Saturday, March 18th

A frustrating story with a good ending...

It all starts with the fact that Saturday marked the culmination of an entire term of research in my design class. A huge project that I have literally spent all term preparing for- an analysis of Robert Delaunay's "The Red Tower," complete with step-by-step breakdown of every visual element and reconstruction and reinterpretation of the painting with my own unique composition. On Friday night I put the final touches on my project (which also included an organized oral presentation Saturday morning). So I didn't really get any sleep. It was a long week and I was feeling pretty run-down but I was excited for my presentation and proud of my final project. I took my parents' car with me so that on the way home I could get my dad and take him to the airport for his flight to Malaysia.
I left my parents' around 7:30 and made it to my apartment building around 7:45. We have 24-hour security and I was worried about parking so I left the car in one-hour parking (which is RIGHT in front of the building) while I ran inside and showered, leaving my backpack and my presentation in the backseat. By 8:30 I was walking out the front door of our building ready to leave. I got to the car and noticed something alarming-- the back window on the driver's side had been completely smashed. There was glass everywhere, even on the dashboard. I asked my landlord (who was standing outside for his morning cigarette) if he had seen anything, but he hadn't. He asked me if I had had anything of value in my car. That was when I noticed my backpack was missing. And along with it my cell phone, graphing calculator, iPod, editing headphones (which are noise-canceling... ugh) textbooks, around $60 worth of art supplies, and my notebook with all my homework and notes (the week before final exams, I might add). My first thought was to call my parents, but I didn't have my phone and the office was closed, so I drove to school with the busted window and parked it on the street. When I got to class some great kid let me borrow his cell phone and I called my parents to tell them what had happened. My dad said he would come down and meet me, I told him the room number I was in. I still had to give my final presentation, and, thankfully, my project was not damaged. But I was kind of a mess.
Step one, make it through your presentation without crying.
I somehow managed to hold it together for that long. My professor was great, and excused me as soon as I was done. I thought about waiting in the classroom for my dad, but decided I would take the elevator down to the lobby to wait for him. When the elevator doors opened, he was standing there. THAT was when I burst into tears with my "I'm so sorry, I feel like it was my fault, that was so scary," etc. Good old papa. He was totally calm. He had already seen the car. We drove back to my apartment complex, which is where we were going to wait for the police.
Step two, file a police report.
I was on hold for twenty minutes before I ever got through. Then an operator told me I needed to call back. By the time the officer finally got to my apartment I had been waiting almost an hour. He took all of our information, saw the vehicle, recorded the damages (it came to around $1000 for the stuff that had been stolen) and said I could access the report in a couple of days. We got back in the car and drove to my parents' house.
Step three, pick up the pieces.
While I vacuumed out the car my mom made calls to the phone company to cancel my service. I have personal information on my phone like billing info that could be dangerous. Now it is around 11:00 am, and my extended family is coming over soon to celebrate my cousins birthday.
Step four, call the insurance. (see also: Step five, be ridiculously frustrated.)
The nice woman on the end of the line tells me that insurance covers both the damage to the car and the stolen items, but on different policies. The car is covered by auto insurance, but the property goes under our house insurance. Both have a $500 deductible. Meaning, we are not going to get enough to cover the damages, not by a long shot. I can't begin to replace things until the claim goes through because the insurance company may help with specific items (cell phone) and I don't want to pay full price when I might get a deduction. So, we wait.

This is where the story shifts from bad to good. I had invited my roommate to come out to Beaverton and spend some time with my extended family, and I was worried that, since I ahd to take my dad to the airport, she would come when I was gone, get freaked out and leave. I left for the airport with this thought in my head and when I got back home (I had to stop by my apartment to pick up all of my crap. Basically, without my cell phone I won't be able to contact anyone about my insurance information, so I need to stay at my parents' until I hear back from the police/insurance and can get my phone replaced) Colie wasn't there. I asked around if she had come and my mom said she had, but she'd left. She wouldn't really answer any more questions about it and I was disappointed so I didn't really press her.
Around a half an hour later she and my sister came in holding a Victoria's Secret bag. She said she had gotten me something (I was a little worried she was gonna hand me an elaborate bra in front of my grandparents, but I figured it was probably lotion or something). It was actually an iPod nano. Colie and Becca had gone and split the cost of this nano when Colie heard about the break-in. I was so touched by this that I cried, for the second time that day. I felt SO loved, by both of them.
Really, even thinking back on how I felt that moment, I still can't think of words. It wasn't even the gift itself, although I really like it. It was more that they cared enough about me that they would spend their time and money (my sister used all of her babysitting money, my roommate isn't getting another paycheck until tomorrow, so I don't know where her money came from, but probably savings...) just to cheer me up. Just because I had a crappy day.
This process has not been a fun one, but I was so encouraged by that gesture that it made up for how upset and stressed I have been about everything else. My family, and my roommate, were all great through everything. I'm beginning to realize how blessed I have been with amazing family and friends, and how, in the end, that is way more important than all of my other stuff.
After all, it is only stuff.