Annual Contest on My Royalty Check

I published a book back in 2002, with three other coauthors, and, to my amazement, I am still receiving royalty checks. Of course, the amount is diminishing, but for a very specialized technical book, that is still pretty encouraging.

Last year my sister and I started a little game to guess how much the amount of the royalty would be. We would each write our guess in an envelope, seal it, and store it in the safe. Then, when the royalty check arrives, the one whose guess is closer to the actual amount wins and is entitled to a free dinner at a fancy restaurant. Last year I was the winner, and both of us had overestimated. This year it turned out my sister was again more optimistic than I, but we both underestimated. Her guess was $723, and mine was $623. But the check came in at $792.61. Oh well. At least that is enough for the dinner. Maybe—if Uncle Sam does not take it away again by the dreaded AMT.