This week I paid a credit card bill late, for the first time ever. I have an excuse of sorts: I was traveling in the second to last week of July, and put a hold on my mail, and got busy in the month-end shenanigans and forgot my mail for a week.

But I also have an automatic reminder set up that duly came in and warned me, and I had ample opportunity to pay online on time. I didn’t. I just didn’t keep close enough track of it.

If I start paying a monthly fee or something I am going to get cranky and possibly even look for a new card. I have had that account for years and paid in full on time. But I cannot excuse my tardiness. Or the way I missed my scheduled flight that left on time, because I couldn’t be bothered to actually get up early enough.

Life is starting to remind me an awful lot of my college ennui, when I had a hard time caring enough to excercise due diligence. It didn’t all fall apart after the first time I missed a class, but by the time it was over I felt I had barely escaped with my academic reputation in tact, and that without much warrant.