Do you cross-shred?

I got to attend a fun event by Staples several weeks ago with a bunch of fun chicks, and I'm pretty sure I'm the last to post on it, so be sure to check out their excellent posts. Ooh, I got to meet her too. Although they targeted bloggers, much of the focus was on personal security, thanks to this hilarious spokesperson.

G'head, check him out, it's Bill Stanton. He's got quite the pecs, eh? Not to mention great stories and a gun.

Given that I live in an a second floor apartment with two very loud dogs, who even bark at ghosts flying by, I'm not too worried about safety in my house. I do like the idea of educating my kids a bit more of how to react in unsafe situations, but I sure don't want them to live in fear.

For identity theft, even though I've actually known people who had horror stories around, I just can't seem to get too worried. My ex was absolutely paranoid, but my current husband could probably do with a bit more paranoia. I'm going to check my credit more, and haul all my personal mail and junk to work, where I can get it all shredded for free (tip: if you're really serious, make sure your stuff is cross-shredded). I thought the example of good old Bill going to an office and finding personal stuff on and in someones desk was interesting, so I'm going to get a little less complacent there. Plus lock my computer up more.

We got a great swag bag, but again since I work a lot of the stuff I need is there. I gave the cable lock to my husband since I have one. His security measure is to use a reusable grocery bag instead of the more obvious laptop bag (oops, just gave that one away). A friend of told him laptops have especially high vapor pressure in airports in coffee shops (get it, they evaporate quickly). The best was the easy button - have not yet found a use for that, though. I've started to load up my many free memory sticks with pictures, but am considering a hard drive.

And here' s one more look at my beautiful (and tall) blogging buds.