Tower 0059...
The Mecha-Bee was broken into this afternoon while I was "working"...
in fact it was almost stolen.
I was somewhere between Roswell & Dunwoody, test calling for T-Mobile...
The test phone was only picking up one active sector out of the normal three, so I decided it would be easier to get out and walk around the tower to check for the signals. I docked the Mecha-Bee in what looked like a decent part of town, a stone's throw from gated communities, townhouses and a even a recreation facility...
There were some kudzu covered shacks in the glen behind the tower and I thought it would be interesting to check out...a good way to stretch my legs and get some air...
I was on the phone pharminatrix (aka RYS) talking about a song on the radio (a cover of our favorite Neutral Milk Hotel song) and thus it was that she accompanied me, via ear-bud, on the explorations around the tower, down into the glen and beyond. (note: I was using my own phone, not the T-Mob tester.)
After realizing I wasn't going to get a signal from the other two sectors, I boldly set out to find a way into the glen...
On the Northeast sector I found some discarded xmas wrapping paper, "To: / From:" cards and a couple of books... RYS and I had a laugh that one book was called, "Hiking Trails in North Georgia" 3rd Edition; it's currently downstairs drying on the heater... (I also found a cool thermal mug with sine waves on its side...!) The wild roses and bramble on this side of the tower made the path down to the old houses impossible....
Heading back over to the Western sector I found a large doubletree split apart at the base by lightning and one side had fallen across the wall of thorny growth providing me with a bridge into the glen...
I tried to give RYS a narrative as I approached the middle shack... it looked like an old barn filled with gallon jugs and couches; an orange plastic, trick or treat pumpkin; a cooler; aquariums... all covered in kudzu, which I've heard grows at a rate of 2 feet a day... so, most of the jetsam around the building was far too new to be of interest and I began to realize that though the sheds were old, they'd been abandoned only recently...
As I reached the smallest structure and turned to enter I heard a gentle voice say "hello there" from inside... at the back of the shed, standing timidly in the shadows with a rusted baby stroller swinging from one hand, was a pallid balding man named Marvin....he wore a dingy London Fog raincoat buttoned up to the neck, dress slacks that were damp up to the knee and a pair of really sharp, brown leather dress shoes (I mean they were really NICE shoes)...
I'd been talking louding to RYS during my treck, so I assume that Marvin heard me approaching and thought I was talking to myself instead of into the ear bud mic, because he seemed automatically at ease in my presence...
Of course I didn't know he was Marvin until he told me his name: along with scavanging criteria, his origins, trials and tribulations...
We concurred several times that the baby stroller could be repaired and that it was a pity what some people would discard... I offered some suggestions for using the other items scattered nearby and turned to go...
He followed me away from the shed, asking how I'd managed to get up to the ruins without getting torn up in the brambles... I pointed out the tree-bridge as we moved toward the fire-gutted remains of the main house.
(RYS laughed in my ear throughout this entire discourse)
Marvin continued telling me about himself, claiming to be from someplace called California and that he had come to Atlantis to establish a church... upon telling me this he exclaimed "OH PRAISE GOD HALLEUJAH GO TELL IT! MUmbleMUMMMble" and stomped throughly on some kudzu vines covering an old matress...
That's when I decided to move slowly back to the submersible.
I left him talking and only saw him once more as I rounded the other side of the house enroute to the Mecha-Bee. He waved and I pretended not to notice that his lips were still moving in monologue...
As I came around the Western sector toward the car, I saw a tall dark man walking "casually" into the Northern Sector (near where I found the book)... he shouted something at "somebody" and continued to walk away.
I mentioned this to RYS and went directly to the Mecha-Bee to discover that the co-pilot window had been forcibly inverted and scattered through the interior.
two plus two.
"Excuse me, Sir," I yelled to the departing figure on the hillside.
He turned and to my surprise came back toward me, speaking a bit excitedly "Hey I was wondering if everything was Ok? I saw this (point to car) and thought that somebody might have been killed or something."
"Yeah," says I, "I was wondering if you saw who did this?"
(I'm paraphrasing here, but I think this is the gist of what was said.)
While he & I were talking about the break-in, (and RYS still listening in NY) I hit the recent call button on the test phone and put it to my left ear.
Before continuing, I should explain the specifics of what my job entails, if only to document the special frustration flavor of today's experience...
For several months I've been testing cell towers for the "Phase Two" project... Basically I spend the day making calls to 911 dispatch operators in order to run a tower verification. When activated, "Phase Two" will allow certain people -namely 911 dispatch, police and emergency services- to locate a caller within 50 yards of their location...
