Long story, but Virgina was wrong (and I was also sorta wrong) about my taxes. The problem is I sent in a 2007 form last April, instead of a 2008 form, so they applied it as a modification of my 2007 return instead of as my 2008 return. It was sent in an envelope with a 2008 W-2 form and my 2008 dc tax return, and it uses numbers taken from those forms, but somehow the system didn't notice that. I suppose I should pay more attention to what year the form is for, but when you're just grabbing them off the website sometimes it gets lost in the details. I thought I was going to get a run-around from the VA tax phone line but really they were quite helpful. Net result: I don't owe VA anything for 2007, and they still owe me about $1900 for 2008 (minus late fees maybe). This is my reminder to call them back in 3 weeks to make sure everything is okay (also make sure they have "NW" in the new address).

Maybe I should find an accountant next year for my taxes. It'll be the first time I'd have to factor in capital gains (or losses) from stocks and I have a feeling that's going to be pretty complicated.

I was watching Cops that other day. It's not a show I watch at all regularly, I think I was reading or something else at the time and it happened to come on. Anyway, the cops had set up a fake drug dealer to bust people who were walking up to the house and buying drugs. The guy would be walking back to his car and two cops would run out from behind the bushes, tackle him to the group, and arrest him. At one point a cop said "Are you feeling smart now? You just bought fake marijuana!" Their stakeout is for busting marijuana buyers?!? Aren't they still considering legalizing that in California? I'm fairly indifferent about whether they make it legal or not, but it seems like the cops should pick a harder drug to stake out. It's like setting up a sting operation in Utah for people who are selling beer with too high an alcohol content.

Just watched three videos of Lady Gaga on youtube because I had no idea who she was. It's not to my taste.

(Jason Zweig about stock traders who lose more money than simply holding their initial investment would have returned)
"But the real reason, the real force that drives that disappointing return, I think, is psychological. The very moment when something is the most painful to own, it's most likely to be a future bargain. So if you sell something that hurts to own, you're very likely to end up getting rid of something you should have held onto."