busy, busy.....

As I mentioned yesterday, today is the start of five extremely busy days for us.

Today I finished up seventeen corporate tax returns. That leaves me only nine more before March 15th, so I am in good shape there. It is just a matter of the client's sending their info.
I already have received personal tax information for eleven clients. That is a pretty good amount before the end of January.

Cassie has a private swim lesson this afternoon before her regular swim practice. She needed to work on her breaststroke kicking. Her coach said she did real well, and seems to have it down. Now, let's hope she keeps it up, especially with a meet this weekend.

After we eat dinner, I am going to take her around the neighborhood to sell Girl Scout cookies. Well, it after dinner now, and she actualy made quite a few sales for such a short period of time. Too bad she has to hand in the order forms by Sunday.

I see that John Edwards has given up his bid to be President. As I stated a few weeks ago, I hope all the time lost with his wife and young children was worth it. He was never a threat in any of the primaries. How do you spend almost 3 years gearing up for this, travel and speak like he did, and come away so blown out of the water. All I know is that whoever was helping guide this campaign will have a hard time finding another one to help run. This was a total disaster. Again, I am not a fan of some of Mr. Edwards' policy, but how did someone not know this ship would sink faster than the Titanic?

I am trying to post each day, but this might become harder during tax season, so please be patient. I really enjoy keeping this blog, so I am going to try my best to keep up without it interfering with work or family. So, over the next three months, you may see some real short posts.

- The Governator has made a decision.
- This could have been Morgan stalking him. :-)
- A Lost review for you. One more day.
- Where's my pizza?

Until the next time.....

look like your dad.....

So Morgan thinks I look like my father in the picture they are using for my ad. Besides being bald like him, I really don't see it as much as she does. We don't have many pictures of him, but maybe I'll post one and let you decide.

Our friend, Kellie, asked us if we would accept a Flat Stanley from her son for something they are doing in school. I think the idea is that he is to travel someplace, and then we take pictures of him in his new place. Sounds like fun.

Casey and his daughter are already "famous". MSNBC.com is posting Patriot and Giant fan pictures, and his picture of him and the baby were picked as an editor's choice. Very cool.

Cassie has her first Girl Scout's meeting today. Her group meets every other Tuesday after school. She knows some of the girls, so this should be good for her. That adds to the load of activities we have now going on. Tomorrow is our one day to sell cookies (she joined in the middle of year), then Thursday night we have our church meeting, while Friday night is the Hanna Montana movie that is only in theaters for a week and Morgan is hosting it at one of the local movie theaters. Then Saturday and Sunday mornings Cassie has a swim meet, while between that on Saturday night we have that 50's dance at school. I'm tired from just writing about all of it. I am looking forward to Sunday evening, crashing on the couch, and watching the Super Bowl.

The Hurricanes started of the second half of the season with a 3-1 win over the New York Rangers. Last time they played, both Matt Cullen and Andrew Ladd were injured, so it was a little rough during the first period and there were 66 minutes in penalties and 2 fights between Wade Brookbank and Colton Orr. Good to see the guys play a good game, and stick up for each other.

- Man, I want one, but that is the cost of 3 of my trucks.
- I see more Hanna Montana stuff coming to the house.
- Usually get about 10 clients a year that ask about these.

Until the next time.....

A little better.....

A follow up on my step-father, Lou. Spoke with my mom and he is awake and knows what is going on, and the hallucinations are gone. He will probably have to live with the trake tube for a while. Right now he is scheduled to stay in the ICU for a few more days.

We had some rain last night and today. Some of my NC clients have asked that I send the rain to them. I know it is getting scary in the southeast with respects to water. This is a shot of a small puddle by the pool in the backyard. Not a great picture, but it will do.

Already received a client's tax information, and another is sending hers in an UPS pack that is to arrive on Wednesday. Pus, I had some email conversations with others that are getting their packages together, so it looks like we are off and running.

Can you believe that Friday is already February 1st?

I received a copy of the magazine with my ad in it. They did a nice job with it, and because they had the space this month, they are running a larger ad for me (1/4 page) then I had contracted for (1/6 page). Hopefully it will bring in some new clients in the area.

