
Stylistically this one all revolves around the cardio for me, because I don’t think Turcios has what it takes to win this fight off the merit of his own skillset. He needs Rosas Jr. to gas out first, if he’s going to have any hope of having his way here. We have no way of knowing whether or not Rosas will gas, as it could have just been a one off and he’s so young that he could make the improvements quickly.
Personally, I’d be willing to give Rosas Jr the benefit of the doubt. The Rodriguez loss really should have opened his eyes, and it’s often the best thing for a young prospect to get that wake up call sometimes, as he was probably starting to believe his own hype. If the cardio is fixable, I assume he’s done all he can to fix it. He therefore deserves to be the favourite, but I won’t be betting on it.
How I line this fight: Raul Rosas Jr -200 (67%), Ricky Turcios +200 (33%)
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: I was originally going to bet the Over 2.5 rounds, but I’ll pass on that now.

~Eduarda Moura v Denise Gomes~
Eduarda Moura’s UFC debut did not impress me at all. I didn’t bother researching her regional footage, and from what I saw in that debut she’s a size/weight bully that isn’t even that amazing at what she does. Yes she outgrappled and mauled that Mexican woman, but the size difference was comical and she couldn’t have found an easier opponent to beat if she tried.
I had one of my best bets of 2023 on Denise Gomes’ last fight against Angela Hill (big up Angie for winning a couple of weeks ago, she’s such a money train for me), opting to fade the scary finishing ability of a WMMA fighter for a more technical and historically durable veteran on the return. Not only did Angie school her, she even managed to mix in some grappling to make the win even more stylish. That gets the alarm bells ringing here, as Moura’s MO is definitely to grapple, and Angie’s no grappler.
I don’t have a strong opinion on this one, because both women give me very strong fraud vibes. I think Moura is absolutely going to be one to fade in the future, and Gomes has already been faded in the past. Personally I don’t think the equally limited Denise Gomes is the woman to give Moura her first L, because stylistically this looks like a tricky fight for her. Fingers crossed Moura wins and the fade opportunity is live next time. It’s an easy pass for me.
How I line this fight: No idea, they’re both frauds
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: None

~Puja Tomar v Rayanne Amanda (dos Santos)~
Some people believe in the narrative that you should try and fade Indian fighters. That worked pretty well last time Jeka Sarragih fought!
I bet on Rayanne dos Santos in her UFC debut, and she lost a split to an inexperienced opponent with bad cardio. I was impressed with her striking in Invicta, but she struggled to do anything meaningful stuff in that UFC debut. By the looks of the early line I’m seeing, she’s about -180 here. Who the hell is going to bet that!?
I obviously know nothing about Puja, but her record shows she’s fought two serious opponents. You know I love WMMA more than anyone else, but I have absolutely no interest in doing tape for this one. Pass.
How I line this fight: No idea
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: None

~Cody Stamann v Taylor Lapilus~
Very disappointed by the betting line here. When a fight like this gets announced, I immediately get excited because I think there’s a chance the books might get caught out and give a very bettable price on a fight that seems close on paper, but should be quite one-sided in reality, due to the stylistics.
Taylor Lapilus deserves to be -200 here, maybe even steeper. Reason being, he’s great where Stamann is average, but he’s also good where Stamann is good. The Frenchman is a slick striker that should certainly be expected to land the more eye-catching shots, when compared to Stamann’s T-Rex boxing. He will enjoy a 9-inch reach advantage, and should just be able to hit and not get hit. Stamann barely has any power either, so even if he does land a punch for every two he absorbs, I doubt it’s going to do much to convince the judges to credit him as the round winner.
Cody Stamann has veered away from his wrestling roots in recent fights, but you’d think it would serve him well here, given the reach and technical disadvantage he will find himself at. Whilst this would be true against another opponent, Taylor Lapilus has a very good anti-grappling game. His takedown defence is good, but even when he does get floored he works hard and effectively to get back to his feet, or at the very least nullify his opponent. His most recent fight was an exception to that as Farid Basharat made light work of him…but that was a very impressive performance that I don’t think many could replicate.
So in summary, I think Stamann is going to be shut out here, and I don’t think he’s going to really be able to find success anywhere in this fight. He will either stand at distance and clearly get outstruck by the fighter with the better footwork that will keep him at range…or he attempts to wrestle and likely has little luck at finding any real success. At the very least, the success he does have probably won’t be enough to erase the striking deficit he’s already accrued.
On a more narrative based note, Stamann also appears to have regressed a fair bit in recent years. He was once a gatekeeper to the top 15, drawing with the likes of Song Yadong and even winning a round against Merab…but since then losing decisions to 37-year-old Douglas Silva de Andrade and winning questionable decisions against Luan Lacerda. I’d say this is a tricky fight for Stamann in his prime, but Cody’s trending downwards too.
As I said in the opening paragraph, I’m disappointed that the books didn’t offer a better price on Lapilus, and I’m interested to see if money comes in on Cody still. Personally I’d be happy to bet Lapilus at -175 or better, but I’d need the line to improve slightly before I could play it. I might parlay him with someone on next week’s card once I get further down the line researching it.
How I line this fight: Cody Stamann +225 (31%), Taylor Lapilus -225 (69%)
Bet or pass: No bet, for now.
Prop leans: None

