5 Quick Steps to Being "Taken"

I finally watched "Taken." And yeah, I guess I agree with my parents--this movie is very, very realistic.

IF:

--I lied to my dad and told him I was visiting a few museums in Paris when in reality I was planning a tour of the entire European continent, following a rock band

--my only partner for the trip was a ditzy 19-year-old who thinks that "caution" is a brand name

--the first thing I did after disembarking an airplane in a foreign country is make friends with a strange man, let him take my picture, share a taxi with him, and show him the exact apartment in which I will be living, adding that my friend and I will be staying there ALONE for a whole month

--I agreed to attend a "party" with said man, knowing nothing about him except that his name is "Peter"

--as I hid under the bed from my evil kidnappers, I said, "Whew, they're leaving" when they hadn't even gotten both feet out the bedroom door

Genius! Pure genius.

Disclaimer: I am not by any means denying the existence of kidnapping/slave-trafficking, which is a very real and dangerous thing. But with proper precautions and a dash of COMMON SENSE, I firmly believe that encountering such a situation can usually be avoided altogether.