Take a look at this symbol: -
No…really look at it: -
Here, let me make it bigger for you:
For you “glass half full” people, it’s a dash. However, anyone who has ever
had money troubles will easily recognize it as a negative sign. it’s the
little dash that banks put in front of large numbers when they want to
scare someone into cardiac arrhythmia. In my case, the large number was
702.52.
My stomach churned with bilious, stress related fluids as I struggled to grasp
why my bank account collapsed like some impoverished island nation in the
Pacific. Had I lapsed somehow and blown this gargantuan amount on
Twinkies and Mountain Dew one night? Had some money hungry employee of my
bank dipped his hand into my coffers? A keystroke error? Worldwide
currency collapse?
No matter what answer I came up with, I couldn’t shake off the sick feeling
that I had been the victim of identity theft. Some unknown assailant had
obtained my bank account information and furnished his apartment.
As far as victimization goes, identity theft and fraudulent or unauthorized
bank charges leave much to be desired. Lacking the face-to-face
adrenaline rush of a standard robbery, identity theft is that much worse
because there is little physical evidence left in its wake. If someone
robs me at knifepoint, there is a chance that I can finger the person in a
line-up. Not so with identity theft. The victim wades through miles of
bureaucratic red tape in the hopes of regaining control, while
simultaneously spending penniless nights imagining what the perpetrator is
doing with his money.
Fortunately for me, the bank error turned out to be less malicious than the
scenarios above. Fedex mistakenly charged my account for a package that I
neither sent nor received. After a few bank visits and phone calls, my
pitifully small balance was restored. Non-sufficient funds fees charged
me were returned as well, no doubt disappointing a banking system that
profits from their patrons’ lack of money.
* * * * *
It has been almost five months since I’ve meaningfully updated this site.
Like so many of my artsy friends, it seems that I’ve been sucked into a
doldrums of some sort, one that saps motivation and creativity. I’m
returning to my old position in South Korea, and will try my best to find
ways to reignite the writing flame that seems to have been extinguished.
I’ll end here for now, and hopefully return with stories of intrigue,
pictures, and a hodgepodge of other stuff that the world tosses my way.
Adieu for now.
P.S. If my plane were to tumble out of the sky, I can guarantee that my last
words will be "This pilot can't fly for crap."