Community Stories

Situational awareness... the darker side of nice things.

Twocats
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janice&fred janice&fred
Oh I'm living proof of that. Back in my college days as I was getting in my car at a Yale parking lot after a night at Toad's Place in New Haven when I was surprised by an average size guy demanding money. He tried to grab me, I fought back and he pulled out a .32 and shot me point plank in my upper chest. Woke up at Yale New Haven hospital very lucky to have survived with merely a broken collar bone and punctured lung from a fragment. Luckily that was the only time I was ever robbed, and since then I've been to many places around the world much worse than New Haven.
Thats an incredible story and I am sure it shaped how you looked at life after that.
 
janice&fred
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Twocats Twocats
Thats an incredible story and I am sure it shaped how you looked at life after that.

Ah not really. I was fairly young then and it never really stuck with me. However I'm sure if I ever got robbed again I would simply hand the shit over this time 馃榿
 
Twocats
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janice&fred janice&fred
Ah not really. I was fairly young then and it never really stuck with me. However I'm sure if I ever got robbed again I would simply hand the shit over this time 馃榿
sometimes a good run is better than a bad stand 馃榿
 
gbesq
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janice&fred janice&fred
Ah not really. I was fairly young then and it never really stuck with me. However I'm sure if I ever got robbed again I would simply hand the shit over this time 馃榿
Lol. Unhappy ending to my story above. Although I didn鈥檛 get arrested, I also didn鈥檛 get laid. Girlfriend was angry that I got into a bar fight. No wonder that relationship didn鈥檛 last. Women ...
 
kip595
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I've had people try to mug me 4 times, one was successful, but two put me in the hospital. I've been robbed twice, lost watches (quite a few) in the second. Only ever had a watch taken off my wrist once, but that was by the least likely suspect - the cop who responded to the call of two guys trying to mug me in a parking lot. When I asked for my watch at the hospital after the tetanus shot - one guy had cut my hand but good - the nurse responded 'what watch'? Never was able to find out who that officer was, but I remember him remarking, 'huh, the James Bond watch' (a late 90s quartz SM)...I can only hope the battery leaked out after he got it!

Since then, I have given up on being over-cautious.
 
gbesq
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kip595 kip595
I've had people try to mug me 4 times, one was successful, but two put me in the hospital. I've been robbed twice, lost watches (quite a few) in the second. Only ever had a watch taken off my wrist once, but that was by the least likely suspect - the cop who responded to the call of two guys trying to mug me in a parking lot. When I asked for my watch at the hospital after the tetanus shot - one guy had cut my hand but good - the nurse responded 'what watch'? Never was able to find out who that officer was, but I remember him remarking, 'huh, the James Bond watch' (a late 90s quartz SM)...I can only hope the battery leaked out after he got it!

Since then, I have given up on being over-cautious.
Wow, nothing like a dishonest police officer to ruin your faith in your fellow man.
 
janice&fred
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gbesq gbesq
Wow, nothing like a dishonest police officer to ruin your faith in your fellow man.

Ha I guess you have never been in the Auto towing business like I was for 20+ years. You cannot imagine.
 
gbesq
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janice&fred janice&fred
Ha I guess you have never been in the Auto towing business like I was for 20+ years. You cannot imagine.
Actually, I can. I鈥檓 a lawyer.
 
Kay995
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Man that sucks, I know what it鈥檚 like to have 3 people hold you up for the nice things you have. It鈥檚 worst when it鈥檚 a prized family possession I use to walk around my city looking like Mr T which wasn鈥檛 smart learned my lesson quick. Unfortunately we gotta look over our shoulders these days Cause people are desperate.
 
sonicosa
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janice&fred janice&fred
Oh I'm living proof of that. Back in my college days as I was getting in my car at a Yale parking lot after a night at Toad's Place in New Haven when I was surprised by an average size guy demanding money. He tried to grab me, I fought back and he pulled out a .32 and shot me point blank in my upper chest. Woke up at Yale New Haven hospital very lucky to have survived with merely a broken collar bone and punctured lung from a fragment. Luckily that was the only time I was ever robbed, and since then I've been to many places around the world much worse than New Haven.

