Nicked-Swiped-Pilfered- JACKED!

Warning: you may find what you are about to read to be shocking and disturbing.

I would like to begin by stating that I have spent a great deal of time trying to work through the innate paranoia that comes with growing up in the NY , NJ area. There is a certain understanding that most people share in that part of our great nation- "if you left it unattended- it WILL NOT be there when you get back." It's known in some parts as the "if nobody's using it" rule. This is pretty much a constant- I dunno if it's because people assume that anything of value left unattended must have been discarded and so is fair game? Or if it's based on the assumption that since everybody knows the rules- its just part of the game to walk off with whatever you can.

Whatever the reason- growing up where I did has ingrained in me the habit of locking my doors and chaining my bike- (yes even when I'm just running into blockbuster for 2 seconds to drop off a movie.)

It's true that most of my friends often laugh at me - there is a running joke that if we don't lock our door at all times "the crazy guy" will come running in. So in recent years- I have made it a point to try and rely on the good in people and attempted to adopt the idea that not everyone out there is looking to rob or stab me. After all people are basically good right?

Wrong- that is wrong! and false! and perfectly f'ing naive! That has to be the answer because I came downstairs into my garage this morning to find that my Craftsman 3 ton Jack, set of Jack-Stands, and rolling Work Seat had all been taken. GONE.

Now I have to say that stealing another mans tools should go against even the lowest thieves ethics- I mean it's just not done!

There are only two rules among men- don't touch my beer- and don't steal my tools- that's it. Period.

Well friends - there is a barbarian in our midst. Because someone has decided that the rules don't matter any more - you hear that? It's the sound of anarchy! Apparently now it's an East Coast style free-for-all right here in Santa Monica. I would also like to let it be known that even according to international East Coast "if nobody's using it" rules- things left under a blanket and behind two parked cars in the darkest most inaccessible corner of a locked and gated parking structure are NOT fair game- and pilfering said items leaves one subject to frontier justice- (know what I'm sayin'?)

I have to say that when I first noticed my stuff was missing I did the same stupid thing that everybody does when something is stolen. I stared at the spot for 5 minutes- then walked around it for another 5. As if magically my lost things would appear- or maybe they had just been shrunken overnight and were really really small?!

Sad truth is that they are gone forever and I will never get them back and now I have been set back years in my trust therapy. And the extra kick in the nuts is that I am out a Jack and a set of stands- bastards!

So what can I do now but ask for a moment of silence for my lost tools (craftsmen nonetheless!) and pray that whoever stole them dies slowly of gonorrhea and burns in hell- amen.

Ok- enough about that- the good news is that MINI wasn't harmed during this crime which probably occurred in the middle of the night within inches of where MINI was docked.- Though I have to ask- MINI where's your defense skills bro?! I mean you just let some loser walk off with your stuff- not cool- we need to have a serious talk.

Though I suppose it was right not to get involved- no good would have come of it- and as it stands now tools are easy to replace but broken windows take longer and are more expensive.

I will say this however- If I see some bum rolling down the street on my craftsman work seat- I may go Bruce Lee- (I'm just sayin.)

In other news...
I think I might finally get to install my RCA inputs in the parcel shelf this weekend- which has been a project I have been waiting to tackle for weeks.

I am still waiting on the video of the autocross- I have seen a cut and its pretty cool. I should be posting that here within a week or so (whenever Dave gets me the file)

And I guess that's it- until next time- lock your doors and look over your shoulder...in the words of Kurt Cobain "just because your paranoid- don't mean their not after you..."