Netflix has a weird sense of humor sometimes. When I go to the "Browse" page, they give me a list of DVDs they recommend, based on my recent rentals and ratings. Today the movies they want me to see are, in order from the top: The Wizard of Oz, Toy Story, Sleeping Beauty, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, and Fight Club.

I'm not sure how they can recommend anything, since the last few DVDs I've rated have been lowly one- or two-star movies in my opinion. I think the last one I gave four stars to was The Last Metro, when I was having my Truffaut festival in December.

I didn't get any homework done last night, but I went through this week's assignment today in about twenty minutes. I'll look it over several more times between now and Tuesday's class.

But I peeked ahead at the rest of this chapter, and it's a little intimidating. I think we're suddenly supposed to be carrying on extended sign language conversations, when I'm still struggling with the difference between "6" and "9". (I have "7" and "8" down pat.)

Actually, I understand pretty quickly now when someone else signs those numbers, but when I'm trying to sign them myself I have to stop and think. And count. Six-seven-eight. Must be that finger.

Since I noticed that the government allows me an extra ten days to file one of my tax forms, I of course put that one aside for, oh, about ten more days. Maybe my new typewriter ribbon will arrive before then. I borrowed a typewriter from Suzanne to get my emergency W-2 repairs done today, and it was fine, although I had problems getting the print tucked into the little boxes. It took me a few practice tries, but there's nothing unusual about that.

I have just one thing left to do tomorrow morning before I go to the post office. I have to finish filling out a business license form for one of the cities where we have ongoing work. (If I call it Mudville, minor league baseball fans will know what city I mean.) For some reason, this medium-sized municipal government asks more questions (some very personal ones, too) than the state and federal governments do.

Tonight I worked until I literally couldn't see the page any more. That's the only reason I left it until morning to finish the Mudville business license.

If I hadn't had a phone call from an old friend in the middle of the afternoon, I might have made it to the end of my to-do list today. The January section of it, anyway. But I'll tell you what. That call made all the difference in my mood, and I told him so.

He's a former co-worker who phones me once or twice a year, and it totally cheered me up to hear his voice today. We talked mostly about old times, and a little about politics and the Super Bowl. One of his best qualities is that he always laughs at my jokes, even when I don't know I've said anything funny until after I hear him laugh.

If I really needed someone to blame (other than the obvious) for yesterday's fiasco, I'd go with the State of California. They require a year-end "reconciliation statement" for unemployment and payroll taxes I've paid. Obviously, they should ask me to reconcile my payroll records at least once a month, if they expect me to have my books in balance. Otherwise this could happen every year (unless I do my own internal reconciliation once a month; I'm glad I thought of that).