Things I have learned

Hey friends,
Most of you probably already know that I had an unscheduled visitor in the wee hours of Monday morning. It was very not fun. Not only did I wake up to find a strange guy in my room taking (and getting away with!) tons of my stuff, but he also invaded my private space and peace of mind and fledgling acceptance of Baltimore. It also meant a veritable parade of police and such, and now insurance and the DMV (again!) and and and...
Fortunately, no one was hurt, and I did have renters insurance.
Anyway, if you don't yet-- I have some tips.
1) Get renter's insurance. Seriously. It's not expensive, and if you were to wake up in the middle of the night with a strange man in your room/house/apartment, stealing lots of your stuff, you'll be very glad you have it.

2) back up your files. I didn't lose much, luckily. Also, backing up your files doesn't do you any good if thieves take the backup too. So store your external elsewhere. Or let me refer you to dropbox (which is a handy dandy internet backup service! If I reccomend you, then we both get more space! It's awesome.)

3) save receipts for big purchases. Computers, camera, phones, etc. They come in handy when you have to prove you own things that were stolen from you. Or take photos. You can also add specific things to your insurance policy-- like your computer, or other especially valuable things.