Call me Pip!

So this week:

Tuesday took Amie to the vet because she'd been drooling, which usually means she needs a tooth trim.

"Clearly," said my vet friend, "she's ignoring your 'no vet bills while I'm unemployed' edict."

While I was in the exam room waiting for my floppy little bundle of expensive love to have her teeth filed, the AT&T repair guy called on my cell to tell me that he was in my apartment with the super, and the problem with my phone line was caused by my cordless phone shorting out and messing with the line.

"So this means the problem was on my end."

"Uh...yeah."

"And how much will I have to pay?"

"Uh..let's see..it will be $91.00. They'll add it to your phone bill."

"Of course they will. Thanks."

The vet brought Amie back. "I also trimmed her nails, since we're still allowed to do that for free when they come in for something else," she said.

At the desk, the receptionist tallied the charges. "That will be $80.00."

"Of course it is. Thanks."

Yesterday I got up and was going to drive to Radio Shack for a new phone/answering machine. I tried to remember where I'd parked my car, but in a moment of more disturbingly frequent perimenopausal memory lapses, I blanked completely. Nothing. I knew I'd had to move the car because they were cleaning our street that day, but could not think where I'd moved it.

I decided to walk outside and just look for it. The good news was that I didn't have to look far; it was right there. The bad news is that I'd forgotten to move it, and it sat there alone, a disapproving wet street-sweeper trail tracing around it, a parking ticket in the door.

I took the ticket. Yep. $50.00.

So In two days I'd managed to rack up $221.00 in costs, $141.00 of it technically avoidable had I been a phone technician and in full possession of my memory. Fortunately, I had a babysitting gig today and will do more tomorrow, making me only net $100 in the hole. Making lemonade, making lemonade.

But I went to my mailbox today to find an envelope with no return address. Woooooo. Who could it be from? What a mystery! The only clue was a British postage stamp. I opened it and found a folded sheet of paper bearing the words ANONYMOUS DONATION. Inside, a ten and two ones. That's right, people: twelve whole dollars. So someone in England sent me twelve dollars. Given how many people live in the UK, this is going to take a long time to figure out. But it's nice to know I have a benefactor.

What larks!