Not a week to repeat...

Well, this was not a week I`d like to repeat anytime soon. There are many reasons. One of the them has to do with living at the house, but the the one I´m going to share about is that my laptop was stolen!

The good news is that 1) all of my school work was backed up and so I didn´t loose any of my papers, 2) that I had a password protecting my computer so the person who stole it can`t just access my computer nor the information on it, and 3) that the Director of the Exchange Program loaned me a laptop (although it doesn`t have wireless internet access, it is a computer that I can use whenever!).
The bad news is that it was a costly carelessness...Not only was it a lost laptop, but it was my brother`s.

So, how does one get a laptop stolen? No, I was not held up at gun point. That being said, I unfortunatley was a litle careless and a little too trusting. So not only am I mad about the computer, I am also mad at myself for allowing it to happen, especially since I am normally a pretty cautious prepared person when it comes to things like this. So back to the question... How did it happen?

Tuesday morning I went to my 8:00 class. I had debated about taking the laptop in the morning, but I had a class and a meeting with a professor that it would be helpful, so I decided to bring it. Upon arriving at class, I sat in my seat, organzied my things, and decided to drink my juice outside the room. I did notice that I left my backpack open and that one could see my laptop, and did consider closing it, but didn`t. In addition I left my purse in my backpack. My rationale for not closing my backpack and leaving it was: 6 of my classmates were in the classroom, I trusted them, the professor would come anytime, and I would be sitting on the bench in front of the door to the classroom.

Within less than five minutes, my laptop was gone (although I didn`t fully realize it until after class, in part because I had debated so much about bringing it in the morning that I thought maybe I had left it in the house).

Reconstructed, this is how I think it was stolen. I had noticed a man dressed in a bright red shirt and khakis look into the room and then later enter (at that time I was sitting outside). My classmates told me after the fact that they noticed him, but no one knew him, but thought he was either a guest listener or a friend of someone else in the class (overly trusting like me). He had followed a classmate into the room, sat down (near my seat). No one saw him take my laptop nor did I see him leave the room (I was not looking out onto the patio and not at the door). However, as my backpack was open and my laptop was easily accessible, I think he saw it, waited until no one was looking, took it, hid it under his shirt or in a newspaer, and left. Again, all within a time frame of less than 5 minutes.

Again, who would have thought? but that`s apparently when these things happen. I am reminded of my time with the Colorado Mountain Club; in the wilderness, utlimately you can depend on no one but yourself for your survival (having extra food, water, knowledge, map-compass, etc.). The same is true with my laptop; ultimately the security of my things is up to me (or at least the parts I can control). It is not my fault that someone stole it, but it probably wouldn`t have happened had I been a little more cautious. An unfortunate occurence indeed! Moral of the story: don`t let up your guard!

Again, a very costly carelessness. Between the laptop and other issues going on, it was not a productive or good week!