I'm hugely depressed...and very, very angry.

Yesterday, my grandparents' house (they're both deceased, and the house actually belongs to my father) was broken into, and four of my grandfather's best paintings were stolen, along with some other items. The paintings are invaluable and irreplacable...to my family. They probably wouldn't fetch much on the market since my grandfather never became very well known, and they would be relatively easy to identify since he never sold many paintings. Thus the stolen goods are almost worthless to the burglars, but of great personal value to my father and to my brothers and I.

In addition, I've also kept stuff stored at the house -- my apartment is small -- and I expect that some of it will be missing.

The worst part of it (aside, of course, from the paintings) is the feeling of being violated, of strangers entering your property, rummaging through all your personal belongings, opening every drawer and cabinet, and taking what they want. In a way, it's like rape, and I wish there was some way I could fight back...but there isn't. They came, they took, and they disappeared. The police won't really have much to go on, and after all, it's "just" a burglary. No one got killed (fortunately).

Now this puts a damper on the Christmas spirit. Keep your fingers crossed for those paintings to be returned, even if it's a long shot. It's an important heritage, and it would be horrible if my family never got to see them again.  ¶ 17:45