| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Mmmmmm fried okra.
That's right.
EDIT: That's... you know, never mind.
I'm putting it away.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
In other news, all my tax paperwork is all packed up and ready to be dropped off with my accountant. After watching multiple videos from multiple sources about how OTHER countries handle taxation in a rational manner ("Here's what we think your taxes are. Look over this and let us know whether you disagree."), having to spend several hours getting together my paperwork just so I can pay my accountant $800 to figure the mess out for me is...
...infuriating.On the bright side, with the solar installation this year, I'm just as happy to hand my taxes over to an accountant so he can squeeze every last tax break out of it for me.
Here, if you are employed, with the work done at the employment contract(s) being your sole source of income, and don't have any special tax discounts, you simply copy the numbers from the yearly tax summary document that your employer is legally obligated to provide to you into your own tax report that you deliver to tax office...
And recently (one or two years), in such cases the tax office will generate the report automatically online.
It becomes messier if you have mixed income from different sources, as you need to fill the tax report yourself (or hire an accountant).
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
...Here, if you are employed, with the work done at the employment contract(s) being your sole source of income, and don't have any special tax discounts, you simply copy the numbers from the yearly tax summary document that your employer is legally obligated to provide to you into your own tax report that you deliver to tax office...
And recently (one or two years), in such cases the tax office will generate the report automatically online.
It becomes messier if you have mixed income from different sources, as you need to fill the tax report yourself (or hire an accountant).
Yeah, my situation's pretty complex, even by U.S. standards: In addition to GothBard and I working, we have rental income from a family-owned home and stocks given by my company in lieu of raises.
U.S. tax law then lets you deduct from a list of (literally) thousands of qualifying deductions, such as:
- Impus Major in college
- Mortgage deductions
- Home repair deductions
- Solar tax credits
- Charitable donations
- Home depreciation
So yeah, I'm just as happy to pay someone else to do it.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
It is good to know there are other people in the world around to eat okra so I dont have to.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Yesterday, WW took the kids to his mom's for most of the day because I had decided to drag every single sewing/knitting/random crafting bin I own out of the garage, my closet, and the laundry closet, dump them all out in the middle of the living room, sort, reorganize, and label them, so when I want to make or fix something, I can d*mned well find what I need. I got about 3/4 done. And threw a bunch of useless crap I'd saved in the trash or the recycling. And took two big boxes of recycling to the gathering station at the library. And made a Tunisian stew for dinner, with couscous.
Today, we were supposed to start book 5 of Ruins of Azlant, but WW's dad and stepmom want to get together and go to the Arboretum, so I'm hoping if I get really organized this morning, we can still do a shorter session this evening. We will see.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
And yet another example of why the world is the way it is.
GothBard LOVES My Chemical Romance, and they've announced a reunion tour. It may be the only time they ever tour again. So of course, the moment tickets went on sale, scalpers slurped them all up and started offering them at 2-4x face price.
At that point, my decision is always, "Oh, well. I can't buy tickets from them because it will just perpetuate such behavior."
GothBard's decision was, "It may by the only time I ever get to see them live," and ordered tickets through a scalping site. Paying 4x retail, and then a secret 33% "service fee" on top of it, plus the tickets won't be mailed until 2 days before the concert to ensure she can't try to resell them herself.
It's just the usual: If everyone drove cooperatively, traffic jams would vanish. If everyone refused to buy from scalpers, scalping would evaporate. But because "everyone does it", you're considered foolish for trying to stick to your ideals and drive cooperatively in spite of everyone else, or to skip concerts because "no scalpers".
I'll just be staying in my slow lane now, thanks...
EDIT: And my complaint is more of a, "Don't buy from scalpers and then complain to me about them," than, "You're a horrible person for doing it."
If you're perpetuating a thing you dislike, that's your decision, but I don't want to hear you complain about it.
| 5 people marked this as a favorite. |
W00t!
Side benefit of WW not working until 2 am on Saturdays anymore, he woke up like a human being, is NOT a grumpy b*st*rd, and is making pancakes for the kids.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
W00t!
Side benefit of WW not working until 2 am on Saturdays anymore, he woke up like a human being, is NOT a grumpy b*st*rd, and is making pancakes for the kids.
Whoa, whoa, whoa!!! Who is he and what happened to WW?!? He must be an imposter!
Glad that he got some sleep! I know what it is like to be that tired.
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
W00t!
Side benefit of WW not working until 2 am on Saturdays anymore, he woke up like a human being, is NOT a grumpy b*st*rd, and is making pancakes for the kids.
Whoa, whoa, whoa!!! Who is he and what happened to WW?!? He must be an imposter!
Glad that he got some sleep! I know what it is like to be that tired.
