I knew I should have just gone through the drive-thru at Arby's. That's what I was planning to do. But nnoooo... I wanted a salad and went to Bi-Lo instead.

I'm standing in line with my stuff and the check-out guy is looking up the price for the two Roma tomatoes I got when the lady behind me in the line pipes up and asks the kid how much those two tomatoes were. $1.22 the kid says. The lady looks affronted and pushes up right next to me and says she had some tomatoes out in her car she could give me. Meanwhile the kid has finished scanning all my stuff, I'm getting out my debit card, and the lady is RIGHT next to me. Crowding me at the card scanner. She can see it better than I can. I think I must have mumbled something, I don't remember saying anything just swiped my debit card as fast as I could and speed-punched my PIN number. Having done data entry for 12 years now, I can punch buttons pretty damned quickly when I need to. Feeling distinctly unsettled on a variety of levels, I grabbed up my stuff and got out as quickly as I could.

1. I'm 37 years old, I've had a decent-paying job for 12 years now, and the last couple I've been making pretty good money. I'm proud of my ability to pay my own way and take care of myself. I neither need nor want hand-outs from anybody. I'm at the point where I don't even like getting birthday and Christmas presents anymore. When I need something I'll tell people.

2. Older people apparently have no clue about personal space and NOT staring over someone's shoulder when they're punching in their PIN number. This is a major faux pax in the modern world, and impolite in the extreme. DON'T DO IT.

3. Aside from the whole PIN number thing, I hate being that close to strangers. DON'T barge into my personal space. The only people I allow that close to me anymore are blood relatives and people I've known for fifteen years who were my ex-husband's groomsman and best man at our wedding. I don't even like my ex-husband close enough to touch me anymore. A good rule of thumb: If I make a deliberate and obvious effort to touch you, you are allowed to touch me with a comparable level of familiarity. Shoving your way into my personal space without my permission I consider to be highly suspicious. Continuing to do so I consider to be a threat.


Grr. All I wanted was a salad.

Well. It's starting to thunder and lightning, so I'd better get offline.