Date:         Mon, 14 Feb 2005 18:14:35 -0800
Reply-To:     Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
Subject:      Re: Thieves - Again
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
              reply-type=original

When I was stationed in Japan, I went off the base one evening into a
residential area and was surprised to see a large assortment of what
appeared to be valuable stuff all laid out up and down the streets for trash
pickup. I'm talking TVs, boomboxes, cameras, etc.
The guy I was with said it was Gomi Day ('gomi' itself is just trash, I
believe, but this was 'Gomi Day', with a different significance). He said
that the Japanese (or at least the local ones, I dunno) believed that on
Gomi Day, if they took a valuable possession and threw it away (and it had
to actually be of value somehow, you couldn't fudge on it) that any demons
residing in the house would involuntarily attach to the object and thereby
would be thrown out of the house as well.

I kid you not.

I guess it was poor form for a Japanese to go through anybody else's Gomi,
but most of the foreigners didn't think anything of it, so after dark you'd
see all these shadowy figures carrying TVs around. Wonder what those demons
thought when they woke up in some gaijin sailor's barracks room....

Cya,
Robert

----- Original Message -----
From: "jimt" <camper@TACTICAL-BUS.INFO>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, February 14, 2005 1:41 PM
Subject: Re: Thieves - Again


When I was doing a lot of salvage stuff here at the house I was leaving a
lot of stuff out front for the trash day.  I realized that when I left heavy
metal items like engine cases or cranks out front they usually disappeared
within a day of being place out there.  So now I usually put those items out
several days before the trash pick up day.  Only once did they remain for
the trash guy.  A neighbor across the street saw the pick up one day.  He
was laughing hard.  Evidently the ones doing the pick up were a guy and a
girl smaller than me.  The item I left out that day was a 4L jeep head that
was beyond repair.  Anybody familiar with that engine will understand his
laughing.

BTW with metal prices way up right now expect more of it.
jimt

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> Jeffrey Schwaia
> Sent: Monday, February 14, 2005 10:59 AM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Thieves - Again
>
> Looks like I had another visit from the Vanagon thieves this weekend.
> They
> stole a 2.1 liter short block that I had left out behind the shop (fenced,
> but not too difficult to climb).  There is some good new though... that
> short block was completely seized up and had a hole in top where what was
> left of the rod had stuck through.  Obviously, I wouldn't have left this
> block outside if I cared about it, but thieves still suck.  I sincerely
> hope
> they hurt themselves whilst lifting that block over the fence.
>
> Perhaps it's time for a video surveillance system...
>
> Cheers,
>
> Jeff
> www.vanagonparts.com
>
>

........................................
jimt
Planned insanity is best.
Remember that sanity is optional.
http://www.tactical-bus.info (tech info)
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