We were robbed.
I can’t think of any clever ways to say it right now, and I really need to vent, so it’s going to come out exactly how I’m feeling: We were fucking robbed.
Aaron came home tonight after picking up Cordy to find our house ransacked. A rock had been thrown through our living room window (in the back of the house), and they had their pick of all sorts of goodies.
We’re still trying to figure out what was taken, but here’s the short list:
– Aaron’s laptop computer
– My BRAND-NEW-BOUGHT-FOR-BLOGHER laptop that arrived less than a week ago
– All of the peripherals for both laptops
– A laptop bag, to carry out the laptops, of course
– Our PlayStation 2, which also doubled as our DVD player
– All of the PS2 games we owned (don’t really care about those)
– Several pieces of jewelry
Before you say it, yes, I know we’re lucky that we weren’t home, and we’re all safe. We’re very blessed in that regard. But with our financial problems this month, this is the last thing I wanted to deal with. We have no money at the moment, and I get paid Friday, but it’s not much. Aaron’s first paycheck doesn’t come until Aug. 4. I have been eBaying things around the house to make a little extra money. (OK, and to just get them out of our house, too.)
My new laptop was going to be featured tomorrow in the blog. I was going to tell you all how wonderful it was, and how it will help me blog better than my clunky, ancient desktop computer (which the thieves didn’t take). It was faster, had awesome software, and was so lightweight. I was preparing it for Blogher – loading up music to listen to, pictures of Cordy to show everyone, and anything I might need for blogging the conference. It had a media card reader to make photo transfer from my digital camera easier. It cost a lot, but my mom was helping me out with it, since she knew I really wanted to blog at the conference. I haven’t even mailed the rebates in yet. But now I have a huge credit card bill for a product I don’t even have use of, and don’t get to take to Blogher.
The jewelry taken hasn’t been fully inventoried yet. We think they stole my engagement ring, which is a very sad thought. They also took my sapphire and pearl ring. My mother and I each received one during Christmas 2004 – Cordy’s first Christmas. The pearl is my mother’s and my birthstone, and the sapphire is Cordy’s and my grandmother’s birthstone. Both rings had sentimental meaning to me, far beyond their costs.
Aaron’s laptop had a lot of files that will be difficult to replace. Including the completed novel he wrote last year (we do still have one paper copy), and the novel he was working on recently.
I can’t stop crying this evening. I feel so angry, but I also feel naked and vulnerable. These thieves not only took away expensive stuff, but they took away any feelings of security I had. I don’t feel safe in my own house now. The window is being replaced as we speak, but I don’t know if I’ll even be able to sleep tonight. I’m too scared they will come back.
It is just stuff. It can be replaced, and we do have insurance. But we also have a large deductible that we will have to get past first. Which means even if it is all replaced, we’ll still be at least $1000 behind where we currently are, which is still behind where we need to be. $1000 – that’s a monthly mortgage payment. The credit cards are pretty high right now, so we can’t finance any replacement items on those.
I’m sick at the thought of some asshole breaking into our house and going through our stuff. They were in all of the rooms of our house. They even went into Cordy’s room and knocked books off her bookshelf and went through all of her things. Who the hell robs from a baby? I feel so weirded out that this person or these people went though all of our things. They went through my nightstand, with all of my personal belongings. They went through my desk, with receipts and all sorts of materials to steal personal identity information from. It’s possible they stole a credit card, too. I’m still looking for it.
I nearly decided that I wasn’t going to Blogher. Our house is in shambles, our life on hold while we try to figure out what’s missing and what these people have taken from our lives. I’m terrified of leaving Aaron and Cordy in the house, afraid these delinquents will come back and hurt them. How can I party now? But the flight was paid for months ago, and I know I can’t let the thieves take away dreams I’ve had of meeting everyone as well.
So I will still be going to Blogher. But I will have no laptop with me to blog the experience. And I’ll be calling home more often than I had planned, to make sure everyone is alright.
Damn, damn, damn. This just isn’t how it was supposed to work out. And I can’t stop crying.
Update: I just realized that our video camera is gone as well. Along with all of the video we’ve shot of Cordy. I can deal with not having the video camera, but I wish they would have left me the tapes instead of the battery charger.
Christina – as I said in my e-mail, I am so so so sorry to hear this. Beyond sorry. This is such a terrible, terrible thing.
