This story starts on a brisk and windy Halloween evening, a couple hours before dark. Freaks and goblins were already out and about but I blame that on three things: it was Halloween, it was Yreka, and I was at the Laundromat.
As I pulled into the parking lot, I saw a tall skinny man with two dogs starting to come toward my vehicle. As I got out, he approached me and asked for money, stating that he was homeless. I'm definately one to give money to homeless people, but not when I'm in a position where I would have to open my purse and wallet. If the money is in my pocket and in easy reach, it's not that big of a deal. I told him sorry, I couldn't. He pressed me for a just a little bit, whatever I could spare. I told him no, I'm sorry again, and went to the other side of my vehicle. I went inside and put my laundry in the washing machine and went back to my car to take out the recycling. Watching for the man again, I walked across the parking lot to the recycling bins. After sorting it all out, I returned to my laundry to wait for the time to put it in the dryer. Normally I take off and come back in 20 minutes to switch it out. I didn't this time because I figured it wouldn't take very long and I could get it all done as soon as possible.
Some of you are aware of my stalker from the gym. He hasn't been very successful at stalking me since he called my work looking for me and they told him they didn't know who I was. He got my name wrong anyway. So there I was, choosing a magazine from the table, when a man walked in. It was my gym stalker, low and behold. I pretended I didn't recognize him (because I wasn't totally sure at first). He looked at me and then walked around to the washers and looked at them. He looked back at me. I pretended to read my magazine. He looked at the washers again. I looked up and he looked at me and said "Do you know how much these cost? I mean to run them?". I told him I did not. He walked out. I pretended to continue reading my magazine. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a dark grey extended cab pick-up. Before I could stand up to take a better look or get a license plate number, he was gone.
I figure he was driving by, saw me at the recycling bin and saw me walk into the laundromat. He must have been thinking "That's the girl from the gym!". So he thought he'd get a closer look. He needed some lame excuse so he asked about the cost of the washing machines, hoping to get me to talk. After he left I looked at the machines and they said in huge numbers $2.00- in black, outlined in red. On each and every machine. Red and black, staring him in the face. He knew how much the machines were, he could read. Which unfortunately means that now he might realize what my vehicle looks like.
So I called my good friend, Gwen to let her know what just happened. As I was talking to her, a man in a Dolphins jersey walked in with a cigarette in his mouth, a gun in his hand and a Bank of America zippered pouch in the other. He shook the gun around and said something about a laundry stick up. Then he sort of sauntered out. I went on with my conversation with Gwen. After I got off the phone with her, he came back in and apologized for scaring me. I nodded and said I figured with it being Halloween and all... He said he was working on his new place, he's opening up a pet store right next to the laundromat. I should come there, he'll beat Medford's prices. I told him I didn't have any pets but that I would spread the word. He said his grand opening will be on Veteren's day. His buddy is going to barbeque. There's going to be free food as well as free adult drinks in the back. "Awesome." I said. "Yeah, so tell everyone, bring your friends".
I went to my car to get the dryer sheets and he stood outside his shop, gun still in hand, saying how he's doing his decorating, getting all ready. "How exciting for you." I told him. "Yeah, and we're gonna have like a club in the back, where me and the guys can hang out and stuff. It's gonna have it's own back door... cause sometimes it sucks going to the bar and all. We'll invite the girls sometimes too." Hmm. So there's going to be a petshop next door to the laundromat that has a man cave/night club in the back. Eureka. No, not quite. Yreka. You betcha.
After stuffing my clothes in the dryer, I drove home, taking all sorts of side streets and driving past my place 3 times, just to make sure I wasn't being followed by the gym stalker. I drove past the police station and then back home. On my way home, a cop in front of me lit up some hoodlums that were probably pestering some little kids for their candy. I've got my candy all ready to hand out, but I still have to head back to the laundromat for my clothes. Hopefully they're still there and the gym guy didn't come in and steal my underwear. That would suck.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Update
Well it's been forever since I've posted and even longer since I've sat down to do any real writing, so I figured I'd hop on here and share the latest and greatest. Fire season is officially over and we're into the winter season. I think this year I will create an awe-inspiring recruitment video for people wanting to work year round, full time. I've got some great pictures of a large bonfire created by extra brush and junk from around the station. I also have a short video of getting one of the engines stuck in the mud, and then un-stuck along with interviews from onlookers. I feel like people should be more informed on their decisions to either become or not to become a permanent year round employee.