~Brad Katona v Jesse Butler~
The less time spent talking about this one, the better. Brad Katona is possibly the least intimidating MMA fighter to have ever graced the UFC, both in the way he fights, and his demeanour. The former is more important, because he can sometimes struggle to win rounds because he’s outgunned most of the time. He needs to put on a perfect defensive display to win striking fights, because if he gets wobbled he probably can’t get the round back.
Jesse Butler is a can with about as much of a right to be on the UFC’s roster as I do. He has no striking ability, as seen in his 23 second KO MASSACRE at the hands of 40-year-old Jim Miller (one of my favourite KOs of 2023 that one, definitely recommend if you didn’t see it!). That lack of striking ability, both offensively and defensively, means that he is very unlikely to get the better of a good point fighter like Brad Katona. But everyone has a puncher’s chance.
Katona is nearly -600 here. Mostly justified, but also eye-wateringly steep at the exact same time when you consider Katona’s path to victory is almost exclusively by decision! Pass.
How I line this fight: Brad Katona -400 (80%), Jesse Butler +400 (20%)
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: Me to fall asleep watching this one (+200 or better)

~Ludovit Klein v Thiago Moises~
Two guys I have historically had a very tricky time analysing. I was high on Klein when he made his debut, then I turned my back on him after the losses to Trizano and Landwehr – and since then he’s been pulling off upsets and continuing to prove he was worth the hype he entered the UFC with. The dude has some of the best high kicks I’ve ever seen from a fighter.
Thiago Moises has always been credentialed and talented, but he’s failed to deliver on the promises his abilities make on paper. Moises is capable of taking fighters down and submitting them early, but it’s genuinely taken nine UFC fights for him to actually go out there and do that. And then he did it twice in a row (against Giagos and Melq Costa).
So I think that does a good job of explaining why I am going to be non-committal and just leave this fight alone. Klein is great when he’s on form, but he’s shown himself to be capable of dropping the ball in fights he really should win. He’s proven himself to be a guy that you back as an underdog, but avoid as a favourite. He’s barely either here, but he does have a minus next to his name.
Moises is also too inconsistent to trust either. I think there’s a chance that this could be a winnable fight for him, as his grappling will definitely be superior if he can force things to the floor. That sounds like a great opportunity for a +100 fighter…but Moises definitely won’t look that number if he decides to stand and trade – and his 1.64 takedowns landed per 15 minutes statistic is enough to assume he won’t.
The oddsmakers are right in lining this one close, because both men have very legitimate paths to victory with only a few small factors landing in their favour. I’d argue that Klein is the rightful favourite (and therefore my pick) due to all fights starting standing and Moises’ track record…but this is a close one.
How I line this fight: Ludovit Klein -125 (55%), Thiago Moises +125 (45%)
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: None