You will come to BlogHer. You will be hugged, and hugged again. And again. And you can use my laptop and webcam and whatever want whenever you want.
We’ll do our damnedest to make you feel a teeny, weeny bit better.
Hon, I don’t know what to say. Except there is a special level of hell reserved for freaks who ransack a child’s room, and they can’t get there soon enough for my tastes!
~Alexandra
I’m so so so so sorry. This is so heinous. I can’t say “oh it’s just stuff” because sometimes stuff matters.
While this analogy will suck it’s all I can think of right now: When my college boyfriend’s dad died suddenly, he had a huge gig for his band scheduled the very next night at CBGB’s (we were in Boston). He went and played it. For two days, he could just have fun in New York, drink, enjoy, as if the shit in his life wasn’t happening. When he got back he dealt with it. But I think it was not dealing with it for a few days that helped him get through it and reminded him there would be good days ahead again.
So you will go, drink, enjoy…and for a few days this will go away.
I’ll even offer my laptop to work on but you have to learn to live without the right shift key. I too have a webcam that’s yours to use. Say the word.
I’m so sorry that this happened. Being robbed is a total violation, above everything else. But please know that at Blogher you will be among friends and we are going to help you in any way we can. You are going to blow off some steam and put this nightmare on hold for a few days. Okay? Okay. {{hugs}}
Oh my god.
Christina, I am so terribly sorry. I can only begin to imagine how you must be feeling. My grandparents were robbed at gunpoint in their home in 1990, and while the place wasn’t ransacked, they lost several items of monetary and sentimental value, in addition to their sense of safety and security.
I do hope you will still come to BlogHer as planned. I think Liz makes a great point about getting away and clearing your head. I look forward to giving you lots of hugs and buying you lots of drinks.
Delurking to say, I am so sorry. Please still plan to come to BlogHer, and those of us that are there will do everything in our power to try and make you feel better, in whatever way we can. (I know we can’t erase what happened, or make up for it in any way, but you will have people around you who can hopefully give you back some faith in people and their goodness.)
I am so sorry that this happened to you. It is so awful being robbed. Someone broke into our car while we were moving and stole some priceless pictures from me. It was not nearly as bad as what you had to go through since it was not my home and personal space that was broken into but the anger is still there. I wish that I could give you a big hug right now.
Oh, Christina. I’m so sorry. This really, really sucks. Like everyone has said, we’ll do all we can at Blogher to help make this go away for a few days.
I am so sorry. I know there is not much I can say, and I am not going to blogher, but please know that I am sending my supportive thoughts your way.
Please keep blogging, even if it is on your crappy desktop. You are one of my must reads and one of the reasons I am trying to become a better blogger myself.
BTW, I did try to comment a couple of days ago about the hair, and something scfrewed up. So here is my mantra for hair (to lighten the moment a bit) Hair grows. I always try to remember any time I get a haircut.
Sending happy thoughts your way.
I’m so sorry. I don’t even know what to say.
If you need something to take your mind off the horror, Melanie from PBS kids sprout is on my site right now. Talking about Anal sex and vibrators.
That might help.
Ugh. I have that awful feeling in the pit of my stomach. I’ve been robbed twice and it is a terrible, horrible experience.
I’m glad that your family is safe. I know the possessions will be hard to replace. It will work out in the end.
If you need anything, don’t be afraid to contact me.
awwww sweetie I am so sorry this happened….I wish we were all closer so we could do a group hug!!! I cannot imagine how you feel however I think it is amazing that you are going forward and attending the conference…
I am so sorry to hear this. What a frightening, scary, maddening thing to happen. Hang in there. BlogHer will help to lift the spirits!
I’m sorry, Christina. Can’t wait to buy you a lemonade (or a hard lemonade, whatever you need!) at BlogHer.
So glad you’ve decided still to come. I would hate to think that they stole your spirit along with your laptop. F them!
We were robbed in the house we used to live in and you feel nothing but totally violated – theres nothing to describe how terrible it makes you feel. Everything was stolen from backpacks to video cameras, all of our videos of Elizabeth being born through to the time she took her first step, to all of our ID.
I absolutely HATE people who find it OK to break-in and rob from others like this. When I was around 11 years old, we were robbed on Christmas Eve while at my grandmothers house. The sh*ts took all our Christmas gifts and threw garden dirt all over the place.
