Queenkv’s Brainpickings

Can somebody tell me if I’m just thinking paranoid? Or if I hit something on the nail? I have this friend of mine, who works on campus with me. My boyfriend, my friend, and I like to go out to lunch. However, most of the time, if I am caught in a bind at work - that requires me to leave at a certain time, or even be back by a certain time - my friend isn’t very flexible with this.

• One time, my friend wanted to do lunch at 12:00 - I couldn’t get out of a meeting till 12:30 - so he went ahead and scheduled the lunch for us at 12:00. (what’s the point in asking me what time I can go - when he’s going to schedule regardless of that availablity?)
• Another time, he was driving and I was sore from hankido. He wanted me to meet him at his parking spot - about a good 10 blocks away from work. I decided to bow out - since I was too sore to walk. On that same day, he also asked my boyfriend to lunch and he offered to pick my boyfriend up from work.
• Finally, today - I had time for lunch, but I didn’t want to waste time driving - another busy day. I thought it would be alright if we could stay within walking distance. But he insisted on driving. I had bow out again.

So here’s my thing - for some reason, it feels like my boyfriend gets more flexiblity than me, when my friend plans these lunch outings. In the beginning I just wrote them off - because I didn’t want to inconvience anybody. But, I can’t account for the disparity in how my boyfriend is accomodated - and me and my schedule…are not. So, by these descriptions - do you think I’m paranoid in thinking this way? Or is my friend really not taking me into consideration - for these lunch-time outings? Hell….I know we’re suppose to all hang out on Friday….but now I’m having second thoughts….I don’t feel really comfortable talking about this with my friend because well, I don’t want to sound petty and little.

sorry, i thought it wasn’t a big deal - but I can’t help thinking about it all day. it’s actually put me in a pretty moody mood and that makes me sad - because, well he’s my friend.

here’s one response from my ediets buddy:
” I think you’re friend is being sorta self-centered and rude, especially because you have a set schedule and work meetings you have to go by and he seems to be flexible..what’s up with that? What does your boyfriend think of it, does he notice? Maybe you guys could work together on your weirdly-nonflexible friend for the next set of lunch plans?”

Stellar pointed me to this amazing story….
Land of the Free - is a blog about how a German resident was treated after landing in America - she was subjected to handcuffs, solitary confinement, and 20 hours of food deprivation. This German resident, who wanted to visit her fiance in Colorado Springs, was deported back to Germany after this inhumane and criminal treatment.

“. My crime in a nutshell, if there is a nutshell in this case, is being engaged to an American and �never� living in Germany long enough to convince this one man that Germany is home. “

I am floored by the depths of insenstitvity and arrogance that my fellow countrymen are capable of.

my cousin had had a similar experince - when she attempted to cross the border from Mexico - back into the US. She lived in San Diego and she had a green card. She was also married to a US Navy man.

Regardless of her papers being in order - she spent a day and a night in a horrible INS detention cell - met with silent accusations. Finally, it took some US Navy muscle to spring her from INS custody.

And this was before 9.11 - I can only imagine that her treatment would be ten times worse - being from the Philippines - they would brand her as Abu Sayyaf or something.

Gray Davis Does ‘Top Ten’ On Letterman

now…on to more random sayings…

Kinda reminds of Bob Dole showing up on Saturday Night Live, after losing the presidential election to Bill Clinton. It’s nice when politicans can make fun of their losses.

“When you realize you don’t know what you’re doing, give me a call.”

yesterday - at Bancroft Cafe -

“I love hearing about my parents, before they were parents.” add in annoying girlish giggle….

This Cal student proceeded to speak affectionaly about her Mom’s choices in short shorts and her Dad’s hang up on wierd old music. It was like sitting in a high school cafeteria, rather than at a cafe across the street from one of the best public universities in the world.

and on Monday, after listening to another NPR report on another suicide boming in Iraq….

“At least that means there’s one less suicide bomber out there….” - Mark.

Hey - he told me to put this in here.

Finally - last week - inside the lab….in a very condescending and indignant voice:
“I thought you meant to change my cover letter only, not my entire application. Listen, I know I haven’t turned this in properly, but you need to make this right for me.”

This was an MBA student on his cell phone, griping about how the recruiter should let him interview, regardless of how he fucked up the job application.

Does this sound logical to you?