User blogs

Recent studies have shown conflicting hypotheses as to what causes erectile dysfunction. Impotence is characterized by short-lived erections that don't allow for a proper medical diagnosis. It's commonly overlooked and misunderstood that some men with a low sperm count may be able to father biological children. Men's reports of having trouble getting and keeping an erection have been on the increase (or ED). It's only by giving that you may reach your objectives. Heart disease is more likely to strike those who are overweight, have high blood pressure, or have poor circulation. High cholesterol compounds the risks associated with smoking.

Erectile dysfunction, or male impotence, is unrelated to a man's age, genes, or physical attractiveness (ED). It's possible that issues with a woman's mental or physical health are at the root of her infertility.

Both physical illness and regular psychological stress have been linked to impotence issues. Some people with mental health disorders struggle to form and maintain meaningful relationships with others because of their persistent worry and pessimism.

Nonetheless, even if sexual dysfunction remained, it would impact no more than a tiny fraction of the population. The correlation between infertility and mental anguish has been shown by a number of studies. There are a variety of applications that all need quick and easy access to the original data. This is a really timely and important issue. People with severe mental illnesses are more likely to act irregularly because they are more open to the emotional influences of their surroundings. [S] There are a few things in nature that you should think about. It might be challenging to start again if you have already invested a lot of time or money. As we will see, there is no cause for alarm if we investigate further.

The complexities of why males would choose to urinate in their own homes are beyond the scope of this discussion. It's generally accepted that the mental and emotional stress associated with menstruation is a significant contributor to women's distress.

Both schizophrenia and severe depressive illness may have serious effects on a person's daily life. Given how similar the two calamities are, it's not unreasonable to assume that they are related. Self-esteem issues are common among depressed men.

The middle of the stage is where all the action is. The severity of the crisis has caused them to lose trust in their own talents. There is a natural and unwelcome loss in penile erection strength linked with ageing. Veins and arteries in the penile region become less flexible and smaller as we become older.

Ejaculatory dysfunction may occur if the testes are not getting enough blood. This may be the actual cause of ejaculatory dysfunction in most guys. Plaque and atherosclerosis buildup cause arteries to stiffen and narrow, decreasing blood flow. Incidences of cerebrovascular incidents are linked to the prevalence of atherosclerosis or the accumulation of fatty deposits in the arteries. The development of an atherosclerotic plaque involves many stages.

Grief might be exacerbated by issues with the heart's electrical system or valves. Until they reach their 60s, most men don't have any problem getting or keeping an erection.

Put Cenforce 100 features to good use. Male infertility is on the increase, and spinal cord injuries are a key contributing factor. Thank you for reading the following statement with me in mind. The following language is recommended for citing purposes.

Multiple neurological and behavioral disorders have been linked to chronic inflammation in the medulla oblongata (MO). Some studies have shown that medications such as antibiotics and corticosteroids make symptoms worse.

Diabetes and hyperthyroidism are only two of many illnesses and conditions linked to impotence (ED). Among other possible targets is the pituitary gland. Perhaps one of these innate abilities has been compromised.

The odds of having a kid with a birth defect or a stillbirth are greatly increased by using stimulants like cocaine or amphetamines during pregnancy, according to scientific research. Substance abuse weakens one's will, making it more difficult to control libidinal urges.

When used in moderation, alcohol reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. High blood pressure and smoking together are dangerous to anyone's health.

Immediately seek medical treatment if you experience any of the following signs: A doctor may run a battery of diagnostics on a patient who comes in complaining of erectile dysfunction.

Self-care is often more convenient than seeing a doctor, especially when the underlying health issue is minor. Don't let this deter you, however; there are occasions when you can handle minor health difficulties without leaving the home. In the medical field, not much has changed since the new year began.

Potential risks associated with these treatments deserve further attention from researchers. Testosterone replacement therapy is something you might look into if you feel like your current treatment isn't doing the trick. Research suggests that testosterone's libido-boosting effects are both temporary and permanent.

Men may have trouble conceiving if their testosterone levels are too low. Reexamining the original text is more necessary than ever in light of current events. Whether or whether a guy can achieve and maintain an erection depends on the size of his prostate. Seeing a doctor is recommended if you're in this condition. Here comes the evidence, so have it ready. To my knowledge, this is the best implementation of [my idea]. If men want to feel and behave like young men far into their golden years, many modern medical experts recommend they begin testosterone injections in their 30s. Despite the common occurrence of erectile dysfunction, studies like this one provide hope.

