Today was one of those days that started right. Early rise, devotions and even time for breakfast. Parking in Philadelphia can sometimes be expensive so I normally try and take the train to work or look for street parking. However, after missing the 7:00 AM train I decided that driving in might not be a bad idea, and at this early hour I was guaranteed a good parking spot.
After a nice Monday, I was walking back to my car with a colleague when I noticed the front passenger side door unlocked. I immediately knew that something was wrong as I have grown into the habit of always checking my doors and securing ‘The Club‘ after parking my car. As soon as I was in view of the interior I noticed my networking gear (Cat 5 cable, RJ-45 jacks, Crimp) lying on the back seat and my CD player missing. Thankfully my GPS mount, Nike sunglasses and CDs were still in the car. Furthermore, no windows were broken so I assume the person who stole the CD player used either a Wonder Tool or the Slim Jim to open the lock and then forced the locked glove box open with the same tool. Nevertheless, I dutifully called the police who filed a report and had some detectives lift finger prints from the car. They’re going to review video footage from the streets and then attempt to match the prints. My car was also used as a guinea pig for training another police officer so I got to listen in on the lesson. Whoever thought you could learn something in such tense times.
At this point I’m so thankful that this did not take a worse turn but am not very optimistic on recovering the CD player. Looking back, this has not been a good year for my Honda Accord 1990 which I’ve owned since 2001. I’ve had two tires, CV boots, ignition switch and distributor replaced. Moreover, after the inspection and insurance payments I’ve paid more to maintain and own the car than what it’s worth on Kelley Blue Book. Now I’m faced with the decision on whether to finance a car, lease a car or keep the Honda that’s apparently listed as one of the top 10 most stolen cars by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.