Okay, I was torn about whether I should blog on this topic or not. But I finally decided I should because I wanted to warn you all not to be like me. (Shocking, isn't it!)On Wednesday, my car was stolen from outside work. I parked on the side street next to the building at 8:00 am, and when I left the building to go home, my car simply wasn't there. I thought at first it had been towed ... but it hadn't.
It's been a long week. There's a lot of feelings associated with getting your car stolen—anger, fear, vulnerability, irritation—just to name a few. I know that I'm lucky because 1) I never keep anything in my car, so there wasn't an additional loss, and 2) I didn't see anything, and I wasn't personally threatened.
I know that I don't work in the best neighborhood. BUT I thought my car was safe because it was as basic as you could get. Four wheels, a frame, and some seats. I had a factory-issue TAPE deck. No power steering, no power windows .... I thought there was absolutely nothing they'd want the car for.
The police officer to whom I gave the report was of the opinion that it was some juveniles who stole it because—apparently—the Neon has a plastic steering column that's easy to get into. They stole it because it was there and they could, and probably rode around in it for a while, maybe committed some crimes, and then were probably going to dump it.
I thought my car would never get stolen because it wouldn't get a lot for resale and there were no parts worth stripping out of it. I've decided it's because I'm such a goal-oriented person, I stupidly assumed that thieves would need a reason to steal something that I need, take good care of, and took several years of payments to rightfully own.
I was wrong, and I just don't want anyone else I know to make the same mistake. If you have a nice vehicle, it could be stolen to be sold or stripped. Or if you have a purely functional car, like my little 2000 Neon (aka Fiona), it may be stolen just because. So I want everyone to know that objects you hold near and dear are considered by others to be a disposable commodity, used for a few hours and tossed away. Not a good thing to think about, but I'd rather you hear it from me than experience it yourselves.
10 comments:
did you lose any sweet tapes? If so, I have some mix tapes that I was going to get rid of that you are welcome to....
Seriously though, if you need a car you can have Jessica's.
Actually, I was really sad about losing my mix tapes!! I've had some of those since high school. And ripping a CD on the computer is not the intensive labor of love that making mix tapes was. *sigh* It'll never be the same.
I also got a little choked up when I realized that my lucky Adam Dunn baseball card was gone, too. Adam's been in the car with me for years, keeping me safe!
Is Jessica's car the one that broke down on your way up to the Marathon? Because if so, I'll have to pass on that;)
nope that one was mine
Oh, well in that case, I'm open to discussion:)
Now someone has to pick up your book; it's the only way to make the car thing balance out!
So is Santa going to leave a new car with a big, red bow on it in your driveway for Christmas--just like in the commercials?
Cathy: You know what the funniest part about your comment is? Well, actually 2 things:
1) I already blogged about that! (Dec. 19, 2005)
2) I had actually thought about pretending to be the kind of person that would buy a car as a present while we look. It might be a fun persona.
You totally read my mind!
I remembered that entry. I wouldn't mind getting a car for xmas. Now to find a guy who will buy me one. ;) Make sure you ask if they can provide a giant car bow with purchase.
Make sure you test drive something crazy expensive! It's fun! (I'm sure I'm not welcome at the Jag dealership again, but so what!)
You know, I knew that about the plastic steering column oddly enough because my parents' neighbor has a PT Cruiser, which is essentially a Neon platform and parts--and another car that is stolen often even though they are cheap. (and ugly)
No one stole me. I left you for a hunky step-side Ford. On older model. He's all sophisticated and knows stuff about my engine I didn't even know.
See ya around.
-Fiona
...oops, i misspelled "An". It's hard typing with tires for hands.
-Fiona
Fiona,
I'm shocked and saddened that you needed to leave me to be free. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy. Okay, so maybe I didn't wash you very often. And I let you go about 6 months missing a hubcap.
But if you come back to me, I promise I'll make it up to you. You'd better come back soon, though, before you get replaced ...
Your Rightful Owner,
Megan
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