Ask Amy: ‘Big C’ survivor struggles with new identity
I want to thank you for something.
Your choice to publish the complaint letters that you receive and the way you respond, often with humor, has helped me to stop focusing on the complainers and see the humor — not to mention also recognizing the many non-complainers.
— Grateful Prof
Dear Prof: Thank you! I learned a long time ago that harsh or negative responses can take up more mental space than the many positive responses I receive.
I run some of these negative responses for two reasons: Because they are sometimes offering an important or useful correction, or they are representative of a large group of respondents.
I am sometimes thin skinned — but to quote my late mother, who went to college and became a professor in her mid-50s after working in much more physically challenging, low-paying, and so-called “menial” jobs: “Doing this sure beats having a real job.”
I never forget how lucky I am.
Dear Amy: I’m responding to the question from “Locked In,” who caught her roommates sneaking into her locked room after installing a camera.
I am a landlord. In my jurisdictions (and probably many others) it is illegal to install a lock with a key on a bedroom door.
It’s a fire hazard and can impede firefighters.
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