"Dude, Where's My Car?"

Six days ago (last Tuesday on Sept. 10, 2013), my car was stolen approximately between 12:55 to 4:15 in the afternoon. I say this because I was at work at that time (luckily for me, it was only a half day, as opposed to working a full shift), and it wasn't until 4:15 in the afternoon that I realized that my car was missing! "Just up and gone," as my coworker had phrased it. 

After the initial shock of realizing this, I immediately searched the area where my car was at, desperately looking for shattered glass. There wasn't any. Then, because I had parked in a public lot, I had contacted the towing company in charge of that specific, hoping that my car was towed rather than stolen. Unfortunately, they didn't tow my car. Next, I contacted the city police department, again hoping that my car was in their possession rather than stolen. Again, no such luck, so I had to fill out a stolen vehicle report. Filling out the report wasn't that difficult at all (not that it should be, but the stress and shock of losing a car can interfere with the report), since I was very detailed on how my car looked like (describing pre-existing damages, stickers and decals, and such), as well as giving other pertinent information.

For almost a whole day, my car was missing. I was informed by a sheriff in San Dimas (should give you an idea of the area where I live) that my car was found in that city. Which I thought as bizarre, since a car like mine (it's an Acura Integra LS - without the V-Tec) usually ends up in Pomona, El Monte, or even in Los Angeles! But it was found in the whitebread town of San Dimas (again, bizarre). I spoke to the sheriff on the condition of the car (usually cars like mine and Honda Civics are stolen only to be scrapped for parts) and all he could tell me that my car was in "fair condition." Crap. I thanked him for the news and the following day, I picked up my car.

When I reclaimed my car, my heart was pounding. What will be there? What will be missing? were some of the thoughts running in my mind. I was lucky to realize that most of my engine parts and all my tires were all there! However, what was stolen were all of my personal belongings and such, and as far as my engine goes, only my intake valve (and air filter) were stolen! I sound happy, but it's more like surprised. After all, if the jerks who my car paid more attention, they should have seen that my distributor and gas filter were in excellent condition, as well as some small parts such as spark plugs, some tubing/hoses and electrical wiring. All they saw was that flashy intake valve. So that's the reason I was surprised that my car was in excellent shape: It was still drivable! My mechanic later told me that I was lucky to have my car back in this condition. Lucky, indeed.

So, here is a list of what has been stolen (more or less from what I remember):

Car-Related:

• The Intake Valve (as well as its Air Filter)
• Oil, Filter, and even the cardboard for the oil change! (They were some desperate dudes.)
• Jumper Cables
• Hydrolic Jack
• Fluids (Brake, Transmission, Power Steering)
• Surprisingly, not the Radiator Fluid

Personal Stuff (Materialistically Speaking):

• Car Radio and the sound system (such as the amp, though speakers weren't taken)
• My CD collection
• She & Him - Vol. 1,2,3
• Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks (Deluxe Edition, too...)
• Sara Bareilles - The Blessed Unrest
• Fuel - Something Like Human
• The Strokes - Comedown Machine 
• Rob Zombie - Hellbilly Deluxe
• Julien-K - We're Here With You
• DragonForce - Valley of the Damned
• Ender's Game (the book, though this was for a friend)
• Paperwork (Registration, Insurance, misc.)

Personal Stuff (Sentimentally Speaking):

• My Spirit Ghost (it's a little good-luck charm - I called him Frederick)
• My Rubber Band Ball (and I worked so hard on it, too...)
• My Piggy Bank (no coins yet, so that's good)
• My Las Vegas Keychain (I never went to Vegas, but it came with the car's keys)