Skip to main content

What would you take?

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.22.2008

Captain Caffeine told me an interesting story he heard on the radio (update: it was in the paper), I think. You know all those fires here in Northern California? Luckily, they weren’t near us and we didn’t need to be evacuated.

However, they (somebody) interviewed some people who had been evacuated, asking them what they took and why.

The answers were very interesting. For example, one guy had like 900 bottles of wine (read: really good, expensive, and probably old) in his wine cellar. He said he’d been torn between wines with monetary value and sentimental value. Originally, he took two $1500 bottles (yes, you read that right—one thousand, five hundred smackeroos) but he put one back to choose a wine with more sentimental value.

This got me and the Captain thinking about what we’d take. A fire evacuation is more forgiving than, say, a tornado evacuation, because you have more time to load up the car.

We’d take:

--Our computers

Although I have to say, I have Mozy.com as my backup system, so that gives me peace of mind to know my writing and business stuff is saved offsite. Plus it’s free and I can schedule it to backup everyday at a certain time.

(If you use this link to sign up for Mozy’s free backup service, you and I both get an extra 256MB free. Click on the Mozy Home 2 GB free on the bottom of the page.)

--Our financial information, which is in a lockbox, and some other valuables in our fireproof safe

--Camping gear

--Our earthquake emergency kit (it’s actually a hard plastic garbage bin filled with essentials)

And then Captain said he’d take his espresso maker. Yes, he values it that highly. And the burr grinder, too.

I’d take my knitting needles and a bit of yarn because NO WAY am I going to be stuck somewhere without something to knit.

I’d also make sure I had all my ebooks on my PDA so I’d have lots to read.

What about you? What would you take?

Comments

SmilingSally said…
I would take as many photograph albums as I could carry, along with my Bible--the one I've written notes in for years.
Ausjenny said…
I would go for photos too. but if i dont have much room (like we dont have a car) I have alot of photos on cd so would take them and the cds with important info on them. Beau bear would come (hes my autographed bear) a backpack with a change or two of clothes, water, important papers, my pillow!
Angie said…
The first thing I would worry about would be getting all my furry kids somewhere safe. With four dogs and ten cats that might take a while. Then I would grab as many photo albums as I could and a few clothes and I guess that would be about it. Oh, and I would make sure to take my Kindle and DS Lite. :D
Reihaisha said…
I would go to my desk and take my travel Bible, my favorite Fountain pen and its bottle of ink, the diary of important events in my life and the nearsest Japanese kitch I could get my hands on. My father's picture is next and then I go for clothes. If there is room, I would put My Calvin's Institiutes in the suitcase for light reading ;)
windycindy said…
Our fire safe box. It has birth certificates, baby videos of our two sons, special items, etc. Thanks, Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com
When we lived in California we had to evacuate twice for fires. I grabbed photos (even some off the walls), important papers, my computer, the cats, meds, and an overnight bag.

It's amazing, when you think about it, how much we can do without, how much is really replaceable.
Danica Favorite said…
I'd take my kiddos. Maybe my safe box, although it doesn't have everything, and I can replace everything in it. Like you, I have Mozy, so not worried about the comp.
Anonymous said…
I had to evacuate last year for the San Diego fires and there wasn't much time to deliberate. I grabbed the photo albums, my important papers, an overnight bag, and the dog. Little did I know the entire town would be off-limits for almost a week! When we finally got back home I wanted to kiss the front step.

Popular Posts

She insulted a hat 👒 and ruined her Season

Welcome! My name is Camille Elliot, and I write Christian Regency Suspense with slow-burn romance and a touch of the supernatural. Thank you for— “Cut!” Lissa, one of my characters, shouts and stomps onto the stage. I stare at her. “I’m not filming a commercial.” “It doesn’t matter. You’re being boring.” I shift uncomfortably, because she’s probably right. “Well then, what should I say? I’m writing a blog post for someone who doesn’t know anything about my books.” “If you start with pleasantries, I will hide your tea,” she threatens. “ All of it.” I gasp in horror. “You wouldn’t!” “Try me!” “I was just going to ask readers to subscribe to my newsletter.” “I shall topple into the shrubbery as I fall dead asleep on my feet.” “Rude,” I mutter. “Maybe start with an explosion. Or at least a hideous hat that ruins my reputation forever.” “Your reputation wasn’t ruined,” I protest. “You were simply unfortunately overheard.” “As I insulted a hat.” “Then maybe you shouldn’t insu...

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th...

Grace Livingston Hill romances free to read online

I wanted to update my old post on Grace Livingston Hill romances because now there are tons more options for you to be able to read her books for free online! I’m a huge Grace Livingston Hill fan. Granted, not all her books resonate with me, but there are a few that I absolutely love, like The Enchanted Barn and Crimson Roses . And the best part is that she wrote over 100 books and I haven’t yet read them all! When I have time, I like to dive into a new GLH novel. I like the fact that most of them are romances, and I especially appreciate that they all have strong Christian themes. Occasionally the Christian content is a little heavy-handed for my taste, but it’s so interesting to see what the Christian faith was like in the early part of the 20th century. These books are often Cinderella-type stories or A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) type stories, which I love. And the best part is that they’re all set in the early 1900s, so the time period is absolutely fasci...

New book idea a la Captain Caffeine

Captain's Log, Stardate 04.14.2009 So my husband, Captain Caffeine, had lunch with a few friends a few days ago. And they asked about my writing, and if I’d been on Oprah yet. (Yeah, right) They then discussed NYT bestselling books, and why can’t Camy write a NYT bestseller. (Sure, let me just open a vein over a blank page and it’ll come right out.) So Captain Caffeine came home with ideas for my new NYT bestselling novel. First it starts with vampires, because Twilight is so hot. But not just any vampires. This one’s an Amish vampire. And he’s not just an Amish vampire, he’s a cop in disguise, infiltrating the Amish community to protect a witness. (Hmm, that storyline sounds familiar ...) But wait! There’s more! To add more conflict and stick with my brand of Asian fiction, we introduce the Tibetan monk! Who joins the Amish community to get away from the pressures of monkhood. But in reality, he’s protecting the Chinese princess on the run, trying to escape from her father’s Hong...

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures...