Rilchiam sits hugging her knees and pondering...

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Mr. Rilch and I both had to leave for work this morning at about the same time, which rarely happens. I got up, washed, and remembered to dress warm because the store where I currently work is not just not heated, it’s chilled. Checked my e-mail, waited for Mr. Rilch to finish showering, quick smooch and out the door bang on the dot.

Oh, yeah, I’m in front because I went out to get soup last night.

Boy, there’s a lot…of…safety glass…on…the…

Driver’s side rear window: smashed. Some jagged shapes of safety glass around one edge, but most on ground and in back seat. Hole where CD/radio used to be, wires sticking out. Glove box open: they took the CDs but left my registration and first-aid kit.

Whoever they are.

I also don’t have a remote for the gate.

So not only am I up to my eyes in debt, but now I have to pay for a new window, a new remote, and have silence in the car until I can get a new radio, which will be never.

I didn’t bring in the face plate. And I can’t absolve myself by saying it was “just one time”. I bring it with me when I park the car somewhere other than here. Ironically, I thought I was at risk having to park at the mall during the holiday season, so I was supercareful about that. But I never developed the habit of bringing it in when I got home. Mr. Rilch doesn’t bring in his face plate either; I bet he will from now on.

Lost: Beastie Boys “Hello Nasty”; Van Morrison “Moondance”, to which I was listening last night, Cypress Hill self-titled, and my favorite of the four disks from the Nuggets boxed set.

The first three actually belonged to Mr. Rilch. I don’t have many CDs; most of my music is on cassette. So I freely borrowed his CDs.

I feel terrible about that.

And the Nuggets CD will be impossible to replace, unless I want to get the entire set again, or a miracle happens and I find a loose one at Penny Lane or someplace. Thank god I didn’t have my Hugh Jackman CDs in there, or “The Hockey Song”.

I think when I parked last night, Cypress Hill was on the passenger seat. I can’t help thinking that that reflected badly on me: uppity white bitch likes rap? Well, let’s show her what the thug life is all about. Friend says not to be silly; they probably didn’t even know I was white or female.

And for that matter, I don’t know what color or gender they were.

There was a break-in on the ground floor about two weeks ago. Just one apartment. They lost quite a lot of stuff, but they weren’t home at the time.

We got a letter from our landlady telling us that someone had been trying to scam into the building pretending to be a health inspector. Don’t know if that was connected with the break-in. At any rate, no one tried it on me, but if they had, I wouldn’t have let them in. I don’t open the door for anyone I’m not a hundred percent on.

After that, our gate was stuck open for about a week, and for a few days, the knob on the upper door was broken. First it wouldn’t open, then it wouldn’t close. They were both fixed on Monday. And now this happens.

I have the sorriest piece of junk in the whole building! Plus which, my parking space is the only one visible from the street! Why my car and not one of the other sweeeet rides?

Maybe it was the guy who fixed the doors. He was white, BTW.

I kept telling myself I was going to clean up that patch of spilled orange glaze on the passenger side floor that looked like puke. Now I don’t think I will.

I always look over both shoulders, don’t give anyone a chance, and everything you’re supposed to do. But I didn’t bring in my face plate.

I was thinking this all along: that there’s no way to keep yourself safe always and perfectly. They’ll find a vulnerable spot eventually. And they did.

Whoever they were.

My god. Me! I’m the person in the commercial, who sees devastation and says, “A crime? Why? Oh help me; I have to spend money on a security system in which a loophole has already been found! But that’s all right, because I’ll just keep spending; as long as I can spend a little faster than they can take, I can keep stroking myself.” Only I can’t spend. I was bad off enough. Now I may not be able to afford Christmas shopping.

I wish I was like them. Just take and take and not worry about others.

2

Oh, I’m so sorry, Sweetheart. I don’t know what else to say.

3

Oh, man. That sucks so bad I want to cry for you.

I would love to send you a replacement for 1 of the CDs just so you’ll know that for every asshole out there that would steal from you, there is another who will give from the heart.

Zette

4

I am so sorry to hear about you loosing your CDplayer/ Radio and you sense of security. Driving in silence is simply the worst. Do you have a battery opperated radio you could keep in your car until you can replace your old one? You might not be able to listen to CDs, but it’s better then silence. Hey, think on the brightside, at least they did’nt steal the whole car. They are a lot more expensive to replace then a stereo.

5

Zette: :::blush::: I never know if people are serious when they say stuff like that. But if you are, yes, that would be wonderful.

Also, the building manager saw the car, and since it was so clearly a theft, she said they wouldn’t charge for the remote, as they normally do for loss or damage.

