ALGEBRAIC EIGHT-BALL: THE CHANCES THAT HE/SHE IS “THE ONE”

• X = How many of the following have you done: posted couples picture(s) to social networking website, chosen night with him/her over night with friends, sent him/her more than two updates during workday, skipped work to be with him/her, asked him/her for help, defended him/her from disparaging comments, deleted ex’s contact information, wondered if he/she’s the one on average of more than once per week.

• F = When you’re awakened by the sound of his/her cacophonous snoring, catch him/her farting, or otherwise encounter stark evidence of basic humanity, you think: Enter from 1 to 10 with 1 being “aw, how terribly cute!” and 10 being “dear god, I’m dating/snogging/married to a diplodocus.”

• BG = Sum all the differences between the following numbers:

• H = In hours, the estimated time before homicide of any form would occur in a trapped elevator containing you, him/her, and all your combined parents. Be realistic. Cap this at eight.

• IF = When he/she asks an inconvenient favor, you: obey happily (1), obey with silent reservations (2), obey and gripe (3), disobey benignly (4), gripe and disobey (5).

• A = How old are you?

• T = Months you’ve known each other.

GODDESS% is the percentage chance that he or she’s the one.