Greetings Everyone
I am utterly distressed at a couple of experiences I have had lately
and I thought I would share them with the group.
With my being sick I recently asked another letter boxer to go out
and check some of my boxes that were reported missing. To my
disappointment she reported that indeed the boxes were missing, but
worse, the areas they were in had been torn apart in an obvious
attempt to search for the boxes. I am so disappointed to see that
there are letter boxers out there with an inclusive disregard for the
beauty of nature and the environment that these special treasures are
concealed in. I told Iron`Bear that personally I feel desecrated.
Each and every place that I hide a letterbox has some sort of special
meaning to me. It is somewhere Iron`Bear and I have been together,
it is a reminiscence of special times we have had to have someone go
in and annihilate it, you might as well walk into our home and start
ripping up pictures in my photo album. I'm hoping Iron`Bear will
write more on this topic later, as I think he could do a much better
job explaining how disconcerting this is than I can his heritage and
appreciation for nature is something we both take very seriously.
My next disappointment was yesterday when Iron`Bear and I went out to
grab a few easy letterboxes. We found one of the boxes with a
inequitable message written on the container, telling people they
could remove the box if they wanted too, the box completely empty
except for the stamp and a piece of a notebook paper with the
signature stamp of someone that had visited the box shortly before
us. I don't know what the heck is wrong with people that they would
do something like that. Seriously, whoever did that, I just want to
know what the hell your damage is??? I will admit, though I don't
mean to slam anyone that I was a little taken back why the person
that stamped in before us chose not to do something to fix the box.
Iron`Bear and I took the box back to our car, taped an index card
over the defamatory and callous message with the generic "This is a
letterbox please do not remove, for more information please visit
www.letterboxing.org" message. We also put together a quick on the
site logbook, protected it in a zip lock bag and then replaced the
letterbox and contacted the placer to let them know what we found and
how we fixed it.
I understand that sometimes accidents happen and things get messed
up, but to see people deliberately vandalizing letterboxes and
surround areas really agitates me. I can assure the group of one
thing, if I keep seeing this sort of thing happening to the area
around my letterboxes, they will no longer be publicized for everyone
to go get, I will find some other means of making an attempt to make
sure that responsible people are visiting these locations.
I bid you all well,
A very disgruntled pandora{HIB} "Pandy" of Team Chaos
An Extreamly Disgruntled Pandora
3 messages in this thread |
Started on 2003-10-28
An Extreamly Disgruntled Pandora
From: pandora{HIB} (hispandora@phlsystems.com) |
Date: 2003-10-28 16:53:47 UTC
Re: An Extreamly Disgruntled Pandora
From: Dawnette (rbngdfello@aol.com) |
Date: 2003-10-28 20:09:16 UTC
>I will admit, though I don't
> mean to slam anyone that I was a little taken back why the person
> that stamped in before us chose not to do something to fix the
box.
It may be that the previous letterboxer had no supplies with which to
repair or re-supply the box. My herd and I are new to 'boxing, and we
don't always have extras with us. Watermelon left her beloved red
cat's eye stamp pad in the Caboose Track L.B. in SLO because the
stamps looked so lovely in two colors, and we have been known to part
with a Ziploc bag from time to time as needed to protect a box or log
book, but we don't yet carry spare logbooks, boxes, or duct tape with
us on our outings (although your recent experience certainly makes a
case for our doing so).
Ere you judge the previous visitor too harshly, remember that he or
she must have been likewise horrified at the condition of the box and
may even at that moment have been trotting down the trail to report
its condition to the placer.
Yours sympathetically,
Doughnut, et al.
> mean to slam anyone that I was a little taken back why the person
> that stamped in before us chose not to do something to fix the
box.
It may be that the previous letterboxer had no supplies with which to
repair or re-supply the box. My herd and I are new to 'boxing, and we
don't always have extras with us. Watermelon left her beloved red
cat's eye stamp pad in the Caboose Track L.B. in SLO because the
stamps looked so lovely in two colors, and we have been known to part
with a Ziploc bag from time to time as needed to protect a box or log
book, but we don't yet carry spare logbooks, boxes, or duct tape with
us on our outings (although your recent experience certainly makes a
case for our doing so).
Ere you judge the previous visitor too harshly, remember that he or
she must have been likewise horrified at the condition of the box and
may even at that moment have been trotting down the trail to report
its condition to the placer.
Yours sympathetically,
Doughnut, et al.
Re: [LbNA] An Extreamly Disgruntled Pandora
From: Mary (RI) (rid25751@ride.ri.net) |
Date: 2003-10-28 18:53:16 UTC-05:00
Dear Pandora,
I'm very sorry that your boxes were trashed. Consider, though, that it was not a 'boxer who did the damage. It would be so easy for someone with some "issue" (or deep psychological problem!) to look up box clues and go on some vindictive spree. Whether the destructive person happened upon a box and followed the invitation to the site so s/he could have a field day with more boxes *or what* is anyone's guess. I doubt that it was personal even though it may feel that way. If it *was* personal, maybe you can feel sorry for whoever it was. What a small, angry, mean, spiteful little creep that person must be.
