THERE'S ONE FOR YOU, NINETEEN FOR ME ...

Well, I've been wondering when that tax rebate is finally going to get here -- based on my Social Security number, it should have been mailed out more than a week ago, according to the IRS's posted schedule. But tonight, when going through a number of rebate FAQs, I found that that schedule only applies if the IRS processed my return by April 15 -- and since I filed postmarked April 14, that's unlikely. Which means that I could be getting that check, oh, sometime this year. Sigh.

I hate needing stuff like that. Because I tend to think this rebate is a bit of a shell game -- it's not really going to stimulate the economy; most of us are going to bank the money (or buy gas or pay the rent); while some will blow it and further feed their cycle of Buying Stuff They Don't Need And Didn't Even Know They Wanted Until They Had A Wad Of Cash, an impulse that torpedos personal finance.

Still ... that six hundred bucks will almost pay a month's rent.

I'll call the IRS's toll-free number tomorrow just in case any info is available. (The check-status Web sites have no info for me, which indicates it hasn't been sent yet.) Heh, the last four digits are 1040. Which probably shouldn't amuse me, but it does.