Stolen bike....overdue

Back in August, I made a mistake and paid a high price.  One night, I came home and since I was feeling tired, sad and overall crummy, I decided to just lock my bike up outside of my apartment. I used a decent quality U Lock, but left it in plain view.

In the morning I came out with my pannier ready to go to work.  I also had a full size pump and some tools since I was going to help a friend with their bike after work.  However, as soon as I went outside, all of my plans changed.  At first I was confused.  It just wasn't there.  Then, I thought that I had forgotten where I had locked it...but I approached the pole and saw this:

The lock had been cut clean through, and my bike was gone.

At the time,  I was just stunned.  In my daze, I started to walk to the train, then turned around and went back home to file a police report.  I ended up crying between calls to my insurance company and even harbored a hope that my bike would be recovered.

I also took my old winter bike into the shop for a tune up...and I think I might have cried right in the store.

In the past several months, I moved on.  I now have a new bike, a great respect for renters insurance, and an understanding of where bikes go when they are stolen.

A few days after the bike was stolen, I participated in the monthly critical mass.  I made a helmet to match my mood:

It's supposed to be a sad stormy cloud, but it looks a little more like the FSM.

This is my new bike:

But I'll always remember my old, trusty steed: