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Are you going to see 'The Dark Knight' in theaters this weekend?

Yes! I'm going to the midnight showing tonight!

25%

Yes, I'll make sure I see it this weekend.

25%

Maybe, if I have time.

25%

Nah, I don't like Batman.

25%

Total votes: 4

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Ken McCoy Entertainment Report... Conservative Talk Radio: Worried We're Not Buying It Anymore?... I Languished In A Mexican Prison... 'The Dark Knight' Is A Classic... Chinese Military Carrying Tibetan Monks' Robes, Real OIympic Torch-Bearer Attack Or Staged?... I Have Seen The Dark Knight... Luka Magnotta: The Ultimate Luxaholic... Roughing It In The Rockies... My Psychedelic Welfare Cheque... Movie Review: Wall-E...

Lifestyles

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I'm A Real Life Magnum PI

Robert K. Rainey, magnum PI, detective, spy

Unlike the super agents created by Hollywood, I don't crawl around in people's yards to sneak a peak in their windows.

Even amounts of women and men hire me to follow their partners.The main difference is that women are right in their suspicions most of the time [...] They feel it somehow. Men, on the other hand are wrong about half of the time.

Robert K. Rainey , Canada

Date Posted: 03/19/07

Reader Rating:

We've seem them in action: sneaking into an office to get the file that will help to solve a case; eavesdropping on private conversations and recording them, jumping from a window and then running to hide in the bushes. They are Hollywood depictions of private investigators. But what is it like to be a real life PI? What do they do? What techniques do they use? How dangerous are their cases? Orato talked to Toronto-based PI Rob Rainey, and here's what we found out.

For those of you who grew up watching TV series like Magnum PI, what I do surely sounds familiar: I'm a private investigator (PI). But unlike the super agents created by Hollywood, I don't drive a Ferrari or crawl around in people's yards to sneak a peak in their windows. What I do is legal, but not less exciting.

I started working in this industry 13 years ago. I wanted to be a police officer, but after taking some courses, I realized that was not the right career path for me. It seemed like too dangerous a job for the amount of money you get paid and the lifestyle of police officers is very hard as well. So instead of joining the police force I found another career that is very similar, but that allows me to use my head a little bit more. While cops seem to be more about muscle, PIs seem to be more about using your brain to solve problems and that's something I enjoy.

So far I have no regrets. I love my job. You work any day, any time -- day or night. It's actually not uncommon to spend 15 to 20 hours straight on a particular case. Whenever is the best time to go out and conduct your investigation or surveillance, you've got to do it. There's no "I'm tired today" or "I'm hungry right now." It's all about seizing opportunities.

A common day for an investigator who is doing surveillance, for example, would start at 6 a.m. and go on until 8 or 9 o'clock at night. You work every day of the week and even when you might get a couple of days off, you usually have to work on weekends.