Its that time of year again...!

As long-time readers will know, I think tax day should be a national holiday as it already has many of the elements in place. This year residents of hell, who are now wearing long underwear and reminiscing fondly about fire and brimstone, may have guessed that the cause of their drastic climate change is the fact that for the first time in my life, I mailed my taxes a day early. But don't be alarmed, I'm still the extreme procrastinator I've always been, but for some reason the deadline of April 15th or the 1st business day thereafter was extended and the fact was completely unpublicized and I was sure they were due yesterday. I heard this morning that the date has been recently exteded by another two days for residents of the northeastern United States who recently experienced some inclement weather. Is Uncle Sam going soft on us?
I usually like to be part of the late-night crowd that takes advantage of the post office's special hours, so it was a little anti-climactic to just throw my envelopes in the slot. But it was extremely satisfying just to get them done at all! I never imagined the complications that moving to California would add to the process. First of all, California, being the location of the country's finest climate, has a special form for part-year residents that is so arbitrary and freakin' confusing that I really didn't think I'd make it to the end. Federal forms are mostly adding and subtracting ad nauseum with one little multiplication thrown in to keep you awake. Same for PA. Not so California! It is a smorgasbord of mathmatical operations that I was hard pressed to see the reasoning behind. Who made up these tax laws?
Late in the day yesterday, all forms were filled out, photocopies were made, and the last pesky return, the local taxes from the 15 days of 2006 that I spent living in Phoenixville remained my only obstacle. Now, being lazy and a procrastinator, I never corrected the payroll person at school who had neglected to change my address, so as far as the government was concerned, I was still living on Hares Hill Rd. It seemed like so much trouble to exlpain myself to them that I was on the verge of taking my Dad's advice and committing perjury. As I folded the form though, my skin began to burn and my blood pounded in my ears. I have a mortal fear of the law (which is hilarious, because I am such a square). If I were called on this "mistake', there is no way I could say with any conviction that I was not aware of having lived in the city of Philadelphia for 6 months and owing them taxes. So back to Kinko's I went, worked some magic with white-out and the copier, borrowed a calculator from the guy next to me, reported all 3 of my official addresses during the past year, and prorated the taxes owed and withheld. I am getting back $14 instead of $300, but I will not be fined or imprisoned, and that is worth $286 to me!

Pretzel Girl

Yesterday my nose touched my knee for the first time since I was maybe 9. A glorious reunion was also held between my feet and my forehead. I had not been to yoga in a while, but I definitely reached a new level! At first I was a little pissed that the teacher was not helping me as much as he used to, and then I realized it is possible that I have improved enough that I don't need as much attention! I have also been following a pretty challenging (for me) treadmill regime and doing strength training, both religiously. I have also not eaten refined sugar since, maybe Monday, and I DON'T MISS IT! Those of you who know me know that this is huge. I have been taking an herbal/holistic supplement to help control my blood sugar, that was I guess more out of control than I realized, and it is to this miracle capsule that I give a great portion of the credit for my success.
Why am I on such a fitness kick? I have been dropping small stinging complaints about my weight for months. Over the past 2 years I guess, I have been conducting an important, but not altogether conscious experiment wherein I ate like a college kid, exercised less than a vegetable and built myself a cozy protective layer. In the past I always lost weight effortlessly whenever I was in a relationship, although hindsight illuminates these periods of my life as emotionally berzerk. I kept saying to myself "don't worry about the weight, it always comes off when you're in love" until I realized that that was not a sustainable solution, that I needed to be in deep, true, lasting love with myself if I was to return to a healthier body. As we all know relationships with others that we love need our daily care and attention, and it is no different for self-love. I'm am being hyper vigilant right now because I saw myself becoming unhealthy and didn't like where that path was leading. Its like marriage counseling for the body/soul partnership; I have been doing so much inner work to heal the invisible parts of myself while my visible body was growing in a different direction, literally. The reconciliation is going well and I am excited both about the prospect of fitting into clothes I haven't been able to wear for a year and a half and the way it feels to make loving choices for myself. I mean there is treating yourself to a pint of ice cream and there is treating yourself to longevity and self confidence!

Mommy

I dropped my mom off at the airport at 5:30 this morning. She had been here for five days and leaves behind her a bit of grey sky, literally and figuratively.
We pretended we were at a spa, taking long walks, doing yoga, eating well with the occasional treat, and taking luxurious naps.
Her next stop is Missouri where I hear there is snow, but there is also going to be my sister and my niece, my grandmother and my aunt.
I sometimes cringe to hear people say family is the most important thing in thier lives. Well, it sure ain't all sunshine and lollypops, but I guess you realize more about its importance when its 3,000 miles away.