Reading this makes me angry all over again. I really, really wish a semi-truck hits those guys…
Oh My Goodness! I am so sorry that has happened to you. You will be in my thoughts.
Geez…I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say. I’ve got chills just from reading about it. I can’t imagine (nor do I want to) how scary this must be for you, and the sadness and anger of losing video of your daughter. I am so, so sorry. I hope they will catch whoever did it and get your things back.
You poor thing! That’s just awful. I agree, it’s a good thing you weren’t home and that your family is safe. I feel for you losing the videotape but you have the real thing and that’s what really matters. Sending you lots of good vibes!
ouch. I am so sorry!
Glad that you and all your family are okay. Yes- just stuff… but really nice stuff that you hadn’t even used yet!
The worst thing they took was your peace of mind.
I will be thinking of you lots and lots.
yuck. yuck. yuck.
HUGS!! I am so sorry they did that to you! That is the most horrible thing.
I dont even know what to say. I am so sorry sweetie!
Ohhhh, I feel sick for you. To steal your “stuff” is one thing, but to steal precious memories and sentimental things should be a hate crime. I’ll just hope and pray you get some of these things back.
This is my first time visiting your blog. I can’t believe what happened to you. It’s a good thing you’re going, otherwise the robbers would win on that one too, especially if the tickets are non-refundable.
Hang in there. If I was going to Blogher I’d join in on the group hug you’re going to get. There’s some pretty special bloggers out there.
Oh Christina!!! I am sooooo incredibly sorry. I’m sorry I haven’t read this until now, I’ve been so busy. I can’t believe this happened to you. It sucks the worst and there’s nothing I can say except I am so, so sorry.
Karma owes you a HUGE one for this.
It’s the sentimental priceless things that you can’t get back that breaks my heart for you.
I think that people usually don’t return to the scene of their crime in fear of getting caught. I hope you feel safe again soon.
I became furious when I read this. How DARE these people break into YOUR home and screw with YOUR lives and steal YOUR things. I just can’t stand that. I have never been “robbed” but I had a roommate who took a lot of my personal and expensive things when she moved out. I just hate that feeling of being stripped. I sure hope things work out with the insurance. It’s not like they can’t afford it!
Oh Christina, that is just terrible! I can’t even imagine!
Maybe you already thought of it, or someone suggested it, but some credits cards offer forms of “buyers protection.” I don’t know much about it, but maybe it will help with the laptop since you just purchased it.
Just a thought. I’m thinking of you!
Kristine
Oh no! That is terrible! Especially your husband’s lost writing. Absolutely, beyond words, terrible.
I hope the authorities are at least able to recover your missing computers.
Christina,
I am so sorry this happened to you and your family. What an incredible violation these cowards did to you all. I hope they catch and prosecute whoever did this.
I’m so so sorry that all this happened. Oh this sucks.
My thoughts are with you.
I’m a bit late but still, so sorry & sad to hear of this incidence. The timing was terrible. *Hugs* to you. Glad you did not give up your dream to go to Blogher
This is my first to your blog. Some people are so sick! Taking your tapes of your baby, now that would push me over the top. I pray that everything works out for you and I hope you’re having a great time at Blogher! 🙂
We too were robbed about a month ago, so I can relate to how you feel. I will never forget coming home, and grabbing the kids as they ran into the house not noticing the door was smashed opened. The jerks tore up our house like no tommorow. Every room they went in and destroyed it. It took us many days to put back what took them so little time to destroy. We too have insurance but after deductibles (we have a business onsite) we took a beating. You and your family will be in our thoughts. Take care!
i typed in google search “God i am so sad” and i saw your blog. was feeling a little dowm myself. anyhow.
i am so sorry. i know that those robbers did not only rob the material stuff but also some very precious irreplaceable items. i dont know how those robbers can do that? Maybe they never did have anything that is so precious in their lives. that is sad. or maybe they simply dont have a heart. that is pathetic. inhuman, i’ll say.
one thing that they cannot steal from you is your dream and talent. your husband and yourself seem to be the creative inclined people. that is your fortune. You generate or produce new works. and also your ability to feel. No one can take that away. i think that have lost theirs.
i pray that all stolen from you will be return to you many times more.