Big Day

[kurtdesign1]

The driving continues to build a feeling of absolute liberation. Last night, when we left Las 3 Reinas, I needed to get from Point A to Point B. The problem is, all the streets were One Way traveling opposite what I needed. So I drove backward through 3 streets and about 2 miles. No one even batted an eye. Other cars simply got over and let me pass by. In fact, we were at one point accompanied by 2 other cars traveling the wrong direction as well. This place is awesome...

Aaaaand for the American counterbalance to this story, I had to renew my license yesterday. Since I had a ticked in 2011 for operating a cellular phone while driving (grumble mother F-n phone usage at a stoplight. grumble), I had to take a written exam. The proctor said I was the first in some time to score a 100%.
I subsequently was told I was not allowed to operate a vehicle in the DR. Ever.

[kurtdesign1]

I'm about as angry as I've been in a long time. The local POS thief has struck again. This time, they reached into my daughter's open bedroom window and took her tablet while the kids and wife were at school and I was out distributing vitamins in Villa Gonzalez today. They left behind a length of re-bar that was apparently needed to drag it off her vanity onto the bed so it was within arm's reach. I could get past the monetary loss of a few hundred bucks, but my 12 year old daughter worked hard and saved her own money to buy it, and it had all her pictures and such on it. It's what she uses to Skype with her friends and my Mom back in the states.

It's bothersome to feel like you have to scan the house and make sure nothing of value is near a window just to leave the house. And, it's tough to love and serve people when the arsehole minority are busy robbing us blind.

We kept very few of our material possessions to come here, and those we brought are important to us. Whether or not they see me as a rich American is moot at the moment. I'll be settled down and fine tomorrow, but tonight I'm pissed.

Ugh. I can't even imagine, Kip. I'm sorry, brother. If it makes you feel any better, I've got a Motorola Xoom (zoom?) that I was going to get rid of the other day (I have an Ipad now). It's a couple of years old but it works perfectly. I can send it as is and you can wipe it clean and set it up as she'd like. It would be my pleasure. '
Now, getting an address to deliver at might be the hardest part of this...

Also, I recognize that I'm addressing the solution and not being overly compassionate. I apologize for that but hope you realize that I feel empathy for your situation. I've been there before with the feelings of anger and, dare I say, hatred. You're a good, smart man. You'll realize that helping the less fortunate means you're willfully and willingly putting yoruself in a fragile position. You're not meant to be in danger, but you're certainly not in the safest setting you've ever been. I'm sure many of us here are incredibly appreciative of your willingness to make the world a better place. Even if a few eggs have to be cracked to make that harmony flavored omelet.
Plato's got nuthin on me.

[Stewmuse]

I'm about as angry as I've been in a long time. The local POS thief has struck again. This time, they reached into my daughter's open bedroom window and took her tablet while the kids and wife were at school and I was out distributing vitamins in Villa Gonzalez today. They left behind a length of re-bar that was apparently needed to drag it off her vanity onto the bed so it was within arm's reach. I could get past the monetary loss of a few hundred bucks, but my 12 year old daughter worked hard and saved her own money to buy it, and it had all...

We kept very few of our material possessions to come here, and those we brought are important to us. Whether or not they see me as a rich American is moot at the moment. I'll be settled down and fine tomorrow, but tonight I'm pissed.

To paraphrase you, Kip: 100% liquid crapola.
Still need the eventual "address"/safe place for deliveries, please.

[IWinchester]

Kip, you must be doing something right. If it's easy, it usually ain't right.

[kurtdesign1]

Kip, you must be doing something right. If it's easy, it usually ain't right.

100%

[Kip]

Easy, now...I find smoking cigars exceedingly easy

[Kip]

Thanks for the offer, Craig, but yeah - getting things here is a bit tricky. There's no mail service, so you can't just drop something with the USPS or other common carrier and get it here. I'm using the funds that were originally earmarked for CFC to get her another one and having one of our upcoming team visitors bring it down. I would have let it simply be a lesson learned for her if she'd been careless or something - but I really felt for her because 1.) she worked hard to earn the money to buy it and 2.) she left it in what was seemingly a safe place. The lengths the thief went to were pretty dedicated. Best I can figure they had to use the re-bar to drag it from a vanity onto the bed and several feet to the window.

I wish now I'd installed one of the apps to kill the thing in such a case. At least they'll have some serious work to circumvent the screen lock to even use the thing. My gut feeling is that they stole it and have since realized it's unusable in its current state and tossed it in the trash somewhere. It has no value to a casual user who doesn't know how to side-load an OS launcher and access it with the lock on. I removed the device from her Google account last night, and it had not been successfully opened at the time. Thankfully, her Google settings were ticked to back up all of her photos to the cloud, so I was able to get them back.

[TomD]

Also, I recognize that I'm addressing the solution and not being overly compassionate. I apologize for that but hope you realize that I feel empathy for your situation.

Ha! I can tell you have experience talking to women. They always want sympathy and think your a jerk if you offer a solution.

So its official, you two are a couple.


Sorry to hear about the theft.

[IWinchester]

^^^lol!

[kurtdesign1]

Also, I recognize that I'm addressing the solution and not being overly compassionate. I apologize for that but hope you realize that I feel empathy for your situation.

Ha! I can tell you have experience talking to women. They always want sympathy and think your a jerk if you offer a solution.

So its official, you two are a couple.


Sorry to hear about the theft.

I knew that would come back from someone...