I've brought up the class ring thing before here - I didn't give two shits about one, but my grandmother dutifully insisted that I had to have one, and drug me down to a local jeweler to get one. It wasn't cheap, something like $150 in late 80s dollars, all for a piece of stainless steel with a fake cabochon in it that I don't know where it is and probably would toss in the scrap bin if I found it again. It was because "You need to have this..." even though there was no reason why. Phone numbers are another thing. I don't know the one attached to my phone, it's not important. I have calls turned off, and I look it up when I need it for something. Places ask for it, some have abandoned fully working systems for one that revolves around phone numbers. They look at me like I'm stupid when I say I don't know it, don't care about it. I almost was unable to make a purchase at Micro Center (the store that used to have a fully functioning customer information system) today because I said I don't give a fuck about phone numbers. There are other things, I've always enjoyed my solitude, but I've had many people over the years tell me that I would most certainly be married popping out crotchfruit and this and that and the other, to the point of one sad woman telling me that I would most certainly be married and she would require me to re-do my entire house to her liking and and and...yeah. Fuck off lady. The thing that brought this all to mind was a conversation with an old fuck at work. He's one of those people who has bought fully into the medical system. Dutifully takes his blood pressure and cholesterol pills and pain pills every day because that's what you do when you're old. Dutifully gets all the procedures and shots the doctor tells him he needs for something his age without even questioning why. I don't remember how it got started, but I said I didn't take the company's insurance (cost,) and didn't see a doctor and probably never would again if I had anything to say about it. Well, I would. I would have to. Because as you get older, you have to. Not "should," or "is a good idea," but "you have to," like the television was telling him that this is what you did when you were 60 or 70 or whatever. He was very serious about this like he was lecturing a small child on How You Do Things. I just looked at him and went "I don't have to do anything just because you were fooled into doing it." Not exactly like that, I was more polite because I try to keep on good terms with my coworkers. You could tell however, that it just went right over him and the processes made him ignore it because that's not what you do at your age. Too bad old man, you were had. I don't plan on doing that.