Alan says I'm a pessimist. I'd like to believe I'm just well prepared. On the whole I believe things will turn out just right - I just find it comforting to have Plan B in my back pocket. Even when there's almost no chance it will be needed.

I chalk it up to having a fantastic imagination.

Take today. Walking home from work this afternoon, I saw a folded dollar bill on the sidewalk. Of course I bent to grab it. Only, once I was holding it, I saw that it was only part of a dollar. It represented maybe 20% of a full bill, but had been folded in a way that it looked like more.

Since it was useless, I pitched it in the next trashcan I saw.

And then... five steps later... the gears in my brain started to spin.

It was like someone had folded the dollar to trick people into believing it was whole. 

What if that had been a trap? 

I mean, if I were a terrorist, trying to randomly start an untraceable plague, that would be a great first step...

Step 1: Taint money with incurable virus.

Step 2: Cut money into bits and fold using clever origami technique to make each bit look whole.

Step 3: Scatter on well-traveled sidewalks, right before rush hour, near trash cans. 

Pretty clever, you must admit. While some people may walk past a coin, who isn't going to stop to pick up a dollar? And by only placing *partial* bits, you ensure people won't want to keep them after they examine them. And by scattering them near trashcans on busy streets, you've ensured the evidence will get incinerated relatively quickly.

Brilliant, no?

In fact, it was so brilliant that my first thought was: I need to write this down when I get home. If I ever write an espionage thriller, I'm totally going to use this technique.

And then my second thought was: Must. Wash. Hands. Immediately.

And my third thought was: Don't. Touch. Face.

And my fourth thought was: Alan might have a point.

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