bicycle ride.....

I had to go pick up my car from the collision repair shop this morning, but with Morgan in meetings for the day, and Cassie needing to be picked up from school before she would be free, I had no real way o get there, so I decided a bike ride was the way to go. I used to ride my bicycle all the time, and had even done a 75 mile ride when living on Long Island, but it had been a while. The ride went well, and I got my car (they even cleaned it for me), but my repaired knee may not forgive me for a while. It seems to have taken the brunt of the ride. :-(

Slow day today, as the only real thing I did besides the ride was meet with the new pet sitter. We will be in Las Vegas or a couple of nights in May, and need someone to feed Leo & Casper. The gentleman I met was real nice, and I was very comfortable with having him take care of the cats for the couple of days.

Morgan just was asked about a paying catering job. It is associated with the church, but it is for a lunch away from the church, and they asked for her price per person when inquiring about it. Now that she is getting paying customers, she needs to make sure that she is a better business person than myself, and make sure that she charges enough. :-)

Of course this lunch is for Saturday afternoon, which is also the same day that she and Cassie will be leaving the house around 7am to get downtown for "Operation Thin Mint". (This will take place on the USS Midway. They will have helicopter come down to take the over 200,000 boxes of cookies that were bought for the soldiers from the deck of the Midway, and start their journey overseas.) Then Morgan will have to get back home, finish prepping the food, and get it over to the house in La Jolla, where this lunch will be taking place. I will have one tired wife come Saturday afternoon.

Last night my brother, Chris, somehow got his way into the IronMan movie premiere. He said he was not a big fan of the comic (like me), but he said the movie was very good. Doubt we will get to the theaters for it, but I already have it on my NetFlix queue.

- Almost his own CSI episode
- bad for athlete's knees, and if they lick it
- hopefully this it not a preview of the fall around here

Until the next time.....

100 posts.....

When I signed in, the dashboard says I have 99 posts, so this will make 100 (see that 22 years of accounting at work :-) ) To tell the truth, I wasn't sure I would keep it up for 10 posts, much less 100, but this has been enjoyable, and therapeutic at the same time.

To help celebrate this post, here is one of the pictures from outside Dodger Stadium a couple of weeks ago. The team just announced a large project to renovate the stadium. As I said after we went, you would not know it was 47 years old, except for the lack of "modern amenities", as the stadium itself is clean and seems to be in great shape.

Finished making sure all my clients are set up in their respective email distribution lists. Besides about two dozen "client kids", I only have 5 clients that do not have an email address. I use the email for almost all client correspondence, especially any tax news and tips during the year. I have all income tax clients in one distribution list, then from there, they are in another distribution list based on their home state.

Morgan's first catering job (freebie at the church) went real well. She fussed over everything up to the last minute, but when she set up and "presented" all the food on the tables, she was very happy with how it all came out. The people at the church, and the band members, for who this was for, were also very happy and appreciative of the effort put into it. I am sure they normally get cold cuts and some chips, not chicken & brisket and vegetable salads.

Morgan picked up a large mixer and food processor from Amazon.com last night. I think she said everything was about half price after she used all her "coupons" and specials. I just told her to make sure that she gets the good stuff the first time out, so we aren't replacing them in a year.

I have not said much lately about my mother and stepfather, but they are getting along with all of their treatments and therapies. But, my mom is doing much better my stepfather. Hopefully soon his condition will turn around. Tomorrow, Lou has to get a blood transfusion because his red count is pretty low, and he has no real energy. The doctors have told my mother that she should see a nice improvement in his energy so after. We as a family are sure praying for that to happen.

Morgan informed me that she is being sent out of town for the time when Cassie was supposed to have her "San Diego birthday party". It is not a big deal for me, and it is only a small pool and hot dog party, but I hope Cassie takes the news well. I won't be in North Carolina for her NC birthday party, and she didn't seem to be too bothered by that, but that could be because dad can be annoying sometimes (her words, not mine :-) ).

OK. One hundred down. Many more to go.

- so, now we celebrate when oil is only $115 a barrel
- that's a lot of calamari
- guess he is not worried about the NC State vote

Until the next time.....

test time.....

