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.)

My sole personal experience with a guy who identified himself with Mormon was pleasant and positive. If I were just coming at it through Orson Scott Card and Stephenie Meyer, it would be less so. Damned shame, that.

OMGWIND.

I half think I got windburn walking from the garage into the office. Ow.

I slept through the night with no disturbing intruder/ghost/dreams, and the dog is still asleep next to me. I did have the dream where you`re chewing gum and the gum just keeps getting bigger until it fills your whole mouth and then you have to take it out but it sticks to your teeth. But to make up for that, it happened in an ethnic music instruments store where I saw a drum luke an oud I`d never seen before. I was surprised because I thought I knew about all percussion instruments, but it turns out I just mad this one up too. Way to go brain, very creative.
 
I would also like to say I have never tried to proselytize anyone on the plane. Although when I was a wee thing I did once say non-denominational to an unsuspecting nice businessman who`d asked where I was going (church trip) and then what church.
 
We are too rural to get Mormons anymore, but we used to because this is a big town for them. We made friends with our cute tie wearing pair that came to our house and spent a lot of time talking to them, although we established at the beginning (like timeshare) that we wouldn`t be converting. I think they were just happy to have a conversation instead of a closed door.