And if all this rain didn't suck enough...

After a hectic weekend off (Mon and Tues), I was hoping after my last-minute day shift to come home, go to the gym and then unwind with some tv and early bed but instead....after messaging Mike that areas close to Tacoma -- where he would be driving through -- were being evacuated and closed due to the record amounts of rain, flooding and swollen Puyallup river, he sends me a message back saying he left for home early and just got there, but (oh by the way) his house had been broken into.

So I left work a few minutes early (I did actually accomplish a few things that I needed too -- whohoo) and raced over to check on my place since I live across the street. I was fine.

But then I spent the better part of the night helping wait with him for the police, forensics, cleaning up the mess the intruders made, (and remnants of Mike's busy week!) and generally keeping his dad company (who had drove up from Lacey to help him secure the place for the night since the intruders kicked in the door, destroying the door and door frame.

They took his new plasma flatscreen, an Xbox, Xbox games, two guitar hero guitars, and his personal computer. Pretty much they ransacked all three floors looking for what they could take. The bizarre thing is they left his blueray dvd player and some travelers checks that were quite visible. Police think it is kids. I think it is someone who worked on the units after talking to another neighbor of his. The sad part about the laptop is that he hadn't backed it up so all of his personal information, pictures, music, etc. is long gone.

Mike is not the most organized person, so I watched him run around trying to find paperwork on all that was taken and tried to generally keep him focused on what he needed to do (created a list of taken things, who he needed to call tomorrow) and went out and got us dinner (even though he said he wasn't hungry but did eat a few pieces of pizza once I brought it). Poor guy -- he was so exhausted and I felt bad that I couldn't do more.

What frustrates me is that after finding out this happened to him and his next door neighbor (same intruders and same MO in breaking down the door) in one night, there have been a rash of break-ins in his condo complex and no one had told Mike or his neighbor. I promptly emailed our customer care person for our complex to warn others.

But again it is a reminder that as more people are unemployed and that I still live in an area of town that is safer than it once was in the Hilltop, it is still not as paradise in a bubble.

I have to admit I have been lax on the alarm system, but guess what? It is on now again at night while I am in the house and will continue to be so when I am not. I have to say I kind of do know who my neighbors are and their activities. Only one new neighbor who moved in during the holidays has not been met yet. And when it stops, guess who is going over to introduce themselves.

Mike's misfortunate night has been a lesson for me too. Most of my paperwork is in order but I'm going around and cataloging all of my more expensive possessions and emailing them to an account. And I'm backing up my computer after this post.

Someone build the Ark....

So after weird record snowfalls, including a bizarre one Sunday night, where coworkers and I were caught unaware (and even had to climb on our work roof to clean off the satelitte dish that feeds us the wires) now comes the rain... and rain... and rain.

"More than 30,000 people were told to leave their flood-endangered homes today in Western Washington as rain and high winds lashed much of the state, causing widespread avalanches, mudslides and high water that could reach record levels.

Rising waters prompted state highway crews to close a 20-mile stretch of Interstate 5 around Chehalis on this evening.

“This is going to be a memorable flood event,” said Andy Haner, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Seattle.

“Because of the heavy, heavy rain we’ve got urban flooding, we’ve got mudslides, we’ve got water over the road, we’ve got ditches full,” Bellingham police Lt. Rick Sucee told The Associated Press. “Small creeks are now rivers.”

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So I've been sloshing around in the hilltop. Thank god I live on higher ground where everything runs downward. Only a few weeks ago I was lamenting the fact that I did live on a hill that they did not salt and was one big urban snowhill.

Some coworkers have been evacuated from their homes in Orting and Fife. Both areas are lowlands. Mike said on his way home I-5 is starting to flood in a lower area.

Maybe I should have invested in a boat. I may need it next to get around here.