Well, I completed one of my tasks from the "after tax season to do" list. Completed the 164 question continuing education test. It was a mix of information that I commonly knew and used, and some so obscure (US treaties and different tax treatments for different countries) that I will never use it. But, it was an "open book" test, so it wasn't so bad, except for the long time (almost 8 hours) to complete it.

Morgan and I accompanied Cassie, her Girl Scout troop (6 others), and some of their moms (5 others) to Disneyland. I'll just say that the girls had a good time, and the other moms did, but by the end of the day Morgan and I were done and ready to go home. It was a hot day, and a long day, and as we neared the end, it seemed that the other mothers were doing whatever possible to make it longer. It wasn't as much on purpose, but was just wrong. Finally, Morgan and I said we had to go, and then that turned into just another problem. There is a reason I just don't get along with many people.

I brought my truck to the collision repair shop. They of course wanted to replace the bumper, get a new flood light, etc. I told them it is a truck, and I don't care how it looks as long as it runs. Just fix the light, rivet the license plate holder, and don't worry about the scrapes on the bumper. What started as a "well that bumper runs about $800", I was able to get taken care of for about $220. I'll drop it of tomorrow and pick it up on Wednesday.

One of, if not, my favorite musicians, Tom Petty, is out with a new album from his band, Mudcrutch. This band was they formed over 35 years ago, and they are now out performing and releasing an album. If you like TPHB, you will like this new album.

- another reason to pay your credit card each month
- that is a lot of candy money!
- Not familiar with IronMan, but I like Robert Downey, Jr.
- another game for the family to play

Until the next time.....

fender bender.....

I have always said that one of us would be in an accident while driving these California roads, and today was the day. I was in a minor accident at a stop light. Was bringing Cassie home from school, when we came upon an intersection with a left hand turn lane. I think the light caught the person in front of me a bit by surprise as she seemed to hit her brakes quickly as the light turned yellow, and I then slammed on my brakes. I stopped as I hit her, and her car moved forward (to the actual stop line). My truck broke the plastic rivets that hold the license plate holder, and the plastic that holds the driver's side flood light broke. Otherwise, nothing. Her car is a Alero, so it is lower than mine, and I hit her trunk. Did not break it, but it was still "moved".

After she was done cursing at me, I told her to calm down, and we exchanged information. Seems she was getting ready to trade the car in this weekend, so she was venting (loudly, like a truck driver) at me. Nobody was hurt, which is the most important thing. Cassie was a bit shaken, but not enough to stop kidding around about maybe walking back and forth from school.

Already have the insurance company notified, and I will go to a collision place that my insurance company uses on Monday morning. At this point it is more an annoyance than anything else. Yes, it will probably add a couple hundred dollars to our insurance (if I am found over 50% at fault), but more than anything, it is just a giant time waster, that did not need to happen. Ugh!

Well, my morning was better, as I took the motorcycle to where Morgan and the morning show were broadcasting. During the spring and fall, on Fridays, they go to different towns, and broadcast from a restaurant (usually) in that town. It was about a 20 mile ride through some curvy hills, and was very enjoyable.

Morgan is finishing up her work for the catering she is doing for the church tonight. She has tweaked the menu a bit, and these kids are going to eat real well. It is no wonder the people associated with the church have already asked her to do a few more things for them.

It also looks like she may have her first catering job. Ironically, it is for the lead of their morning show, Cliff. He left her a message about catering a baby shower in their house (for a friend). We think from the message it is one of those "co-ed" showers, where husbands will also be there. Morgan is a little nervous and unsure about doing a job for a co-worker, especially one she works so closely with on a day to day basis. I guess she will take a day or two to think about what she wants to do.

- 9 years seeing, with no problems.
- Another reason I am not a big beach person.
- Can you be jinxed if retired?

Until the next time.....

except for those of you on the west coast.....

Here are some pictures from the back area of the house. I am about three days too late in getting "fresher" pictures. Morgan kept reminding me, and I kept forgetting. Ugh!

Anyway, as you can see, there are some nice roses planted by the homeowner. One of them seemed to make a nice bed for this snail. I could not believe it was able to get into there, as I would think it would break the pedals, but I guess not.