LMAO, right?!?
Even stranger: instead of denying that his pancakes are gooey in the middle, he ASKED MY ADVICE. Turns out, after 20.5 years of marriage, he had no idea about the "when to flip 'em" trick my mom taught me when I was nine, namely, waiting until the bubbles on the surface have popped and the surface is kind of shiny. And he said "Oh, wow, I'll try that next!" instead of dismissively lying that "Oh, yeah, I've done that, that doesn't work" or "That's what I was already doing".
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
And yet another example of why the world is the way it is.
GothBard LOVES My Chemical Romance, and they've announced a reunion tour. It may be the only time they ever tour again. So of course, the moment tickets went on sale, scalpers slurped them all up and started offering them at 2-4x face price.
At that point, my decision is always, "Oh, well. I can't buy tickets from them because it will just perpetuate such behavior."
GothBard's decision was, "It may by the only time I ever get to see them live," and ordered tickets through a scalping site. Paying 4x retail, and then a secret 33% "service fee" on top of it, plus the tickets won't be mailed until 2 days before the concert to ensure she can't try to resell them herself.It's just the usual: If everyone drove cooperatively, traffic jams would vanish. If everyone refused to buy from scalpers, scalping would evaporate. But because "everyone does it", you're considered foolish for trying to stick to your ideals and drive cooperatively in spite of everyone else, or to skip concerts because "no scalpers".
I'll just be staying in my slow lane now, thanks...
EDIT: And my complaint is more of a, "Don't buy from scalpers and then complain to me about them," than, "You're a horrible person for doing it."
If you're perpetuating a thing you dislike, that's your decision, but I don't want to hear you complain about it.
ugh.
Been there before. I'm sorry.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
W00t!
Side benefit of WW not working until 2 am on Saturdays anymore, he woke up like a human being, is NOT a grumpy b*st*rd, and is making pancakes for the kids.
Whoa, whoa, whoa!!! Who is he and what happened to WW?!? He must be an imposter!
Glad that he got some sleep! I know what it is like to be that tired.
LMAO, right?!?
Even stranger: instead of denying that his pancakes are gooey in the middle, he ASKED MY ADVICE. Turns out, after 20.5 years of marriage, he had no idea about the "when to flip 'em" trick my mom taught me when I was nine, namely, waiting until the bubbles on the surface have popped and the surface is kind of shiny. And he said "Oh, wow, I'll try that next!" instead of dismissively lying that "Oh, yeah, I've done that, that doesn't work" or "That's what I was already doing".
clearly, he and I must have a pankcake-off.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I make swedish pancakes, taught to me personally by my swedish grandmother.
So, if anyone is winning a pancake off, it's me.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
And yet another example of why the world is the way it is.
GothBard LOVES My Chemical Romance, and they've announced a reunion tour. It may be the only time they ever tour again. So of course, the moment tickets went on sale, scalpers slurped them all up and started offering them at 2-4x face price.
At that point, my decision is always, "Oh, well. I can't buy tickets from them because it will just perpetuate such behavior."
GothBard's decision was, "It may by the only time I ever get to see them live," and ordered tickets through a scalping site. Paying 4x retail, and then a secret 33% "service fee" on top of it, plus the tickets won't be mailed until 2 days before the concert to ensure she can't try to resell them herself.It's just the usual: If everyone drove cooperatively, traffic jams would vanish. If everyone refused to buy from scalpers, scalping would evaporate. But because "everyone does it", you're considered foolish for trying to stick to your ideals and drive cooperatively in spite of everyone else, or to skip concerts because "no scalpers".
I'll just be staying in my slow lane now, thanks...
EDIT: And my complaint is more of a, "Don't buy from scalpers and then complain to me about them," than, "You're a horrible person for doing it."
If you're perpetuating a thing you dislike, that's your decision, but I don't want to hear you complain about it.
I feel ya',
I, Personally, do not buy from a 3rd-party site online because you can never know whether or not they are a complete scam.As poor as I am, I would rather buy direct from the box office, or Ticketmaster, and KNOW that my overpriced tickets are actually going to let me into the door. As opposed to all the horror stories you hear about people getting great deals on tickets, and never getting them, or even worse they are complete fakes.
Safety tip- If you see a website selling tickets online, before the Venue or Ticketmaster has them up for sale,
At best, they are selling you a PROMISE for tickets they cannot guarantee, At worst, it is just a scam site.
;P
EDIT- Oh yeah, go buy from who you want to. But don't cry to me when it turns out to be a fake! ;P
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
I don't go to concerts (unless the entry is free, and even then rarely). That solves the problems with tickets and all such fuss...
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
"It's BAD, and then, you think "it can't get any worse" and then, it gets REALLY BAD!" - Tiny T-Rex, after watching Spider-Man 3 with Toby McGuire.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Yesterday, WW took the kids to his mom's for most of the day because I had decided to drag every single sewing/knitting/random crafting bin I own out of the garage, my closet, and the laundry closet, dump them all out in the middle of the living room, sort, reorganize, and label them, so when I want to make or fix something, I can d*mned well find what I need. I got about 3/4 done. And threw a bunch of useless crap I'd saved in the trash or the recycling. And took two big boxes of recycling to the gathering station at the library. And made a Tunisian stew for dinner, with couscous.
Oh man, that was satisfying just reading about it.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Yesterday, WW took the kids to his mom's for most of the day because I had decided to drag every single sewing/knitting/random crafting bin I own out of the garage, my closet, and the laundry closet, dump them all out in the middle of the living room, sort, reorganize, and label them, so when I want to make or fix something, I can d*mned well find what I need. I got about 3/4 done. And threw a bunch of useless crap I'd saved in the trash or the recycling. And took two big boxes of recycling to the gathering station at the library. And made a Tunisian stew for dinner, with couscous.
WAY TO GO! That is awesomely hard to do, at times! Well done!
Today, we were supposed to start book 5 of Ruins of Azlant, but WW's dad and stepmom want to get together and go to the Arboretum, so I'm hoping if I get really organized this morning, we can still do a shorter session this evening. We will see.
Hope it's great, no matter what!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Regarding the food discussion, I think its easier to lists the things I dont like.
OMG it makes me puke:
Asparagus.
So, I love asparagus, but...
I can smell the same thing on me when I eat it.
Is that weird? It seems like it should be weird.
Absolutely do not like:
Pickles
Pickled onions
Celery
Rosemary/lavender
Olives (all kinds)
After a youth of off-and-on despising them I have grown into pickles (though I'm still rather averse to the sweet pickles - dill aaaaaaaaaaaaall the way), haven't tried pickled onions, like celery as a perfect "wow this is totally generic plant/water tasteless hybrid"-slash-vehicle for literally anything else (like an edible spoon), and celery is fine; I want to say that I like rosemary/lavender, but I honestly don't know; and olives are rather distinctly a "sometimes food" (as they can get way too much real fast).
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
.... the tax office will generate the report automatically online.
Tax companies in the US have worked VERY hard for a LONG time to make sure this NEVER happens here.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
It's just the usual: If everyone drove cooperatively, traffic jams would vanish. If everyone refused to buy from scalpers, scalping would evaporate. But because "everyone does it", you're considered foolish for trying to stick to your ideals and drive cooperatively in spite of everyone else, or to skip concerts because "no scalpers".
I'll just be staying in my slow lane now, thanks...
"But that doesn't get Me First!"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Yesterday, WW took the kids to his mom's for most of the day because I had decided to drag every single sewing/knitting/random crafting bin I own out of the garage, my closet, and the laundry closet, dump them all out in the middle of the living room, sort, reorganize, and label them, so when I want to make or fix something, I can d*mned well find what I need. I got about 3/4 done. And threw a bunch of useless crap I'd saved in the trash or the recycling. And took two big boxes of recycling to the gathering station at the library. And made a Tunisian stew for dinner, with couscous.Oh man, that was satisfying just reading about it.
RIGHT?!
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
HANGING OUT WITH THE BARON FOR THE SUPERBOWL WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
HANGING OUT WITH THE BARON FOR THE SUPERBOWL WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
As I was literally about to ask about him (as I haven't heard from him in a while) - and ask you, in particular, about him - please give him greetings and hugs from me! Woo! Enjoy the big game party!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
...Here, if you are employed, with the work done at the employment contract(s) being your sole source of income, and don't have any special tax discounts, you simply copy the numbers from the yearly tax summary document that your employer is legally obligated to provide to you into your own tax report that you deliver to tax office...
And recently (one or two years), in such cases the tax office will generate the report automatically online.
It becomes messier if you have mixed income from different sources, as you need to fill the tax report yourself (or hire an accountant).
Yeah, my situation's pretty complex, even by U.S. standards: In addition to GothBard and I working, we have rental income from a family-owned home and stocks given by my company in lieu of raises.
U.S. tax law then lets you deduct from a list of (literally) thousands of qualifying deductions, such as:
- Impus Major in college
- Mortgage deductions
- Home repair deductions
- Solar tax credits
- Charitable donations
- Home depreciationSo yeah, I'm just as happy to pay someone else to do it.
Yeah. You would almost certainly had to deal with that mess (or hire an accountant) here too.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Shiro and I split the purchases, including cash purchases, and at the end of the trip I missed a big wad of Euros we'd misplaced so I have 200-300 lying around the house. More money in Euros than in U.S. Dollars, since I don't like to deal in cash...
So Freehome (or is that Nobodyhold?) is rolling in Euros now, while you aren't looking?
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
So Freehome (or is that Nobodyhold?) is rolling in Euros now, while you aren't looking?Shiro and I split the purchases, including cash purchases, and at the end of the trip I missed a big wad of Euros we'd misplaced so I have 200-300 lying around the house. More money in Euros than in U.S. Dollars, since I don't like to deal in cash...
Quiet you!
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Well, at least there were a COUPLE of interesting/entertaining commercials.
O_o
Meh, I got home from work in time to have a couple of drinks, some chicken strip/hot wing things, cheese dip, and make Deviled eggs.
AND I have to be at work early tomorrow. Again.
'This is the Job that never ends!
It just goes on and on my friends!
I,... started working here not knowing what it was!
but it goes on and on and on and on because,...'
Repeat., Ad Nauseum,.
;P
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Today is our first day of normalcy in two weeks as everyone is recovered enough from the flu to go back to work and school.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Ah, peace, how I missed you!
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
HANGING OUT WITH THE BARON FOR THE SUPERBOWL WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I hope you enjoyed your superb owl.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I didnt know the Superbowl was yesterday until my friend invited me to come watch 10 mins before the game.
It is technically possible to care less, but not without actually trying, which is a form of caring.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I didnt know the Superbowl was yesterday until my friend invited me to come watch 10 mins before the game.
It is technically possible to care less, but not without actually trying, which is a form of caring.
So, just to play "topper": We were driving to Shiro's game yesterday and GothBard said, "Wow! Traffic is amazingly light today!"
It took us a few minutes to figure out that OUR LOCAL TEAM was playing in the Superbowl that day.
(And no; didn't watch a second of it, didn't pay any attention to the commercials, have no intention to do so. In my mind, Apples 1984 commercial set the stage for a series of amazing commercials in the late 80s, but even by the early 90s Superbowl commercials were a sea of 'meh'. I don't really understand why they're a 'thing' any more, because I haven't seen an impressive one in a decade or two...)
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
I didn't know about it until ten minutes after it started and Tiny T-Rex asked if we could watch it.
And then it took me another ten minutes to find the antenna (because the last thing we use our TV for is watching TV).
And then it took me another ten minutes to rescan the TV channels because apparently they changed frequencies or something, and then of course Fox is the one channel it wouldn't pick up enough to scan.
So that's another ten minutes trying to figure out how to stream it.
And then of course, football is boring as hell so we only ended up watching about five minutes and then put in Spider-Man Far From Home, a far superior watching experience.
Apparently the Chiefs won, which is the team we were rooting for because Andy Reid looks like my dad, so yay.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Of course, now Tiny T-Rex wants a canopy bed of his own.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Of course, now Tiny T-Rex wants a canopy bed of his own.Build him one out of tinned vegetables. It would be a "Can-o'-Peas" bed.
That's a lot of canned peas, I think it's cheaper just spending the 120 on the canopy bed.
Hah!
I totally knew about the game!
... but I knew about it because:
1) YouTube ads kept telling me about it for some reason (though mostly in the context of it actually also being Ground Hog Day, don't forget; related, from the ads: that was, in fact a good movie I'd like to see)
2) Scint mentioned it was a thing in her hometown
3) my in-laws love it and mentioned it in context of other things
So, uh... who did the Chiefs beat?
(I heard they won, but I don't remember if I'd ever heard who they played against.)
(Also, where are the Chiefs from? I know it's Scint's hometown, but I forgot where that was.)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Oh, hello there, Google. I just remembered you existed.
So, the San Francisco 49ers.
That, uh, that makes sense considering NH just said they were his home team. Right.
Kansas City Chiefs. Cool. I've been to KCity once!
Go, team(s)! Hurray!
(Unless you feel bad, in which case, I'm sorry.)
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
I actually completely forgot about the game.
Only problem...I recently moved into a duplex, and my wall-neighbors are massive Chiefs fans.
I was...reminded of the game rather enthusiastically and got an empathic play-by-play.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
We went to the Arboretum, then came home and beat up on some Scrags at the start of book 5 of Ruins of Azlant.
I had the score and game timer open in one tab of my browser, because I was vaguely interested in the underdog team beating the Niners (tending to root more for the Raiders myself), but not actually wanting to, you know, *watch* it. I mean, without a bunch of friends to have hot wings and potato skins and beers with, why bother?
But I heard there was a thing with Shakira and her tongue and pole dancing.
Is it too much to hope that it involved her tongue sticking to a frozen pole in bad weather during the halftime show? Because that I would watch.