~Charles Radtke v Carlos Prates~
If you’re a regular reader of my posts, you may know that historically I am someone who genuinely thinks Trevin Giles has some redeeming qualities. In fact, I claimed in his recent fight against Carlos Prates that the line was wide, and that Giles may be able to find a way to have some success. Having watched that fight back, I think I was justified to feel that way.
I liked what I saw from Prates on DWCS, with the way he mixed up volume, pressure and power…but ultimately that performance against Giles was a bit concerning. He definitely lost round one, and by the end of the fight he was outstruck almost two to one. Of course, he won via KO…but to expect a fighter to be bailed out by their raw power every time is a bit foolish.
Charles Radtke is ironically a fighter I’ve had nothing but bad things to say about. I slated his debut win against Mike Mathetha (the artist formally known as Blood Diamond), and tried to fade him when he faced Gilbert Urbina. Boy did he look great in that sophomore appearance, I was really impressed. His striking just seemed so tight, accurate and crisp, I couldn’t believe how easily he pieced up Urbina.
I’m obviously not super confident in my analysis here, simply due to the lack of tape we have on both guys…but I don’t really understand what we are supposed to have seen from Prates to justify a -200 pricetag? He was struggling against Giles, and had he not landed the precise punch that ended things…he could easily have lost that one! I get that he has a big size advantage…but Urbina was taller and Radtke approached the striking gameplan perfectly. He also has Belal Muhammad in his corner (or at least he did vs Urbina), who I rate as a pretty intelligent fighter.
This one feel like it could develop into a very competitive fight, and the finishing ability is strong on either side. Radtke has also shown a diverse game and an ability to mix in grappling when necessary, which could serve him well here. For those reasons, I’m happy to roll the dice on yet another underdog here, and back Charles Radtke for 1u at +150 or better. I’ll be waiting a little bit to see what the initial line movement does.
How I line this fight: Charles Radtke +100 (50%), Carlos Prates +100 (50%)
Bet or pass: 1u Charles Radtke to Win (+150 or better)
Prop leans: None

~Daniel Marcos v John Castaneda~
I’m quite high on Daniel Marcos. I just think he’s a really talented striker. I bet him heavily against Aoriqileng, and were it not for the unfortunate NC, I think that would have looked like a really smart bet (not the only time that’s even happened to me this year…thanks Piera Rodriguez). People still hate on him for potentially getting a robbery over Davey Grant…but Grant is a very tricky guy to look good against at the best of times. The likes of Jonathan Martinez, Adrian Yanez, and even Marlon Vera have all struggled to decisively beat Davey.
John Castaneda is certainly the more well-rounded martial artist here, as the way he’s mixed takedowns into his game has been really intelligent. He’s also shown much more dangerousness than Marcos, landing a knockdown in four of his six UFC performances, and even scoring a submission win over Miles Johns.
For as long as this one stays standing, I think it’s a close fight that’s hard to call. Whilst I give a slight minute winning edge to Marcos for his higher level of technicality to his striking, I think Castaneda’s power can be a great equaliser, as can his ability to mix in takedowns. I’ve not seen much of Marcos’ anti-grappling to believe he can fend off a takedown threat if Castaneda wants to force things there.
So yeah, a non-committal breakdown but I think this is a close fight to call. There certainly isn’t any betting value to a fight this close anyway. I’ll pick Castaneda and give him the slight edge on the betting line for his diversity and finishing upside.
How I line this fight: John Castaneda -125 (55%), Daniel Marcos +125 (45%)
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: None

~Andrea Lee v Montana De La Rosa~
It’s always tricky to navigate the fade when you see a fighter with a glaring deficiency that keeps taking losses. Andrea Lee is on a sharp downwards slope – she’s 35 years old, she cannot stop takedowns, and she’s got a 3-7 record in decisions in the UFC. Those are some pretty damning facts, but what’s worse is that Lee’s decline is really showing in her performances. I confidently bet Miranda Maverick against her at near pick’em due to her grappling superiority, but I was very surprised to see Maverick actually clearly outrstriking Lee across 15 minutes. That was a terrible look because Maverick’s striking really has never looked good. That should not have happened.
The reason I began by saying that it’s difficult fading a fighter in Lee’s position, is because there comes a time where the calibre of opponent clearly takes a downwards step. I’ve always been a big believer in Miranda Maverick, and I believe she’s top 10 in the division, so trusting her to feast on Andrea Lee’s carcass was easy. This time however, we’re being asked to trust Montana De La Rosa, a clearly inferior fighter, to do the same. Historically, Lee is certainly a cut above her, and Lee’s 30-27 victory over MDLR in 2019 demonstrated that perfectly.
Montana’s not bad bad, she’s just lacking in physicality to really be able to get her game going. She’s definitely a grappler, but a 31% takedown accuracy and poor top control means that she struggles to really find openings to do her best work...so she just kind of survives in fights if she can’t grapple you. Just looking through her UFC fights and it’s so obvious where her calibre lies…none of the girls she’s beaten apart from Ariane Lipski have been in the UFC for years, and even some of the names she’s beaten aren’t super elite either. And back when she fought Lipski, the Brazilian had some of the worst anti-grappling we’d seen in WMMA.
So this is clearly one of those fights where my predictions and probabilities for the fight weigh more on how either woman loses, as opposed to how they win. Right off the bat, that’s an awful premise to be considering a bet, so I can easily tell you this is one to avoid…and I haven’t even looked at the betting line yet.
Yep, Andrea lee sits around -130. I expected exactly that, as it’s a coin-toss as to which woman is inferior, but history is worth something and Lee does have a win over her opponent here. I guess Andrea Lee is the pick because MDLR already landed five takedowns the first time and did fuck all with them, but I have little to no confidence here. I’m sure no one is even reading this far into the breakdown because no one even cares about WMMA like I do. It’s a pass. I'll keep an eye out for Lee by Decision, assuming it's around the +200 mark.
How I line this fight: Andrea Lee -150 (60%), Montana De La Rosa +150 (40%)
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: None

