The Recluse

Rich over at fourfour was talking about how people our age have been bombarded with ad campaigns, school programs, and afterschool tv presentations all centering around kidnapping since we were little. He jokingly talks about how he was afraid to walk to the bus stop by himself until he was 12 because of it and I totally know what he means. I was born in 1984 and by the late 80s I was in school, too, and I remember stranger danger being drilled in to my head. Mix that with some Unsolved Mysteries and America's Most Wanted (my parents didn't allow these shows, but we snuck them in, thank you daytime cable tv) and I was a basketcase! I would dwell on the fact that it was only a matter of time before I was kidnapped or someone would break in to our house and murder us all. TV and school had me convinced every grown up I didn't know was a monster just waiting til I was alone to snatch me from the playground and take me far away where I would never see my family again. Luckily, I'm still here and I was never kidnapped or murdered while I slept, nor was anyone I knew, but I do think it was those early exercises to learn how to always be hyper-alert that have led me to be the panicky person I am today. I still find myself convinced that every bump in the night is a murderer/rapist waiting outside my window just waiting to get in, and that every new, slightly creepy, older person that I meet is formulating a plan on how to kidnap me as they shake my hand. I also panic when it is time to book my flights, as if it's a game of chess and if I pick the wrong one out of a set of dates and times, I will be punished with a plane crash...kindof like Final Destination or something. Anyway, thanks crappy 80s after school specials and "very special" episodes of Save by the Bell and Punky Brewster for screwing me up so completely! ;)

Edit: Another sign those 80s Specials screwed me up and turned me in to a panicky person-I thought the world was coming to an end when I woke up to an orange sky this morning. (Not really, but a good way to segue in to my next posting about the massive dust storm we had all across NSW today. Hopefully photos will be up later today or tomorrow.)