Life's Curveballs

Stolen car and jury duty for a month.

As I wrote tersely in the TagBoard, my car's been stolen. If you remember my car and see it, a bluish gray 95 Honda Accord with a spoiler (Lic# 4ZQG191), even if you're out-of-state, let me know. I last saw it in my carport spot at my apartment on Sunday evening, 9/19, before going with Jessica to her brother's house. On Monday, I didn't have occasion to even look in the carport as I biked to the Metro station and took the Metro to downtown L.A. for jury duty. When I came back in the evening, I just hung out and read, and still didn't use the car or look in the carport.

On Tuesday morning, I took my bike to Caltech for a meeting and as usual, just sped past the carport area, not even looking in. But on my way back home for lunch around 1 pm, I saw that the car was missing. I thought maybe I had accidentally left it at Jessica's place and biked over there to take a look... but it wasn't there. So I called the Pasadena Police who sent someone within 15 minutes to take a report. I then called my insurance company (fortunately, I had the car fully covered for theft). If the car's not recovered, I get what the insurance company calls the Actual Cash Value of the car, minus my $500 deductible.

From this knowledge, I know the car was taken between Sunday night and 1 pm Tuesday, probably Sunday or Monday night. There was no broken glass in the carport (the police officer told me they just pick the lock by filing down any old Honda key). There was however a half-smoked Camel cigarette near where the driver side would have been. Not much of a profile to go on...

Many have prayed about the car's safe return, and my mom even prayed that the car be returned with a full tank of gas. (I left the car with about an eighth of a tank.) But a car is just a car, and I am grateful that no one was assaulted or carjacked or any harm done. However, I don't like thinking of punk car-stealers prowling my neighborhood. Stealing my car is no way to achieve social justice.

Speaking of social justice, while being carless, I've had to spend time in a long and tedious jury selection process and was finally chosen to be on a jury for a case estimated to take 20 days or more. So I had to cancel a speaking engagement at an upcoming conference, and postpone a trip to the University of Michigan to visit some colleagues, speak at a seminar, and stay with John. I was neutral about whether or not I wanted to be on the jury, leaving it in the Hands behind History. Since I've been chosen, I'll try to pay attention and let justice be served. But you can't ask me what the trial's about until it's over... :)