On one side we have a statistical model based on our knowledge of the universe till now and on the other side we have n=1 empirical data. I'm siding with the theoretical model.

Unless you're watching in a busy direction (galactic plane, galaxy clusters etc.) Space is mostly empty. The expansion of the universe does not alter the shape of far objects, but changes the redshift and also the scale.

It's very paradoxal, but starting from a certain distance/time in the past, objects start looking bigger in the sky than closer same-sized objects, because the universe was much smaller when its light was emitted. So in practice we should be able to watch the earliest galaxies of the universe.

> is not a normal response to a loved one dying. (If someone insists their spouse isn't actually dead, that is not normal grief but a severe delusion.)

I agree with all you said especially that the "stages of grief" have been widely used out of any scientific context. But I definitively remember being in denial of my father's death during half of the car trip. I did not try bargaining obviously, after I saw his body all I had was sadness and anger.

However I think these stages work with other emotional events like a separation. Bargaining is definitively within the range of emotional responses to your partner's announcing they're leaving, along with anger, sadness or denial.

Because doing something unimportant when asked by an authority figure is different from doing it by oneself. I still fail to see how doing my bed contribute to my success.