My letter was published in the Seattle Times on Saturday. I don't know if anyone read it. No one I know reads the Seattle Times. Hell, I don't read the Seattle Times. It was just a fluke that I happened to look at their editorial page on line the other day and saw their piece on the estate tax.

It wasn't exactly a festive fourth, but it was nice. I had a couple of friends over and we sat outside and barbecued and then watched the fireworks on TV. They were pretty decent fireworks; I'm sure they would've been spectacular in person. But battling the traffic and the crowds just doesn't seem to be worth it.

Poor Rose was a nervous wreck last night. She doesn't handle the noise very well. Next year I should see about getting her a doggie tranquilizer from the vet.

I had a run-in with the Discover Card folks on the phone the other day. I called to find out about my cash-back bonus, and they told me that my card doesn't have one. I used to have one, so I asked her about it, and she told me that they switched me to my current card at my request because it's a lower-interest-rate card. I explained to them that I would never do that because I pay my bill in full every month. Then I asked to talk to a manager, and she infuriated me even more. She said that I said I wanted a lower-rate card. I told her that was a lie, and then she denied saying it. I told her to cancel my account.

Then I found a Chase Visa card that offers a cash-back bonus.