The Spider of Doom

Dear Mimi A:

I'm so sorry for your recent plight.  A health crisis I believe you mentioned.  Fairly serious you said as well.  A health crisis that has forced you to ask me for money to help you out.  Your name seems familiar to me - not in a friend or family kind of way but in that you may have hit my inbox once before. 

I kind of have a soft spot for Mimi.  Maybe it's the name or maybe it's just because I actually liked Mimi's attempt at fereting money better than more recent attempts which were notifications of computer accessories that used a different name with each notification.

Yes, Mimi A has been what I called the spider of doom or the message in my inbox that immediately gets trashed and deleted.  She's there only because I had spam turned off for a time - a necessity sometimes depending on what author related activity I'm involved in.  But that's beside the point - the point, well, Mimi A.

E-mail spam, phone spam - seems the world is swimming in it.

Mimi, well I had some sympathy with her plight, dealing with a horrid disease in a country brutalized by war - I mean I had sympathy if I had believed her plight to be real.  Of course, there was no reality to the situation and even if there were - sorry.

Unfortunately I suspect this type of solicitation has worked in the past or it wouldn't continue.  I don't know who and I can't fathom how but it disturbs me that that is more than likely the case.  For me, the only thing it's managed to do is make me cynical to any and all.  A legitimate request from anyone, including my mother, via e-mail - well it would have to be verified by a face to face confirmation.   Okay, maybe it's not that bad.  After all there are people I know and trust that I have never met in person.  That's the nature of the writing business.  But...  That circle of people is small and it's tight.  And I don't send them money either. 

And I know, people you are saying again, as in the last time I griped about the unwanted solicitors, that I should get a spam filter.  I have one, like I said it was eased for a time but it will be back on duty soon.  In the meantime, I have to admit that I admire the creativity, misguided and amateurish as it is.  Maybe there's a story here - just one more e-mail and I'll pull the plug.

So Mimi, if you're listening - make the last e-mail good.  I want a story!  And no - sorry, I don't even have some empty bottles to send you to collect the refund.  I'm saving those for the boy scouts.

Halloween is in the air - any spiders of doom in your world?  Or am I the only one with a gripe today?

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com