Cash, when help was so close by, I don't blame you. The woman may not have been thinking clearly... and it may sound really paranoid/suspicious of me, but also it sounds like the opening scenario of a scam where someone tries to invade your house.

(This is the third time in a few days when I've jumped to the worst possible scenario interpretation of a situation. I wonder if I'm going through a paranoid phase or something.)

In other news, the first workday of the new year is starting up here and I'd better get dressed and out the door before it's too late!

I'm just naturally more suspicious now for some reason. Maybe I'm just more protective of my kids. The dogs both got a half a can of cat food as a treat this morning. Things like this remind me why I love having them around. I do think they are great at warning people away and I know for certain, nobody could break into our house without us knowing about it. It's sort of comforting.

Timelies all!

G didn't get today off, though I did. Therefore I woke briefly when the alarm went off, then snoozed some more. I'll probably make a trip to the mall for a few things after I shower and dress.

I got to work, chatted for a few minutes with flea, and ran downstairs to the lab, only to realize after I got here that everyone else in my group is still on the vay-cay today. I could be useful, but instead am rather magnificently bored.

I am so tired today that I want to die. After not being able to sleep last night, I also forgot to set my alarm for this morning. So I woke up at 8:35. (I'm supposed to start work at 8:30.) I really wanted to call in sick, but I didn't. The whites of my eyes are red and my eyelids are all puffy. I think some of my co-workers think I've been crying.

Sue, maybe you can use this to your advantage and get people to leave you alone.

I miraculously remembered to turn my alarm clock back on for this morning. I have a new one that has a Monday-Friday setting and turns itself off after an hour, which is awesome, since in general I never have to touch it, but it did wake me up on the Friday I had off a couple of weeks ago.

Sleeplessness all around sucks.

Cash, I had something like that happen when I lived in Palo Alto, in a gated building. I gave the woman money so she'd go away. Which of course meant she showed up again a week later. Ugh.

I've been up since ~4:30. As usual.

I opened the door one day in the middle of the afternoon to two youngish ladies dressed in the local standard of church clothes. They ask if they can use my phone. My house is usually a mess, plus I don't want to let people in because--well, because I'm essentially anti-social. So I say, "There's a 7-11 just down that street." They look mortally offended and say they don't like going to places like that. I point out that it's the middle of the afternoon and repeat that, no, I'm not letting them into my house.

I don't know if they were the advance guard of trouble-makers or, at most, a proselityzing crew, but even if they were just clueless, shouldn't they worry that a stranger who lets them into her house might have nefarious reasons of her own?

they don't like going to places like that.

But they don't mind going to complete strangers' houses?

Yesterday I went to the local Osco to use the ATM. A well-dressed man was standing outside saying, "Excuse me - I was wondering if you could help me?" I said that I was in a hurry (I was) and went about my ATM-ing. The guy was asking everyone who went in the store.

Later I wondered what he wanted. I'd be annoyed if it involved money, because the guy could obviously afford nice clothes. Then I thought that even non-poor people can run out of money (I know I have)... but it still bugged me.

I mean, maybe his car broke down and he needed a few bucks or something... but I've gotten stories like that before, and most of the time you just never know if they're true.