Every woman, regardless of her age or sexual orientation, has the same opportunity for a healthy pregnancy and a safe delivery. Human health may be negatively impacted by the demands of contemporary life. Low levels of physical activity, a high-sodium diet, and prolonged emotional stress all increase the likelihood that one may develop hypertension (such as high cholesterol or blood sugar).

Things were a lot tougher when I was younger. A man's erectile dysfunction may respond to dietary changes, but there are also drugs that might help.

Efficacy data (ED) from clinical trials of the erectile dysfunction drug Vidalista 20 are promising (ED). Men with stress-induced erectile dysfunction may benefit from getting less sleep. The people who took part in the research drastically reduced their typical amounts of exercise and food intake.

Before establishing a diagnosis or prescribing any drugs, your primary care physician will do a thorough physical examination. Your doctor may order a battery of tests to rule out other possible causes, depending on the severity of your symptoms. The list below includes some suggestions for further studies. Male infertility may be caused by a number of different things, although usually only one of them is active at any one moment. The first thing a doctor does is a complete physical examination. The results of this examination might help your doctor formulate a personalized treatment strategy.

We will read any suggestions sent in any format. After establishing a proper diagnosis, the doctor may provide advice. This is a terrific place to settle down permanently for both your mental and physical health.

Protein

Protein is a major component of the body's structure and is used to build bones and muscles. >>

When you consume foods that are rich in protein help us in feeling fuller and longer. >>

A diet that is high in protein could help in lessening the desire to be hungry and boost feelings of satisfaction.>>

Fiber is a kind of sugar that can be found in whole grains, organic foods and vegetables, as well as seeds, nuts lentils, beans peas, as well as a few dairy products. >>

Whole grains, organic items and vegetables are rich in fiber. However, refined grains, processed meats and sweet drinks contain almost nothing. >>

A diet rich in fiber may help bring down cholesterol levels, and can help prevent coronary disease.>>

The water you drink keeps everything running just as you would expect inside your body. >>

Drink around 8 glasses of water a daily to keep well-hydrated. >>

Drink until you are well-hydrated throughout the course of the day. >>

If you're dehydrated and thirsty, you'll need to drink more.>>

Fat is a fantastic method of topping up on calories without adding extra pounds.If the stimulus of mood and other triggering physical variables are applied to  Kamagra Oral Jelly is only effective if you are stimulated. >>

Healthy fats are great for helping to maintain satiety, improve the temperament of your child and keep your cerebrum in tip-top shape. >>

Avocados eggs, salmon, eggs olive oil, as well as oily cuts of meat provide solid fat.>>

Starches are your body's preferred fuel. Fildena 150 is the answer to the issue of men’s erectile dysfunction. >>

Complex carbs provide you with energy levels and help in weight loss. >>

Basic carbs give you an energy boost that is rapid and then a crash. >>

Good choices include earthy colored rice as well as quinoa, yams organic, organic made from 100% whole grain bread.>>

It is the most efficient method to improve your fitness. >>

If you want to get fit, then you must, in the beginning, practicing is the most important step you should practice. >>

It is important to get up and running. Start slowly and build your routine. >>

Perform something simple no matter if it's just a stroll through the neighborhood.>>

Lemons are among the most widespread sources of both citrus extract as well as L-ascorbic acid, and are abundant in both. >>

Lemonade is a great drink to power your day's activities. >>

It is available at a low cost in virtually any item of the market for soil. >>

Lemon is a great aid in the mid-season by combating dehydration and heatstroke.>>

The strawberry that is grown in the nursery is a half and half variety of the family of Fragaria which is also known as strawberries. >>

It is designed to be a natural product all over the world. >>

The scent of the fruit and striking pink hue, the succulent texture, and the pleasantness are noticeable. >>

The amazing feature of strawberries is the fact that they can be found in many different kinds of flavors. >>

People who are trying to get into shape, and all sorts of people can see strawberries as extremely supportive. >>

The fruit is a great source for weight loss because it has a significant amount of fiber, but not much energy. >>

Dear Captain Awkward,

My male friend is engaged to a (female) Darth Vader. She (the Darth) literally sucks all of the fun out of everything. She is ALWAYS embroiled in drama, whether that be with my friend (he/him), at her workplace, with her family, with her neighbors … literally, with EVERYBODY. They have been together for four years, they just moved in together last month, and their wedding is scheduled for next year.

