People

[Eamonn]

I'm very much a people person.

I like people.

Strange thing is that I don't meet that many people I don't like. When you consider that I spend my working hours surrounded by convicted criminals, that's kinda funny.People ask me what is it like working with these people?

I tell them it's like working with a Pitt Bull. (I should add that I have never owned a Pitt Bull and I'm sure given a lot of love and a good home Pitt Bulls can be nice dogs.)

You can get to know these guys and get to like them, but the strange thing is that you can never really trust them.

This took a lot of getting used too for me.

 

I was in the bathroom at home shaving the other night, the TV was on in the bedroom Lies a new show on Fox was on. I have not seen it. I caught one guy saying to someone: "How many people do you really trust?"

The person, a female replied "Ten"

The guy said "When you get to my age that goes down to three."

I working on my list to see how many people I really trust.

 

This forum is a strange place.

Over the years, from things people have posted I know a little about a fair number of the "Regulars".

I have only met about 3 people who post here.

I have at times imagined what some people look like. (I think OGE has a beard! I don't know why. I do know if I needed an X-Ray, I'd ask his advise.)

I don't very many people here by anything other than the name that they post.

Still when I posted that HWMBO was ill, I was deeply touched by the prayers and kind thoughts that were offered.

I missed FScouter while he was away, I was sad when I found out he wasn't well and happy when I found out he was doing better.

I don't always agree with some people.

I admit to enjoy sparing with a few. Not that, that makes them wrong or me right.

Every now and then I look at the list of new members. Kinda sad that so few stick around.

It strikes me as being strange that we have a community of people who share so much with each other, when we don't even know each others names. What we do know is for the most part we do share a love of kids and want to see the next generation do well.

Eamonn

 

[FScouter]

You can trust me. I have a beard too, until the weather warms up. (This message has been edited by a staff member.)

[Eamonn]

I also know that you make outstanding Apricot Jam from your own trees!

Ea.

[packsaddle]

Eamonn, I like the analogy to the pit bulls. It is sort of like the Reagan approach to Soviet diplomacy, "trust but verify".

As for me, I tend to trust people until I detect evidence to the contrary. That helps explain my late, essentially gone, retirement investments. I trusted. I was wrong. And I've paid for it.

 

I've only met a couple of forum members, but I would trust all of the active forum participants. There are a couple of 'former' members whom I would not trust. I would, however, likely be very careful if anyone gave me advice on investments.

[Basementdweller]

You have never lived in a neighborhood infested with pit bulls. I am forced to mow my yard with a side arm, enjoying the deck in the evening. You guessed with a side arm. The neighborhood figured out where they were coming from and got Law enforcement involved.

 

With your analogy, I have no use for Pit Bulls or people you equate to Pit Bulls.

 

While you are correct that All Pits are not bad, is it worth the risk you life and limb.

 

Nope.

 

The internet a forums like this have killed debate and discussion. Nothing more fun than a spirited discussion among friends.

[packsaddle]

OK, Basementdweller, I'm wondering now if you are really writing about pit bulls, or just using that metaphor?

But compared to what you described, NOPE, I've never lived in a place like that.

I do have to ask, how do you have a deck when you are a 'basementdweller'?

[Eamonn]

No I have never lived in an area like Basementdweller

describes.

As a kid growing up in London. I lived in a very Irish neighborhood. Everyone seemed to know everyone, we all seemed to go to the same church, us kids went to the local RC schools and our Dads went for pint in the local pubs which were ran by people from Ireland.

I think I was about 22 years old before I knew that everyone wasn't Irish and that not everyone was Roman Catholic.

As kids we knew that if we did something out of line, that the local nosy neighbors would turn us in to our parents.

Strangely the area (Fulham) was known as a high crime area! It seems that there was a lot of organized crime, mainly dealing with stealing works of art.

When I became a Scout Leader the Father of two of the Scouts was a local criminal, known for fencing stolen goods. His two boys were really super kids and I never asked if the case of whiskey that he gave me every Christmas had fallen off the back of a lorry!

 

Where I live now is just great!!

I really love it. (Apart from the cold winters!)

We have very little crime, the people are nice and seem to want to go out of their way to want to help each other.

Sure the mode of transportation for most of the guys does seem to be a old very battered pick up truck with a gun rack in the back window. The big fund raiser for most of the local volunteer fire men seems to be a gun bash. I recently bought a ticket and ended up winning a gun. As I don't have any need for one I donated it back to the firemen. Right now with all the groundhogs making holes in my yard, I'm starting to wish I'd kept it. But I can hear HWMBO taking a line from the movie A Christmas Story "You'll shoot your eye out"!

I do worry a little that maybe living where we do might be a little too safe!! I wonder what will happen to OJ should he ever move to a not so safe place?

We do still seem to have a very strong sense of community.

This year the town opened the new library, with a great deal of money donated and raised by local people.

One thing that has always amazed me it that for a small town of less then 5,000 we have 13 churches.

I'm not sure if that means we are good or really bad?

Eamonn.

[Basementdweller]

I had a couple of horrible summers with both human and dog pit bulls. There was a grandson raising fighting dogs in his grandma's backyard and garage. The dogs were either turned loose or escaped, got chased back into my house one night while taking the trash cans to the curb. The dog was charging the door and crashing into it...... He was dealt with and I received a visit from LEO. Evidently you actually need to be attacked before you can take care of business.

 

Basically at dark you needed to be inside your house with the doors and windows locked and curtains drawn. A horrible way to live and it took 14 months for the city to work thru the legal process.

 

LE raided the house found evidence of fighting and removed/destroyed the dogs and charged the grandson. Grandma has since passed away and the house sold to a rental agency who puts new government paid low income families in the house twice a year.

 

 

Gangs, yep have those too, The young men and women involved typically come from single, no parent homes. They tag our fences and building, set fires and shoot things and people. LE knows who they are and it is being worked currently. Flee to the suburbs, Nope.

 

 

Just because I dwell in the cellar doesn't mean I don't need some sun light from time to time. Nice to sit on the deck with some summer shandy after mowing the grass.