lunacy
Have you ever encountered someone who is totally psycho? Maybe I'm oversensitive but I swear I see them everywhere. And that is a little scary because have you ever heard the saying "like attracts like"??? Though I'm not really attracted to these weirdoes after I realize how crazy they are, which is sometimes instantly, so I'm not sure it counts.
I dated someone who did a personality 180. He went from a relatively "normal" guy to this stalker who called my parents house (and my apartment, and my cell phone) just to sit there silently (guess I should be thankful he wasn't a heavy breather) after I made it perfectly clear I had no desire to speak to him any longer. Now I live in a different city and have a different cell phone and an unlisted home number (that I have to PAY to have unlisted, what bullshit, you'd think the white pages company would appreciate having to print one less entry into the phonebook!) but I still get a little nervous when someone calls and hangs up.
Like many girls, I've made a few unfortunate friend choices. Various toxic character flaws eventually surfaced and I cut these people out because they didn't deserve to associate with me. Once I've mentally dismissed someone, I feel nothing but indifference. Maybe that is cold and heartless but it makes the transition easier for me, because even if a person proves they aren't worthy and deserving of your company, you WERE friends at one time and it is disappointing when they behave inappropriately and reveal their true selves. In most instances, the rejectee got the hint and the relationship ceased. However, there are always the people who don't "get it" Apparently, silence and inaction can be more infuriating than actually doing or saying anything!
I'll review a sampling of seriously whacked reactions. A guy friend whose advances I denied began starting rumors I was, shall we put it, less than chaste. Hello, if I were truly that way, I would have welcomed his attention. Please. Luckily it was so immature and obviously bitter that everybody saw right through it and my reputation stayed intact. Next, a quite co-dependent female friend who began pulling a SWF (ever seen the movie? Jennifer Jason Leigh copies EVERYTHING about Bridget Fonda) and emulating everything I did. There's a saying "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" but this started going a little far and naturally made me uncomfortable, especially when others began noticing. Thankfully unrelated events transpired to reveal her as completely untrustworthy, so I seized the opportunity and used that as my premise for the phase out. When she pressed me for a reason WHY I wasn't returning her calls or emails, in addition to citing the other offense, I delicately hinted that perhaps she revert to her old self and regain her individuality, and she completely flipped out. When people ask her why we aren't friends anymore, she claims I am jealous of her, continues to engage in similarly passive aggressive acts toward me, and persists in copying whatever she manages to learn about me through the mutual channels we still share. It amazes me how instable this girl is, I hear the "ree-ree-ree" music whenever I think about it and try to avoid her as much as possible.
Onto the less personal topic - random strangers. In college, I was sitting at one of the computers in the library, minding my own business. This dirty, smelly man sat at the terminal next to me, scooting his chair a tad closer than necessary, and proceeded to read over my shoulder! I glanced over at him and said "excuse me" and he whipped his head back toward his screen. This happened a couple more times, and there were no available stations I could move to. I decided to quickly finish the email I was composing, and he began reading the words I was typing to my friend OUT LOUD. To shut him up, I began writing "...and I don't even think this PSYCHO who is reading over my shoulder at the moment is even a student here, he looks homeless" (yes, that was mean and a low blow, but he DID! and he was being very rude and wouldn't leave me alone!) so he trailed off and stared at me and said with false bravado "I'm a student here" so I strolled over to the librarian's desk (yes, I was a tattletale, but I wanted him to go away, I was there first and dammit I paid tuition there!) and she apologized there was nothing she could do to remove him (fucking public campuses). So I returned to collect my belongings and he smiled at me and said "I'm evil" and I answered "No, you're pathetic" and I left. In hindsight, this was probably some post-traumatic stressed out Vietnam veteran with a huge chip on his shoulder who loved to shake up cute little co-eds, but it freaked me out at the time! I never checked my email between classes there ever again!
Another time I was at the movie theater on a date. My boyfriend and I were the only people in there, so we eagarly claimed our seats and were chattering about how cool it was to have the place to ourselves. Then this large man walks in and sits right next to me, then he starts making this weird chortling sound in his throat. Of all the seats in the theater, why that one? And what the hell was up with the vocals? There were plenty of other prime seats, it was practically empty! So we decide to move. Well, the guy moves near us AGAIN. omg. What is up with that? It happens to me at the gym, too. I'll be well into my cardio, plenty of empty machines around me, and someone strolls up to the machine RIGHT NEXT TO MINE. Ok, I am isolating myself because I do not want anybody's sweat dripping onto me. I do not want to hear anyone besides myself huffing and puffing away. Why why why do people do this? I can't look THAT approachable. And I'm not going to strike up a conversation with someone who just invaded my space. I wonder if I have this invisible aura that appeals to these nutcases?
