PennSilverTaco's "Perfect 5-Lug Regular Cab" Build, Aspergers, and General BS MegaThread!

A couple houses up from me burned down today, about 5 or 6 trucks showed up but l don't think any of the structure survived. Hopefully the people got out safely if there were any inside.

 

@6 gearT444E
@ABA180
@ColoradoTJ
@Just_A_Guy
@shakerhood
@steelcity2
@TnShooter

I had a little incident while taking pictures of my coworker's FJ Cruiser today; I would like to make it absolutely clear that (A) I obviously had permission to be on the property, (B) I had permission from the owner of the FJ Cruiser to be taking pictures of it, and (C) both my dad and the FJ owner knew that I was outside taking pictures on the property. The part rented out by NAVMAR is empty and no longer contains anything confidential...

So, I was taking a picture of the FJ from the right front corner when a guy in a white Ford Explorer pulled up and asked if he could help me, and he did not seem happy; I could tell by the wheel covers that this was a former Police Interceptor, and if I remember correctly the guy in the Explorer was wearing a safety vest in addition to a sweatshirt with the name of the shipping company that also occupied the building. I immediately assumed he was a security guard; I have not been confronted by a security guard in at least twelve years as of this post, but historically I have viewed security guards as the mortal enemy of hobby photographers like myself because the overwhelming majority of them are egotistical pricks.

The guy in the Explorer very quickly revealed that he was not a rent-a-cop when he said that he either owned the property or was the owner's brother (I forget), but he was still being a confrontational hothead.

I said that my dad worked for NAVMAR, that he was inside the building, that I was with him, and that I had permission to be on the property. He had no idea who my dad was, but mentioned the owner of the green FJ Cruiser by name and asked if I was looking for him; I am not going to put people's names on here obviously, but I said that the owner of the FJ Cruiser was in the building with my dad.

In my Aspergers-fueled small-mindedness, I had the attitude of "I have permission to be here, and you really need to leave me alone now!"



I obviously did not say that, but this guy wouldn't leave me alone and was getting more and more agitated. I believe he said at some point that he wanted to go inside and talk directly to the owner of the FJ Cruiser; I just wanted to be left the hell alone as stated above. I forget when exactly he said it was his property (or his brother's), but was I still of the belief that he was a rent-a-cop when he was in his ex-police Ford Explorer; I did not swear at him once, but I finally said "unless you're a cop, I'm not talking to you". This really set him off...

He let off a couple F-bombs, threw the Explorer in park, flung the door open, and jumped out; I was a bit scared at this point. I'm pretty sure I tried to mention that I had autism and didn't deal well with being screamed at, but he cut me off. I repeated again that my dad worked for NAVMAR, that I had permission to be there, and that I didn't want to talk to "some rent-a-cop". This set him off further, and he angrily stated that he owned the property or that his brother did (again, I forget).

The side door of the warehouse was unlocked, and we went inside. My dad and the FJ owner were in another part of the building. The company Silverado was parked in the warehouse so we could load it; I pointed at the Silverado, and told the guy that I had come with my dad from four hours away in that truck.

Then, my dad and the FJ owner came into the warehouse. Turns out that the guy who just moments earlier assumed I was a thief (he did specifically mention before my dad showed up that he "had no idea if I was stealing shit") did know my dad and had met him before, but just didn't know his name. Once I identified who my dad was, the guy said something along the lines "oh shit". I am not the greatest of reading peoples' tones of voice, but it seemed like an "oh shit, I just confronted a vice president's son" type of tone. My dad and the guy shook hands, and my dad confirmed my what I'd been trying to tell him all along. He also mentioned that I have Aspergers Syndrome. It ended on good terms, and the guy just got back in his Explorer and left.

I have had one run-in with the actual police for taking pictures (almost 11 years ago as of this post, back in March 2013), and I haven't had a run-in with a rent-a-cop in almost exactly a decade; I haven't had a potentially dangerous confrontation with a vehicle owner for taking pictures since May 2016. Yes, being confronted by a third party at a place that I had permission was VERY aggravating. It did not help in the slightest that this guy decided to be a hero and go in guns blazing.

 

I admit that I should have been a little friendlier, but after telling my dad about how it all transpired, it turns out that I initially handled it just right and it was just a misunderstanding; I believe that the guy in the Explorer who claimed to be the property owner was very unprofessional, and everyone I have told the story so far agrees with me in thart respect. I have very unpleasant memories of dealing with security guards between 2009 and 2014, always as a result of taking pictures, and seeing some gruff guy in what appeared to be a retired police SUV triggered those memories. Of those incidents, two of them were at my college, one was at the Oxford Valley Mall, and one was at an outlet mall in East Stroudsburg. The security guard in East Stroudsburg was the biggest prick of them all, and rather amusingly he looked just like John Candy's character in National Lampoon's Vacation (the Wally World security guard)...

