First off I would like to thank everybody for their kind wishes. This community never fails to surprise me, and I am honored to be a part of such a wonderfull group of people that play "airplane". (as Lotus calls it) Gota keep this fairly short as I am on the Hotels office computer.
The past 5 days have been far from pleasant.
Was woken up last Thur. morning to a Police Officer trying to kick down my front door. Hurridly put on some jeans and got to the door before he got it kicked in and was told "your house is on fire! Get the hell out!" and he ran off. So I flip on the lights and notice @ a foot of smoke near my ceilings and immediatly walked to my computer and started tearing the cables out and prepping it to move. I started staging things by my front door, clothes, a TV, computer, guitar, etc. Not much, but what I could grab quickly as the smoke was filing up my apartment.
Then I started moving that pile a bit away from the house down a walkway on the side. @ then is when I first collapsed. Just suddenly had to lay down and not move for a min. or 3. Forced myself to get back up and got the pile o' my worldy possesions moved into a neighbors yard (casting angry glares at the several people 20' away just watching me do this filming the fire on their cell phones) Got it moved (mostly) into the neighbors yard and suddenly had to lay down again (not that I had a choice, found myself on my back) and it was a good 10min untill I could get up. At THIS point I found someone who helped me move it from the yard to my car as what I did manage to save was getting hosed down by the fire dept.
There were around 12 fire trucks from 4 diff departments there. The fire was so far along that when the fire dept. showed up they could only fight it from the outside. Why I don't understand is why I was allowed to keep going back for more stuff, but i'm glad I did. SOME stuff is better than NO stuff. Granted, i'm an idiot for doing so as the house could have collapsed on me at any time and the place was full of smoke.
The house is gone. It is a burned out shell. The roof, 3rd and 2nd story collapsed down into the first floor.
I am very greatfull to the American Red Cross who not only have put me up in a hotel this past weekend, but they decided to extend it for me untill Wed. Class act and I will be a loyal donater to that org. for the rest of my life. They really came through for me and the other people that lived there.
I don't think I will be able to fly untill I move into something a bit more permanent, but who knows... The addiction is STRONG and I am jonsin' a fix.
Funny sidebar, of all the things I grabbed that I thought I HAD to have, I grabbed not only my joystick, but my backup joystick.
So even though I do not have most of my clothes, zero kitchen items, furniture, sheets, towles etc, etc... by gosh I have two SideWinder Precision Joysticks to fly with.
(i'm a dork)
Again, my thanks to everyone for their kind wishes and prayers.
<SALUTE> to you all!
