At work today, there was this one particular patient who likes to talk about non-dinner-table topics: abortion, politics, adoption issues, international affairs, etc. Heavier things. She claims to be "down the middle", but I would suggest that she's more to the right. I really try not to express many, if any, of my own views, but sometimes my face tells all (I've been told this; I can have a really good poker face, though). Today she was talking about the Malaysian aircraft that has still not been found, and the conversations included the lack of trust now present in many common businesses. We discussed how life was simpler "back in the day" - no body sued people for not paying for their college expenses or beheaded their Christian mom in front of her children for having religious views and no body worried that you didn't constantly use hand sanitizer.
She mentioned watching Fox News and CNN for her facts, and when I mentioned CNBC and MSNBC on top of CNN (as previously mentioned, I'm not a Fox News fan; I didn't share this, however) she just about had a fit, as she thought many of those anchors were "liars". She was almost trying to persuade me to not get my news from them. I was kind of unnerved by it all; she really kind of freaked out, like I wasn't watching/reading the appropriate news coverage or something. But then thinking about it later, you have to realize, all news is censored. Is anything we're being told actually real? She also mentioned how Obama signed over some rights to China so now China can monitor what we're allowed to see on the internet and what we're not? Like he "signed over" the internet. Is this true? Somebody google it.
Then I was discussing with a coworker, a PT, about debt. This past weekend, I had a mini-freakout about how much potential debt I'm going to be in and accrue through my attending of PT school. I was estimating about $160-170k. (I honestly hadn't factored in the interest that would accrue over so many years of the loan; I was reading a blog, "No More Harvard Debt", about this fellow who graduated from Harvard Business School with about $90k in debt and ventured to pay it off in ten months. Are you insane? I haven't finished reading yet, but it's been interesting.) Is it worth it? Do I wait a year and apply again, to cheaper schools? (Even though it's getting more and more competitive every year; I honestly can't figure out the application process - how some schools accepted me and some did not. I think I look pretty decent on paper. But I guess so does every other applicant...) My coworker says that he has lots of debt and doesn't think he'll ever pay it all off. That's encouraging. Especially since he went to an in-state school. He's married, currently drives a BMW, and has three children under the age of 5. Does this mean he's still living his life as he "normally" would if he didn't have any debt? I guess that's one way to do it. Another is to live well below your means, maybe sacrificing some things in order to pay off the loans quicker. Or win the lottery. Marry a millionaire? Have a rich family member who likes you die? Anyone have any suggestions?
(In the middle of work today, an older gentleman decided to start dancing with me - it was a nice break to the serious discussions that had already occurred.)
Then I had a few instances today where I made a mistake and was told it was a mistake in a not so caring way, like I was obviously an idiot who had just stepped right into a pothole. I know I made a mistake; otherwise, I was honestly just trying to help. (And when you are a slight people-pleaser and perfectionist, you are your own worst enemy anyway.) Please, there are other ways of expressing yourself in way that be viewed as pointing out the indiscretion and not acting like an asshole about it.
Rant finished for the evening. Any one have any words of tough love/encouragement/advice?
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