(Yes Mr. Orwell we can hear you now...)
The typical call goes something like this:
911 Op: 911, what's the nature of your emergency?
Test Subject 1486: This is a non-emergency test call for T-Mobile. Do you have a moment to verify the info on your screen?
911 Op: Sure.
Test Subject 1486: ok what address do you show?
911 Op: I'm reading a tower address at (ie.) 2323 Peachtree Peachtree Dr NE
Test Subject 1486: Ok, and the call back number?
911 Op: 555-917-2323
Test Subject 1486: That's it thanks!
end of call.
The important part here is that currently (under Phase One) the dispatch screen displays the tower address, and my call back number, GPS and a host of other information... it's also worth noting that there are a finite number of dispatch operators who know me by now, and usually recognize my voice...
some of us even joke around...
So, I hit the recent call button on the test phone and it dials 911...
A familiar operator answers and the conversation goes something like this:
911 Op: 911, what's the nature of your emergency?
Test Subject 1486: This is a non-emergen....er heh, actually this time I do need assistance. I need to report a break-in. My car window has been broken into.
911 Op: This is a non-emergency sir, I'll transfer you to another number. What is the address you are at?
Test Subject 1486: I'm not sure, it should be on your screen?
911 Op: I have no such information on my screen sir.
Test Subject 1486: Ok, I've been running test calls for 3 months now to verify that you can read the address of the caller. For T-Mobile, remember me?
911 Op: I'm sorry sir, I don't have any information regarding your location, can you give me a street name?
Test Subject 1486: Hang on I have to get my test sheet out.
Keep in mind I'm standing directly under the tower that I've just recently called from to confirm at least one sector address and call back number.
While digging under my over-turned possessions, I stabbed my index finger on a shard of glass, which then got stuck in my other hand as I tried to pry it free... I found the address, she transfers me, and the routine starts over... I have to figure out my address again, while sucking two glass cuts, and bantering with the tall dark stranger (suspect #1) to keep him from wandering off...
after dispatch disconnected, I had to try finding a way to keep the tall dark man, (who offers his name as 'Michael Smith') from leaving... he knew I suspected him, and was getting really frustrated... however, each time he walked off I somehow managed to get him to come back... (a fact which later changed my mind about his guilt)...I kept telling him that I'd seen another man on the other side of the tower. It was a weak ploy but it worked on some social level... He did get really upset at one point, telling me that he'd just been released from 25 years in prison and that he could get sent back just for being related to this crime scene...
I told him I could understand that, and then I saw something familiar...
vexation.anger.distress.another word I can't locate...
he was wrought with it, and I was reminded of times when I have done stupid things without thinking and had to pay the consequences.
he wasn't angry at me... he was mad at his situation.
he stomped off a few feet from me.
he kicked leaves.
he slapped a tree.
he made as if to punch the tail light of my car but pulled the punch under his own will power.
something in these actions told me about him.
it told me that he was lying, but not completely.
I wish I'd recognized it earlier, but I didn't understand his attitude until I was in my car making calls to the insurers and window people... and it took physical evidence to click it into place.
Then, by some odd luck, the cops arrived...
and by "luck" I mean that it wasn't planned...
after Officer Tuvlin had taken my report, and apologetically released M. Smith from guilt, he explained that the dispatch had sent him in the wrong direction... the only reason he had been coming down this private road was to "take a leak!"
Now for the Inventory:
All I lost in the break-in -aside from the window- was a tobacco pouch (w/ pipe tobacco) that my mother gave me, a pen, a bucket of toll-booth change and a used toothpick. They left the CDs, the [adult swim] bag, the loaf of BREAD and Peanut Butter...the scarf...
I found most of the small things, including the spare test phone and the Mecha-Bee's "ash-tray/change drawer" cast off in the woods near where M. Smith had been walking.
While I was making calls and arranging things to be cleaned and fixed, I noticed that the steering column's hood had been popped apart, exposing the key mechanism...
hm.
So, here's what I think happened...
somebody (see note below) broke into the car, and tried to steal it...
something deterred them and they left.
M. Smith arrives on the scene and sees an easy acquisition opportunity, but finds little of interest... then I catch him at the scene and he casts off the small things he's taken, trying to prove he's not the one who busted the window...
note: a white car came down the access road while I was headed toward the shacks, it didn't stay long, but I now suspect they may have had something to do with the break-in.
