violated
In my absenteeism from LJ, I guess I never told anyone that my house got broken into.
If anyone else has ever had that happen to them, they know, it’s just about the worst feeling in the world.
It happened at the end of June, so the hubby was still teaching. I left for work at 6:30 (so early because of the flood), he at 7:30. I got home at 2:30, and he was supposed to go out with some friends after work. Typically, he got home at about 4:00, and we had been on that schedule for about the last few weeks.
And I got home, and thought, “Hey, that’s interesting, the TV unit has been moved. Oh, Matt must have put away my laptop, I wonder where. Hmm. He must have taken his laptop to school today, that’s strange.” And then something started to sink in, because the PS3, Wii, and all our videogames and DVDs were gone too.
I pulled out my phone, and called the office at the school where the hubby works and spoke to the secretary. “Can you get (husband’s name) to call his wife as soon as he gets the chance?”
“is it an emergency? Should I page him?”
“Well, I just got home, and our house was broken into.”
“I’ll go cover his class and get him right now.”
I talked to him and he helped me think straight again, and then I got the name of our insurance broker (an old neighbour of his) and I was able to start making calls. I called the police non-emergency number and started a claim, and I called the insurance broker and made a primary list of things that were stolen.
And then I sat down and cried.
The hubby came home, and they didn’t take the external hard drive (thank GOD, because that’s the only place our pictures are saved!), so we took and went over to our best couple friend’s house, and they just gave us a safe haven for the evening when I didn’t want to go home yet.
It turns out that we had these 2 windows at the front of our house that we could never open because a previous owner had painted them shut. The people that broke in had forced one of those windows open (they tried the other one first but couldn’t get through it, but still damaged all the wood framing) by breaking and chipping all the wood around the glass. I didn’t really know it could open like that, or that it was even a security risk. We also live in a pretty good neighbourhood. Lots of families, nice homes... but I guess I shouldn't take that for granted.
In the end, we figure they took two MacBooks, a camera, an iPod, a Kobo (e-reader), the PS3, the Wii, most of our movies (they left the musicals and Disney cartoons), all the PS3/Wii games (but left the Guitar Hero equipment), the watch that the hubby got from his dad for graduating from Education, and HIS WEDDING RING, which he wasn’t wearing because he had mildly sprained his wrist and he left it on the kitchen table, next to his laptop. We’re just lucky that they didn’t go upstairs to our bedrooms, because I wasn’t wearing my engagement or wedding rings either (I never do when I’m working in the field) and we had a bunch of cash in our drawers, because we bought the hockey season tickets, and were collecting money from our friends that we are sharing the tickets with. So yay for that.
And really, they didn’t take the hard drive, and all the important things were backed up. The only things that we’re actually upset about are the wedding ring and watch. And our insurance ($500 deductable) was for the replacement value, so even though my laptop was probably 8 years old and didn’t work unless it was plugged in , and was so old it couldn’t play youtube videos, I got a brand-spanking new one.
It’s just a little annoying, like when I wanted to upload some new icons that I had previously saved... and they’re no longer there. And I probably lost all my fics that were under 5000 words that I hadn’t completed yet. (the 4 that are over that I had previously emailed to myself.)
But everything can be replaced. It’s just REALLY annoying trying to do so. And it takes a long time for the insurance money to come back to me.
Just everyone once in a while I go to look for something and it's not there. And every time, I get that feeling like, someone else has all my private stuff. Someone else is seeing my pictures, and reading my original thoughts. I'm sure they wiped it as soon as they got it, but still.
It sucked.
If anyone else has ever had that happen to them, they know, it’s just about the worst feeling in the world.
It happened at the end of June, so the hubby was still teaching. I left for work at 6:30 (so early because of the flood), he at 7:30. I got home at 2:30, and he was supposed to go out with some friends after work. Typically, he got home at about 4:00, and we had been on that schedule for about the last few weeks.
And I got home, and thought, “Hey, that’s interesting, the TV unit has been moved. Oh, Matt must have put away my laptop, I wonder where. Hmm. He must have taken his laptop to school today, that’s strange.” And then something started to sink in, because the PS3, Wii, and all our videogames and DVDs were gone too.
I pulled out my phone, and called the office at the school where the hubby works and spoke to the secretary. “Can you get (husband’s name) to call his wife as soon as he gets the chance?”
“is it an emergency? Should I page him?”
“Well, I just got home, and our house was broken into.”
“I’ll go cover his class and get him right now.”
I talked to him and he helped me think straight again, and then I got the name of our insurance broker (an old neighbour of his) and I was able to start making calls. I called the police non-emergency number and started a claim, and I called the insurance broker and made a primary list of things that were stolen.
And then I sat down and cried.
The hubby came home, and they didn’t take the external hard drive (thank GOD, because that’s the only place our pictures are saved!), so we took and went over to our best couple friend’s house, and they just gave us a safe haven for the evening when I didn’t want to go home yet.
It turns out that we had these 2 windows at the front of our house that we could never open because a previous owner had painted them shut. The people that broke in had forced one of those windows open (they tried the other one first but couldn’t get through it, but still damaged all the wood framing) by breaking and chipping all the wood around the glass. I didn’t really know it could open like that, or that it was even a security risk. We also live in a pretty good neighbourhood. Lots of families, nice homes... but I guess I shouldn't take that for granted.
In the end, we figure they took two MacBooks, a camera, an iPod, a Kobo (e-reader), the PS3, the Wii, most of our movies (they left the musicals and Disney cartoons), all the PS3/Wii games (but left the Guitar Hero equipment), the watch that the hubby got from his dad for graduating from Education, and HIS WEDDING RING, which he wasn’t wearing because he had mildly sprained his wrist and he left it on the kitchen table, next to his laptop. We’re just lucky that they didn’t go upstairs to our bedrooms, because I wasn’t wearing my engagement or wedding rings either (I never do when I’m working in the field) and we had a bunch of cash in our drawers, because we bought the hockey season tickets, and were collecting money from our friends that we are sharing the tickets with. So yay for that.
And really, they didn’t take the hard drive, and all the important things were backed up. The only things that we’re actually upset about are the wedding ring and watch. And our insurance ($500 deductable) was for the replacement value, so even though my laptop was probably 8 years old and didn’t work unless it was plugged in , and was so old it couldn’t play youtube videos, I got a brand-spanking new one.
It’s just a little annoying, like when I wanted to upload some new icons that I had previously saved... and they’re no longer there. And I probably lost all my fics that were under 5000 words that I hadn’t completed yet. (the 4 that are over that I had previously emailed to myself.)
But everything can be replaced. It’s just REALLY annoying trying to do so. And it takes a long time for the insurance money to come back to me.
Just everyone once in a while I go to look for something and it's not there. And every time, I get that feeling like, someone else has all my private stuff. Someone else is seeing my pictures, and reading my original thoughts. I'm sure they wiped it as soon as they got it, but still.
It sucked.