On the downside, the first quote I got for the window was $200. Calling other places now…

6

I was thinking of that. I do have one…

**

Yes. What’s really scary is that when I was finally ready to move the car, I found a key stuck in the ignition. I have a keychain in the glove box with odd stuff on it like the key to the storage space. They must have tried all of them before they gave up. Brrrr…

7

Wow, that sucks. Sorry it happened.

Will car insurance be able to pick up any of the cost of replacement?

My fiance had his back driver’s side window smashed in a year ago, but all they took was his loose change and his sense of security. He had a $250 deductible, and whaddya know, the cost to replace the window was $250.

8

Oh, and another thought… you might be able to find someone who has copies of the CD’s you lost who would be able to burn it for you.

9

Tattva, we’re thinking of not involving the insurance on the grounds that it will raise our rates, thus hurting us in the long run while helping us in the short.

Just finished sweeping out the car. Also occurred to me that I’m glad my speakers suck. Otherwise I’d have holes in the back shelf as well.

I love having to think that way: that it’s good not to have nice stuff, so that it doesn’t end up in the hands of criminals.

Friend suggested that it might be someone in our building. I don’t see that, mostly because they generally have it better than we do. Someone in the neighborhood, almost certainly, but not the building.

10

Well, I’m as serious as can be. Last year I replaced Wump’s graphing calculator that got stolen for the very same reason. There is a lot more love and generousity in the world then badness, and sometimes a stranger can show you that and make a bad thing worthwhile.

I am currently purchasing the Beasties “Hello Nasty” CD. As soon as I get your e-mail addy, it will be on it’s way to you.

suzette100@yahoo.com

Zette

11

Ohmygosh! I am overwhelmed! Thank you all who made offers of help!

I got a good quote from an auto-repair shop.

And I’m going to insist that Mr. Rilch bring in his face plate from now on.

{{{{{{{{{{Dopers}}}}}}}}}}

12

Ril, sorry to hear about the theft. It’s happened to me (a few times), and I can’t think of anything that has pissed me off more. It’s not so much the material loss; it’s the feeling of being violated. I’ve never been raped, so I hope I don’t offend anyone by this statement: But that’s how it felt. I felt raped. Powerless. Violated. You’ve met me; I’m a big guy. An old girlfriend said my appearance was “intimidating”. (I don’t know if I believe that. I’ve always thought I looked jolly.) So here I am, a big guy who will stand up for what’s right, and some skulking meatsack ass-neck violates my security. It filled me with hate.

My condolences to you.

13

Rilchaim, I am sorry for your loss. In my life, I have lost some very meaningful things to thieves, so I can relate. My house was burgled, and I lost some coin collections that my father left me when he died. They also took the tiny gold ID bracelet that I had given to my daughter the day she was born.

I suggest that you make the claim against your insurance policy. This type of claim should not effect your rates. Over the past 15 years I have had the same insurance company, and I have filed about 5 claims. No claim has ever been “my fault”, and my rates have never changed. Make the claim, and if your rates go up, challenge your insurer.

14

Rilchiam, I just wanted to extend my sympathies, too. That’s pretty awful that now you have to deal with replacing window/cds/stereo on a budget. Doesn’t it always seem like everytime you get a little ahead >WHAM< some huge unexpected expense pops up?
Take heart. What goes around comes around, and the people who did this will learn that eventually. Hopefully when someone plants a boot about two feet up their asses.

bella

[sub]Oh, and Zette, I just wanted to say that I do believe you rock. Rilchiam isn’t the only one being impressed by humanity tonight.[/sub]

15

JohnnyLA, that’s about how I felt, too. I guess you can relate to the feeling of looking at a jagged hole in something that used to be all yours.

And I’d say you are intimidating! But it’s like Friend said: they didn’t know what you looked like, or what I did. Friend and Mr. Rilch have had their vehicles broken into too, and neither of them are 98 pound weaklings either! It’s cowards who do this.

DaToad, I’ll do that. Sorry you were robbed. My grandmother’s tenants stole stuff from her basement. Nothing of real value, but my dad’s toy soldiers (lead, not green plastic!) were among the missing. He wanted to pass them down to my sons if any…

belladonna and the belated ThisYearsGirl, thank you.

16

Sorry, to hear about your car. I remember when someone broke in and stole my father’s car radio and all of his cassettes (it happened in 1898).

I realize that this is just a story, and that it can’t do anything to replace your losses. I hope that you can get your car window fixed, and that you can replace the CD’s (good job Zette :slight_smile: ). I hope you feel better and safer soon.

17

1898? Did horse-drawn buggies have tape decks? Musta been an 8-track.

18

Damn. I even previewed the post.

19

Not to worry, Mudshark: you made me laugh!

20

So sorry! Damn scum suckers! But, call your
insurance guy AND the property insurance carrier, too.
If this is a recent rash of ongoing problems perhaps they can set up cameras to catch these ‘people.’ And let go of the anger as quickly as you can. Ulcers suck, too.