...of grandeur? Well...of something, but I'm not entirely sure of what.

I recently initiated a conversation, in a well meaning sort of way, to explain to someone that just because someone else in the conversation had mentioned a certain political viewpoint in an unflattering historical reference didn't mean that they were bashing that political viewpoint.

The conversation went downhill from there as the other individual involved decided that I was being condescending, had a superior tone, and was telling her what to do. Oh, and that my encapsulated summary of early 1960s history was my opinion.

After sending a response that explained my tone for certain things I write (which according to DH is ultra business neutral, as if I'm presenting facts to a Board of Directors meeting) and addressing another issue that she had by politely directing her to the people she needed to air that grievance with, I was told I was snotty and again, telling her what to do.

What-ever.

I'd sure like to know the color of the sky in her universe, but as one friend pointed out, it's probably a color that the rest of us can't see.

So, this story brings me to my point. Oh yes, I have a point. Some people just live in their own little universe with delusions of grandeur (or something resembling that). Another friend reminded me of a quote from 'Sports Night' this weekend, and we've been using it off and on since: "she lives in Natalie World"... that line cracks me up every time. And it so aptly describes this situation.

I apologize to those who have never watched 'Sports Night', by throwing a reference in there, but you should really give it a try. It's funny...

Sometimes people with a limited scope of... vision, for lack of a better word, create their own little world that they live in. Sometimes it comes into creation by pure naivete. Like the teenagers who think that they're invincible and haven't thought about gravity or the laws of physics when they watch stunts and attempt to duplicate them.

There was a very nice lady that temped for me years and years ago. I had to keep explaining to her constantly how to create a new record in the database (even though the instructions were there on-screen) and how to edit existing ones. Multiple times a day... for multiple days. She turned to me and asked what was so important anyway - it's not like databases are good for anything. *shakes her head* Considering that this was all data entry that would serve the North American Sales team well and help feed all our salaries eventually....well, she didn't get it. But she also lived in her own world where data wasn't necessary for anything - she didn't even balance her checkbook. It's not important, after all.

I lost it that night when I went home and cried on DH's shoulder. He listened, and then reached in his pocket and handed me a shiny nickel. I asked, through my tears, what it was for.

"Give it to that lady. Maybe she can buy a clue with it." I never laughed so hard in my life. To this day I keep a couple of nickels in plain sight on my desk too.

Sometimes its a result of living under certain conditions for a long time. Like my mom. She was a stay at home mom, raising me and my autistic brother. She doesn't watch the news because she's had enough grief in her life (her words). She hasn't realized the true breadth of the world that's out there since she never really had a chance to explore it, or explore what she's capable of. That and every single person that *is* out there is out to get her. Or get me. Or kidnap A & B.

That kind of thinking came from her mother, although I'm not really sure how Grandma came to that sort of thinking. I don't think that I want to know either.

Then there's the ex-boss... We're not totally sure he really was Psy Ops Special Forces... There's too much about his attitude and the way he talks about things that lead a few of us to believe that he wasn't. But I'm pretty sure that he's a legend in the universe that he's built for himself.

Honestly, I'm not sure if it's inflated ego/self-esteem or lack thereof that causes some people to create their own little 'bubble' that they live in - where either life is always wonderful, or everyone's always out to get you, or where everyone who says *anything* that you don't agree with is obviously out to persecute you or condescend to you... *shakes head*

...I wonder, though, if I gave some of these folks above a nickel, could they figure out how to buy a clue?