| Topic: |
Sociology > Depression |
| User: |
"imapapallama" |
| Date: |
30 Sep 2005 04:19:02 PM |
| Object: |
What's happened to my town? |
I live in a small city/big town, Temple TX, population 55,000. After living
in Denver for 15 years, I've really enjoyed this place. Very little crime,
even less serious crime. I've had one thing stolen in three years, a power
tool that I left in my unlocked van. Myron, you know how nice this town is.
When the weather is cooler I spend alot of time building stuff in my
garage, and because it's a garage apartment (Like the Fonz had, but nicer)
it was right at the street, almost no front yard. I could tinker, listen to
the boom box, and watch a small part of the world go by.
One of the people who often walked by was a younger man, early 30's, on
his way to work. He worked at the Diamond Shamrock Corner Store three blocks
over. I dealt with him whenever buying stuff over there, and back when I had
my big army truck I always bought my diesel there. Anyway, he was polite
enough, and very well groomed and respectful, but he was very introverted.
His name was Edward Girard.
I started going to the 7-11 a little further away because, at least at
night, there was always someone hitting me up for beer money. I don't like
being rude, but I also didn't want to give them money for alcohol either.
7-11 also has fountain sweet tea and the Corner Store didn't.
I spoke with my friend Mike yesterday. He is another person who frequently
passes by, stopping on the way to the Corner Store. He told me that the
clerk at the store had been shot and killed at about 5am that morning. He
didn't know the clerks name but the description fit the guy I was thinking
of. It was confirmed later last night on the Waco TV News. I brought my gun
out of the safe, loaded it, left it out overnight.
I'm not sure why, because it seems a bit macabre even to me, but I went to
that store this morning to see if it was open. It was, and the staff there
were all from out-of-town (one of them said so as he deftly avoided
answering questions from the man ahead of me in the line). I bought three
copies of the Temple paper, with a picture of the store, complete with
yellow tape and cop cars, on the front page. As I write this I have almost
finished the big refill of pop I got there along with the papers. Maybe I
bought the papers, and bought them there, because I don't want to forget
what happened to him.
In the article it said that our last murder was in January, that of a 14
year old girl, a friend and classmate of my daughter. Her murderer was a
teen who confessed to the crime and hanged himself in the county jail. At
least we were spared the pain of having to watch a trial, and it gave my
daughter and her friends some closure. The newspaper article also had a
quote from the Police Chief here, something or other official. I know him as
well, as his wife is my boy's scout leader. Small world.
I don't even know what I'm trying to say here. I don't even know exactly
how I feel, only that it has me shaken. even more so than when my daughter's
friend was killed. Her killer was caught and pronounced sentence on himself.
This one is still on the loose. I had been known to go out to work on my
army truck at 3-4am because that was when volition had hit me. No more
truck, but a 40' school bus conversion to work on again when it gets cooler.
I wonder if I'll be safe, or if I was ever safe. I guess I'm still here so
it must have been. From now on if I'm working in my garage or driveway at
night, I won't be unarmed. And that really sucks.
Jeff
thedeuceguy@sbcglobal.net
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| User: "Brianversion" |
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| Title: Re: What's happened to my town? |
01 Oct 2005 09:32:11 AM |
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' From now on if I'm working in my garage or driveway at
night, I won't be unarmed. And that really sucks."
The crap that we in Connecticut have to go through to get a handgun
hasn't stopped the criminals from getting there's. Convenience store
work is the most dangerous job in the USA. That poor guy, working
stiff, and they had to kill him. Brutal. // I worry about home
invasions here, rich small town, 1 resident State trooper. And when a
gun is in my hand, I get the adrenaline shakes, making me dangerous.
I'm pretty sure if the real thing came, I'd handle it, then breakdown
afterwards. Your post was scary. Good luck to ya.
