# Hell. Officially scared out of me. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 5, 2013, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-officially-scared-out-of-me/668102 "2013-09-05T18:49:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-officially-scared-out-of-me/668102/21 "2013-09-05T20:16:58Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > Sounds like a Liam Neeson movie. **ducati** does seem to have a very particular set of skills. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-officially-scared-out-of-me/668102/22 "2013-09-05T20:17:48Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > As a general rule maybe. But under the circumstances the OP described I think his reactions were appropriate. I disagree and I’m going to try to explain why without “taking potshots” or whatever. The dogs did not bark, the alarm system was not activated, and the girl was at school. Can I imagine being temporarily startled at hearing voices in a house I expected to be empty? Yes, of course. But, as a rational person, I can also imagine saying to myself, “Hey, the dogs aren’t barking, the alarm system hasn’t been activated, and the girl is at school. Did I leave the TV on?” and going to investigate rather than busting through doors and popping around corners with my nine, or whatever. The problem is that there have been enough of these stories that cast the poster in some bizarre caped crusader role, minus an actual damsel in distress or bad guy, that it seems both unbelievable in a literal sense and completely ridiculous with just a dash of “Riiiiight. :rolleyes:” I won’t say more than that outside the Pit but starting a whole thread to reply in earnest to Not the OP seemed like a bit of a waste. I’m done now. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-officially-scared-out-of-me/668102/23 "2013-09-05T20:25:25Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Keeping in mind he actually heard his daughter yelling, I don’t think it was that out of line. Having read the **ducati’s** other threads, I stand by my initial assessment. Squinting and tilting my head, I can say this isn’t a severe overreaction. But taken in with his pattern of behavior, he is excessively paranoid, and it’s unhealthy. Setting aside the fact that I think he’s at a high risk for shooting an innocent person someday, what is all this doing to his stomach lining?? It’s not rational to worry this much about home invasion. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-officially-scared-out-of-me/668102/24 "2013-09-05T20:27:14Z")
> [@want2befree](#): > > > [@twickster](#): > > > > If you have a problem with the OP, take it to the Pit, don’t take pot shots (sic) in MPSIMS. > > > > **twickster** , MPSIMS moderator > > 1. I didn’t see this as a pot shot. Anyone else? > 2. Why did you type (sic)? I think she typed sic because of the use of the phrase “pot shots” when guns and shooting were being discussed. I think she wanted to indicate that she was not making a pun. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-officially-scared-out-of-me/668102/25 "2013-09-05T20:33:10Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > Having read the **ducati’s** other threads, I stand by my initial assessment. Agreed. [Here’s one post I remembered](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16007227&postcount=46). [Here’s a thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=698441) where, from ducati’s POV, he doesn’t look for trouble, but somehow it finds him. [And one more smooth reaction.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=662452) I’m never going to **ducati** ’s house. ---
**Author:** ![want2befree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3e96dc/32.png) [@want2befree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2befree)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-officially-scared-out-of-me/668102/26 "2013-09-05T20:34:40Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I think she typed sic because of the use of the phrase “pot shots” when guns and shooting were being discussed. I think she wanted to indicate that she was not making a pun. Wouldn’t that then call for (no pun intended)? ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-officially-scared-out-of-me/668102/27 "2013-09-05T20:40:54Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > You are going to give yourself a heart attack. Have you ever thought about seeing a therapist to help you dial it down on the paranoia? Unless you neglected to mention you live in a Mexican border town, this level of fear is neither healthy nor rational. I live in a very nice middle class neighborhood. It’s as secure as it gets here. If I heard someone talking in my kitchen when I was home alone, I’d get paranoid just like the OP did. I’m with the OP on this one. He did everything right. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-officially-scared-out-of-me/668102/28 "2013-09-05T20:46:17Z")
Okay, but I want to know how the talking picture frame made the stairs creak. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-officially-scared-out-of-me/668102/29 "2013-09-05T20:52:01Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Okay, but I want to know how the talking picture frame made the stairs creak. Maybe there was a walking picture frame, too. ---
**Author:** ![want2befree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3e96dc/32.png) [@want2befree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2befree)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-officially-scared-out-of-me/668102/30 "2013-09-05T20:58:38Z")
> [@lorene](#): > > Maybe there was a walking picture frame, too. LMAO ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-officially-scared-out-of-me/668102/31 "2013-09-05T21:35:39Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > If I could actually hear people talking and my daughter calling for help, I wouldn’t assume everything was okay just because the dogs weren’t barking. My thought would be that whoever was in my house must have killed the dogs when they broke in. There’s pretty much no way someone can break in to my house and kill all three large dogs (the new puppy weighs 50 pounds) without making a lot of noise. We don’t have kids around. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-officially-scared-out-of-me/668102/32 "2013-09-05T22:01:53Z")
