7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

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7Wannabe5
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

@Alphaville@GdP:

It is my intention to set up some solar security systems as soon as I have anything of much value on site. Obviously, I do highly value my own person, but odds of being attacked by random stranger in the middle of the day even in semi-sketchy neighborhood are way less than likelihood of date rape, which was previous circumstance. Conceiving a not even entirely plausible solution such as “will gut him with my reciprocating saw” is just kind of what I do to transform anxiety into anger/action. I was triggered because a metal scavenger walked into my open garage where I was working to ask me if he could dig through my dumpster for metal. However, it’s possible that he didn’t know that I was female because I was wearing 2 sizes too big overalls, bulky jacket, and had my hair shoved into my hat.

@Stasher:

Yup, but even the application of sweat equity requires some cash flow for tools/supplies etc. , so I’m trying to keep it to minimum.

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Alphaville
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by Alphaville »

7Wannabe5 wrote:
Tue Mar 30, 2021 11:01 am
I was triggered because a metal scavenger walked into my open garage where I was working to ask me if he could dig through my dumpster for metal.
well, that was entirely polite of him, plus eco-friendly.

but ptsd is real so i understand/sympathize with panic reaction.

portable motion sensor alarm can run on battery though. just to help situational awareness.

eg
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Driveway-Ale ... /103510154

correctly aimed

7Wannabe5
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

I think his lack of teeth and the sight of his companion lighting up something metallic in the car contributed to my unease. Also fact that sink was stolen from garage next week. Also it’s not really indicative of PTSD to be wary when a man invades your space without requesting permission. It’s smart to right away look for your escape routes and make enough noise to attract notice. I just walked right out of the garage out on to the open front yard. I also made a point of informing him that somebody else had already made away with the plumbing. Men are much more dangerous than raccoons.

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Alphaville
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by Alphaville »

ofc humans are predators.

and yeah, often beggars/ missionaries / salespeople/ etc can be the casing vanguard for further theft.

so i guess for now... just don't work there alone? since there is no hurry anyway.

in real rough neighborhoods people will keep a pack of vicious guard dogs behind an industrial fence. not one rottweiler, but 8 of them, like "the prophecy."

you could maybe use 2...

that will for sure keep visitors away, but there's a cost (which can be budgeted as part of housing costs i suppose) and your liability insurance has to be up to date.

7Wannabe5
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

Well, the neighborhood is only semi-sketchy and I don’t necessarily want to contribute to Beware of Dog fence/gun vibe. I would like to come up with something more creative. Like maybe a combination of motion activated holograms and some of those freakishly large breed rabbits and a mud moat surrounded by raspberry rose hedge. IOW, some combination that would trigger primal terror, extreme discomfort, and feeling of nauseous insanity descending without actually doing grave harm.

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Alphaville
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by Alphaville »

it's hard to do holograms and fantastic traps irl, so it's up do you to decide what your neighborhood IS and what path to take.

when i lived in a gentrifying neighborhood my ratty windows looked like a jailhouse and my tony neighboors had their french doors smashed with a chair and their house burgled.

eventually they got tired and moved, i think, because when i went back to visit a couple of years later they were gone. i never had a problem because i was a poor student and had nothing except a mattress and a space heater plus i had bars in doors and windows and everywhere.

but some 25 years later that property must be worth bazillions. they gentrified too soon.

7Wannabe5
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

Less than 5% of the neighborhood has barred windows. There are more Beware of Dog signs and junk all over the yard houses and vacant houses. The neighborhood which has 90% barred windows is a couple miles northwest away on the other side of light industrial zone. The nearest neighborhood to the east is well maintained working class. The big park which contains the elementary school which serves my new neighborhood and the nicer neighborhood to the east is well maintained. The elementary school gets 4 stars out of 10 which is pretty good for a public urban school. Directly to the south is a main road that has lots of diners, dollar stores, tattoo parlors, etc. beyond this road is mostly more light industrial To the southwest is historically Hispanic neighborhood and then downtown/university/gentrification zone.

white belt
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by white belt »

I remember Novella Carpenter saying her goats seemed to deter people more than guard dogs would. But I don’t think you have the infrastructure to be keeping livestock on the property yet.

