My swift descent into poverty.

Ever try to live for two weeks on twelve dollars? I don't recommend it.

What happened is this: about three weeks ago, I received a cheque in the mail, one that had been owed to me for quite some time, for about thirteen hundred bucks. As it was in American funds, I deposited it with a teller instead of with the ABM. She told me I would have access to three hundred dollars immediately, but the remaining thousand would be subject to a twenty business day waiting period.

I stupidly did not ask WHY this was so - mainly because I was confident I would be receiving (a) my tax return, and (b) payment for a magazine article I'd written months earlier, within the next week. So confident, in fact, that I decided to pay off almost all of my credit card balance with the amount I had available to me.

Of course, neither (a) nor (b) came true. As a result, I'm currently living off of approximately $6.42 in spare change, plus credit, until my thousand dollars clears next Monday. Today, I splurged on an avocado, four apricots, and some assorted greens from Kensington market. I think I spent about $2.50. Kensington market, like most places I go for everyday stuff, does not take credit. Yesterday, I cashed in a four dollar winning lottery ticket a friend had got me for my birthday, so I could mail a letter. Tomorrow, I'm taking back beer bottles so I can MAYBE see an NXNE show on Thursday.

I can't buy a College street hotdog, but my credit rating is bitchin'.