I really like this area. The weather is just the best, and there are always things to do (still need to get to the Zoo and Balboa Park), but the one item that I will never, ever get used to, or like, is the time difference with the east coast of the country. Besides the difference in makes with trying to work with clients, all live events are set up to accommodate the east coast. That includes American Idol. Get online last night to check something out a little after 7pm, and there are the results of who got kicked off are staring me in the face.

Then when I jump online to play some games during the week, my east coast buddies are getting tired, and I'm just ready to get started. I know it's silly sounding, but when you add calling family or friends, plus the work issues like I stated above (IRS closes at 5pm eastern), it is just an annoyance I can't get used to.

Have only 3 items on my plate workwise before I am completely caught up. One is my continuing education exam for my California preparer's license. Downloaded the material, and the test is 164 questions long!!! Some of it is on US Treaties (never had to deal with in my 22 years). Luckily, I have the study guides to work from.

Started reading my Bible again. Went back to the beginning of when I first started, and are rereading the Book of John.

Morgan is working hard on her new project. Thanks to all of you for volunteering to be taste tester, and potential clients. She is really putting a lot of thought and research into this. I'm really proud of her, and the way she is going about this.

- You getting a rebate check?

- Microsoft is listening to fans of XP.

- All started as a playing card company.

- Not so congenial anymore.

Until the next time.....

easy bake oven.....

Been trying to get the little pesky pieces of work done that I left to the side during tax season. I have gotten most of them done, and only have a few more to do. Tomorrow I am going to start tackling my 164 question continuing education test, for my California tax preparer license. Then after that on Friday, or Monday, I want to have all my labels, listings, etc. of clients I keep/use for tax season all set up. That way I just need to add new clients, and I just don't have to worry about it again until next January.

Eventually, I will finishing scanning the rest of the client papers. I have given myself until Memorial Day to get that done, and with the new scanner, it should not be a problem. The only problem is that is will be the most tedious week or so of time that I will ever spend.

Morgan came home all excited on Monday after work. As I have mentioned, she is looking for that "something" to do after KSON. I have told her just "doing nothing" for a while might be a nice way to start, but that is not in the cards for her. The oblivious transition was for her to start doing more voiceover work (commercials / reads / radio liners), so for the past year or so, that is the direction she took. We have talked, and she is really not enthused about it. Just because it was the "oblivious" transition, does not mean it would be the correct one. So we spoke about doing something that she loves, and that is cooking and baking.

Anyway, after some conversations with her morning partner, Bill, they started brainstorming about baking and cookies, and really about high-end unique cookies. So, 4 domain registrations later, and she is off doing research about starting her own cookie business. She of course would love for it to be national, but as we spoke about, it will need to be local first, with her giving away, and supplying cookies to different places, but all with the company name and logo on the packaging.

Right now Morgan is doing a "dinner" for 24 or so high school students at the church for this Friday, so we also discussed some light catering for parties, business meetings, etc. I even told her that there might be some teachers (hint, hint) that we know, that might be willing to buy lunch a few times a month if they knew they were getting a nice meal.

So for now, I have a wife doing a ton of research, and you can see the wheels spinning with ideas, questions, concerns, etc. She has decided to take on one of the more difficult businesses to be successful in, but I have the highest confidence in her to make this work, like she wants to. More than anything, I am just happy, that she is happy and excited about it. The look on her face when she was telling me the business names, and the ideas was nice to see.

Her trying to get this off the ground out here, while still getting up at 2:30am, and doing her show, means she will have even less free time, and will be even more tired, and I'm not thrilled about that aspect of it. But, she can't just let it hang for 18 months, then try to get going, plus this will make her start slow, and work upwards to when she has the whole day for it.

- If it's not gas, it groceries.
- The San Diego girl goes home.
- I can remember when Apple was struggling to be recognized outside its "fans".
- Good for McCain to try and stay above the mud (for now).

Until the next time.....

swimming again.....

