Welcome to California?????

That's what I'm hearing. But sincere it's not. It's an appropriately sarcastic comment on what's just happened which isn't fun or pretty. I don't know if it's a reflection on the current state that Calif. is in, or the economy, as some have suggested, or if it's just a fluke and bad luck, as others have said. Let me give you a brief rundown.  I'll copy the last couple entries from my Rascal blog to bring you up to speed.

This entry covers from my arrival through the first week:

What a trip!! I never want to do that trip again. Although you never know, after I've rested, and gotten back to, or close to, normal, you never know. I've got a friend that does it on the spur of the moment. Both my parents and my brother did it several times. Maybe it'd be different not driving a truck, hauling a trailer, in mid winter.

I thought it'd get warmer and the weather would be nice as I went south. But those who watch the weather channel, or those who live between New York State and say Dallas, know what a bear the weather was between Jan 7 and 14. I swear the winter was following me, showing me what to expect if I ever came back. It was cold, it was snowing, the roads were icy. Of course living in NYS for so long had equiped me for dealing with it, and truthfully by NYS standards it was almost laughable, an inch or two of snow, and some slick roads. BUT it wasn't funny to the people that lived there, they didn't have a clue how to drive in it, they weren't equipped to deal with it. I heard on the news that one county down there had one, yes one, snowplow, for the whole county. Not to mention I was driving a truck, hauling a trailer. So I took my time, drove slower than neccesary sometimes, and stopped overnight until I was almost out of Texas. Of course it wasn't all due to the weather, I lost my taillights the first day out, which made it neccesary to stop at night too.
I left NY on 1/7 and finally got to Ranger Texas on the 12th, I left Ranger about 7am on the 13th, and had a bright idea. The trailer was due back at Uhaul on the 14th, I had about 1300 miles to go, and it was Thursday. I stopped at a Walmart, and a Tractor Supply, and bought two 6 volt flashlights, some red paint and the stuff to attach them to the rear of the trailer, voila' taillights.... I should say, the weather had turned around and was fantastic too, sunny, blue sky and dry roads. I was driving 65-70mph most of the way. Thursday night, I also lost all turn signals and emergency flashers. So now I drove the rest of the way, no taillights, no turn signals, no emergency flashers, just two flashlights with lenses painted red for taillights. To make a long story short I drove 31 hours, arriving safely in Fullerton CA about 1:30pm Friday the 14th.
After doing a couple errands, I drove to the storage center I'd reserved long distance, and unloaded the trailer, it had so much crammed in that it nearly filled a 10x15 space. Then I got the trailer to Uhaul, and turned it in, on time...
Then I took the truck and drove around looking for a motel, I was exausted and in desperate need of a shower. It was dark, I had no taillights or turn signals, and although there'd been a motel or several at almost every exit from NY to Calif, suddenly I found none. Finally going south on Beach Blvd in Buena Park I spotted something called the Covered Wagon on a side street, so I went around the block. I passed a house with 3 or 4 police cars and was very aware of my lack of lights, but figured they were busy enough they wouldn't notice me. Finally I turned right and was driving down a street, seeing the Covered Wagon sign ahead, when who pulls up next to me? A Buena Park cop, I saw him look at the back of the truck in the mirror, then he pulled up and looked at me, I slowed down and turned in to what I thought was the Covered Wagon place, and the cop pulled off. I was actually in a Super 8 motel, but didn't realize it until the next day. I registered, took a shower, badly needed, and got much needed sleep.
The next day I rented a Camry from a car rental place across from Disneyland on Harbor Blvd. When the guy came to pick me up to go back and do the paperwork, he asked why I was here. I explained that I sold Rascal scooters to VA hospitals, and had come out to take over a territory. He mentioned that he had seen several scooters that a company down the street rented to tourists tip over in the crosswalk. I immediately started telling him about our new three wheeler and that so far it was impossible to tip. To make a long story short, he was the owner of the rental co. and told me he'd be interested in buying some scooters, to rent out. In addition he referred me to the owner of the other company, a medical supply company, currently buying and renting Prides.
I spent the rest of the week, looking for and buying a vehicle and an office. I looked at several vans and dozens of warehouse office combos, buying or renting none, either not right or too expensive. But finally on Friday, I bought an Escort to get me around until I need a van, the price and 25 mpg made it very attractive, and it was in excellent condition too. The same day I rented an office in Fullerton, no warehouse, just an office. But again it was priced right and will work until sales volume says I need a bigger space.
So here I am now, on my 8th day in Calif. getting ready to empty the truck, and set up the office. Then I start making sales and moving Rascals, also I found out on Friday that Disneyland has and rents scooters, and I'm sure safety is important to them too.

