No neighborhood is safe these days, unfortunately. My home was burglarized 8 times in two years: probably illegal aliens setting up housekeeping--I would come home from work to find no knives, forks, pots,pans, towels, jeans, etc. down to the alarm clock & of course anything small & valuable. The sheriff advised me to get a dog; said there was no way they would ever be able to prevent the crimes. I also had my wedding ring stolen by my handyman (I think). I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the criminal has some connection to the workers who have been in your home. Maybe the contractor is suspecting the wrong guy. Could you stand to borrow someone's dog for a while? Otherwise, get the camera up for sure. He may have thought you would be gone already by 0630 or might be able to sneak in somehow at that time. Be careful with that gun! He would be happy to steal that too, you know.

I agree with your assessment millworkman. To the extent that I can feasibly soundproof walls without having to tear into the wall too much, I would consider that in addition. Given that I'm on the 5th floor of a condo building (i.e. its not just my preferences that matter), I may have problems doing much. I plan to get a professional assessment as to whether there are other avenues for noise pollution to get into the unit. Again, would have thought that it would be fairly easy to have a number of options for replacement soundproof windows in the NYC. If I had any handyman skills or interests, it'd be a good business opportunity.

I love dreadlocks, don't mind tattoos at all and piercings don't bother me for the most part unless they are extreme. haha they only bother me if I imagine how much pain they may have caused. I am sorry that your friends thought that you wouldn't be hired because of your hair or how you look. If my server had any of those things it would not bother me as long as the person was clean, neat and tidy. Times have changed. I don't know many young people that don't have tatts or piercings and they are all going to need jobs. When my niece was hired 20 years or so ago to work at a day care they made her cover up with a band aid a tiny sun and moon tattoo she had on her ankle. The kids asked more questions about the band aid on her foot and could not have cared less about that tattoo. I also have a nephew with sleeve tattoos on both arms, a few piercings. He was a manager in a grocery store and now a big name box store. My nephew is one the sweetest, nicest guys you would ever want to meet and would go out of his way to help any of the customers but I used to overhear some of the remarks that customers would make along the lines of why would anyone hire him, etc. There is so much more to a person than what they look like, and what decorations they wear or hair styles they have. A potential employer not hiring a person with any of these things might be losing the best employee they may have ever hired.

Mine was almost waist length until a couple of years ago, when I moved into a new role at work and thought it would look more professional if a bit shorter. Of course, I've since gone all the way to a short bob, more of a pixie-bob style, actually, and it's a nice change after having had very long hair for many years. I've worn, over the course of my life, my hair in all different lengths, and I think if you find a style that is flattering and you feel good about, it doesn't matter how long or short it is. I will say that not having long hair on my neck and around my shoulders when it's 115 degrees in the shade is incredibly liberating, as is the fact that I blow-dry for 3 minutes in the morning and I'm DONE. No flat-or-curling iron necessary. Just blow and go. I couldn't do that with my long hair, as it required more "fixing" to maintain its style, and I never really liked ponytails (or knew how to do a decent-looking updo). I guess it's a trade-off (at least for me), because either I go see my stylist every 5 to 6 weeks for a trim when it's short, or I spend longer each day fussing with it when it's long.