I made the difference in the life of a child today.

[Rain Man]

I really hate that "made a difference" saying. Really hate it. Not sure why I used it other than sarcasm since I hate it so much.

But anyway, I finished up a meeting today and was walking home when I stopped at the mall. I had to send an e-mail and it's a good place to people watch, so I bought a frozen yogurt (I love that pay-by-the-ounce frozen yogurt concept) and found a seat near the escalators.

At one point while I was working, I ended up noticing a girl who was about three years old, and it became obvious that she had no parent around. She was just wandering around. So long story short, I went and got her, and after about ten minutes I and the Cinnabon counter girl and another couple managed to reunite her with some rather frantic parents who'd lost her and were literally running around the mall trying to find her. (The Cinnabon girl didn't know how to reach mall security, which I found rather interesting, and we found the parents before we got word to mall security.)

But the part that got me thinking was that there's a risk for a 40-something guy to go approach a lost three year-old girl. If you walk up at the wrong time, you get tackled by a parent and get arrested as a stranger abduction pervert and you end up on the sex offender registry after being brutalized in prison for a period of time of not less than six to ten years, and no one's ever going to believe that you were trying to help. So as soon as I confirmed she was lost, I immediately steered her toward the teenage girl who was running the Cinnabon, because she would qualify as a trusted person more than I would. Kind of sad, really.

[luv]

Originally Posted by Chiefs Rool

if this day in age wasn't so ****ed up, I would have given driven him to his house. But there is no way that if a stranger pulls up to a house with a kid he doesn't know, that it's going to end well.

Instead, you let him go off to possibly be picked up by someone who really is a pedophile.

[Chiefs Rool]

Originally Posted by luv

Instead, you let him go off to possibly be picked up by someone who really is a pedophile.

what could I do though? I did feel bad about it if that's any consolation. But knowing that there is a good chance that I could get in a huge legal battle and possibly end up in a pound me in the ass prison, I mean, come on. There's no way.

[luv]

Originally Posted by Chiefs Rool

what could I do though? I did feel bad about it if that's any consolation. But knowing that there is a good chance that I could get in a huge legal battle and possibly end up in a pound me in the ass prison, I mean, come on. There's no way.

So, ask someone to go with you.

You don't have a criminal record, do you?

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by Chiefs Rool

what could I do though? I did feel bad about it if that's any consolation. But knowing that there is a good chance that I could get in a huge legal battle and possibly end up in a pound me in the ass prison, I mean, come on. There's no way.

I agree. But was your girlfriend or wife around? If the two of you went together it wouldn't look nearly as suspicious.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by ClayWhit

Can you elaborate on this pay by the ounce frozen yogurt?

I figured it was everywhere by now. I first encountered it in Juneau when I was in Alaska last year, and now they're popping up all over Denver.

It's one of the eight greatest things on earth. You go in and pick up a bowl. You are then faced with a self-serve array of multiple types of frozen yogurt, which you can put in the bowl in any variety and quantity you want. For example, today I went with a quadrocopia of chocolate, vanilla, hawaiian paradise, and "original tart". You then move to the salad bar-like toppings area where you can apply toppings in any combination and amount you like. They usually have about three dozen toppings ranging from fresh fruit to chocolate chips to Fruity Pebbles to candy chocolate rocks. Today, I went with small chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, caramel chocolate cups, a brownie, and some hot fudge. You then take the concoction up to the counter and set it on a scale, and pay some exorbitant by-the-ounce price that is staggering, but at the same time you had the ability to make exactly the perfect frozen yogurt dish for that particular moment in your life, so it's worth it. Then you spend the next thirty minutes like a bear working on a honeycomb.

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I really hate that "made a difference" saying. Really hate it. Not sure why I used it other than sarcasm since I hate it so much.

But anyway, I finished up a meeting today and was walking home when I stopped at the mall. I had to send an e-mail and it's a good place to people watch, so I bought a frozen yogurt (I love that pay-by-the-ounce frozen yogurt concept) and found a seat near the escalators.

At one point while I was working, I ended up noticing a girl who was about three years old, and it became obvious that she had no parent around. She was just wandering around. So long story short, I went and got her, and after about ten minutes I and the Cinnabon counter girl and another couple managed to reunite her with some rather frantic parents who'd lost her and were literally running around the mall trying to find her. (The Cinnabon girl didn't know how to reach mall security, which I found rather interesting, and we found the parents before we got word to mall security.)

