Oh, were you expecting a post about Viva? Instead, you get the following:
My car was broken into again last night. In my previous car, the thieves had to break a window to get in. Kind of a deterrent, but not 100% foolproof. They took a portable CD player that time, and it cost me $200 for a new window. With my current car, though, the window design allows for anyone lacking a sense of ethics to simply slide a hanger or slimjim in between the glass and the gasket, and open her up. It happens about once a year. “Lucky” for me, the sleazebags around here aren’t so bright, and generally take the worthless stuff and leave anything of value behind. Last night, they missed my GPS but took – get this – my reusable shopping bags. (They once left behind a CD wallet, but took an umbrella. I shit you not.)
While nothing of serious value has yet been stolen, there is always some form of physical damage to the car, from the scratches and dents of uninvited entry to the smashed steering column or last night’s forcibly removed sun visor that costs me some amount of money to repair. On top of that, of course, is the icky feeling of being violated; that some stranger (and a jerk, at that) has been in my car.
I’m thinking that a car alarm may be the way to go. Actually, I would like to wire my car in such a way as to provide a taser-like stun to anyone who touches it against my will, but barring that, a blinkie light and a siren will have to do. One friend tells me that an alarm system isn’t much of a deterrent, because when was the last time you saw anyone rushing to protect a car that was blaring an alarm? He has a point. But what else can I do? For $230 I can get a basic alarm system with remote locks, installed. If I spend more money, I get more features, but what good does a 2-way buzzing remote do me unless I sleep with it in my pocket? And the keychain screen that shows me precisely where my car was violated? What good is that? I can already tell from the damage, and it still does me no good to know.
The install should take 3-5 hours. I wish there was a movie theater nearby.
shoes and pie 
Boop-boop-a-doop!
This is very much a Delayed Reaction but I have a story!
Short version: three or four Creepy Thug Type Chaps tried stealin my brother’s Skyline once. Wound up making idiots of themselves, because we were watching the whole time, police on the way, and they actually knew all that. (They saw us watchin them.) They gave it up in the end, with many a fractured elbow from trying to smash the windows. Made a less-than-casual Casual Escape. Anyway, I’m tellin this story because with all the attempts on the car, the alarm was not triggered.
I am assured by Brother, though, that said alarm featured such things as Immobilisers and whathaveyous, so even if they’d managed to smash the window (big feat that it is) they couldn’t have pinched the vehicle.
That is the end of my exciting story.
Prince Andrew: Now THAT’S a good story! I wish I had caught my thugs in the act, and sent them home crying to their parents, but it was not to be. Like your brother’s, my new alarm is also set so as to not be sensitive to butt-bumps, cat jumps, or thunderclaps. In fact, I was tapped by another car the other day, hard enough to transfer paint, and the alarm wasn’t triggered.
This, however, has not prevented me from accidentally triggering my own alarm. Twice.
Funny ol’ world, innit.
My parents and brother all got their alarms from the same guy. I assume it’s the same model. Mother’s car alarm has been activated twice lately, but it was parked on the side of the road, behind some trees, so we couldn’t tell what set it off.
Fascinating stuff. This is Prince Andrew, apparently, signing off. Back to you, Fred.
Vinyl window covering. I’m not exactly sure how my step brother accomplished this feat, but he managed to get that unbreakable vinyl window covering that people have on their homes, fitting onto his car windows.
Yep, wrap your head around that for a minute. Imagine some Thug Jerk trying to break THOSE babies! ^_^
What a great idea! If my next car has an actual window frame, I’ll definitely look into that unconventional trick. Heeeeere, thiefy thiefy thiefy!