Situational Awareness or Paranoia?

[Bob K]

Workin, Termite,

Truly not what I had in mind.

In my younger days ...

[Greg]

Just like any typical cop habit that gets so ingrained they do it off-duty, and even years after leaving the force because that's what's comfortable - and they don't like people walking behind them, don't put on their seat belt until AFTER the vehicle engine is running, and take off their seat belt a block before arriving at their destination.

Much of the other habits have to do with maintaining awareness, like checking reflections in windows, on cars, watching nearby shadows, not walking next to building doorways and openings, etc., etc.

I was just thinking about this. Like workin', I'm no cop but I do all of those things. Well sometimes I only undo the seatbelt when I put the car in park.

[308Mike]

Understand - but you guys are just being more aware than the average bear. It's part of being a Sheep Dog.

The seat-belt thing has to do with being able to bail out immediately upon arriving at a location to catch a possible suspect trying to get away. Also, when arriving at a location and you're taken under fire, you don't want the seat-belt to hang you up and keep you from ducking below the dashboard to minimize your target signature. They taught us: The car's the target, you're the 10-ring, it's MUCH easier to hit the target and get a reaction than to hit the 10-ring and not know what happened.

The same goes for putting ON the seat-belt. We don't buckle-up until AFTER the engine is running to give us more options since the car is now running. It would be TERRIBLE to be belted-in and have someone putting holes on your windshield while you're sitting there like some duck, staring out through your spidered windshield while being shot at, and fumbling for your keys and trying to duck at the same time, and having to ALSO deal with your seat-belt locking (from the inertial lock when you pull too fast) while you're trying to QUICKLY duck! If the suspect is STILL standing in front of the car trying to make a poor target of himself (it;s hard to shoot from inside a car) while putting rounds through my windshield, he's in a GREAT position to get his ass run over by a couple thousand pounds of steel, plastic and HOT exhaust while standing in front of my police car. Remember, at that pint DEADLY FORCE IS AUTHORIZED and NECESSARY.

After all, you're STOPPING THE THREAT; the threat to life and limb of yourself and those around you. You FEARED FOR YOUR LIFE!!

And don't you forget it.

[workinwifdakids]

Dude, that's sick. When did you meet my mother, and why didn't anyone tell me? (And don't get me started about her temper. Oh, boy. And people wonder why I say redheads are *not* desireable... because they're fucking psychotic.)

People say, "Wow, your wife is really nuts. It's that red-head thing, isn't it?" I tell them, "Oh, she's mellowed a lot since we've been married."


It's a lot like saying mezcal ages well.

[Bob K]

Mike observed,

If the suspect is STILL standing in front of the car trying to make a poor target of himself (it;s hard to shoot from inside a car) while putting rounds through my windshield, he's in a GREAT position to get his ass run over by a couple thousand pounds of steel, plastic and HOT exhaust while standing in front of my police car. Remember, at that pint DEADLY FORCE IS AUTHORIZED and NECESSARY.

My dear, late friend (natural causes), Joey the Cop (CPD) once said of this circumstance, "It's only a traffic accident."

[Cybrludite]

Me either. Here's a YouTube video explaining my position.

I like this one: LINKY.

Here's my preferred music for that situation...

[Bob K]

Gotta love Weird Al.

[Evyl Robot]

I've always wondered how ironclad the 3rd date rule is. Is it open to negotiation or interpretation? What exactly constitutes a date? Is it possible to have a partial date? Can partial dates add up to whole dates? Does going on a single date with one genetically identical twin and then another count as one or two dates? Does a date count if one of the parties does not remember it? Is some sort of evidence required in this case for the date to count? Do previous dates not count towards the total after a certain amount of time? If so what is this time? Do they degrade into partial dates first or do they stop counting completely once this time is reached?

Is the "Third Date Rule" consistent across all genders, sexualities and species? If not is there a formula that can be applied to figure out the number of dates required for a given set of sexualities, genders, and species? Is the rule altered if there is more than two people in the relationship? Is there a formula for this as well? What are the precise actions required on the third date? Are said actions determined ahead of time or improvised? If third date obligations are not met is litigation possible? In the event of third date impregnation what possible recourse may the parties take?

As you can see these are important questions that need answers and frankly I am quite bothered by the number of people who go into third dates without making sure that these, and many other questions, have been answered.

Dude, don't overthink it! When you take her out on date number one, she gives you a card, right? On the second date, she punches the card. On the third date, you punch her card.

[skb12172]

I've got some updates for you all. First, let's review some of the previous comments...

People say, "Wow, your wife is really nuts. It's that red-head thing, isn't it?" I tell them, "Oh, she's mellowed a lot since we've been married."

Ironic, she's a red-head.

(And don't get me started about her temper. Oh, boy. And people wonder why I say redheads are *not* desireable... because they're fucking psychotic.)

No comment...

I have an x-gf like the one you dated. Eventually it got to the point where it was no matter how I answered, it was wrong. Very controlling and demeaning, and it got old. I would try to stay friends with her and keep in touch, in wishful thinking that she'd get better (she didn't). I haven't talked to her in over a year and a half. Last I heard, she decided to have a kid on her own since she couldn't find sucker anyone into marrying her.

Since we called it quits, we've kept in loose touch. She's already gone through two other dudes who weren't up to her standards. She's now settled on some older fellow who's a grandfather. She's 35 and he's close to 50. I snooped on his FB page out of curiosity and his latest statuses have been about "being sick and tired of being alone" and "gosh darn it, he's going to do something about it." I think they met at church.

Maybe desperation is what she needs in order to find a man who's willing to put up with her bullshit. She's an odd duck, though. An unlikely combination of picky/demanding and desperate to get married. All I know is that, on the sporadic occasions I run into her, my stress level starts to rise after just a short amount of conversation. It just reminds me all over again of why it didn't work.

Thanks again for all the advice and insights on this thread. I already knew what to do. At my age (39) when you're just having to try too damn hard all the time and you're still not happy, you know it's time to get out. Still, having the outside points of view was a big help.

Since the breakup, I've been dating three different ladies. None of them seems to be a more likely candidate over the others at this point, but I get along well with everyone and am enjoying life. I'm not looking for a wife and, frankly, am not sure I ever will want to get married again. Maybe that's another reason why it didn't work out. She wanted so desperately to be a wife and mother and I'm lukewarm, at best, at the prospect of a 2nd marriage.