Updates

So, it's been over a week since the fire. We're settled in to our temporary home and it's going very well so far; thanks so much Katie.  The fire restoration team has removed almost everything that can be cleaned or repaired, leaving us with the task of inventorying and disposing of the rest of our stuff. Hopefully the actual clean-up and repairing of the house will start soon; Even though our temporary setup is great, I'd love to be home and sleeping in my own bed.

Things are getting back to normal though; my 2011 (and beyond) race bike is coming together. I'm moving toward some of the longer 50-100 mile endurance races this season, so I decided to try a full suspension bike for the first time. I'll be sticking with the Niner brand and riding a Jet 9 with a Fox F29 RLC and SRAM XO. Parts are trickling in and I'm really excited to get the build started. Now that the bike is underway I'd better get started on preparing myself!

Remember that time...

When I had an incredible wife and awesome friends? Yeah, that was this time.

Anna and I have a place to stay on a semi-permanent basis, and I think it's going to work out really well. I'm going to get some rest now so I can be ready to continue cataloguing my life tomorrow. I'll be at Angry Catfish tomorrow afternoon to start cleaning up all of the cycles if you want to stop by to visit.

So now it comes down to this...

If you live like me you have more stuff than you realize or than you need. And I thought I was doing a pretty good job of keeping it minimal. When you're forced to categorize your existence the piles of crap seem pretty insurmountable, and I'm only working on my desk area. Even if you're pretty OK with tossing stuff it takes a long time.  There are books and papers and software and trinkets and photos and documents that I haven't looked at in years. Some of it means something, most of it doesn't. The cleaning crew is gone for the day, so here I am sitting alone in the house; it's acrid and it makes your eyes burn a little. Maybe that's just me tearing up a little because this is a pretty fucking depressing endeavor.

I will stop whining now and shred some more old documents that haven't seen the light of day in years. Now they never will again, thankfully.

Fire restoration and insurance.

So, as far as I can tell, State Farm is pretty damn good. My agent, who I've been with for over 12 years called me with his cell #, answered all my questions and had me in contact with an adjuster within hours. The clean-up crew was here an hour and a half after I initially called them, and now they're packing up box after box of our belongings. I'd heard some horror stories about this part, but so far so good. Basically, they're only taking what they're sure they can clean. Everything else stays so we can inventory it for replacement. Then we have the option of keeping it or disposing of it. Seems like it'll be a really good opportunity to purge and simplify. We're still likely to be out of our house for as long as two months, (Holy shit! It'll be Spring in two months!) but it still feels good to get things rolling.

I think that a blog was a good idea. It's nice to be able to organize thoughts and set them free.  Then when I forget what I was thinking I can come back here and read them.

A start.

You've got to do something while you're sitting in your smoke damaged house waiting for the insurance adjuster, so why not start a blog.

Yesterday a space heater that we've used for years to keep the pipes in the basement from freezing incinerated itself while my wife and I were away. My fabulous neighbors were there to hear the smoke detectors and get the Mineapolis Fire Department on the way. These guys are pros; there were three trucks here before I got home, and my drive from NE to my home in South Minneapolis was WAY shorter than normal (let's just say thirteen year old Subarus don't feel that safe at 110 mph). The fire fighters saved our dog, and he seems just fine. No one else was home. The fire was contained to the space heater itself; nothing else ignited. No structural damage to the home, just lots and lots of smoke and soot. It's everywhere; places you wouldn't expect like inside the medicine cabinet. So now the clean-up starts...

Maybe this will be what it takes to get some mental housekeeping done too.