Anyway, let me say that we all can relate, I'm sure.
But I've wondered if placing the LbNA url in boxes is wise. To do so assumes that the person who was not looking for the box but just found it is someone you would like to have the directions to just about every box in the US. Maybe rather than an open invitation to more box clues you might just put a blind email address in case a finder may want to contact you. By "blind," I mean a free, untraceable (to your home) email address through Hotmail or Yahoo that won't leave you open to harassment. If some bozo starts sending you inappropriate messages, they really don't know who you are or where to find you, and you can delete the mail or the whole account. And they won't be getting clues to more of your boxes, or anyone else's, without working a little harder at finding where these boxes are. I've always appreciated the fact that I was introduced to letterboxing by a real, live person who actually knew something about me and my personality. He didn't openly invite "just anyone" into letterboxing. URLs left on boxes and articles in magazines do just that: they leave a pretty good thing a little more vulnerable to jerks.
In regard to the box that wasn't yours that you found trashed:
I don't think that the last boxer who left a stamped image was likely the same person or people who trashed the box or the environment, or the same person who left undesirable words. Why leave 2 calling cards, one nasty comment and one stamp?? Chances are that boxer who stamped in left a page from her/his own book because they arrived after the damage was done. No one _has_ to fix up a box or report on its condition, it's just a courtesy we often extend to one another. Also, many people don't bring enough stuff to fix up all the problems with boxes that they find. And if the stamper is somewhat new to the sport, s/he may have been surprised at what was there and not too sure what to do about it.
Most of the people who read here are probably not sleazy or sneaky, thoughtless or callous, so it's hard to find answers to your questions here. Those you'd like to ask what their problem is are not likely here. Likewise, those who post here generally do so above-board in an open forum, or so it seems to me, and keep everything related to this list on the list, or openly state that they are taking a discussion privately. These are not post-nice-to-your-face-but-hit-you-with-obnoxious-email people out to take out their mental or emotional problems on you. Otherwise I'd have nothing to do with this site or talk list. If I got any nasty email from anyone who posts here, I just might forward it to everyone just to flag and expose the jerk, and let everyone know there is a fungus among us. But that's just me.
(Oh, and that can work, too. I once belonged to a group where a predator started sending sexually explicit and threatening emails to a participant. Once the group found out, first they used all their savvy to trace the messages through header info and contacted the ISP where it originated. Then they pounced on the guy whose account was used. This had him pretty upset and defensive, but forced him to check on who was using his account. He found out that his creepy nephew was sneaking into his home office and using his internet connection to create accounts all over the place, through which he could hide behind the anonymity and harass or terrorize people. But I digress...)
Unfortunately, there may be some pretty awful people out there just lurking on the talk list. But for the most part, I believe that this audience is as unhappy about what you've experienced as you are and are just as confounded as to what the point of trashing boxes was. I, for one, cannot fathom how people can do this stuff.
Best wishes and let us know if this continues.
Mary (RI)
----- Original Message -----
From: pandora{HIB}
To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2003 11:53 AM
Subject: [LbNA] An Extreamly Disgruntled Pandora
Greetings Everyone -
I am utterly distressed at a couple of experiences I have had lately
and I thought I would share them with the group.
With my being sick I recently asked another letter boxer to go out
and check some of my boxes that were reported missing. To my
disappointment she reported that indeed the boxes were missing, but
worse, the areas they were in had been torn apart in an obvious
attempt to search for the boxes. I am so disappointed to see that
there are letter boxers out there with an inclusive disregard for the
beauty of nature and the environment that these special treasures are
concealed in. I told Iron`Bear that personally I feel desecrated.
Each and every place that I hide a letterbox has some sort of special
meaning to me. It is somewhere Iron`Bear and I have been together,
it is a reminiscence of special times we have had. to have someone go
in and annihilate it, you might as well walk into our home and start
ripping up pictures in my photo album. I'm hoping Iron`Bear will
write more on this topic later, as I think he could do a much better
job explaining how disconcerting this is than I can. his heritage and
appreciation for nature is something we both take very seriously.
My next disappointment was yesterday when Iron`Bear and I went out to
grab a few easy letterboxes. We found one of the boxes with a
inequitable message written on the container, telling people they
could remove the box if they wanted too, the box completely empty
except for the stamp and a piece of a notebook paper with the
signature stamp of someone that had visited the box shortly before
us. I don't know what the heck is wrong with people that they would
do something like that. Seriously, whoever did that, I just want to
know what the hell your damage is??? I will admit, though I don't
mean to slam anyone that I was a little taken back why the person
that stamped in before us chose not to do something to fix the box.
