I think it was funny that last week, I mentioned how uneventful my life is and as soon as I know it, my life becomes eventful. On Thursday night, I decided I will go to work really early so that I can make up hours at work, go to the gym, and make it to happy hour, which was being held at a wine bar that I really wanted to go to. The day was going perfectly well. In fact, the day seemed to fly by, probably due to getting in early and it was the end of our sprint.
I left at 3 PM and hurried home to take my asthma medication and get into my gym clothes. Before I went into the house, I had my purse in the passenger seat of the car. I have never gotten the impression that my neighborhood was unsafe but while I usually have no qualms leaving my purse on the passenger seat, I felt moved to put it underneath the seat even though I would be in and out of my apartment within 10-15 minutes. Afterward, I made my way to the gym. Again, usually, I leave my purse in the passenger seat of the car when I go to the gym but I decided to put it in the back this time, next to a bag of trash, hoping it would sort of conceal it. But I still operated on the idea that I did not live in an unsafe area so the chance of anyone trying to steal it would be almost nil.
As I was walking toward the gym entrance, I passed a group of teenage boys who had seemed to be loitering around their car but were about to go into the car to leave. I instinctively locked my door using my car remote, just in case. I finally made it into the gym, got through a 15-minute workout on the treadmill, and wiped my sweat down in the bathroom before making it over to the chest fly machine to begin the workout that my trainer sent me.
I was at the end of a set when I got a text message from Chase asking if I had make a $400-ish purchase at Walmart. I sent 'No', but I was annoyed that my credit card had already been stolen somehow. I figured it was one of those scams I had heard from someone where your card gets scanned through your wallet and your numbers are stolen. I was going to worry about it after the workout. I made my way to the personal training section to do some dumbbell work.
I was very into my dumbbell chest presses when an LA Fitness employee came up to me and told me that the police were around my car and someone broke in. I was all types of shocked and confused. I immediately thought that the group of teenagers near my car had broken into it out of spite when I locked my car doors when I passed them. After talking to the police and listening in on reports from police around the area, it seemed like I had been wrong and actually, the break-in was orchestrated by one white man.
The guy broke my the right-side rear window, grabbed my purse, and fled to Walmart in a span of about 30 minutes -- between the time I left my car and started my workout. The police guided me through all the next steps I needed to take: calling my insurance, canceling my cards, etc. I immediately messaged my parents. I was having trouble getting through to my credit card company because the voice-automation kept asking for the 3-digit number behind the credit card I didn't have. So I asked to go home to use my laptop and they let me leave, especially since the thief left no fingerprints behind. The officer gave me his information to give to the credit card company to get my money back in case they needed evidence.
Honestly, all of that stuff went pretty smoothly. I was more upset at the fact that I had woken up early, and planned my entire day out to be able to make it to the gym before happy hour, only to not even get my full workout in, pay an extra expense to get my car window fixed, AND not get to go to happy hour.
Oh, also, because I'm ignorant about car insurance policy, I thought that the window would be covered by my insurance because my deductible was $500. Turns out that a deductible is a starting fee I have to pay BEFORE my insurance covers a cost. So basically, I have to pay for something that wasn't my fault in the first place... Well, I guess it was my fault for being stupid enough to think that I could leave my purse partially visible in the car, and no one would steal it.
Interestingly enough, the officer I talked to told me that break-ins like that happened all the time. I think he meant at that gym, in particular, and at gyms in general. I had actually heard a news story about someone robbing cars at the Planet Fitness I used to go to but I thought it was just cars that people forgot to lock. Never thought someone would have the audacity to break a window in broad daylight, during a time when a lot of people would be coming from work to go the gym. But that was the point... It was a great time to steal because a lot of people would make the mistake of leaving valuables in their car. And I guess it's easier to hide among a crowd of people.
But what was really outstanding was that my purse was found on the side of the road by a good Samaritan. He had his nephew message me on Facebook to tell me and I was able to pick up my purse at the police department (after some hassle). Everything was still in my purse except for my credit/debit cards. My entire wallet was in tact, in fact, except for those two cards. I thought it was interesting that the perpetrator would leave all of that behind, but I guess he really didn't need lip gloss, mints, and an inhaler. I have my purse sitting in the trunk of my car right now and I honestly just want to throw everything away because I hate the fact that a thief's hands were on them.
But I am also warmed by the fact that there are good people out there. I would never even think to pick up a random purse on the side of the road. So God bless that man.
I don't have any updates on whether the thief was caught. They seemed to know the car he was driving, what he was wearing, and the fact that he had been committing robberies up and down the coast on that same day. It seems to me that he had a death wish or something. It was more incredulous to me that he hadn't been caught yet with all this information.
Anyway, it sort of put a damper on my weekend. I guess I'll talk about that another time. My Friday night/Saturday morning was particularly interesting and I have some pent-up feelings about it. But it's late and I don't feel like thinking much more now.
I have been thinking more and more about my escape plan from this area. When I think about leaving this life behind, it does make me sad. I like the people I've met here and Melbourne is a unique place to live. But there are certain things about this area that brew a mix of sadness and anger in me, and I don't think there's much I can do to change it but to leave. I want to leave the area with a bang. Experience as much of Florida as I possibly can. I'm not sure whether I'd want to transfer to a campus in the North or quit Harris completely. I don't really feel any preference for either, which may say more about how I feel about my career right now.