I dated someone who did a personality 180. He went from a relatively "normal" guy to this stalker who called my parents house (and my apartment, and my cell phone) just to sit there silently (guess I should be thankful he wasn't a heavy breather) after I made it perfectly clear I had no desire to speak to him any longer. Now I live in a different city and have a different cell phone and an unlisted home number (that I have to PAY to have unlisted, what bullshit, you'd think the white pages company would appreciate having to print one less entry into the phonebook!) but I still get a little nervous when someone calls and hangs up.
Like many girls, I've made a few unfortunate friend choices. Various toxic character flaws eventually surfaced and I cut these people out because they didn't deserve to associate with me. Once I've mentally dismissed someone, I feel nothing but indifference. Maybe that is cold and heartless but it makes the transition easier for me, because even if a person proves they aren't worthy and deserving of your company, you WERE friends at one time and it is disappointing when they behave inappropriately and reveal their true selves. In most instances, the rejectee got the hint and the relationship ceased. However, there are always the people who don't "get it" Apparently, silence and inaction can be more infuriating than actually doing or saying anything!
I'll review a sampling of seriously whacked reactions. A guy friend whose advances I denied began starting rumors I was, shall we put it, less than chaste. Hello, if I were truly that way, I would have welcomed his attention. Please. Luckily it was so immature and obviously bitter that everybody saw right through it and my reputation stayed intact. Next, a quite co-dependent female friend who began pulling a SWF (ever seen the movie? Jennifer Jason Leigh copies EVERYTHING about Bridget Fonda) and emulating everything I did. There's a saying "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" but this started going a little far and naturally made me uncomfortable, especially when others began noticing. Thankfully unrelated events transpired to reveal her as completely untrustworthy, so I seized the opportunity and used that as my premise for the phase out. When she pressed me for a reason WHY I wasn't returning her calls or emails, in addition to citing the other offense, I delicately hinted that perhaps she revert to her old self and regain her individuality, and she completely flipped out. When people ask her why we aren't friends anymore, she claims I am jealous of her, continues to engage in similarly passive aggressive acts toward me, and persists in copying whatever she manages to learn about me through the mutual channels we still share. It amazes me how instable this girl is, I hear the "ree-ree-ree" music whenever I think about it and try to avoid her as much as possible.
Onto the less personal topic - random strangers. In college, I was sitting at one of the computers in the library, minding my own business. This dirty, smelly man sat at the terminal next to me, scooting his chair a tad closer than necessary, and proceeded to read over my shoulder! I glanced over at him and said "excuse me" and he whipped his head back toward his screen. This happened a couple more times, and there were no available stations I could move to. I decided to quickly finish the email I was composing, and he began reading the words I was typing to my friend OUT LOUD. To shut him up, I began writing "...and I don't even think this PSYCHO who is reading over my shoulder at the moment is even a student here, he looks homeless" (yes, that was mean and a low blow, but he DID! and he was being very rude and wouldn't leave me alone!) so he trailed off and stared at me and said with false bravado "I'm a student here" so I strolled over to the librarian's desk (yes, I was a tattletale, but I wanted him to go away, I was there first and dammit I paid tuition there!) and she apologized there was nothing she could do to remove him (fucking public campuses). So I returned to collect my belongings and he smiled at me and said "I'm evil" and I answered "No, you're pathetic" and I left. In hindsight, this was probably some post-traumatic stressed out Vietnam veteran with a huge chip on his shoulder who loved to shake up cute little co-eds, but it freaked me out at the time! I never checked my email between classes there ever again!
Another time I was at the movie theater on a date. My boyfriend and I were the only people in there, so we eagarly claimed our seats and were chattering about how cool it was to have the place to ourselves. Then this large man walks in and sits right next to me, then he starts making this weird chortling sound in his throat. Of all the seats in the theater, why that one? And what the hell was up with the vocals? There were plenty of other prime seats, it was practically empty! So we decide to move. Well, the guy moves near us AGAIN. omg. What is up with that? It happens to me at the gym, too. I'll be well into my cardio, plenty of empty machines around me, and someone strolls up to the machine RIGHT NEXT TO MINE. Ok, I am isolating myself because I do not want anybody's sweat dripping onto me. I do not want to hear anyone besides myself huffing and puffing away. Why why why do people do this? I can't look THAT approachable. And I'm not going to strike up a conversation with someone who just invaded my space. I wonder if I have this invisible aura that appeals to these nutcases?
1 Comments:
Bravo!!
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