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| User: "Mesecke" |
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| Title: Re: What's happened to my town? |
03 Oct 2005 09:17:29 PM |
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In article <aZh%e.2066$rl1.40@newssvr27.news.prodigy.net>,
"imapapallama" <thedeuceguy@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
I live in a small city/big town, Temple TX, population 55,000. After living
in Denver for 15 years, I've really enjoyed this place. Very little crime,
even less serious crime. I've had one thing stolen in three years, a power
tool that I left in my unlocked van. Myron, you know how nice this town is.
When the weather is cooler I spend alot of time building stuff in my
garage, and because it's a garage apartment (Like the Fonz had, but nicer)
it was right at the street, almost no front yard. I could tinker, listen to
the boom box, and watch a small part of the world go by.
<snip>
I had been known to go out to work on my
army truck at 3-4am because that was when volition had hit me. No more
truck, but a 40' school bus conversion to work on again when it gets cooler.
I wonder if I'll be safe, or if I was ever safe. I guess I'm still here so
it must have been. From now on if I'm working in my garage or driveway at
night, I won't be unarmed. And that really sucks.
Jeff
thedeuceguy@sbcglobal.net
Yeah, sometimes I'm in my garage doing things after it gets dark.
My imagination is always playing tricks on me and I'm constantly
turning around checking on noises I think I heard. There have been
a couple of times late at night when the door bell has rung and
I don't even think about answering it.
Times unfortunately have changed. I've lived in Temple my whole
life so I know how it has changed. I know how nice it can be
but living here all my life I have also seen how things have been
messed up. Like all the stores on one end of town?
The 14 year old girl went to the same school my daughter goes
to. She didn't know her very well. We have two daughters and
yes, we worry about them growing up. Hoping that they will be
just as timid and chicken as their parents were growing up.
But even if they don't get involved with anything bad you still have
to worry about the bad people in the world.
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| User: "wombn" |
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| Title: Re: What's happened to my town? |
01 Oct 2005 02:55:51 AM |
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On Fri, 30 Sep 2005 21:19:02 GMT, "imapapallama"
<thedeuceguy@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
I wonder if I'll be safe, or if I was ever safe. I guess I'm still here so
it must have been. From now on if I'm working in my garage or driveway at
night, I won't be unarmed. And that really sucks.
Yes, it does suck.
I can't think of anything else to say.
--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Crap is the next great evolution after art" - Cyberdroog
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| User: "Contrarian" |
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| Title: Re: What's happened to my town? |
02 Oct 2005 02:51:17 AM |
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wombn <wombnhearmeroar@comcast.net> wrote:
On Fri, 30 Sep 2005 21:19:02 GMT, "imapapallama"
<thedeuceguy@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
I wonder if I'll be safe, or if I was ever safe. I guess I'm still here so
it must have been. From now on if I'm working in my garage or driveway at
night, I won't be unarmed. And that really sucks.
Yes, it does suck.
I can't think of anything else to say.
nor can I.
I didn't _see_ this thread for a while *llama.
--
but the edge is still Out there. Or maybe it's In... HST (1967)
when i got to the edge , i built a deck % (2005)
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| User: "Gayle" |
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| Title: Re: What's happened to my town? |
30 Sep 2005 09:21:44 PM |
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imapapallama wrote:
This one is still on the loose.
It will unlikely be of little
reassurance to you -- but the one still
on the loose is likely a convenience
store stick-up/murder 'specialist' and
is probably well on down the highway by
now.
I wonder if I'll be safe, or if I was ever safe. I guess I'm still here so
it must have been.
Statistically, it's as safe as it ever
was. For whatever that's worth. I think
it's the randomness of this kind of
violence that's a big part of what can
be so unsettling. It's impossible to
predict and only slightly more possible
to avert it. We're all safe, mostly,
right up until that second when we're
not. It's kind of a crap shoot, imo.
From now on if I'm working in my
garage or driveway at
night, I won't be unarmed. And that really sucks.
