Paranoid?

Okay, so maybe I've watched one too many episodes of The First 48, Criminal Minds, CSI, and Dateline. While making me super paranoid, they've also taught me to be observant and aware of my surroundings.  For example, if I see someone sketch, I try to remember everything about them...just in case.

Well, today, I had a little experience at Ingles.  Yep.  I thought someone was going to kidnap me...at Ingles...in Pickens.  Hey, it can happen, right?

So, I'm sure this is me just being completely paranoid, but this man was acting SUPER sketchy when I pulled in the parking lot.  He was walking across the lane, returning his cart and I had to stop to let him pass so that I could pull in the spot (no, this isn't the sketchy part.)  I think the look on his face was what made me a little weary of him.  Well, I pull in and he just stands there at the cart return behind my car for an awkwardly long time.  So, I don't get out of my car.  Then...he goes back and gets in his car that was parked one car down from mine.  I decide to wait until he pulls off to get out of the car.  He doesn't pull off.  So, I do the whole 'act like I'm on my cell phone' thing (I know, I'm a loser).  Anyway, he STILL doesn't pull off after like 5 minutes of a lot of 'fake talk' on my cell phone.  I'm thinking, "Who acts this awkward in an Ingles parking lot??  I know, I know.  I'm acting pretty awkward myself.  At this point, I was not about to get out of my car because I'd have to walk by him.  After he refused to leave, I decided I'd just leave and go somewhere else.  Oh, but wait.  As soon as I pull out of my parking spot, HE pulls out behind me.  Totally freaked out at this point.  Luckily, I get to pull out of the parking lot quickly, and he gets stuck by traffic.  I drive really fast so that I can get out of his sight, and I turn down some random road so that he won't know where I went.  I just kind of drive slow to give him time to go past, then I turn around and head back to Ingles.  I know this sounds SUPER lame of me, but hey, better to be safe than sorry, right?!    

For those of you wondering, "What would you have done if he had followed you from the parking lot?"  Well, he would have followed me right to the police station...just like my mama taught me!

So, for all you home-intruders out there in blog land, you should be warned, I have a shotgun and a knife within reach at all times, and...if I just came from work, I may even have a box cutter in my back pocket.   WATCH. OUT.