I dvr'ed and watched the NHL All-Star Game festivities from Saturday night and Sunday evening. They really did a much better job then in previous years with the Saturday night skill competitions and the Young Guns Game. The All-Star Game itself was also more fun to watch as the guys played harder (still no hitting, which is OK) and seemed to really want to win. Hopefully some new fans caught some of it, and will come back to watch more hockey. It was very good, and there are some kinks to work out, overall, I would say it was a solid B- for the weekend.

Our own Carolina Hurricane, Eric Staal, was the game's MVP with 2 goals and an assist. His second goal tied the game at 7, then he had an assist on the game winning gaol with only 30 seconds left in the game. Maybe this will be a good sign for him and the rest of the team, and they get a jump start on this second half.

- I also paid $2.99 today. Normally we are 30 cents higher then the rest of the country.
- One of Morgan's favorite bands.
- I can spend hours looking in their bigger stores.

Until the next time.....

The Healer.....

It has been raining quite a bit here in San Diego this winter. This is the rainy season, as it can be six months before another good rain once March rolls around. I think we are up to almost 4 inches for the "season", with the normal being about 10 inches for the whole year. Last year the whole year (July 1, 2006 - June 30, 2007) only had 4+ inches.

So, we were having brunch this morning at Humphrey's, and I was going to take my camera. The weather was supposed to be heavy rain all day, so because it was raining when we left, I kept the camera at home. As we got towards the beach, the sky opened and the sun appeared. It stayed sunny for our whole breakfast, and our trip to Fashion Valley Mall (an complete outdoor mall). So, no camera, no pictures.

Last night at church, for the first time in my life, I had the service lead by a woman pastor. Pastor Jeanette gave a very nice sermon about God as a Healer. As we were going through our scripture and passages linked to God as a Healer, one of the passages we studied was "I Corinthians 13:12" (For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.). The same passage that my friend Kellie has wrote and spoken about on Friday in her posting. Morgan and I both looked at each other, and could not believe how God had woven everything all of this together for us.

In speaking of God the Healer, Pastor Jeanette asked any of us that was a health problem and needs healing to come up front, and her and the other associate Pastors would bless us with oil and pray for us. Morgan and Cassie both encouraged me to go up front for my neck and shoulder. While I was up front and praying, I thought about how insignificant my should pain was compared to five others very close to me in my life. I have a brother with a bone spur and pinched nerve who has not been able to work for the week, my mother is in the middle of her battle with breast cancer, while my step-father, Lou, is possibly battling a tumor in his throat. Then I thought of Casey and how his Crohn's was acting up again this week because he was worried about his new baby daughter, Gillian, and her fight to get better and come home with her mommy and daddy. When I thought of all of them, I almost wanted to get up and not worry about myself, but instead I stayed and prayed for all of them.

Then it was Pastor Jeanette who came over to see me. We introduced ourselves to each other, and spoke for a bit. I told her how we had just found the church and was planning to attend their membership meeting this coming Thursday. She then blessed me with the oil and we prayed together. I prayed for myself, and my friends and family.

Then came this morning at 8am. I had not yet turned on my cell phone, when my office phone started ringing. It was my mother. They had to rush my step-father to the hospital at 3am because he was having big trouble breathing, and was hallucinating about voices and noises. They had to perform a tracheotomy for now, and are doing more test. As of Thursday, he only had a bad voice, and was snoring extremely loud. Now, their doctor has told them they need to see if chemo and radiation are still the first option, or they are thinking about taking his voice box.

Again, God has woven last night's sermon, with today's events. I just hope I can see what God is trying to show me through all of this.

Last night, Morgan and I watched Away from Her. Julie Christie has received an Academy Award nomination for her part, and both Morgan and I thought Gordan Pinsent should have too. Morgan looked at me funny when I popped it in, but I really like Julie Christie, and from what I read it was a love story. A different one, but still about love.

We both thought about our lives together when watching the movie. I could not imagine sending Morgan away to live in a "care facility", and told her that if she did have Alzheimer's, I would just tie a bell around her ankle to know where she was. :-) But in the end, I would probably follow the lead of Pinsent's character, Grant, and do what made Morgan the happiest.

Hug and kiss the ones you love.

Until the next time.....

big brother.....

