Living in Oakland has advantages and disadvantages, well, any urban environment is prone to ups and downs. My neighborhood is no exception. Last Friday November 26th, someone or something smashed my windshield while Shorty sat on the driveway, through the cold, cold, rainy, post-Thanksgiving evening. Very little evidence was left at the scene.
Broken window from the inside
I finished loading up the van around 7:00 pm or so with provisions for the next day’s trip to the Farmer’s market. Shorty was all lined up, locked and loaded, ready to head out at 8 am the next day. I went inside and when I came out at 7:30 the next morning, one of my recurring early morning dreams had become reality, as I noticed a huge divot and correlating outward cracking of glass associated with being struck with a large trunk like apparatus, most likely carried out by an adult-sized baseball bat. My freakin windshield had been violated, and as far as I know, with no apparent motive.
Boredom and a baseball bat make an interesting concoction when tempted by one’s own imagination. I understand that place where this most likely came from, that need to simply do something, just to see the reaction, which 95{2bcc608746b8120fea6644f9ae3522f13f10aa6a77c573f716eef1394619f5d9} of the time is inevitable and well known before said act was committed. What’s more interesting to ponder is why someone was cruising around the neighborhood with a large stick, or bat, and why they didn’t try to get into the van. They were unsuccessful at fully smashing it, the laminated sheets weren’t going to be too easy to get through without some noise, so they probably just did it, just to do it, then split after realizing the futility of it all.
It’s Ok, I guess, lets just hope it does not happen again for a while, or at all preferably. I was going to replace the window sometime in 2011 when business was better, the glass had some cracks and chips, and was pitted up pretty good. But it didn’t leak, and it was fine for now, and I didn’t really have the cash. Someone once told me you gotta set aside a few hundred dollars every year for the unexpected and not to get all bent over it, stuff happens, and all kinds of stuff happens to old vans! Oy!
Mark Kipfer, founder Auto Glass Express
Here’s the gratuitous plug section of the blog. My friend Mark has recently stepped things up a notch and has started his own Auto Glass repair business here in the Bay Area, Bay Area Auto Glass Express. Quick, reliable, and available all the time.
It was so easy, I gave him a call, and we set up a time in the next couple days (I wasn’t in a hurry), he ordered the glass, and bam. His team showed up, and within about an hour had the whole job done. The large windshield needed an extra set of hands to get it just right, good thing because that glue they use only gives you one shot. A job I surely do not want to have, but a job extremely well done! Lets hope, it just started raining, eek! Heres a few photos for those of you who like looking at photos!
taking off the old seals
getting rid of old window, with new one in the wings
Nice fat bead for the new glass
all shined up! ready for rain!
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