House Sitting

I was house-sitting for my sister who had gone away on a long business trip of 2 weeks to Hawaii. Can you imagine that? Her company sent her out to Hawaii to train a group of people for two weeks, all expenses paid, of course. Gosh! I wanted her job. I have my own online business and I am doing well with it but there are a few things here and there that chained me to Baltimore and I can’t easily take a trip anywhere unless someone else covers for me. Luckily for my sister someone can cover for her, at least taking care of her house, when she is gone. I went grocery shopping on the third day and realized I had left the keys inside the house. I looked for a residential locksmith service in Baltimore right away.

How could I forget to take the keys? I think the problem started when I had accustomed myself to a little ritual for every time I get in or out of my house and the car. You see, I have trained myself to always double check I have my keys when I come out of my house or my car. What happened that instance is that I did follow my “double-check ritual” but I had my own house keys in hand when I checked instead of my sister’s. My brain played a trick on me!

Luckily the locksmith service guys arrived quickly and were able to aid me. I did not of course tell my sister as to not worry her. She was having a great time in Hawaii and I did not want to spoil it for her. She even said she met someone interesting at her company’s Hawaiian offices. When she came back, they continued talking over the phone and online. So much change can happen in period of time as short as two weeks, isn’t it? I had to take a picture of the house lockout for future laughs! (See below)

Safe Lock

My mother gave me a surprise the other day. I had been delayed in my bills from the past few months and so she wanted to help me out. She gave to me the jewelry my great-grandmother had left her when she passed away. I thought it would be just a few earrings, necklaces and rings. Judging from her old pictures, it seemed like my great-grandmother was a very humble person who rarely got dressed up to impress others. To my surprise, she actually owned a pretty expensive collection of jewelry, a $50,000 worth collection! I did not know what to think. But I did know I needed a safe lock box for it.

There were quite a few robberies in my neighborhood last year and I was not expecting it to drastically decrease this year. So to be on the safe side, I bought myself a safe lock box and placed all the jewelry in it, well, almost all of it. I grabbed $20,000 worth and paid off my two credit card bills with it! A big burden was taken off my back when I did so. It’s incredible how much stress financial hardship can have on people. Those who are not able to bear the stress end up in really bad shape, physically or emotionally. I used to be one of them.

Now my next plan is investing the rest! How can I triple or quadruple my $30,000?! Here’s one question to ponder upon. Should I open up a small business? Should I buy artisan merchandise and re-sell it online for a higher price? I had already been thinking about that! One thing I know for sure is that I am truly blessed. You never know what will come to you, so be open to anything! And keep in mind that you will receive your blessings when you least expect them. Have a great day!

What to Do when Your Car won't Start

You’re running out the door late for work and you jump in your car.  But for some reason, no matter how hard you turn the key, the ignition won’t start.  What do you do now?  First of all, don’t panic.  Your best option is to call an auto locksmith and ask for ignition key service.

Most people have the number of a standard locksmith on hand, but did you know that there are locksmiths that specialize in auto services?  Your car is a very precise and delicate machine, and I’m sure you wouldn’t want just anybody messing with it.  Auto locksmiths are trained to deal with the ignitions of all car brands and have mechanic experience as well.

Auto locksmiths know that there are many reasons your car might not start.  It could be a battery issue, an engine problem, or a faulty ignition.  Whereas other locksmiths might just perform a costly ignition replacement without revealing the cause of the problem, auto locksmiths can diagnose the issue quickly and accurately, saving you a ton of money.

 If my ignition didn’t turn over, my first instinct might be to have my car towed to the dealer or call a mechanic.  But you could end up wasting money and time this way.  How many dealerships or mechanics do you know that are open 24/7 and will come to you?  Auto locksmiths are used to receiving emergency calls at all hours and can arrive to your location within minutes.

Hopefully, you keep your car well-maintained and will never have to experience the frustration of car ignition problems.  But you never know what kind of unexpected issues could occur.  Being knowledgeable about auto locksmiths and ignition key service will protect you and your wallet in case of an emergency.  I recommend keeping an auto locksmith’s business card on hand at all times.

How I Left My Car Key in the Trunk

This is the story of how I left my car key in the trunk and locked it. It was a Saturday morning and I had gone to the supermarket for groceries. After I was done shopping I went to my car, opened the trunk and started putting everything inside. After I was done, I locked the trunk and I was ready to get in my car and drive off. But wait… I couldn’t find my car keys! I checked my purse and nothing! I knew it had to be
somewhere because I had just used it to open the trunk…and that’s when it hit me! I had left the keys inside the trunk!

