Someone is throwing stuff at me : (

[pseudo_mccoy]

Maybe I chose the wrong town.

Yesterday morning I was parked in the open at the mall. Out of the blue, there's a WHACK against the side of my van. I jump out, and two kids are walking past a short distance away. They immediately holler, "He went that way!" and point toward the mall entrance.

I was still waking up at this point and my head was a bit foggy (did not sleep in mall parking lot, I moved there earlier in the morning). So it took me a couple seconds to process what was happening. I looked down. There was a shattered orange strewn about my feet. I ask the kids, "Someone threw an orange at me?! WTF" and gave a little laugh despite my growing anger. I feel bad about swearing, but like I said, I was still waking up. I'm not a morning person.

So I pick up the mangled remains of the orange and step off in the direction the kids were pointing in. I don't know what I was going to do with it once I found the guy. Well, ok, I had a pretty good idea. Anyway, I thought I saw a rough looking dude scurry inside the mall. I also had a pretty good idea where he might be heading too.

But once I get to the doors, I stopped to think. Were the kids playing me? Was it a distraction to get me out of the van so they could break in? Was the orange thrower trying to scope me out for a later encounter? There was too much I didn't understand, so I returned to my van and pulled around the corner.

I waited to see if the rough looking dude would step back out. He didn't. I left a short while later.

After all, it was just an orange. And my van is already pretty dinged up on the sides.

Fast forward to tonight.

Moments ago, I was pulling out of the library, when, out from the woods to my left, BANG! Another hit. This time it clearly sounded like a rock, but it didn't register right away. In fact, at first I thought the noise was because I had forgot to strap something down in back. Once I parked, I looked. Everything was in order inside. Nothing fell off my shelf. It had to be a rock.

Alright, I know what you're thinking. McCoy dun goofed and made someone angry. Well, I don't know how I could have. I've make a point to keep well to myself until I gain some stability around here (job and perhaps a more permanent parking arrangement). Seriously, I've had random conversations with all of TWO people 'in real life' in the last seven weeks since I got here.

Has this happened to anyone else?

I'm alternating between anger and sadness. I'm afraid of what I'll do to this guy once I find him. I just want to be left alone.

 

[sephson]

My mother had someone egg her car, maybe 40 years ago. It ruined the paint on the front quarter of the roof. I miss that car, a 1973 Ford Country Sedan station wagon.

I remember an incident from a decade ago. I had just pulled into a parking space at a rest stop when my pickup started bouncing up and down, felt like someone was shaking the rear bumper. I looked back and no one was there. It turned out that what I felt was actually an earthquake.

 

[pseudo_mccoy]

Both of those sound fairly random (earthquake must have been scary).

Something just occurred to me. Like I said above, I've really kept my head down out here. However, in the last few days, I've been super active both here and in the /r/vandwellers subreddit.

Maybe I'm being paranoid (which is kinda typical for me), but what do you think are the chances that someone has recognized my setup from online pictures and, for whatever perverse reason, has taken it upon themselves to agitate me? I welcome anyone to check my posting histories. I think I've been nothing but amiable.

Please say something if if you think I'm out in left field with this theory.

 

[compassrose]

Lots of frustrated people out there now. Some deal with it creatively. Others don't. And some are just idiots. Some folks don't like different. Others may be jealous of you and your situation deep down (bear in mind they only see the surface). I have met a lot of people who tell me they wish they could live in an RV and "travel" yet they do not take into account the decisions and choices we made to live like this. Fear and ignorance is a potent and potentially dangerous, combination.

Before you do something stupid, ask your self, is the guy worth (worst case scenario)? 99.9% of the time the answer will be no.

Maybe you need to start practicing a bit of mediation. Not difficult. Not fancy. Quakers call it "centering down". Deep, even breaths and empty your mind, think of something calming like walking on a deserted beach, etc.

 

[pseudo_mccoy]

Thank you, compassrose. You're right. It aint nothing but a thing.

It's funny, but just reading you're words about walking on a beach put the image in my head. Reminded me of cali. You just took me down from an 8 to, like, a 2.

 

[pseudo_mccoy]

There's a lot of broken poeple out there. We all have problems. As was just pointed out to me a moment ago, mine is anger.

 

[pseudo_mccoy]

What's a four channel system and why is hd a no go?

Night vision... now you're talking my language.

Thanks for reminding me about setting up a surveillance system. I have a cheap and nerdy solution up my sleeve. Stay tuned : )

 

[mockturtle]

These sound like random acts to me and, IMHO, you are being paranoid if you perceive them as some kind of organized plot.

 

[cyndi]

Kids have been throwing things at vehicles for as long as vehicles have been on the road. I've never thrown rocks or oranges at cars. But throwing snowballs and water balloons at cars was a common occurrence in my neighborhood, growing up. Of course, at least once of us got caught and beaten, pretty regularly. that was better than our parents being told.

I'm guessing those kids, that pointed you in the direction of the scruffy guy, were guilty

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

ive had people mess with me a time or two...knocking on my van etc, it ticked me off at the time but you just gotta shrug it off amd move on. The negativity will hurt you and do nothing to them.

