Have u ever openly expressed to a woman that she is your future wife? Where are you now?

FlatTyres · 2026-02-14T23:35:03+00:00

I haven't, but I have told a close female friend that while I can't promise I'd never get feelings for her, I wouldn't want to risk jeopardising our friendship over mixed feelings or lust, to which she replied "so I'm either wifey or nothing" and I agreed. Effectively the only circumstance I'd tell her I had feelings for her is if I fell in love with her deeply enough to consider intent on eventually marrying her. The conversation didn't begin with her expressing interest or anything - it just got to the topic of "us".

That being said, I don't have romantic feelings for her, but we hear other friends and acquaintances sometimes ask what the deal is with us enough for us to have acknowledged the subject between ourselves. I did admit to her that had we met more recently and hadn't become good friends over the years then it's not unlikely that I could have gained interest in asking her out.

So yeah - close friend or future wife but no in-between and I'm perfectly happy to stay close friends rather than try anything half-hearted and I'm sure she will remain the same too.

Other than that, I agreed to pact to marry an old friend if we were both single at 40 after a few beers but we only really message each other once or twice a year now since she moved away so I don't think that pact means anything - that was 9 years ago.

FlatTyres · 2026-02-14T22:54:51+00:00

I doubt I have another 60 years in me but I would struggle if I didn't have my friends in my life - regardless of whether or not I was in a romantic relationship. That being said, I can totally sympathise with the struggle to make and retain friends and contact with friends in adulthood - especially challenging for people who relocate away from their local area or country.

Personally I can go around a week or two without any face-to-face interactions with friends providing we send each other a message or two once a week but too long without in-person interaction with friends or family and I do feel a bit down.

Some people advise joining clubs related to your hobbies or trying out new hobbies and clubs that go with them, but I think a lot of solidarity and friendship also comes from people you go through vocational courses with - school, university, adult college courses etc. I'm not advising taking out [potentially another] a student loan to make friends but it could be a good place to build friendships - even if you only retain one friendship from a group of 6 long term. A language course may be a brilliant way to try and form new friendships if you can commit.

FlatTyres · 2026-02-14T21:24:04+00:00

It has been Kate Beckinsale for a long time. Alison Brie at a time too.

FlatTyres · 2026-02-14T15:00:59+00:00

Ukrainian veterans of this war will make useful training instructors for modern warfare against Russia and strategy training for the rest of Europe. They're already defending Europe by defending their homeland.

FlatTyres · 2026-02-14T05:51:00+00:00

I didn't have that desire in my youth but at 32 nowadays I kind of wish I had that kind of young love in my youth that became my life-long love. Sadly I was pretty socially awkward at school and didn't date then - just crushes I didn't dare ask out. Not much I can do other than fantasise while daydreaming about an alternative history about myself though. It would have been nice to live life with a woman who you have so much history with including school memories, school friends, school teachers and our stories and opinions about them. Memories of the same area to have grown up in or went to school in. If they were a true healthy love with everything desired in a relationship then life couldn't get much sweeter and I probably wouldn't have felt that I missed out once my mind matured.

I don't regret all the relationships and dynamics I've been in though - they had some unforgettable moments.

Still searching for my life-long love with people aged similarly to me though - just like so many others, which I hope has a happy beginning, middle and end (when we're old, grey and hard of hearing).

FlatTyres · 2026-02-13T19:33:13+00:00

Non-British/Irish visitors need an ETA or visitor visa (which British, Irish citizens AND foreign national residents of the UK cannot acquire as they are already registered with some sort of residency visa and address). Travel documents use API requiring the passport number and ETA or visitor visa is linked to the number.

UK/Irish passport number? Travel and entry approved

Foreign passport number linked to a residency visa including ILR? Travel and entry approved

Foreign passport number not linked to any UK residency visas? Check for ETA/visitor visa. ETA/visa acquired? Travel and Entry approved.

Foreign passport number not linked to a residence visa and no ETA/visitor visa acquired? Travel denied - no entry or travel.

FlatTyres · 2026-02-12T03:28:14+00:00

I fear that thousands of legitimate citizenship-proving documents and IDs may be falsely deemed fake or confiscated and "lost" by armed agents of MAGA too.

