what the #@^#$(@*#^$#!@$%)(#$&!?!?!?

I'm not even sure how to start explaining this.

First of all, WE DON'T HAVE A CAR precisely so we don't have to deal with shit like this! This car belongs to our friends who are out of the country for a week. We've had their car since Thursday in exchange for taking them to the airport.

Someone STOLE THE FREAKING TIRES OFF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE CAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We parked the car one street over from our apartment last night. I went and tried to use the car this morning but it wouldn't move. It seemed like the car wouldn't get into gear so I gave up. We had very busy day and couldn't be bothered with it until this evening when Jon went out and noticed that the passenger side wheels had been cleverly been removed and the car propped up with a block.

Sometimes, the problem is so obvious that you can't possibly think of it. Thought process that didn't happen this morning: Hmm, why isn't the car going? Maybe I should get out and check if someone STOLE THE WHEELS from the OTHER SIDE of the car so I wouldn't notice.

So, I called the police to report a theft. The officer thought someone played a prank on us. He said that in his 17 years as a Big City officer, he had never heard of the wheels being stolen from the right side of the car. I convinced him that it wasn't a prank, and after that he was incredibly helpful, except for the fact that we can't file the report because we don't own the car. He suggested all sorts of places where we might be able to replace the tires for a 12 year old Toyota. Why in the world did someone steal the tires?!?!?!

We are leaving on Wednesday morning for Thanksgiving and the plan was to leave the car at the airport so our friends could pick it up when they return on Thursday. Now we have two days to replace the tires (and bolts) on their car so we can actually drive it. I was just writing at the Economical Academic about how we're really buckling down on our budget and this isn't going to help one bit. This kind of unexpected expense is exactly the reason we don't have car. But, obviously this is our responsibility since it happened on our watch.

I'm not sure if it's comforting or disconcerting to know that people rarely get the tires stolen off their cars when they leave it parked overnight on a side street. Either way, we've got 48 hours to borrow someone else's car, buy the right tires, and put them on. Typing that out makes it sound so easy but Jon will have to take a half day off of work to do this because I'll be mad busy with presentations and papers. I'm crossing my fingers that this goes as smoothly as possible. Who knows, maybe we'll even find the right shop and get the same tires back.