First thing I want to do is follow up from yesterday, and how my feelings for the area came about. I have two of my best friends struggling with different parts of their lives right now, and I wish I were there for them. Two months ago I would have been upset and blaming the move here for me not being there. Now, I don't think about being back east, but how my thoughts and prayers from here will help them. With that, came a peace of mind, that I am feeling much better about our time here, and that is a very good thing.

The idea for today's post and rant goes from my gaming buddy, Gunsl1ng3r, and his latest post, as it fit into today's "workday" for me. In short, his post was about changing of his phone and the company blocking certain websites from the phone. I commented to him that was the reason why I have worked on my own for these past 14+ years. He had also made a mention of this on our boards over at Geezer Gamers, and several other members of our group mentioned the same things happening to them.

This kind of "upper management" thinking is part of the reason the moral of the American worker is low. I go by the theory that if an employee has done his work, and all work he is capable of doing at that time, then allowing some breathing room and relax time is a good thing for the employee, and also for the company. Now, if the employee is not getting his work done, or is rushing to finish work and not doing it properly, and is "fooling around" on company time, that employee needs to be shown the door. Adults need to be given responsibility, and to show responsibility. With that comes a better working relationship.

There are many jobs now that do not fit into the "8 hour day". Some employers make you keep that cell phone on you at all times, just so they can reach you after hours. The technology that has given workers the ability to do more "non work" during the work day, is the same technology that companies use to make their employee more productive in the first place. If that greater productivity allows the employee some free time during the "workday", good for them.

Again, I am all for the responsibility portion of this. I think this country has become a giant "it's not my fault" nation. If your employer gives you a job to do, and you don't do it because you strayed from the project, you should be replaced, with no whining about being unfair. At the same time, if you finish that project and have an hour of time to kill, setting up your fantasy football team while you wait for your next assignment is OK.

I worked for someone for my last 2 years of college on a part time basis, so I was always busy during tax season, or made my hours based on what he needed me to do after tax season. From 1988 through 1993, I worked for a small firm, and there the thought was we should be busy eight hours a day, tax season or not. We used to literally make up work for clients, like an analyst of their taxes wit or without a company pension, or take on these projects one of the partners would bring in where there was no way in the world we would ever get paid for it. Did not matter, we have to show billings. Then when you did, and some of those uncollectables came around, we were sent to try and collect them. No wonder we used to go to a client's office to do the work, and not return for the day.

Which brings me to today. I write this at 12:20pm, and I am all caught up for the day. I have corporate returns that need to be printed, but I never do them until February 1st to make sure the software has caught any early bugs. There is nothing on my desk. I am writing this while surfing the web for any interesting stories to place on the bottom of the page, and have today's paper next to me to read. After that, if still no work comes in, I think I am going to play on the XBOX. It sure beats me staring at the phone, or trying to make up work for my clients.

At my old place, we probably would have printed and billed out the returns, then if a bug was found, reprint the returns, and bill the client again for the time. Hey, it kept the employees busy. Ugh!

So even after changing my chair (very comfortable), and fixing my desk, I am starting to feel my right shoulder muscle and some pain. It has got to be the repetitive nature of my actions during this time of year. I think a massage or a visit to the chiropractor is going to be needed. I was hoping that this was over, but I guess not.

- Yea, Tom Petty, but no San Diego show. :-(
- Harley-Davidson has a new Softail bike.
- I can remember this very vividly.
- The best All-Star Game, but I'm biased.

Until the next time.....

quiet time.....

Really nothing going on today. Had some work to finish up, and some that arrived, but for now, my desk is clean. Not sure how long it will stay that way, but for now it is.

My buddy Casey is still having a tough time, as his daughter needs to stay in the hospital for a few more days. She was a month early, so I am sure all of this is routine. But when you are the new parents, nothing is routine, so not being able to take your baby home, just adds to your anxiety. The new Gavette family have many people praying and thinking of them, so they are not alone in this time. All will be OK.

I was looking back at the start of my posting, and have things changed in two plus months. I was really upset, lonely, confused, angry, you name it. Then Morgan and I had that big fight/discussion for two days, and we were able to get things right. Have I mentioned in any of these posts how much I love her? :-)

I feel content now. Do I love San Diego? No. Do I like San Diego? Yes. I still miss the east coast, but I don't long for it like I did two months ago. I am really looking forward to what the time here will bring to us, and what we will take from it. I look at the mountains around us (which you constantly see driving, and when I am on my run), and the ocean a short hop away, and I feel good about it all. I am happy about that.