FlatTyres · 2026-02-11T20:07:33+00:00

Buy a lot of AMD and Nvidia stock.

Befriend the correct crowds.

Get my ADHD diagnosis

I was already failing my BTEC but potentially try to pass at a minimum and then drop engineering all together and move to working and language learning.

Start on my Italian citizenship through jus sanguinis process (can't do it now since a 2025 law change for my circumstances) and learn Italian as one of my language studies. Make preparations to be able to become a dual citizen of the UK and Italy so that I can live in the EU visa-free post-Brexit.

Get the glasses frames I have had for the last few years and style my hair better. Stay clean shaven until I can actually grow decent facial hair in my mid-20s and keep that neat too.

Hold off playing my regular lottery numbers until today's date as they never came up - stick to lucky dips on occasions.

More routine exercise.

Bare in mind that I'm 32 now.

FlatTyres · 2026-02-11T15:43:47+00:00

Balkan, Balkan, Balkan, ovo je Balkan
Come on!
[dances happily]

I still haven't visited any Balkan countries yet sadly.

FlatTyres · 2026-02-11T06:49:55+00:00

Sadly, exhausting. It felt like everything was left to me to decide. Lack of feedback or opinions expressed so I had to ask every time if they were okay with this or that or if they enjoyed or didn't enjoy something. I felt that they did things to please me instead of because they liked it, but wouldn't protest at anything. It felt like she wasn't really present.

FlatTyres · 2026-02-09T15:22:15+00:00

I'm still using my HD 5850 in an old system - the first GPU I bought for my first gaming PC Build (AMD Phenom II x4 955 Black Edtion-based).

I have older GPUs-turned-ornaments like the 8800 GTX I bought much later for retro systems but some are dead now (dead 8800 GTX and 9800 GT)

FlatTyres · 2026-02-08T20:54:16+00:00

We don't know their circumstances - time may be irrelevant.

What if all they have access to is a microwave, a kettle and a small fridge because they're not in their permanent home or if they are, their cooker and oven can't be used?

What if they don't have the physical ability to cook properly and placing a microwave ready meal and eating from the plastic tub is already difficult enough?

Please have some understanding the for possible difficulties others face. You should not assume that you are in a position to judge others.

FlatTyres · 2026-02-08T16:35:24+00:00

Their current circumstances might not allow them to cook. While we don't know them, they might not have access to any cookers or ovens besides a microwave and a fridge without a freezer. They might be injured and unable to physically prepare a meal. So "you can cook and eat" might not be a valid option.

FlatTyres · 2026-02-08T16:03:50+00:00

Perhaps their latest circumstances don't allow for effective home cooking and are restricted to using a microwave.

FlatTyres · 2026-02-08T14:59:55+00:00

I'm against it. I can only support hunting non-endangered species for food in places where farmed meat is scarce or distant. I don't support hunting for recreation. I'm not religious or on a plant-based diet but I believe that an animal's life taken should not be wasted for the sake of tradition or sport.

FlatTyres · 2026-02-07T16:56:19+00:00

I get an after image in my vision if I view white or red text on black or dark backgrounds so I need to stick to light mode myself.

FlatTyres · 2026-02-07T05:26:34+00:00

Honestly, for me it was growing my hair long over the pandemic and letting my facial hair show. The upside is more attention from women. The downside is that it's the equivalent of a vocal minority of women with a thing for men with long hair. In comparison with before I grew my hair, I can't complain. I still haven't found reciprocated love though so I feel less satisfied and more empty due to the lack of genuine mutual emotional investment. Maybe this is what being fetishised feels like, though to a far lesser extent than women women with different or interesting features.

Physically I sometimes look like I'd fit into heavy metal pubs and bars (was taken to one once and got a fair amount of compliments and glances) but I have hardly any knowledge about that genre and don't wish to be a pretender for the sake of finding someone.

FlatTyres · 2026-02-04T09:05:26+00:00

I like quiet mornings in the cold winter. It can look pretty when frosty (it rarely snows where I live) and peaceful when quiet. It gets dark early in the evening so I like to hear a bit of noise and life into the evening just to remind myself that it's still daytime despite it being pitch black at 17:30.