Just yesterday I got lost in the woods. Seriously. Awhile back I read a book called Deep Survival (very good book)that differentiates between the characteristics and patterns of people who survive while lost in the woods and people who do not. Surprisingly, I had more traits of the people who do not survive in the woods. Many of you may be shocked to hear that... then again, some of you may not. A particular pattern of people who do not survive being lost in the woods (or out at sea, or whatever the trial may be) was that the person, upon realizing that he or she is lost, does not back track to a point where they knew where they were. This may have something to do with stubbornness and not wanting to "waste time" back tracking. I don't know, really, but it's complete and utter foolishness.
One of the guys and I were sent out into the wilderness of Oregon to check brush piles we had burned a couple days prior. It was no big deal because it had been raining for several days, we just needed to be sure they weren't going to "get away" (as if). Being such a low complexity task, a small area to be checked, and the fact that we were expecting more rain, I brought nothing but a jacket, a radio (the kind you talk on), a cell phone, my helmet (trees ya know) and the keys to the truck. No gear, no compass, no GPS, no map, no food, no water (it was very damp and cold out there... and there were several streams anyway). Very low danger in my opinion.
As I started out towards an unfamiliar area that was burned (I had burned piles on the other side of the mountain) I had a thought that I should GPS the location of the truck, as is customary when leaving our vehicles and heading out to a fire. Since I had left mine at the station, I quickly dismissed the thought and went on my way. I finally came across some freshly burned piles that were rather drenched. I finished my route and called over the radio to the other guy who was checking the other side. He said he was on his way toward me, so I started toward him. We would meet in the middle and head back to the truck and back to the station. Quick and simple.
Well not really. It wasn't long before I noticed I hadn't seen any piles. So I shouted to locate my coworker. When I didn't get a response, I asked him over the radio to "give me a hoot". I heard nothing. So I kept on going, thinking I'd hear him eventually. After not hearing him for awhile, I figured I had gone too far and started back the way I had come. But then I thought how mean of me it was to walk back the other way when he was supposed to be walking towards me. He'd end up having to walk further than me. So I turned around and went back the other way. After some time, I started to think that it was possible that I was lost. We weren't far from the truck so I decided to walk down the mountain, find the road, and just walk back to the truck and meet the guy there.
I heard something big rustling behind me. I turned to see the branches of a tree swaying rather wildly. I asked my coworker over the radio if that was him or a big animal in the bushes. He asked if I heard his shout. I definately did not, which meant it was definately an animal. I backed away into the other direction, making sure I wasn't followed. I made my way down the mountainside and came across a road. I followed the road to a stream. We had crossed a stream on our way out there... unfortunately, this stream was flowing the opposite direction. I figured it was either a different stream or it was after a bend in the stream. I turned around again to head back to where I thought the truck was. I called to my coworker and asked him over the radio to call back. He didn't hear me and I didn't hear him.
It was at that moment that I realized I was actually lost. Like, for real. I thought about that chapter in Deep Survival about back tracking to the point where I actually knew where I was. I looked at my watch. That would take forever. And if we took forever, my boss would find out that I had gotten lost and I'd be forever embarrassed. I walked on. I couldn't be far from the truck. I told my coworker that if he met me on the road, I might be able to hear him better. After walking some time, I came across a network of dirt roads that I had never seen before. Now I knew for sure I was lost. I got a small little inkling of dread, but knew I wasn't in any danger yet. But we were fast approaching the point where we'd have to let some one know that I was lost. I found another stream, this time going in the correct direction. I radioed to my coworker to go back to the truck and hit the sirens. Surely I would hear that. I waited in place until he got to the truck. I heard nothing. At this point it occurred to me that he could be messing with me and not really hitting the sirens, and possibly following me around to see if I would panic when I got lost. Since we were on a channel where others could potentially hear our conversation, I asked him to switch to our secret squirrel channel.
