7/4 Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Looks like it's as much "welcome to the club" as anything, sadly. I'm really not that attached to "stuff", but obviously nobody wants people breaking in to take it. I think the worst part for me was seeing Rachel that upset. I will be tightening up a few things around here, security-wise. Also, I live on a busy street, and it always bothered me when leaving on a trip to be carrying a suitcase out the front door in plain sight of everyone. I think I'll be taking a more stealth approach in the future by backing the car up to the attached garage and going out the back. I know what you mean. I always feel paranoid carrying equipment in and out of my apt. to my car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggie87 Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Glad you arnd Rachel are both ok, that's the most important thing, obviously. My parent's house in Germany was robbed once while they were away for a few days. They mainly made off with my mother's jewelry, which wasn't recovered. Though that was 20+ years ago, I think it's affected her in that she doesn't seem to be as trusting of others as she used to. About two years ago she slipped and fell in a store, and two young, casually dressed men came over to assist her. She told me her first thought was that they wanted to steal her purse. Also, I live on a busy street, and it always bothered me when leaving on a trip to be carrying a suitcase out the front door in plain sight of everyone. I think I'll be taking a more stealth approach in the future by backing the car up to the attached garage and going out the back. I don't like loading my car up for trips in plain view either, though I'm on a mostly quiet residential street, so that is done with the garage door closed as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Joe - I'm truly sorry to hear what happened. Never had this happen to me (knock wood), but from what others have written it seems that getting over the violation is much more difficult than adjusting to the loss of things. I hope that both of you will be able to take care of yourselves/each other and recover from this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted October 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 (edited) Also forgot to mention that earlier in the day, after packing up camp in the rain, we had a flat tire out on the interstate, which required us to unload half the car to get the spare out. In the rain. Hell of a day! Wasn't all bad, though - got the tire fixed pretty quickly, and later had lunch with my parents, and a nice visit with Grandma. Edited October 16, 2007 by Joe G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted October 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 hey Joe - 1) Was gonna ask if you need help replacing anything music or instrument-related, like tubes, etc etc (maybe you're a solid-state guy) - looks like they didn't take much in that area, but feel free to ask - (unless I'm more senile than I think I am, you're a guitar player) - Thanks, bro! Not missing anything in the music department, gladly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Joe, I'm really sorry to hear this. It is one of my closest fears, living in the neighborhood that I do and having as much expensive gear as I do. Of course, most of my stuff weighs a damn ton, so good luck with that! Thieves suck. And the feeling of being robbed sucks big-time. The worst part is they usually take off with stuff that really doesn't have much monetary value, but is full of sentimental value, like when I had my digital camera stolen from my van. The camera was old and pretty worthless, but it had a bunch of pictures of Zora's 2nd birthday on it that I had not yet transfered to the computer. All those are gone forever. Allen's idea of a security system of some kind is probably not a bad idea considering your circumstances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 That sucks, man. Had it happen to me twice, the last time being almost 30 years ago. I'm still anal about locking doors & windows, leaving lights on, shit like that. Not that that's bad, but the rest of the family doesn't really understand why. Maybe my son will, now that he's had his car broken into about a month ago... Cash....gotta be really clever with cash, like inside something that's inside something else that's underneath something that's in some place where nobody would even know is there. For years, I kept mine inside an envelope inside an LP copy of Money Jungle. Figured that if anybody was either hip enough or lucky enough to go there, then hey. Nowadays, I ain't got no cash, so it's not an issue... Here's hoping that the punk(s) get caught and you get your stuff back. Very glad to hear that nobody was hurt, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzypaul Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 I'm there with pretty much everyone else. I've never had a place broken into, but I got robbed at gunpoint coming home from a gig at 2am once. All they got was cash, and luckily, I had just deposited most of my cash into the bank (strangely, I almost NEVER do that), so all they got was my drinking money. But the feeling of getting robbed 10 feet outside of one's front door killed me. I had to move about a month later because I couldn't deal with it anymore. So, Joe, you have my sympathy and empathy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 there's always the recording of the barking dog that some company used to sell - years ago one of my old lady neighbors had one of those - it was like an advertisment that she wasn't home - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BERIGAN Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Joe, very sorry to hear about this! I did want to mention one thing.... One really weird part, and the first sign that something was amiss: he had carried a belt from my upstairs closet, as well as a bag of tealight candles from the upstairs computer room all the way downstairs, only to leave them at the back window. It made no sense at all, as these items had no value, and shouldn't have even caught his attention. Also thought it was strange that after he removed the money from the firesafe, he locked it back up, and took the key with him. Then he closed the window behind him when he left (the front door was still locked). This does seem pretty weird! Here in Atlanta, there have been folks broken into more than once, mainly by Meth addicts. Kind of sounds like someone who was messed up, robbed you, doesn' it? Not trying to unnecessarily worry you, just recall they know you had cash, and they may have thought about the other items for later robberies. So, get some system like those mentioned before, asap!!! And get lots of stickers from those folks to put on every window/door! IF they would come back, seeing you have ADT, or whathaveyou will make them look for an easier target..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BERIGAN Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Jim makes a good point about leaving lights on. Some people just can't do it, but I ALWAYS knew when our next door neighbor left town, cuz it looked like no one lived there! A 60 watt light really doesn't cost much to leave burning.(We have a fluorescent light in the kitchen that is always on) Motion lights outside would freak out most criminals as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papsrus Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Wow, a lot of folks here have been robbed. Guess I shouldn't be surprised. I've had my car broken into but never my home. Couple of more thoughts. Organizing a neighborhood watch type deal with your neighbors is a good idea. Even if it's only an informal arrangement. Give a spare key to the guy across the street and ask him to check in. Do the same when he goes away. This is not substitute for an alarm system, but it's reassuring to have your neighbors watching out for you. The other thing is, it's probably actually a good thing that the thief found all that cash. I would imaging as soon as he got his grubby little hands on it, he was outta there. I heard a story about a person who had their home broken into a couple of times while they were away. Eventually, they just started leaving a couple of hundred dollar bills on the front hall table. The idea being, a thief would grab it and get the hell out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papsrus Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Jim makes a good point about leaving lights on. Some people just can't do it, but I ALWAYS knew when our next door neighbor left town, cuz it looked like no one lived there! A 60 watt light really doesn't cost much to leave burning.