I don’t get off living on the edge, unlike some people the idea of a certain threat to my safety doesn’t turn me on, in fact I get a sickening feeling in my stomach and I tend to pee a lot. Most of the time, I feel safe, secure and comfortable in my environment and I like feeling that way. Yesterday wasn’t one of those times!

Suite 101 in my apartment building got broken into, I live in 102! This is not good!

Granted I live downtown (in the West End, in an area called Davie Village) which in itself shouldn’t exude an aura of safety because really how can anyone feel secure in any city’s downtown? Yet it’s one of the safest places I’ve ever lived. A predominantly gay (note: not basis for said safety) neighbourhood with densely populated apartments, condos and houses, still I sleep with my windows open (I live on the first floor), walk the streets late at night and leave my door open sometimes. In my prior existence, I lived in middle class suburbia in one of the (self-acclaimed) safest neighbourhoods in America yet we took no chances, in a quasi gated community, we had 24hr security patrol, called the cops if anyone looked different or out of place and watched over the kids like hawks. It was their ability to keep danger out that keeps them safe.

Last night when I got home, this girl was sitting on the stairs of the building’s lobby close to our door; I’d never seen her before so I assumed she was one of my brother’s ‘little friends’. We didn’t speak as I went in; I figured she was being snooty. I couldn’t be bothered, I left her sitting there, locked the door behind me and settled in to have a quick bite and catch up on my Britcoms on BBC Canada. Minutes later my sister walks in with girl-from-lobby in tow. She’s actually neighbour-from-next-door and their apartment’s been broken into! WTF????

Someone threw a stone at their balcony door, shattered the glass, and ransacked the place leaving with their money and jewellery. And get this… the thief left behind his/her hat and gloves! Strange indeed! I tell my sister to call the police but she calls the building manager instead. Manager-lady said at about 3:30 she heard glass shattering but thought it was a car, so anyway they do their thing while we go jogging.

We get back, call ML for update and she said the cops’ been called, she couldn’t get that much from them because “she can’t understand them” (my sister and I understood them perfectly!) The cops took their sweet time getting here because ML requested a Cantonese speaking cop (like that should really make a difference in this city!).

From the little ML gathered she kind of has an idea who it might be. I don’t know how I feel about building management fraternizing with criminals!

~[m-w’s word of the day]~

PLAYING: A voice within – Christina Aguilera

READING: The song reader – Lisa Tucker

WATCHING: The OC

QUOTE: “It's so hard to stand your ground when you're so afraid”