I asked a woman who works at a nearby bookstore out last week. Her response was an enthusiastic 'maybe.' No really, she was enthusiastic.

Rock on! I hope it works out. There were definitely a few customers when I worked at Whole Foods who I always kinda hoped would ask me out. And last summer, I asked out the guy who sold me my bed. (insert joke here) Moral of the story: asking out people you meet in stores is a good thing and should be encouraged.

I used to never ask store employees out. I figured that female store employees got hit on all the time, so they must be tired of it. Eventually I decided that if the woman was genuinely friendly to me (i.e. not friendly in the mandated, "Have a nice day!" fashion), that it was OK if I asked her out in a non-obnoxious manner.

I'm skeptical.

So am I, although mostly I am just not that kind of gal. I like conversation.

As a former store employee (and a female one), tommyrot, I think it's perfectly OK. I mean, as long as it's not done in a creepy or rude way, obviously. But, it's like someone said above. Being asked out by a nice person is almost always a good thing, because you can totally say no if you actually don't want to, but it's really flattering.

Thanks, Frank. I've just started the hunt for the righ bp meds, and I'm not looking forward to it. (My dad told me yesterday that it took him two years to find anything that worked. Joy.)

Just to balance out your skewed data pool, it took me about 3 months. (And actually, the first 2 BP drugs I tried *did* bring my BP down; they just also had intolerable adverse effects, like passing out and extreme exhaustion.)

I am glad they are looking for other causes -because quite likely there is something else. but I will say for those of us that shot up to the stratosphere with the bp - the medication worked pretty quickly.

Well, as they keep telling me insistently, I'm too young to have high blood pressure like this.

Not really. I mean, you aren't typical, but you aren't a Freak Of Hypertension, either.

Hee. I just got my message from Jilli.

I did not talk to the boy. Well, I took him back to the visitor's center. That was it.

Hee. I just got my message from Jilli.

Well, I usually carry through on my threats. If they involve calling people, that is.

I did not talk to the boy. Well, I took him back to the visitor's center. That was it.

Drat. I still think you should have talked to him.

just also had intolerable adverse effects, like passing out and extreme exhaustion

God, yes. Cloni-something was guaranteed to knock me out an hour and a half after taking it. I'd be working away and realize I'd been asleep for a couple of minutes. I had to time when I drove because I didn't dare within the half-hour narcolepsy timeframe.

For some reason today I have a flood of spam with zip attachments. Dozens of them. This one from "admin@fbi.gov" was particulary amusing. Gee, do you think I should open the zip file?

Dear Sir/Madam,

we have logged your IP-address on more than 30 illegal Websites.

Important:

Please answer our questions!

The list of questions are attached.

Yours faithfully,

Steven Allison

*** Federal Bureau of Investigation -FBI-

*** 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Room 3220

*** Washington, DC 20535

*** phone: (202) 324-3000

A slew of messages with my login and password for whatever attached too. I haven't received this much crap in one day in ages.

For some reason today I have a flood of spam with zip attachments. Dozens of them. This one from "admin@fbi.gov" was particulary amusing.

I got that one today too. We must be on a watch list.