So today was day #2 for Cassie's part of the swim meet. The warmups start at 7:15am, so it is another long day. Cassie did well in all four of her events. Today she did the 100m freestyle and butterfly, and the 50m breaststroke and backstroke. These long pool swims are good for her, and she will really enjoy them later on. Really, she will. :-)

We had an amazing service last night at church. It was titled "Identity Theft", and our guest speaker, Jesse Dillenger, spoke about her early life that was filled with multiple abuses, and how she has overcome it all, and has now her identity as a Christian. Her story was horrific and sad, and was very moving. What Morgan and I both said afterwards, was that the most amazing thing to come from all of this after hearing her story, was that she forgave all the people involved. I know as Christians, we are supposed to, but how it seemed to come so easy to her is quite remarkable.

Just wanted to followup about what I was mentioned yesterday concerning Morgan and her job. What I mean about having Morgan home, is having a "normal" life. To tell the truth, I got spoiled by her work situation the last two years. Prior to July 2005, Morgan has always been doing the "2:30am wakeup" thing. That was the first 15 years of our relationship.I really enjoyed us being on the same schedule, and I know Cassie did too. Right now, I hate the fact that she has to nap, or when she does not get a nap, she is not 100% around anyway because she is so tired. Watching a movie or TV show in the evening, and having her fall asleep is not "fun or cute" anymore. It is "normal" time away that I am tired of giving up. I don't want to come across as whiny, but I did not realize how much going back to our "old ways" with regard to our schedules was going to bother me. Ugh! Sorry for the complaining.

OK, well I need to clean up and shower (maybe even nap) before we leave to go see Jack Hanna, and his animal show.

- Hooray for Danica. It was only a matter of time.
- We hate cable, and can't wait to go back to DirecTV.
- Happy 115th birthday!

Until the next time.....

swim girl, swim.....

Well, today was the first of two days for Cassie's latest swim meet. It was her swim team's (Pacific Swim) "home meet. It was also her first swim meet in a regulation sized pool (50 meters). She swims in this pool on Friday nights and Saturday mornings, but practice is different than the competitions.

She did really well in the four events she was competing in today (200m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 50m freestyle, and 50m butterfly), and I am pretty sure they were all personal best times for her. She is not the fastest in the poll, and we do not push her to be, but she is trying hard and getting better every day. We are really proud of her.

We will be back at it again tomorrow morning (7am, yikes!), for four more events. I know there is a 100m butterfly and 50m breaststroke in there, but I can't remember the other two events she will be competing in.

I have discovered Twitter, and so have a bunch of the geezers. Now we have even another "time sucker", as we post our little "hey, I'm doing so & so" notes for the world, and our Twittermates to see.

Morgan and I were talking a bit today about our future, and she brought up how she is not very enthused about doing the voiceover work. She thinks she is being pushed that way by others as the natural progression after radio, but it may not be the right thing. I want her to do what feels right, and feels good. If that means stopping work, and staying home full time until she "finds" what she wants, that's OK. I know one little girl who would like breakfast from mommy instead of daddy in the mornings. She would also like mommy helping out at school (which Morgan enjoys) more than daddy, because daddy is starting to not be as cool, and can be somewhat embarrassing.

I would also be very happy with it. I liked us working in the same house the two years before the move out here. Especially, after I moved my office downstairs, so I was part of the house, and not hidden away on the 3rd floor. I love seeing Morgan at all times. It makes me happy. It also sounds "sappy", but I don't care, because I do. She wonders (and yells at me) why I am always checking on her, and asking if everything is OK. Part of it is just to see her.

Who know? Morgan may find what she wants by just staying home. She has done the "work" thing for 25+ years, and her career takes no days off. She doesn't have a "season" like me. As much as I complain about clients not paying attention, and the 11 week crunch that is tax season, at the end of the day I enjoy what I do. I can tweak the client base to fit our needs, and I get a decent amount of flexible and free time.

I am sure in the end, it will work out as it is supposed to as we just "let it go", and follow the path brought in front of us.

BTW, when I posted the page showing Morgan's nomination for the ACM Awards it was not correct. You can use the prior link, or just go through her station's link.

- I like manual windows.
- Another reason why I hate flying.
- Sad day for Springsteen fans.

Until the next time.....

done for 9 more months.....