I was once babysitting at someone else’s house when I was about 12. I suddenly heard voices downstairs. When I worked up the stones to check it out, I found the TV was on a timer and had kicked on. ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-officially-scared-out-of-me/668102/33 "2013-09-05T22:08:34Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > I live in a very nice middle class neighborhood. It’s as secure as it gets here. If I heard someone talking in my kitchen when I was home alone, I’d get paranoid just like the OP did. I’m with the OP on this one. He did everything right. You would arm yourself and hit the panic button like the OP did? Or just get scared? Because I’d get scared too; anyone would. I was home alone the other week and I heard the door to my porch area open. My dogs even barked! It scared the shit out of me. So I grabbed my cell, dialed 9-1- and went to investigate. It was the cat. My point it, don’t think “zebras” when you hear the sounds of hooves. Home invasions are incredibly rare. I’m genuinely not trying to mock or belittle the OP. But spending this much time, money, and mental energy on this situation that will most likely never occur _isn’t healthy_. It’s unbalanced, and it’s dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-officially-scared-out-of-me/668102/34 "2013-09-05T22:13:46Z")
I woke up the other morning to the very distinct sound of someone pissing in my bathroom. I didn’t think too tactically about it, just jumped out of bed and shouted inarticulately. At which point I could see through my bedroom door and into my bathroom, where a huge leak had formed in the ceiling directly above the toilet bowl. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-officially-scared-out-of-me/668102/35 "2013-09-05T22:16:21Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I woke up the other morning to the very distinct sound of someone pissing in my bathroom. I didn’t think too tactically about it, just jumped out of bed and shouted inarticulately. At which point I could see through my bedroom door and into my bathroom, where a huge leak had formed in the ceiling directly above the toilet bowl. Not sure that isn’t _worse_ than an intruder. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-officially-scared-out-of-me/668102/36 "2013-09-05T22:38:55Z")
To those saying that **ducati** is overly paranoid, or just wanted to shoot something, please note: His _first_ response was to push the alarm button, and just wait it out. It’s only when he heard something that plausibly sounded like his daughter getting abducted that he went charging with his gun. It’s OK to have an extreme reaction when you plausibly think your daughter is getting abducted. You _should_ have an extreme reaction in that situation. That kind of situation is exactly what extreme reactions exist for. Yes, he “knew” that she was at school-- You’ll note that he also called the school looking for her, as soon as he saw nobody was upstairs. Sounds perfectly rational to me. Oh, and he never said that he heard the stairs creaking-- He said that he didn’t go up the stairs at first because if he did, they _would_ creak. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-officially-scared-out-of-me/668102/37 "2013-09-05T22:55:35Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > You would arm yourself and hit the panic button like the OP did? Or just get scared? Because I’d get scared too; anyone would. I was home alone the other week and I heard the door to my porch area open. My dogs even barked! It scared the shit out of me. So I grabbed my cell, dialed 9-1- and went to investigate. > > It was the cat. > > My point it, don’t think “zebras” when you hear the sounds of hooves. Home invasions are incredibly rare. I’m genuinely not trying to mock or belittle the OP. But spending this much time, money, and mental energy on this situation that will most likely never occur _isn’t healthy_. It’s unbalanced, and it’s dangerous. It sounds to me like you did everything he did, other than he had a button and you had a cell phone. And I’ve got to back the OP with this. If I thought my daughter was being abducted by someone, I’d grab a gun too. Note that that was also his last resort, not his first. OP gets a thumbs up from me in this one. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-officially-scared-out-of-me/668102/38 "2013-09-05T23:35:46Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > To those saying that **ducati** is overly paranoid, or just wanted to shoot something, please note: His _first_ response was to push the alarm button, and just wait it out. How is that not already a serious overreaction? I live alone, and once the clock radio in my guest bedroom decided to turn on randomly to a talk show. It sounded exactly like a pair of people were in the room having a conversation (it was muffled enough that I couldn’t tell what it was about, but I could also tell that it wasn’t my neighbors or someone outside). My instinct was to walk to the other room and see what was up, not to call 911. Having a “panic button” at all seems kinda… weird. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-officially-scared-out-of-me/668102/39 "2013-09-05T23:48:27Z")
> [@lorene](#): > > Maybe there was a walking picture frame, too. [“See you in Hell, picture frame!”](http://youtu.be/vLQVFtqeE3Y) ---
**Author:** ![Not\_Tonight\_Dear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7cd45c/32.png) [@Not\_Tonight\_Dear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_Tonight_Dear)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-officially-scared-out-of-me/668102/40 "2013-09-06T00:13:15Z")
I shouldn’t have read this thread. It’s 8:11 PM, it’s dark, I’m alone in my house with a tiny, deaf dog. It’s very, very quiet. But thankfully, I have no basement and no stairs. Phew!😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-officially-scared-out-of-me/668102.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-officially-scared-out-of-me/668102.md?page=3)