Got accosted by a black teen today at IHOP on Perkins road getting out of my car. "Hey man...can I get three dollars from you? I ran my car out of gas...." I said "I'm not giving you anything...." as I saw no car and just got the vibe I was getting jacked up. Keep in mind--this is 1pm, carlot full of folks, but the kid still took an "intimidating" pose. When I stood up out of my truck he decided to move on. Probably no malice intended, but as a husband and father of 3 girls I wonder how THEY would have had to deal with the situation had I not been there.

I may yet buy a place in OB, Hernado, or Millington one day as a crash pad--especially if I ever (gulp) upgrade to captain and face a reserve/bottom VTO kind of life for a while. I LIKE running around the Memphis area--I no kidding have a good time whenever I am running around here puttering from the Casinos to the Navy base in Millington and anything in between. But--damn there are some rough spots--and I wish there was a way to fix the problem. Until those problems are solved (like getting acosted in daylight in an area that doesn't look rough...) I'll keep my family elsewhere and accept being a commuter.

Its a shame--'cause 50 acres and some horses in North Mississippi wouldn't be a bad lifestyle. But I know my girls...and they'll make mall runs to MEM all the time--and about once a year there is something that happens that gives me the willys.

I really want to be part of the solution instead of just a guy who complains all the time...but I'm afraid it will take the folks who live inside the 240 loop deciding to fix these problems before things get better.