My last submission to G21,"The Borrowers," dealt with the agony of loaning out tools, or anything for that matter, that are not returned in some reasonable time or condition. And even though this writing will end with a "tool-tale" brought about by an unfortunate discovery I made just recently, it's really about Karma. Specifically, Bad Karma .

Karma, n. 1. In Buddhism and Hinduism, the totality of a person's actions in one of the successive states of his existence, thought of as determining his fate in the next. 2. loosely, fate; destiny.

I'm a little paranoid about the whole Karma thing.

You see, even though I consider myself a Christian, and the idea of Karma is admittedly a bit off from the Christian concept that by honestly confessing and repenting (if only to yourself and God,) you'll be forgiven and can quit worrying about what a shit you've been. Me, I still worry.

Usually it surfaces when I have ripped on someone or had cross words with them and later I decide, "Hey, you're not perfect either, pal! Maybe you should find something positive to say or do regarding them, or just plain apologize; otherwise, Bad Karma is gonna be clinging to ya like a sweater full of static electricity."

Ed Cantarella

It's not so much that Bad Karma has caught up with me too many times in life --- but it has a few times..I don't want to go "tempting fate" here or nothing --- but I have been shaken by what has happened to a few people who have "screwed" me in the past.

I know these revelations may sound a little vengeful at times (they say Italians are vengeful people; maybe I'm living proof) but I had nothing to do with the end results. Seems like Karma just caught up with these folks in a major fashion, and neither one made it out alive; in fact, their demises were absolutely horrific......

My first residence, when I moved away from home at age 17, was a dirty little one bedroom mobile home, that was probably 30 years older than me.

Being so young, the landlord insisted on first and last month's rent, and another $250.00 for a security deposit. No lease, "just let me know when you want to move out kid, and I'll return your deposit". It left me virtually broke, but it was walking distance to my job.

About six months later, when a friend helped me get into a shop where he worked in another city, I told my landlord I would be moving out on the first of the next month, and he could start showing the trailer to other people.

He burned me. Even though I had replaced the nasty, stained carpeting, painted, fixed the broken doors, etc. and left the place much cleaner them I found it, he flat-out told me, "Sue me kid, you won't be able to collect squat".

I tried suing him in district court, but it was futile - he was a deadbeat who knew the system inside and out.

So anyway, about a year later I am reading the paper during my break at the shop, when I see a news story: "Local man driven over by own vehicle, suspect in custody". The victim had the same first and last name as my old landlord; I turned back to the obituaries - HOT DAMN! It WAS him!

I was ecstatic at his bad luck! (I know, more unChristian thoughts.)

Later I was find out that the perpetrator was the guy who rented the trailer after me. The ex-landlord had been chased through a school playground in the middle of the night and driven over three times. Worse yet, the new renter guy was driving HIS (the deadbeat landlord's) car!

Time for a line from Jim Croce's(r.i.p.) song "Leroy Brown," "Yeah, teach him to go around taking people's money".

The second incident was about five years later, when I was playing bass in a band. The band rehearsed at my house, and sometimes various "friends of a friend" people would show up to listen.

While I was playing a gig one night, someone broke into my garage and stole about $1,000.00 worth of tools and such, including my new bicycle. Man was I pissed! I had never owned a new bike in my life and this one was only about 2 months old when it was stolen! No leads, no "renter's insurance", a total loss.

Then about a year later, a cop calls me up and says, "Hey, Mr. Cantarella, we have your stolen bike. We identified it from the serial number you gave us."

I'm like, "Really? Is it still in one piece?"

"Well, actually, it is crushed pretty bad. We've been holding it for evidence in a criminal matter that has now been settled."

Apparently, one of those "friend of a friend" people was the thief and, as he was riding my stolen bike down a road at about 3 a.m. on the night of the break-in, he was struck by a drunk driver and dragged a couple of hundred feet.

At that point, I told the cop they could just dispose of the bike.

See what I mean? I had invited the guy into my house, and he comes back to rip me off. BLAM! Karma set things right.

About two weeks ago I had some heating and cooling guys working at my house while none of my household was home. I wasn't extremely paranoid about them stealing anything or snooping though my stuff since they were restricted by a dead-bolted door between the basement and the rest of my home.

I had piled everything in my basement to one side as I was having the furnace and water-heater moved to the opposite end of my basement. I realized they were using some of my tools, but I figured that even if they "accidentally" took some small items like screwdrivers, their company had beat the next closest quote by almost a grand ($1000) so no great loss.

I cleaned up the mess when they were done, got most of the stuff back in place, and started framing in some walls.

Then it struck me. My saw, my power miter saw which I would never loan out because it has some dangerous idiosyncrasies, was gone.

Calling their boss was futile.

"My workmen would never steal from a customer's house! I'm insulted!" CLICK

The saw was worth less than the deductible on my home-owners' insurance. So I have to chalk it up to just another bad experience.

But I have to wonder: Since that saw does have a potentially dangerous little quirk, and Karma has been so good about catching up with people who have screwed me in the past, will I bump into one of those repairmen some day, and will he have all his fingers? Could happen.

I trust that "Instant Karma" is gonna get them, even if it takes a while.