Hey I applaud you for putting yourself out there!

I think the fact that you’ve managed to marry and have kids is fantastic. It’s a big social hurtle that a lot of hermits never end up making it with, so you should be very proud of yourself for being vulnerable with another human being like that.

Tbh, I think over time that it ends up quite normal for people as they age to really just have their spouse and kids as their main “friends” without many others externally. So I think you’re doing pretty good on the weirdness and socialization scales haha.

But yeah I totally get you wanting to allow your wife a breather and have some other buddies to share the “social burden” with (I don’t mean it negatively, just not sure how to phrase it).

Best of luck to you!

Thanks! It’s because I’m so cool and popular! ;)

Hope you’re doing better now.

Growing up for me, the popular kids were actually also usually intelligent and got into good universities. So the stereotype of popular kids being dumb really doesn’t ring true everywhere.

Definitely not.

My mental issues developed at around middle school age for reasons totally unknown to me. I stopped talking to most people and had extreme social anxiety. I couldn’t relate to my peers, didn’t know how to speak to them, and had extreme fears of what they thought of me. I never fit into the mold of a stereotypical girl who was feminine and I never knew how to or was interested in figuring out how to look presentable/stylish like other girls would. I never developed an attraction to the opposite (or even same) sex, which was confusing and felt slightly alienating to be different from everyone. I would chant berating words to myself in my head for some reason all day when walking between classes. I pushed away the one friend I had like an asshole because I was afraid of social ramifications.

In late middle school/early high school, I discovered that there were communities of people online. I felt extremely comfortable communicating there (text only…was never comfortable with voice), and I credit those communities with helping my sanity for loneliness and also teaching me about how to communicate with others.

But I never really learned to make friends in person. Occasionally, someone in high school would try to befriend me but I literally did not catch on. Behavior like people randomly wanting to sit next to me or chat with me confused me. It is only after the fact that I realized they were trying to befriend me.

I have no idea why that happened with me. I was never bullied.

There was a group of girls that I grew up with that eventually shut me out which was very hurtful, but I don’t know that it really happened before I got all weird to trigger it. I think when I got weird, they noticed and shut me out.

Some of us just ended up crazy for no discernible reason I guess.

I get that puberty can be a rough time for everyone, but I didn’t really notice other peers having the same degree of social impairment as me. My siblings growing up did not either. I actually asked my mom not to have a graduation party for me (because I didn’t have any friends but I didn’t tell her that).

I’m in my 30s and still interact primarily online, but I would say I am significantly more adept and comfortable at interacting with others in person. In a work environment, I am totally comfortable and confident. In a party environment for example, I freak out.

This is totally unhelpful, but I just wantes to say I absolutely love these stairs!

I’ve always been broken in that regard I guess. How do I make vibrations feel good?

Lmaoo

Maybe my vision just isn’t good enough, but the individual ticks for the minute hand are so small that I have difficulty without holding the watch closer to my face and studying it for a moment if it’s close to the next minute but not there yet. I don’t have old eyes either lol. It’s just small. Maybe a wall clock would be easier to see quickly.

Yeah it seems like most of the comments here that actually understood my question (many of them seem to think I’m asking for instructions on how to read the hours and minutes) seem to have this kind of attitude. The attitude that analog clocks aren’t necessarily for precision, but for a general “vibe” for lack of a better term at what time it is. I guess having constant connection to Internet clocks with precise minutes and seconds has made me pretty anal about time for whatever reason. I guess maybe I need to learn to chill out more?? Lol

Yeah it syncs to my phone which is also always constantly connected to the internet.

I have a non internet connected cheapo digital clock in my room and it goes off by a minute or so now and then and it bothers me enough to have to change it lol.

I get what you mean. I think it might vary by which watch face I am using on my particular watch. I notice that in general the minute hand for the face I am using is very granular…it definitely doesn’t just stop at the minute marks or even just halfway in between the minute marks. The one I am using seems to be more fluid than that. I was watching it closely just now and I see the minute hand ticking away ever so slightly as the second hand moves.

This isn’t a problem with “the school system”. I know how to read an analog clock. But it’s not something I have ever done daily and so I have never been in practice with it.

