Almost any day without a kidney stone beats one with; even paying taxes wasn't terribly traumatic this year (not only did we come out almost even, balancing federal and state returns, but the amounts owed in both directions were in the low three figures).

I did have a boss once who had migraines that were so bad he failed to realize he had a kidney stone until quite late in the process, because he'd been told the pain of the stones would be unprecedentedly excruciating....

Gearing up for the end of semester rush, and thinking about Virginia Tech.... oh, and trying to teach chess to a five-year-old. That's my life these days.

Hang in there!

So, is the kidney stone gone? Or is it sitting back waiting for round two??

I haven't had a migraine since the mid-70s, Jonathan and I do remember the pain being devastating. But the more recent pain takes precedence in my brain. :)

Paying taxes sounds like a breeze in comparision. Especially since it sounds like you planned really well for this year!

(Chess? A five year-old? After he learns, can he teach me?)

I don't know, Dail. They said I was in for a rough couple of days but that the pain meds would help a lot. Right now, I'm so tanked up on percocet, I don't feel like there's anything wrong with me at all. :)

Tomorrow, I need to call that job place back and see why their HR guy never called. I can live with the usual, "we'll be in touch" from an interviewer who has a lot of prospects, but a "this guy will call you Friday" that doesn't materialize seems to me to leave me an opening to follow up. Right?

Yep, I'd sure follow up and see what happened with HR guy.

Hey, I've got good meds, too! *g* Lortabs so I can feel no pain in the arm...

Better living through chemistry....*bg*

Got a letter from the company yesterday saying they'd hired someone else. Shrug.

Oh, well. The way things are going, I guess it's good I didn't get a job yet. It's looking like I'm going to need to have time to go spend with my Mom.

Strategy is still a problem. But after a week of almost-daily playing, he's got the pieces' moves down, mostly. We're still playing for fun: I can only take one of his pieces if I ask first...

Oh, and the taxes thing isn't so much a matter of planning as of having a very consistent set of revenues and deductions.... Dumb luck, really.