Nancy wrote --
JM>> There are only two I wished I had held on to, my '53 Chevy and my
JM>> '65 Falcon.

I started with a new '70 Duster... drove it for 10 years... until it died....

The Chevy was my first car, owned by, really, a little old lady, whom I think
was as school teacher. Never restored or anything, 15 years old and looked like it just came off the showroom. The pedals had the normal wear and tear, etc.
It had a problem with vapor lock and would just stop at times. Coast/push it
off the road, let it cool off and ok again.
It had vacuum wipers and in a light rain on the highway they were going like
like. In city traffic with a pouring rain they barely moved.
Had to sell that when I went in the Navy.
The Falcon was my second car, when I got out, I think it was part Jeep. It would go anywhere, just take it easy. Deserts, mountains in Colorado, dirt roads, etc. I was all over the country in that car. And only one of a handful
of two doors I had.
It got some electrical problem (lights would suddenly go out and came back on again after a while, regardless of the terrain). Then the battery couldn't hold a charge (and replaced a few times) and no one could figure out the problem.
I finally had to part with it and it was like losing a family member, we had
been through so much. Good old Red.

JM>> Today there are security cameras in all the public areas, the street
JM>> doors are locked and need a swipe card, etc.

Still doesn't keep things from happening, but does deter some, and might make it easier to track culprits...

True.
Then there the dumb crooks.
For several months we had a rash of pop machine break ins on campus. They would hit and be gone within minutes. The machines take bills which are widely
used so wasn't like they had a bag of coins to lug around.
One time the guys even mugged for the camera!
They hit the building I am sometimes in on weekends and caught by the security officer there. John, who is dead now, was in his late 60s, only about
5'5' and a gust of wind could blow him away. He caught them in the act and commanded them to hit the floor. One did but the other ran off. The first one
sang like a canary and the second caught soon after.
The video of them mugging for the camera was some of the main evidence. :)

JM>>> And I am sure once school starts back up in a couple of weeks I'll
JM>>> be there every weekend again til May. Along with working the home
JM>>> football games. ==sigh==
NB>>> You could say no, you know.... ;)

I could, yes. But its not advisable.
I have turned down a few posts because I have other things to do. Just because I'm retired doesn't mean I sit staring at a wall waiting for the phone to ring. :)

JM>> This one group, at the last home game, always has a big steak
JM>> dinner and all the trimmings for me. :)

Rank (and longevity) hath its privileges... you're probably considered
one of the family... :)

They are a friendly bunch anyway. Well, save for this one woman.
The spaces are numbers and their permit is for a designated spot.
One day someone parked in this woman's space and long gone by the time I got there. No idea who they were or anything.
This woman wanted me to have that vehicle towed since in her space. I suggested she just move over one, which is almost always empty and she didn't want to do that, the truck was in HER space and not moving over one.
I finally got her to move over saying if she did she would be four feet closer to the stadium. She thought about that a moment, then moved.
A lot of security work is PR. :)

JM>> One time it rained the whole time. After people leave for the game
JM>> there is always someone who stays behind to watch over the stuff.

Designated guard, eh...?

No, each tent has someone who stays with the stuff while the others go to the
game. Sometimes one person will watch two tents that are near each other.
That person will often go to the next tent and visit, listen to the game, etc.
One group has wifi and a huge tv they set up in the back of their Escalde and watch the game. All the home games are narrow cast on Facebook. And the powers that be wonder why people don't attend in bad weather. Hmm, pay a huge amount of money to sit in the cold/rain/snow or watch it in the warmth and comfort of home for free on Facebook? Decisions, decisions, decisions...

JM>> There are tents all over and the tables are covered.

People have learned how to be well prepared for any contingency, I'm sure... :)

The whole area around the stadium looks like a Bedouin camp with tents of all
sizes, colours, etc everywhere. Some are open on four sides, some three, some are completely enclosed. One group in the higher rent district has theirs air conditioned!

JM>> The last time I got an hour ago request was on 9/11.

And that WAS a real emergency.... :)

That was really rough.
I was on 12 hour shift watching the back fence of a chemical plant, which was
closed down the first few days. I assume the plant people thought someone was going to come down the Ohio in a boat and break through. I would patrol the area and the only thing I ever saw was a beaver, a couple of deer, a cat, a couple of dogs, etc.
And being unarmed what I was to do, tell them to go away? I didn't even have
a radio and cell phones were still years away.
The only radio I had was a small pocket one to keep up on the news.
I was there about four days and people started to calm down and go back to normal.
One thing I noticed.
One afternoon I saw the first plane since that day and it seemed so strange.
We were in the glide path for the airport.
Joe


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