My predicament: my social group (co-ed) is very close. The women of the group (of which I am one of them) also do side-hangs that are female-only. The men do too, but that’s less about having a mens-only space vs choosing to do an activity that none of the women are interested in, vs our hangs (female-only) that are purely out of wanting a female-only space. These are usually camping weekends, pool/beach days, occasional happy hours. Maybe 3x a year.

Anyways, we (the women) all cannot stand Darth. (The men can’t either, but they tolerate her better since she usually wants to hang onto us at events) She drains our energy, she’s ALWAYS complaining about our friend (who has been in the group for 10+ years, vs her four), she doesn’t respect our boundaries about topics we’re willing to talk about (such as our friend – we’ve tried to make her stop), we catch her in constant lies/flip-flops that are baffling (who wanted to get married, how the proposal went, who wanted to move in first, whether they were moving into a new house or she was moving in with him, whether her mom likes him, whether her friends like him, etc), she has a terrible habit of getting very drunk and cornering one person to unload all her anguish onto (at a WEDDING she once cornered the GROOM to tell him how she couldn’t wait to be pregnant and that she and our friend would have to quit our friend group and find Parent Friends to hang out with) … it’s just a lot. So: we would like to exclude Darth from our female-only hangs. Is that okay? I think it would really hurt her feelings (but EVERYTHING hurts her feelings) and I think it would bother my friend, but we did do a group check-in a while ago to express our groups concerns about Darth to him and he said he was happy and thanked us for our concern but wants to keep dating her.

I hate that I feel icky about excluding her, but I frankly can’t stand her either.

Thanks for any advice you can give.

Hello! Thank you for this question about Geek Social Fallacies gone wild. 

As a start, I think you should go ahead and plan the next all-woman friend hang without this person you don’t like. You’re allowed to just do it! 

For best results:

• Pick something low-key that doesn’t need a long lead time. (Fewer moving parts, less planning back-and-forth, and much less time for someone to spill the beans. Keep it simple!)
• Don’t use the normal, All-Group channels that are visible to either Darth, your friend, and the menfolk. Call or text the women directly to invite them. 
• Actively take the lead in planning, and emphasize the “I” over the “We” in any written invitations and logistical stuff you send out. “I’d like to see some of my favorite ladies for [activity] on [date], can you join me?”  (This will be important later.) 
• Do not put Darth’s name or anything about her in writing. If necessary, use the phone or face-to-face conversations to tell invitees you’re experimenting with planning “more intimate” events, so you’d appreciate it if this specific event remained invite-only and off of social media. I predict most of your compatriots will pick up what you’re putting down fairly immediately, but if you need to be more specific, try “I want to try hanging out with just us, no Darth this time, but I don’t want it to be A Whole Thing, so use a little discretion, thanks.”  
• Organize/attend the actual thing and have a great time! 
• While you’re all together,  resist the temptation to bash Darth in absentia, even though I realize that you are only human and there is a lot of material/catharsis. You can’t control what people will do or say, but still, I beg you, try your best to redirect the conversation so this lady doesn’t ruin a party she isn’t even at. “”If we talk about Darth the whole time, it kind of ruins the part where she’s not here.”  “I don’t think she’s technically a Candyman, but shhhhhhhhh, let’s not risk summoning her by accident!” “Someday I’m probably going to have to look Friend and Darth in the eye and say that we didn’t plan this whole thing just to exclude and bash her, so help me out!” 

If everything goes smoothly, congratulations, you’ve enjoyed a Darth-free friend hang and established a new normal where including a person you loathe is not mandatory for seeing friends you like. By just going ahead and planning it, you will have pre-empted a massive group melt-down over whether this is even possible. In future, other women in the group can either piggy-back on your success and enjoy more Darth-free hangs, or they can default back to the old way out of guilt and obligation or the off-chance one of them actually likes her. Either way, you can keep planning Darth-free events when it’s your turn to organize stuff, because you don’t actually need permission or consensus! (Consider that it is actually way less mean to host a party for just the people you like without trying to convince a whole group to share your exact feelings or create social bylaws about who is allowed to exclude whom.)