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Alphaville
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by Alphaville »

i used to be 4 blocks away from hopping nightlife, eateries, etc. -- in 2 different directions! university within walking distance.

problem was we also had neighborhoods wrecked by the crack epidemic. so you'd go 3 blocks the wrong way there'd be people drinking outside the liquor store in the middle of the day, and 2 blocks in a different direction there'd be prostitutes at night.

so it was colorful and a blast to live there hahaha, but yeah, not "safe" if you had valuables, etc.i kept my bicycle inside.

i can't add up your neighborhood features into a meaningful whole re: your security situation. often things change from block to block. seems like the problem in your block is lots of vacant properties which invite scavengers?

Gilberto de Piento
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by Gilberto de Piento »

A cute urban farmstead with freakishly large rabbits might attract something far worse than vagrants and thieves: Instagram influencers hunting for new content. You'll have underdressed models with their photographers and groupies harassing your rabbits and trampling your planting beds at all hours. Maybe skunks? ;)

7Wannabe5
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

@white belt:

I loved that book. Maybe that’s where I semi-consciously got the idea. Human baddies are much more comfortable operating on their known territory, so I was thinking that just making the territory seem confusing might serve as deterrent. Everybody knows what “person with money/stuff” house looks like from TV, so I don’t want to look like that. Might be much easier than holograms and giant rabbits. Just have to think of some signals that are not easy to add up.

@Alphaville:

It is kind of an unusual neighborhood. Kind of reminds me of Up North Multi-Cultural Kentucky with Notes from the 70s. For instance, there are snowmobiles, mini-bike riders, teenage boys working on dragster, Hispanic teenage girls playing softball and African American kids playing frisbee in the park, hippie looking guy with a stick who told me he’s an Indian and everybody calls him Chief, Middle Eastern guy opening a pharmacy in the supermarket calling me sweetheart as he hands me a coupon for free sample of Viagra (is that even legal?) , broken gnome garden statues, trailers modified into house extensions, and the clubhouse for the city rugby team?

@GdP:

I think my daughter and my youngest hipster sister will be all over that potential first :lol:

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Alphaville
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by Alphaville »

7Wannabe5 wrote:
Tue Mar 30, 2021 2:31 pm
@Alphaville:

It is kind of an unusual neighborhood.
that sounds very cool. maybe the attractant for the 2 & 4 legged raccoons is simply the abandonment and the trash pile.

(otherwise the snowmobiles would vanish)

__

eTa: upon further consideration i realize youre describing your neighborhood by car. i meant on foot/your block

7Wannabe5
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

@Alphaville:

Everything I described is within a few blocks of me except for the grocery store. My house faces light industrial on a tertiary road, so my block also includes plumbing supply warehouse, truck loading zone for unknown business, etc. Closest food within half mile walk would be Mexican Take Out, Drive Through Coney Island, Liquor store that has Middle Eastern take out, Rally’s next to Walgreens. It’s not really scary during the day except that I am in a boarded up house by myself, and I have not yet familiarized myself.

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Alphaville
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by Alphaville »

when thinking about your block i was thinking about barbara corcoran

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/02/barbara ... -home.html

but not in terms of price/investment/whatever as she might suggest, but rather, what kind of face your block presents to the world right now, for security concerns.

reading the above... im thinking maybe you meld more with the industrial/commercial than with lived-in residential right now? not that this couldn't change in the near future. i just mean what is right now.

white belt
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by white belt »

Your concerns about security reminded me of this video: https://youtu.be/qQ7CBzg870Y

Now I would think that abandoned Utah desert town is a bit more dangerous than your neighborhood, but nevertheless I think a pistol on your hip (with proper training) is always the great equalizer for a woman concerned with a man assaulting her. However, a pistol is not a theft/crime deterrent because it is always the last resort. I more think of it as insurance to prevent long term physical/psychological trauma from a possible attack. Maybe it’s possible that someone would see it on your belt and that would deter them.

I’ve heard that dog toys and a large bowl outside the house are enough to deter a thief who is just casing a neighborhood for easy targets, but it might not do much against a premeditated attack if someone has already been observing your property for a while.

Edit: If the hippy granola crunching art resident still thinks it prudent to open carry, then that is saying something.

Qazwer
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by Qazwer »

PTSD like reaction - open carry weapon - not that well trained - weapon having easy resell value

What could go wrong?

Now a dog if you like them and can figure out the logistics of ...

