Magazine remorse

Hey all -

This is a bit embarrassing for me to write. But I found out that sometimes, I can be quite a sucka. So it was a normal Friday night, let the kids tear it up late, drink a few whiskeys night. So this set the stage for the guy who looks like he's a recovering crack addict, ringing the doorbell selling magazines. And my usual impulse is to quickly dismiss these peddlers, but this time, it was almost a welcome distraction from the kids "wii-fest". So the guy comes in and tells a sob story about his kids living in a neighborhood where gang recruiting is prevalent around 10-yrs of age. And it is a sad story, no doubt. So I figure, what could the damage possibly be? I order a few useless rags for bathroom reading, and scrawl out a check. The next morning, I realize the check was for $300. Let this be a lesson that checkbooks and credit cards should be well guarded when the whiskey is flowing. Needless to say, i called and cancelled Monday morning, and put a stop payment on the check... just in case. It's one thing to hand some cash to a panhandler knowing it's going to the dealer or kwik-e-mart for some mad dog. It's quite another to hand it to a mock-charitable organization pimping tragedy to sell useless magazines. So slap some sense into yourself before you get suckered in. If you want a magazine subscription, go to a dentist's office. Then fill out the change of address card, changing it to that neighbor that has no use for the publication. Then run into the neighbor when they are checking the mail and express an interest in the rag. That neighbor will give you every copy. I once got a year of Maxim without buying a single issue. Rock out.