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October 22, 2008

Living near the "Hood"

I really like the place I live and the gal I rent from... It's less than 3 miles to work, close to the expressways that surround the area, 10 minutes from downtown Norfolk or Newport News via those highways and a network of tunnels beneath the rivers. Most of them are referred to with their initials like the MMMBT, CBBT, and HRBT (where BT refers to them as bridge/tunnels), while others are called by their proximity to a city such as the midtown tunnel or the downtown tunnel.

I digress... The location of my place here in Chesapeake is on the fringe of what my boss (a black woman) refers to as "the hood". I have had no real issues since moving here in April, other than periodically having to drive through some areas where large groups of teens are hanging out after dark... That is until last night...

6:20 this morning I wake to a loud knock on my bedroom door. It is my roommate who has been awakened by a neighbor pounding on our front door. She tells me that the neighbor wanted to let us know that someone had vandalized my car... While I don't have my "8NT-STR8" license plates on the new ride, I do have an HRC sticker and a rainbow strip across the rear window and my first thought was that someone bashed my car because I way gay... Not the case...

I am just plain stupid. I left my GPS attached to the windshield when I got home last night. I probably could have put a sign on my car saying "Free Electronics" and been less subtle... Who ever it was smashed the passenger front glass, got into the car, took the GPS, the brand new HD radio I had installed last Thursday, an inexpensive printer a friend had given me, 4 new CD's, a book map of the area, and the contents of my glove compartment.

All I can say is I hope they need all that stuff more than I do...

After calling the Chesapeake police department, waiting for the forensic guy to show up, calling State Farm (who I think will be able to wiggle out of paying me anything as they gave me two claim numbers, one for my auto and another for my homeowners, each have a $500 deductible) to report the loss, locating an auto glass company and arranging to have the window replaced, calling Best Buy to have another radio installed, and cleaning up most of the glass in and around my car... I am exhausted and it's only 11:30!

My roommate was more upset than I was I think... She wanted to know if I wanted her to stick around until the "po-po" came, I told her I was off today and would be just fine... It is only a car, and no one was hurt...

The glass people should be here around noon, and I have an appointment to have the replacement radio installed at 5:00pm at Best Buy. I guess I will have to live without the GPS and go back to maps to find my way around...

Over and "Out" from near the "hood" here in Chesapeake, VA

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

It happens everywhere, next time you take everything out and leave two loose wires sticking out from where your radio normally is.

It works in Amsterdam, maybe they can be fooled in Chesapeake too.

Maddog said...

My car was broken into in San Diego in one of the nicer areas of town. So I don't think it's necessarily where you live. I will tell you that you should check with State Farm about getting an electronics rider to your home owners policy. It covers all of the electronics that you have that go from house, to car, etc. I have a plan that covers both my laptops, both my cameras, and a couple of other electronic items. I've never had to use it but it's nice to know that if I leave my laptop on the train it's covered.

manxxman said...

Will that sucks......Geoff left our Jeep out in front of our house and of course the GPS was no longer there the next day.

What sucks more probably is that you had to spend your entire day off tending to all the matters, while, as you said, State Farm will probably be off the hook.

Anonymous said...

Damn Hon. The crap never seems to stop. Sorry that it happened to you but you are right, its only a car.

Stephen

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