Still No Van, But I Am Making Plans

I finally got myself a rental car yesterday. First, I stopped at the local Autopac office in the neighbourhood to pick up the extra insurance available for rental cars. It costs about a dollar a day, if you get it from Autopac. that's much cheaper than the rate the rental agencies charge. Then I headed down Regent Ave to the rental place. It seems everyone is renting cars for the long weekend, so I had to go a bit out of the way to get a car this weekend. I called a few days ago to let them know I would be coming by. That way, I knew they would have a car available, and it would be ready for me when I got there. We have a second vehicle, so we didn't need them to pick us up from home, but that option is also available, and we have used it in the past.
Then my husband and I took a drive down Keewatin Avenue and stopped in at the McDonalds there. We decided to drop in on Kevin L, our fearless leader for Winnipeg North. I like the guy. I have met him twice now, and have communicated with him via email a few times. He seems to understand what is going on in the area, and has real thoughts on what can be done at the ground level. We have made tentative plans to work on some issues in my area. I hope he gets elected back in. Not because I vote Liberal, I normally don't. But, because he has already started working toward improving things. And he is available to people. He is friendly. And he has been around the block a few times. And I don't want to have to start over with a new person, trying to build rapport again, and hoping they will work with me to fix actual specific issues.
Well, that's my political plug, for what it's worth.
By the way, the police have still not recovered my van, so remember guys, if you see my van let me know. It is red, 1995 Chevy Lumina Minivan, license plate FJA 667. Hope it's not floating down the river on its way to Selkirk.
Earlier in the week I went to my Autopac appointment to deal with the stolen vehicle claim. I asked if I could get an immobilizer put into the van because it was the second time this particular van was stolen. I said the criminals seem to like vans, likely because they can do break and enters and other crimes with vans. I was shown the computer screen, where my van is listed as "not at risk", and told that Autopac will not be installing an immobilizer. I was told I could have one installed if I really wanted, but would have to pay 50% of the cost myself. So, if or when my van gets returned to me, it will be without an immobilizer. Maybe after theft number 3, it will be deemed "at risk", and get an immobilizer installed.
That's all for now folks, time to chase bunnies.

How Much Is Too Much?

As you know, my van was stolen this morning. I wasn't even upset. After writing my post earlier today, I got to thinking. If my car being stolen didn't really bother me, then what is it that actually does get under my skin? What is it that really bothers me? And why doesn't it bother me when my van gets stolen.
So, why doesn't it bother me when my van gets stolen? I guess because there is a clear process I follow. I know the rules. They are clearly laid out. And after following the process, I sit back and wait 30 days, and my vehicle re-appears. It always takes 30 days. And I always get my van back. There is no question of what I should do, how I should handle things, or what is involved. It's clear and simple.
Now the other questions need a little more thought. What really gets under my skin? And, what really bothers me? I had to think about that for a bit, and I came up with two things that really bother me. The first one is garbage. That would have to be the whole garbage package. I mean, the scrappers digging through the bins, throwing garbage in the alley and not putting it back, the illegal dumpers tossing mattresses and construction material, the over-filled dumpsters that spill out into the lanes when they get emptied, the entire package. That's one of the things that just drives me crazy.
The other thing that gets me going is Circus Boy. I have never mentioned him before, but he used to be a tenant in my house. He was a tenant when I started going out with my husband a few years back, and he was a tenant when I moved into the North End. But he did not stay a tenant much longer. I was not about to put up with a criminal in my house who refused to pay the rent, and threatened us when we asked for money. He was a bad guy with a bad attitude, and he had to go. We finally managed to get him removed from the house, which was no easy feat. But we did manage to get him out. Then the guy moved into another house just a few doors down. That was just too close for comfort, but it was not against the law. The man has a right to live where he wants to live. As the years have passed, Circus Boy has stopped yelling at us, threatening us, and giving us the evil eye every time we crossed paths. But the sight of him still irks me. I know he is always up to no good. And I know it is always a circus when he’s around. We all know him around here, and we all know to watch out for him. Now that Spring is here, Circus Boy “spottings” are far too frequent for my liking.
I would have to say that Circus Boy gets under my skin far deeper than the garbage issue. But garbage bothers me with more regularity.
So, on to the next question on my list. How much is too much? I would have to say the swat team appearing on my street last August was too much. That's what pushed me to start this blog. That is what started me sending a copy of each blog entry to the Mayor, the City Councilors, and the media. I continued sending the emails to these people up until mid-January this year. Now I just blog. It is kind of therapeutic. I've gone through several stages since living in the North End. I have wanted to put up razor wire around the property, I have wanted to build a fence with broken glass along the top, and I have wanted to run screaming from the neighbourhood.
I know I just wrote a blog entry about the safety of the North End. I still stand by what I said. Have a look at the block, and be aware of your surroundings. My personal safety has never been an issue here. But I have had my share of problems. As far as property or vehicles being stolen, I have had that happen in other parts of the City as well, it is not unique to the North End.
But sometimes the Circus wears you down. And some days it does feel like it is too much to handle. And then the Winnipegger in me kicks in, and I tell myself I am not going to let some punks drive me from my home. After all, it’s just another day in the hood.

My Vehicle Was Found At Second Crime Scene

The police just called to tell me they found my minivan. It was abandoned at the second crime scene tonight. Apparently the minivan was stolen and involved in two crimes today.
Yah Police!!
Now I have to contact MPI and do the paper work with them. The van will be going in for finger printing, then get sent to the MPI compound. Once it is there I will be able to have it towed to an autobody shop to have the steering column repaired. Apparently that is the only damage to the vehicle. I am quite familiar with the process I have to go through when a vehicle is stolen. This will be the fourth time in the last few years that I have gone through this process.

1. call police and report vehicle stolen, and get incident number
2. call MPI and report vehicle stolen and give them the incident number
3. wait 48 hours from the time vehicle is stolen and rent a car
4. wait until the vehicle is located and sent to MPI lot and have it towed to the autobody shop of your choice for repairs
5. wait 30 days while the autobody shop takes their time in completing repairs to vehicle
6. get vehicle back, and hope the vehicle still runs the way it did the last time you had it.

If You See My Stolen Van Let Me Know

My husband and I went to the Car Show at Garden City Shopping Center earlier today. When we were finished, we went back to the parking lot in front of Canadian Tire, where we left our red minivan. It was parked about 8 cars from Leila, in line with the entrance to the Canadian Tire. It wasn't there. We checked the parking lot for half an hour. We looked through the parking lot over and over again, wondering why we were not able to find the minivan.
Then we went into the Canadian Tire to see if they decided to tow cars off their lot. They were not towing vehicles. The customer service person called the mall security to see if they were doing any car towing, and we were told they were not towing cars either.
The mall security guard came and took a report from us, and we left, without our car. We took a bus home. All the time we were wondering if maybe we just couldn't find our vehicle and it was lost in the mass of vehicles parked in the lot.
When we got home, I called the police and reported my minivan as missing. I told them we parked the vehicle at 12:30 and it was not there when we were trying to leave at 2:10pm. I still was not sure if we were just not able to find the vehicle in the lot.
Then the phone rang, and it was the police calling. They wanted to know where my vehicle was. I said I was not sure, and explained that we were not able to find it. I said I had reported it stolen about an hour earlier. Well, apparently it had been used in a crime. So now I know there was a valid reason why we were not able to find our minivan. The police have not located the vehicle yet, but did get the license plate on the vehicle used in a crime.
If anyone sees my minivan, can you call the police 986-6222 and let them know where it is please.
It is a red 1995 Chevy Lumini Minivan, license FJA 667.