Others seem fine, and I think that’s amazing. No sarcasm. Is bad service from businesses only affecting the, uh, unlucky? Three businesses messed up in September. If others are seeing this rate, this is ridiculous, and standing for it is absurd. But Americans stand for a crappy healthcare system, so there’s no use depending on them for anything. I have zero faith in the public.

I don’t buy much beyond the basics so there shouldn’t be a ton of bad service. In September so far:

• Got the wrong glasses from the store. May not be able to get a refund or exchange, even though they made the mistake. Already visited the store 2 times. (Went back to another location on Sunday. Did an exchange. If they don’t do it right this time, I’m DONE. I can wear fake glasses for reading only.)
• I was charged $257 for a $180 bill. No idea what the outcome of this will be.
• Medical – I was promised test results on Tuesday. Already sent one reminder email. “I’m busy with patients. I will send it soon.” This was on Tuesday. It’s Sunday. Still nothing.

Is this becoming a norm? IT BETTER NOT BE. I’m sick of most people who are doing well accepting crap. “Oh well. I have the means and energy to ‘deal with it’.” I would rather be the unluckiest person in the world than find out that “the majority” accepted bad business because they are doing okay.

The way they say, “Just do (insert thing here).” So irritating.

Talking to a brick wall, indeed. That’s why I don’t engage anymore. What’s the point? So I just SFTU. Yes, we know things are so easy for them. They just do it. I can’t explain how smug and condescending this is.

Just ask for help. It’s so hard not to roll my eyes at this point. It takes a lot of effort when they say “just do it this way” for the 600th time. “Wow, I never thought of that,” I want to say with the perfect flat effect. They would actually believe me if I said that, because they think I don’t get anything from how I appear on the surface.

(I’m not going to brag about how I do flat affect naturally while they have to practice.)

Instead, I just say, “okay.” That’s it. A pharmacist told me to get an app to take my medicine. “Okay.” Get a planner. “Okay.” Leave 10 minutes early. “Okay.” Write things down. “Okay.” Don’t overthink it. “Okay.” Eat more fiber. “Huh. Are you really trying to kill me?” See how brilliant these people are? I shouldn’t be around them. Anything to escape their obvious thoughts. Pure hell.

Communicating with people like this is invalidating and stressful. Toxic, gaslighting, insert any overused term here.

People are good for your health. Uh, what the hell? Maybe gaslighting is the right term.

I’m starting to realize people get obsessed with abnormal behavior, and I’m constantly trying to figure out why they are obsessed with different behaviors that aren’t hurting anyone. They fixate on it.

Most people probably don’t notice it. It’s very, um, normal. But when people are casually talking or chatting online, they constantly mention people doing weird things. A smaller percentage say what they really mean: “that’s not normal,” as if that alone means something. Okay, not normal… finish your thought. What does that mean? Most would agree that something is, indeed, abnormal.

I catch myself saying, “that’s weird,” usually talking about a situation, but I have a reason for mentioning it. Like, “That’s odd. Police never let people into a crime scene within hours of a murder.” After someone said the police allowed family back in the house. It ended up not being true. I finished my thought. Why does it matter if something is weird?

Finish the thought, please!

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This Week in Media & Other Things

Music of the Week

Books of the Week

I finished 3 books this week:

^{The Man I Married by Elena Wilkes (Fiction). My rating: ★★★ (3 stars). This reminds me of The Fortune Teller by Natasha Boydell. It’s almost the same book. If you like one, you will like the other. I don’t know how I ended up reading these at the same time. I started The Fortune Teller a few months ago but didn’t finish it. It’s bizarre to read both books at once. I never confuse plot lines, but this time I did. It’s another book about a husband trying to make his wife question everything. I’m over these now, but I don’t like reading anything about a book before I start it. I’m thinking it’s time to stop this since so many books have similar plot lines. Maybe it’s time to say goodbye to most “dark psychological thrillers.”}

^{The Fortune Teller by Natasha Boydell (Fiction). My rating: ★★★ (3.25 stars). I can see why I stopped reading this book a few months ago. It’s average. Not horrible, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Another “things aren’t what they appear to be” book. It starts off fine, but it turns into something unbelievable in the last 25% of the book. Another domestic thriller going off the rails. Nothing new.} 

^{An Unfinished Canvas: A True Story of Love, Family, and Murder in Nashville by Michael Glasgow and Phyllis Gobbell (nonfiction). My rating: ★★★★ (4 stars). This book is about the murder of Janet March. I was unfamiliar with the case. I still find most of these people a mystery. The authors give good bios, but I still feel like, “Who are these people?” Not in a bad way, but I can’t relate to their wealth and some of their values. But this was a decent book. I still want to know how the authors are so sure of the killer’s motive. They are probably right, but I still doubt how it happened. I enjoyed learning more about Nashville’s history.}  

I forgot to post this reading graph from NotebookLM. It summarizes the books I read from June through August.

Quote of the Week

How “nice”. I know this from experience. It’s only jarring when people deny this.