[Humour] Avoiding Other People

jamie-oh said:

If you cant get a GP appointment for a while, and your first thought is 'it must be the foreigners' and not 'why are the NHS so criminally underfunded', then i'd suggest you look at your immediate reaction.

And you two really need to be more co-ordinated - one of you has no black faces in the surgery and the other has tons of them! Either way you've managed to finagle a way of feeling like you're being oppressed by the foreigners, when the truth is you've been underfunded by governments more fussed by private enterprise than healthcareTh

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jamie-oh said:

If you cant get a GP appointment for a while, and your first thought is 'it must be the foreigners' and not 'why are the NHS so criminally underfunded', then i'd suggest you look at your immediate reaction.

And you two really need to be more co-ordinated - one of you has no black faces in the surgery and the other has tons of them! Either way you've managed to finagle a way of feeling like you're being oppressed by the foreigners, when the truth is you've been underfunded by governments more fussed by private enterprise than healthcare.

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MJsGhost said:

This is me. (not actually your friend)

I am usually pretty good at remembering names too, though I find the last 4 years things have got hazier. I remember faces and names from 25 years ago FAR more easily than 3 years ago. (undoubtedly the cause is 2 kids under 4 and very few good nights' sleep since 2021.)

When I vaguely recognise someone, but can't think where from, I have to ignore my urge to strike up conversation to work it out. Not only do people think it's weird (or that I'm after something), but I wouldn't ever get anything done.

I recognised someone outside a bar in Canary Wharf one time and chatted to her to work out where from. Once through the "I'm honestly not hitting on you" part of the conversation, we worked out that I had been in her company for about 20 minutes in a friend of a friend's kitchen in Auckland about 3 years prior.

It's both a blessing and a curse, as I do spend a lot of time thinking about where I know people from and it's almost always completely useless information once I've worked it out.

I am VERY good at avoiding people that I see in public though

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Half Time Pies said:

You said that the waiting room that was predominantly British is now outnumbered, so for me it was interesting to know how you would know their nationality! My GP surgery has also been in decline in terms of availability of appointments, it was different 3 years ago (pre covid) you used to be able to get in on the same day but now its a nightmare with everything done online, and a lot of time they just try to get away with sending you to the pharmacy or giving you a call. My wife contacted them on Monday with something urgent but wont be seen until tomorrow. This all seems to have happened since COVID and I suspect that the pandemic has been the primary cause. Ive not noticed a change in demographics in my waiting room, although it wouldn't be something I would be looking out for to be honest, to me it's just people waiting quietly for the doctor!

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jamie-oh said:

If you cant get a GP appointment for a while, and your first thought is 'it must be the foreigners' and not 'why are the NHS so criminally underfunded', then i'd suggest you look at your immediate reaction.

And you two really need to be more co-ordinated - one of you has no black faces in the surgery and the other has tons of them! Either way you've managed to finagle a way of feeling like you're being oppressed by the foreigners, when the truth is you've been underfunded by governments more fussed by private enterprise than healthcare.

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MJsGhost said:

An example...

From the Atmosphere thread, I get strong recognition vibes for this guy.

I could be very wrong, but I think it's a guy who did some work on my parquet floor about 6 years ago. Does anyone know him? If I'm right his initials are AL and he lives in Ringmer

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Thunder Bolt said:

I’m similar. I recognise faces but am terrible at remembering names. I’ve had some awkward conversations with people I recognise whilst agonising inside trying to remember their name.

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TugWilson said:

What`s this "co-ordinated "crap , there is no connection between us , the same as there is no connection with you and common sense . I never said i was "oppressed by foreigners" either . that either makes you thick as , or my guess - a LIAR , the one thing i can`t stand .

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kevo said:

Used to have a friend, an old college mate, and for various reasons I decided to end the friendship.

Although we had been close mates during our student days, and even went on holiday together, I was just not getting anything out of it anymore (he was depressed and miserable most of the time, seeing him was never 'fun' and he was also very needy, as he basically didn't have any other friends. He also didn't mix well with my other mates at the time) The relationship was just emotionally and mentally draining.

It sounds callous, but I ended up effectively 'ghosting' him - not returning his calls etc and eventually the friendship just died a natural death.

About ten years after I had last seen him, I was on my way to work in London one morning and crossing a park on my normal route to the office, when I bizarrely saw him sitting on a bench, facing away from me, reading a book. Part of me really wanted to walk up to him and see how he was doing and have a catch-up for old time's sake. But I knew that if I did that, it would rekindle the friendship, which I really didn't want.

So I just carried on walking...

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