on being "normal."

last night, while sewing another "hooter hider" (i seriously LOVE that they're called that) for my very pregnant sister-in-law, john informs me that he's listing some items on craigslist.  i had recently been telling him that we needed to de-clutter before the little man arrives, so being the thoughtful, attentive husband he is, i'm sure he was just demonstrating active listening.

now, don't get me wrong.  if you know me at all, you know i love a good deal, and i have nothing against buying used merchandise for a good price.  (i've found many a treasure at thrift stores, antique stores and garage sales!)  however, craigslist in my little town seems... a little off.  it seems perfectly acceptable in larger cities like chicago, and i know my chi-town friends have scored many a deal after persuing their regional site, but here, it just seems like we better leave that idea to a larger metropolis.  honestly, the people who list on craigslist in my iowa town seem to have a really inflated idea of what their stuff is worth, and it's always cheap crap that you could buy brand new at wal-mart for less.  so, i'm just not a fan of my local craigslist.

but more than that, since i've started doing some court appointed work, i've become frightened that craigslist transactions might force relationships with some with whom i shouldn't interact.  i don't know.  maybe i'm being irrational.

well, anyway, i warned john to meet any potential buyers in well-lighted, public areas during the day and to accept only cash.  he shrugged my concerns off and told me i was being paranoid and that "of course" he planned to accept only cash. 

today he got an email from someone interested in purchasing all of his wares.  he's, of course, excited about this and eagerly shares the news.  me?  well, i react exactly how i expected i would.  overly cautious.  and suspiciously.  totally normal.

me: do you have this guy's name and contact information, john?
john: yes.  he e-mailed me back.
me: ok, well, i'm going to look him up on iowa courts online to make sure he's not a felon or something.  (*note: john is not selling firearms.)
john: stephanie, he works at a local computer technology firm.
me: i'll tell you what he does.  what is his name?
john: mike *****.
(i sign onto the public access court website to discover that buyer has a failure to wear seatbelts charge, a failure to control his vehicle charge that was dismissed and a failure to stop at intersections charge that was also dismissed). 
me: well, he seems to be a little negligent when it comes to operating his vehicle, but otherwise, fine.  just be careful. 

do other people do things like this, too?  i'm going to safely assume the answer to that question is no.