It's not so cool to live in Manhattan

So this is a pretty scary story. I am just warning you. This morning I was getting ready for work and was about to walk out my door- when there was a knock on my door. Being a very cautious and paranoid person, I turned off my lights, went to the door and looked out my peephole. There was a man standing there. Description of man: White, Lean but kind of buff build, probably early 50's, a full head of salt and pepper (with a little more salt) hair, 6'0", in a green jumpsuit with some patches on the shoulder. Here is what went down:

Through the door, I say " Can I help you?"

He says "Yeah, I need to come in. I am here for extermination."

I had not received notice from the building that there was going to be any kind of extermination going on, so I say to him "I am not aware of any extermination taking place today."

He responds, "Yeah, well I am here for the monthly service"

I respond, "Well, I didn't sign up for a monthly service"

He sort of chuckles strangly and says "Well, I brought your newspaper up to you"

I do get the Wall Street Journal at home. It sits on the stoop of my building until I get to it in the AM. Sometimes, my downstairs neighbor Warren, brings it inside the front door for me. There is a label on the paper with my name and address on it. I think I am going to start getting the WSJ at work.

I walked away from the door and went to look out the front window of my apartment (which faces the street). I couldn't see any kind of extermination service van or anything parked out there. When I went back to the door, he was gone- though I heard someone running up or down the stairs. I couldn't hear him knocking on anyone elses door though. I tried to call my super Joe, to see if maybe this guy was legit and there was some extermination that had been planned that we hadn't gotten notice about. Joe, as usual, didn't answer his phone. So I tried the Management office. It was before 9am so it was a longshot- they didn't answer either.

I sat, kind of scared in my apartment for a good half an hour. Then I called my friend Kristina- told her what was going on and just had her on the phone with me in case some crazy was waiting to kill me in the hallway.

I made it to work and then tried calling my super and the management office again. Joe didn't pick up, but the management office did. They said that they do have a monthly extermination service, but that they are set to come on the first Thursday of every month. Today is Monday, and it's the middle of the month.

So I called the police non-emergency line. They connected me to 911 who told me that I needed to speak to an officer IN my precinct to file a report. So I left work and came back uptown to the Upper East Side to file the report, because heaven forbid I read in the paper tomorrow that someone wasn't smart enough to keep their door closed and this guy killed them.

The police were fairly unhelpful. This woman office who talked to me gave me a lecture about how I should have called when the guy was here. Next time, I will just do that. I got that same lecture from Suzanne (my boss) when I got to the office. I don't know... I just have never had to call the cops before so I don't know what the protocol is!

Anyway, I am at home now. Kristina came back to my apartment with me. The management company is supposed to be changing my locks. I kind of freaked out at them on the phone so I think it put the fear in them to FINALLY do something after 2 years of living here.

It was the first time in my 3 years of living in Manhattan that I have even been TRULY scared. I think I am going to have to get some pepper spray to keep on hand.