After switching, I asked if he was truly running the sirens. He was. He tried pointing me to landmarks, asking if I could see the smoke on the hillside. I could not. I asked if he had a map. Maybe I could describe the terrain features I was seeing and he could guide me in. I turned on my cell phone and saw I had reception. I considered calling my boss, but knew I'd never live it down. I decided to head north. It felt right. I came along a fence with a Forest Service boundary sign. That was a good omen. My coworker had been unable to find a map. So I checked out the Verizon Wireless navigator on my phone. I opened the file and uploaded it (for $2.99). It told me I was in Ashland, OR. I wasn't quite (or maybe I was?). I called my coworker and asked if he had a GPS. When I asked my phone about my location, it gave me my coordinates in latitude and longitude. If my coworker had a GPS, he could punch that in, and it would point him to exactly where I was. He did not have, and could not find, a GPS.
Walking towards another road, I tripped over some barbed wire on the ground and fell so hard it knocked my helmet off. Out loud I scolded myself, saying this was definately not a time to get hurt or go unconcious because neither of us knew where I was and I had the keys to the truck (actually a good thing- this way he couldn't leave me behind). After clearing a couple of ridges, I asked him to hit the siren again. This time I heard it. I was so thankful. I started walking toward it and found another road. After finding the road, I found where we had started burning days earlier. I was so happy to be found again!
On the way back to the station, we talked about it and laughed, as well as tisked ourselves for not bringing gear or compasses or GPS units. I was just glad I hadn't panicked and called my boss. We stopped at the gas station on the way home and I got a well deserved Blackberry Oreo milkshake. I told my coworker how I have this innate ability to get lost no matter the situation or where I am. City, woods, swimming pool: I've gotten lost in all of them. Thankfully this one was fairly uneventful and dispatch did not have to send out a search party for me. However, I'm glad to say, if they did, at least I had my GPS coordinates and they would have found me fairly quickly. But I would certainly never live it down.
Just yesterday I got lost in the woods. Seriously. Awhile back I read a book called Deep Survival (very good book)that differentiates between the characteristics and patterns of people who survive while lost in the woods and people who do not. Surprisingly, I had more traits of the people who do not survive in the woods. Many of you may be shocked to hear that... then again, some of you may not. A particular pattern of people who do not survive being lost in the woods (or out at sea, or whatever the trial may be) was that the person, upon realizing that he or she is lost, does not back track to a point where they knew where they were. This may have something to do with stubbornness and not wanting to "waste time" back tracking. I don't know, really, but it's complete and utter foolishness.
One of the guys and I were sent out into the wilderness of Oregon to check brush piles we had burned a couple days prior. It was no big deal because it had been raining for several days, we just needed to be sure they weren't going to "get away" (as if). Being such a low complexity task, a small area to be checked, and the fact that we were expecting more rain, I brought nothing but a jacket, a radio (the kind you talk on), a cell phone, my helmet (trees ya know) and the keys to the truck. No gear, no compass, no GPS, no map, no food, no water (it was very damp and cold out there... and there were several streams anyway). Very low danger in my opinion.
As I started out towards an unfamiliar area that was burned (I had burned piles on the other side of the mountain) I had a thought that I should GPS the location of the truck, as is customary when leaving our vehicles and heading out to a fire. Since I had left mine at the station, I quickly dismissed the thought and went on my way. I finally came across some freshly burned piles that were rather drenched. I finished my route and called over the radio to the other guy who was checking the other side. He said he was on his way toward me, so I started toward him. We would meet in the middle and head back to the truck and back to the station. Quick and simple.
