It occurs to me that I've never had an unrequited love situation (that is, you're in love, but they don't love you). And I can't help feeling maybe I'm missing out on an essential part of the human experience. FO SHO, I've had unhappy romantic outcomes, but that's only after we've both been in love with each other, and it's come to a natural end.
What's it like to be full-on in love, but it's impossible for you to get anything back, and it's dead before it even begins? I'm fascinated. I mean, I dote on 'Antic Hay' by Aldous Huxley, but I'm pretty sure that guy just makes stuff up. If you're inclined to be philosophical or spiritual, did it feel like the universe was somehow keeping you in your place? Or did you retain a LINGERING DOUBT that actually, your romantic target would have reciprocated your emotions, if only he or she had got to know you better? Or did you just take it on the chin?

Of course you're right, @DIV. There's no circumstances where a Wicket Spanner would rotate unless he was fighting a giant celestial Stormtrooper -- but then again, that might explain what The Devil is?

@DIV Or it could be a Wicket Spanner.

People say, 'Yeah, but look at the facts' -- but what if it's not a fact-based phenom? If most people looked into their hearts, they'd just FEEL and KNOW that the Earth is flat. In Rupert Bear annuals, why would Alfred Bestall have bothered to draw such beautiful horizons unless the earth was flat enough for us to see them?

You mean 'bird' as in feathers, not 'bird' the UK colloquial for girls?

@AloneButHappy Not really. Maybe you're just a very psychedelic individual, ABH?

Dunno. I'll go down the all night garage and see if the bloke behind the glass keeps track of what herbs and spices are in the readi-meals.

Sometimes, when something wakes me at night, it's like my mind is about a dozen times busier than usual, with things that are totally random and abstract. I dunno about 'everything', though.

@DIV said in Would you hire yourself out as a paid chatter?:

Shrinks are paid for talking

I don't want a conversation with any of those Land of the Giants types.

I've often heard it lamented, most recently by @AuroraFan, that TWS is more a one-on-one hook-up site than a bona-fide social media platform. There certainly seems to be a demand for, not necessarily dating, but one-on-one conversations, rather than good old-fashioned pile-on debates.

So then, that's led me to the question, if there was an Uber-style company that pimped out (for want of a better word) paid conversation partners --NON-SEXUAL--, would you take that gig? I mean, surely it beats getting a regular job, eh? It might be awkward, BUT WHAT IN LIFE ISN'T? Would you exclude any topics of conversation? (In my case, that would be any sport except footie or boxing). If your chat client started talking about something you actually liked would you stop the meter or give them a reduction?

Me, I'm about quality AND quantity. I often thought, if I took one of those bullshyney dog-walking jobs, I'd be the BEST DOG WALKER in the world. I'd say to the punter, "How far do you want me to walk him?", and she'd say, "Twenty miles, and take a photo on the outskirts of Swindon to prove you dun it", and I'd say, "Sure no problem, yo home to Bel Air".

So, then?