April 15th, 2010: D-DAY
My normal taxes proceedure is to get them filed as soon as I receive my W-2 forms. I quickly filled out my online tax forms, only to discover I owed the tax man a few hundred. While all my friends celebrated their multi-hundred dollar returns, I tried to fit another deduction from my budget. Because I was paying, I was in no hurry to cut the government a check. Fast forward to April 15th. Federal taxes barely filed that morning and still the daunting State Income Tax. I had never had to do state taxes before (living in Washington) and did not want to go through the rigamarole. 4:00 pm... 6:00 pm... 8:00 pm... finally around 9:00 pm I finished my paperwork (with a little help from my friends), and headed over to the post office. I arrived to a bustle of cars mailing similar white envelopes, only to discover I didn't have stamps. I then drove across town to the Post Office that was actually open with employees (instead of just a drop box) only to hear that they didn't sell stamps. Drove over to Walmart to buy stamps. Left, to then notice I didn't have a pen to fill out the envelope. Back to Walmart to borrow a pen. Envelope in hand, I drove BACK to the post office at 10:30. It was rather comical: an endless stream of cars driving through a round-about, all sticking an envelope out their window, which is immediately grabbed and placed in a bucket by an out-door assistant to The Man. I felt the anarchistish camaraderie...
THEN!
I sped off for home (after realizing I slipped on the wrong freeway) to meet my friend on her bicycle in our parking lot. I ran upstairs, grabbed my bike to ride downtown. Us two met two more at a bar downtown for Goldfish Races. Masses of people crowded around two rain gutters as competitors coax their gold fish to swim down the line and run fish-head-first into the end of the gutter - claiming their prize ($125 bar tab). After cheering and flashing my camera for an hour-plus, we headed a few blocks down to a Karaoke bar. Horrid singing, but they all Karaoked just fine. 
What a day!