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Alphaville
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by Alphaville »

white belt wrote:
Tue Mar 30, 2021 6:14 pm
the hippy granola crunching art resident
who?
Qazwer wrote:
Tue Mar 30, 2021 7:00 pm
Now a dog if you like them and can figure out the logistics of ...
dog runs away, maims neighborhood toddler: solid gold

it is easier to train yourself than to train a dog

white belt
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by white belt »

@Alphaville

See the video I linked in my last post. It may be just me overgeneralizing given Vice’s typical coverage and target audience.

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Alphaville
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by Alphaville »

white belt wrote:
Tue Mar 30, 2021 8:54 pm
@Alphaville

See the video I linked in my last post. It may be just me overgeneralizing given Vice’s typical coverage and target audience.
oh ha ha i saw a bit, scrubbed through most. idk if she's a hippy but yeah, 911 is worthless in many places.

i suggested the .380 caliber because it has low recoil and it works at close range, because here a gun is, as you pointed out, a last resort.

ideally there'd be layers, the first one likely being sentry because there's no way to secure the perimeter.

something like this: https://www.axis.com/en-us/products/axis-fence-guard

just less expensive

eg i wonder if this works: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Chamberlain ... /202046712 or https://www.homedepot.com/p/SkyLink-Wir ... /301981468 or https://www.homedepot.com/p/SPT-Wired-I ... /308004053

7Wannabe5
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

@Alphaville:

I would say that it is somewhat more melded with the residential and that is also how it is zoned. However, if it wasn't zoned residential, it wouldn't look out of place for my house and the other houses that face the light industrial to have been converted to office like commercial. Also, the lot is double and on a corner, so I am set apart from neighbors. Here are some pics:

Looking south from northern edge of property across backyard:

Image

Daffodils under Black Walnut Looking Toward Southeast Corner Intersection with 3 Closest Neighbors:

Image

Looking Towards Southwest Corner with View of Light Industrial (road is quite curvy, so you can also see light industrial in the distance in first photo):
Image

@white belt:

Very cool video.

@Qazwer:

I am so not like the stereotypical human with PTSD (Alphaville used that term, not me.) I have actually been jokingly described as somebody with an anti-anxiety disorder. My problem isn't that I am particularly anxious (I score much more Assertive than Turbulent on MBTI.) It's more that I know that I am particularly NOT alert, so if I am feeling anxious, it almost certainly is a situation in which a human should be more alert than I usually am. John Wayne might be a good example of somebody who is calm and alert. I am also usually very calm, but I float around in a vague absent-minded distracted fog most of the time, so very much NOT alert. The creepy looking metal scavenger guy coming into my garage would not have freaked me out as much if I had seen him coming, but I didn't because I was lost in my thoughts, my work, and my music on my headphones. (Also, the unspeakable asshole who physically assaulted me, as he was making his exit, actually pointed to the chain on my office door and said "You should keep this place locked." ) That's why I think any kind of dog, even a tiny yippy toy, would be helpful for me in particular. Otherwise, I can generally handle myself and my relatively low level anxiety and there is no way in hell I would carry a gun without getting more training, but I am definitely the opposite of the sort of person who would pull out loaded gun because a mouse skittered across the floor. My thoughts about using saw to gut intruder was more feeling of anger that I am not able to enjoy my new independent project space as much would be otherwise possible, because I have had the experience of being assaulted in my old independent project space by an unspeakable asshole. It was more like I was psyching myself up by saying "Fuck you to the pit of hell, all you unspeakable asshole poor excuses for humans, I am going to enjoy my independent project space in spite of your existence." But, it's really not the case that I am likely to jump to the conclusion that any random man walking on to my lawn is an unspeakable asshole. For example, I don't experience anxiety meeting strange men for coffee in the context of online dating, even though that was the context in which I met the man who assaulted me. Does this make sense?

My current grouchy old man is a very anxious/alert type and his recent comment after spending day helping clean up my new yard was "You have some good neighbors, but there are too many weirdos roaming around. Sell the place." He also said "I would rather live in a new garage than an old house." So, grain of salt.

Anyways, my thoughts for the longer term, based on practices/philosophy recommended in "Retrosuburbia" and the results of the quiz I just took from a book entitled "In-laws, Out-laws, and Granny Suites" by the author of "Renovation: 5th Edition", are in alignment with my experience that I am generally the sort of person who is good at living with other people and prefers to save money/resources by doing so. It is legal for me to have 2 boarders in my residential zone, so I will build forward with that in mind, and that will also help greatly with security issues. However, it will still be my domain, so nobody will be able to say boo to me about my project spaces. I hate spending money but maybe I could even hire a kid to help me with the rehab.

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