Hopefully, that contentedness comes across in these pages, instead of all the adjectives I mentioned above. Or maybe you liked reading a "troubled" blog? ;-)

We have a quiet weekend coming up. Cassie has a birthday party on Saturday afternoon, and we have a brunch certificate for Sunday morning at Humphrey's by the Bay. That hopefully means some gaming, as it has been a while since I had a long session. I am sure there will be some family Rock Band mixed in.

How did the Hurricanes get a week off. Most teams are playing tonight before the league shuts down for the All-Star Game. I hope the team uses this time to rest, and get focused for the "second half" of the season, and the run towards the playoffs.

- Man, there will be some upset grandmas in Raleigh.
- Free money for some people.
- We have professional golf right down the road from us.
- I am so happy this show is good again.
- Only one week until this show returns.

Until the next time.....

medicine works.....

We have had Leo on a medicine that the vet in NC gave us for older cats and arthritis. Morgan usually gives it to him on treats so he will take it. Well, the last few days of it, must have really done the trick, because he has not fallen over or wobbled for at least a day. We may see more episodes soon (he is almost 17 years old), but for now he is the old cat we love. He still does not move swiftly (who amongst us does), and he is "low" in the hinds, but he is moving without falling, and that's a good thing.

I have joined up with the Eternal Riders group from our church. They have a Sunday morning ride once a month after the early service. Seems like this church has quite a few riders and car enthusiasts. Pastor Harry himself is a Harley rider (and we were told has brought it on stage during his sermon), and he and his son rebuilt a 1966 Camaro. I look forward to riding with them, and meeting some more of the church's members.

I received an email from the group's leader about a 2005 HD Dyna Super Glide for sale. It was a nice bike, as the owner seems to have taken care of it, and has some nice accessories added that were good additions like front pegs. It has two small dings, one on the tank, and one on a pipe (that you really can't see). It's tempting to look closer, but I deleted the email. I need more miles under my belt before I can think about moving up.

I am reading on my friend Kellie's posts that she is in a "valley". I am very sorry to hear that, and will be praying for things to turn around. She, and her family have been there for us so much, it is the least we can do.

Casey's new family are all doing well. He told me he needs some sleep, and I fully understand, It has been a hectic few days for him. He needs his rest, not just for Heather and the baby, but to keep his health in order.

Morgan heard from my mom yesterday. They still don't really know what is wrong with her best friend, but she seems to be more stable now. The other news she told Morgan is that my brother has bulging and deteriorating disks in his neck. Well, doesn't that sound familiar? I hope he is able to get this taken care of soon. I know first hand, that neck pain is no fun, at all.

Luckily, I have been pain free for almost six weeks now. I think the exercises and better desk posture has really helped me. I just need to keep it up during tax season.

- This better mean I see gas below $3 a gallon.
- Being new to this, but enjoying it, Kellie will be happy.
- Want a free gaming magazine?

Until the next time.....

you can have it.....

Received an e-mail from the broker concerning the practice I was looking at buying. Seems that someone made a full price offer, and the seller accepted. I would have too, if I was the seller. With deteriorating health, and a drop of almost $16K in income from 2006 to 2007, that is too risky for my taste. It had to be a big firm or a relative newcomer who was looking to get a good base. Either way, I wish them luck.

So I will go into this tax season in the same position in terms of clients. At this point, I have given the current NC clients as much as possible on my end to make this a smooth transition. Plus, I have already gained to new NC clients, so I am on the positive side of the equation at this point. Hopefully the advertising I have done, and some "word of mouth" around the area will bring some new California clients into the fold.

Had to pick up some gear for Cassie as she advances in her swim practices. They have them use flippers (on feet and hands), and a buoy that they keep between their legs so they won't kick during certain exercises. Tonight was her first practice, so worked hard for 90 minutes. She will sleep good tonight. They want her to get into this class slowly, so she will probably participate two times a week for a while, then three times, before she starts full time (5 or 6 practices a week) starting on March 1st.

