I am starting to wonder if the fingerhold I have on reality is starting to slip a little. I have a wonderful friend. She gets herself worked up about a lot of things that she should probably let go. I know we all do that but she makes it an art form. It is fascinating to watch. One of the things that would send her over the edge was stores asking you for your information when all you want to do is buy a hammer or something else pretty insignifagant. It upset her that everyone insisted they have that information or they could not sell you anything. In the begining I thought she was making a mountain out of a mole hill but now I am starting to agree with her. I don't want to end up cutting myself off from society alltogether but sometimes I think the conspiracy nuts have a point. I am tired of having to give out my address, phone number, name, rank and serial number to buy a pack of gum. I am tired of seeing cameras everywhere. It seems when the government introduced the Privacy Act, our privacy went out the window. It kinda drives me crazy that I have no control over who has my information. I have no control over who takes my pictures. It used to be I could run to the grocery store in my sweats and not worry about anyone seeing me. Not anymore. Our local grocery store has pictures posted everywhere of shoplifters taken from their survelliance cameras. Since I don't steal that doesn't bother me.What bothers me is the pictures of the people in the backgroung. The people who were minding their own business just picking up forgotten items in order to make dinner. They now have their picture plastered everywhere too. You use the bank machine, they take your picture. You drive a car through an interesection, they take your picture, you enter a store, they take your picture. Never with your permission. Who knows what they do with those pictures or that information? I am now getting phone solicitors calling me on my cell phone. Where did they get the number? I thought the privacy act prohibitted companys from giving out that information. Since I know I didn't give them the number, where did they get it? Since the phone bil is in my husband's name, I can't call them to ask about a charge on the bill. They cite the privacy act but they can sell or give away my information? Something is seriously wrong with this picture. I know I am starting to sound a little paranoid but I am starting to feel that way. I now make up names and use phone numbers from when I was a kid when I am asked for that information. So if you get a phone call asking for "Jim Shoe" or something equally bizzarre. I appologize. It was me.