I don’t own a cell phone, but upgrading my cordless phone to something with a 911 auto-dialer button is high on the to-do list.
The rest of your list—bucket of cold water assumes I either have time to fill one or am keeping one or several around where I’m likely to knock it/them over, plus if he’s that close I expect I’m better off running. Camera flash is a useful idea, plus it might generate a useful ID. I’m considering pepper spray, but that seems likely to make the house pretty unpleasant to be in afterward. I don’t have any local friends who would be especially useful in that sense. Stabbing seems to have a lot of the same problems as guns—I’m more likely to have the knife taken away and used against me, unless I somehow manage to surprise him, which seems pretty unlikely.
“but that seems likely to make the house pretty unpleasant to be in afterward.”
But the house would only end up being unpleasant if it was used to prevent far more serious consequences. As a particularly effective deterrent, it seems still worth it.
In the current legal climate—even given that you’re a woman—I would recommend against lethal force. There’s too much training involved, particularly in the legal deployment of said force. Weapons are more likely to be turned against you, or to wind up with you arrested.
Tazers are similarly hard to use. The elctrode-shooting variety would require skill and stable mind; the other hand fall to all the problems of unarmed combat. He’s probably stronger than you.
Pepper spray, on the other hand, would be a perfect weapon. Non-lethal, probably legal (or at the very least at a low level of ‘illegal’ where the cops wouldn’t mind, just this once), and you don’t have to have perfect aim to employ it. As for the side effects, it’s not that bad; about on par with burning something on the stove. Your eyes will sting a little bit, and you’ll dry-cough occasionally, but your house won’t be ‘unlivable’ during the 1⁄2 hour it takes to disperse.
With this enemy, I wouldn’t recommend fleeing, or avoidance. Those only work against non-targetted attacks, such as street muggers. They don’t care who they rob, just that they rob somebody. With this individual I strongly suspect that he has you targetted specifically—at the very least he’s doing it because you’re the best looking woman in the neighbourhood (by his definition—there’s something about you he finds attractive), at worst you’re the best woman period—which means there’s a decent chance that he’ll pursue you after you move.
Your goal, then, should be to utterly dispatch this enemy. Approach defense, not with the goal of aversion—as you would with, eg, house thieves—but with the goal of ensnarement. Capturing his face on camera, subduing him and phoning the police, something like that should be your goal.
Also, for the camera—digital cameras see in the infrared spectrum (try it out with the bead on the end of your remote control). Putting up lights will make him go to a different window—but putting up infrared lights will make him think that he’s still hidden in darkness, and wander straight into your trap.
In the current legal climate—even given that you’re a woman—I would recommend against lethal force. There’s too much training involved, particularly in the legal deployment of said force. Weapons are more likely to be turned against you, or to wind up with you arrested.
Uh, yeah. I don’t currently think this guy wants to kill me. Killing him is not a goal.
Tazers are similarly hard to use. The elctrode-shooting variety would require skill and stable mind; the other hand fall to all the problems of unarmed combat. He’s probably stronger than you.
*nod*
Pepper spray, on the other hand, would be a perfect weapon. Non-lethal, probably legal (or at the very least at a low level of ‘illegal’ where the cops wouldn’t mind, just this once), and you don’t have to have perfect aim to employ it. As for the side effects, it’s not that bad; about on par with burning something on the stove. Your eyes will sting a little bit, and you’ll dry-cough occasionally, but your house won’t be ‘unlivable’ during the 1⁄2 hour it takes to disperse.
That’s good to hear. Pepper spray is legal here, and I’ve basically decided to go ahead and get some.
With this enemy, I wouldn’t recommend fleeing, or avoidance. Those only work against non-targetted attacks, such as street muggers. They don’t care who they rob, just that they rob somebody. With this individual I strongly suspect that he has you targetted specifically—at the very least he’s doing it because you’re the best looking woman in the neighbourhood (by his definition—there’s something about you he finds attractive)
Ew ew ew ew ew ew ew. I recognize that this is true (it’s very unlikely that he wants me as a trophy to show off—I’m not traditionally attractive, and rather intentionally so), but being reminded of it squicks me out. Please don’t?
at worst you’re the best woman period—which means there’s a decent chance that he’ll pursue you after you move.
I find this doubtful. People of my general type are not hard to find. Also, it’s pretty unlikely that he’ll be able to find me at the new place—I work from home and don’t regularly go anywhere else in the community except the grocery store, which I’ll also be changing when I move, so it’s not like he can follow me to a job or a gym and then later follow me from there to the new place.
Your goal, then, should be to utterly dispatch this enemy. Approach defense, not with the goal of aversion—as you would with, eg, house thieves—but with the goal of ensnarement. Capturing his face on camera, subduing him and phoning the police, something like that should be your goal.
