Clearly, tino and his ilk have multiplied.

Now I've got to figure out if there is a relatively cheap fix (buffing? wax? Rub charcoal into it now and then-car is black) that will just minimize it so it doesn't stand out so much (because I'm not spending $$s on a paintjob for this- it runs from the headlight to across the back door) or if I'll go the route of just letting my car be so filthy I can't tell.

(And the worst part is, I can't put it past the feral kids from 2 houses across the street. I call them feral for a reason. We not-parents of the neighborhood try to model good behavior and don't hesitate to stop them from doing stupid shit and for the most part, they pay attention when you call 'em on it, but they have shit-ass parents. And they're all 10 and under. All eleventy of them. I told them they couldn't touch my yard or come on my property unless I asked them, and they've abided by that. But you have to tell them what is acceptable because clearly no one else has. I'm pretty much certain that C, the eldest, is going to end up dead or in prison because no one told him not to. Gah.)

Backflung, Kat.

I'm reading the Ta-Nehisi Coates' piece in the Atlantic. I assume it is stirring controversy somewhere, but it's so well reasoned and meticulously constructed.

I just opened that to read this evening, but I think it's going to wait till morning. My brain is tired.

I just finished the first section - I feel like I need to take it slow and not allow myself to skim a single paragraph, and keep Word open so I can take notes on all the books I need to hunt down for further reading.

What is most interesting, having just finished the entire article, is how his argument isn't just about slavery bad, but he so carefully explains the dots of economic subjugation that have been a result of carefully constructed 20th century policy.

It is uncomfortable to read.

It was uncomfortable, and I oddly read it while taking the bus through a neighborhood that I presume was redlined

It's a brilliant article, but I fear it's wasted on too much of the American punditry.

Saragmeg, A quick google seems to show lots of methods. Ask someone who knows what they are doing about the risk. Most popular: Clean well. Apply acetone to make colors run and fill in scratches. Apply wax and protective coatings, cause acetone will remove wax and other protective coatings. I don't vouch for this and do NOT know enough about cars to say whether this is a good idea or not or what the risk is. [link]

If keying left scratches too deep for this apparently paint dealers can match car paint. [link]

I do know that if the match is not exact, it can make it look worse.

Again, not reccing any of this = just what google shows. Run these by somebody who knows autos, which is definitely NOT me.