I went for about a 60 minute run while Cassie had practice. It was nice, but I need to pick up some lights to wear as it was dark, and people are in a hurry to get home from work, so they don't obey my "walk" sign at every crosswalk. Otherwise, you can't beat a winter night run at 50 degrees.

Casey and Heather have finally named their baby girl, and it was not Bradie. Instead they went with Gillian Marie. Of course, first thing I thought of when he sent over the text message was the X-Files. All are doing fine, and that is a good thing. I am happy for them, and even though it is only little shots of Casey, he looks good and very happy in the photos. And I am glad for that.

Leo seems to be doing OK today. He did not move around much, but when he did, he seemed to have most of his balance. I will really know by checking their food. They always finish what I put out, so if there is a lot left over, then we need to keep an eye on him.

Just for fairness after Leo's picture yesterday, I have included Casper's picture.

Cassie brought home a father/daughter dance flyer from school (wait 10 years, Casey). The theme is "Let's Go to the Hop", so it's 50's attire. It will be the first one we have done together, and it should be fun.

You will notice a few more blog links on the page. Come to find out that quite a few of the "geezers" that Casey and I game with have been reading our blogs, and a couple have put our links on theirs, so I am returning the favor. Some might be a little more "raw" then the others, but these are all real nice guys.

The Hurricanes lost to the New York Islanders 6-3 in the second game of their back-to-back set. The Islanders scored 3 shorthanded goals, with two coming in the second period 45 seconds apart. How the Canes can give up 3 shortys (yes, I know) is a game in beyond me. And at home, no less!

I am going to put some links to articles (told you I would abuse this) that I have read or come across during the day. There will be politics, sports, entertainment, strange, etc. I love information, and during this time of year, my scanning the 'net for it is limited, but there are always a few highlights to the day. Hope you enjoy (or skip right over).

- Seems Little Johnny felt left out in his "home" state.

- A sad story, of obliviously a very troubled young man.

- This is why there should not be a two week break before the Super Bowl.

- Here is an example of the crazy business that is Wall Street. You can have your best earnings ever, but because some "expert" thought you should make more, your stock drops. Huh?

Until the next time.....

Baby Girl.....

So, I get a text message from my buddy Casey, timed at midnight Pacific saying, "Having a baby :)". Knowing that his wife's due date was a month away, and because of the football games earlier, I thought he was sending some kind of joke. Uh, no joke.

At 12:16pm, Casey and Heather welcomed a 7.2lb, 19" beautiful baby girl. I guess Baby (no name yet) was in a hurry to see her mommy and daddy, or wants to see history with her daddy, and watch the Patriots in the Super Bowl together instead of just hearing it through mommy's belly. :-)

Seriously, we are praying for them as they start their lives as a family.

On the other side of the coin, while Morgan and I were watching the games yesterday, we noticed that our oldest cat, Leo (will be 17 in April) was having a problem walking and was a bit wobbly. Later in the evening, Morgan actually saw him falling down while trying to walk around. He seemed OK, but just a little out of sorts. Well, Morgan woke me at 2:30am to tell me that he was not able to stand up while watching her get ready for work in the bathroom. I eventually brought him on the bed, and he slept with me the rest of the night. I took him to the vet, and there is nothing we can really do at this point. Neither Morgan or I want to give him extra medicine, as he does not do well with medicine. So, the vet has left it up to us to monitor him, and see how well he is doing, and his quality of life. :-(

If we lose him, that will take us from four cats to one cat in less than a year. The youngest cat, Casper, is about ten years old and in good health. He is also very good on his own, and keeps himself entertained, but sometimes is a little too curious for his own good.

Now, back to good news, as the Hurricanes beat the New York Islanders 3-2 in overtime. The Canes were down 2-0 entering the third period, but got goals from two defensemen (Mike Commodore, & Niclas Wallin) to tie it up before Cory Stillman won it in the extra session. They turn around and play in Raleigh tomorrow night. Let's hope the boys can make it three in a row.

Again, congratulations to my friend Casey and his wife Heather on the birth on Baby (no name yet).

Until the next time.....

Morgan's home.....

