So while I was diligently planning my security system and working out ways to fund it someone (meaning the same person as before) broke into my house again and re-stole all the stuff that was just re-bought to replace the other stolen things.
This includes: The new wii, all the games, the new laptop, and about 2/3 or 3/4 of our DVDs.
This time, no broken window. Oh no, the entire front door was kicked in, now necessitating my front door being boarded up. This incident comes complete with a new round of me paying the deductible, and getting more insurance company checks.
The ironic part, the check for the window repair and the depreciation value of the wii arrived yesterday.
It is no longer a matter of figuring out how to pay for a security system, it is just where we are willing to put the debt required to buy the thing or to build it.
Needless to say, we are more than a little upset today. I had to bail from work before 2pm, and having been through the process once before we were able to make all the calls and get things boarded up before 7pm. The CSI people came out and fingerprinted the crap out of my house this time. And the guy pulled out all my AV stuff from the TV stand this time in order to pull out my ipod dock along with the Wii.
I was fortunately able to use this as an excuse to properly re-route and cable tie all the system wiring, and make it all look really clean.
Again, I feel super blessed that no one was hurt, and that the police have responded really well to this break-in. I’m also very happy that this time I properly installed the lojack software on the laptop so if it connects to the internet we should be able to find it.
So anyway, if I’m not participating in much this weekend or for the next week or so, that is why.
Greg says
Man, I hope they catch that asshole this time. The theft-protection software will definitely catch whomever buys the laptop from the pawn shop, unless the thief is actually stupid enough to use it himself. In either case, hopefully it’ll provide some help to track the thing down.
I swear, there are times when the “cut the guy’s hand off if he’s caught stealing” rule doesn’t seem quite so bad.
My brother-in-law pointed out that a security system will almost certainly give you a discount on your homeowner’s insurance, so that should help a little bit. In any case, if you’re serious about staying in that area, I recommend that you look for a security system that supports the Z-Wave protocol (assuming it’s affordable at all — I have no idea). It appears to be the biggest contender to replace X-10 for home automation. (Disclaimer: my company has done work with Intermatic, who are part of the Z-Wave Alliance — though we haven’t done any work on Z-Wave products.)
LinuxMCE can work directly with Z-Wave devices if you have a USB to Z-Wave interface, and since you’re a big tech guy I thought you’d be interested.
Eleanor says
That really stinks!! I hope they manage to catch this guy.