It's one of the two guarantees: death and taxes. And if you haven't finished your taxes yet, you might wish you were dead. But instead of letting Uncle Sam get you down, get out and have some fun — for free. This week you can get weird at the carnival, have a stoney conversation, or embarrass yourself and others. For more options, check out our calendar — and let us know in the comments section if we missed any bargains.
Bruce Barcott Weed the People Book Discussion at Denver Press Club (6:30 p.m. Tuesday, free)
Kudos to Bruce Barcott on the name of this book alone. But once you get past the pun, this is a very informative riff on the ramifications of the war on drugs. As a resident of Washington state with Colorado ties, he realized the rest of the country has lots of questions about the green states, so he penned this book. Come hear all about it from Barcott.

Tax Day Carnival at McNichols Building (6 p.m. Wednesday, free)
For some people, filing income-tax forms results in big paydays — but for others it's a big wallet-opener. Blow off some steam at the Tax Day Carnival hosted by our friends from Warm Cookies of the Revolution. You can learn about where your money is actually going — or simply try to forget the shakedown as you enjoy live magic, acrobats, circus freaks, ice sculptures and all kinds of other activities.

My Teenage Angst at The Deer Pile (8 p.m. Thursday, free)
If you haven't embraced your angst yet, you must be living in denial. So dust off that high school diary, read it to a group of strangers and have a big weight removed — because you were probably way cooler than you realize. Of course, it's always easier to laugh at someone else's pain — so you could just sit there and do that, too. Sign up here if you want to read, or just show up at the Deer Pile.

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