This just in!

I thought I'd take a moment to update you on previous stories. I know you've all been on the edge of your seat.

I don't need glasses for distance vision yet after all. Turns out the statistically magical age for farsighted people to also need distance help is still 3 years away. However, my optometrist informs me that while bifocals aren't necessary, they certainly would help me - and I might want to get them while I apparently have the world's most generous insurance benefits. "Where does your husband work?" she asked, incredulous at the lavishness of our vision coverage. "King County," I replied. "Huh," she said, thinking. "Do they hire optometrists?" Anyway, I haven't decided what to do on that yet - reading glasses only, or bifocals plus reading glasses (still necessary for those long stints in front of a book or computer). Just because I can have the insurance pay for something doesn't mean I necessarily should, you know?

Friday our gargantuan tax payment was due, so I planned to photocopy and mail the tax return on my way to an afternoon meeting. Being self-employed, I frequently use the coin-operated photocopier at my local drug store, which I have never seen anybody else use. Seriously, I have wondered how they can afford to keep it, financed solely by my paltry photocopying needs. But yesterday, I showed up with my tax return, and there were three people waiting in line! For exactly the same reason as me, of course, which makes sense, but still, I was all - dude, what are these people doing at myphotocopier? Needless to say I saw all the same people five minutes later at the Post Office too. Tax day just brings us all together, doesn't it, the way it levels the social playing field? Anyway, what you're really dying to know is - did we have to fill out Form 2210? I could have - but the IRS is right, that is one butt-ugly form. And since the "EZ" calculation of our penalty comes to about $25, I decided it was well worth $25 of my life energy to avoid Form 2210. Next year, we are so getting a tax accountant.

We have tenants in one of our bird's nests again! Turns out, posting an ad on the Internet just might have worked! Only the robin's nest is occupied - I don't understand why no wrens are taking the bicycle helmet nest, that is one sweet crib - but at least we're not being totally spurned. Now I awaken every morning to the sweet robin song outside my window. At 5:30 am.