Coping with the loss of your prized GN'R items?

[Estranged#9]

Ok guys i'v been wanting to share my story with this forum for a few months now and i have been hesitant to post it for a few reasons.  Back in July me and my Girlfriend took a vacation to the Bahamas for 5 days it was the first time i have ever travel out of the country before so i was really exctied and it felt like the perfect end of a good year of awesome trips. 
Unfortanately things didnt go to plan, and in a long story short my (now Ex)Girlfriend younger sister who was house sitting for us and watching our dogs threw a Drinking party!
My House got cleaned out! There were some kids (one of which was the boyfriend of the younger sister) who robbed me of all my things and when i say all i mean all! From TV's to Laptops, clothing (even freaking Underwhere) and my collectibles! I had collected Nike Air Jordan sneakers since i was a teenager and had over 40 pairs in practically ment condition.
All my GN'R concert Shirts/posters/ticket stubs,Guitar picks,/ and Yes Axl's Whistle that i was lucky enough to have caught at the House Of Blues Chiacgo in Febuary all Gone

It was a very frustrating and gut wrenching experence to go through! expecially knowing that they came back multiple times before the young sister told the police or our parents!!
A incident that could of easly been prevented!

I wanted to ask or vent to my GN'R forum family for along time now but held off till today because Yesterday was the first time i got to see all/if anything was recovered!
Most of my clothes and the electroinics were found! But you guess it! Most of the Sneaker collection and Axl Whistle and my Chinse Democracy art collage,laptop and memory cards with all my concert footage from the 2011-2012 tour all long gone!!

I guess what im asking you guys my peers is how to get over it? i mean how the hell do you replace the Whistle that Axl threw into a huge crowed and be lucky enough to catch it!? I'v never met Axl, or shaken his hand or got his autograph so that was top of the world to me!!!!
I understand that there are bigger things in life to deal with and there are bigger problems going on around the world and looking at it in the big picture its not the end of the world!
But damn That Fucking Sucks !

So if there are any board members in here that have caught multiple whistles or are going to have a shot at catching more i would be more then happy to buy one off someone if they want to get rid of one!! Im actually going to the last two nights in Vegas and have floor tix, so il try my luck again.  I figured its a long shot but i know that the power of the internet and maybe the power of Jarmo's forum .. crazy things could happen!! 
Thanks for listing to my story or "Rant" and feel free to move this topic if its in the wrong spot i just wanted a chance for people to read 


link to the news story
http://thesouthern.com/communities/franklin-jefferson-hamilton/west-frankfort/police-facebook-caused-home-burglary/article_5a66a78a-d022-11e1-a530-0019bb2963f4.html

[meanmachine78]

I am sorry to hear that man! I've never been lucky enough to catch Axl's whistle, or a pick or anything. My heart goes out to you. Maybe you'll get lucky in Vegas? Anything is possible, right? Keep us posted!

[rebelhipi]

this sure sucks. i hope you get youre stuff back somehow

[nick6sic6]

Sorry to hear that man...Collecting all these years for some lame kids to ruin it...

[omgrunnn]

dangg you got a metal whistle? The whistle I caught back in december was plastic.

That really sucks though 

[One.In.A.Million]

Words can't describe how much it must suck for you, and yes I too have the same things as you like guitar picks, memory cards as well as disks with photos and video, t shirts, collectables. To have it all stolen is a cruel thing to happen, and one which will no doubt make you angry for years to come. I still have the water bottle that Robin threw me at the first Wembley show in 2006, in London. And I plan to keep it forever, so I can understand how items other people find worthless, can mean the WORLD to fans like us.

If I was in your situation, I'd have to consolve myself with the fact that NO ONE can take the memories and experiences away from you. Start again, and slowly build your collection again, but just treasure the memories instead of the physical items.

Sorry bout that though dude.  

[axlrosegnr]

DUDE! That fucking SUCKS. Hopefully charges will be pressed?  I keep my mic and whistle locked up, because my GF knows that'd be the one way to make me go postal. I'll tell you what...it'll be a long shot, but every time they do Paradise, I move and try for both the whistle and mic. I'll be at every remaining show in Vegas, so if I get another whistle, it's yours, free of charge. I'd never charge for anything like that. (ebayers piss me the fuck off.) So sorry again bro, I know I'd be devastated.

[wadey]

sorry to hear your news 

id be devastated if i lost my whistle (leeds 2010), things like this could never be replaced and i really feel for you

[GNR4L]

Sorry to hear that... I would be pissed too. 

[One.In.A.Million]

DUDE! That fucking SUCKS. Hopefully charges will be pressed?  I keep my mic and whistle locked up, because my GF knows that'd be the one way to make me go postal. I'll tell you what...it'll be a long shot, but every time they do Paradise, I move and try for both the whistle and mic. I'll be at every remaining show in Vegas, so if I get another whistle, it's yours, free of charge. I'd never charge for anything like that. (ebayers piss me the fuck off.) So sorry again bro, I know I'd be devastated.

That's such a nice gesture, I know you mean it as well. I also love how you keep your mic and whistle locked up because of your gf, that's true love right there. 

But I would do the same too, no matter how much I trusted my other half. 

[Mysteron]

I got burgled in Leeds, while I was at Uni years ago, they took a whole load of personal effects. You learn years later that it does not matter really, because you still have the memory and the story as to what happened.

