What’s fun sometimes (fun being a relative thing) is to do a Google Image search for arbitrary numbers.

In this case, the arbitrary number is 703, which came to my attention as my FICO score, according to the evil fine people at Experian. It’s kinda right in the middle. I have no debt, which is something I worked hard to achieve, so why isn’t my number higher? The nifty little tool at MyFico.com tells me because I have two collections on my record. Yuck.

One I definitely remember and was stupid to let it get that far. I had completed a marathon in Hawaii in 2001, had to be hospitalized afterwards, and, silly me, allowed myself to be transported by ambulance. That ride cost me $451, the bill of which got mixed up in the dozens of other bills from that unintended stop on my island tour. Anyhow, after all my confusion, the collection agency got it and I paid it off, but apparently the sharks reported it and so there it is.

The other? One for $20. Twenty lousy bucks. And no original creditor is listed. And the collection agency is some gobbledy-gook of letters and numbers. And it’s from 2004-2005. And the balance due is 0.

So I have no idea what I owed or who I owed it to, but I did pay it, apparently. And yet still, it’s on there for another four years or so, keeping me from buying a house.

I want to have a nice FICO score. It’s like trying to do well on the SAT’s all over again. Except there’s a house involved.

I don’t even want to buy a house. I can barely keep up with my rent. Wait, I’m not admitting that. FICO is watching. Just kidding, FICO. It’s all good. Nothing here to see. Nothing at all…

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