The time between when the Internet got popular and smartphones became common

[Pete from Boston]

To all the youngsters (all of you of college age and younger), let me make one thing abundantly clear: you really haven't started yet.  Things will work out.  The opportunities of adulthood get better and more fun, and you realize, as someone said upthread, that in the ways that make the most difference, people are more the same than they are different.

As for those feeling romantically hopeless, the very best advice I know is to remember they're as insecure as you.  When you reach out and make someone more comfortable, they'll probably return the favor.  You can't grow the perfect body or an expensive car, but you can learn to make someone smile.   The rest, as they say, is gravy.

[Big John]

^^ Too late for me, as i am too old but some of you still have time for that.

[slorydn1]

To all the youngsters (all of you of college age and younger), let me make one thing abundantly clear: you really haven't started yet.  Things will work out.  The opportunities of adulthood get better and more fun, and you realize, as someone said upthread, that in the ways that make the most difference, people are more the same than they are different.

As for those feeling romantically hopeless, the very best advice I know is to remember they're as insecure as you.  When you reach out and make someone more comfortable, they'll probably return the favor.  You can't grow the perfect body or an expensive car, but you can learn to make someone smile.   The rest, as they say, is gravy.

+1,2,3,4 AND 5 to this!

I'm living proof it does get better. I was as awkward as they come (still am in some situations) but I have been happily married for 16 years now (and I had to wait until I was 29 for that to happen).

[Laura]

At the same time, I made a effort to improve my diet. I seriously cut back on fast food. This significantly reduced the frequency of my diarrhea and gas.
When I was 20, I could not make it through a class without passing gas several times. When I worked at TxDOT, a coworker counted 45 farts from me in one shift.

This is a personal question and you don't have to answer it if you don't feel comfortable talking about it. You talk about farting (bunking is what the cool kids call passing gas) an awfully lot. Is this something that can't be controlled or are you doing it on purpose because you don't want to hold your bunks in?

I'm not Brian, but people with GI issues often fart a lot because their digestive system isn't able to properly digest the food. I have gastritis right now and if I eat fast food, I will fart and burp constantly for hours.

To all the youngsters (all of you of college age and younger), let me make one thing abundantly clear: you really haven't started yet.  Things will work out.  The opportunities of adulthood get better and more fun, and you realize, as someone said upthread, that in the ways that make the most difference, people are more the same than they are different.

As for those feeling romantically hopeless, the very best advice I know is to remember they're as insecure as you.  When you reach out and make someone more comfortable, they'll probably return the favor.  You can't grow the perfect body or an expensive car, but you can learn to make someone smile.   The rest, as they say, is gravy.

Yes, this. I was bullied in school, and it sucked. In elementary school, a boy bullied me and the teachers thought it was "cute" and didn't do anything about it. In middle school, two girls who I thought were my friends backstabbed me. That hurt the worst, knowing that all of the bullying was behind my back. In high school, a boy thought I was a lesbian (I had short hair and was a tomboy) and that it was funny to call me "Lesbianca" because my last name is Bianca and lesbianca is the word lesbian in Russian.

However, I couldn't let these people hold me back. I could let them ruin me, or I could learn lessons from the situations and move on. The "secret" to ignoring people who make fun of you isn't about the actual ignoring part - it's about having the confidence to not care. Trust me, just simply ignoring with your head down doesn't work, because then they find it funny and keep going. It's when you ignore them with your head up that gets them to stop. Once they realise you have more confidence than they do, then they stop.

As for romance, there is no one-size-fits-all equation. Perhaps you'll meet another asexual person that you'll enjoy living life with. Maybe you'll meet another road geek in real life and then realize that you've been reading their website for 12 years (not that I would know...) Said roadgeek husband got married (to me) for the first time at age 41, and I to him at age 26. His last relationship with a girl was when he was 26.

Same with careers and life! At a previous job, I worked with a guy who retired from the company at age 70. I figured he had to have been with the company forever...turns out he was there only 24 years. So I figured he was at least in the publishing industry for the rest of the time...nope. He was in a band and then worked in landscaping. He reinvented himself in his mid-40s. There is still time.