Half of the comments here seem to be confused by my question, instead simply instructing me how to read an analog clock in general.

That wasn’t the question or my issue.

On a wristwatch, the space between the numbers of the minute hand is pretty small. I am not elderly, but it is difficult for me to see quickly precisely at what tick mark the minute hand is at… especially if it is getting to be toward the next minute and I don’t realize.

One user suggested to briefly also glance at the second hand when I need more precision, which seems to help alleviate part of the problem that I describe.

That’s a super interesting concept! Neat idea, but I don’t think I’d be able to handle that for when I’m getting ready for work in the morning and the minutes count lol.

I guess there really isn’t a ton of value tbh! I guess it’s just that I’ve basically always had access to the exact time and anything else feels a bit less than. Things like getting ready in the morning and keeping track of the exact minute I know I have to leave by to get to work comfortably, people asking me for the time and giving them a time off by a minute is socially awkward if they double check, or something like knowing that I want to bake something in the oven for exactly 12 minutes without having to set a timer.

“Vibes” is honestly a good way to put it lol

Today in the digital age, the bus schedule says “15:17”

Yeah essentially lol. That’s one of the reasons I had never been super into analog clocks beforehand.

It does have a second hand, but I don’t really look at it much to tell the time.

It’s not that I can’t tell the minutes when it is between numbers, it’s that it will already look like it’s 9:23 because the minute hand has effectively nearly covered the 9:23 minute mark despite it being 9:22:45 or something. Seems to be a limitation of analog clocks unless I am just not great at discerning these things. Unless people also generally look at the second hand when reading them??

Tbh it’s actually a smartwatch and not technically an actual analog watch, so I’m assuming the exact time is pretty accurate. I just want to start using analog watch faces more on it to make it look nicer haha. Plus brushing up on my skill!

Do weighted blankets retain heat all? I love blankets, but it has been difficult to use anything more than a thin sheet (and even that is often stretching it) when it is crazy hot outside and the upstairs isn’t cooled well by the AC.

Garmin honestly makes some great smartwatches that you don’t have to charge daily tho and have a great health suite. If I didn’t have my Android smartwatch, I’d prob pick up a Garmin tbh. Kind of fixes that problem of daily charging that Android and Apple smartwatches have.

I don’t think I could go for a casual run without my watch lol I need to know my distance and speed for motivation! Weightlifting tracking is not great on smartwatches tho I’ve heard.

Sorry if I wasn’t clear…they are swim goggles! My whole life I have always been frustrated that I can’t see shit when wearing swim goggles because obviously I can’t wear the goggles and my glasses at the same time. But I’ve been swimming in these goggles and holy shit! It’s obviously not a perfect match, but I can see so well with them as opposed to not being able to see jack shit! I love it! I can finally see what is going on when swimming in the pool!

They didn’t have my exact prescription, so I went with a slightly less powerful prescription so it wouldn’t feel too strong. So like my prescription is -7.5 and I went with -7 because they didn’t have the exact number. In the past, I have had corrections where my two eyes are different (like -7 and -6.5 for example). In that case I think it wouldn’t hurt to get either a -7 pair as well, but if it was too uncomfortable you could go for -6 instead. It’s not like a perfect science because it’s not going to match your prescription exactly necessarily.

Obviously they aren’t going to have any sort of astigmatism correction either if you need that. But I mean since they are basically almost the same price as regular swim goggles, I don’t see a downside to trying them out. I wish I knew about these decades ago lol.

The one thing my smartphone can’t do better for me is exercise tracking! When I was first getting into running, I got myself a smartwatch to stay motivated. It helped a TON to see how far I was running, how much time I had remaining on my runs, how fast I was going, etc. Somehow I managed to stay motivated to run relatively consistently for over a year and I attribute a huge part of this from being able to track my progress with a device. I had never been so consistent with an exercise plan before. I unfortunately haven’t been running lately due to an injury, but I’m trying to supplement it with swimming which my watch also helps me with (counting laps for me, tracking my time, etc).

I agree that unlike a lot of tech out there, smartwatches are absolutely NOT essential devices like cell phones. But they are absolutely fantastic if you want to track or stay motivated with exercise, and just a fun lil gizmo to have.