Remember when I said that owning all of this as your decision would be important later? When you’re hosting an event, you get to make the guest list, and if someone tries to argue with you about that, you can say, my party, my rules, next time, when you organize something, invite whomever you like! This goes for the other women in the group AND the men. “You’re free to invite her on your hobby weekends if you care so much!” “She doesn’t like hobby!” “Okay then! Since it’s not your problem, then you’ll forgive me if I find my own solutions.” “It’s only a couple of times a year, why make a big deal about it?” “Exactly, it’s only a couple of times a year, so why is she making such a big deal about it? I don’t recall marrying anybody!” Keep using ‘I’ language and embrace being The Difficult One for a change. The second you try to invoke the Reasonable “We,”  you’re fucked, because then it IS actually a “We all got together and decided we don’t like you ” Group Grievance, also known as The Drama-Monger’s Banquet.

Now, let’s be honest, I don’t think that you are going to be able to avoid any and all awkward confrontations about this forever. Especially as their wedding approaches, everything will probably escalate as Seating Chart Theatre gets underway, so there’s that to look forward to. Eventually, Darth is going to find out that she’s been excluded from stuff she used to be grudgingly included in, and she’s going to be loud and weird about it. She might be loud and weird directly at you, but my prediction is that she’s going to cause enough stink that her betrothed and the other menfolk in the group are going to try to outsource all of that to you and the other women to handle like you’ve been handling it up until now… by ruining every single all-girl vacation for the last four years for the concept of group harmony. (Seems harmonious!)

Again, speaking for yourself and only yourself is going to come in handy. I didn’t say it would be easy, comfortable, or smooth, but it will be handy. 

If Darth comes direct? Be direct in return. “Darthname, I can see you are upset, but I’m not going to argue with you about this. I invited the exact people I felt like hanging out with that day, and I’m allowed to make plans without you and without consulting you.”

Say your thing and leave/mute the conversation as soon as you can. Don’t text back and forth (or at all), don’t invest time into indulging her grievance, and don’t fake-reassure her. I feel like it is a HUGE part of socialization of women and girls, especially white, neurotypical women and girls, that Everyone Must Pretend To Like Each Other All The Time, and that The World Will End if someone you actively dislike gets the accurate impression that you do not in fact adore them. I do not know who this is supposed to be FOR. It sucks to be pressured into acting like you like people you don’t. It super sucks to sense you are disliked but then have people fake-reassure you that they like you and then pull the rug out when the pressure to fake-like you gets to be so much and they explode, and now it’s not just that they don’t like you, it’s that they think they have to have an airtight list of reasons that you objectively suck because “eh, so-and-so kinda irks me” isn’t enough to justify all the faking. Whatever the fakers are worried will happen if they drop the act, the reality is almost always worse, for everyone. 

Which, this is where are are now. It doesn’t feel good to reject someone to their face, but you’ve tried faking this shit for FOUR YEARS. It sucks that your friend’s fiancée is under the impression that she inherited this close-knit knitting circle, but you have also told your actual friend straight up that you don’t like her and he’s been like “Okay, but I love her” and continued inflicting her on everyone. So it’s decision time. Are you going to fake-invite this lady you hate to everything you do forever, even though she does not even actually seem to want to be your friend (so much as to be the Bull in the China Shop Of Your Social Occasions) or are you going to risk some truthful bad feels and maybe set yourself free in the process?

She’s going to be shitty no matter what you do, so you might as well do at least some of what you want. And look, even if you liked her, dating your friend doesn’t automagically make someone your bestie or give her administrator privileges over who you hang out with and when. So if Darth keeps pushing you, or your friend gets manipulated into pushing you on her behalf, some things are going to come to a head, and one of those things might well be, “Friend, I know she’s very important to you, and I’ve bent over backwards to include her in stuff for your sake, but it’s time to accept that not everyone is destined to be close. There’s a difference between being pleasant and kind and looking for the best in her because she’s your partner, and inviting her on every girl’s trip I take for the rest of time, when you’re not even there to be a buffer. She and I are simply not compatible enough for that, so  I’m going to need you/everyone to drop this expectation and this subject.”

Will it harm your friendship to set a boundary? Hard to say. If you have this argument out loud, you may end up seeing this friend less, both because he wants to be loyal to Darth and because she insists on it. If she’s actually abusive vs. just unpleasant, she might use this as an excuse to isolate him from you and others, but you can’t prevent that by faking it or putting up with bad behavior forever. Abusers will find a way. Anticipating their every move at the expense of your own well-being is not your job! 

