I need a new car stereo...

[elSicomoro]

...because some motherfucker(s) ripped the one out of my car yesterday.

I thought yesterday would be a good day to drive to work, so I did. I parked my car where I normally do (a parking garage on S. 2nd St.), then walked over to the El to go to my office. That was at 7:45am.

I got back to my car about 7:30pm, and when I got to my car door, I noticed that the door was unlocked. At first I didn't give it much thought...I figured that I just left the door unlocked.

I got into the car. It was a bit dark, but I immediately noticed that wires were hanging out of where my stereo should be. Then I remembered that I did indeed lock my car door earlier that day--I'm pretty anal about that sort of thing.

I immediately got out of the car and looked in the hatchback area (I have a station wagon)--Pimpin coat was still there, safe and sound, along with some posterboard and a few other items I had back there. I walked back towards the drivers side door...my maps were still in the back as well as the Big Boi CD of OutKast's recent release.

Then I noticed the lock on my door--it looks like they tried to pull the lock out but failed. It's now useless from the outside. The lock itself looks bored out and there is a small hole just under the lock.

So, I went to the garage office and called the cops. Almost right away, the garage manager says "Well, we're not responsible for any damage or whatever."

(No fucking shit. You have it written on the ticket, you have it posted in various places around the garage...almost every parking garage operates like this. I ain't gonna sue you...though I imagine that some folks would try to do so in this type of situation.)

The cop arrives and takes a report, followed by the garage manager. The garage manager takes some photos of the damage, gives me free parking for the day, then I head for home. Total time spent from discovery to leaving: about an hour.

I was incredibly calm the whole time...didn't get angry, only used one expletive. ("Shit", when I discovered that I didn't have a current insurance card. The cop didn't sweat it...thank God.) Even now, I'm not really angry about it...more irritated than anything.

Of course, there was all the crazy shit that floated around in my head: "Was this karma payback for posting that high school address earlier, or for not taking the train today?", "I'm never parking here again!", etc. But it was just that...crazy shit. Didn't give it a whole lot of thought.

After all, it could have been a lot worse. They could have busted out a window...they could have stolen Pimpin' Coat...they could have completely ruined my car door or popped the steering column...

But they didn't. All I'm out is a cheap-o stereo my mom had put in the car last year when it was still hers and the Andre 3000 CD of OutKast's recent release. I already downloaded that CD, and I'll buy a stereo with a detachable face next month. The door is not worth fixing...there's some body damage to it, and I'm not going to shell out gonzo bucks to repair it. The door functions just fine and still locks. Fuck it.

But to the asshead(s) that did it: You're a fucking punk, going through a parking garage trying to lift shit. If you needed money that badly, you could have easily panhandled it on the street like other transients, and wouldn't have broken any laws in doing so. Fucking bastard(s).