I was GOING to go into Theoretical Physics but the professor I wanted was away, so I did child psychology stuff instead. Didn't matter. Ended up working in computers. Glad too: If I did theoretical physics like I wanted in '90, I would've been stuck doing shitty String Theory crap 'cause that was the trend in the 90s... it's a relief things worked out as they did. == I was lucky. My mother was always of a liberal mindset, as was my grandmother. Their advice? If the job sucks? Quit. Find another. Don't depend on your job to give you life satisfaction. It won't. It's just a job. It was good advice. == hehe, yeah tongue emoticon I remember when "GenX were slackers". Then GenY / Millennials. My mother's generation she remembers adults in HER time complaining that society was going to "hell in a handbasket" because "kids today..." So, nothing changes except some ppl forget what it's like to human. == Well, my currency is people. I collect people. Occasional compliments. I don't trade or enslave. It's kinda disgusting come to think of it: I literally collect compliments. I save them. Got a whole unsorted collection of them. Maybe I'll stick them on the back of a book jacket someday 'cause that's all authors do: they stick praise on there from ANY source. I've got hundreds 'cause I'm awesome. Now if I could just get someone to organize my thoughts for me... You don't want to be a pure creative person: it sucks. All create and no organize. Just output. Anyway, thanks like emoticon == I find it's a lifelong struggle to not let other ppls bitterness 'stick' to my psyche. Daily effort* So, I let them be their way, and I do my own thing. Freedom really. == <--- guess who is the product of the "self-esteem / be-yourself" movement of the 1980s? That shit works. All those 80s cartoon memes? He-man? Captain Planet? I knew it was BS even as a kid yet, it sticks to you. == Glad I'm not the only one. Best thing ever. I use the old fashioned snippingtool when I'm on the PC, rub out the person's name ['cause I didn't get their permission to do something with it and I don't feel like that] and sometimes I post it to my "get all my internet shit in one place site" [1]http://icopiedyou.com project, but most of it is scattered on my HD. When someone randomly draws my picture, it's a special treat. Some 12 yr old kid drew me a year ago on Vine as a shoutout - I've had a few - but this one here was top-notch. There's awesome ppl out there, so I never lose out hope. The assholes will always be with us, but we dont' have to become the assholes or let them affect us. I can have one of those "woe-is-me-life-has-no-point-moments" and remembering that somebody took a few seconds out of their day to write, "Wow, Ken you're [positive adjective]!" - it's like an injection of 'good' and clear up head fog. Ugh - sorry for babbling Ivan, but you're the first person I talked to that saves compliments too, so I got a little giddy tongue emoticon == References Visible links 1. http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Ficopiedyou.com%2F&h=sAQG1ut4x