Morgan finally got home today around 1:30pm. She was tired and beat, so by the time she unpacked and showered we just sat and watched the games on the couch. Really did not get to talk too much except she had a nice time, and liked traveling with Tori from work. Sometimes you just don't know if you will like traveling with someone, but it was fine.

I don't like when she travels because the flights take a lot out of her (like anyone else), and with her having to get up early to go back to work, I just gave her some quick shots of what went on while she was gone, and we did not get to talk much about Saturday night at church. I'm sure we will when she get her legs back under her.

It did not help Morgan that the Chargers lost to the Patriots 21-12 for the AFC Championship. The Chargers had their chances, but were only able to get field goals instead of touchdowns. Hats off to the Patriots, and they get one step closer to history, and will face the New York Giants in two weeks at the Super Bowl. The Giants beat the Green Bay Packers 23-20 in overtime, in a game that was played in below zero weather. Both games were good games, so as a football fan, it was nice to see good, tough football being played for the right to make it to the Super Bowl.

BTW, if you haven't noticed, I will now completely abuse the ability to link items in this blog. This will be especially true after tax season when I will find articles and other items to rant about.

They did not get any real snow in NC, so those great snow pictures I was expecting from Casey and Kellie will have to wait.

We are supposed to get some rain and cooler weather (in the 50s) Monday night and Tuesday. Seems like, so far this winter has been "normal" for the area. Meaning we have had about 3 or 4 inches. That is good, because the last weather year only had a little over two inches for the entire 12 months.

Won't have much work on my desk because there is no mail tomorrow, but I have a couple of items I need to finish. I hope to get them done before we go out to a place for brunch. The place we are going is called the Marine Room, and it is in La Jolla right on the water. I can't remember how Morgan got the certificate for us to go, but I am sure it was through work. I am setting my camera out so I can get some pictures.

My mother called to tell me they got back from her cruise. In the spirit of "what can go wrong, will", she said she had a nice time, but I can't really believe her. My stepfather, Lou, was depressed because of his CT Scan and further test on his throat problem. On top of that, the problem causes him to snore, then gag, so he could not sleep, and my mother had to get earplugs to try to sleep. On the second day, they had to rush her best friend off the boat because of internal bleeding. She stayed in a St. Martin's hospital the whole time, and was just put on a plane to go back to a Pennsylvania hospital today, and they still do not know what is wrong with her. My mom just can't catch a break.

Also, I just found out my brother, Chris, will be home for a few days under doctor's orders because of a pinched nerve in the neck. They think there might be a bone spur causing the problem. Neck pain is no fun, and I feel for him. Ugh!

I hope the upcoming week will be better, than the last few hours of this Sunday.

Until the next time.....

going deep.....

Hey, two in one day!

This post's title was the title of our service tonight. It actually had a twofold meaning at the church tonight. First was the church's showing of solidarity for the Chargers, as all staff members including Pastor Harry (who sported a classic LT jersey) had on Charger jerseys. I would also say that about a third of the parishioners also were in Charger gear. They actually sent a postcard out that we received today encouraging you to wear your Charger items to the Saturday night or Sunday morning services.

It was a little strange, but uplifting to see the singers on the stage in different jerseys. It did not take away from the meaning we were there. After a few songs, one of the singers, Leonard, was introduced. He is the original singer of the San Diego Super Charger song. If you don't know the song, it is a bad disco version that will be stuck in your head for a while. For this I am sorry. (Morgan had never heard of the song until I told about it a few years ago, and she would play it every Monday morning on the air after a victory. The first time she did it, her partners, who had never heard it, and are not sport fans, were in absolute shock.)

After that was all over we got down to the business of the second meaning of going deep, and that as Baptisms. Tonight and tomorrow people have signed up to be Baptised at the church in a small pool set up on the stage. After Pastor Harry spoke about some prior Baptisms he had performed, and the questions people ask him about Baptism, he read scripture. After the reading he spoke some more and told us that if you wanted to, you could come up and get Baptised tonight as they had plenty of "water wear" and towels for the whole congregation, if need be. I was moved by his speaking, and what was being spoken to me and wanted to participate, but felt I could not without Morgan being here with us. I was torn about what to do, but knew I could, and should, wait until the next time when Morgan could be here and not miss anything.