But the part that got me thinking was that there's a risk for a 40-something guy to go approach a lost three year-old girl. If you walk up at the wrong time, you get tackled by a parent and get arrested as a stranger abduction pervert and you end up on the sex offender registry after being brutalized in prison for a period of time of not less than six to ten years, and no one's ever going to believe that you were trying to help. So as soon as I confirmed she was lost, I immediately steered her toward the teenage girl who was running the Cinnabon, because she would qualify as a trusted person more than I would. Kind of sad, really.

That happened to me when mine was three, at the mall but she walked into an expensive jewelry store, looked up at the lady behind the glass counter and said she couldn't find her mom. That lady got her to security where I found her. I was just reading a book for a second, or so I thought in a book store and she took off across the other side of the mall.

Oh and I love the saying making a difference in the life of a child—I do it everyday.

[Chiefs Rool]

Originally Posted by luv

So, ask someone to go with you.

You don't have a criminal record, do you?

no I don't, but my wife wasn't home. I try to be a good person, but there is no way you take someone elses kid in your car when you are a man. If my wife was with me, it might be ok. But there's just no way. I mean, it was the middle of the day and I hope he made it home safe. But there is absolutely no way I would drive someone elses kid that I don't know home. You would get thrown in prison for that, that's ****ed up, but you would.

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by Chiefs Rool

no I don't, but my wife wasn't home. I try to be a good person, but there is no way you take someone elses kid in your car when you are a man. If my wife was with me, it might be ok. But there's just no way. I mean, it was the middle of the day and I hope he made it home safe. But there is absolutely no way I would drive someone elses kid that I don't know home. You would get thrown in prison for that, that's ****ed up, but you would.

Maybe you could have called 911 to report a lost child?

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

That happened to me when mine was three, at the mall but she walked into an expensive jewelry store, looked up at the lady behind the glass counter and said she couldn't find her mom. That lady got her to security where I found her. I was just reading a book for a second, or so I thought in a book store and she took off across the other side of the mall.

Oh and I love the saying making a difference in the life of a child—I do it everyday.

Yeah, I was headed to mall security when I saw the dad, and it was pretty obvious that he was the dad. He was running and his eyes were big and he was looking in every nook and cranny. I figure that can't be a good feeling. He was moving fast enough that I couldn't even say anything. I just waved him toward the Cinnabon and then caught up with him before he passed it.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I figured it was everywhere by now. I first encountered it in Juneau when I was in Alaska last year, and now they're popping up all over Denver.

It's one of the eight greatest things on earth. You go in and pick up a bowl. You are then faced with a self-serve array of multiple types of frozen yogurt, which you can put in the bowl in any variety and quantity you want. For example, today I went with a quadrocopia of chocolate, vanilla, hawaiian paradise, and "original tart". You then move to the salad bar-like toppings area where you can apply toppings in any combination and amount you like. They usually have about three dozen toppings ranging from fresh fruit to chocolate chips to Fruity Pebbles to candy chocolate rocks. Today, I went with small chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, caramel chocolate cups, a brownie, and some hot fudge. You then take the concoction up to the counter and set it on a scale, and pay some exorbitant by-the-ounce price that is staggering, but at the same time you had the ability to make exactly the perfect frozen yogurt dish for that particular moment in your life, so it's worth it. Then you spend the next thirty minutes like a bear working on a honeycomb.

How much was yours?

[Chiefs Rool]

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

Maybe you could have called 911 to report a lost child?

I offered that to the kid, but he said he'd walk.

[WV]

Hmmm....Dear Penthouse.....it all started with a bowl full of frozen yogurt, a cinnamon glazed teenage girl with access to more icing....please go on!

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by ClayWhit

How much was yours?

$6.66.

Now that I think about it, if the cops had stopped me on the Amber Alert, that would've been presented as some sort of satanic cult thing.

I went a little bigger today so I could test out "original tart" as a flavor. Usually it costs between $5 and $6.

[Hammock Parties]

Ice cream places must make money hand over fist. Think about how much ice cream you can buy for $6.66 at the grocery store.

And if it's self-serve, you save on employee labor.

I think I should open an ice cream hole-in-the-wall. I live right by a high school, literally around the corner, and there's a small business strip with two vacant stores. If I could undercut the TCBY which is down the road (about 5 miles), maybe it would work?

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by ClayWhit

Ice cream places must make money hand over fist. Think about how much ice cream you can buy for $6.66 at the grocery store.

And if it's self-serve, you save on employee labor.

I think I should open an ice cream hole-in-the-wall. I live right by a high school, literally around the corner, and there's a small business strip with two vacant stores. If I could undercut the TCBY which is down the road (about 5 miles), maybe it would work?

That's a good point. I bet you could. You only need one teenage kid to run it, and if the scale is hooked up to the register they don't even have to scan anything.