Death and Taxes

For now I've eluded Death; taxes is another story. The last scrap of financial data I needed to complete our 2007 taxes arrived yesterday. I had already added up all the medical expenses for the year that was, a tidy sum. I gathered up the forms this morning and carted them off to my accountant, only to find I was missing some obscure 1099 from an UGMA I'd rolled into a CollegeBound fund. One form. That's not too bad considering my brain is still recovering from considerable chemo strafing. Augmenting the financial migraine is the notice Swarthmore sent informing us that tuition is rising 4 point something percent next year. I wonder if we get a discount if we pay in gold. Or oil. Speaking of oil, our most recent home heating bill was higher than our monthly mortgage payment. My stimulus check is going straight into the furnace.

I think Ben Franklin's remark ennumerating the only certain things in life needs to be modified:

In this world, nothing is certain but death, taxes, tuition increases and freezing our butts off.