Bets (Bold = been placed)
1u Jared Cannonier to Win (+100 or better)
1u Jacoby v Reyes Over 1.5 Rounds (+150 or better….I could be way off the mark there)
1u Julian Marquez to Win (+100)
1u Charles Radtke to Win (+150 or better)
1u Andrea Lee to Win by Decision (+200 or better...might not get anywhere near that number, idk)

Parlay Pieces: Julian Marquez, Taylor Lapilus
Dog of the Week: Jared Cannonier
Picks: Jared Cannonier, Dustin Jacoby, Julian Marquez, Dustin Stoltzfus, Miguel Baeza, Raul Rosas Jr, Denise Gomes, Taylor Lapilus, Brad Katona, Moises/Klein, Radtke/Prates, Marcos/Castaneda, Andrea Lee

Hi everyone. I'm moving to Sweden soon and am trying to figure out the best place to get my news from. I know about an 'easy Swedish' site like 8sidor, but for this post I'm looking for tips on decent news outlets (Swedish or English didn't matter) with a good layout and UI of their homepage on their website or app. Better than something like SVT.
I find sites like SVT or Aftonbladet to be awful to use. Their homepage is way too cluttered, there's too much text for each item and it just looks very busy to read. It's hard to scan headlines to find the interesting articles and the whole page just seems to 'scream' at you. I know many news sites opt for this 'loud' tabloid look, but it just looks like a mess to me with all the different font types, sizes and different image sizes etc.
Examples of a site in my home country that I like better regarding layout are something like nos.nl or nu.nl. Much more streamlined, just one line with a small photo for each item and lots of empty space for quick headline scanning. Are there any decent news outlets in Sweden with a similar design?
TL;DR layout of sites/apps like SVT or aftonbladet are bad. Which Swedish news outlets are better?

I started seeing this guy from Bumble for about 2 months now. After 4 dates we had sex and he asked me if I could be the only one he got together with, which to me sounds like exclusivity.
I was feeling a bit unsure and my trust issues are already poor due to a abusive/toxic relationship with a ex so I asked for some reassurance if he meant that or it was just a "in the moment thing." Which he said he did mean it and said he doesn't have time to see other people. I felt better.
Fast forward we go on a date yesterday and he goes to show me something on his phone. When he goes to close his apps I see he has Bumble open. He quickly slides up thinking I didn't see but I did so I say " oooh bumble let me see!" He opens it and I see recent matches and people chatting him and other chats.
I haven't had the app since even before he texted me as I gave him my number and deleted the app shortly after for a break. I was obviously upset and he kept saying " you're the only one I'm seeing." and he deleted the app right then.
I just feel like some trust has been broken now and I'm not sure how to move forward. I still don't feel great about it. He did say he understood why I was upset. Thoughts?

