[nabs-l] When NFB philosophy doesn't seem to work... advice?

Sophie Trist sweetpeareader at gmail.com
Wed Feb 5 12:38:14 UTC 2014


Bobbi, I agree with your suggestion of blocking the number.
She barely knows this person. She shouldn't have to deal with 
another girl's baggage just because that girl has mysteriously 
(and somewhat creepily) chosen her to unload on. I understand 
listening and being sympathetic to someone's problems, but 
enough's enough! There's a point where you shouldn't have to deal 
with it anymore. Besides, it sounds like the girl needs 
professional help, not just the listening ear and consolation of 
a friend. Maybe if she blocks this stalker's number, it will 
encourage her to seek help from a counselor or psychiatrist.
 ----- Original Message -----
From: Carly Mihalakis <carlymih at comcast.net
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>,National Association of Blind Students 
mailing list <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Tue, 04 Feb 2014 18:31:04 -0800
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] When NFB philosophy doesn't seem to work...  
advice?

Hi, Bobbi,

Don't you think someone oughta deal with the problem directly,
personally and not do something so chicken shit as block your 
number?
for today, Car
4908-209-3239


I would suggest calling her house and speaking with her parents. 
Or
having her phone number blocked.

Bobbi A. L. Pompey
(336) 988-6375
pompey2010 at yahoo.com
http://pompey2050.wix.com/bobbi-pompey

 On Dec 27, 2013, at 5:29 PM, Kaiti Shelton
 <crazy4clarinet104 at gmail.com> wrote:

 Hi all,

 I have quite the puzzling situation on my hands, and I am not 
quite
 sure how to handle it.  Thoughts?

 Almost four years ago my mom and I went to this 3 day seminar 
for
 students in the state voc rehab program with visual impairments.  
This
 Friday evening to Sunday morning seminar was designed to show 
students
 and parents from around the state different employment options 
that
 were available, ranging from vending and call center jobs to 
taking
 the college route to get a degree in a two or four year program.  
A
 friend of mine and I, who lived close to each other, were 
hanging out
 early on.   All of a sudden, this other girl was hanging all 
over him
 and would not give him his personal space.  It was very odd,
 considering that this was a very short period of time in which 
this
 all happened.  Less than 24 hours after the students had met, my
 friend was so creeped out by the almost constant and unwanted
 attention that he began to avoid this girl.  Other students, 
seeing
 how creeped out he was and some creeped out themselves due to 
the same
 thing, ended up following suit.

 I was sixteen at the time, and could feel for my friend.  The 
girl was
 very much in my face a lot of the time too, but I was a bit more
 patient with her throughout the weekend.  She seemed to be worse 
with
 the guys than the girls too, so I had a little more space than 
my
 friend.

 About 3 months after the program in the summertime, she started
 calling my house.  The parents at the program were given a list 
of the
 other parents who attended, along with their phone numbers, so 
they
 could swap resources if they so chose.  This girl got the list 
from
 her parents, and was using it to call me and my friend, possibly 
other
 students as well although I am not sure.  The calls started off 
being
 about once every so often, then increased.  She was a very odd 
girl,
 and liked to complain and cry about her problems to me and my 
friend.
 There was nothing social about the calls, just complaining and
 negativity, and mumbling which was really weird.  He quit 
talking to
 her much sooner than I did because I tried to get her to see 
that
 being visually impaired, (she didn't like the word blind since 
she was
 a large print reader, and kind of used that to elivate herself 
above
 other people), was not the worst thing in the world.  She would 
cry
 and complain, and even tell me I didn't understand how bad 
things
 were, when her descriptions of things made it sound like she was 
very
 overdramatic.  I decided at the end of my junior year, a year 
after
 the calls started coming, that I didn't want to talk to a 
downer, and
 that I wasn't going to be able to convince her that blindness 
didn't
 mean the end of the world.

 The girl continued to call.  My senior year was very busy with
 activities and preparing for college.  I would come home from 
marching
 band practices to find my siblings quite frustrated because the 
girl
 had kept calling, sometimes as much as 5 or 6 times in a span of 
a few
 hours.  They didn't want to answer the phone because whenever 
someone
 told her I wasn't home she would instantly get teary and mumble 
things
 to herself, and it was very weird, but they didn't want her to
 continue calling either.  I remember one night over Christmas 
break of
 that year, she called and when I told her I was getting ready to 
leave
 the house, which I was to go pick up someone coming in from out 
of
 town for the holidays with my family, she got angry and wanted 
me to
 give her my cell phone number.  I told her that I didn't want to 
give
 it out, and she started to get upset.  Then I really had to go, 
and
 there was the characteristic mumbling.

 My parents have told me that for the past year and a half that 
I've
 been in college that the girl has continued to call.  My mom has 
told
 her that I live at school and do not come home much multiple 
times.
 My younger siblings, in frustration, have told her that I've 
moved
 away and have begun making up different things to tell her to 
try to
 discourage her from calling.  She continues to call, and around
 Christmas it is always terrible.  A few nights ago she called 
when my
 parents were asleep a little after  11:00 at night, and has 
apparently
 called and left messages late at night before.  My parents have 
to get
 up very early for work, so In order to stop the ringing and to 
prevent
 a message from playing over the machine I had to answer.  
Everything
 was exactly the same.  I was heading to bed myself, so I told 
her that
 I was asleep when she asked for me.  The fact that she had 
called at
 such a late hour didn't seem to phase her, there was just the 
mumbling
 and usual stuff coming over the line.

 I don't quite know what to do.  I've tried to be positive with 
her and
 that hasn't worked.  My family has told her that I no longer 
live at
 home and am away at school among other things in frustration, 
but
 nothing seems to phase her.  I know she still calls my friend's 
house
 as well, even though he does not live at home any more either.  
I
 don't quite know what to do about this.  I barely know her and 
she
 barely knows me, and in spite of this I have tried to help her 
with no
 success.  My parents and siblings have said that we should just 
block
 her calls, but I have hesitated in doing this while I was in 
high
 school because I didn't want to be mean, and then I honestly 
forgot
 about her for the most part while I was at school last year and 
last
 semester because I can't get calls from her there.  After the 
call a
 few nights ago, I don't really know what to think.  I am 
slightly
 creeped out that even after my parents have told her I am not 
home for
 the past year and a half that the calls are still coming.  What 
do you
 think I should do?

  --
 Kaiti

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