Man, I got off the phone with kehrli concerning the Clarion West laptop theft, opened up my friends list, and NINE out of THIRTEEN entries were on the same topic. I might as well add to them:

I feel really badly for the people missing their stuff. I would be heartbroken if someone stole my laptop. I've reached, as perhaps many of us have, a point where I feel my technology is an extension of myself. I don't think I would be much more upset if someone stole one of my kidneys (though waking up in a bathtub full of ice would probably be an added misery). I hope you all get your property back, and I hope a black market organ dealer catches the responsible party.

P.S. I can't help it; my dad was a cop and he made sure I knew the distinction, and I feel compelled to pass it on. From dictionary.reference.com:

rob verb, robbed, rob·bing.
–verb (used with object)
1. to take something from (someone) by unlawful force or threat of violence; steal from.

bur·glar·ize verb, -ized, -iz·ing.
–verb (used with object)
1. to break into and steal from.

I know your f-list is probably full of it, but seriously,

If you didn't know, Preditors & Editors makes information available for free to writers that some skeezy industry "professionals" would rather no one knew.

I just dumped a few bucks here and if you're a writer seeking publication, you should too. Even if you haven't used their website, chances are you've benefited from the information through second- or third-hand sources. This is a big Internet--your measly $5 will do a lot when combined with other peoples' measly $5. (And I donated a little more than $5, to make up for you. hahaha)

Was that laughter in this serious post? Yes, but not enough, so you should probably check out P. N. Elrod's hilarious version of how the trial should go...