Today's the day, though. Your friends at the IRS stand ready to assist you with any last-minute questions, and they do hope you enjoy their elevator music version of "Bridge Over Troubled Waters." So file those forms, enclose your W-2s and send them off to the big IRS processing facility down south. Celebrate your civic contribution to the operation and management of the United States government, and be cheered that thanks to Uncle Ted, more money comes back to Alaska than we send to D.C.

After you've recovered from taxes, why not join Homer's tax accountants in some of these Best Bets?

BEST I'M WITH THE BAND BET: This isn't just your father's band. It could be your grandmother's, your neighbor's, your postal carrier's or your teacher's band. Heck, it's Homer's Community Band, Inlet Winds, the gang of civic musicians who get together each week for the joy of music. They perform an old-fashioned family band concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Mariner Theatre and are always a treat. It's free, too.

BEST THE FEW, THE PROUD, THE YELLOW SHIRTS BET: When the flames start licking at your outhouse, you'll praise the able men and women who wear the flame-retardant yellow shirts and keep wildfire from severely remodeling your cabin. Want to join 'em? The Alaska Division of Forestry and the Homer Volunteer Fire Department hold a 32-hour "red card" wildland firefighting course starting Saturday, continuing Sunday and running next weekend. Sign up at the fire hall; there is a small fee.

BEST LITTLE TINY CRITTERS BET: Yo, Homer artists: Get out the little tiny paintbrushes and the little tiny canvases and the little tiny pens. Kachemak Bay Research Reserve and the Pratt Museum hold "Making the Invisible Visible: Microscopic Ocean Art" from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, a workshop for local artists of all media to inspire them to create plankton artwork for a 2005 art and nature exhibit at the museum. Call 226-4659 to register.

BEST SILLY PEOPLE BET: Notice the preponderance of white up on the ridge? Ayup, there's snow in them thar hills. Spring and snow can only mean one thing: The annual Bridge Creek Classic ski race and extravaganza. Also known as the Mofos, the event starts at noon Saturday at Lookout Mountain on Ohlson Mountain Road. Look for signs.

BEST SOMEONE LEFT THE CAKE IN THE RAIN BET: Dust off your old powder-blue tux or silver-lame gown, see if your kid will loan you his Beemer, and head over to Homer High for "The Last Chance Dance: An Adult Prom" from 6-9 p.m. Sunday at the high school gym, with music by Too Fat to Fly. Tickets are $25 and benefit the Mariner Booster Club for cocurricular travel expenses.

EST CELEBRATE LIBRARIES BET: It's National Library Week, so join the Library Advisory Board and all library committees in a celebration with an update on the New Library project at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Homer Council on the Arts.