The Week in Review

Has it really been a week? I guess so. Let's see if we can remember the highlights.

• I did my taxes this week. Took all of two evenings to compile, research, and e-file. I realized last week that for the past 10 years or so, I've prepared my taxes the first weekend of February with disturbing consistency. I guess I had more important things to do last weekend. But when you're getting a check (or, preferrably, a deposit) from Uncle Samuel, there's no point in waiting longer than necessary, right? At any rate, I say its about time for the FairTax.
• I exchanged approximately 37 e-mails with the Customer No-Service Department of a company that rhymes with Glockbuster. I have an online rental account with said company and my last bill was wrong. Uh, oh. You might think you can hoodwink the old lady down the street, Mr. Glockbuster, but not me. I'm on to your game! I'm not really that cynical, but neither am I interested in being over-charged. So I set about to set it straight. And, after almost a week, they came to see more clearly the way of salvation. I almost wanted the problem to remain unresolved because the No-Service Specialists used very flowery and genuflect-ary language. "I appreciate the time you spent to notify us..." "It is really my pleasure being of service to you..." "...feel free to e-mail me and I would glady attend to all of your concerns..." "Please accept my deepest and most sincere apologies..." "Thank you so much for your patience and understanding..." "We have the mental capacity of maple syrup..."
• On Thursday, I traveled (with my oldest son) out to the land of my ancestry to visit my grandfather and his wife, who Jonathon insisted upon calling "Your Mother." "Where is your Mother, Grandpa?" "Uh, well, she's been dead for about 70 years." We were in the area for just about 24 hours. Grandpa had his hip replaced recently and Grandma had surgery to remove a tumor from her brain, so they aren't exactly keeping up with their golf handicap if you know what I mean. But we had good visits with them (he's at home trying to do the bachelor thing and she was still in the hospital), and they appear to be doing better.
• On the way out on Thursday, Jonathon and I stopped at the Hogback Mountain overlook in Vermont to eat our lunch. When Jonathon first saw the view, he exclaimed, "Wow, this is amazing...I can see everything from up here! We are on top of the world and I can see another planet." And then he was quiet and said reverently, "I can almost hear God." "Those people down there can't hear Him," he said, pointing down to the valley, "but I can almost hear God." Someday, kid. The rest of the trip, he kept raving about the big, huge, giant mountain hills.

So, there you have it - all the news from our neck of Lake Woebegon. Oh, and I do remember sleeping a few times in there.