Pack rat

Last night, Kiyoshi informed me he was packing stuff up in case his home was evacuated due to the fire at Griffith Park. Later on, Wendy's parents suggested that we do the same. Eric asked, "What are you going to pack?" In he office, he pointed at the GR hard drives. Maybe the backed up files on CD and DVD, too.

That reminded me of one time my parents were out of town, and Greg, Angelyn, and I were at home, watching news coverage of an approaching fire. I think it was in Yorba Linda, just across the 91 freeway. Back then, the area wasn't very developed, and it was full of brush. We hosed down the roof and loaded the car with valuables. It was mostly comic books.

What would I pack now? That complete run of the first volume of Fantastic Four comics starting at issue 18 is still impressive. I have jumbo machinders in boxes, a hockey stick signed by Wayne Gretzky, a crapload of DVDs and records. But all that stuff I could probably live without. I decided that I'd pack photo albums, the laptop, and glasses. Then I watched a movie and fell asleep.

When we woke up, the house was intact and the only evidence of fire was the smell of barbecue, a layer of ash on the cars, and tons of traffic. One more day to think about what's necessary. And when the fire is put out, it's time to continue hoarding.