Again, I think the key throughout is to own it as your personal decision/need/quirk, and not try to invoke or convince anybody else to feel the same way as you. If your 95 Theses About Why The Love Of His Life Actually Sucks didn’t get through to your friend, you can freely embrace euphemisms from now on. “Oh, X and I  just rub each other the wrong way.” “Oh, X and I just didn’t gel like everyone hoped we would, it happens.” “Oh, you know what, after four years I think it’s clear that X and I will just enjoy each other more if we stop trying so hard to make fetch happen.” “Yeah, sometimes it just doesn’t work out, not everyone is meant to be close friends.”  “What matters is that *you* love her! I’m just along for the ‘I want my friend to be happy’ ride.” 

Gonna leave everyone with four wishes:

1. May this lady make or seek out her own friends who actually like her.
2. May your friend reckon with his beloved’s bad behavior instead of outsourcing it to all of you to keep the peace and pretend things are fine, and may he figure some things out before the wedding. 
3. May you release yourself from the pretense that this lady’s behavior and feelings are your fault or your problem.
4. May your future vacations include only people you like.  

Hi Captain,

I’m just looking for advice on a situation that is starting to drive me crazy – my mum won’t accept anything I (she/her) tell her as being true or correct unless it has been “fact checked” by my brother or dad.

Over the last year or so I’ve noticed it becoming a lot more frequent that whenever I say things to her I get some variation of ‘that doesn’t sound right/ that can’t be right/ are you sure? You should go and check with/ ask dad or brother about that.’ Whatever the issue is we are discussing, my dad or brother will invariably go through the same checking process I have already done and come to the same conclusion as me, but because the answer now comes from them she will accept it.

For example – I am currently in the process of moving into a different apartment that will mean finances are tighter for me. My mum insisted I should check to see if I am eligible for state benefits as I am in a low income job. I told her that I had already checked and wasn’t eligible but she didn’t believe me. So last week when I visited them I filled out the eligibility check again to physically show her so she would stop nagging me about it, but even doing it in front of her she still didn’t believe me. She kept insisting I was wrong as my brother gets benefits even though he earns more than me (he has kids, i do not) and that I must have filled out the checking form incorrectly. She then got my dad to fill it out for me and it was only when he did it and still got the same answer that she very reluctantly accepted that I had been right. I tried to talk to her and tell her that I felt annoyed and hurt that she hadn’t believed me the first time but she became extremely defensive and doubled down on the ‘but you might have put the wrong answers on the checking form’ and then said “but don’t you think it’s always better to get everything checked by one of the boys anyway? I do.”
I don’t. I’m an adult in my 30s, I have been living independently for several years and I resent constantly being second guessed on everything I say and treated like I can’t be trusted to know how to do things or fix things on my own without the help of a male family member.

This is also causing issues with my brother who is currently living with them. He is 3 years older than me and he has made it clear he thinks I’m stupid and incompetent because I am a female. He uses misogynistic language and talks down to me all the time, and whenever I go home to visit he spends the whole day constantly interrupting me to mansplain whatever I am talking about. Its got to the point where on my last few visits it made me so annoyed I had to threaten to leave and go home if he didn’t stop interrupting and talking over me. Instead of apologising he just laughed in my face, and my mum told me off for being angry instead of acknowledging why I was getting angry and standing up for me.

All this to say, I feel that my mum is subconsciously enabling his behaviour by constantly referring to him or my dad to check whatever I have said, and this is reinforcing the idea in his head that I can’t be trusted to know things or do things without his input. It’s got to the point where I don’t enjoy visiting them anymore because each visit invariably erupts into constant arguments when she refuses to take me at my word and brother piles in to talk over me, talk down to me and mansplain everything I say.

For some background I feel really sorry for my mum. When she was younger she wanted to pursue a career in science but she wasn’t allowed to study science subjects at school. She was forced into taking domestic subjects like cooking, cleaning and sewing because she is female. She has told me she is resentful that my gran didn’t stand up for her and push for the school to let her do the subjects she wanted. I feel like part of this whole issue is caused by her projecting her own insecurities and lack of confidence on me because she has never been empowered to stand up for herself and back her own abilities.

How do I communicate to my mum that I need her to knock off the ‘fact checking,’ take things I say to her at face value and trust my autonomy to know and do things by myself?

