Sometimes you wonder when the next lightning strike is going to hit, or whether any step you take is going to be into a muddy ditch. Whole battalions, you know what I'm saying, Gertrude? The minor annoyances come so fast on the heels of the big scary monsters that the boundaries fade out and it all becomes one big bad world.

Of course what I'm talking about is the fact that my water cooler broke down. It happened Tuesday night, very late, without warning, when the plastic handle on the spigot snapped off in my hand. Now, I don't know how this could have happened, because everything with that machine had been working perfectly for the whole twelve years I've lived in this place.

It was late at night, after I'd put the computer to sleep, but I woke it up and filled out the email form on the water company's web site, begging for help. This Friday (today, in fact) was to be my regular delivery day, and I wondered if they couldn't have my guy bring me a new cooler. I also wondered if they would charge me for the replacement, but I didn't ask them about that. I did suggest that after twelve years of normal wear and tear, something like this was bound to happen.

When I hadn't heard back from the company by yesterday, I called them. That shows you how desperate I was. I'd been using bottled water from the store for two days, and it just doesn't taste the same. I'd made tea with well water from my tap, but I have an aversion to tap water here because I know how it discolors the porcelain. It doesn't take much imagination to paint an ugly picture of what it might do to a person's body.

But they were very nice, and the customer service rep told me that my route guy would bring me a new dispenser. And believe it or not, there have been advances in the technology over the last twelve years. I was getting one that dispensed both hot and cold water. Ooh, thinks I, how much extra is that going to cost me? But once they applied my long term customer discount, it's actually costing me three dollars less a month than before. Plus: hot water! Right from the cooler. Less time waiting for my morning cuppa.

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I was up early this morning, waiting for the delivery guy. I didn't necessarily intend to get up at 7:30, but by that ridiculous hour I'd already been up three times, peeking through the blinds because I thought I'd heard his truck in the driveway. He actually showed up at 8:45 and had me all set up within fifteen minutes. It even works. That leads me to wonder what the next bad thing will be, or if maybe this is the start of a cycle of good luck. Doesn't seem likely, but anything's possible.