Hi all first off brand new to this site so ty glad to be here.
I'm just a little confused about something people have read the overwhelming overwhelming even medical statements mostly that gaba supplements or gaba and supplemental form does not in fact cross the blood-brain barrier and there is an abundant amount of information confirming this.
But then yes you do have some contradictory information that states either a it can and does somehow across or B even though it can't by another method I forget can still in fact get to the brain.
But again the overwhelming to overwhelming majority of the information confirming that he can't why in the world would you spend so much money on taking a chance with gaba when you have something like l-theanines taurine or picamilion all also totally natural supplements that you could choose over gaba that do in fact without a doubt any doubt can cross the blood-brain barrier why would you take the smallest chance and wasting money when you have a few that have no doubt getting to the brain.
Second I firmly believe gaba is a little overrated gaba is coming it is sedating it is hypnotic but I don't believe just increasing job as a whole or in general can actually directly impact severe anxiety disorders.
I frustrated with meds went to natural route and tried two of these first was l-teanine and because of it's amazing truly truly amazing profile pharmacology profile of raising dopamine and gaba I ran out and bought a bottle and I became obsessed with getting again to his profile how great it was getting it to work and that including different dosages different brands etc etc but never got any anxiety relief from it at all.
Then there was taurine I've seen now very complex pharmacology that I can't even understand but I remember the one that got me was simple taurine can cross the blood-brain barrier and in there it has a direct impact on raising gaba levels causing anti-anxiety effects and could also stabilize electrical current in the brain and body and I was like wow and I ran out and bubble bottle of that.
Both of the above mentioned failed completely I got no relief or effect from either. So then I ordered of course take a guess picamilion once again read the profile pharmacology was amazed how they were able to bond it and get it to cross and ordered it right away and once again nothing at all at least for anxiety nothing.
I want to reinstate gaba is a great thing it's calming it's a dating it's hypnotic it shows you out but just raising gaba in general in general increasing gaba levels I do not believe confirm has a direct effect on stopping anxiety especially severe clinical anxiety.
I believe and I'm sure I'll get some heat and probably a tax for this but I believe they found the answer the one most powerful substance that could actually alleviate anxiety or ease it are in fact the hated benzodipines.
Now I want to make a quick suggestion or idea as what's happening with them I'm on the MAOI parnate. It's the first and only med that actually works for me I take it in the morning and immediately has a robust rapid antidepressant effect and within minutes I feel a total relief of depression and misery totally gone it gives me a strong I don't give a f-k attitude towards problems or worries that won't help me and don't need to think about.
but here's the part I'd like you to pay close attention to I'm on an antidepressant that actually works and works really really well with depression itself and alleviates it almost completely as well as extremely calming effect that alone calms you and gives you a piece of serenity a feeling of peace and serenity overall but mostly gives you an extreme calming feeling as well.
And I believe because my particular antidepressant is so effective in alleviating depression as well as calming effect that and directly affects the benzodipine I take the night before Klonopin because my antidepressant is giving me some relief too and I'm not basing my anxiety treatment solely on a benzo alone.
My anxiety Klonopin dose is 1 mg before bed and people sit online but I'm telling you the truth I take it before bed for anxiety the next day and to help me sleep that the night I'm taking it I'm going to take it at night before I go to bed the next day I do not need a dose at all until night time so it lasts the whole day over the next day the next day the whole day over at last. And I firmly believe that I don't have any problems with Klonopin a benzodiapine even close to the ones that I sadly hear about because I do in fact have a potent powerful antidepressant that is alleviating my depression as well as giving me a call me overall effect too which didn't turn helps the Klonopin keep at a low dose and not tolerance and work better.
I believe and I can't say this for a fact but it's a belief that a lot of people who are suffering with really bad anxiety and aren't getting the results they need with benzodipines and even worse escalated in a dose I believe a good possibility of this is because the antidepressant and leaving the depression enough or at all so they're walking around with bad depression which is that alone worsens or causes anxiety by itself also the antidepressant isn't working well enough not only for depression but any added anxiety relief at all instead of walking around without a substantial relief of the depression and that's terrible for anxiety alone and also walking around with any benefit from the antidepressant on anxiety at all. So not only are they getting enough relief from the depression from the med they're not getting any anxiety relief and now what happens is they're basically basing the entire treatment for anxiety solely on the benzodipine alone.
And this is where I see problems arise if you're relying solely on a benzodipine to totally be the soul treatment for your anxiety that doesn't sound like a good idea using a benzodipine solely by itself to treat anxiety I could easily see tolerance and escalation happening. I believe to State one last time an antidepressant working really well and truly alleviating a person's depression significantly right off the bat less depression less anxiety also a really well working antidepressant should also add the smallest amount of anti anxiety as well both of those should happen with an antidepressant and if they're not at least not significantly enough then once again you're relying solely on the methodipine to do all the work and that's why I see where a problem could arise. Again I am not stating this as fact just an opinion because in my case when my situation I'm positive it I'm on 1 mg of Klonopin that I take at night before bed and the last do the entire next day I don't need any and I've been on that 1 mg dose with 10 years and have an escalated once. I think my MAOI antidepressant and it's positive effect on depression and calming effect on anxiety coincide with the Klonopin and help the Klonopin work better and also keep it effective at a low dose. I had severe severe anxiety I mean really bad. Now with the way things are my antidepressant work is so well and my anxiety under control I actually forgot I even had it I always put my Klonopin for the night on a nightstand the other night I went and it was done there I looked in the bottle and realized it was empty and I didn't spill it and I thought to myself the hell with it I don't even have anxiety anymore I don't need it no big deal because I really truly felt like it was gone.
3 days with no Klonopin my system I learned a hard lesson I still do indeed have severe anxiety that finally started erupting back after three days and I also experienced withdrawal from the Klonopin of no 3 days using as well. So there sorry for the long post I hope it at the very least it makes some kind of sense I'm not stating this fact or something that I thought about thank you for reading