Many Thanks,

Annoyed Daughter

Dear Annoyed Daughter,

When you tell your mother something about your life, and she insists on having one of the men in your family ‘fact-check’ you, including the one who is sexist and actively mean to you, and said men participate in that fact-checking, and it proves you right, I’m curious.

What happens next? She “accepts” it. So, does she say, “Oh, okay, sorry to interrupt, please continue telling me about that” or “Wow, what a tough situation” or “Is there any way we can help?” [Is there something in particular you wish she would do or say?]

Or is the matter somehow “closed” once everyone does their little dance because it’s “not worth” “the hassle”/”the drama” of continuing to discuss whatever it is especially now that you’re so “angry”? (This is my guess.)

I ask because I’ve seen this pattern many times before:

1. Child sets a boundary or simply relates a true experience, fact, decision, or aspect of their own life. “I go by [Name} and my pronouns are _____.” “I am planning a small, intimate wedding, so I will not be inviting this list of 200 people you handed me.” “Please don’t stop by my place unannounced, call first.” “”I don’t eat mushrooms.” “I’m moving apartments, so money is tight right now.” “No, I checked, and unfortunately I don’t qualify for benefits.”
2. Parent compares the child’s statements against the imagined child who lives in their heads and the parent’s fantasy about what “should” be happening in the world. 
3. Parent attempts a power play, making it clear they prefer their imagined version of their child and how the world works over reality, and set the child up to have to prove whatever it is before they can receive [Acknowledgement][Care][Accommodation][Respect][Support][Basic human decency][Not being poisoned by mushrooms]. Letter Writer, your problems literally do not exist until they are validated by one of the men in your family, and the only possible help* or care your mom can offer are her own incorrect, outdated, and unhelpful fantasies. (*Not that you were even necessarily asking for help!)
4. The child dutifully attempts to prove whatever it is, which is easy, both because the child is the expert on their own experiences, because the facts are on the child’s side. But instead of clearing up the problem, things get even worse when the parent doubles down.
5.  The parent blames the child for not matching the parent’s fantasy expectations and punishes the child for reacting with (reasonable) hurt or anger. The parent punishes the child for not submitting to the parent’s perceived authority. “I’m your mother, I only want what’s best for you!” “We’re a family, so you should ______.”  The parent scapegoats the child, and calls in other family members for backup to help pressure the child into accepting the unacceptable behavior. For instance, when your shitty brother spends your visits criticizing you,  “…my mum told me off for being angry instead of acknowledging why I was getting angry and standing up for me.” 

So far you’ve tried identifying why this is happening (maybe your mom’s experiences of sexism when she was young?)  and you’ve also tried telling her outright that this bothers you and asking her to stop.

It didn’t stop. And I don’t really have magic persuasive script where you and your mom talk this through like adults and she sees how she’s hurting you and changes her ways. Your mom is interacting with a fantasy version of you in a fantasy world (the one where she is a caring and supportive mom and where her son isn’t a sexist dipshit), and then treating the real, actual you like dirt. I don’t think that can be fixed with persuasion that doesn’t have some action behind it.

So here are my suggestions:

Take steps to conserve your energy and peace. For instance, you don’t enjoy visits to your family right now. Do you have people in your life who you actually enjoy visiting? Prioritize visiting them, and strongly consider that staying home where nobody treats you like crap is superior to having to show up to a command performance of filial piety where everybody treats you like crap.

When you do visit your folks, plan shorter ones, try to plan things where you and one parent alternate doing stuff outside the house (away from brother), and have an exit strategy for extracting yourself early (your own transport, a reliable friend who will come get you) when it all goes pear-shaped. When you can’t politely persuade someone to stop being a jerk to you, there is power in being able to say, “Welp, nice seeing everyone” and putting on your shoes.

Your family treats everything in your life like it needs fact-checking and second-guessing. Do you have people in your life who respond appropriately and supportively to your life news? (“I’m moving apartments, so money’s a bit tight lately.” “Oh, bummer! Moving is the worst!” “Oh no! Once you’re settled, want to plan some free or inexpensive hangouts while things catch up?”) Prioritize spending time with supportive people who don’t try to force you to justify your very existence, and when you need acknowledgement and support, skip your family and go straight to people you can actually count on.

