Comments for My Road to Freedom

Comment on Benny my Boyfriend by Nina

Nina — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:38:20 +0000

@Phil – I used to live right near Uptown. It is an interesting neighborhood and has changed so much since I lived there. In any case, greetings from Wicker Park!

Comment on Benny my Boyfriend by Phil

Phil — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:01:52 +0000

I love living in Chicago, too. Greetings from Uptown!

Comment on Magazine Ghost Subscriptions by Nina

Nina — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:21:29 +0000

Ooh, thanks for investigating Diane. I have a B & N account. I wonder if it came from them.

My sister got a ghost subscription too, but when she called to inquire, they said it came from her ordering make-up from ELF. Apparently, it was a free gift. But as we all know, nothing in life is quite free.

Comment on Magazine Ghost Subscriptions by Diane

Diane — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:00:52 +0000

Your post prompted me to do some research and I discovered that my subscription came from M2 Media Group, which apparently gets our personal information from a lot of major companies and then sends us free magazine subscriptions and makes it rather difficult to cancel said subscriptions. A few of the companies that I found were connected with M2 Media Group were Barnes & Noble, eHarmony, Orbitz, and Choice Hotels. I recently ordered business cards from VistaPrint and then my ghost subscription started showing up shortly after and sure enough, I found a connection between them and M2 Media. I am a little confused as to what they gain by giving us free magazines except that maybe they hope we’ll forget we never ordered it in the first place and just automatically pay the renewal in a year? Not sure, but I am going to attempt to cancel mine and then look for another place to get my business cards when I run out.

Comment on Magazine Ghost Subscriptions by Diane

Diane — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:42:56 +0000

I recently got a ghost subscription in the mail too and it has been baffling the heck out of me! Except my ghost subscription is for Money magazine, which doesn’t interest me in the least. Booooooo! I’d much rather have gotten your selections.

Comment on Come on Over, Unless of Course, You’re an Unexpected Guest by Nina

Nina — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:33:56 +0000

@ Shasa – Very informative. I’ve never tried that standing at the door thing. I must remember that technique.

I guess I just feel strange about telling people that it isn’t a good time b/c somewhere along the lines of my life I was told that it’s just plain rude to turn a guest away, but now that I’m married and have a child, I’m reassessing who the rude one is.

I used to love people dropping by in college, but this isn’t college anymore. I need some notice.

Comment on Come on Over, Unless of Course, You’re an Unexpected Guest by Shasa Hashbrown

Shasa Hashbrown — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:19:33 +0000

@Angela – hahahaha, that’s funny.

@Janina – the unexpected/unannounced visit is a rare thing. Usually a Hey-I-just-happened-to-be-in-the-neighborhood visitor doesn’t want to come in/stay for long, but, rather, just say “hello” because they’re in the neighborhood. I’ve been that guy before. And, even–since cell phones–I never stop by without texting or calling to say “Hey, I just happen to be in your neighborhood.”

Aside from my girlfriend who visits a lot, I also don’t get ANY visitors. Single guy in a 1-bedroom apartment. After being in hospital last weekend, my mother decided for me that she would both visit me and spend the night at my place to help me around the house. Other than this, no one ever visits me–neither announced nor unannounced. If I really wasn’t comfortable or ready/able to let them, I’d meet them at the door closest to the outside and stand with the door open and talk to them, but let them know that I can’t have a guest over at this time. Otherwise, I love talking, having people over, and catching up and would probably let them in.

Comment on Come on Over, Unless of Course, You’re an Unexpected Guest by Nina

Nina — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:27:23 +0000

@ Angela – LOL! I’m thinking I need to be a little more vocal about the whole calling in advance thing.

Comment on Come on Over, Unless of Course, You’re an Unexpected Guest by Angela Brown

Angela Brown — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:23:22 +0000

Honestly, I don’t have very many guests. Mine tend to call in advance, arrange a time to come by or something. Otherwise, their going to get the deep, commanding voice yelling “Who is it?” if they just show up. When I do that, most people get a bit frightened.

Comment on Fighter or Flighter: On Being Attacked by Aaron Lewis

Aaron Lewis — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 06:10:50 +0000

I was taught the opposite: it’s safer to comply than to resist. One night when I was doing laundry at my dorm two guys came in, blocked the door, and wouldn’t let me leave. As soon as they shut the door I knew what they were going to do and it didn’t even ocur to me to defend myself. Then one of them tried to grab me, and I rammed into him so hard we broke the lock on the door and ended up in the hallway.

The next day Ella and I signed up for a Rape and Aggression Defense class where I concused one of my instructors during a simulation.