---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.528 / Virus Database: 324 - Release Date: 10/17/03
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I'm very sorry that your boxes were trashed. Consider, though, that it was not a 'boxer who did the damage. It would be so easy for someone with some "issue" (or deep psychological problem!) to look up box clues and go on some vindictive spree. Whether the destructive person happened upon a box and followed the invitation to the site so s/he could have a field day with more boxes *or what* is anyone's guess. I doubt that it was personal even though it may feel that way. If it *was* personal, maybe you can feel sorry for whoever it was. What a small, angry, mean, spiteful little creep that person must be.
Anyway, let me say that we all can relate, I'm sure.
But I've wondered if placing the LbNA url in boxes is wise. To do so assumes that the person who was not looking for the box but just found it is someone you would like to have the directions to just about every box in the US. Maybe rather than an open invitation to more box clues you might just put a blind email address in case a finder may want to contact you. By "blind," I mean a free, untraceable (to your home) email address through Hotmail or Yahoo that won't leave you open to harassment. If some bozo starts sending you inappropriate messages, they really don't know who you are or where to find you, and you can delete the mail or the whole account. And they won't be getting clues to more of your boxes, or anyone else's, without working a little harder at finding where these boxes are. I've always appreciated the fact that I was introduced to letterboxing by a real, live person who actually knew something about me and my personality. He didn't openly invite "just anyone" into letterboxing. URLs left on boxes and articles in magazines do just that: they leave a pretty good thing a little more vulnerable to jerks.
In regard to the box that wasn't yours that you found trashed:
I don't think that the last boxer who left a stamped image was likely the same person or people who trashed the box or the environment, or the same person who left undesirable words. Why leave 2 calling cards, one nasty comment and one stamp?? Chances are that boxer who stamped in left a page from her/his own book because they arrived after the damage was done. No one _has_ to fix up a box or report on its condition, it's just a courtesy we often extend to one another. Also, many people don't bring enough stuff to fix up all the problems with boxes that they find. And if the stamper is somewhat new to the sport, s/he may have been surprised at what was there and not too sure what to do about it.
Most of the people who read here are probably not sleazy or sneaky
(Oh, and that can work, too. I once belonged to a group where a predator started sending sexually explicit and threatening emails to a participant. Once the group found out, first they used all their savvy to trace the messages through header info and contacted the ISP where it originated. Then they pounced on the guy whose account was used. This had him pretty upset and defensive, but forced him to check on who was using his account. He found out that his creepy nephew was sneaking into his home office and using his internet connection to create accounts all over the place, through which he could hide behind the anonymity and harass or terrorize people. But I digress...)
Unfortunately, there may be some pretty awful people out there just lurking on the talk list. But for the most part, I believe that this audience is as unhappy about what you've experienced as you are and are just as confounded as to what the point of trashing boxes was. I, for one, cannot fathom how people can do this stuff.
Best wishes and let us know if this continues.
Mary (RI)
----- Original Message -----
From: pandora{HIB}
To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2003 11:53 AM
Subject: [LbNA] An Extreamly Disgruntled Pandora
Greetings Everyone -
I am utterly distressed at a couple of experiences I have had lately
and I thought I would share them with the group.
With my being sick I recently asked another letter boxer to go out
and check some of my boxes that were reported missing. To my
disappointment she reported that indeed the boxes were missing, but
worse, the areas they were in had been torn apart in an obvious
attempt to search for the boxes. I am so disappointed to see that
there are letter boxers out there with an inclusive disregard for the
beauty of nature and the environment that these special treasures are
concealed in. I told Iron`Bear that personally I feel desecrated.
Each and every place that I hide a letterbox has some sort of special
meaning to me. It is somewhere Iron`Bear and I have been together,
it is a reminiscence of special times we have had. to have someone go
in and annihilate it, you might as well walk into our home and start
ripping up pictures in my photo album. I'm hoping Iron`Bear will
write more on this topic later, as I think he could do a much better
job explaining how disconcerting this is than I can. his heritage and
appreciation for nature is something we both take very seriously.
My next disappointment was yesterday when Iron`Bear and I went out to
grab a few easy letterboxes. We found one of the boxes with a
inequitable message written on the container, telling people they
could remove the box if they wanted too, the box completely empty
except for the stamp and a piece of a notebook paper with the
signature stamp of someone that had visited the box shortly before
us. I don't know what the heck is wrong with people that they would
do something like that. Seriously, whoever did that, I just want to
know what the hell your damage is??? I will admit, though I don't
mean to slam anyone that I was a little taken back why the person
that stamped in before us chose not to do something to fix the box.
---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.528 / Virus Database: 324 - Release Date: 10/17/03
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]