Feel better! You know, we’d all miss that lovely voice of yours.
And yes, as I recall, medicare totally rocks.
Thank you! Luckily Chuck had some other mysterious intro this week so you are off the hook listening to me croaking away 
Twas a Dark and Stormy Night
Actually, it was just a cold, wet drizzle. And it didn’t start until about 12:30am, shortly after I discovered my car had been broken into.
My friends and I were gathered at my house to watch a movie. Afterwards, when one of them went to her car to go home, she came right back to tell us someone had busted her window and taken the stereo. We all hurried outside and scoped out the street. Sure enough, my car was lucky winner #2. Both my car and hers had the back passenger window–you know, the small, angled section that doesn’t roll down–broken out, and both stereos swiped. Both were cheap stereos, which begs the question, why go through the trouble when, you know, getting a job would be easier.
Fortunately, the cops responded pretty quickly, even with it being a Friday night in South St. Louis City, and a CSI dusted for prints. But with the drizzle settling in, and the quick work the thieves did, there wasn’t much to find.
I’m finding myself relatively calm, despite the fact that I just barely made this month’s insurance payment (which I guess is good, because, you know, now I can pay for the damage), and the fact that it happened practically on my doorstep while I was inside watching a movie, in a house I’ve lived in threat-free for a year-and-a-half. It also bugs me that it happened to my friend while she was visiting me. My dad visited last week and kept making paranoid comments about locking his doors, so it pisses me off that he’ll now have something to wag his finger about.
But I know a place to get the window replaced cheap, so hopefully I can get a good claim and use some of the money to renew the plates–which expire at the end of this month. And maybe I’ll have some left over to finally get the windshield wipers working again–so I can pass inspection to renew the plates, and fight off the aforementioned drizzle. But I still haven’t paid end-of-the-year property tax on the thing, so who knows how it’ll go. I have a birthday beginning of next month. Maybe I’ll get some cash. Or maybe one of my job leads will finally kick in.
I did have a moment of panic while the cop was taking notes on my friend’s car. I’d told him the thieves got nothing besides the stereo, but I suddenly couldn’t remember where my iPod was. I never take it out of the car, but the earbuds are frakked so I didn’t listen to it at work today, which meant I really wasn’t thinking about it when I got home. So it could have slipped out of my bag and I wouldn’t have noticed until it was too late. I dug around the car, then dug around my room, around the kitchen, around the living room. Finally I found it buried on the dining room table, underneath the stuff I’d dumped out of my bag while looking for it. Thank God.
So it’s about two in the morning now, and I have to be at work earlier than usual for an extra morning show. This isn’t the worst possible thing that could have happened to me by far, but it’s just that much more wind out of my sails. From the looks of it, with illness and insurance issues, several people around here are having a rougher time than I am. I sincerely hope some turning-of-the-tides happens for everybody soon. I don’t speak this way often, but I think I’m just gonna go into my room and pray for a while. I don’t have much time to sleep anyway.
Fairly small but just as annoying a bitch today - I was out of town with my sweetie for two day (I know pity party time) but my boss was supposed to cover for me. Reminded him multiple times including verbal confirmation. He never showed up so we were closed for two days. What does he care, he doesn’t have to deal with the people who call/come in to bitch, that’s my job. See me smile?
Glimfeather, that sucks lot. While it’s not likely that they’ll find the bastard, I’m glad your insurance will cover repair. Every once in a while we all get those reminders about how much society requires joint trust and mutual respect for us not to completely freak out on each other and become Reavers.
The snippet of your quote above reminded me of the fact that about 3 weeks ago someone came into our back yard at night and stole my roommate’s bike, which was chained to the fence. They kicked in the fence post to slip the bike off. Neither she nor I are devastated about the loss of a bike, so much as we are CREEPED OUT that some skeezey thief was in our yard while we were sleeping!
I know we can’t all just get along and live in peace and harmony, but I will never understand the appeal of hurting strangers just because you can.
