I got my tax bill today. Due to the sale of all assets of the coffee shop, I owe a big chunk. I was beginning to think about leaving town without forwarding address, until Kirsten said, what about all the money in the cupboard?

It's a long story, the money in the cupboard. With moving out to the Mall (capitalized, naturally) I left my bank downtown. I get off work at 4. My bank downtown closes at 4. I stuff my deposits into the bank machine at the Mall. I am given, every day, large amounts of change from people's purses and pockets, as I think I've mentioned. I can't stuff these large amounts of change into the bank machine. So, to keep them from choking up my safe, I started bringing them home with the idea of one day making it to my real bank.

This of course never happened. So tonight, in the despair engendered by the tax bill, I counted my cupboard full of money. Since those of you who know where I live aren't burglars, I'll tell you: 3726.00 worth of two dollar coins, quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies. For some reason, nobody gives me one dollar coins. This, in the spirit of money under mattresses, will go a fair way towards paying my tax bill. And depending on how I feel, I might just take it to the government and dump it on the counter. Voici, Madame ou Monsieur/ Here, Mr. or Ms. taxman, is all your money. (this is Canada, after all) Hope you've got a bank that's open past 4pm.

Tomorrow I get to go dress up in a bear mascot suit and dance by the side of the road to entice people to visit the karate bake sale, fun fair etc. Should be a laugh.

My midterm did indeed go well. I got 87%, and I'm really happy about that as the class average was 60%. So tonight I feel better about the whole thing. I was beginning to wonder if maybe I had gotten in over my head. With getting permission to skip the pre-requisites for the the 300 level courses, I felt a bit in the deep end, and so compensated for that the only way I knew how... studying obsessively.

Ian has the sickness Rachel had. I still haven't managed to throw it off. Stress, I'm guessing. I'm once again making turtle cookies for a bake sale. And contemplating weeding my bean patch. Which is growing nicely. Also my lettuces. Peas are a bit scraggly, and something's eating the radishes as fast as the leaves come up. No sign of carrots yet. Slow growing root vegetables. Graeme will be here on Tuesday. Yay!

Long week. Rachel is better, and her birthday was all right, although a bit low key because she hasn't been well. I had to go with her to Brownies on Wednesday night, as they were doing year-end things. Then Thursday I went to Simon Fraser for my Crim 330 midterm (which went well, despite my obsessing) and stayed overnight there in the residence, as the test went til 9:30 at night. Came back Friday to work (this entailed getting up at 5 am to catch the 830am ferry...) and then yesterday I did Rachel's birthday party with her little friends, swimming and cake.

Graeme will be here soon, it will be good to see him.