I (f18) met my boyfriend (m19) two months ago and he asked me to be his girlfriend after a month of dating. He's been amazing and very caring, however his open "crush" on this movie character and actress that plays her makes me feel upset and insecure. His crush is Elvira from the movie "Elvira: Mistress of the Dark." She has pretty big breasts which (from what I've seen, i have not watched the movie though) seem to be a big part of her character, and they're kind of on display. He has a photo of her as his lockscreen and when I asked about who she is he told me she's this character from this movie and "my wife in another universe." It definitely upset me when he said that (especiallyafter googling her and seeing how she looks like), as at that point we were already in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, but I guess I closed my eyes and didn't say anything. The other day we were on a date and we saw a poster of her and he said "oh my god my wife." Again it made me upset so I asked in a colder tone "do you like the character or do you like her tits?" He basically said "I like both the character and her tits." He started talking about her and how he wanted to meet the actress but didn't get to. I think he saw that I was ticked off because he quickly went to grab my hand to hold it while we were walking. I was definitely pissed but, again, I didn't say anything (although he might have noticed how the tone of my voice changed). Additionally, he follows this goth girl on instagram whose breasts are also pretty big.
It's definitely making me feel insecure as I look nowhere close to them, and they're totally his type. I'm not goth nor are my breasts big, I'm just a B cup and i have struggled with being insecure about my breast size in the past. His ex, who he broke up with ~7 months ago, is also gorgeous and they dated for 2 years, also living together at one point. She doesn't look like them either, but nonetheless she's gorgeous. He hasn't brought her up yet, but I did some digging and thats how I found her.
Anyway, am I overreacting to this whoever thing? I took a two year break from dating after a toxic relationship, so maybe I forgot how dating is?? All my past relationships have also been very toxic (hence the break) and have definitely caused an array of problems for me, some of them being insecurities and trust issues. My bf treats me well and we have a pretty healthy dynamic, which is new to me, so I really can't tell if I'm just overreacting or my anger is justified.
Tl;Dr Bf crushes on actress and movie character with big breasts, openly stating he likes her breasts and calling her his "wife", is me being upset justified or am I overreacting?

Our 11 month old yakutian laika female has moved to us from the breeder around 3 weeks ago & has settled in nicely. She’s very energetic & playful, eats & drinks normally and is 100% clean inside. We already thought her a few tricks and she’s definitely a quick learner.
She normally doesn’t pull much on leash, mostly when it’s the first walk of the day and she’s very excited or maybe even has to pee urgently.
She already knows the end of the leash & can quickly catch up when I make a sudden left/ right turn. So her awareness is already good.
However when another dog approaches even for afar she starts jumping towards it with her whole power until it’s completely out of her view field again. Nothing else interests her & even high value treats like cheese/ sausage don’t get her attention to me. (She generally doesn’t eat much and isn’t very food motivated.)
I never let her meet other dogs while we are on walks, some fools of course let their dog off leash run up to ours but that happens very seldom. We socialise her a lot otherwise as we arrange play dates with our friends dogs.
What could I try ? Any tips ? We can’t hire a trainer at least now since my fiancée lost her job suddenly due to the company going bankrupt so we got some financial recovering to do 🙈 Appreciate all the advice!

