the buzz log

Oh, ye of little preparation. Your resolve is keen, your spirit willing, but your financial organization skills land you in the annual tax-filing panic.

But why be negative on the ides of April? You, not your snide "I-already-got-my-refund-AND-Bush-personally-signed-my- economic-stimulus-tax-rebate" colleagues, will be bonding with other hanger-ons at the Post Office today. You can all chortle about the past 7 days, how you scrambled online for the "irs mailing address" (+977%), "2007 form 1040 instructions" (+644%), and  "2007 irs tax rate tables" (+368%).

A few slackers will draw a laugh with their admissions that they looked for "free online tax preparation" (+378%) and "free turbo tax 2007" (+202%), and found out it's really for the people who filed a return only for the rebate. Others will collectively bemoan their writer's cramp from filling out sheets like the "irs form 6251" (+163%) and "form 4868" (+141%). Hopefully more than a few will explain they had success from searching on "free answers to tax questions" (+184%). All will roll on the ground over the frenetic misspellings like "irs.gob" and "trubo tax."

The nice thing about this government-sponsored bonding experience is how it unites brethren of all ages (for age does not wither the procrastinating instinct), and men and women alike. If your neighborhood lacks these johnny-come-latelies, here is where your brethren lie, based on "irs" look-ups in the past 7 days: