Vespa Heist

It was a good run. After a little over 6,000 miles (in 3 years), my Vespa was rendered a 'total loss" when a couple of fine young men decided they wanted to share (borrow, take) my joy and steal her. I was home with my family when, right outside my door, these men decided to jar the steering column lock, rip open the front cover plate, and attempt to open the ignition switch to hotwire my scooter. Thankfully, the fine folks at Vespa have made this project very difficult for the amateur. I have the whole incident on camera, but the night's cover combined with dark hoodies and face masks makes identification nearly impossible. The silver lining is I traded up for the latest model (onward and upward); now, she just needs my Loupe sticker, and we're raring to go! I hope this is a one-off event, always hard to extrapolate from a single event, but times are tough out there. The constant alerts on my Citizen app remind me of that hourly! So be safe, be aware, and be smart. 

Revel
Transportation

Everything must have a function. The primary function of a scooter is parking and traffic arbitrage. There is no driving around the block looking for a space or parking in an expensive parking garage; the scooter can always find some room between two parked cars. Furthermore, there is never a garbage or oil truck that can bring me to a halt, let alone slow me down. So when my scooter wasn't available to me, it was necessary to find a temporary replacement and provided the perfect opportunity to try Revel. Once you are aware of them, they become like Tootsie Rolls, and you see them everywhere you look. Just sign up in the app, do a quick tutorial, and you are on your way. Revel stipulates that you wear a helmet (they provide two in the trunk) and do not drive passengers below 18. They are electric (a nod to the environment), top out at 30 MPH, and are pretty easy to drive. You can't go on highways, bridges, or tunnels, which I learned the hard way as they sent a harshly worded warning for going over the Brooklyn Bridge. While Revels don't have the same style and functionality as my Vespa, they will do in a pinch!

Monimoto
Security

I miss my old Vespa. The best part of it was that I didn't have to treat it preciously. It was banged up from use, which made it that much more utilitarian. If I lost a mirror on a parked car, oh well. If someone knocked into it while parking in a tight spot, c'est la vie. Now, I have a shiny new Vespa, and I actually care about it again (ugh!). Therefore, in response to the attempted theft, I installed Monimoto, a smart tracker for motorcycles and bikes. This is a GPS-enabled device that sends you an alert if the vehicle/object is disrupted when the key FOB isn't present. It is a straightforward system that connects via GSM and would have warned me as strangers were manhandling my scooter. I'm not sure what I would have done, but I guess I could have at least called the cops on them. Turns out so far in 2020, 3641 motorcycles were stolen --- so, let's fight back with Monimoto!

Cobra Kai
Television

If you need to be inspired about personal protection/safety, you may want to revisit the original The Karate Kid. This classic movie withstands the test of time and is one that I will never turn off when channel surfing. Thankfully, Netflix picked up the wildly entertaining tale of the modern-day Danny Larussa and Johnny Lawrence, who apparently have had a bit of a role reversal. This 2 season (and counting) series is a modern-day morality tale steeped in 80's culture, asking the age-old questions of whether the best defense is a good offense or vice versa.

How Normal am I?
Website

Are you normal? I am not sure what normal is, but there must be an objective standard according to Artificial Intelligence. This module will help you answer that question, and in the process, teach you a little something about Artificial intelligence, for better or worse! By the way...I am a 5.4, way embarrassing!

Vespa: Style and Passion
BookIt just happens to be the 75th Anniversary of Vespa. Thankfully, mine made it through the release of this beautiful coffee table book. This book is the definitive history of this true Italian icon. It apparently enjoyed quick success, promoting affordability and style in post-war Italy. There really is no scooter quite like it, though many have tried!

I promise to be prepared for the next (inevitable?) encounter and consider Revel (a Vespa alternative), Monimoto (alarm and GPS system), Cobra Kai (karate moves), How Normal am I? (AI awareness), and Vespa: Style and Passion (Vespa knowledge) Found!