TLDR: went on first date, had a good feeling, got ghosted
I met somebody on tinder not too long ago, i messaged her first complimenting her hair. To my surprise she responded and told me I was the first one to say that. We exchanged some messages back and forth for a few days and all was going well. We mentioned meeting up a few times, but as we are both students and exams are not too far off, we didn’t have a lot of time.
Then last week she told me she had an evening free and if I wanted to, we could meet up. So of course I agreed and we met in the city where we both go to university. We took a small walk and talked about school, what kind of books she likes to read, just normal conversation, I wasn’t trying to flirt or push anything in a sexual direction as I am trying to build a connection before I want to commit.
At the end of our route we decided to go her place to smoke a joint, because she has nice private grassy area at her dorm. Whilst we were getting more stoned with every toke, you could notice the quality of our conversation going down. Im a regular smoker and she smokes occasionally, so she mightve been feeling it a lot harder than I was.
Also we were going through each other’s tinder profile for fun and swiping and sending messages, a little bit of silly fun, but I could immediately tell the difference. She had so many options and so many open conversations, but she decided to answer me and meet up with me, so I got a little self esteem boost.
After we finished smoking, she asked if I could roll a joint for her, because she was going to a friend’s birthday party and wanted to surprise him because she cannot roll joints/cigs. I agreed and we went inside her dorm room where we kept making conversation, she showed me some stuff in her room and eventually I rolled her joint and we “played” truth or dare after.
Note that I got another self esteem boost when she invited me in her dorm room, not that I wanted to do anything sexual with her, but I got the feeling she could trust me.
Nobody really suggested to play truth or dare, it just happened naturally because we tried to ask each other a question alternately. When I ran out of questions I said dare as a joke, but nothing serious happened. She made me do a somersault and the date after that she asked if she could put make up on me. I am a pretty alternative guy so I didn’t really mind, and if I could make her happy doing it, even better.
After the make up, I had to leave as I had to catch my train. As I was leaving I asked her if she had fun, to which she responded yes. I didn’t know how to say goodbye, so I asked if I could give her a hug. I tried to be respectful of her boundaries whilst still trying to let her know I wanted to take it to the next level.
After the date I asked her again if she had fun and if she was down to meet up again. She told me she had a good time, but she got really stoned. I didn’t interpret it as negative because of the emoji’s she used. But she never answered if she wanted to meet up again. Days went by, and I wanted to give her some time, cause we just met each other and we both have to study for exams.
So I decided to send her quick text asking how her friends birthday was and if she was getting some work done in the meantime. I never got a reply after that and this morning I asked her if she was ghosting me and if she was, I’d rather have her tell me what went wrong/what’s wrong with me than her just straight up ignoring my existence.
She replied by blocking me on instagram and unmatching me on tinder. I can’t help but think she was just trying to make fun of me while she was putting on make up on me, and it hurts so much because I thought it was a genuine intimate moment.
Sorry for the long post, I needed to get this off my chest someway, and I don’t have a lot of people in my life who I can really talk to. Somebody else going through the same struggles of online dating while being introverted?

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Can I ask for sole custody and child support if I am the custodial parent and relocated to a different state?
My ex husband (40M) and I (34F)separated in November 2020 we were together for 12 years. We had joint custody (no court order just aggreement) of our child (we share one child 9F together and I one child 13M from a previous relationship but he raised since he was 1) During our separation I moved to a different state and would drive three 3.5 hours every Friday to ensure he saw the kids for the weekend. I would then drive them back on Sunday to the state I reside. I would sometimes stay at a friend’s house or would get a hotel for the weekend if I didn’t want to drive back to the other state. He only once came up to get them for the weekend.
During this time, schools were virtual learning because of the pandemic. In January 2022 schools resumed in-person learning and we agreed the children would live with him for the remainder of the year to finish the school year out before I enrolled them in school in the state that I am in.
Throughout those six months I provided him with $600.00 a month for food, I would buy clothes and any necessities they asked me for as well as driving down every weekend to see the kids. In June of 2022 one week before the end of school and before the agreed upon date I was to pick them up, he brutally beat my oldest child from the previous relationship (his face was unrecognizable.) i found out because he called me at 1 am in the morning and told me he slapped him and that it was my fault because I never respected him being my ex which caused the my oldest to disrespect and eventually will cause our child we share together disrespect him. I called the cops and he was charged with 2nd degree child abuse and 2nd degree assault. I was informed the by CPS worker assigned to the case that child abuse was indicated however no recommendations were put in place because I quickly moved the kids back with me in the state I resided in (I have that in writing) Instead of going to trial and facing 15 years, he plead guilty and took the plea deal of 5 years of probation and he has a no contact order for me and the abused child but not the child we share. I want to know if I can file for sole custody and child support for the child we share but I do not want to have to see him in court.
P.S. our divorce was finalized January of this year he tried to ask for custody and the judge stated he had no jurisdiction because the child hadn’t lived in the state in over a year.

