Fuzzys Musings and Warblings
Monday, February 23, 2004
mugged in the hood
Add me to the list of those who've experienced the heart-pounding thrills and excitement of being robbed at gunpoint in Oakland. And let's add walking home from BART down a semi-deserted street as a bad place to be on a cell phone. One would think that talking on a cell phone would be a deterrent to a thief/thug/mugger, but the reality is that talking on a cell phone leaves you unaware of what is going on around you.
I'm fine - I'm about 25 dollars lighter than I had been, and a little less ready for bed - but I'm fine. Just in case anyone was worried.
I had taken BART home from the city, after a successful night at the bowling alley (our team, The Hardballs, won all 3 games we played and will probably be in 3rd or 2nd place amongst 12) and it was about 10pm. I usually walk down 40th St, which is a busier street, but for some reason I chose to walk down 41st, perhaps out of old habit and perhaps because I was on the cell phone with my Aunt Arlene. I did check behind me a couple times, but got caught up in conversation. As I was nearing my apartment, about 2 buildings down I hear footsteps coming up behind me and I turn around to a fairly large black man in a ski parka jacket with a hood. He said give me your money and was pointing a small gun at me from inside his jacket. I wasn't sure what to do with my phone so I put it on the ground and told him that my wallet was in my backpack. Luckily he wasn't the sharpest thief in the world - if he was, he would have taken my entire backpack which had my ipod and sunglasses, etc. But I took out my wallet, took out the cash and handed it to him. He said, "where's the rest?" and I said, in a pretty annoyed voice, "It's my wallet, it's where I keep my money. That's all there is." I showed him the cash section being empty. This seemed to be enough to satisfy him. He then said, "Now run. And don't turn around." So I grabbed my backpack and ran past the driveway to my apartment and up a couple houses and stopped. And turned around and watched as he watched me watch him head down the street and turn the corner. I actually contemplated calling the cops, getting in my car and trying to find/follow the guy, but thought better of it.
I wasn't really all that freaked about it -- not at the time nor now, about an hour later. I of course called my aunt back, who I figured had heard some of what happened and I knew SHE would be freaking out. And she was. I can imagine what it would be like on the other end, not knowing what was going on, feeling helpless and worried. And she's a worrier. She knew I was being accosted, but couldn't tell what was happening.
On a happier note, I came home, grabbed my mail and found a check for 17 bucks from the CD Map Antitrust Litigation, which basically means that it was my payment portion from a class action lawsuit against all the record companies for overcharging the costs of CD's sold at certain record stores. Something like that. My friend Alisa told me about it a couple years ago and said that if I wanted to join the lawsuit, sign up on the web. I'd forgotten about it, figured if I got anything it would be 6 bucks. So I see it as the mugger getting about 8 bucks from me. Hell, I get ripped off for more money than that at most restaurants I eat at. So I'm pretty grateful to have been through a robbery and only be out 8 dollars.
A thought that occured to me when I got home....when the guy saw me rummaging through my backpack for my wallet, was he not worried that I might pull out a weapon? Mace? Or a knife or gun? Or a bible?
That should be at the top of the rule book for thievery. Never let the victim search through his/her bag for goodies in which to steal.
I can joke about it now -- I've had a good hour to process it through. I'm fast like that.
I'm fine - I'm about 25 dollars lighter than I had been, and a little less ready for bed - but I'm fine. Just in case anyone was worried.
I had taken BART home from the city, after a successful night at the bowling alley (our team, The Hardballs, won all 3 games we played and will probably be in 3rd or 2nd place amongst 12) and it was about 10pm. I usually walk down 40th St, which is a busier street, but for some reason I chose to walk down 41st, perhaps out of old habit and perhaps because I was on the cell phone with my Aunt Arlene. I did check behind me a couple times, but got caught up in conversation. As I was nearing my apartment, about 2 buildings down I hear footsteps coming up behind me and I turn around to a fairly large black man in a ski parka jacket with a hood. He said give me your money and was pointing a small gun at me from inside his jacket. I wasn't sure what to do with my phone so I put it on the ground and told him that my wallet was in my backpack. Luckily he wasn't the sharpest thief in the world - if he was, he would have taken my entire backpack which had my ipod and sunglasses, etc. But I took out my wallet, took out the cash and handed it to him. He said, "where's the rest?" and I said, in a pretty annoyed voice, "It's my wallet, it's where I keep my money. That's all there is." I showed him the cash section being empty. This seemed to be enough to satisfy him. He then said, "Now run. And don't turn around." So I grabbed my backpack and ran past the driveway to my apartment and up a couple houses and stopped. And turned around and watched as he watched me watch him head down the street and turn the corner. I actually contemplated calling the cops, getting in my car and trying to find/follow the guy, but thought better of it.
