Devalued

Today, while I was out of the office, a thief got past the renters at BTD and stole the MacBook Pro I use for home, for interns, for mentees, and for additional mounties when deadlines demand.

While filing a police report, I learned that what cost me $2589.01 in 2008 (or, more accurately, $1918.87 because extra memory, protection, tax, and shipping don't count) is valued at under $1000. The NYPD pointed out that 2-year old technology is worthless. The only problem is that whatever the insurance company pays, replacing the laptop will be a financial challenge.

The computer isn't the only thing that got devalued today. I was the human version of aging technology by just not getting the way police reports work. My extreme amounts of information led to the officer to note that in giving monetary values, "we don't 'pad.'" Pad? Not happy, I pointed out that I'd never pad [not even iPad, alas!] anything. I was not the thief.

Now, my challenge is return to civility—and to replace the laptop which, to me, represents more time, energy, and expertise than what insurance decrees is worth under $1000.

—B.T., newbie complainant "reporter"