Well, April 15th has finally gone by the boards. Another tax season (my 22nd) to look back on. All in all, considering everything, it went pretty well. I completed 261 returns (4 are family), have 7 on my floor on extension, and still might get a "dribbler or two" later on. Last year I did 304 total returns, so with the move, I am pretty happy with the number. I already know of 5 more returns for next year, as I have 3 "old" clients who tried others this year, tell me that they would be returning in 2009, and I have two returns where the couples are divorcing, but I am keeping everyone as a client. Plus there is one other who is not too sure of their current preparer, and might return.

It was a tough season though. Besides the uncertainty of who would be returning, I had to learn to work differently, and not just because of the "time difference". I only had 4 people sit at the desk for a return, as compared to the 100 or so that might normally sit for an appointment. That was a difficult adjustment. Also, the clients who normally sat with me, or dropped off to me their information were learning a different way, so they were a little unsure, so I seemed to spend a great deal of time on the phone, or in e-mail, answering "what am I supposed to give you?". On top of it all, because of this "different way" for many, they were (and many admitted to me) much later delivering their information than usual. I did many more returns after March 15th, then in past years. Now that we all have a year under our belts, I am hoping 2009 will be a little easier.

I will actually be working pretty consistently for the next 4 weeks or so. Not 15 or 16 hour days, but I have some new business clients that need setting up, I am going to finishing scanning the rest of the client papers in the office, take my Continuing Ed courses, and believe it or not, I actually get ready for next tax season now, but updating my charts, folder & mailing labels, etc. That way it is all done by Memorial Day, and I only need to add new clients that I pick up during the year.

Went to the dentist to follow up on last weeks visit. I have actually had pain since early February, but kept holding off, so not to lose tax season time. I did have a small problem with a back tooth, but come to find out, that my healthy gums are causing a problem with a crown I had put on years back when my gums weren't so healthy. What's wrong with that statement? My dentist hope to be able to alleviate the problem by me using a prescription fluoride mouth rinse for a few weeks. I sure hope so, and this is more annoying than real painful.

Cassie has a swim meet this weekend, and her swim team is hosting it. That means lots of parent involvement. I am going to help them set up on Friday, and then I will be there first thing Saturday & Sunday mornings to help with check-in. Hopefully, I won't be so busy that I don't get a chance to see Cassie swim her events.

Then later on Sunday, we are going to see a show by Jack Hanna. Should be fun, but combined with the swim, our whole weekend is lost. Unfortunately, it is only show and appearance in the area, so there is no other time to see him. Then before you know it, Morgan & Cassie will be back at work & school, and complaining that their weekend evaporated.

Been watching the NHL playoffs, and wondering "what if?" had the Hurricanes played better down the stretch, or just during that December slump.

OK, hope to be back at this on a much regular basis. Election year, prices out of control, society just declining in front of us. Should be fun.

- Hope she gets her horse back, and not at 10 times what she sold it for.
- I can't wait for Indiana Jones. He always seems nice.
- Glad I have the bike, not the stock.
- Even in hard times, people like entertainment.

Until the next time.....

more work.....

Well, I thought I was caught up. Thursday night I was left with a long time client's (18 or 19 years) 7 tax returns (2 businesses, his return, his 3 kids, and his mom). Always late, but I always leave a day or two, and he is always waiting on information, so his goes on extension most years.

So with that, I wrote an email to those on my list who I had not heard from all year since our move. Got responses back from 2 more that went to other preparers (One thought it was too late to send me info. Ha! The other thought she was too difficult to do long distance), that wanted to know if I would still be willing to prepare their returns. One other wrote to say that he lied coming to the office too much, and just could not see doing it long distance. Fair enough. That was all Thursday night.

Friday, I finished the 6 "off shoot" returns, and left myself with nothing but the main return. Great. Don't work on Saturday, besides answering some email. As I am closing down at 3pm to get ready to go to Los Angeles for the game, 2 packages of information are sent over, and then an email from another client saying they "forgot", and will be sending the information over the weekend. Sunday morning brought one more package, and a note that their son is also sending his information. So I went from 1 (that I knew about), to 6 total in less than 15 hours on April 13th. Ugh! Not sure why I am surprised, as this happens every tax season. There will probably be 2 or 3 more that contact me tomorrow.

