It's weird to be freaked out about your own neighborhood. I'm definitely still a bit skittish walking around in the dark near my apartment, which is a problem because it is legitimately dark around 4:50pm. I've been able to walk from my apartment to other places past the scene of the crime a couple of times, but I haven't been able to fully retrace my steps in the dark. Obviously this is the type of thing that takes time... it's all much better than Wednesday night when I walked back from picking up my mail (at 7:05 pm) and needed to drink about a bottle and a half of wine to calm down.
In general I don't think I'm naturally very good at this type of "recovery." The only comparable incident in my past is when I got in a big wreck while racing go-karts. I was a really good driver at that point (especially on that day); arguably I was better at that than anything else I've ever done or tried in life. Anyways, I got in a big wreck and my confidence pretty much never returned. I was able to get out and compete, and even won a few races after the accident, but I wasn't a tenth of the driver I was before the wreck.
Walking around my neighborhood brings back a lot of the same memories I had when I started racing again. I know that there isn't anyone waiting to jack me, much like I knew that I could take certain corners flat out or out-brake certain drivers. But before the wreck/mugging there was no counter knowledge; how could I be afraid of consequences if I didn't know what they were? Now I know the consequences, and even though the probability of them occurring are as minuscule as before, they loom much larger in my head.
So what do I do? In the short term, I give a spare set of keys to my friends and I drive to and from work (I also am sans bus pass, so this isn't as reactionary as it sounds) and I cab home on weekends rather than walking. Nothing life changing. I'll be curious how I react once I start back to the gym next week... I was so comfortable before that I would walk home from the gym with my iPod playing. Obviously that won't be the case any more.
Lastly, thanks to everyone who has sent me a note of encouragement. I'm obviously blessed to have lasted 30 years with no real exposure to street crime (I have no idea how 100% of soldiers don't come back from combat with PTSD), but I'm more blessed to have you all as friends. Holla.
Showing posts with label neighborhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label neighborhood. Show all posts
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Tells you a lot about my neighborhood
Back in DC I managed to stay off most direct marketing lists... I got a lot of mail from some crazy dentist in Dupont Circle, and the occasional update from WASA letting me know how leaded my water was, but nothing too odd.
So I was a little surprised when The Neptune Society sent me an interesting solicitation last week. I wasn't familiar with the Neptune Society prior to receiving the mailing, so obviously their marketing is effective. Given Seattle's proximity to water and Neptune being the Roman God of the sea I wondered if there wasn't some sort of nautical adventure awaiting me inside the cream colored envelope.
That's when I noticed their pitch: Free Pre-Paid Cremation! Details Inside!
I was a bit taken aback by the exclamation marks. I mean, yeah, this is part of life, but is it part of life that requires excitement and urgency! Through the mail! Really!
Anyways, they had me at Free, and I opened the letter. Turns out that over 60% of Washingtonians have chosen cremation (!), and the numbers are increasing every year (!). They announced the winner of last months drawingThe Neptune folks even follow the rules of consulting and give me three bullet points as to why so many of my fellow residents are making this decision (simple personal services, cheaper, less environmental impact). The Neptune motto? Simple, Economical and Dignified (!).
The letter goes on into some more detail about why pre-paying is the right way to go (obviously they are not forecasting hyperinflation). But the best part is the small type. Coming from a credit card company this is always true in direct marketing, although we never had anything this good:
Wow. I mean, that obviously wasn't in the first draft, but you know at some point many years ago their timing proved to be a little bit too good, and that was their response. Ooops, we're sorry if marketing death services turns out to be distasteful. Anyways, I'm taking the risk and not prepaying for my cremation at this point.
So I was a little surprised when The Neptune Society sent me an interesting solicitation last week. I wasn't familiar with the Neptune Society prior to receiving the mailing, so obviously their marketing is effective. Given Seattle's proximity to water and Neptune being the Roman God of the sea I wondered if there wasn't some sort of nautical adventure awaiting me inside the cream colored envelope.
That's when I noticed their pitch: Free Pre-Paid Cremation! Details Inside!
I was a bit taken aback by the exclamation marks. I mean, yeah, this is part of life, but is it part of life that requires excitement and urgency! Through the mail! Really!
Anyways, they had me at Free, and I opened the letter. Turns out that over 60% of Washingtonians have chosen cremation (!), and the numbers are increasing every year (!). They announced the winner of last months drawingThe Neptune folks even follow the rules of consulting and give me three bullet points as to why so many of my fellow residents are making this decision (simple personal services, cheaper, less environmental impact). The Neptune motto? Simple, Economical and Dignified (!).
The letter goes on into some more detail about why pre-paying is the right way to go (obviously they are not forecasting hyperinflation). But the best part is the small type. Coming from a credit card company this is always true in direct marketing, although we never had anything this good:
Please accept our apologies if this letter has reached you at a time of serious illness or death in your family.
Wow. I mean, that obviously wasn't in the first draft, but you know at some point many years ago their timing proved to be a little bit too good, and that was their response. Ooops, we're sorry if marketing death services turns out to be distasteful. Anyways, I'm taking the risk and not prepaying for my cremation at this point.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Dangerous chicken
Despite only being 6 blocks or so from my apartment, the trip to my gym is fraught with danger. Please see the diagram below:
It is physically impossible for me to get to my gym without walking through the cloud of awesomeness that is the aroma cloud surrounding a fried chicken joint. It's not a matter of if I come home from the gym with a bucket of chicken, but when I come home with a bucket of chicken. Hopefully I will have done about 189 minutes of cardio before ordering up a 10 piece dark meat bucket. Plus biscuits.
It is physically impossible for me to get to my gym without walking through the cloud of awesomeness that is the aroma cloud surrounding a fried chicken joint. It's not a matter of if I come home from the gym with a bucket of chicken, but when I come home with a bucket of chicken. Hopefully I will have done about 189 minutes of cardio before ordering up a 10 piece dark meat bucket. Plus biscuits.
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