Speaking of cell phones..
 

What? Please explain. Husband unit and I get a new phone about every year and have never figured out what to do with the old ones. We have sold a couple (we always get hosed for the expensive ones) to people who want a better phone. Right now we have the same one Tony Soprano uses, but we have 2 fairly new Nokias. Are you saying they can still use them with no service/basic service?

I have AT&T, and concur with all who said Sprint sucks. To the highest mountain. Really really look into T-Mobile coverage as their rep for service is sketchy at best.

Close call
 

Nice Marmot.

Agreed. The best I can come up with is the first time I knew for sure I heard a gunshot, it was directed (kinda) at my parents. But I didn't see anything and didn't even know what happened until the next day. They were down the street and a bad guy stole my mom's wedding ring (and her deceased mom's wedding ring which she also wore). My dad's wouldn't come off and the guy fired the gun to back up the threat that he would shoot off my dad's finger if he didn't get the ring off. However, he was foiled when the neighbor came out with his shotgun and scared away the bad guy.

None of the rings were worth much of anything, and they didn't have any other stuff on them (were just out for a walk) so really the guy didn't get much. He wasn't caught ever.

This is intended to be a somewhat amusing story and to show off that I have changed my avatar yet again. I kinda miss Salome but I guess we are just not meant to be. I'm gonna have to get some extra veils for Miss Piggy, though -- I don't think seven will cut it.

Hey Peter, watch your cornhole, man.
 

This has a whole different meaning after watching all those episodes of Oz.

Tweeking -
 

Some kids we played with were shot by their father, who also shot his wife and then himself. I didn't see that either, though. I think the explanation I got was that he was depressed and had always had kind of a dark side.

Who helped you find that avatar this time, cheating heart?

it's one of the generally-available ones. On the second page. After kermit. I am not cheating; I'm trying to make people happy with the resources available, however meager.

Well, first, I'd like to say that I'm sorry for each and every one of the incidents in which each and every one of you was truly a victim.

Second, in answer to the original question, I was the victim of an attempted mugging when I was like 9 or 10. I had money in my sock (pre-wallet days), and had gone to a public zoo with my father and siblings. As it turned out, my big brother walked up on what was happening and scared the shit out of the 3 muggers (all pre-teens). 15 minutes later we ran into a copper. He put it out on his radio and voila, next thing you know we are in juvenille court as witnesses. Turns out the kids had mugged some other kids that day too. No surprise there.

Other than that I've never really committed a serious crime, cept drunken driving for which I was never caught. When I was 20 or so I was caught up in a riot as a bystander with my sister and her friends. All I can say about that is get out of the way, cuz one way or another someone always gets hurt. Just like a barfight. When it starts, just look for the exit before someone throws a bottle in the wrong direction.

As an adult, I was exposed for years to thousands of crimes. Shootings, rapes, absolutely horrifying vicious muggings, you name it. And riots. You volunteer for this stuff for society and you'll get it. And it'll affect you. But I don't think these experiences were where the thread was ever going, so I won't take it there.

Anyway, again, I'm very sorry for the crimes you'all have encountered.

Tweeking -
 

And what mental picture would this be? My curiosity has been piqued!

I don't twitch anymore because I've developed a tolerance to caffeine. But my hair looks just as bad as Tweek's on bad hair days.

Speaking of cell phones..
 

By law (or maybe design) all phones have to be able to connect to 911 even if they don't have a service plan with them. Women's shelters usually collect them and give them to women in case the batterers come back. (presumably they could sign up for service with them too, but really is the free 911 calls).

Of course, you need to give them the battery charger too.

You are correct. On advice from mental health professionals and her family, the DA felt that, as an autistic person, she was already emotionally fragile, and to even attempt to get her on the stand would be too much for her. Hence the plea bargain.

My attacker was extremely angry that I was able to prevent him from returning to his former hunting grounds (the city where I continue to reside in). One of the conditions of his parole was that he had to check in daily with his parole officer. I can't tell you how terrified I was to receive a telephone call one Friday afternoon from the police warning me to make alternative living arrangements until he was caught as he had failed to check in with his P.O. They assumed he was returning to his home town, and they were concerned that he was going to attempt to locate me because he had continued to harbor great anger towards me.

Speaking of cell phones..
 

I can explain this one. It has been federal law or something for a long time (96?) that all cell phones can call 911 (and perhaps an operator, but I'm not sure). All cell phones, whether otherwise activated or not. The thing is, don't try one just to make sure. Take my word for it.

hmmm
 

Why does everyone think Contreras is going to be or needs to be replaced? I think he's a lock at 3rd in the rotation. Does anyone have a link to an article saying otherwise?

Wants the paycheck, but also wants to be at home.

TM

Same here. That all sounds terrifying.

I was sort of in the middle of a shootout on a freeway once, but I think I posted about that already. And I know that I posed about the police looking in my yard after getting a report that someone was looking in my window earlier this year. Other than that, I did have to take protective measures when I was in law school and I was working for a battered women's shelter. I was doing some advocacy work on behalf of a client whose ex-husband was found outside her door with a knife, and when we walked into court, he made a point of letting everyone that came in with her know that he'd be happy to go after us too. Unfortunately, that year, the stalking law was declared unconstitutionally vauge, but fortunately, going near his ex- was a violation of parole, so he was put away for awhile. My client went on to testify before the legislature as to why a new stalking law needed to be put into place pronto.

One of my sister's assistant was murdered last year. The police, when they came to interview her, said that it was one of the most grisly murders they'd ever seen. They caught the guy, and being in Harris county, I have no doubts that he was/will be sentenced to a long long time.

A friend once sat on the jury in a capitol case. Knowing the facts of that case, I probably would have put that woman on death row too.

Speaking of cell phones..
 

I was wondering about that. If I may add another piece of advice, don't google to find out what "bukkake" means. Lucky for dtb I passed this kernel along..

Also, be careful of certain web sites that seem to be about cathy the wretched comic strip. It appears that the cartoonist does not do Cathy's image justice.