The semester that keeps on giving.

nobody@vox.com(Joie) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 23:10:17 -0600

It would be easy to sit down and feel sorry for myself. But frankly, I've done enough of that today, and the truth is, I'm actually amazingly lucky.

Monday night two friends and I went to Sonic. We had the windows down, but I didn't want any spillage in my car, so we decided instead to sit five feet away in the porch area. Right beside my car! And I, the always-responsible, never leaves a car unlocked gal, left my windows down. A truck a few spots over from us was being the typical redneck, but seemed to be revving his extremely loud engine more than was necessary, especially considering it was a parked car. We all looked at it, and commented on the driver's douchebaggyness. We sighed in relief when he pulled away, and I watched him come around the other side of the building. I looked right at the driver, and he at me.

This afternoon, not quite two days later, I reach to get a CD out of my glove compartment. ...There are none in there? Weird, I think, and feel annoyed with my dad for rearranging my car. But then I think... wouldn't he have told me? I call my mom, who knows nothing about this. I'm starting to get freaked out, and I want to plug my phone into the in-car charger. ...Except the in-car charger is not there. There are CDs still sitting on my seat, but all but one have been removed from my glove compartment and both my in-car phone charger and FM transmitter for my iPod are gone.

It takes me about 20 minutes to finally remember what happened and piece together the windows down at Sonic, the unnecessary engine revving, and the driver's eye contact with me as he pulled away. It takes me another 20 minutes to realize that the item I was counting on to make me feel better about losing 15-20 CDs, my iPod Ben, was in my center console. And that's why my center console looked funny to me when I went looking for my phone charger: because my iPod was not in it, where I remember leaving it.

It takes me a solid five more hours to realize they've taken my registration, car insurance info, warranty, and instruction manual for my car.

Needless to say, I freaked out. It's more than losing an iPod to me. First of all, my iPod's name is Ben, and I have a problem with humanizing inanimate objects. Second of all, I'm a musician, and that iPod had so much important stuff on it. Most of it I can get back with time, but not all. And it's just offensive and hurtful. And ironic. I see the amazing good in people as the community of Prattville is unified in helping out families like mine who were affected by a monstrous tornado. And then I see jackasses who had nothing better to do than steal shit out of a college student's car when she was sitting a few feet away like an oblivious idiot.

But here's the thing. I wallowed for a while, and bless him, Brian had to listen to my cry and cry for the millionth time in the past two weeks. But then, while I was at the hair appointment I refused to miss even after this crap, my mom mentioned something about an old man with no home insurance whose home was completely destroyed two-and-a-half weeks ago. And I thought, it's some fucking technology. It's replaceable. You lost your iPod, not your home. Now get over it.

And I did. And I hesitate to even mention this next part, because it's going to make me sound like the most spoiled brat ever in existence. But I need to express just how amazingly wonderful my family is and how lucky and blessed I am to have a family like mine. I went to visit my grandmother tonight, who was upset to hear about what happened and retaliated the way loaded grandmothers do best: a hug and some money. A blank check she told me to give to my mother, actually, upon hearing that I was about to go meet my parents at Circuit City to replace my in-car charger (kind of a necessity, with the calls and driving I've been doing lately). And I arrive at Circuit City to find my parents. We get my charger, but before getting in line my dad cheerfully says, "Well, let's go get the iPod." To which I firmly refuse; but my parents won't be denied when they have their mind made up like this. They knew, and told me they knew, how important my music is to me, how important it is that I have something to keep track of it, study with, learn from, everything. And they had decided I would have another iPod, and I would have another FM transmitter, and there was no room to argue. And if that's not enough, they're not even mad about what happened. My dad said, "You got suckered. It wasn't your fault." It was my fault, I thought and said. And he did nothing but express his sympathy and eagerness to do this for me.

Let's ignore the fact that I'm spoiled for a moment. And you'll just have to believe that I'm being honest when I say... my parents were so happy to help me. In the midst of all this stress and bullshit they've been dealing with regarding our house and insurance and their work and everything, I think it just made them happy that when something bad happened to their daughter, they were able to help. Maybe it's the fact that it was finally something they were able to fix themselves, right then and there, or maybe they're just incredibly kind and generous--I know that it's both. But I think I'll go ahead and vote today a good day.

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Wish I was an English muffin...

The semester that keeps on giving.