It was recently revealed that Russian spies posing as “ordinary” Americans were arrested. They lived in happy surburban homes. They sent messages to their handlers using invisible ink. They posted images on the internet with secret, coded texts hidden in them. They had “American” children. One alleged spy, Anna Chapman, was a “demure, divorced 28-year-old who said she founded an online real estate company worth $2 million.” They were, in short, “normal” Americans, which is probably what gave them away.

Jessie Gugig, 15, said she could not believe the charges, especially against Mrs. Murphy. “They couldn’t have been spies,” she said jokingly. “Look what she did with the hydrangeas.”
Quotation from In Ordinary Lives, U.S. Sees the Work of Russian Agents by Scott Shane and Charlie Savage (The New York Times)

“She said they were from Canada.”
Quotation from Lila Hexner, who lived next door to one of the spies.

Certain people make a habit of anger. They seethe with resentment, which is very hard for them to overcome. Some psychiatrists consider this chronic bitterness to be a mental disorder called Post-Traumatic Embitterment Disorder. The scary fact is this happens also to “normal” people who suffer an unexpected setback such as job loss, divorce, or financial shock. I wish there was a simple, green, heart-shaped pill available to cure everyone’s anger!

They feel the world has treated them unfairly. It’s one step more complex than anger. They’re angry plus helpless.
Quotation from Dr. Michael Linden, who estimates 1% to 2% of the population meets the criterion for Post-Traumatic Embitterment Disorder

Embitterment is a violation of basic beliefs. It causes a very severe emotional reaction… We are always coping with negative life events. It’s the reaction that varies.
Another quotation from Dr. Michael Linden

I heard this at work today: “This is the New Normal.” It was spoken in reference to the increased regulation and oversight under which the financial industry will now operate.
I also heard that former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said another global financial crisis is inevitable. “The crisis will happen again but it will be different,” he said.
That sure sounds like the “Old Normal” to me.

It’s human nature: unless somebody can find a way to change human nature we will have another crisis.
Quotation from Alan Greenspan

I used to Overflow with frequency, but I’m getting better at Underflowing. This feels to me like reverting to the mean, which I’m told is normal, but it makes me feel ordinary. Underflow denotes a loss of precision, which is closely approximated by zero. I want to be greater than zero.

In behavior, normal refers to a lack of significant deviation from the average.
Definition of Normal according to Wikipedia.org

Sometimes I can’t get out of my own way. I keep thinking things will “return to normal” and I’ll get caught up, but things are never normal.

Got in the Way of a Train (New York Times, August 16, 1888)

And you are such a fool to worry like you do
I know it’s tough and you can never get enough
Of what you don’t really need now
My, oh my, you’ve got to get yourself together
You’ve got stuck in a moment and you can’t get out of it
Lyrics from U2, Stuck In A Moment

A fantasy is delicious content,
a private theater
that speaks as much to our life
as our life speaks to our imagination.

You May be Afraid to Talk About Them, but Sexual Fantasies are Normal (Psychology Today)
Top Ten Women’s Sexual Fantasies (HealthyPlace.com)

“Fantasy love is much better than reality love. Never
doing it is very exciting. The most exciting attractions
are between two opposites that never meet.”
Quotation by Andy Warhol, From A to B and Back Again

“Although one of his long-standing fantasies
was to open a house of prostitution, the fantasy
role he chose for himself was that of cashier.”
Quotation by Jesse Kornbluth, about Andy Warhol