This is from yesterday, Sunday when the disaster struck:

Went Sunday am to start moving into new office, and my truck was gone. The cops think towed for some reason, even though I had every right to park it there as a new tenant. I'm afraid it was stolen, containing virtually everything I own that wasn't in the trailer and now in storage. Have to track down the license number for the police.


This one is from Monday:
Well, my first week in California was a doozy, first time I've ever been robbed and not only lost the truck, but everything in it. A large part of everything I own, make that owned, tools, clothes, guitars, books, on and on. It's a tramatic experience. Today I talked to the police, little hope or encouragement there. Then I spoke to my new landlord, she was very nice, I explained that I don't feel safe there, not even moved in yet and the truck and everything in it stolen. She ok'd cancelling the lease and refunding my money. So I start over. I still have some good leads for scooters, and asked Rascal to send the demo so I can get started.

It seems that it should be a goldmine out here. Great weather most of the year, lots of people, lots of people that need scooters or mobility equipment. I think the best way to look at my experience is as a test to see if I'm up to the challenge. All my friends say probably the cops will find the truck. I say yeah, empty and trashed. So I focus on moving forward, everything is gone, lost, whatever, and I'm moving forward, not back. I'll sell so many scooters, etc., that I'll need two trucks next time.

It sure makes you wonder. Makes you wonder about Karma, makes you wonder about destiny. For instance, was it my destiny to stay in New York and whoever or whatever is using the loss of my possessions to let me know? Or, should I have stayed in Calif and not gone to NY in the first place? Or, is it my destiny to own less? Perhaps by aquiring all these things I strayed? It was obviously my destiny to be robbed. Did I do, or not do something and the punishment is the loss of my things? Or, the reverse, perhaps I had too many things, they were dragging me down, and the reward is the loss?  I've been told I love my things too much. I don't think it's true, but I am aware of what went into the aquisition, and what it would take to replace them. Maybe I do like things, especially books, I don't know.  I do think most of us have too many things, myself included.
The theory pertaining to rebirth is that prior to each incarnation we assemble a cast of the players large and small that will join us in that life, and we plan in detail, or to continue the previous metaphor we script the coming life. Some teach that each life is completely pre-destined with no deviation allowed. Others say that free will is key, the script is a guide, but that it's not inviolable, we can and do make changes on the fly as we live the life, adlibing as we go. Which is true? I don't know, nobody does really. I personally go with the adlib. That there is a general plan, but as I move along I can change direction, maybe good, maybe not.
It kind of plays into the theory of alternate history or timelines.  This is fictional, or possibly real, depending on your point of view. Alternate history or timelines as I understand it work like this, time moves in a line, the world  goes along, then something happens, say the Civil War. In the main timeline it's avoided, in another, ours, the north wins, in another the south wins. You can imagine how each alternate would change things. Another example WWII, in an alternate Germany and Japan win, can you imagine the result?  The way I understand the concept, everytime there is more than one possible result to a war, or any other major occurance, a strike, an assassinantion, an invention, anything that would create change, a new timeline, or history is created, a deviation from the existing timeline, for each possiblity. It also applies, as I understand it to individuals too. To use myself as an example in one my family never moved out of Oxford, in another we moved to Tyner but the house never burned, in another, the house burned but it was rebuilt and we didn't move to South New Berlin, in another we moved but we stayed there and didn't move to Calif., in another we moved and my father loved it and we all stayed there, in another the whole family ended back in NY as happened but I never did, in another I did move as happened but stayed there instead of returning to Calif. as I just did, on and on. Take the theft of my truck, if I'd stayed in NY, if I hadn't parked it overnight, if I'd backed it into the parking space, who knows, the reality is something completely insignificant and possibly unknown to anybody could shift history.  It makes the idea of being in the right place at the wrong time take on a new meaning.  To answer the question about karma and destiny, who knows?