That sucks Glimfeather 
At least it was just the stereo…
Our car got broken into a few years ago (and it was filled with stuff, someone was moving) outside a house near Forest Park and they only took 72 cents in change from the little change drawer. But it was scary as hell. The house we were staying in has an alarm, locks, etc, and has been broken into several times, too. (though to be fair, my relatives might be lax about the locks bit…)
But it’s still about the violation of your space, your property, and that’s not cool at all.
Yeah, not cool at all. But my friends and I are all safe, and it’s only the window that’s damaged, so it should be a quick fix. I can probably live without a car stereo for a while and use the extra money to fix the rest of the car up (wipers, license plate renewals, etc.).
When you say “a house near Forest Park”, do you mean St. Louis’ Forest Park? I know many cities have a Forest Park, so I was just curious. I live just a few blocks south of the FP in St. Louis.
But Michaela, surely Australia is a hell hole thanks to socialized medicine! GASP!
<Irony chip disabled>
I do hope you feel better very soon.
So it’s about two in the morning now, and I have to be at work earlier than usual for an extra morning show. This isn’t the worst possible thing that could have happened to me by far, but it’s just that much more wind out of my sails. From the looks of it, with illness and insurance issues, several people around here are having a rougher time than I am. I sincerely hope some turning-of-the-tides happens for everybody soon. I don’t speak this way often, but I think I’m just gonna go into my room and pray for a while. I don’t have much time to sleep anyway.
Stroogie, that sucks. Out loud. At least it sounds like you’ll be able to scrape by, but thank God for small favors, right? I hope the job lead pays off soon and you won’t have to worry about how to make the property tax payment.
Now lock your doors. 
LOL yeah St Louis it was north of the park though, at the west end (i.e. Loop/WashU area)
Nice! How long ago were you there? I like to go to the CWE to see movies at the Moolah Theatre (when I can afford it).
I’ve come and gone from St Louis my whole life… (it’s Shaw’s Garden! Not the Missouri Botanical Gardens! And how come the license plates aren’t red anymore!? :p) But I haven’t spent more than a day or two there since 2005.
Edited to add: I have family in the area, so yeah.
Oh wow, man. That stinks! And good luck with the job search. I was suddenly out of work a few months back. I have some idea of how it feels.
Glimfeather, I hope things get better for you! That sucks.
Amen to that…
Sorry to hear of your troubles glim. Hope things turn around soon for ya.
gaf
And they will, Stroogie. They will. I don’t know why, but after heading into 2009 about as pesimistically and downcast as I could get, I have been feeling like things are going to start turning around for all of us very soon. You’ll see.
Amen, sister. Honor the guy who built the place, not the government bureaucracy that runs it now.
And how come the license plates aren’t red anymore!?
'Cause they were ugly.
Thanks for the all well-wishes everyone. My friend got her window fixed yesterday in about half-an-hour for $120, so that’s good news already.
…because I’m a frakkin idiot. I COMPLETELY forgot to renew my plates last week. On my way home from work, I went the long way 'round since I needed to fill my tank. This means driving through Linndale, an extremely small (less than 1 square mile) town known to supply their entire town budget with traffic citations. Sure enough, I got pulled over and am now the oh-so-proud owner of a lovely little pink slip. It’s my own fault, I know, but most cops will at least give you til the end of the month. My plates are 5 DAYS expired. And I now have to fuss until tomorrow when I can rectify the situation. Is some cop in some other town I have to drive through gonna pull me over too? And I won’t even know how much it’s gonna cost me until they open tomorrow. Gah! there goes my birthday money…
and somewhere in Linndale, children are rejoicing. the snowplows will continue to run. the garbage can stop piling up in the streets. the mayor can have lunch at a nice restaurant tomorrow. all because Rachel got a ticket 
sorry–I got a ticket on New Year’s Eve. no, not for that! I had a brake light out.
Get them reregistered ASAP, request a court hearing (should be on the back of the tik) and bring your rereg. paperwork with you when you get a date. A quick hearing and many, many Clerks will find you not responsible on the ticket, so you won’t have to pay the fine, and it won’t be on your driving history. Worst that happens is you waste about an hour some morning and pay the same fine as you would have anyway. Best case, you get off completely. IYKWIM.