Glad you survived and are still with us, but I gotta ask, who was playing at Toad's that night?
 
janice&fred
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sonicosa sonicosa
Glad you survived and are still with us, but I gotta ask, who was playing at Toad's that night?

I can't recall but probably no one notable. However we did see some big time groups there over the years. My favorite of all was/is Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. 馃憤
 
kkt
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I was at an ATM taking money out and a guy, possibly homeless, started asking me for it. Then he started trying to grab it out of my hands before it was put away. I shoved him, enough to push him away but not knock him down or hurt him, and fortunately that was the end of it. I didn't think about it at the time, but that might have been a very bad move if he'd had a gun or knife.
 
Uniqez
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dazed1 dazed1
Happy Friday all!

I have a sad situation to relay and I was curious as to everyone's thoughts on this. A friend of mine was in a layover in Italy and was strong armed by three rather large people. Two held him while the third ripped his Rolex GMT literally off his wrist, breaking the band. He was cut up pretty bad but otherwise survived OK.

My question is rather obvious. I know most of us are of the mind wear the watch and USE it. However I fear in today's world it almost seems like you need to run a little silent and deep. Being aware of where you are and who you are with, time of day etc. This is not exactly fair or right, it just is. Do you dress down or carry a more low profile watch depending on your locale?
That's one, hell of the crazy story. Sorry to hear that. Would you mind sharing where in Italy this was happening? I'm in Italy all the time (well, used to be before COVID) for work and pleasure and I love the country. Sure enough, like many other countries there are good and bad neighborhoods, that you don't want to be at. Like at midnight at Milano Centrale or Lampugnano bus station (ask me how I know). I'm wearing my explorer 2 most of the trips there, because of the GMT function, but I'm also staying away from the bad places (explorer and explorer 2 are not too flashy either). At the end of the day, the best fight will be the one you never picked up. It is better to give everything away and come out of the situation unharmed .
 
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YY77
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When I was on holiday in Barcelona I needed to take the metro at the Ramblas to the airport early in the morning, 5-ish. Due to a sore knee I was walking difficult so I took the elevator down to the station. There were 2 guys standing around and jumped in immediately with me and tried to strike up a conversation and sort of block my legs, luckily I was light on my toes to not get entangled so their chance to take something off me past as it was a short ride down.
 
vintage hab
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My upbringing is to be humble and not flashy, so I generally downplay my watches. I once told people who worked for me that my Rolex was a fake (which upset my wife who gave it to me!). Anyway, one year my apartment was broken into and some very sentimental stuff was stolen, then a bad experience in NYC (car broken into) with my girlfriend also made me realize the risk of robbery. So I don't travel abroad with a nice watch.
Recently my travel watch has been a Timex Ironman, I'm embarrassed to say. I should probably be upgrading to a G shock on an inexpensive diver.
 
janice&fred
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vintage hab vintage hab
I once told people who worked for me that my Rolex was a fake (which upset my wife who gave it to me!). Anyway, one year my apartment was broken into and some very sentimental stuff was stolen, then a bad experience in NYC (car broken into) with my girlfriend also made me realize the risk of robbery.

Hey it could have been worse. Your wife could have found out about your girlfriend 馃榿
 
YY77
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janice&fred janice&fred
Hey it could have been worse. Your wife could have found out about your girlfriend 馃榿
It's great you're also joining the conversation Janice馃槣
 
Syrte
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YY77 YY77
When I was on holiday in Barcelona I needed to take the metro at the Ramblas to the airport early in the morning, 5-ish. Due to a sore knee I was walking difficult so I took the elevator down to the station. There were 2 guys standing around and jumped in immediately with me and tried to strike up a conversation and sort of block my legs, luckily I was light on my toes to not get entangled so their chance to take something off me past as it was a short ride down.
That sounds unpleasant.
Were you wearing a nice watch?
 
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