I sometimes really enjoy talking to seatmates on flights, especially if the flight is particularly long. Normally, however, I just end up being too shy to initiate conversation.

The only time I desperately wanted to talk to someone on a plane was the first time I flew to China, and I was terrified, but the guy next to me only spoke Korean and so conversation was sort of out of the question.

Next stranger who asks me if I'm Saved is going to get a long yet polite explanation as to why that is none of her business, and a presumption upon knowing the will of God. Why loud protestations of faith can't be trusted, debate works versus faith as proof of devotion, and so on.

If they don't start edging away from me within ten minutes I'd be really surprised.

I used to get that all the time at school (I found myself spending my time at university in not one but two very conservative, very religious cities) and I always had such trouble answering them. I found that telling them the truth that I don't believe in God had one of two reaction: they'd try even harder to "save" me, which... never really went well, as I found I had often read more of whatever religious text they were trying to push than they had, or they just got very, very frightened and could barely carry on speaking with me. And I don't like to go around scaring people to death.

I don't like to go around scaring people to death.

Aww, that's entirely fun.

My favourite random place to talk to strangers is the Urth Caffe on Melrose. For some reason, even though I've never been there before, striking up conversations with strangers is the norm. Sometimes I do it, sometimes it's done to me, but it's always random and fun, and the people seem to be characters. The memory of the last Jamaican guy I started talking to there still amuses me. But I'll never forgive Colin for talking me out of starting up a convo there. He's a pretty crappy wingman.

I am up way too early. Pain meds, please kick in. Thankfully I'd already asked to work from home today. They're at the painting stage of the construction, and the lobbies are just toxic triggers for me right now.

I've had to have the "I have some headache triggers" conversation with my boss, who acknowledged his nosiness was, well, nosy. I'm not entirely sure what to tell my peers.

Hmm... outside of Mormon missionaries and the occasional Jehovah's Witness, no one asks if I'm saved. I'm not super approachable though. It reminds me of msbelle who gives good Leave-Me-Alone face.

Last night one of the moms at Noah's school program stopped me and said, "I've seen you around UCLA." Now that in and of itself wouldn't be odd, except UCLA is about 30+ miles from Noah's school. I thought she meant the writing project or the work I've done with kids.

No.

She meant the medical center. She clarified and said, "the procedures unit." Within the pediatric clinic there is a special unit for infusions, especially for kids who get chemo. Grace get the occasional blood draw there. We've only gone once to the procedures unit but they do share a lobby with the rest of the clinic.

So while I'm not really open to convos about god, I do get them about broken kids.

In other news, HI! It's really early.

My leave-me-alone face is apparently also a come-on-smile! face which is truly annoying. I get approached. But even the Mormon who came to fly with me didn't really try and proselytise. In fact, I think I kept him talking about Mormon longer than he was expecting, what with Orson Scott Card and Shawn Bradley.

I'm so well educated, it burns.

what with Orson Scott Card and Shawn Bradley.

and Stephenie Meyer! and Idaho Falls! and Jesus jammies! and Elizabeth Smart!

Or maybe those are just who I bring up?

Or maybe those are just who I bring up?

Way too early for Stephenie Meyer and Elizabeth Smart. This was in '94. Don't know anything about Idaho Falls.

I lived in Salt Lake City for a little bit, so I got lots of Mormons trying to convert me, but in my experience they were always much nicer about it than the Lutherans I dealt with in Minnesota/North Dakota. I had girls in North Dakota literally refuse to speak to me ever again solely on account of my not being Christian. Whereas the Mormons hung out with me all the time. Maybe they just thought they'd convert me on account of their being nice.

I am normally really tough on religion, but I defend Mormons and Mormonism to an absolutely illogical degree. I'm not really sure why this is, probably just because they were all so damned nice to me, but I am fully aware that it doesn't make any sense.

The only time I've been seriously cornered by Mormon missionaries was when I went to a friend's baptism, so I was prepared.

The surprising part was how much the missionary who glommed onto me and wouldn't let me leave until I took a Book of Mormon looked like Danny Elfman.

(I did eventually take one to make him go away, and then discreetly left it on a bench in the garden after the first three random pages I opened to ALL had incredibly disturbing passages about how Jews needed to be washed clean with blood because woah were we ever misguided and/or evil. And not metaphorical blood either.)