Well not really. It wasn't long before I noticed I hadn't seen any piles. So I shouted to locate my coworker. When I didn't get a response, I asked him over the radio to "give me a hoot". I heard nothing. So I kept on going, thinking I'd hear him eventually. After not hearing him for awhile, I figured I had gone too far and started back the way I had come. But then I thought how mean of me it was to walk back the other way when he was supposed to be walking towards me. He'd end up having to walk further than me. So I turned around and went back the other way. After some time, I started to think that it was possible that I was lost. We weren't far from the truck so I decided to walk down the mountain, find the road, and just walk back to the truck and meet the guy there.
I heard something big rustling behind me. I turned to see the branches of a tree swaying rather wildly. I asked my coworker over the radio if that was him or a big animal in the bushes. He asked if I heard his shout. I definately did not, which meant it was definately an animal. I backed away into the other direction, making sure I wasn't followed. I made my way down the mountainside and came across a road. I followed the road to a stream. We had crossed a stream on our way out there... unfortunately, this stream was flowing the opposite direction. I figured it was either a different stream or it was after a bend in the stream. I turned around again to head back to where I thought the truck was. I called to my coworker and asked him over the radio to call back. He didn't hear me and I didn't hear him.
It was at that moment that I realized I was actually lost. Like, for real. I thought about that chapter in Deep Survival about back tracking to the point where I actually knew where I was. I looked at my watch. That would take forever. And if we took forever, my boss would find out that I had gotten lost and I'd be forever embarrassed. I walked on. I couldn't be far from the truck. I told my coworker that if he met me on the road, I might be able to hear him better. After walking some time, I came across a network of dirt roads that I had never seen before. Now I knew for sure I was lost. I got a small little inkling of dread, but knew I wasn't in any danger yet. But we were fast approaching the point where we'd have to let some one know that I was lost. I found another stream, this time going in the correct direction. I radioed to my coworker to go back to the truck and hit the sirens. Surely I would hear that. I waited in place until he got to the truck. I heard nothing. At this point it occurred to me that he could be messing with me and not really hitting the sirens, and possibly following me around to see if I would panic when I got lost. Since we were on a channel where others could potentially hear our conversation, I asked him to switch to our secret squirrel channel.
After switching, I asked if he was truly running the sirens. He was. He tried pointing me to landmarks, asking if I could see the smoke on the hillside. I could not. I asked if he had a map. Maybe I could describe the terrain features I was seeing and he could guide me in. I turned on my cell phone and saw I had reception. I considered calling my boss, but knew I'd never live it down. I decided to head north. It felt right. I came along a fence with a Forest Service boundary sign. That was a good omen. My coworker had been unable to find a map. So I checked out the Verizon Wireless navigator on my phone. I opened the file and uploaded it (for $2.99). It told me I was in Ashland, OR. I wasn't quite (or maybe I was?). I called my coworker and asked if he had a GPS. When I asked my phone about my location, it gave me my coordinates in latitude and longitude. If my coworker had a GPS, he could punch that in, and it would point him to exactly where I was. He did not have, and could not find, a GPS.
Walking towards another road, I tripped over some barbed wire on the ground and fell so hard it knocked my helmet off. Out loud I scolded myself, saying this was definately not a time to get hurt or go unconcious because neither of us knew where I was and I had the keys to the truck (actually a good thing- this way he couldn't leave me behind). After clearing a couple of ridges, I asked him to hit the siren again. This time I heard it. I was so thankful. I started walking toward it and found another road. After finding the road, I found where we had started burning days earlier. I was so happy to be found again!
On the way back to the station, we talked about it and laughed, as well as tisked ourselves for not bringing gear or compasses or GPS units. I was just glad I hadn't panicked and called my boss. We stopped at the gas station on the way home and I got a well deserved Blackberry Oreo milkshake. I told my coworker how I have this innate ability to get lost no matter the situation or where I am. City, woods, swimming pool: I've gotten lost in all of them. Thankfully this one was fairly uneventful and dispatch did not have to send out a search party for me. However, I'm glad to say, if they did, at least I had my GPS coordinates and they would have found me fairly quickly. But I would certainly never live it down.
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