I’m not saying “cut off your family forever” or “never speak to them again.” Nor am I suggesting delivering some ultimatum in the hopes that it will teach a lesson. (It won’t.) I am saying, give yourself permission to stop making effort within these relationships for at least a few months. Save the money you’d spend traveling, concentrate on moving into your new place and getting settled, and give yourself a break from the effort, expense, and mental load of keeping in close touch with a parent who routinely blows off everything you tell her about your life, a passive parent who enables it, and your terrible brother.

When you do see or otherwise interact with your family, I suggest you skip the fact-checking performance and apply a time-saving translator to your mom’s deflections. When you tell your mom about your life, and she reflexively calls in the mansplainers, try ***internally*** translating her reaction as: “I don’t have to care”:

• “I don’t have to care, until a man says that your situation is actually real.”
• “Oh, wait, it’s real? Huh. Well, I’m mad that I’m being forced to care, and it’s your fault, because you didn’t take all the (unsolicited)(wrong) advice that I tried to give you instead of caring.” (Can’t lie, your mom has big “Unemployed? That’s easy, just show up in person at companies you want to work for and knock on the door until someone lets you in, that’s what we all did back when university cost $10!” energy.
• “I don’t have to care, and frankly I find your poor attitude about how much I don’t care and how much I deputize your brother to abuse you incessantly quite appalling.”

***Internally = quietly, inside your head. Do not ever have an out loud argument with your mom about whether she cares about you, under any circumstances, there is no good outcome there. Whether your mom cares about you and how much is not the point. I’m sure she does care about you. The point is, she is not responding to the things you tell her with care, so, once you acknowledge that to yourself, how much work do you feel like doing to “prove” the basic circumstances of your life?

Your next step is to skip the fact-checking performance altogether. Stop playing the game. You don’t actually need anything from her (or your dad, or your brother) for your life to be what it is, so why waste the effort fighting about stuff that’s totally irrelevant because you’re going to do what’s best for you anyway? Meet her derailment with the same amount of deflection, and make it very boring for her to keep trying this with you. Scripts:

• “Oh, hahaha, I’m all set with research. Anyway, what’s for dinner?”
• “Oh, I wasn’t asking you for advice, I was just telling you my plans. Did you move the jade tree? It looks so nice over there.”
• “Interesting advice, I’ll consider it. Is that a new scarf?” (You will consider it, and discard it. This is not a lie and it does sometimes get people to STFU imagining they’ve won the point.)
• “Yep, I’m sure. Anyway…” 
• “Okay.”
• “Huh.”
• “Wow.”
• “Hahaha, no.”
• “Not relevant.” 
• “Why are you being so weird about this?” 
• “You’re being weird about this again.”
• :Stony, awkward silence followed by a subject change: Let her talk herself out! Then change the subject, or return to the actual topic as if she didn’t do this.

Honestly, you don’t have to be deferential here. The goal is to make it powerfully, consistently, amazingly unfulfilling for your mom to keep doing this. “Ha, Mom, did you know they make calculator apps for phones and you can just use your finger to press the buttons? No penis necessary!”  “Mom, I know you love the thing where Dad and Brother re-run all my numbers, come up with the exact same thing I did, and we pretend that’s relevant to anything, but I’d prefer not to.”  She’s going to blame you for being uncooperative and angry before the visit is over anyway, no matter how patient and deferential you are, so why not earn it for once? If your mom has never seen how truly angry this deflection and minimization game makes you, if you’ve never raised your voice and been like “MOM, STOP. I DON’T NEED FACT-CHECKING, I NEED YOU TO MAKE SOME VAGUE SYMPATHETIC NOISE THAT INDICATES THAT YOU HEARD WHAT I ACTUALLY SAID. DAD, PUT THE ABACUS AWAY. I’M NOT DOING THIS,” and then left the conversation, maybe it’s time. “Your brother is just being himself, no need for you to be so angry!” “ACTUALLY I AM EXTREMELY ANGRY, THANK YOU FOR NOTICING.”

Your mom is the chief architect of this dynamic, but your dad and your brother both suck in their unique ways. You’re allowed to say, “Yo! Dad! The last 500 times Mom made you ‘double-check’ something I told her, what happened?” “What’s that again? I was right? Well, I’m going to be right this time, too, and on the off chance I’m not right I’m still going to go with my original plan, so, howabout we just skip it!”  “Hey, Dad, you’re free to fill out pointless government forms I’ve already filled out, but it’s not going to change my decisions, so, why are you doing this?” 

