in which our heroine engages in some peer review

I think one thing that separates sane people from insane people is that sane people actually expend some effort to make sure they are not insane; to sane people, being sane matters enough to work on it a little. Insane people couldn't give a shit. I know a woman who is pretty much universally agreed to be a little bit batty. Nevertheless, every time I have an interaction with her, I ask myself, "am I crazy?" I go over the situation one more time. Sometimes, I'll check with others, cross-referencing my sanity. I always come out on top. Today, she said something insane in front of a large group of people. There were two or three seconds of awkward silence before the stifled tittering began and someone tried to piece together some kind of response, and I know what was happening during that pause. People were checking to make sure they were not the crazy ones. And they were right. The crazy woman, however, did not question the awkward silence. She didn't question the befuddled response. She just stood there nodding like everything was normal. Because. She is. Insane.