Tuesday, June 15, 2010

It Really Is Worse

First, the good news. My brother's chemo went well. This was his second round and he knew better what to expect. I can't believe how extremely positive he is being. He is an inspiration.

As for the island...

Somebody asked why we had computers sitting out. Truth of the matter is, Bob was home when all of this took place. He was taking a siesta and heard nothing. Not the sound of them climbing over the aluminum gate. Not the sound of them breaking out boards from the windows. Not the sound of them pulling the window out of its' frame. Not the sound of them going through the dresser drawers that are only about 2.5 feet from his head.

There is a trend among burglars in Cancun to spray gas into a home before they enter it to knock the residents out. I have not heard of it happening on the island, but we can only guess that they may have looked in the window, saw him already asleep and shot some kind of gas into his room. I don't care how soundly a person sleeps, nobody would have slept through all of that racket and have been as discombobulated as he says he was when he was finally able to arouse himself from the stupor. Scary.

Right now, I have no plans to put my house on the market. I don't know what is going to happen when I get back. Maybe retro fitting all the windows with bars is going to be the only answer. I know that no matter what we do, short of the bars, I will no longer feel safe in my own home. A horrible feeling.

Thank you all for your words of concern and encourgement. Both for me and for my brother. It is appreciated more than I can tell you.

14 comments:

Kathy said...

Oh, Wayne. I'm so incredibly sorry. Both about your baby brother and about your haus. I didn't think you'd really sell, but we have very little crime down here (but no night life and honestly, we're terribly isolated, thus the Merida haus).

Take care of yourself as you take care of your baby brother.

Life's a Beach! said...

That's REALLY frightening! And it's an escalation of the lengths the thieves will go to.

Your brother is an inspiration. I'm glad things are going well with his treatment.

Nancy said...

I know this might sound weird but I love my bars. I can relax so well! And you can leave the windows open and just not worry! If I had to close all the windows in my house before I left each time I would never go anywhere.

So I say get the bars, you will sleep much better.

I am really sorry this happened, of course, and Bob must have been so upset to have them so close. Very freaky.

Get the bars and you can get back to enjoying Isla!

Brenda Maas said...

" I know that no matter what we do, short of the bars, I will no longer feel safe in my own home. A horrible feeling."

I have never been there so obviously don't realize the strong attraction that the place holds; BUT I am pretty sure that if I felt like that in my own home I would be moving elsewhere. I couldn't live a happy life feeling like that.

Just my 2 cents worth.
Glad your brother is doing well. Take care.

Anonymous said...

so glad to hear that your brother's chemo treatment went well and that he has a positive attitude as i think that plays a big part in recovery. i will pray for his continued improvement and that he will beat this disease without too many chemo treatments.

how frustrating to have been broken into so many times. and how scary it must have been for bob when he woke up and realized what had happened. i hope whatever next step you take in securing the house will work. good luck.

teresa in lake stevens

1st Mate said...

Gas! That's pretty sophisticated. Wonder what kind it is. You know, the meds your brother is taking could also have contributed to an abnormal sleep.

I'm sorry for all the losses you've sustained, how discouraging!

Anonymous said...

get a dog, a mean one.

el oso

lisa said...

Sorry I haven't been by lately, pretty hectic around here! I sure hope your brother comes out ok. We just got done with my mother in law going through breast cancer last year and it is so sad to have to watch them going through it! I would hate to have to live through the worry of someone robbing my house! Hope the culprits are caught and soon for your sakes! Take care and many prayers for your brother!

Merida Mikey said...

Wayne,

I was waiting for the next report on your brother and am pleased it is so positive! Glad he is doing better and at least tolerating the chemo. Attitude is so important, too as is family support.

Bars are the ONLY way to go. As a suggestion, some of the folks living on the beaches in our area have the bars installed on the INSIDE! This serves a two-fold purpose. First, they are not exposed to the salt air which, over a very short period of time, will just rust them out no matter how well you paint them. Second, it is actually much more difficult to tear down a protective bar that is mounted on the inside as you have to first get thru the shutters, window and/or screen. They can also be very decorative if designed properly!

If you are hell--bent on staying, some sort of security system is definitely in order, and don't rule out a big old junkyard dog!

Good Luck!

jeanie said...

Wayne, I am so sorry that all this crap is happening to you. Your brother has been in my thoughts and prayers for a while now. I'm happy to hear that all is well...so far.

The home invasion is very scary. These people are not desperate for a few $$ for food. These dudes are pros. They are drawn to Cancun because there is an abundance of Yankee tourists with fanny-packs full of cash.

It doesn't take long for them to hear about Isla. A place so wonderful and relaxing that one tends to just enjoy the peace.

I hope your brother is well. XXX

drgeo said...

Teddy Bear nanny cam ? With all this aggregated brain power, surely we can outwit them!

Anonymous said...

Wayne, that doesnt sound right? If the bad guys sprayed gas in the house to render someone unconcious, they would definatly have to carry around and use gasmasks themselves. Maybe B is just paranoid a nd upset, and not thinking clearly. Just my thoughts.
And it is hard to dig shallow graves in the soil conditions on isla:-))

drgeo said...

Putting a Private Detective in Your Laptop
By ERIC A. TAUB
Published: June 16, 2010 NY Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/technology/personaltech/17basics.html?ref=technology

Baruch Sienna figured his teenage son’s laptop was gone forever. During a party in Israel, a thief had taken his MacBook, and there were no witnesses.
“The police were very unhelpful,” Mr. Sienna said, speaking from Jerusalem. “They said, ‘You’ll never see your laptop again.’ ”

But the son was fortunate that his father had installed Undercover, an antitheft program, on his computer. He remotely activated the software, which grabbed screen shots of the thief’s online activities, while the Mac’s built-in camera shot pictures of him. After eight months of activity on the Mac, the software had given police enough information to identify the thief and put the MacBook back in Mr. Sienna’s hands.

For the very reason you like to carry laptops, iPads, e-book readers and smartphones — they are lightweight and portable — they are easy to steal or misplace. The 2009 Computer Security Institute Computer Crime and Security Survey found that 42 percent of respondents had lost a laptop or other portable device to a thief in the last year. According to a study by the Ponemon Institute, 17,000 laptops are lost each week in American airports. Most people assume they are gone for good; only a third of those turned in to the airports’ lost-and-found departments are reclaimed.

You can keep an eye on your devices and not leave them visible and unattended, but they might best be protected with some software. A number of good programs are available for laptops, phones and tablets. Many will try to locate the computer when it is connected to the Internet. Others log keystrokes, take snapshots of Web pages visited, monitor e-mail being written and even take a picture of the user with the device’s built-in Webcam.

In addition, some software can lock down the computer and display on-screen messages letting the user (who may not be the thief) know the device has been stolen and where to return it.

The article goes on to describe the following protection programs which can also be googled:

GadgetTrak

Laptop Cop

LoJack for Laptops

Undercover

Orbicule’s iPad and iPhone software ($4.99) tracks the device’s location. GadgetTrak’s BlackBerry and Windows Mobile apps ($24.95) remotely lock and delete personal data, as well as track the phone’s location. Its iPhone version (free, because of its limited abilities) tricks a user into opening a fake browser, which relays the phone’s location to its rightful owner.

There is one effective step anyone can take to secure a portable device’s content: password-protect your machine. But if you use the antitheft software, set up a nonpassword-protected guest account. You will safeguard your data while also making it easy for thieves to keep using your computer and unwittingly be tracked.

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear your bro's chemo is going well!

My vote: install bars AND get a doberman!!! :-)

Linda
Isla Chica