Bloggers: Beware and Be Smart!


Last night was a typically busy one…I met with a wedding planner after school, rushed home, met my husband and friends for dinner, and headed over to a high school basketball game. What wasn’t typical is when we got home, we discovered a break in!


While waiting on police I processed what did happen and what could have happened. When I rushed home, I placed my lap top on the bed and my camera was right beside it. I can remember thinking I don’t have time to set it up on the desk, so I tossed a blanket over it. Not my normal behavior, but quite possibly Divine Intervention. It was sitting all snug under the blanket…next to a pillow which lost its pillow case to the robbers so they had a bag to fill.


My lap top is fairly new…not yet a year old…and I have never backed up the files. Since becoming a blogger (now of two blogs), I would have been devastated if the lap top was gone….not valuable to anyone but me. My document….interviews…notes…some un-uploaded pictures….all stored….what I thought, was safely here.


Now, I am just mad…we have a window to replace and much cleanup work on an already busy Saturday. For those of you who read this blog regularly, you know that I just cleaned and organized the closet…well, I have to go do it again….they threw jewelry and other items literally everywhere.


I learned a lesson and will back things up immediately! If you are like me…..you might want to do the same!

NOW, WE NEED TO BE AWARE OF OTHER PRECAUTIONS!
Go To Grit and Glamour for more information:

19 Comments

  1. Oh Pam. How awful. You are the 3rd person, in SATX, I know of in 3 weeks who has had their home broken into. And the 2nd educator. It's amazing that those people don't stop and think how they would feel if it happened to them. Things and actions happen for a reason and just a quick toss of your blanket over your laptop and camera saved even more heartbreak for you. I have all my pics stored on my computer. I do a back-up once a month but I'd still be devastated if my computer was ever stolen. Wishing you well while you pick up the pieces.

  2. Oh My!How awful, I'd be scared to come home alone in the evenings now. I certainly hope they find the person who invaded your privacy. Hope they didn't destroy a lot and get anything valuable, how fortunate that your laptop wasn't taken. I leave mine on my table, in front of my patio door…..I never leave my purse there. I keep hearing about Carbonite to back up your computer and I used a free trial before I purchased a new computer. I think I need to subscribe to it. Good luck to you and stay safe!!

  3. It is unnerving, and I was lucky that nothing was taken when someone came into our home. I hope they catch the intruders and that they didn't get anything valuable other than your peace of mind.

  4. So sorry this happened to you! When I was a teen our house was broken into and it's an awful feeling. We have a back-up hard drive that attaches by USB. You could get one and leave it on or even behind the desk (they are about the size of a paperback book), and just plug it in to the laptop when you are charging it, then you'll have copies of everything.

  5. Thsnkd yo everyone for the support…unfortunately audreybella was correct…this has become a way of life for many San Antonians. Lynn, I am sitting here with a device exactly as you describe!! Back up is in progress as I type. Also, it is kind of funny but the BLOG has provided pictures for all of the jewelry that was taken…I photograph accessories alot. The ones I will miss most are the more valuable pieces my husband bought for me over the years for various occasions. That saddened me more than anything…they are most likely already in an area pawn shop!!

  6. Pam–but was anything taken or simply ransacked? My parents went through something like this about 10 years ago and all their heirlooms were taken by a young teenager…who was caught, though the heirlooms were not retrieved.

  7. Pam
    I am so sorry to hear about the break in
    I am glad no one was home or got hurt
    How lucky you were that your laptop was not discovered!
    I have actually been uploading and organizing all of my photos onto Flickr this weekend.
    Reading everyone's mechanics FBFF made me realize I needed to do it
    I hope not too much was destroyed and that you still feel safe in your home!!
    BTW…500 cal. a day, seems insane to me!
    I am sure your doctor knows what he is doing, but seriously that is extreme!!
    xxoo

  8. That totally sucks!

    So far the break-ins we've had have been acquaintances of our sons — not good friends, but "friends of friends." Since the sons have grown up things have improved but theft is always a possibility – even moreso now with the very hard times many are experiencing.

    At least your thieves didn't just walk in an unlocked door. A person never quits kicking themselves over that kind of thing.

    Break-in or not, a hard drive to back-up onto can (and should!) be purchased for less than $100. I say – head to Staples or Best Buy or whatever and get one! Theft is but one risk to important things on our PCs that we don't want to lose —

    You might also look at cable locks for your laptop. Most have a hook or spot for a locking device like a bike lock where you loop the steel cable through something else that's immobile.

    I assume you keep it locked if it's at high school with you, but in this day it's not a bad idea to keep it locked everywhere.

  9. What a nasty occurrence 🙁 I am so pleased to read that you yourself were not present at the time because what these callous thieves would have done I hate to think.

    I know what it is like to have your personal violated in such a manner and I hope you are able to process the incident, acknowledge the anger and move on in your life without letting the perpetrators steal anymore from you emotionally.

    Keep safe x

  10. That is absolutely amazing that your laptop and camera were saved by a blanket. Of course having your home broken into and your things violated is truly awful and I can't imagine how awful it must feel to know that a stranger was in your home stealing and destroying your things. Still, considering how much of our lives we store on our computers, it is one of the more devastating things to lose. And no one wants to learn the lesson about backing up the hard way.

    Chic on the Cheap

  11. I am so sorry. I was the victim of a break in years ago and eventually had to move. Not so much that I didn't feel safe but that I kept getting mad that they took the pieces of jewelry that I had from my grandmother. They only had sentimental value. Nothing was recovered. But the detective was named Charlie Brown. Really.

  12. I am so sorry to hear this! But also thrilled that your laptop (and work) is safe. I've been broken into before and it's a horrible feeling.

    Thank you so much for stopping by my blog – it's lovely to 'meet' you!

    Andrea xx

  13. That is AWFUL. I remember when I was in high school, our apartment got broken into. It's scary!

    I'm so glad no one was home so no one was hurt and you still have your laptop!!!

  14. omg, so sorry to hear. thank goodness for your laptop under blanket. funny how it takes something awful to make us realize what we should have done, or what we should be doing. i got a car alarm AFTER my brand new car was broken into. will definitely be backing up my files now. wishing you well and thankful everyone is ok.

    rockoomph.blogspot.com

  15. UGH! We've been through this too. I understand the anger. It's such a violation. Thank God for your intuitive sense to hide the laptop and camera. That's pretty eery that you knew to do that. xoxo,Tracy

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