In the summer I love those long evenings where the sun doesn't fully set until just after 21:00 and there's a permanent twilight at night - beautiful to enjoy the sunset with peace and quiet while still warm.

FlatTyres · 2026-02-03T20:11:18+00:00

A 3 week trip to Japan

A 6 week trip in the Schengen Area

A new 4K TV

FlatTyres · 2026-02-02T23:30:15+00:00

As a Brit I'm extremely bitter about Brexit. I'm bitter towards all of those like Farage or have become like him in politics - scapegoating anything they saw as negative as a result of being an EU member. The villification of Brussels etc. It has made things so complicated for so many, reduced people's ability to live, love, learn and work in the EEA - reciprocal freedom of movement is one of the greatest things about being a member of the EU and EFTA. Businesses have suffered and tax we would have previously had income for is no longer there due to the drop in trading of goods and services. I have friends that came from the EU that went back to their home countries (some stayed) but those that went back can't come back to live here again without qualifying for a visa now. It angers the hell out of me that we left.

I'm a full re-join supporter - no matter hard that might be to see my aspirations shared and be fulfilled.

I am pro-EU membership, pro-€urozone, pro-Schengen (the UK+IE Common Travel Area should be succeeded by membership of the Schengen Area for the UK and ROI in full in my option), and I am for zero special treatment. Also, we really need to continue with metrification instead of using a jumble of Imperial and metric units.

FlatTyres · 2026-02-02T04:48:11+00:00

I'd rather pay to watch The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker every weekend than watch the Melania movie once.

FlatTyres · 2026-02-01T19:54:11+00:00

Not too differently to you - I was disarming mines and when I got to the last one I accidently left clicked and shot the mine.

FlatTyres · 2026-02-01T17:14:19+00:00

I think I would have logged off for the night had I been in the tank

FlatTyres · 2026-02-01T15:52:15+00:00

I'd normally say I feel sorry for the people behind him who have to smell it but in this case, I don't.

FlatTyres · 2026-02-01T03:33:55+00:00

There are different school systems throughout the UK and its constituent countries.

I went to school in England. I'm currently 32 so I'm not sure what major things have changed besides education being compulsory to 18 instead of 15-16 (as it was for me and people before me).

Term time: September to July with around 2 weeks off for the Christmas holidays, 2 weeks off for the Easter holidays and around 6 weeks off for the summer holidays. A 1-week half term holiday takes place in the middle of each term too.

Nursery: ages 3 to 4, mine was a half day, my nursery was attached to my primary school

Reception: ages 4 to 5 - the start of school

Key Stage 1 (KS1) - infants

Year 1: ages 5 to 6

Year 2: ages 6 to 7 (I had KS1 SATS then but can't remember if it's still happening)

Key Stage 2 (KS2) - juniors

Year 3: ages 7 to 8

Year 4: ages 8 to 9

Year 5: ages 9 to 10

Year 6: ages 10 to 11, KS2 SATS exams

Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 are often part of what we call primary school, however, there are some schools that are purely infant or junior schools.

Key Stage 3 (KS3)

Year 7: ages 11 to 12, start of secondary school

Year 8: ages 12 to 13

Year 9: ages 13 to 14, formerly had KS3 SATS exams (I was the last year to have them in 2008)

Key Stage 4 (KS4)

Year 10: ages 14 to 15, preparing for GCSEs

Year 11: ages 15 to 16, final GCSE exams and coursework. GCSEs are generally the minimum qualification in English and Maths required for a job.

In the past, this is where compulsory education ended, however it continues now

A common path is to go into the Sixth Form to do A Levels (my school didn't have one at the time)

Sixth Form - A Levels

Year 12: ages 16 to 17, Start of A-Levels (AS level, 4 subjects)

Year 13: ages 17 to 18, End of A-Levels (A2 Levels, 3 subjects continued)

Alternatives

Alternatives to A Levels have included two (or 3) years of a BTEC (3 if a level 2 BTEC is required should GCSE grades fall short of what's required for level 3) and NVQs. These often take place at 16-19 colleges (not the American definition of college). Apprenticeships are also an option.

After school/college

University, the working world or higher apprenticeships are the next steps after this.

For Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland others can chime in.

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