Well, maybe I just needed something like a good old-fashioned burglary to shake me out of the self-centered contemplation of my navel and make me take a little ownership of my experience. Oddly enough, I have felt better in the past couple of days, more energetic and centered, even though immediately after finding out our stuff had been stolen I felt like collapsing at the thought that if ordinary life felt like too much effort, how was I going to muster the energy to contact each and every agency that needed to know that our financial security had been breached by the theft of one of our laptops? Or inform the organizations who had issued checks to us which were subsequently stolen? The only thing that seemed to have any clear answers was the theft of Matt's keyboard...we joked that there was only one person in DC we knew of that would possibly want to steal it.
But we did find the energy, and on the plus side, we've been overwhelmed by the support we've received from our neighbors (I posted a brief notice on the neighborhood's Yahoo message board and within an hour had received about 8 emails saying that they hadn't seen anything, but would keep an eye out, and to let them know if we needed anything). That was gratifying. We're also thankful that within the past couple weeks we decided to carry renter's insurance for the first time. So, minus a hefty deductible, we should end up not too far behind where we were before. And obviously, the fact that the crime itself was a) nonviolent and b) pretty minimal leaves us with a lot to be thankful for.
And, in the interest of being more proactive, I've started the process of applying to volunteer at RAINN, am running for section representative of the Health Law Society (figuring that if I'm not qualified for at least that, who is?), and am attending a public interest career fair on October 6th. Interesting incident of today was when one of my classmates--someone I would have pegged as being your more typical Type-A law student, though I don't know why--who asked me frankly if I was liking law school. I told him, frankly, no. He seemed immeasurably relieved. As in any situation, I think that it helps to know that you're not alone and also to feel like your angst might help somebody else feel less alienated.
And just a little product plug: when I first started law school, I ordered this bag (it was on sale then, okay?) in anticipation of schlepping my laptop along with a ton of law books everywhere. While it's of fine, sturdy construction, has plenty of pockets, is in fact just what I ordered, and the option of backpack or wheeled suitcase was initially just what I was looking for, I've realized why it was so hard to find: the option of wheels and the necessary internal frame mean that that sucker is HEAVY. Coupled with the fact that I usually have to climb a few flights of stairs between classes, and the backpack option left my neck and shoulders killing me while carrying it through the top loop when in suitcase mode was insurmountably awkward, I was kicking myself for the choice I'd made. On a whim, inspired by my brother who shunned the idea of paying $100 to upgrade to Windows XP Pro when I'd mistakenly ordered XP home (which isn't compatible with the school's network) in favor of just calling Dell and asking them to send me the new CDs for free (which they did), I decided to contact eBags and see if they would exchange it for me, even though their exchange policy states they will only accept unused goods. Lo and behold, they've emailed me a prepaid shipping label and I will get full exchange credit as soon as they receive the bag. Good merchandise and a great company! I guess it pays to ask.
But we did find the energy, and on the plus side, we've been overwhelmed by the support we've received from our neighbors (I posted a brief notice on the neighborhood's Yahoo message board and within an hour had received about 8 emails saying that they hadn't seen anything, but would keep an eye out, and to let them know if we needed anything). That was gratifying. We're also thankful that within the past couple weeks we decided to carry renter's insurance for the first time. So, minus a hefty deductible, we should end up not too far behind where we were before. And obviously, the fact that the crime itself was a) nonviolent and b) pretty minimal leaves us with a lot to be thankful for.
And, in the interest of being more proactive, I've started the process of applying to volunteer at RAINN, am running for section representative of the Health Law Society (figuring that if I'm not qualified for at least that, who is?), and am attending a public interest career fair on October 6th. Interesting incident of today was when one of my classmates--someone I would have pegged as being your more typical Type-A law student, though I don't know why--who asked me frankly if I was liking law school. I told him, frankly, no. He seemed immeasurably relieved. As in any situation, I think that it helps to know that you're not alone and also to feel like your angst might help somebody else feel less alienated.
And just a little product plug: when I first started law school, I ordered this bag (it was on sale then, okay?) in anticipation of schlepping my laptop along with a ton of law books everywhere. While it's of fine, sturdy construction, has plenty of pockets, is in fact just what I ordered, and the option of backpack or wheeled suitcase was initially just what I was looking for, I've realized why it was so hard to find: the option of wheels and the necessary internal frame mean that that sucker is HEAVY. Coupled with the fact that I usually have to climb a few flights of stairs between classes, and the backpack option left my neck and shoulders killing me while carrying it through the top loop when in suitcase mode was insurmountably awkward, I was kicking myself for the choice I'd made. On a whim, inspired by my brother who shunned the idea of paying $100 to upgrade to Windows XP Pro when I'd mistakenly ordered XP home (which isn't compatible with the school's network) in favor of just calling Dell and asking them to send me the new CDs for free (which they did), I decided to contact eBags and see if they would exchange it for me, even though their exchange policy states they will only accept unused goods. Lo and behold, they've emailed me a prepaid shipping label and I will get full exchange credit as soon as they receive the bag. Good merchandise and a great company! I guess it pays to ask.
2 comments:
i am so sad for you lost goods :( But your positive attitudes are inspiring! Katie, they didn't steal your Dora lunchbox, did they? If they did, they better be ready to answer to your amiga, me!
Chocolate RAINN!
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