(We have a fluorescent light in the kitchen that is always on) Motion lights outside would freak out most criminals as well. Yep. Leaving a radio on as well is a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noj Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Often thieves are dope fiends starving for a fix, so they only steal what they can quickly liquidate to get cash for their junk. A friend of mine has tons of high end electronics in his home which he uses for his job--but when a thief broke in the dirtbag only stole DVDs and CDs. My friend ended up investing in a very tight home security system to ensure it doesn't happen again. It makes me nervous about my CD collection, I'd be crushed if somebody stole it and sold off what I've worked so long at collecting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 (edited) I actually knew a guy who used to steal rare LPs from collections in Kansas City. I never got anything from him that I know of, but it always creeped me out. My parents were robbed of jewelry, cash, CDs and laptops while they were trying to sell their house. It so happens that thieves use the occasion to case joints, acting like potential buyers. In fact, while a house in my hometown was being shown, thieves drove up in a tractor-trailer and fucking cleaned the house out, top to bottom! The neighbors just assumed that they were the movers! Edited October 16, 2007 by clifford_thornton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost of miles Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Only two incidents happened to me when I was in my early 20s, living in a not-so-great part of Indy... our apartment got broken into, but all we lost was some clothes, a pair of sunglasses, and a few cassettes... we were bohemian-poor, which worked to our advantage, I guess. And I got held up at gunpoint at the restaurant where I worked. Not so much fun to have a dude in a ski-mask pointing a gun in your face and saying, "Is that all there is?" after you've given him a couple hundred out of the cash register. I'm like Jsngry--always check all of the doors and windows when I leave for the day. Pretty safe where I live, in general, but it's a college town and we always have increased break-ins when the university goes on break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 I've never been the victim of a robbery though our neighborhood has had quite the problem with break-ins since the summer. Fortunately it seemed to be neighborhood kids who'd steal kids stuff like video games and CDs. Still annoying and we were glad that the local cops made an effort, got some intelligence on who it was, and made a couple of arrests. I'll tell you what was infuriating though: in the middle of the rash of burglaries, a parent came home to find stolen property in the kid's room. He decided to beat some sense into his ass, and then got arrested for child abuse, while the cops did nothing about the stolen property! What a messed up world. So, I've been more aware of the possibility of a break-in but working at home nowadays I am rarely out of the house very long. Plus we've got the two dogs and I do believe that Coltrane would put a world of hurt on anyone who got into the house uninvited. As for the idea of wiring windows and doors, the previous owners had installed such a system but had let their contract for monitoring lapse, and we weren't impressed with the prices we were quoted either. What remains isn't any sort of loud alarm but a recording that will say "FAULT! Check Garage Door" or "FAULT! Check Front Door." Its not much but its something, we figure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 it's also good to put those house lights on timers, which are real cheap at hardware stores and easy to set up - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catesta Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Like everyone else said, sorry this happened to you bro. I've never had my residence broken into, but have had it happen a few times with vehicles and a shit load at my place of business. Although I can say I have not had a successful break in, at either office for more than three years now, so my security system is doing it's job. It's like Fort Knox now with motion detectors and cameras everywhere. When tripped it dials my cell phone and I have the ability to check the cameras online. If I don't answer it rings the cops. Most recently I had a laptop computer stolen from my car while in Arizona. They broke the window and grabbed it. While it was a pain in the ass to start a new computer, I was thankful that was all that was gone. My neighborhood in Queens is very safe and very low crime, so I don't worry too much. The surrounding areas were having trouble a year or two ago with motherfuckers doing smash and grab jobs on houses and cars. We did catch a dude down the street one night hiding under a car. Some kids on bikes saw him and he split. He ended up getting caught a block over. I doubt I can add much in the way of advice, but would say maybe look in to an inexpensive security system or get a dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chas Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Cash....gotta be really clever with cash, like inside something that's inside something else that's underneath something that's in some place where nobody would even know is there. The "Brief Safe" is an innovative diversion safe that can secure your cash, documents, and other small valuables from inquisitive eyes and thieving hands, both at home and when you're traveling. Items can be hidden right under their noses with these specially-designed briefs which contain a fly-accessed 4" x 10" secret compartment with Velcro closure and "special markings" on the lower rear portion. Leave the "Brief Safe" in plain view in your laundry basket or washing machine at home, or in your suitcase in a hotel room - even the most hardened burgler or most curious snoop will "skid" to a screeching halt as soon as they see them. (Wouldn't you?) Made in USA. One size. Color: white (and brown). To add realistic smell, check out "Doo Drops". * *source Uncle Skid should have been the one to post this...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewHill Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 (edited) I'm really sorry to hear what happened. Luckily you were not home and nobody was hurt. But the feeling of feeling violated must be horrible. I hope you recover everything that was stolen from you and the cops find the prick(s) that stole it. Edited October 17, 2007 by Holy Ghost Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted October 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 Just got back from dinner with my cousin, and I have to admit to being a little jumpy arriving back at the house... I should start by cleaning that creepy handprint off the window. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted October 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 Even creepier at night... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted October 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim McG Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 Joe, All that stuff [with the exception of the rings] can be replaced. You and your girlfriend can't. Glad you're OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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