*nod*
Also, for the camera—digital cameras see in the infrared spectrum (try it out with the bead on the end of your remote control). Putting up lights will make him go to a different window—but putting up infrared lights will make him think that he’s still hidden in darkness, and wander straight into your trap.
He wasn’t too shy to come up to the window with the porch light on, in the second incident. Still, this seems like it might work in the longer term if the lights I have up now seem to scare him off. I’ll look into it.
You’re absolutely right in being reluctant to use dangerous weapons. The knife thing wasn’t meant as a serious recommendation for you—the girl I’m talking about has a sort of “killing spirit” like Eliezer’s Harry, not everyone can be like that, I’m not :-) If I were you, I’d skip the camera flash and just go with mace. But whatever you choose, remember to use it suddenly, without threat or warning.
I don’t own a cell phone, but upgrading my cordless phone to something with a 911 auto-dialer button is high on the to-do list.
The rest of your list—bucket of cold water assumes I either have time to fill one or am keeping one or several around where I’m likely to knock it/them over, plus if he’s that close I expect I’m better off running. Camera flash is a useful idea, plus it might generate a useful ID. I’m considering pepper spray, but that seems likely to make the house pretty unpleasant to be in afterward. I don’t have any local friends who would be especially useful in that sense. Stabbing seems to have a lot of the same problems as guns—I’m more likely to have the knife taken away and used against me, unless I somehow manage to surprise him, which seems pretty unlikely.
“but that seems likely to make the house pretty unpleasant to be in afterward.”
But the house would only end up being unpleasant if it was used to prevent far more serious consequences. As a particularly effective deterrent, it seems still worth it.
This is true. My observation does imply that I’d prefer significant pre-mace deterrents along with the mace, though.
In the current legal climate—even given that you’re a woman—I would recommend against lethal force. There’s too much training involved, particularly in the legal deployment of said force. Weapons are more likely to be turned against you, or to wind up with you arrested.
Tazers are similarly hard to use. The elctrode-shooting variety would require skill and stable mind; the other hand fall to all the problems of unarmed combat. He’s probably stronger than you.
Pepper spray, on the other hand, would be a perfect weapon. Non-lethal, probably legal (or at the very least at a low level of ‘illegal’ where the cops wouldn’t mind, just this once), and you don’t have to have perfect aim to employ it. As for the side effects, it’s not that bad; about on par with burning something on the stove. Your eyes will sting a little bit, and you’ll dry-cough occasionally, but your house won’t be ‘unlivable’ during the 1⁄2 hour it takes to disperse.
With this enemy, I wouldn’t recommend fleeing, or avoidance. Those only work against non-targetted attacks, such as street muggers. They don’t care who they rob, just that they rob somebody. With this individual I strongly suspect that he has you targetted specifically—at the very least he’s doing it because you’re the best looking woman in the neighbourhood (by his definition—there’s something about you he finds attractive), at worst you’re the best woman period—which means there’s a decent chance that he’ll pursue you after you move.
Your goal, then, should be to utterly dispatch this enemy. Approach defense, not with the goal of aversion—as you would with, eg, house thieves—but with the goal of ensnarement. Capturing his face on camera, subduing him and phoning the police, something like that should be your goal.
Also, for the camera—digital cameras see in the infrared spectrum (try it out with the bead on the end of your remote control). Putting up lights will make him go to a different window—but putting up infrared lights will make him think that he’s still hidden in darkness, and wander straight into your trap.
Uh, yeah. I don’t currently think this guy wants to kill me. Killing him is not a goal.
*nod*
That’s good to hear. Pepper spray is legal here, and I’ve basically decided to go ahead and get some.
Ew ew ew ew ew ew ew. I recognize that this is true (it’s very unlikely that he wants me as a trophy to show off—I’m not traditionally attractive, and rather intentionally so), but being reminded of it squicks me out. Please don’t?
I find this doubtful. People of my general type are not hard to find. Also, it’s pretty unlikely that he’ll be able to find me at the new place—I work from home and don’t regularly go anywhere else in the community except the grocery store, which I’ll also be changing when I move, so it’s not like he can follow me to a job or a gym and then later follow me from there to the new place.
*nod*
He wasn’t too shy to come up to the window with the porch light on, in the second incident. Still, this seems like it might work in the longer term if the lights I have up now seem to scare him off. I’ll look into it.
You’re absolutely right in being reluctant to use dangerous weapons. The knife thing wasn’t meant as a serious recommendation for you—the girl I’m talking about has a sort of “killing spirit” like Eliezer’s Harry, not everyone can be like that, I’m not :-) If I were you, I’d skip the camera flash and just go with mace. But whatever you choose, remember to use it suddenly, without threat or warning.