Kindle saved my backpack -- kind of...

[twowheels]

Thanks to the screensaver hack I got my Kindle and backpack back today... I got distracted talking to somebody on the train and left my backpack behind (I had a bicycle to deal with, making that more likely to have happened). Anyhow, we were riding along when I suddenly realized that I'd left it behind and raced to try to intercept the train, but didn't know the route well and ended up at the wrong stop... 1.5 hours of train chasing and I finally found the right train, but no backpack.

Upset, mostly about my Kindle, I was very happy when I got a call saying that this guy had my backpack -- he'd found my phone number on my Kindle screensaver image. Yeah!

So, a few hours later a rather odd fellow meets me to return it... I didn't look in the bag and offered to take him out to lunch as a reward (I had no cash)... he acted like he wanted to go, but finally said no and left quickly.

So... all's well, right? Problem is, my stainless steel bottle of iced tea was empty, my train money was gone, my camera was gone, and my Kindle had been violently torn from its lighted case, breaking off the top tab and severely bending the bottom tab. :-( I even had one of those SmakDab clips to prevent it from being opened from the wrong side!

Makes me wonder why he even bothered to return it... I spent all day wondering why he didn't just dump the bag after taking what he wanted, and then I realized that perhaps he was the second person to find it, which made me feel better about the strange situation.

Oh well... such is life. At least I have my Kindle back and I've now found an excuse to increase my paranoia . I straightened the bottom tab, and the broken off tab is still stuck in the top slot, so if I press the Kindle against it and install the SmakDab clip the light still works...

[Giggleton]

Ah, I ride the train every day with a bike and a backpack as well. Sometimes it is hard to keep the faith but maybe that person who took your camera really needed a camera?

[ShellShock]

Originally Posted by Giggleton

but maybe that person who took your camera really needed a camera?

Or perhaps they really need to be good citizens and hand in lost property.

[kacir]

Originally Posted by twowheels

Makes me wonder why he even bothered to return it... I spent all day wondering why he didn't just dump the bag after taking what he wanted, and then I realized that perhaps he was the second person to find it, which made me feel better about the strange situation.

Thiefs that directly steal your bag, or people that find a bag and steal things from it, always dump the bag (sans money, sans valuables) as quickly as possible. They need to get rid of things that are identifiable. Such as your Kindle with your screensaver they couldn't get rid off in 5 minutes hidden in some dark alley.
So, most probably, the person that found your bag wasn't even aware that somebody else stole your money and/or camera. Otherwise he would have stated he found it sacked in a dark corner.

[carpetmojo]

Originally Posted by twowheels

.........................Upset, mostly about my Kindle, I was very happy when I got a call saying that this guy had my backpack -- he'd found my phone number on my Kindle screensaver image. Yeah!
so... all's well, right?
Problem is, my stainless steel bottle of iced tea was empty, my train money was gone, my camera was gone,.....................

Perhaps this is simply a case of a creative, hungry person with an acquisitive nature, who then found a guilty conscience......?

It does give a handy opportunity for an advisory warning, though - never put any more than your phone, preferably mobile, number on anything that may go missing.
( An address can be traced through a landline number....)

Some friends lost their keys, with their land-line number inscribed, in case of loss, and sadly were "done" the same day.
And the keys were left in a prominent position...........

[elemenoP]

I bet someone was disappointed that your Kindle was not an iPad... they probably couldn't figure out what the heck it was, so they left it.

eP

[HomeInMyShoes]

^Lol. Sorry to hear about your loss. I ride the bus every day and use a messenger bag. I can just rotate it around and set it on my lap so it never leaves me which reduces the chance of leaving it somewhere.

[odiakkoh]

Heh the last time I lost my wallet the guy emptied it out, came to my house but I wasn't home so he went to a neighbors house and tried to get her to pay him for the wallet and ID card. He even blatantly told her that he took the stuff in there.

[VicLavigne]

I agree with Kacir that the person who turned the backpack in was probably not the person who stole from it. Of course you can't know for sure, but to me it doesn't make good sense for a thief to risk getting ID'd by the victim by turning in the leftover useless stuff.....

Vic

[wannabee]

Originally Posted by odiakkoh

Heh the last time I lost my wallet the guy emptied it out, came to my house but I wasn't home so he went to a neighbors house and tried to get her to pay him for the wallet and ID card. He even blatantly told her that he took the stuff in there.

That confirms my opinion of thieves. Idiots! I found two wallets in the same week once, in the same public square. The owners had to drive a long way back to their wallets but were pretty happy to get everything intact.

The last time I lost mine they wouldn't replace my driver's license without a birth certificate nor would they replace my birth certificate without a driver's license.

[RainingLemur]

On the plus side, you still have your Kindle! Huzzah!

[twowheels]

Wow... I got busy for a few days and come back to find a number of replies!

While I somewhat agree with Giggleton (did I just say that on MR? :-) ), unfortunately the camera won't do the thief or purchaser much good without the proprietary cable and charger (stupid Olympus, proprietary everything). I just hope that whoever took it at least got a needed meal from it.

Funny thing is, I was more upset about the Kindle after getting it back tweaked than I was when I thought it was gone. I was also more upset about the $20 canvas backpack and $20 stainless steel water bottle, than about the camera, mostly because I like old durable stuff to which I've added a lot of personal character.

[twowheels]

Originally Posted by RainingLemur

On the plus side, you still have your Kindle! Huzzah!

Yep, though I had to find my place in my book again!! I've forgotten what it was like to have a bookmark fall out. ;-)