Last night I went to the Kernels ball game in Cedar Rapids that was sponsored by my company (plus all the free food and beer you can consume). Well, I ended up locking my keys in the car and didn't realize it until the game was over at 10:30 at night. I went to customer services and they gave me the number of a locksmith and also a number for the Cedar Rapids Police. I tried the police first because one of the guys said they have tools on hand to unlock cars, but the dispatcher said they had nothing like that (flat out lie....probably were too lazy to come out there).

So I gave in and called the locksmith since I had no other choice. The guy and his wife were both elderly and driving a white Dodge Caravan. The guy was pretty nice and we talked about the game while he was getting it unlocked. I couldn't believe how easy it was to unlock it...basically he wedged a piece of metal into the top crack of the door frame, then stuck in one of those blood pressure things they use at the hospital. He pumped it up enough to get an opening, then stuck a metal rod in and hit the lock. It was all done in about 5 minutes. He says he gets calls at all times of the night. $42 for a five minute process. And all because I forgot to replace the spare key box in my bumper.

If it were me, I would just call OnStar!

My Dad owns a few apartment buildings, so he learned the tricks of the trade.

I remember when I was younger, that I could spend half an hour just watching him tinker with various locks, picking them, taking them apart, reassembling them... and even creating them and copying keys.

Needless to say, he has saved himself a considerable amount of money, because the tenants will misplace keys fairly often.

When I was 7 me, my mom, and my grandmother went out to the neighboring town to an old Magic Mart. We went in and when we came out, the car (which was a white monte carlo) was locked. Then mom discovered she had lost the key. She freaked and my grandma called the police. When the cop came, he had to lock pick the door while my dad angrily drove all the way to the store to give my mom the spare key. The whole process took about 2-3 hours (part traffic time and mostly waiting for the assistance).

I once locked the my keys in my Grand Am... While it was running. Don't ask how, as I have no idea. Metal clothes hangers work great. Course, I didnt figure this out until 3 hours and almost half a tank of gas later.

I always keep a spare set in my wallet since I tend to lock myself out on occasion.

So if I mug you and steal your wallet, I get the car too. Bonus!