The first thing I did was to get pissed off at myself for being so silly. Then I got really frustrated because I didn’t know what to do. I had never needed a locksmith before so I didn’t know who to call. Lucky for me, good people still exist who are willing to do kind things for total strangers.

A random man saw the situation I was in and he approached me. He asked me if I had left the keys in the trunk and I, embarrassed, said yes. He laughed a little but in a kind, sympathetic way. He then told me the same thing had happened to him a while ago and he suggested I call Baltimore Locksmith. He said they had provided great service at a decent price and that they managed to open the trunk really fast, without damaging it. So I did, I called Baltimore Locksmith and just like he said they came right over, opened the trunk, and the day was saved. 

The Funniest Locks

People always get creative with their personal belongings. If you are still a young adult, chances are you are part of the aforementioned characterization. When I was growing up, especially in elementary and high school I saw the craziest and funniest locks you could ever imagine. The toy industry was an important producer of these security pieces. My friends always had Disney theme locks for their backpacks while I personally only used generic ones. I considered them to be far more durable and frankly a lot better for what I needed which was locking up my belongings, all the other types seemed purely decorative.

Perhaps the best example of ‘’cute’’ non-functional locks was the one that came with my little sister’s journal which she got as a present on her 10^th birthday. Virtually every other journal or diary made by the same manufacturer came with the same lock which was a curvy 2 inch little thing that was supposed to protect all of my sister’s secrets. I of course could not resist myself and promptly used one of those keys (later I learned that you could use a random kitchen knife to open them) so I used the key and opened it. I realized she didn’t think as highly of me as I thought. 

Now as an adult (and past the trauma of my sister thinking little of me) I realize the importance of unique, durable and strong locks especially if they are for your gate. We are not protecting books and pencils anymore but the physical integrity of the family unit, our hard-earned belongings and much more. Always think about whats at stake whenever you are about to buy a lock. You should not haggle over their price, for what they protect is priceless. Also, make sure the lock you end up buying comes with at least an extra key and put it away somewhere safe where you and those concerned will know about.

The ignition key

For as long as I can remember, people have hired locksmiths with the sole purpose of unlocking the door of their cars; seldom will you hear of folks losing the ignition key. The reason for this disparity is because most times the door key is the same as the ignition key however, in some cases especially with old vehicles or too modern vehicles, you either use a different key to open your door and another one to turn your car on or in the case of modern vehicles, you use a remote device to open doors sometimes even by inputting a code on a door pad.

You may have seen in movies how burglars play with the wires just below the steering wheel to turn a car on, I personally have no idea how they do it or where those cables come from but it is without question something you can do and perhaps the easiest part of having your car stolen (from the burglars’ perspective). In case you have a key for your door and another for your engine, it is important to know that locksmiths have the tools and expertise to create a key from evaluating the patterns of the shaft and replicating it on a generic key.

Once you get that key from them, I would highly advise you to ask the locksmith to make you a copy; this is usually a lot more affordable than having a new key created. Make sure to put your spare key set in a safe location that you can remember whenever an emergency happens. Another useful advice is to look up a local locksmith’s number and store it in your contacts because you really never know when you, your family or friends will be in a position to need a locksmith and you definitely want to be prepared for that.

My Baltimore Residential Locksmith

In this changing and developing world, where smart phones are often pegged smarter than us and ‘’apps’’ seem to do everything from copying your dictations to turning off a TV and even opening doors. We often find ourselves dependent to them and made much more vulnerable by them. Regardless of technological experts’ opinions who christen the information age as the backbone for a sustainable future, I will not subject myself to the helplessness of not being able to open my house because ‘’my phone went dead’’. That’s the excuse I hear for almost anything now a days.

Don’t get me wrong, I love technology… in fact, I get to speak my mind on social media, watch news or shows I missed on YouTube and even take cooking courses online. My problem is with being too dependable on what I consider still as largely unknown, which is why instead of downloading an app to open my house (my lock is not even digital) I have keys; tangible and curvy things that I get to feel and replace in case of emergencies. 

I have often experienced the ‘’emergency’’ of being locked out of my house especially when I was younger and went out more often and forgot to bring a set of keys with me. Thankfully I have been able to rely on the capable hands of my residential locksmith in Baltimore. I really think their industry has helped many generations over the years and I really can’t picture the day when people just stop forgetting about taking their keys with them. There is something weird about keys, when I think about the concept of routines like showering and getting dressed (things you do every day or are supposed to) in comparison to taking your keys (which you know you will need when you get back home) for some reason people from all cultures and walks of life always seem to forget about them. I really wonder what the problem is; then again… it’s not just me and we can all rely on residential locksmiths, at least for the foreseeable future.