Magic has been a part of my life for over ten years now, and every now and then I surprise the people around me. Magic is how I helped land my first internet job. Magic has helped at work during meetings. Magic has brought smiles to many faces around me. Last week, I performed the most important magic trick of my life.

Saturday, Bu and I came home after running a few errands. My parents were out and there was no one home. When I walked into the house, I saw the contents of my gym bag on my living room floor. What the hell, I didn't leave it there. I immediately picked up the items and walked it into my bedroom. My girlfriend was sitting on the couch, beginning to unwind, when I walked to the bedroom. As soon as I opened the door, I saw my room ransacked. This fear set hold, as I looked for something to arm myself with. I grabbed an umbrella next to my door, and calmly told Bu to put her shoes on. "Come with me now!", I told her in a deliberately hurried voice. She thought I was joking, and I repeated it to her several times, so that she would get the picture. I grabbed the phone, and walked her out of the house through the garage. I told her to take the phone and call the police.

I walked back in the house, screaming to whomever was in the house to get the FUCK out! It's pretty stupid to think that I could do something with an umbrella, when you realize that someone has broken into your home. I walked upstairs and checked the main rooms. I saw that there were frozen items from the freezer lying on the kitchen floor. Barely frosted, the intruders had to have left maybe 5 to 10 minutes earlier. Not knowing if they left or not, I made my way through the house with an umbrella at hand, and saw that each room was ransacked. I took the phone upstairs and immediately called 911.

5 minutes later, Daly City's finest were combing the streets and the rest of the house. They took finger prints and told me to recall everything that I remembered doing that evening when we came home.

I feel angry, paranoid and suspicious. Instead of running the Bay to Breakers, Bu and I spent the day changing locks in the house, looking at estimates to replace the patio door, where the intruders came in, called for estimates on home security systems, and added motion sensor lights between the homes. Bu and I walked around the neighborhood with flyers, informing them of the burglary and asking anyone if they had seen anything suspicious the day before, and reminding them to keep their own homes safe. All in efforts to make my home a safer place.

If there is anything you can do today, take a moment to make sure your home is safe. Add extra locks, look into home security systems, or just make sure you know that you are making efforts to keep your home safe. Learn from what I've been through and think twice about your own security.

Everything that was lost was simply material. Had it been my parents, or loved ones. I'd be regretting that I hadn't done more to keep my family and friends safe.

If you haven't started watching this show, How I met Your Mother, then start... Barney is hilarious. This is a definition of a Cougar...

Be a warrior fan and rock the Baron Davis beard....

http://www.bayareanewsgroup.com/multimedia/mn/sports/baron_beard.pdf