A replacement whistle will only remind you of the fact you needed to replace your original whistle. It is a classic life scenario that plays itself out on many levels.

My advice is to move on, and to put value into people around you rather than objects that you have lost.

[Estranged#9]

Thanks so much guys for the support! it really does suck to sit & think about it everytime i watch a Youtube vid of paradise city and it makes me mad more then Happy. But just to hear the feeling you guys share makes me feel better!
Like i found my people that understand!!

If I was in your situation, I'd have to consolve myself with the fact that NO ONE can take the memories and experiences away from you. Start again, and slowly build your collection again, but just treasure the memories instead of the physical items.
Sorry bout that though dude. 

Thank you that is what im trying to do is just tell my self that they cant steal the memorys away from me. The great times i had collecting the GnR memorabilia is more important.  I guess the journey starts again back at scratch!

DUDE! That fucking SUCKS. Hopefully charges will be pressed?  I keep my mic and whistle locked up, because my GF knows that'd be the one way to make me go postal. I'll tell you what...it'll be a long shot, but every time they do Paradise, I move and try for both the whistle and mic. I'll be at every remaining show in Vegas, so if I get another whistle, it's yours, free of charge. I'd never charge for anything like that. (ebayers piss me the fuck off.) So sorry again bro, I know I'd be devastated.

Thanks Bro! Thats a very awesome gesture!! and im truley honored of your post! Im going to try and do the same thing on the 23rd and 24th and work to the middle of the floor like the HOB show! But if you are lucky enough to grab another i would be more then willing to pay ya for the troubles!! it's going to be a long shot but  "you never know"
Anyways maybe i will run into ya and we can have some *power in numbers*...  or at least grab a few beers! 
 
ps. the kids are getting charged and two of them are prob going to prison!
Thanks everyone for letting me vent and it has let me cope
GnR fans are truly passionate and amazing 

[willow]

So sorry man. But try and look at the upside. Now you can go out and hunt these things all over again. As a collector myself I know it is often the thrill of the hunt. And the memories. They can steal the Memories.

[Halo69]

Look at it this way... it's just a Whistle... and it's made in China....

Just enjoy the 2 nights in Vegas and try to come up with a plan to steal Axl's November Rain Jacket and you'll be fine 

[sky dog]

that stinks......on a side note, I had an autographed picture of Michael Jordan while he was still playing at North Carolina and a few game used wristbands from him at both UNC and from the Chicago Bulls....lost them all somehow. 

[Nightrained]

That sucks. It would annoy me more that people have stolen from my house, rather than what actually went missing.

Put it this way, how long to you keep something like that? Axl had it for a few seconds and through it away, it's nothing really. I've got Axl's mic and initially i was buzzing over it, but on reflection i was more excited about the odds of catching it than the fact that it belong to axl for about 20 seconds. However, I did meet him several times after which was way cooler. Perhaps try meet Axl in Vagas? If you do, you won't give 2 shits about your whistle. 

End of the day, you caught the whistle, and that is a memory that no one can steal. You even got a picture to prove it.

[Siamese Democracy]

My house was burglarized years ago.  They took all my DVD's and my Playstation 3 (which had only been available a few months at the time).  It pisses me off anytime I think about it.  Luckily I don't think about it often.  If I had the connections, I would ask Axl personally for a replacement whistle for a fan who had some terrible misfortune.

[aranxas]

I really understand how bad it is for you, as this year Axl threw his whistle towards me (I was standing in the front row, right in front of him) and some tall douche next to me managed to snatch it right from my hands. Basically the same thing happened when Bumblefoot threw a guitar pick.

 The best way to get over it is to obtain some other item from a band member next time you see them; I am sure getting an autograph or a pick would make you feel much better, but the concert should always come first 

[Pinball Wizard]

Dude, that sucks BIG time!

God forbid this happening to me...because I would KILL THE MOTHERFUCKER! Seriously.

As someone said, the memory will always be present and fresh, and this no one can take away from you. Use this memory as a fuel to encourage you to get these things again. But, yeah...it still won't take away the frustation though...

[WAR41]

yikes, sorry dude.  I mean it when i say that my heart aches for you.  The biggest loss to me are those Air Jordans.  Those were probably worth tens of thousands of dollars if they really were in near mint condition.

Luckily I have never had anything important to me or expensive stolen.  I do have a great story about when I was in college in North Carolina.  I was at a friend's house party and there were 30 of us guys there who were all friends.  So of course like any party drifters come and go, both girls and guys.  Well all of a sudden a friend and I see these two assholes trying to steal a keg from our party.  Yes, literally dragging the keg across the yard.  We are dying laughing because we know these kids are fucked.  We call into the house and tell everyone that these two guys are stealing our keg. The 30 of us guys and everyone else at the party curious about what was going on surround these dickheads who are trying to deny it.  Keep in mind we are all very drunk.  We made them kneel on the ground and poured beer all over them, one of our REALLY drunk friends actually pissed on them.  Then we took their car keys and threw them into the woods.  After that we forced them to take their shoes off and strip to their boxers only and made them leave.  This party was in December too so it was freezing.  When you are able to humiliate some one like that who is trying to fuck you over, there is nothing better in life. 

I wish you luck finding everything else.  I do hope those guys go to prison.  I'd press charges against the younger sister too if I were you.