Anyway, I admit that I have a bit of a prejudice towards security guards; I support 100% law enforcement, but in the last year or so I have started to get a bit irritated by some of their tactics.

 

@shakerhood

I am really paranoid about driving at night now because I got pulled over by an unmarked green Dodge Charger that looked nothing like a cop car, for speeding up to get away from him because he was tailgating me and I thought he was just some prick in a muscle car. I especially freak out when an Explorer or a Taurus, especially one that is black or white, gets behind me at night.

 

@6 gearT444E
@ColoradoTJ
@Just_A_Guy
@shakerhood
@Speedytech7
@steelcity2
@TnShooter

Here's another one. On the very same stretch of road where the green Charger that turned out to be an unmarked police car started following me, the speed limit is 35 miles an hour. They recently installed one of those LED things that shows your speed and flashes a white strobe light if you exceed the speed limit. Some of these strobes only flash if you go 3 MPH or more above the posted speed limit.

One time at night, I drove past this damn thing doing 38 or 39 MPH. The light started flashing and it was annoying. In my experience, the stupid things only flash if you exceed the posted speed limit by 5 MPH or more.

The next time I drove past it at night, I slowed down and was clocked at 36 MPH. The stupid thing still flashed.

Last night when I drove past it, the damn thing started flashing even though I was doing 33-34 MPH! My girlfriend has epilepsy and is afraid the strobe could trigger a seizure; I am thinking of complaining to the township. Why do I need to be tortured if I'm staying within 1 MPH of the posted speed limit and often going below?!?!

 

@ColoradoTJ
@steelcity2

Does anybody remember the woman who suddenly appeared last summer in the neighborhood where @Gwyns04 and @Stitchgirl90 live? I haven't seen her since she tried to flag me down, presumably to hitch a ride, on New Year's Day. She annoyed the shit out of not only me, but a good number of people who actually live in the neighborhood. One of the neighbors told Amanda and me that she had actually come into his yard and asked his daughter for money, and further stated that he suspected she was a squatter living illegally in a foreclosed house; Gwyn claims she heard that she was living in a rented house on the street directly behind where Amanda lives; I have a few theories...

• Most likely she was either squatting in a foreclosed house or living in the woods, the police finally decided to investigate, and they removed her; I have no idea why Gwyn thought she had a whole $400,000+ house to herself..
• She is in fact living in a rented house, and her caregiver(s) told her that it is not appropriate to panhandle or ask neighbors for rides...
• I hope this isn't the case but it's been extremely cold for over a week, and if she was living in the woods then it's possible she succumbed to the cold, and is still in the woods...

I really hope she's safe and out of the cold but at the same time, I should be able to pick up my girlfriend without being asked for money or a ride from a stranger!

 

My dad said he was not the property owner, as my dad has met the property owner before; I think he said that he was the owner's brother. He was definitely associated with the property in some way, and his suspicion was justified, but his douchebaggery most definitely was not!

 

Yup! First date on January 21st, 2023! I borrowed a trailer from work to get her and her now-ex-friend out of New Jersey in late March-early April, and now her ex is in jail in Indiana for a probation violation!

 

You can complain all you want.
But they likely won't care. They might act like they care, but they won't.

The fact is, those things work.
Don't believe me?
They got you to slow down 3 different times.
So obviously, it works.

I don't have any issues with them. Not until they start sending me tickets in the mail
Then I'll have an issue.

As for the "Security Guard" guy.
I would have attempted to explain what I was doing.
If that wasn't good enough for him, I would have stopped taking pictures.
I would have said some thing like, "Sorry. I didn't realize this would be an issue. But I'll stop".
I pick my battles. Taking photos of a vehicle isn't a battle that's a priority. (for me)

 

Shh, don’t give Charlie any ideas

 

Sounds like an expensive idea……..

 

I did try to explain the situation. The problem was that he didn't know my dad by name...

 

Because I have Aspergers and was given an evaluation by a psychiatrist, I am allowed to stay on my dad's health insurance (TriCare, through the US Navy) until I am 65. I have to be evaluated every four years to see if I qualify for SSDI, and if I get denied, I keep my coverage through my dad; I have always made too much money to qualify for social security, so I get to keep the insurance coverage. Obviously, I don't intend to stay on my dad's insurance policy until I'm 65, but if I get married, I lose that coverage; I want to have a job with health insurance before I get married, but I would say that the chances of me marrying Amanda before the end of the decade are VERY good!

 

I don't want to let it go, but eventually I will be making enough money that I no longer qualify. Plus, I want to get married someday. Life happens...

 

Insurance is expensive.
Medical bills are expensive.

My mother has lupus, she pays over $500 a month for an insurance plan that cover her medical care.
She had a an aneurism at the base of her bran, that cost over $104,000 by the time it was over. Insurance paid all but maybe $700. Thank God

Me?
I get the choice of financial ruin or death.
Dying is cheap, Living is Expensive.

I'd keep all the insurance I could Charlie.