I guess I'm not sure what I want from this post. Mostly just input. I definitely have an anxious attachment style. Which is not conducive to a long distance relationship but that's besides the point. This is a good opportunity for me to continue to learn about communication styles when casually dating people.
Background: I recently travelled abroad for 2.5 weeks. I got back last Friday. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm a very pretty pale white girl with blonde hair, a really bubbly personality, and boy can I dance. On my first night, I met THE HOTTEST GUY I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE at the hostel. He grew up in Brazil and moved to Portugal 2 years ago. He travels frequently but has been unable to visit the US due to Visas being very difficult to obtain as a Brazilian. He SHOWERED me in compliments and attention like I've never seen before. My pale skin, my blonde hair, my bubbly personality, my body (I'm average), my dancing, my humor. I learned that this may be cultural and tried to take it with a grain of salt and tried not to fall in love lmao.
So we made out and spent the night (it was a safe situation don't worry) but didn't do anything else as I was just recently out of a relationship. I told him and he respected that and we cuddled. He gave me a lot of attention for the few days I was in Portugal. I figured he was just trying to convince me to sleep with him which I wasn't going to do so I just kind of moved on and continued on my travels figuring he didn't really care.
The next morning he left me a voice message saying he actually really did like me and would like to continue talking and would hope to meet up at the end of my trip in Spain. We continued texting/voice messages/pictures but we were unable to meet up so I flew back to the states. He made it clear that he still wanted to talk. Again, I'm trying not to fall in love but I'm also fantasizing about this romantic LDR and moving to Portugal and blah blah blah. At the very least, it'd be very interesting to continue a casual virtual friendship with someone who grew up so vastly different than I did.
Anyway, since I've been home, I send him pictures and memes and texts and voice messages and he's limited in his responses. He keeps apologizing and saying he loves seeing my messages pop up but he's been busy. He also got pretty sick for like 5 days with a fever (I could hear it in his voice). He's said that he loves that I text him but "I'm so sorry I'm not giving you the attention you deserve." Of course, I'm drastically overthinking this. Am I texting too much? Do I look desperate? I don't want to keep texting without any potential conversation because that's pointless. I'm literally googling "How much do 33 year old men text?" because I'm so freaking anxious. All my prior dating experiences have been non-stop texting/talking until a relationship forms or I cut it off because there's no click there. However, the last time I've been single was at 26 and dating younger guys.
He HAS called a few times in between errands or whatever but we don't know each other's schedules and the time difference (5 hours) makes it a bit difficult. And I don't want to be the crazy person calling him all the time to see if HE'S free. Again, overthink overthink.
On Wednesday I was honestly about to make this reddit post because I'm so anxious and have so many questions. But then he actually calls me! And we get to talk for an hour and it's wonderful and time passed so quick. His English isn't so great so he kept apologizing (another reason why it may be difficult for him to text and respond) but I honestly love it. We went through the memes I had sent over the days and it was just a lovely conversation and he assured me that he feels bad he's been so busy and he will be more free over the next few weeks to talk. (!!! Yay he wants to keep talking!!!) And also he showers me with more compliments which I LOVE. Words of affirmation is my LOVE LANGUAGE.
It's now Sunday and I've heard little from him. I know he went away on vacation for a few days and again apologized he wasn't able to respond because he was away. I keep texting him because he keeps telling me he likes when my messages pop up. But I'm just not sure what to believe and I don't want to feel desperate or push him away with bombarding him with messages about my day and pictures of me. He sent me a good morning voice message yesterday and a 20 second "I'm at work, how are you?" message midday but nothing since. I keep texting like normal but I feel insane doing so. I genuinely enjoy texting but I don't want him to be like "oh this chick is crazy and WAY too into me". Although, as far as I know, he hasn't even been online on WhatsApp. And what's the point of stringing me along when I'm not even there or available for a hookup? He hasn't even joked or asked about coming to the US through me which would honestly be a good reason for him to keep talking to me lol!
Again, not looking for advice on a LDR lmao I'll figure that part out. I'm more looking for advice or feedback or what appropriate texting is like in our 30s, what casual dating looks like when you don't see each other or are busy, how to see if a guy really likes you, when to believe what they say, when to ask about the intentions, what a realistic timeframe is, etc etc. I have to figure that out just going forward in dating as an adult in general.
Any input or conversation is appreciated!! I feel like I'm going crazy!!! <3
TL;DR: Made a crush abroad. He keeps saying he want's to talk to me but it's been inconsistent. However, it's only been about 9 days since I've been back home.
Edited for grammar.

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