Anthropophobia

God invented caller I.D. for a reason. I personally could not live without it. I can't even comprehend picking up a phone without knowing who is on the other end. What if it is some ex-boyfriend that you don't want to talk to, or a sales call, or those annoying university calls begging for money on Friday evening at 8:59 pm? Isn't it just so much easier to let the machine pick it up?

Someone needs to invent a visitor I.D. We have one of those ugly steel front doors with a tiny peephole. You really have no way of knowing who is ringing the doorbell without looking through the peephole or sneaking a peek through the window beside the door. I can never look through the peephole because I feel like the person on the other side can see my eye and that freaks me out. I don't like to look through the window because it is obvious when the curtain is moving and the blind is separated by 1/2 inch, that I am indeed home and just trying to see who is out there. Why not just answer the door, you ask? Same reasons as above. I cannot say no to people and if you are a door to door salesman, chances are that I will buy something from you. I got this from my mother who once bought a Christmas tree from a traveling Christmas tree salesman who knocked on our door. We later found out that the trees were stolen. Better that I just pretend no one is home.

Last evening a man rang our doorbell. A hush fell over the house as we tried to decide whether to open the door or not. Mr. JuJu determined that the man seemed to be going door to door and that we should just ignore the bell. He was more than likely trying to sell us insurance or cleaning supplies that we don't need. Ok then. We quietly waited for him to go away. Once he left the neighbor's house and continued on up (or down?) the street, we found that he had left a pamphlet in our door with a personalized note hoping that we would be voting to re-elect him Mayor of our city in the upcoming November election. That's right. The Mayor was at our home and we hid from him.

I missed my chance to ask him why there weren't any black people living in our community.

Comments

[Mom]

Good post JuJu, methinks you speak for millions. Although, it is rare in PA to see door-to-door soliciting, maybe it's different in OH. I hadn't thought aboot (can't kick that habit! lol) the tree incident in awhile. If I remember correctly, every needle fell off that tree in a pile. Maybe you need to get one of those pseudo-barking dog things... Or move back to PA where no one knocks on doors...

[joanne]

Once my parents had ripped out the carpet in the hallway and were in the process of putting in hardwood floors. All that was visible was the cement subfloor. A door to door vacuum salesman came to the door and offered to show me a vacuum. I looked at the floor and looked at him and said, "No carpets." He made some statement about we could use it on the furniture and I said "Dude, do you see the floors, you think we have furniture?" He left in a hurry.

[Amanda]

I never answer the door unless I am expecting someone. Who knows the mayor could have come to my house too and I hid from him too.

[Becky]

THANK YOU!!! I have tried to explain to my husband, family and friends that just because someone calls you or stops by your house you are not obligated to answer!! Sometimes I just don't feel like talking on the phone, no matter who is on the other end!

[JoJo]

JuJu, I agree with your mom, just move back to PA where ppl don't go door to door. :)

Miss you all BUNCHES!!!!!

[Mellie Helen]

Our gated community has a sign at the entrance: "No Solicitors". And that really keeps 'em out (not). I wish I could look out my peephole, but it was placed in our front door for people of normal height, not oompa-loompa pygmie dwarfs such as myself. What I need to do is install a spy-type periscope to the door's peephole so I can see who's trying to peep at me.

[Ben]

Ahahahaha....

That's funny.

Next thing you know, you will be hiding from the Govenor or the President.

Funny.

[Pamalamadingdong]

I do the same thing! I never ever ever answer the door unless I know who it is!!!! And the phone? Ugh I don't have caller ID right now (new phone..didn't notice NO ID SCREEN when I bought it) and most times I let the machine pick up to screen it.

[Chris]

Visitor ID. That's sheer genius!