Read more -or less- exciting tales about previous attacks on the Mecha-Bee
in fact it was almost stolen.
I was somewhere between Roswell & Dunwoody, test calling for T-Mobile...
The test phone was only picking up one active sector out of the normal three, so I decided it would be easier to get out and walk around the tower to check for the signals. I docked the Mecha-Bee in what looked like a decent part of town, a stone's throw from gated communities, townhouses and a even a recreation facility...
There were some kudzu covered shacks in the glen behind the tower and I thought it would be interesting to check out...a good way to stretch my legs and get some air...
I was on the phone pharminatrix (aka RYS) talking about a song on the radio (a cover of our favorite Neutral Milk Hotel song) and thus it was that she accompanied me, via ear-bud, on the explorations around the tower, down into the glen and beyond. (note: I was using my own phone, not the T-Mob tester.)
After realizing I wasn't going to get a signal from the other two sectors, I boldly set out to find a way into the glen...
On the Northeast sector I found some discarded xmas wrapping paper, "To: / From:" cards and a couple of books... RYS and I had a laugh that one book was called, "Hiking Trails in North Georgia" 3rd Edition; it's currently downstairs drying on the heater... (I also found a cool thermal mug with sine waves on its side...!) The wild roses and bramble on this side of the tower made the path down to the old houses impossible....
Heading back over to the Western sector I found a large doubletree split apart at the base by lightning and one side had fallen across the wall of thorny growth providing me with a bridge into the glen...
I tried to give RYS a narrative as I approached the middle shack... it looked like an old barn filled with gallon jugs and couches; an orange plastic, trick or treat pumpkin; a cooler; aquariums... all covered in kudzu, which I've heard grows at a rate of 2 feet a day... so, most of the jetsam around the building was far too new to be of interest and I began to realize that though the sheds were old, they'd been abandoned only recently...
As I reached the smallest structure and turned to enter I heard a gentle voice say "hello there" from inside... at the back of the shed, standing timidly in the shadows with a rusted baby stroller swinging from one hand, was a pallid balding man named Marvin....he wore a dingy London Fog raincoat buttoned up to the neck, dress slacks that were damp up to the knee and a pair of really sharp, brown leather dress shoes (I mean they were really NICE shoes)...
I'd been talking louding to RYS during my treck, so I assume that Marvin heard me approaching and thought I was talking to myself instead of into the ear bud mic, because he seemed automatically at ease in my presence...
Of course I didn't know he was Marvin until he told me his name: along with scavanging criteria, his origins, trials and tribulations...
We concurred several times that the baby stroller could be repaired and that it was a pity what some people would discard... I offered some suggestions for using the other items scattered nearby and turned to go...
He followed me away from the shed, asking how I'd managed to get up to the ruins without getting torn up in the brambles... I pointed out the tree-bridge as we moved toward the fire-gutted remains of the main house.
(RYS laughed in my ear throughout this entire discourse)
Marvin continued telling me about himself, claiming to be from someplace called California and that he had come to Atlantis to establish a church... upon telling me this he exclaimed "OH PRAISE GOD HALLEUJAH GO TELL IT! MUmbleMUMMMble" and stomped throughly on some kudzu vines covering an old matress...
That's when I decided to move slowly back to the submersible.
I left him talking and only saw him once more as I rounded the other side of the house enroute to the Mecha-Bee. He waved and I pretended not to notice that his lips were still moving in monologue...
As I came around the Western sector toward the car, I saw a tall dark man walking "casually" into the Northern Sector (near where I found the book)... he shouted something at "somebody" and continued to walk away.
I mentioned this to RYS and went directly to the Mecha-Bee to discover that the co-pilot window had been forcibly inverted and scattered through the interior.
two plus two.
"Excuse me, Sir," I yelled to the departing figure on the hillside.
He turned and to my surprise came back toward me, speaking a bit excitedly "Hey I was wondering if everything was Ok? I saw this (point to car) and thought that somebody might have been killed or something."
"Yeah," says I, "I was wondering if you saw who did this?"
(I'm paraphrasing here, but I think this is the gist of what was said.)
While he & I were talking about the break-in, (and RYS still listening in NY) I hit the recent call button on the test phone and put it to my left ear.
Before continuing, I should explain the specifics of what my job entails, if only to document the special frustration flavor of today's experience...
For several months I've been testing cell towers for the "Phase Two" project... Basically I spend the day making calls to 911 dispatch operators in order to run a tower verification. When activated, "Phase Two" will allow certain people -namely 911 dispatch, police and emergency services- to locate a caller within 50 yards of their location...
