I've been noticing all day that there is a pall of gloom hanging over everything. The sky is charcoal, but it just won't start raining. The temperature is not pleasantly warm or cool, but has the feeling of a just broken fever that makes you want a shower. Add on to that, my usual difficulty with running errands bothered me more than usual. First I needed to go to the pharmacy, but I was 5 minutes down the road before I realized I left the prescriptions at home. Turn around. Back on the road. I'm trying to cover the darkness of the sky by putting down the sun visor, thinking that will somehow fool my subconscious and the feeling of anxiety in the pit of my stomach will relent. Alas no. I get to the pharmacy, drop off, ask directions to the grocery store that I know is right around one of these corners. I manage to take a wrong turn in the 1/4 mile to the store and end up taking a 15 minute drive to Walmart. The Walmart is weirder than usual, all disheveled while being remodeled. We all know I'm chronically spastic, but I just can't shake it all with a sunny attitude like usual...

And then it hits me. I know why this day is so wrong and unpleasant and weird. It's tax day. I filed my taxes months ago, and thankfully received a refund, but the mass wiriness and anxiety of the rest of American society somehow seeped in to the weather, and in to me. Ew!

So to all of you who must pay taxes today, I send a heartfelt shoulder rub. And do this one little exercise that will help, DO NOT, under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, think for one second about where that money is going EXCEPT for the support of our armed forces. That's it. Pretend it's a check straight to them. That's the only way I can stand to look at my pay stub every month.

I say that even knowing I am on the state government payroll as a teacher. But trust me, if you saw what I see at my job everyday, you'd be on the lawn of every capital with a big sign asking for school vouchers. Sigh!