Enough "excelsior", already!

An addendum to Coronation: Lucan's harbinger led the procession in and out of Court with what was clearly intended to be a Kingdom anthem; I don't know if it was new, but I don't remember hearing it before. It wasn't high art, and didn't sound quite period to my untrained ear, but it did succeed in having an irritatingly catchy refrain. (Which, I suppose, was the point: by the fifth verse, he had pretty much the entire hall in on the act.) And I am now earwormed with it to the point of wondering if beating my head against the wall will knock it out of there...

Enough "excelsior", already!

An addendum to Coronation: Lucan's harbinger led the procession in and out of Court with what was clearly intended to be a Kingdom anthem; I don't know if it was new, but I don't remember hearing it before. It wasn't high art, and didn't sound quite period to my untrained ear, but it did succeed in having an irritatingly catchy refrain. (Which, I suppose, was the point: by the fifth verse, he had pretty much the entire hall in on the act.) And I am now earwormed with it to the point of wondering if beating my head against the wall will knock it out of there...

A Maze of Twisty Little Instructions, All Alike

There -- the draft of the taxes is done. (This year I did the draft and msmemory does the review, since I had the day off.) They really do manage to make it just a little more complicated each year: I'm pretty sure I got it all right, but I am reminded of why so many people are intimidated by the idea of doing their own taxes. We're a little too stubborn for it, but there were a few moments in the middle that I wished for an accountant. As it was, it probably took about six hours, and we're submitting something like fifteen sheets of paper. (And I remind myself that my finances are downright simple compared to my father's.)

I still don't understand the logic of the Alternative Minimum Tax in the slightest: the numbers say that we're still under it, fortunately, but damned if I grok *why*, or when we're likely to cross that line. That makes me perpetually nervous...

A Maze of Twisty Little Instructions, All Alike

There -- the draft of the taxes is done. (This year I did the draft and msmemory does the review, since I had the day off.) They really do manage to make it just a little more complicated each year: I'm pretty sure I got it all right, but I am reminded of why so many people are intimidated by the idea of doing their own taxes. We're a little too stubborn for it, but there were a few moments in the middle that I wished for an accountant. As it was, it probably took about six hours, and we're submitting something like fifteen sheets of paper. (And I remind myself that my finances are downright simple compared to my father's.)

I still don't understand the logic of the Alternative Minimum Tax in the slightest: the numbers say that we're still under it, fortunately, but damned if I grok *why*, or when we're likely to cross that line. That makes me perpetually nervous...