I wasn't really all that freaked about it -- not at the time nor now, about an hour later. I of course called my aunt back, who I figured had heard some of what happened and I knew SHE would be freaking out. And she was. I can imagine what it would be like on the other end, not knowing what was going on, feeling helpless and worried. And she's a worrier. She knew I was being accosted, but couldn't tell what was happening.
On a happier note, I came home, grabbed my mail and found a check for 17 bucks from the CD Map Antitrust Litigation, which basically means that it was my payment portion from a class action lawsuit against all the record companies for overcharging the costs of CD's sold at certain record stores. Something like that. My friend Alisa told me about it a couple years ago and said that if I wanted to join the lawsuit, sign up on the web. I'd forgotten about it, figured if I got anything it would be 6 bucks. So I see it as the mugger getting about 8 bucks from me. Hell, I get ripped off for more money than that at most restaurants I eat at. So I'm pretty grateful to have been through a robbery and only be out 8 dollars.
A thought that occured to me when I got home....when the guy saw me rummaging through my backpack for my wallet, was he not worried that I might pull out a weapon? Mace? Or a knife or gun? Or a bible?
That should be at the top of the rule book for thievery. Never let the victim search through his/her bag for goodies in which to steal.
I can joke about it now -- I've had a good hour to process it through. I'm fast like that.
Tuesday, February 17, 2004
Amazing
I'm still trying to take in the wonderous sights at city hall this past weekend. I went down there with my video camera, accompanying Keely to witness her friends Lisa and Stefanie as they joined the more than 2500 gay couples getting married.
It was an historic weekend and if I didn't feel the significance of it via newspaper and TV, I certainly did on Monday, seeing the line of nervously excited couples and their friends snaking around the city hall building. Lisa and Stephanie got there at 6:15am and Keely and I joined them in line around 9am. Streams of generous people gave out donuts and bagels and coffee, cars drove by and honked in support, musicians played on the steps outside the entrance, a group of folks blew bubbles as the first wave of newly marrieds came out to greet the cheering crowd. CNN-ABC-NBC, and other news crews were there, reporters interviewing folks in line, trying their best to maintain their neutral network faces.
I tried to get a variety of footage. I walked from the beginning of the line to the end, scanning the seemingly thousands of faces waiting to get in to tie the knot or watch their friends who were. I talked to a woman holding a place in line for her deaf lesbian daughter and deaf partner. She was planning on interpreting for the ceremony. One older couple I talked to had driven down from Portland and had been together for 28 years. There were so many stories, so much happiness and elation and hope and I didn't want to even bring up the issue of whether the marriage certificates would ever become more than a piece of paper. This is what the CNN reporters kept asking. It's a question designed to deflate celebration. It was pretty clear from the folks I talked to that all this was about far more than getting a piece of paper with the city stamp on it. Gays may never get the same benefits that straight couples receive, but the marriages are forever just as valid.
It was about 12:30 when we finally made it into the "indoors" portion of the line. Lisa and Stefanie had been in line 6 hours already -- others much longer -- yet no one was impatient or short-tempered. I couldn't imagine a crowd of straight couples conjoining in such respectful spirited community, as I witnessed yesterday at City Hall.
I imagined a plethora of short films being made about this event and was trying to find a unique angle/approach to take. I knew I wanted to follow Lisa and Stephanie through the entire process. The personal was more interesting than the political to me. You couldn't avoid the political. It was too imbedded. I wanted to give a sense of what they had to go through to get married. There is such a process; it was more complicated than I imagined. Not to get bogged down in the technical, but the actual steps of getting married for gay couples, from the myriad of forms, to the line for the certificate, to the line for the ceremony, to the line for the payment to the waiting for the actual license....is it the same for straight marriages? And more importantly, will these steps ever be taken again by other gay couples? Will this be a one-weekend shot?
I'm a pretty liberal guy, but I often am able to put myself in the place of conservatives, to kind of understand their tightwad perspective. Compassion and gentleness aren't considered virtues in most conservative circles and this is a major problem, but especially fiscally, I can put myself in their shoes. But I don't get the arguments against gay marriage. Homophobia, religious extremism (almost always intertwined) and complete ignorance are the only reasons a person can be against gay marriage. Gay marriage has no negative impact on the lives of straight people. It doesn't invalidate their marriages. It doesn't take away their rights. The only argument I can almost accept, (and I haven't heard this one in the papers or the talk shows) is that all the best wedding locations will be harder to reserve if gays are allowed to legally marry. Brad and Brenda might have to push back their wedding dates a couple months because Larry and Robert and Michelle and Lucy have the best caterers booked until November.