 

[rvwandering]

I think the orange was probably the kids too. The other noise - maybe a rock, maybe something falling or moving that you just haven't noticed yet. I doubt that the two incidents are related. I can understand it being a little unnerving but it's over now so it's best for your well being to let it go.

 

[bonnienclyde]

My mean a $$ boys once hid over the hill, throwing snowballs at cars, then quickly ducking out of sight. What they weren't realizing were that little rocks and things were being rolled up along with the snow in those snowballs.

To make a long story short, I get several angry calls from people on the neighborhood about the dings and scratches they caused! BUSTED, lol.

They are grown now, and come to find out they also did this in a cornfield, too. Except with ears of corn!!!( We lived in the country)and they didn't get caught on that one. They did get chased by a guy screaming he was going to beat their butts, but they out ran him. Am I a bad mom for kind of wishing he had caught them?

I worked a lot during their early teen years, and they were just rambunctious kids. Happy to say they have turned out to be great guys!

It's probably just some mean kids, having a lark. If you can catch them, put a little scare in them.

 

[Queen]

Just this morning I was trying to figure out ways to be more compassionate, I've had enough bad things happen in my life that rage is as likely to come out at generosity and compassion... so I want to work on that.

These scenarios remind me how easy it it to be compassionate to people who "deserve" it, and how difficult it is to show the same to people who challenge us. Sorry you had to experience this, but thanks for sharing, it's great food for thought.

 

[pseudo_mccoy]

Thanks, everyone, for putting things in perspective. I think having so many eggs in this one basket has made me uncharacteristically jumpy at times.

Wind causing shopping carts to crash into vehicles happened to me on my first week. When I heard the rattle rattle CRASH, I was outside, half naked and ready to brawl before I was consciously aware of it. Felt real dumb when I realized what happened. I'm happy to say I've mellowed considerably since then.

But probably not mellow enough if someone keyed my van, gsfish. I'm beginning to feel like it's a part of me. If it got keyed, I might take it personally.

Dazar - I hear you about how negativity can eat away at a person. I've had folks lean on and prop stuff against my van. If I feel like it, I'll just poke my head out the window and ask with a smile if someone had been knocking.

I'm very down with what Queen said. It'd be healthier for everyone to look at these instances as challenges to be a better vandweller.

 

[pseudo_mccoy]

The four channel thing sounds fairly straight forward. I like that.

I'm definitely interested in the german bird cam thing but the video looks like it's broken.

Here's another option

Raspberry Pi + camera module = (wireless) motion activated security camera.

Cost: ~$70.

I don't yet have a wifi adapter for it but for now I can use a web interface from my laptop to control it over ethernet cable. I've only done it once before and never got around to mounting it anywhere useful. I'll make a better post on this later.

Anyways the cameras are HD, cheap, and tiny. Could be useful.

---

Here's a more ambitious Instructables

 

[user 423]

-At a city park near walnut trees: Twice a huge thump on the side of my Class B. After the second one I was awake and saw two kids lurking around. I jumped in the driver's seat to give chase but had no chance of catching them but I wanted to send a message.

-At a Cheyenne Sam's Club: A solid PING from what I was sure a pellet gun. Didn't happen again, so I went back to sleep. I found a pretty deep dimple in the side of the van the next day.

-At a pullout on the Oregon coast, on July 4 th: Two cars pull up and drunks start shooting off fireworks that included bottle rockets that went every which way including near my van. I was getting ready to call the cops but they went away. I'm sure it wouldn't have done any good.

 

[akrvbob]

One simple pieces of advice that has profoundly shaped my life that I think apply here:

Don't take things personally.

We all live alone inside ourselves and each of us face many demons of our own creation. Nearly all the things we do are directed at ourselves and have almost nothing to do with the other person.

We're all sick to some degree, few are sicker than I am, I'm just so sick I had to get help. And for that I am eternally grateful. I feel most sorry for those who are sick (nearly everybody) but not so sick they are forced to find and accept help (the great majority).

They have cancer of the soul and it makes them just as unhappy as it makes everyone around them unhappy.

If I remember that, and remember that we don't hate people with cancer of the body, we try to comfort and help them, then I can cope with them better.

Then I try to remember all the ugliness inside me, and some of the ways it has come out. And the ways it still wants to come out. If I could only remember to do that before I judged and hated, my life would be much better.

Bob

 

[compassrose]

... Locally because of the high winds shopping carts are a the hazard. If folks get lazy, and many do, carts are not put in the cart corrals then they go wandering off exploring the lot looking for a new home. Suddenly a shopping cart comes whipping across the safeway lot with no driver and "SMACK" you have a new dent...

Am I a bad person because I felt intense joy while watching the movie "RV" where the RV runs over the shopping cart?

The first time we stopped overnight in Roswell, we stayed in the parking lot at Sam's Club. Now things are pretty flat around here. But the Class C got nailed by a shopping cart. We watched the cart roll from one side of the lot all the way to the other side of the lot where the RV was parked. It was pushed by the wind (or possessed... your choice).

 

[LeeRevell]

I've often had squirrels throw acorns down on my vehicles. Little vandals.......

Here in Florida, tossing anything at a moving car is a very serious crime, with very stiff consequences.