I guess I just have other things on my mind.
Anyway, it is time for me to pretend I'm about to go to sleep. Good night.
I left at 3 PM and hurried home to take my asthma medication and get into my gym clothes. Before I went into the house, I had my purse in the passenger seat of the car. I have never gotten the impression that my neighborhood was unsafe but while I usually have no qualms leaving my purse on the passenger seat, I felt moved to put it underneath the seat even though I would be in and out of my apartment within 10-15 minutes. Afterward, I made my way to the gym. Again, usually, I leave my purse in the passenger seat of the car when I go to the gym but I decided to put it in the back this time, next to a bag of trash, hoping it would sort of conceal it. But I still operated on the idea that I did not live in an unsafe area so the chance of anyone trying to steal it would be almost nil.
As I was walking toward the gym entrance, I passed a group of teenage boys who had seemed to be loitering around their car but were about to go into the car to leave. I instinctively locked my door using my car remote, just in case. I finally made it into the gym, got through a 15-minute workout on the treadmill, and wiped my sweat down in the bathroom before making it over to the chest fly machine to begin the workout that my trainer sent me.
I was at the end of a set when I got a text message from Chase asking if I had make a $400-ish purchase at Walmart. I sent 'No', but I was annoyed that my credit card had already been stolen somehow. I figured it was one of those scams I had heard from someone where your card gets scanned through your wallet and your numbers are stolen. I was going to worry about it after the workout. I made my way to the personal training section to do some dumbbell work.
I was very into my dumbbell chest presses when an LA Fitness employee came up to me and told me that the police were around my car and someone broke in. I was all types of shocked and confused. I immediately thought that the group of teenagers near my car had broken into it out of spite when I locked my car doors when I passed them. After talking to the police and listening in on reports from police around the area, it seemed like I had been wrong and actually, the break-in was orchestrated by one white man.
The guy broke my the right-side rear window, grabbed my purse, and fled to Walmart in a span of about 30 minutes -- between the time I left my car and started my workout. The police guided me through all the next steps I needed to take: calling my insurance, canceling my cards, etc. I immediately messaged my parents. I was having trouble getting through to my credit card company because the voice-automation kept asking for the 3-digit number behind the credit card I didn't have. So I asked to go home to use my laptop and they let me leave, especially since the thief left no fingerprints behind. The officer gave me his information to give to the credit card company to get my money back in case they needed evidence.
Honestly, all of that stuff went pretty smoothly. I was more upset at the fact that I had woken up early, and planned my entire day out to be able to make it to the gym before happy hour, only to not even get my full workout in, pay an extra expense to get my car window fixed, AND not get to go to happy hour.
Oh, also, because I'm ignorant about car insurance policy, I thought that the window would be covered by my insurance because my deductible was $500. Turns out that a deductible is a starting fee I have to pay BEFORE my insurance covers a cost. So basically, I have to pay for something that wasn't my fault in the first place... Well, I guess it was my fault for being stupid enough to think that I could leave my purse partially visible in the car, and no one would steal it.
Interestingly enough, the officer I talked to told me that break-ins like that happened all the time. I think he meant at that gym, in particular, and at gyms in general. I had actually heard a news story about someone robbing cars at the Planet Fitness I used to go to but I thought it was just cars that people forgot to lock. Never thought someone would have the audacity to break a window in broad daylight, during a time when a lot of people would be coming from work to go the gym. But that was the point... It was a great time to steal because a lot of people would make the mistake of leaving valuables in their car. And I guess it's easier to hide among a crowd of people.
But what was really outstanding was that my purse was found on the side of the road by a good Samaritan. He had his nephew message me on Facebook to tell me and I was able to pick up my purse at the police department (after some hassle). Everything was still in my purse except for my credit/debit cards. My entire wallet was in tact, in fact, except for those two cards. I thought it was interesting that the perpetrator would leave all of that behind, but I guess he really didn't need lip gloss, mints, and an inhaler. I have my purse sitting in the trunk of my car right now and I honestly just want to throw everything away because I hate the fact that a thief's hands were on them.
But I am also warmed by the fact that there are good people out there. I would never even think to pick up a random purse on the side of the road. So God bless that man.
I don't have any updates on whether the thief was caught. They seemed to know the car he was driving, what he was wearing, and the fact that he had been committing robberies up and down the coast on that same day. It seems to me that he had a death wish or something. It was more incredulous to me that he hadn't been caught yet with all this information.
Anyway, it sort of put a damper on my weekend. I guess I'll talk about that another time. My Friday night/Saturday morning was particularly interesting and I have some pent-up feelings about it. But it's late and I don't feel like thinking much more now.
I have been thinking more and more about my escape plan from this area. When I think about leaving this life behind, it does make me sad. I like the people I've met here and Melbourne is a unique place to live. But there are certain things about this area that brew a mix of sadness and anger in me, and I don't think there's much I can do to change it but to leave. I want to leave the area with a bang. Experience as much of Florida as I possibly can. I'm not sure whether I'd want to transfer to a campus in the North or quit Harris completely. I don't really feel any preference for either, which may say more about how I feel about my career right now.
I guess I just have other things on my mind.
Anyway, it is time for me to pretend I'm about to go to sleep. Good night.
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