Dana, my sympathies, and wishing comfort and strength to you.

I have a suspicious, paranoid-leaning nature. I've worked hard to get away from it, to the point that I now *choose* to not believe the worst of anyone or a situation till I have some confirmation. I'm also the most gullible person alive, and so I've built a wall of skepticism against gullibility. Prove it and I'll believe it. I can't imagine allowing myself to continue through life as paranoid and gullible as I started out--I wouldn't be able to function. So I've no doubt I get ripped off when I could avoid it. But it's a decision.

2012 is a very pleasant place--so far.

My grandparents died within six months of each other -- my grandfather as much of a broken heart as anything I guess. It was damn tough on my mother and aunt, so Dana and her family have my sincerest sympathies.

I have a suspicious, paranoid-leaning nature. I've worked hard to get away from it, to the point that I now *choose* to not believe the worst of anyone or a situation till I have some confirmation. I'm also the most gullible person alive, and so I've built a wall of skepticism against gullibility.

My friend Alison is like this. When she and her husband came to visit SF we were walking around North Beach and were standing outside some house admiring the architecture. And the owners came home and invited us in to check the view from the rooftop deck, and we were all like, "Cool! Let's see San Francisco from the top of this hill!" and Alison was shooting us glances indicating that these guys must be serial killers and were obviously going to kill us. She even made sure to take pictures of them when she was on the roof so that when the police found her dead body there would be evidence. OTOH, she was too polite to not to go up to the roof of the very nice people who were simply house-proud and not murderous in the least.

But I always loved that she took pictures of the Not-Murderers as evidence to be found with her corpse.

But I always loved that she took pictures of the Not-Murderers as evidence to be found with her corpse.

Were these sneakily taken pictures with a spy camera that they wouldn't find when they rifled her dead body for valuables? Because, as someone who more often than not does go into the stranger's house--that's a really dumb plan.

My grandma died almost 20 years after my grandfather died- I know she was so very lonely for a long time. Peace to you and your family.

That's why you Facebook 'em.

That's why you Facebook 'em.

Then you have to log out of FB so they don't just fire up your device and delete the photos toute suite. These are evidently the worst non-murderers *ever*.

OTOH, she was too polite to not to go up to the roof of the very nice people who were simply house-proud and not murderous in the least.

I think if I were pondering, "Oh, I shall take pictures so that my murderer can be identified" that the smarter path would be to politely decline going into the house at all.

ita, glad to be wrong in my assumptions. I hope it did not seem like I was implying you were being at all foolish or careless.

OTOH, she was too polite to not to go up to the roof of the very nice people who were simply house-proud and not murderous in the least.

There's a great and interesting moment in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo where the killer muses that the fear of offending someone is actually higher than the fear for one's own safety.