Here at GarryMarshallSitcom, we like to be Normal

Tempted to actually put this on spotify so I can secretly stream it at work...

Google universities/colleges near you.

If you can't get out to more than one, look up which one has the highest tuition.

Look-up when the graduation date is

Drive neighborhoods near the university the week before graduation

So much stuff gets left out on the curb. Wealthy college students tend to prioritize convenience over money, so instead of carefully reselling their perfectly good stuff, they frequently give it away or put it out with the trash because that's easier than moving, reselling, or donating. Take advantage of this.

I furnished pretty much my entire apartment from college giveaways and yardsales.

What I got for free:

Mattress and box springs

2 10 ft area rugs

The massive 9-drawer chest (that has a label on the back that it was custom-made and shipped across the country) that my TV sits on.

Two 13 x 2 ft raised garden beds

My desk - just sanded it down and refinished it.

Three short stools

An organizer rack

Watering can

Tommy Bahama outdoor cooler (retails for $350)

Chairs

Shelves

What I got for cheap:

Two futons for $50

Custom coffee table with storage for $25

"I often talk about reality checking and going along with it when helping someone deal with delusions, but I felt as if I didn’t really make it clear to what I meant when I said it.

Recently I saw a post similar to “how to sneakily give your delusional friend a reality check when they told you not to” and honestly, that’ll just make us lose trust for you. Because we can tell when you do that."

First box: Have they asked you to give them reality checks when they have a delusion. Green "yes" leads to a green box reading: Reality Check. Pink "no" leads to a pink box reading: Let it be / Go Along With It. Black "no, but im still worried" leads to a box reading: Have you asked if you can give them reality checks and they said?

Green "yes" leads to a green box reading: Reality Check. Pink "no" leads to a pink box reading: Let it be / Go Along With It. Black "they said no but im still worried" leads to box reading: Have you asked if there is anything else you can do instead.

Green "yes" leads to green box reading: Do that instead. Pink "no" leads to a pink box reading: Let it be / Go Along With It.

Image #2: Pink box with text reading: What Letting it Be / Going Along With It Is Not: (red "X" bullet points)

adding new information to the delusion / trying to send your friend deeper into the delusion

"that must be scary to believe something that isn't real"

"keep that to yourself, the more you talk about it the more you'll encourage yourself"

dismissing your friend's delusions, saying "everyone thinks like that once in awhile."

trying to distract your friend from their delusion or act as if it's a game

What Letting it Be / Going Along With It Is: (blue checkmark bullet points)

allowing your friend to vent or express themselves ( sometimes just talking about their delusions out loud can help them question it )

"I'm so sorry that you're going through that"

encouraging your friend to express their delusions through poetry, song, art, or other non-harmful things they enjoy

"If that becomes too over whelming for you, you can call me and ask for comfort or a distraction"

allowing your delusional friend to feel safe around you, allowing them to healthily express themselves

Image #3: Green box with text reading: What Reality Checking Is Not: (red "X" bullet points)

"Snap out of it, it's just a delusion."

"That's impossible."

"Think about it for a second, then you'll snap out of it"

forcing your friend into the hospital

calling the police on your friend

trying to fix or stop the delusion

What Reality Checking Is: (blue "checkmark" bullet points)

"Could you describe the evidence you have for your belief?"

"How firm are you with this belief? Would you be okay with other suggestions on what could be happening?"

"You're going to be okay, what you're fearing won't hurt you."

"Can we take a step back? Is what you're going through effecting those around you?"

"Has what you believe happened to anyone else? What is the likeliness of this being real?"

Helping your friend question the delusion or become aware of how the delusion is affecting them.

fiveforfive - collective fund for trans women and girls and transfem causes

gendered intelligence - trans led advocacy org

mermaids - supports trans youth

akt - lgbtq youth homelessness charity

loving me - domestic abuse service for trans people in england

Trans Aid Cymru - supporting trans people in wales

Queer Emporium - hub of queer businesses and events

And ones who operate in Wales but also across the UK

TIN Wadrobe - supplying clothes for trans and gnc people

Scottish Trans - Trans advocacy, information and social events. Run by the Equality Network, a broader Scottish LGBTQI advocacy group.

LEAP Sports Scotland - Sports charity that advocates for queer inclusion in sports, runs trans sports groups (Trans Active) in at least Glasgow and Edinburgh that I can absolutely recommend.

LGBT Health & Wellbeing - Not trans specific but includes trans specific, trans led and trans inclusive support and social events, and supports a variety of smaller community-run subgroups.

And another couple UK-wide:

Gender Identity Research & Education Society - Trans led charity supporting research on trans matters and education/training on trans inclusion. Does consultancy for public and private sector organisations.

Waitress taking my order: Such arrogance! Not only do you presume to boast under the guise of being humble, but your order employs the most decadent of linguistic excesses - the tautology!

My date, who until recently thought "tautology" referred to the study of tensile strengths and upon learning her mistake compensated by reading through its Wikipedia article: That would be more correctly identified as a "pleonasm".

The editor I hired to curate my posts who styles himself as a sort of scheming court advisor: My liege, this one is getting away from us. The punchline loses much of its impact when the rest of the joke is derailed by this increasingly self-indulgent meta humour. Were it up to me, your Grace, which of course it is not, I would cut the others and leave myself as the only supporting character. You need noone else, Your Majesty...