in which my car has an interesting morning

A couple of weeks back, I had an email from the LAPD inviting me to a Free Community Event - indeed, inviting me to reserve my own time slot, as I've been a recent victim of catalytic converter theft ... I didn't get persnickety about details - but in fact, last summer and early fall, the car was vandalized twice - though on neither occasion did they manage to isolate the cat converter, but rather took the whole muffler (that's "exhaust," to those of you who speak English) system.  However ... the invitation was to have the converter engraved with the car's VIN ID number, which makes it almost impossible to sell for its metals, and makes it far easier for the police to return it to its rightful owner - and hey, maybe even catch a thief or two.  They - the catalytic converter thieves - prowl the neighborhood at dawn with the assiduousness of coyotes after rabbits, and 2007/8 Lexus RXs, and just about any early Prius, are their favorite targets.  My car is super vulnerable, so I've been driving it in and out of the garage all the time - a tricky task, given the high bump of the curb (to deter water - the road is on a bend); the trash cans; the angle of garage and road, and, right now, the construction workers' portapotty, or whatever they're called here.  It was, today, a very satisfactory piece of outreach, and one for which I was extremely grateful.  Oh, and "morning"?  It took five minutes.