I'm going to look at the footage tomorrow and try and put together a piece that hopefully will capture the energy and history that I witnessed at City Hall on Monday February 16, 2004.
It was an historic weekend and if I didn't feel the significance of it via newspaper and TV, I certainly did on Monday, seeing the line of nervously excited couples and their friends snaking around the city hall building. Lisa and Stephanie got there at 6:15am and Keely and I joined them in line around 9am. Streams of generous people gave out donuts and bagels and coffee, cars drove by and honked in support, musicians played on the steps outside the entrance, a group of folks blew bubbles as the first wave of newly marrieds came out to greet the cheering crowd. CNN-ABC-NBC, and other news crews were there, reporters interviewing folks in line, trying their best to maintain their neutral network faces.
I tried to get a variety of footage. I walked from the beginning of the line to the end, scanning the seemingly thousands of faces waiting to get in to tie the knot or watch their friends who were. I talked to a woman holding a place in line for her deaf lesbian daughter and deaf partner. She was planning on interpreting for the ceremony. One older couple I talked to had driven down from Portland and had been together for 28 years. There were so many stories, so much happiness and elation and hope and I didn't want to even bring up the issue of whether the marriage certificates would ever become more than a piece of paper. This is what the CNN reporters kept asking. It's a question designed to deflate celebration. It was pretty clear from the folks I talked to that all this was about far more than getting a piece of paper with the city stamp on it. Gays may never get the same benefits that straight couples receive, but the marriages are forever just as valid.
It was about 12:30 when we finally made it into the "indoors" portion of the line. Lisa and Stefanie had been in line 6 hours already -- others much longer -- yet no one was impatient or short-tempered. I couldn't imagine a crowd of straight couples conjoining in such respectful spirited community, as I witnessed yesterday at City Hall.
I imagined a plethora of short films being made about this event and was trying to find a unique angle/approach to take. I knew I wanted to follow Lisa and Stephanie through the entire process. The personal was more interesting than the political to me. You couldn't avoid the political. It was too imbedded. I wanted to give a sense of what they had to go through to get married. There is such a process; it was more complicated than I imagined. Not to get bogged down in the technical, but the actual steps of getting married for gay couples, from the myriad of forms, to the line for the certificate, to the line for the ceremony, to the line for the payment to the waiting for the actual license....is it the same for straight marriages? And more importantly, will these steps ever be taken again by other gay couples? Will this be a one-weekend shot?
I'm a pretty liberal guy, but I often am able to put myself in the place of conservatives, to kind of understand their tightwad perspective. Compassion and gentleness aren't considered virtues in most conservative circles and this is a major problem, but especially fiscally, I can put myself in their shoes. But I don't get the arguments against gay marriage. Homophobia, religious extremism (almost always intertwined) and complete ignorance are the only reasons a person can be against gay marriage. Gay marriage has no negative impact on the lives of straight people. It doesn't invalidate their marriages. It doesn't take away their rights. The only argument I can almost accept, (and I haven't heard this one in the papers or the talk shows) is that all the best wedding locations will be harder to reserve if gays are allowed to legally marry. Brad and Brenda might have to push back their wedding dates a couple months because Larry and Robert and Michelle and Lucy have the best caterers booked until November.
I'm going to look at the footage tomorrow and try and put together a piece that hopefully will capture the energy and history that I witnessed at City Hall on Monday February 16, 2004.
Monday, February 09, 2004
States I have visited
The mental ones need a far bigger map, but here's the United ones in map form.
I had stayed at least one day and most, overnight, in each of these states. I have visited 21 or 41 percent of the states.
I need to work on my East Coast contingent.
The countries map is far sadder and I'm not gonna include it because I've only been to US, Canada, Mexico, Italy and Japan. I can't really count Germany because it was a stop-over, though it's on my passport.
I had stayed at least one day and most, overnight, in each of these states. I have visited 21 or 41 percent of the states.
I need to work on my East Coast contingent.
The countries map is far sadder and I'm not gonna include it because I've only been to US, Canada, Mexico, Italy and Japan. I can't really count Germany because it was a stop-over, though it's on my passport.
