i finally got around to doing my taxes today, after a gauntlet of procrastination. i knew i had to pay, but wasn't in a hurry to find out how much. i'm going with turbotax home & business this year, which as far as i know, is just the same as the regular deluxe version with maybe some more questions related to the home & business. i just happen to have both versions, and when i ran the h&b file through the deluxe version, the numbers were the same. anyway, after punching in my numbers, i was surprised to discover that i actually owe less than half of what i thought i'd be paying. in fact, i'm actually getting a refund from the state - a mere $13, but a refund nonetheless.

riding the momentum, i went ahead and did taxes for my 2nd aunt. for the past few years i've been doing her taxes and my sister's as well. it's not a big deal using a taxing software, just type in a few figures and print out the forms.

i paid a visit to the community garden in the afternoon. the annual garden kickoff meeting is actually tonight, but i'll have to miss it because i'm going to a lecture instead. i planted some snow peas and a row of cypress vines. no new weeds except for a few hardy ground ivy which i pulled out by hand. i noticed the chinese lanterns were starting to sprout. i thought about relocating them last year, but their underground roots are fragile and break easily, so i left them in place.

the lecture at 5:30 was about preceramic civilization in the andean mountains. it's the first harvard lecture i've attended that wasn't natural history related, and entirely having to do with archaeology. the talk was about caral, a large city from the 2600 BC to 2000 BC dotted with pyramids that predated those of egypt. there was a sizable audience, but mostly silverfoxes with a graduate student or two.

on my way back i spotted a white honda shadow spirit 750, the exact same model that i own. it was parked by the lesley schools. i'd never seen another one before, and just blocks away from where mine was parked! because these bikes have digital readouts, i couldn't tell how many miles it had, but it looked to be in pretty good shape. i didn't see any modifications, other than a pair of saddlebag brackets (i also have brackets, along with a backrest and a windshield). i hoping this is a regular and i might get to meet the rider one of these days.

i had instant noodles for dinner, which made me feel gross afterwards. i should swear off ramen altogether. there are a million things to eat that taste better and healthier.

in the evening i ordered a few things for my friend frances in norway (children shoes and sunglasses). initially i wasn't sure if i'd be able to do it, but after finally figuring out my taxes and realizing i wouldn't be bankrupt, i got the go ahead. even though i'm not really buying for myself, it was still fun ordering things online (i may be a shopaholic). i managed to find a few discount codes and saved frances some money.