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Heavy silence
I'll break the silence of this comment section. I noticed your Facebook comments have a preponderance of female input, while the few male statements are quite brief in comparison. I notice that boys *tend* to get straight (did I say that?) to the point, while girls pre-consider all the details and variables. It must be my feminine side that did the analysis that prevents my life-taking... Being treated at the VA carries the consistent probe of whether I'm feeling suicidal. After years of bucking up and "being a man" I have again sought help for my chronic depression... another breaking of the silence. I was taught to be silent as a survival strategy. I have a great affinity for the movie [What's Eating Gilbert Grape][1]. Bonnie Grape is a caricature of my mother. Mom's morbid obesity came from her depression too, but hers was opposite because Dad was alive when she wished him dead. Their marriage lasted due to finances, or the lack thereof... and inertia, until in death she parted from her tormenter. Thank you for sparking my thoughts on the silence. [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What%27s_Eating_Gilb…— March 21, 2013 7:35 p.m.
FaceTube Friend
I think doing the same thing over and over expecting different results is a manifestation of being trained but not educated. It is said that if the only tool you have is a hammer, then all of your problems are treated as nails. This may explain your puzzled caller. I live a little behind the technology curve myself, but I haven't yet "fallen and can't get up." I've learned how to text, and I wear a bluetooth earpiece. (It's better than a hearing aid!) Somehow I miss old-school telephones, so I collect them. Do you remember when this was cool? http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/mar/1…— March 13, 2013 9:18 p.m.
Bubbles: Greenspan, Bernanke could have learned something in San Diego
I got burned by a real estate limited partnership, all the investing rage in the late '70s when I was a young sailor with a huge (to me) reenlistment bonus check burning a hole in my pocket. Thank God I only gambled away "extra" money and not day-to-day survival money like people did during the housing bubble. People have said that I have reacted too conservatively since then, but I maintain a comfortable (not lavish, but comfortable) lifestyle now. I have learned to like my house as it is and did not over-improve it as so many of my neighbors did, drowning in their underwater mortgages. Mine will be paid off in 5 years, a feat my parents accomplished earlier in their lives than me, one which once done eased their finances immeasurably. One thing I cannot do is retire like my Dad did in his mid 50's (I'm there now and still working). I do remember the crazy inflation of the '70s and fear a repeat of that history, or another Depression.— March 13, 2013 8:44 p.m.
What Men Think
I was scrolling through a list of skills people profess on Linked-in and did a double-take on "Therapeutic Listening". Initially I thought it pertained to medical professions, but I have used that skill in my job to remedy malfunctions that were blamed on equipment failure that were actually operator error. It sounds like David also has this innate skill which others detect subliminally and respond to.— February 28, 2013 8:10 a.m.
Jacobs says he is bowing out of Balboa Park makeover
My $250 donation to SOHO's legal fund was the best investment I ever made!— February 6, 2013 7:24 p.m.
No.
I read your article aloud to my partner. It sparked a discussion of the whole Christmas gifting as *social obligation* thing. While it wasn't a solution to our dilemmas with each other, it was a step in the right direction. **Thank you.**— December 30, 2012 9:42 a.m.
Ornament Brigade
> It's my S.O. who refuses to get on board (he equates gift giving to affection). This is a dilemma I face as well. I must confess Barbarella, I applaud your RSVP in decline of my invitation. It perfectly instructs me on how to proceed with my own task, which is the best gift.— December 13, 2012 4:37 p.m.
Ornament Brigade
> my man and I prefer to do our own thing: we start with champagne and then move on to whatever we feel like doing for a day while the rest of the world is busy. We also have a “no gift” rule. No religion, no obligation, no stress, no email or phone calls to contend with; it’s a wonderful day. How did you begin and How do you enforce that? I have been desperately trying to set up a "no gift" rule for a number of years without success. I don't know how to shop for several friends who are contenders to be subjects on the "Hoarders" TV series. We host an open house on Christmas day (You and David are invited if it fits in your busy schedule) and I wish that were gift enough.— December 12, 2012 6:26 p.m.
Guilt Bot
["texting with teenagers"][1] [1]: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2012/aug/22/di…— November 14, 2012 4:58 p.m.
Guilt Bot
On the one hand, it strikes me as odd that someone as plugged-in to modernity as yourself with internet linked smart phones, texting with teenagers, and the like, is taken off-guard by virtual corporate parental substitutes. On the other hand, it is a clever can't-shoot-the-holographic-messenger reminder to do the right thing, even if this messenger's attributes are as annoying as Star Trek - Voyager's doctor. Kind of the two sides of the same communications-age coin. Like 7-of-9 says, "Comply. Resistance is futile." Nice Catholic algorithm you've got there, Blue Shield.— November 14, 2012 4:48 p.m.