My therapist used to ask me "can you imagine ever talking to a friend or even a stranger that way? Then why do you talk to yourself that way?"

I engine brake all the time with my automatic. My honda accord has slappy flaps (paddle shifters). Turns out my transmission is considered an "automated manual" meaning that it's basically a manual but with electro-hydraulically controlled clutches on each gear, controlled by a computer (unless put in sport mode).

Last year I was starting to think I had "gotten over" my depression and anxiety. I was working close to 70 hours a week (while taking a class for my masters degree), almost never had an entire day off, and I loved it. I loved my job and felt like not only was I accomplishing things at work that gave me a sense of purpose, but I was achieving my personal career goals as well. Then I got fired based on one bad managers fake story he made up to screw me over. And I suddenly realized I still had depression and anxiety. However staying busy and tired, as well as feeling good about myself and my future and finances, had been helping keep the symptoms at bay.

I looked for a new job for two months while I appealed my termination, and I hadn't felt so low in years. Now I got a new job but am back at the bottom of the totem pole, hoping I can get noticed and work my way back up like before. My new job is MUCH less fulfilling, MUCH more mentally boring and MUCH more physically exhausting. But even worse, I'm not getting overtime and I dread being at home for 4 days a week (I work 3x12hour shifts). At least it made me realize I should probably start working on my mental health again and maybe seeing a therapist and trying to train my brain to cope with things better. Made me realize that, of course I can handle life well when it's going great, it's being able to handle it when things go to shit that is a real test of how put-together I am mentally.

There was a vulnerability for a while where some researchers found that they could exceed the transaction value limit for "tap to pay" (RFID) by changing the currency on the app to a different currency (they changed it from US dollars to yen or something, for example). Typically you can only charge like $35 that way without any kind of pin or anything. They showed you could just tap your phone to someone's wallet in passing and charge thousands of dollars to their card. Imagine walking through the subway with an amplifier antenna on your phone and zapping thousands of dollars per person from every card you pass. I believe they notified the offending banks before publishing this research but still, just goes to show that sometimes these things slip though the cracks. It's probably pretty safe now but idk, better safe than sorry.

I remember telling my therapist how fake it felt to try to feign positivity and reframe my negative thought processes in some positive way. She told me it's not about positivity. It's about reframing things in a more REALISTIC and PRODUCTIVE way.

Would you ever speak to a friend or even a stranger the way you've been speaking to yourself? Probably not. So why do you you think it's okay (or natural or realistic) to be so cruel to yourself? (is what she said to me)

Furthermore these negative thoughts processes have outcomes that are preventing you from living the life you want and achieving the goals you set for yourself. You need to approach your thoughts and feelings in a way that moves you forward toward actions that create the outcomes you want in life. Reflecting on mistakes, circumstances, etc. is important and useful, but can easily turn into rumination and leave you stuck rather than push you forward.

Beating yourself up, looking for scapegoats, ruminating on your mistakes, etc. is not a productive use of your mental energy and will not result in actions that get you anywhere you want to be, which creates a cycle of bad results, thoughts and actions that will keep repeating until you start retraining your brain to approach things in a productive way that produces the results you want. It's not an easy or quick change however and requires constant work (starting off with small steps), just like training a set of muscles or changing your posture. Your brain gets wired to work a certain way and rewiring it takes lots of repetition.

I never claimed that apple was the one selling it. Just that whoever is reselling it may not be a scammer. I saw a post once where a guy got a roller from a conveyor system instead of the item they ordered.

It's definitely possible that expensive items don't get shipped through amazon fulfillment, I don't know enough about all that to have an opinion on it.

I'd chock your story and the one in the article up to logistics errors. The boxes probably got mislabeled at a distribution center. Having worked at a distribution center that dealt with TONS of boxes everyday, you'd be surprised how many different ways things can go wrong along the way.

Scams do happen though, both on the sellers side and other places. I ordered a used google pixel 3 off amazon once, and right as I got a delivery notification, I heard some noise out by my patio gate and looked out the window to see a person in a hi-vis vest - I believe it was the fedex guy- walking briskly away from my house. I went outside and th package was nowhere to be found. I called amazon and they asked me to check my mailbox again, so I did just to humor them. They asked if it may have been delivered to my neighbor... I was like how would I even know that and how is that my problem or my job to check?? But I told them there was nothing outside his gate and I even peeked under his gate into his patio to be sure.

I guess I got lucky because they refunded me. But I bet you if it was a higher value item, or if it happens again, Amazon will probably ban me for trying to scam them.

Oh yea, weren't they cyanide pixie sticks? Fucked up.

He didn't put a comma after faith, it was part of the "faith and trust in our own senses" part. However I'm not quite sure what he means by that. But it doesn't sound like he's talking about religion