Intruder Alert
by Scott Hardie on December 31, 2006
At 5:30am I was awakened by the doorbell and the sound of someone fumbling with my door. Through the peephole, I watched a young man desperately trying to pick the deadbolt. After a couple of minutes, he gave up and stumbled off towards the other apartments. Was he:
A) an incompetent burglar?
B) a drunken neighbor who forgot which apartment was his?
C) a guy who really had to pee and didn't give a damn any more?
Ten Replies to Intruder Alert
Steve West | January 1, 2007
I'm guessing a combination of A & B - drunken burglar with a possibility of C too. I agree with Erik that a call to the police was in order, especially if another apartment was indeed burgled.
Tony Peters | January 1, 2007
NOT
that situation should have been dealt with by whipping the door open holding something threatening...sword, spear, Axe, baseball bat, or my favorite shotgun. If he's trying to pick a lot he's a burglar regardless if he succeeds the act of using lockpicks on a lock not your own without the permission of the owner constitutes Attempted Burglary in mosts states. punishing the incompetent and or stupid will either force him to become better of chase him into another line of work (such as dog washing). For the record we are talking about a standard Kwikset 7pin deadbolt right? Unless it's brand new or really really old they take about 20 seconds to pick any more and he's a fool.
Jackie Mason | January 1, 2007
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Scott Hardie | January 2, 2007
Well, I could tell he was trying to put something in the deadbolt and jiggle it around, but I didn't see for sure that it was a lockpick, so I should have said "open" the deadbolt instead of "pick" it. The guy could have easily been a drunken neighbor, didn't realize he was in the wrong building (they're all identical), and was confused why his key was not working in "his" door. You're all right, though; I should have called the police just to cover all the bases.
Jackie Mason | January 3, 2007
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Tony Peters | January 3, 2007
whoa that's just wrong...if I lived in a building so generic that I could mistakenly go to someone else's door it's time to MOVE. I can't think of anything that is more frightening to me that living a life that uniform.
Tony Peters | January 3, 2007
damn double posting
Anna Gregoline | January 8, 2007
Could easily be a mistaken drunken identity thing, it's certainly not cause to MOVE! Goodness. You'd hate to see some of the things I've seen in Chicago outside my window, Tony!
Denise Sawicki | January 10, 2007
I've tried the wrong door in a couple of my previous apartment buildings, without even being drunk. I guess I just wander about absentmindedly at times! One building was symmetrical inside and had a staircase near each end, and by the time I had climbed to the top I would sometimes forget which door I came in / which staircase I was on, causing a period of disorientation as I tried to figure out which way to my apartment. I haven't ever tried to jimmy the lock, though. :) That might require drunkenness.
One time I was going to check my laundry and I freaked out some lady by opening her door absently, thinking it was the laundry room. That was pretty dumb. I noticed she put a large, obvious "Welcome" sign on her door shortly after that.
Despite these troubles, I would agree with Anna that living in a series of identical buildings is hardly the worst fate in the world. :)
Logical Operator
The creator of Funeratic, Scott Hardie, blogs about running this site, losing weight, and other passions including his wife Kelly, his friends, movies, gaming, and Florida. Read more »
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I've always felt like my life's dream was to quit my job and spend all my time online. I wouldn't only do that, of course – if I won the lottery and quit my job, I'd also travel and take classes and throw parties and do other things – but let's face it, I'd spend a lot of time working on this site and talking to people online. Last night I dreamed I was a ghost, recently passed. Go »Mayhem
Last night I saw Killswitch Engage, Slayer, and Marilyn Manson. This morning I discovered that Walgreens sells a pretty good neck brace for $11.99. Aaron Shurtleff bought my Mayhem Festival ticket in May as a gift, and I'm grateful to have another generous friend. Go »Give Me a Little Credit Here
Today's junk-mail pitch from Visa: "Most credit card companies know you as a number. Sean, we know you by name." Go »Scott's Pet Peeve #8446
Not all mobile phones mix a qwerty keypad with their main numerical keypad, but I have an old Blackberry that does. That makes me especially frustrated by companies that only provide a letter-based phone number without showing a numerical alternative (800-LIKE-THIS). I just went to cancel Nutrisystem, and of course they require you to call a counselor rather than just cancel online, and the only number they give is 888-459-THIN. Go »Scott's Pet Peeve #8431
Random strangers on Facebook are not exactly known for impressive displays of intellect, but with several of my friends in the hospital recently, I've been annoyed by one particular bad habit that their friends seem to have: 1) Someone posts that s/he is experiencing a certain medical problem and is going into the hospital. Friends reply with supportive words. 2) A few hours later, the OP posts an update describing what the doctors are doing. Go »
Erik Bates | January 1, 2007
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