If I posted only the last spelling at least one person would think I can’t spell. Instead, I’m having a rainy spell. It’s bad enough getting rained on where people will notice you looking like a drowned rat. It’s worse when you get soaked financially. Within 3 months we’ve had 2 broken phones (1 of the expensive android-gynous persuasion), 2 mechanically challenged cars, 2 wrecked trucks,1 stolen trailer, 1 stolen ring, 1 broken fridge, 2 broken washers, and a pool with multiple broken parts. Now what did I forget?  I try not to think about the thousands of dollars in water damage in a bathroom due to a certain teenager’s looooooooooong showers.

The fridge is back in business because I knew what was wrong, found a cheap part, and the repair was manageable, if not easy. Nothing else has been even close to easy. When the fancy washing machine decided to go out of balance during each load, I couldn’t decide which part it needed. Its unbalanced behavior—constant hopping around the laundry room floor—nearly unbalanced me too. So I did some hopping onto Craigslist and sold it—with full disclosure, by the way. I told the buyer the most expensive part on the long list of possibilities.

I researched; I shopped, and finally decided no more fancy HE washers. In fact, no more NEW washers, period. It won’t be nearly as painful replacing my used $400 washer/dryer pair as a new $1800 washer/dryer pair—which I sold for $350. Ow. Never mind getting an agent for my fiction writing. I need one to manage all these disasters. There must be some profit in failure, right? 

Did you already guess my replacement washer broke too? You should’ve seen that coming, even if I didn’t. I liked the Atlantis, an old fashioned (never mind how much water it uses) top loader.  Except it sometimes didn’t drain during the spin cycle, and yesterday it just stopped right after filling and never actually washed the clothes even though the timer advanced to the end of cycle. 

Second Chance Appliances left this message on their phone. “We’re out of business until further notice. Don’t leave a message because I won’t call you back.” I left one anyway, to make sure the owner knew I wasn’t happy. According to another dealer, he won’t hear it in jail. Can’t say I’m sorry. Except once again, after I took the washer apart, I saw nothing that looked broken or smelled burnt. If it’s either the timer or motor that broke, those suckers are expensive. 

Monday I’ll make some calls, search the internet some more, and probably decide wrong again. Would hiring a repairman to do the repairs kill me? No, but considering all the other repairs I can’t do myself and have to hire a repairman, it would kill my budget. That’s why a rainy day almost never means I have much undisturbed writing time.

I would give thunderous applause for even one day without something breaking, getting wrecked or stolen. Oh wait, I had most of one last week, but I used it to wash and fold all the laundry backed up during my last trip to Seattle. Even the bedding had to go through thanks to our cat Furball who had a fight and bled on it. Poor Atlantis (my washer, remember?) re-sank under the last boatload of bedding and might never rise again.

I’m glad I know how to swim. Stroke, breathe, stroke. Uh-oh. Is that a hurricane coming? Okay, have a stroke. Nah, I think I’ll open the doors and let the floods come in. Sorry for the sarcasm. Tonight I prefer paddling over drowning in tears.  Tomorrow, I’ll try to be nice again.

I’m a day late and a bunch of dollars short, but I can’t complain of boredom. Anytime I think all is well, my life comes crashing down around my ears. Credit card fraud isn’t the worst thing that’s happened, but fraud is the only disaster I can forewarn others about. Who says secure payment systems are secure? They’re not, when every year, like clockwork, somebody somewhere tries to buy something with my credit card. Platinum? Not anymore. Tarnished again.

This year the criminals charged something from London, buying shoes. Last year they started with eBay electronics and moved on to diamonds. The first time, years ago, someone advertised phone sex jobs — I mean for people to man (or woman) one of those 900 number sex hotlines. I don’t end up holding the bag, and the criminals don’t get the goods, since my credit card company refuses the charges. They notify me and change my card numbers. They’re used to it by now. I’m on my 6th credit card.

Notifying all the companies I pay via automatic payment is a hassle, as is doing without the card until the replacement arrives. But it’s a lot better than being robbed in person. Then again, how many people get robbed in person year after year? Using PayPal doesn’t seem to help. That’ll teach me to leave home without my wallet. Wait, I did take my wallet. Did I say the card itself has never been stolen? And it still has a label on back instead of a signature, saying “ask for ID.” I praise the few merchants who do ask.

My sister doesn’t do any online banking. Her card number has never been stolen. But I like those great deals online. Now I have to ask, at what price in time lost? How much price in worry?

Fraud is everywhere. Yahoo’s groups get broken into; I get spammed. I have one email address I use for business transactions nowadays, expecting each company to put me on their perpetual mailing list, and sell my name to others. Do I believe them when they say they respect my privacy? No.

Fraud is just as prevalent in the publishing industry. Take a look at Predators and Editors: http://pred-ed.com/pubwarn.htm. The site gives all sorts of publishing warnings. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of American (SFWA) website provides this page: http://www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware/, proving it’s not just buyer beware; writers must also beware.

The most basic rule is that publishers shouldn’t charge upfront. Agents shouldn’t either. Those who belong to the Association of Authors' Represenatives (ARS) abide by a code of ethics to protect innocent new writers, and not-so-innocent old ones. That’s not to say other agents don’t treat their clients fairly, but they’re not required to. Read that contract carefully, because there’s no organization to back a writer’s rights if the agent doesn’t belong to AAR. Their website, at http://aaronline.org/, provides a complete list of member agents.

So keep your eyes open long enough to read these websites. I’ve done my duty, giving fair warning. Maybe now I can get some shuteye.