None of the above includes the few that contacted me about extension, but I had to tell them that with no information, the extension is worthless if they owe money, and don't have 90% of it paid in by April 15th. Now they are scrambling to get me "something" to get an idea for the extensions.

Again, I vent, but it is over in 48 more hours. I am just looking forward to some "normal" days. I'll actually be busy the rest of the month with the two, and maybe three new NC businesses that need to be set up, and then just have the normal "payroll tax month" work to do. (January, April, July, and October are when payroll tax reports are due, so I work on all my business clients, and the busiest these months.)

Enough about tax returns. Dodger Stadium was great. It was a real nice surprise and a great gift from Morgan & Cassie. It does not have all the "extras" of the modern ballparks, but you would never know it was 47 years old. It is very clean, and it was great to be able to sit there for one game during my life. I took a few pictures, but not too many. I was too busy just looking around.

That now makes five stadiums where I have seen games (Petco in SD, Dodger, Shea & Yankee in NY, and Camden Yards in Baltimore). The ride to LA was OK, but long. The three of us decided that we will probably take the train to the Kings/Hurricanes game next hockey season, instead of try to navigate LA highways and streets.

Cassie has moved up in her swimming team. They put the kids in lanes based on their speeds and times, and she was moved up from the last lane (6th), to the 3rd lane. Her told told Morgan that, "all of a sudden, Cassie started "getting it", and she is really performing well, so they challenged her to move up levels, and she did". We are proud of her. I really don't care how fast she is, we just want her to try her best, and have great technique. If that meant she swam "like a rock", so be it.

Cassie also received her acceptance letter to Maranatha Christian School. We are not too crazy on moving schools for her again, but Morgan and I think this is a "door" opened in front of us, and we need to take advantage of it. With the state budget cuts that are being talked about with regards to California schools, it scares us to keep her in the public schools, even if it is only a couple of years before we might move back east. That is too much time in her "schooling life", to not be giving her the best possible opportunities that are present for her.

Morgan has been doing fine, but just like the last 17 years, I am also sure she will be happy after the 15th goes by. It takes teamwork during tax season, and even with her busyness, she has been able to help me save some time here and there by doing different things. I could not get through these without her.

OK, way too long. Got to go. More frequent (and hopefully more interesting, not just taxes) posts coming very soon.

- 1st surprise Idol cut
- shower with your keyboard?
- I remember when she was a sports anchor at CNN
- Got to love Yanks-Sox. Hope it makes the Jimmy Fund a ton of $$$.

Until the next time.....

homestretch.....

Real short one today, as I have to work on this Sunday to get caught up. I do not make working on Sundays a regular practice during tax season, but with less than 10 days to go, I need to, especially with us going to Los Angeles next Saturday, and I'm going downtown tomorrow night to meet up for dinner with one of my fellow Geezer Gamers (junior / Jason). Plus, you just don't know how many more are still sending information. I got about 15 more this week alone.

At church last night, we found out that our Pastor, Harry, had surgery on Monday to put a couple of stents into his heart. This is his third different heart problem in the last ten years (he's only 55), and are prayers and thoughts are definitely with him and his family.

We were told from others that work in the church, that he looks and sounds much better than he did before last week, and Morgan even mentioned to me that he seemed to be sweating quite a bit last weekend, and laboring a bit. Come to find out, that he had been having the pain for a couple of weeks. His body was telling him something, but he just wasn't listening. He is lucky that God was looking over him, and it was his visiting brother who forced him to go to the hospital.

Morgan has updated her voiceover website quite a bit over the last week, and she has a few more pieces of audio to put up before it will complete, for now. I am sure that she will be updating it with more work and demos on a pretty consistent basis.

The Carolina Hurricanes were a complete disappointment this week. Their failure to beat the Florida Panthers on Friday night, at home, at the RBC Center, left the door open for the Washington Capitals to win the division, and shut the Canes out of the playoffs. Well, the Caps did their job, and beat those same Panthers on Saturday night, so there will be no playoff hockey in Raleigh for the second year in a row.

OK, off to work.

- The man who played Moses, has passed away
- Paid $3.67 for regular on Friday night
- I love Bond films, and Craig has impressed me
- NC radio station is in trouble again? What a surprise.

Until the next time.....