Well, I'm armed with alertness and
common sense. I try to disarm the fear
because -- well, because that's no way
to live. imo. Is there anyone you can
talk to about this event and how it's
affecting you? People within several
degrees of the circles of events like
these do experience trauma and there is
help coping with it. My cousin was
murdered so, maybe, I understand a
little bit of how helpless you might feel.
Gayle
Jeff
thedeuceguy@sbcglobal.net
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| User: "imapapallama" |
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| Title: Re: What's happened to my town? |
01 Oct 2005 12:43:57 AM |
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They got 'em, two of them. I feel alittle better, at least about that. My ex
and I just found out today that my daughter, 14, had a guy in his 20's come
to the door (FOUR WEEKS AGO!) and tried to talk his way in. A few months
back this guy called my place a few times looking for her. It was just one
of these internet things, and we'd been controlling computer access: My ex
has none, and I limited it over here. We all went out for pizza tonight and
sent the boys to look around in the arcade and had a good talk with her. I
think she had just avoided being raped, and we're trying to find out who
this guy is. . I hope she's listening. Keeps getting scarier and scarier all
the time.
"Gayle" <gayleco@rcn.com> wrote in message
news:C_qdnXU8zfEpb6DeRVn-rA@rcn.net...
imapapallama wrote:
This one is still on the loose.
It will unlikely be of little reassurance to you -- but the one still on
the loose is likely a convenience store stick-up/murder 'specialist' and
is probably well on down the highway by now.
I wonder if I'll be safe, or if I was ever safe. I guess I'm still here
so it must have been.
Statistically, it's as safe as it ever was. For whatever that's worth. I
think it's the randomness of this kind of violence that's a big part of
what can be so unsettling. It's impossible to predict and only slightly
more possible to avert it. We're all safe, mostly, right up until that
second when we're not. It's kind of a crap shoot, imo.
From now on if I'm working in my garage or driveway at
night, I won't be unarmed. And that really sucks.
Well, I'm armed with alertness and common sense. I try to disarm the fear
because -- well, because that's no way to live. imo. Is there anyone you
can talk to about this event and how it's affecting you? People within
several degrees of the circles of events like these do experience trauma
and there is help coping with it. My cousin was murdered so, maybe, I
understand a little bit of how helpless you might feel.
Gayle
Jeff
thedeuceguy@sbcglobal.net
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| User: "wombn" |
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| Title: Re: What's happened to my town? |
01 Oct 2005 02:57:48 AM |
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On Sat, 01 Oct 2005 05:43:57 GMT, "imapapallama"
<thedeuceguy@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
They got 'em, two of them. I feel alittle better, at least about that. My ex
and I just found out today that my daughter, 14, had a guy in his 20's come
to the door (FOUR WEEKS AGO!) and tried to talk his way in. A few months
back this guy called my place a few times looking for her. It was just one
of these internet things, and we'd been controlling computer access: My ex
has none, and I limited it over here. We all went out for pizza tonight and
sent the boys to look around in the arcade and had a good talk with her. I
think she had just avoided being raped, and we're trying to find out who
this guy is. . I hope she's listening. Keeps getting scarier and scarier all
the time.
omigod. how frightening!
--
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"Crap is the next great evolution after art" - Cyberdroog
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| User: "Used2be" |
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| Title: Re: What's happened to my town? |
30 Sep 2005 08:50:54 PM |
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that totally sux, jeff...
hey...we play softball tournaments in temple every now and then. seems like
a nice enough town. but there are always lunatics around. unfortunately,
we can't stop them all.
:/
hang in there, jeff.
~u2b
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: What's happened to my town? |
01 Oct 2005 04:29:00 AM |
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Used2be wrote:
that totally sux, jeff...
hey...we play softball tournaments in temple every now and then. seems like
a nice enough town. but there are always lunatics around. unfortunately,
we can't stop them all.
:/
hang in there, jeff.
~u2b
No kidding. :-(
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