Your mom doesn’t have to “accept” the things in your life for them to be real. So skip the part where you try to spin the straw into gold. Shrug with your whole body and stop playing your part in these little skits about how the daughter who handles her own life is secretly the family loser.

Next, I mentioned this before, but stop threatening to leave when your brother is a jerk to you and when you’ve tried to shut down Fact Checking Theater and your mom refuses. Don’t threaten, just actually go away to somewhere they can’t be mean to you.

You could say, before the next visit, “I’m excited to see you, Mom and Dad, but just so you know, if brother does [x specific behavior] again, I’m leaving,” but you could also decide at any time when you’re there that this visit sucks and you’re not having fun and it’s time to go. Polite advance warning won’t actually do anything about the behavior, it will probably make your brother behave even worse the next time you see each other to try to get you to leave (or prove that you’re afraid to), and you’ll still be The Rude/Unreasonable one when the story is told later no matter how it goes down. The worst part is you are probably going to feel like the rude and unreasonable one because you’ve been conditioned to feel that way and because it doesn’t feel good to be pushed to the point that “Fuck this. Bye!” is the least worst option.

Important: It only works if you actually leave. Threatening, mentioning, hinting, etc. will NOT work. You have to actually get up and go, and probably actually silence your phone and have a cooling-off period to wait out the pressure and verbal abuse where they try to make you the problem, and wait a little while longer before you make any new plans to visit. So if you go this route, make a plan before the trip about what circumstances would make you leave, how you’d leave, line up a supportive friend to call if you need  help leaving or support once you’ve left. The first time you get up and walk out of a visit to your parents’ place will be the hardest time. It will suck, but you have to know: It is survivable, and with time and consistency it can get easier, partly because you get more experienced and partly because sometimes people learn that they have to treat you a certain way if they want to see you, and they do adapt somewhat. (Eventually.)(Somewhat.) If they don’t adapt, it doesn’t make leaving a worse option than showing up to be picked on again and again by people who assume they know more about your life than you do.

Top Gear tests your racing skills as you travel round various tracks in various instructive races. Available for the PS3, Nintendo DS and Wii, Top Gear: visuals reaching heights of boredom according to the reviews, is all the rage.

Don't be mystified by the name. What is it about Top Gear that has it's fans constantly? Surely it is theoneycombed storyline. And why not? Aliens are folk made creatures of epic size. And they sure know how to work a table. But we'll leave those shock value points to the experts. Let's just get on with it.

As you probably know, Top Gear's storyline is a far from perfect. An error of an engineering error causes molten hot walls to grow around cars which then reverse and suck the Wouldn't that be bad? It's all very comedy and the quirks in the show's dialogue only add to the laughs. It is a far cry from the flying car pilot simulator.

Contrary to common sense, driving a car is not really a problem but it's definitely a curse. Different routes end up being much more appealing when you know where to go. The map program is vast, detailed and has the custom options to make it even more attractive. But despite its many appealing qualities, a simple map won't get you anywhere. You need one thing for that, a map.

A map will save you. Between the maps, there are places where vehicles can change tracks without using a different entrance. This is particularly useful when you're in a close space and there's not much else to gain from entering a building. You don't want to get attacked by mistake, you'll land in one hell of a sticky situation. There are lots of places where entering and exiting tracks can change the tracks that are available. This is key because if you have a track that's really hard to get through, that damages your already limited velocity.

These are the advantages and disadvantages of using a map. Did you know that without a map you have limited use of your motor skills? That as well can be a major problem, if you don't have it enhanced to a great extent. Actually, Top Gear actually has a tutorial mode to practice your driving skills under pressure.

Don't get me wrong, I usually love to test my own ability to control cars, even if I'm a professional driver, and I totally respect the guys who do it without mapping or planning. But when you're playing the game, without knowing about all of its secret locations, you'll probably have a lot of trouble getting it correct and get styling a completely original drive. The Golden Test Drive is a great game to play in your living room and is even more fun to share with friends. So if you want to test your own driving skills, buy Test Drive Unlimited.

 spraying graffiti on cars

running from pedestrians when you're in a black car

ripping off of other cars

rossing relevant traffic without crashing

trying to avoid other cars when you're in a crowd

trying to outrun pursuing police cars

These are all great skills to have, and the game has tons of them. That's why we only call it Top Gear or GTA. I highly recommend that you play the game true, and complete all the missions there are to obtain the most possible awards. Check out our website for more reviews.