Accepting Body Guard Appilcations....
Mood:  chillin'
Ever since I moved into the house Lennie has been asking me when I was going to get a dog. Then he states I should look at getting a big dog like a Rottweiler or Doberman. My answer is always the same. Not anytime soon. The backyard needs to be fenced in first and I need to make more money than I currently make because, lets face it…my animals are spoiled and it costs a lot of money to keep them in the life they are accustomed to.

Last night this kid came to my door. I say “kid” because I swear he couldn’t have been more than 12. He was going door to door trying to sell home alarm systems. Which honestly has to be the worse job in the world. He must have been new to the whole sales thing because he was awful and lost me from the moment he uttered his first sentence. At one point he pulls out his cell phone to show me about what size the detectors would be and he sort of pushes me aside to enter my house to show me where they would connect. SOOOO NOT COOL! You never enter someone’s home unless you are given permission. This freaked me out a little. See on Monday night a guy came to my door selling magazines and he got a little pushy and a little odd. Asked a lot of personal questions that just made me feel uneasy and he refused to take no for an answer. I finally shot the door on him. They have been talking on the news about people who are going door to door trying to push their way into people’s homes. So when the alarm guy pushed past me my hackles went up. Luckily Lennie was sitting on the couch so I didn’t worry too much. I knew I could have taken the guy. I mean come on….he was like 12. But it still made me uneasy and I think Lennie saw that.

That night at dinner we got to talking about the incident and Lennie brought up the fact that I should look into getting some sort of home security. Jokingly I said, “I do have a security system. I have a deadbolt and an attack cat.” He looked at me and I knew he was serious. He said he didn’t care if someone broke in and robbed me because that stuff could be replaced. He worried about someone breaking in and assaulting and/or raping me. He didn’t worry about it so much when I was in the apartment because no one in their right mind would walk up those steps if they didn’t have to.

For some reason I was really touched by what he said. I know that he cares about me. I have never doubted that. But I could really see the concern in his eyes and it was just one of those “awww he loves me” kind of moments. I know that Lennie is worried about what will happen to me while he is in Iraq. He can’t protect me and I think that really eats at him. I have looked into alarm systems because my house is set up for one, but the monitoring fee is $30 a month and that is just not an expense I can tack onto my budget at the moment. I guess I will just have to practice my self defense moves some more. Anyone want to volunteer to be my practice dummy?

On a different note…

My friend Marie wrote in her journal yesterday that she was quitting her job and moving to Charlotte to be closer to her boyfriend. Although I will miss her terribly (now who am I going to go swing dancing and Ren. Fairing with?) I am excited for her. She is much braver than I am. From reading, I don’t think she has a job lined up which would scare the crap out of me. I am very much a planner and need stability. I envy people that can just pick up and go. Way to go Marie. I wish you all the best and hopefully you won’t be a stranger to Raleigh. Maybe we can have a girl’s night out before you go. I still have my CF to Tir Na Nog.

Different subject #2

For those of you who have been asking me about last week’s drowning…

On Monday they finally recovered the body of the man who drowned at Jordan Lake last Thursday. State Park Rangers discovered the body about 1000 yards away from where searchers were looking.

Details about the man and the incident started being release over the weekend. Here is how the story unfolded…according to the news. On Thursday Jamie Burney decided to head out on the lake with some of his friends. They took along with them a full cooler of alcohol. After drinking a few (or many) Jamie decided the water looked great for swimming so he dived right in. Burney was not wearing a life jacket and was partially paralyzed on one side of his body from an earlier accident. This might have prevented him from fully feeling how cold the water was. Water temperatures at Jordan are currently 68 degrees. Anything under 70 can be enough to cause hyperthermia. Jamie calls to his friends to jump in the water was fine. They jumped in but unlike Burney, they were wearing life jackets. They swam around for a nit then got back in the boat. Jamie’s girlfriend looked for him and noticed he was in trouble. She attempted to throw a rope to him but he went under the surface and never came back up. Scared for their friend they took the boat to shore to get help. In doing this they forgot where they had been on the water and they were unable to give the searchers the exact location. Which is why it took so long to find the body.

Jaime Burney was only 36 years old and to be taken so early is completely tragic. When will people learn to put on a life jacket? This gentleman would still be alive if he had been wearing one. It just completely saddens me. When I talk to people about putting on their jacket they always have some sort of excuse. It is uncomfortable, too bulky, I am too macho, it will ruin my tan, I don’t need one I am an expert swimmer. Well you know what? I would rather go out on the lake and be a little uncomfortable and come home safe and sound than go out on the water and come back in a body bag. I also consider myself and expert swimmer. I am even a certified lifeguard. But I would never get on the boat without a life jacket. What if you were to fall out of the boat and smack your head on something? You can’t swim if you are unconscious. Some people swallow water and choke. They panic and forget to swim.