I'm a Blanket

It's been a hectic couple of weeks here. After returning from three consecutive weekends of travel (Latvia, Croatia, Normandy) we enriched our worldly experience by being victims of an "international robbery".  (I call it that to make it sound more glamorous.)  The thieves puzzle me.  Instead of robbing us while we were 1000 miles away for three straight weekends, they broke in to our apartment on a Saturday afternoon while I was at a soccer game and the dog was home.   (The Attache was away hiking.) Except for the dog (which thankfully they left alone), they took everything valuable: the Attaché's jewelry, my laptop, my camera including my hundreds of photos of our recent visit to Normandy and the annual D-Day Ceremony.  Fortunately, Heather covered the trip by taking three pictures of Normandy.  So here is what we have: 

   
 
 
Normandy was wonderful.  It's hard to dislike the French when they are so incredibly appreciative of Americans for their liberation.  Sure, it's fun to ridicule the French but they are first class where it really counts.

Back to the robbery.  Check that: it was a burglary.  We were not home so there was no "stick 'em up".  It's neat how I know the difference between robbery and burglary now.  Just one of the many delightful benefits.  Another benefit is a better understanding of Viennese culture with firsthand dealings with the Vienna police.  I made the 122 emergency call all in German, and I met a member of the Vienna CSI.   Sure, Helmut Schneider was a notch below David Caruso in coolness.  My boy looked like he just got out of a halfway house; he showed up in a wrinkled t-shirt and baggy jeans.  He did have a shiny briefcase with a fingerprint kit and DNA swabs.  I think he did a thorough job--he was here for more than an hour--my only criticism was he could have discarded all his plastic wrappers and peel-off seals in the trash instead of our floor.  Then again, our apartment was ransacked so he probably thought I wouldn't notice. 

It's unsettling to see your house ransacked, to wonder if you were staked out, to think that a group of people (yes, there was more than one) snuck through your house and searched through your most important possessions.  I was a bit rattled that night and couldn't sleep.  No, I didn't expect the thieves to come back, but your head is spinning after something like this.  I made the most of it by reading insurance policies, sorting through receipts and changing computer passwords.  About midnight after the break-in, I was hungry, I sure didn't feel like cooking, and I remembered I had leftovers in the fridge.  The thieves had searched our fridge (apparently people hide stuff there) and left it open, but it didn't stop me.  I wasn't going to be victim any longer.  The first step in recovery is fighting back so I launched into my chicken casserole saying &$#@off robbers with every bite.  I have a cousin who claims he ate a cheese stick he found in the glove box of a rental car.  He called that gangster.  I say he's a puss.

Here are a few things we learned:

Check that you have insurance.  Don't take your agent's word for it.  Go get the piece of paper, read it and make sure you are up-to-date and the coverage is what you want.  Don't expect your insurance company to send you a payment reminder.  Sometimes they don't.

Lock your doors, close your windows, front and back, even if you're only leaving for a short time. 

Back up your computers and put a password on them.

Don't keep sentimental items with valuable jewelry. If you've got an old class ring that you're never going to wear, or your dad's dog tags, don't keep them with the target items.  Thieves don't seem to sort stuff when they steal.

Lastly, 20 pound Italian Greyhounds are not a deterrent to thieves.  Italian Greyhounds have a survival strategy that goes like this: "There is no dog here.  I'm a blanket, I'm a blanket, I'm a blanket."

 

Comments

[Nancy Engel Collins]

I truly am surprised that this happened. I guess things have changed from when I lived in Germany 27 years ago.

However, at least Noodle is ok - that would have been my first concern if it were me. Stuff can be replaced, dog-babies cannot!

[mark from nrc]

I'll be in Normandy in a few weeks for a wedding. I won't have time for taking alot of pictures, but I could probably pick up some postcards for you. I too love the people of Normandy. They are warm, charming and kind.

[Sharon Bernstein]

I'm sorry that you guys had to go through that... I agree with Nancy. Things can be relaced but your Noodle can not.