(Yes Mr. Orwell we can hear you now...)
The typical call goes something like this:
911 Op: 911, what's the nature of your emergency?
Test Subject 1486: This is a non-emergency test call for T-Mobile. Do you have a moment to verify the info on your screen?
911 Op: Sure.
Test Subject 1486: ok what address do you show?
911 Op: I'm reading a tower address at (ie.) 2323 Peachtree Peachtree Dr NE
Test Subject 1486: Ok, and the call back number?
911 Op: 555-917-2323
Test Subject 1486: That's it thanks!
end of call.
The important part here is that currently (under Phase One) the dispatch screen displays the tower address, and my call back number, GPS and a host of other information... it's also worth noting that there are a finite number of dispatch operators who know me by now, and usually recognize my voice...
some of us even joke around...
So, I hit the recent call button on the test phone and it dials 911...
A familiar operator answers and the conversation goes something like this:
911 Op: 911, what's the nature of your emergency?
Test Subject 1486: This is a non-emergen....er heh, actually this time I do need assistance. I need to report a break-in. My car window has been broken into.
911 Op: This is a non-emergency sir, I'll transfer you to another number. What is the address you are at?
Test Subject 1486: I'm not sure, it should be on your screen?
911 Op: I have no such information on my screen sir.
Test Subject 1486: Ok, I've been running test calls for 3 months now to verify that you can read the address of the caller. For T-Mobile, remember me?
911 Op: I'm sorry sir, I don't have any information regarding your location, can you give me a street name?
Test Subject 1486: Hang on I have to get my test sheet out.
Keep in mind I'm standing directly under the tower that I've just recently called from to confirm at least one sector address and call back number.
While digging under my over-turned possessions, I stabbed my index finger on a shard of glass, which then got stuck in my other hand as I tried to pry it free... I found the address, she transfers me, and the routine starts over... I have to figure out my address again, while sucking two glass cuts, and bantering with the tall dark stranger (suspect #1) to keep him from wandering off...
after dispatch disconnected, I had to try finding a way to keep the tall dark man, (who offers his name as 'Michael Smith') from leaving... he knew I suspected him, and was getting really frustrated... however, each time he walked off I somehow managed to get him to come back... (a fact which later changed my mind about his guilt)...I kept telling him that I'd seen another man on the other side of the tower. It was a weak ploy but it worked on some social level... He did get really upset at one point, telling me that he'd just been released from 25 years in prison and that he could get sent back just for being related to this crime scene...
I told him I could understand that, and then I saw something familiar...
vexation.anger.distress.another word I can't locate...
he was wrought with it, and I was reminded of times when I have done stupid things without thinking and had to pay the consequences.
he wasn't angry at me... he was mad at his situation.
he stomped off a few feet from me.
he kicked leaves.
he slapped a tree.
he made as if to punch the tail light of my car but pulled the punch under his own will power.
something in these actions told me about him.
it told me that he was lying, but not completely.
I wish I'd recognized it earlier, but I didn't understand his attitude until I was in my car making calls to the insurers and window people... and it took physical evidence to click it into place.
Then, by some odd luck, the cops arrived...
and by "luck" I mean that it wasn't planned...
after Officer Tuvlin had taken my report, and apologetically released M. Smith from guilt, he explained that the dispatch had sent him in the wrong direction... the only reason he had been coming down this private road was to "take a leak!"
Now for the Inventory:
All I lost in the break-in -aside from the window- was a tobacco pouch (w/ pipe tobacco) that my mother gave me, a pen, a bucket of toll-booth change and a used toothpick. They left the CDs, the [adult swim] bag, the loaf of BREAD and Peanut Butter...the scarf...
I found most of the small things, including the spare test phone and the Mecha-Bee's "ash-tray/change drawer" cast off in the woods near where M. Smith had been walking.
While I was making calls and arranging things to be cleaned and fixed, I noticed that the steering column's hood had been popped apart, exposing the key mechanism...
hm.
So, here's what I think happened...
somebody (see note below) broke into the car, and tried to steal it...
something deterred them and they left.
M. Smith arrives on the scene and sees an easy acquisition opportunity, but finds little of interest... then I catch him at the scene and he casts off the small things he's taken, trying to prove he's not the one who busted the window...
note: a white car came down the access road while I was headed toward the shacks, it didn't stay long, but I now suspect they may have had something to do with the break-in.
Read more -or less- exciting tales about previous attacks on the Mecha-Bee