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I generally try to avoid risky behavior. I don't drink or go to late night clubs. I certainly have no use for the world's oldest profession. Other than that, my evening shooting club tends to hang out in our regular restaurants until closing time. Some times, one or two of us will hang out as late as midnight yapping in the parking lot of said restaurants but then we bolt straight home.

Still, being out after most retail establishments close is usually what leaves us in a place to see some of the weird things I've seen. The domestic assault my buddy and I witnessed last year would be an example of probably hanging out too late. But, we accept those risks in favor of fellowship that our lives don't otherwise allow. Fact is, some of us only see each other when we shoot and the occasional weekend that wives, kids and jobs don't demand of us.

I also generally don't stop to help strangers, give to beggers or offer directions. Occasionally there is an apparently obvious need for help such as a leaking body on the ground or someone otherwise appearing to need medical attention. The default answer for directions is two blocks up and one block over, even if it's wrong. Additionally, I generally don't allow complete strangers to get inside my personal comfort zone. I maintain a reasonable interview distance that lets me keep a wide field of view and my head up. It's not twenty-one feet but, it's further than most people can reach and gives me at least a split second to get off the 'X.'

And the classic line I've heard that intiated robberies is "Hey, Let me talk to you." Folks, as a married man, youngest son and little brother I can tell you that I have NEVER heard anything good come after a conversation that began with any of the following lines:
"Hey, let me talk to you..."
"We need to talk..."
"I have something to say to you..."
"Is there anything you want to tell me?..."
So, when some complete stranger opens a converstation with similar lines, I know it can't possibly be any better than the disasters that usually follow such openers with loved ones.