Well, as a computer engineer and an author (trying to get published), losing my computer would as bad if not worse than losing things like my photo albums and some personal momentos. Fortunately, all the important stuff is on an external hard drive, and that has a padded hard case that does double duty as a foot rest under my desk. I've got a spare power cable for it in the case, so it a matter of pulling out the case, pulling out the power and data lines from the drive, and closing it up.

I'd probably want to break someone if Lazarus (my computer) got cremated, becuase he's emotionally a part of me, but if that drive is with me it isn't a total loss. And as it was part of Lazarus, he will survive, I will rebuild him. (There is a reason he's called Lazarus. He's been rebuilt before.)


Along with the hard drive, toss the sleeping bags and some clothes in a tote. Add a pillow case full of ammunition, and put holstered pistols in a second one. Pour the knife drawer into a third, other than my Ka-bar which goes on my belt. Grab the rifles, my axe, the water container and the gas cans. If I've still got time on that 30 minutes, fill a tote with medical supplies and food. Then start grabbing off the reference shelf until the second tote and my old book bag were full.

If I move home... yeah, the first half of that thirty minutes will be spent tracking down cats if I'm the only one there. Fortunately, they come when my mother calls, so I help her load them in her car, and we split up. The drill has always been once you are loaded, get out and head for the designated rally point. Everyone links up there.