So I decided to stay Julia Pimsleur, and show my loyalty in other ways, like allowing Neil Diamond albums to play in my home for the next 40 years (or at least until I could get my hands on noise-cancelling headphones).

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The other concern I had about opening my home to strangers was that my life would be on display.

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My home state of North Carolina, like many other states, is debating whether to expand Medicaid as part of the Affordable Care Act.

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Strangers phoned my husband's work, attempting to find out our home address and other personal and financial details.

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On the other hand, if this is all too close to home (my own 40th disappeared in the rear view mirror some time ago) we can take comfort in the fact that this research was carried out with civil servants and therefore may well not apply to human beings at all.

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Oh, what pleasure to plug in my three-pin British plug the other evening in Inner Mongolia, so very far from home.

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Many of my colleagues, along with 6 million other people in the Northeastern United States, are stuck at home in various locations without electricity or Internet access.

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"My eldest sister, Rebecca, came home crying after her first day of school because there were two other Rebeccas in the class, " she said.

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The only other North American soccer facilities that come close in terms of atmosphere for my money are Red Bull Arena and the Home Depot Center.

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