Just When You Thought You Were Safe in the Big City

I awoke this morning feeling totally refreshed from the best night sleep I've had here in two and a half weeks. Thinking about the fact we only had three more days and we would be headed home on Saturday.

As Xuxa and I walked to my truck to go to work, she opened the front door on the passenger side while I was opening the back door of the driver side to put away my brief case, she said "what the hell is all this"? What it was, was the contents of the center console on the passenger seat. I opened the drivers door and knew what exactly had happened. My truck had been broken into. The lock had been jimmied open and there was evidence they even tried to get in on the passenger side.

So we went back into the hotel and called the police. I made an inventory of the truck and found they had taken my Garmin GPS, which was in the console. The door pockets were not rifled through, as I still had my headset for my cell phone and charger cord. Sunglasses, SunPass all intact. But something else was missing. I opened the glove box and Xuxa said that something was definitely missing. Sure enough, the zippered note book that contained my truck's owners manual and warranty book. Also in there was my registration and insurance card. Why the fuck would they take that? I still can't figure out why except that perhaps they didn't know what it was but it looked like a fancy case, such as a CD case and they took it. But once they figure out what it is, tossed it away.

I came home from work and walked around the surrounding streets of the hotel. Taking a route a thief might. Looking in the weeds and woods to see if the book had been tossed. No luck.

The book was of no value and I had an extra insurance card in my wallet but my registration was in there. I just didn't like driving without it. But I've already ordered a new one from DMV, as well as renewing my drivers license. So that's one positive.

I had to have a new GPS because I can't drive around this town without one. I also have become used to driving on trips with it, so it's become a bit of a crutch. So I went to Target to purchase a new one. It's not much different than my old one but it's not my old one.

So no one got hurt and the truck isn't damaged, except for some dents and chipped paint under the lock and door handle assembly as well as the lock needs to be replaced. But the inconvenience of it all is what pisses me off. A $130 for a new GPS. $6.50 for a duplicate registration. Time and expense for the minor damage to the truck. It's all an inconvenience. These bastard, scum bags who go around stealing from hard working people, I hope they die a very painful, agonizing, miserable death.

This isn't the first time I've had my vehicle broken into. My truck was broken into a few years ago at work, in the parking lot, in the broad day light. Gone was my Sunpass. Another $50 worth of inconvenience. I had a cooler stolen in a parking lot during the 2009 Daytona 500. Almost 30 years of tailgating at sporting events and concerts I've never had anything stolen. But last year, some pigeon gut sucking, low-life, shit bag stole my cooler out of the back of my truck. It had my beer and post race food in it. This was a pick up truck, surrounded by other trucks with coolers, grills and such. But it was my truck that was burgled. It was my truck that was hit in a parking lot full of other cars at work and here at the hotel.

Why? What bad karma am I carrying with me? This might sound like some kind of self-pity trip and perhaps it is. But god damn it all to hell! Don't I deserve to go on a small pity trip? After all I've been through the last nine months, I'm thinking I deserve a break. I got a big one by landing a job. But I didn't need a kick in the balls like I got last night.

Hopefully Xuxa and I will make it home on Saturday with out incident or nightmarish traffic. But I might have to cross more than my fingers.