IF you want a weapon I suggest a piece of closet rod about 30 inches long. Then find a cop or GOOD martial artist who'll teach you how to use it as a nightstick. You can break a wrist with it with little effort, you can jab it into a solar plexus, swing it up between a man's legs, break kneecaps, jaws, and noses.

And if you have a GOOD jui-jitsu instructor in town, I highly recommend lessons. You needn't be a black belt -- all you need for self-defense is calm, thinking, and really KNOWING and being willing to USE no more than a half-dozen holds, throws, and escapes. All the knowledge in the world won't help if you don't have the will to fight -- fight with the knowledge that you WILL hurt someone who is going to hurt you.

Talk your way out if you can, run if you can, fight only if you absolutely have no other choice -- and then fight all out, no holds barred, as if your life depended upon it (which it would).