tvm

Yes, it's not "scientific", but generally categorizes people with similar behaviour quite well. If you know your classification then there's a fair chance that there are more people that have same problems as you and gives you chance to read about their experiences and solutions.

Such behaviour can be hardcoded for certain types of personalities and is not bad per se. You're just trying to achieve something that isn't compatible with your personality.

I'd perhaps recommend doing an MBTI personality test (there's a bunch of them on the internet). This might help you to understand the mechanisms behind your behaviour and most importantly give you some hints how to make yourself useful.

I recommend to consider psychologist only as last resort.

Your boss is probably just trying to buy some time to find a replacement. I've seen this happen numerous times. You'd probably end being at same position for some more time (meanwhile the other company finds their employee elsewhere). After that you will be informed that this new position was cancelled.

This is employers best trick do if they don't want you to leave immediately or don't want to give you some larger salary raise which would make you stay.

I'd leave.

I'm using Mint with Cinnamon on my main laptop. It works reasonably out of the box including rather great multimedia support.

I've used Debian for more than fifteen years and I wouldn't go back, at least on desktop. These new distros made me terribly lazy.

This can be somewhat misleading.

eg.,:

http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/jul/22/gun-hom...

Brazil, Italy etc. - significantly lower percentage of firearms between citizens (say compared to USA), yet there are percentually more homicides performed with firearm.

Open office is a deal breaker for me, because it simply underlines the ignorant approach of the company towards their employees - especially coders.

I have yet to see someone that performs better when constantly distracted or interrupted. Socializing ? I do that in my free time at other places and with people that I choose on my own.

Employee monitoring ? If you need such desperate measure to ensure that workers actually do their work, there's something terribly wrong.

Best setup from my personal experience are small 2-4 person offices.

I'd say that if it's regular contract, you pay the tax in the country where the company resides (+ social / health tax). Freelancing is different and the pay is taxed in the country where you reside.

I've had E30 and E34.

While the technical level and overall comfort was very nice, they were terrible rust buckets.

Their current models can be fun though. Eg., try to change headlight on E70 (yes, you're going to need a hoist and rivet gun).

BMW is just not what it used to be.

I've been on several SSRI/SRNIs. These shitty drugs made everything only worse to me (Paroxetine, Venlafaxine, Escital, etc.)

From top of my head: - Constant diarrhea - Heightened anxiety - Trembling hands - Gastrointestinal problems - Inability to concentrate - Anorgasmia

I quit this junk at some point. I also quit my corporate job and forgot about doctors. Exercise, cutting down stress, drinking tea and enjoying simple things now. I feel like I'm living again. I spent whole day sitting at park with book today, watching my daughter play and I'm very content.

It might sound like cliché, but that's how it works for me now.

Honestly, I regret that I've ever touched these silly pills.

From my current seasoned POV: depression is just a symptom that tells you that you aren't doing something right in your personal life.

I feel threatened when I see police guys nearby.

I was fined in my early twenties, because I just turned around my car where it was possible - it didn't happened on the street and police officer told me that I have violated the law. I have argued for long minutes only to give up and pay the fine.

When I checked the laws regarding this, there was no reason to fine me, but it was too late. The paragraph on my ticket was also completely bogus and the fine was already paid.

Not so many years back I was traversing the pedestrian crossing on completely calm Sunday (no car in sight). Of course there was red on the semaphore, but that would only mean spending senseless minute(s) to cross two and half meters. Officers were nearby, just waiting to fine me. What works here - you can always tell them that there's nothing to talk about, hand them your ID card and tell them that you'll be glad to visit their office once they're down with all the paperwork. Since the paperwork that needs to be done is quite obnoxious, whole thing is usually silently discarded (win).

To conclude - I don't expect anything from police. Most normal people around are reasonable and they will do whatever is needed to stop or alleviate the things that endanger someone.

Being fined because bandage from your compulsory first aid kit in the car expired week ago is just completely senseless. Why would a thinking human trust and feel safe around people who enforce such thing(s)?

This is Czech Republic, heart of Europe.

I know that they maintain a nice museum over there. Thoreau's books were translated into most European languages and frankly, his writing influenced me a lot during my early twenties.

I'm fan of Thoreau and I live in Europe.

I don't understand how exactly he shaped America?

During the "Walden" period he lived simple, frugal life and invested his time into things he cared about (eg., measuring the depth of the Walden pond in winter). After his crops were ready for the harvest, he took them to the city and sold them with minimal effort, being fascinated by the fact that he didn't have to do almost anything, while he enjoyed all the luxuries of sensible, spiritual life.

He wasn't only author that did such things, but the society really never cared or cares.

Thoreau is forgotten, but for me, at least during his Walden period - he was a proper "hacker".

I'm quite sure that he would condemn the mark of being one of these who shaped the America (or world), because this is not what he wanted.

Yes, the main deal is that the fight/flight system gets triggered too often, even in inappropriate situations. The result is devastating.

Well, it's more complicated than that. Your hand will start to tremble uncontrollably when someone looks at you. Your face will blush, your legs will start to shake. You might eventually go and vomit. Elevator filled with people is of course extreme case. But I was in the elevator alone. I just couldn't open the doors of the office, take a sit in my corner and greet all these great guys that I've worked with for many years.

I'm not sure what caused that. I've actually acted as a project manager in my early twenties and everything was fine (I could handle meetings and all that idiocy just fine). Then it all went downhill and I can't tell if the onset of these symptoms was gradual (and I was just simply ignoring them) or if they appeared suddenly.

Honest answer: Yes a serious problem. Two years ago I've had panic attack in the elevator and I was just technically unable to go into office where I worked (I've had a good job and I was content there). Doing ordinary things like groceries, etc. was terribly hard.

Went through brain CT, EMG and some other tests and after some months psychiatrist gave me F40.2 (social phobia) stamp.

Went through various medications that made things much worse (yeah, all these medications actually tried to retain serotonin in the brain). Rivotril and other drugs that actually "disable" the brain work, but they aren't the solution. Being extremely tired also works, but it is not very practical.

It's rather debilitating illness and my life went to hell.

Being a person diagnosed with social phobia I thought that myself many years ago. All the SSRIs and SRNIs actually made whole thing worse.

There are better things to do than arguing or trying change opinion of people that are confident in their ignorance. It's like arguing on the internet.

If that's not your thing, I would try to change workplace.