From the pictures being shown on the screens, they also do these Baptisms at the ocean, so I guess the next time will probably be during the summer.

I am very happy, and feel good about the feeling I had and wanting to get Baptised. Usually I take all of this in baby steps, but this would have been a leap.

Until the next time.....

a place to sit.....

So the chair that was in yesterday's picture is no longer in the office. I broke down and picked up a different one today. I am hoping that it will be comfortable enough (seems to be) that I will sit back in it while working, and that will eliminate the terrible neck pain I suffered last tax season.

They want Cassie to move up to the competitive swim group. Her coach would like her to maybe start slowly by staying where she is now, but adding 2 of the competitive practices each week, then start full time on March 1st. That will mean instead of an hour practice, it will be 90 minutes Monday through Friday, and 2 hours on Saturday mornings. It also means she will not be getting home until after 7pm on those nights, and being at the pool for 8am on Saturdays. The later start time is OK with me, especially during tax season as I can work until 4:30 or 5pm, and be done. All I know is I better find a longer route for running. :-)

Of course, moving up in "class" also means more stuff to purchase. They use flippers for feet and hands, and a piece they keep between their legs to keep them from kicking as part of their training. Cassie enjoys it, and swimming for ninety minutes each day is great exercise for her. I will bet that by the time the summer comes, she will be in "solid" shape, because of all the muscles she will be using.

Morgan is still in Memphis. I really miss her. :-( She will be home by about 2pm tomorrow, so I will be dvr'ing the games, and we will be watching them all day long. Also means we need to shut of cell phones and stay away from computers.

Need to finish up some work, so I will have nothing to do on Monday. With the holiday, and no mail, I don't expect much to come to my desk until Tuesday. Plus, we have a certificate for some fancy brunch place that we are going to use Monday morning.

Stopped by Sports Authority today, an they were lined up at the register with Charger gear. I made the comment that if you need to buy gear now to show your colors, you must not be much of a fan. Cassie just laughed, and we talked about it being like all the Hurricane "fans" during the Stanley Cup run.

The Canes did get to beat up on the Edmonton Oilers last night. Eric Staal had a hat trick (including one on a penalty shot), as they won 7-2.

OK, I tried to get the "7-2" to be a link to the boxscore and failed. Need to play some more, but not today. Need to wrap up work, and get Cassie and I to church.
***EDIT*** OK, Casey gave me the "how to" and now it works. Thanks buddy!!!

BTW, in case anyone wants my opinion.
Patriots 29 Chargers 16 (If Rivers plays, an upset would not surprise me, but I think we are seeing history in the making.)
Packers 27 Giants 22

Until the next time.....

hey, an office.....

Figured that I am at the start of my busy season, so I might as well show you where I perform the "tax magic". There is a filing cabinet and a bookshelf with some supplies, but that is pretty much it. Laptop and an "all-in-one" printer is really all I need, along with the internet for my research and contact with clients. The bulletin board you see is also very important to me, as this is where I tack up a bunch of notes throughout the year, but especially tax season.

Also, I needed to get a picture up so I was not left out of the loop. :-)

I got in contact with the accountant to ask some questions, but it did not go well. My suspicion is that he is pretty ill, and not on top of everything. He returned my call after I left a message, and as I was asking questions, he wanted to know why I was asking questions. Seems he has five businesses at this time. I think I will make a retention only offer, and see if it flies. My fear is that he will not be much help to make this smooth, and that is a concern with such a short turn around before clients start sending information.

Did get in a quick ten mile ride as I went to the bank and office store this morning. Even though it was short, it was nice to get out and around on the bike.

Morgan is still at St. Jude's in Memphis, and I really miss her. She also sent a text saying she hates being away from home, Cassie and me. I feel the same way, as I am a big time "homebody". I like it just the three of us, at home, and the occasional time with friends for meals, or an event. I know that sounds "isolationist", but that is the way I feel. Add to it, that Cassie and I are by ourselves here in SD, and it's a bit lonely today.

Ugh! OK, need to get some work done, and get Cassie to swim practice. I have been running for about 45 minutes each day while Cassie practices, and it feels good. The afternoon weather is perfect for a run.

Also, just got a call from the broker, and I explained what happened with the other accountant. He said I was not the first to claim a bit of "orneriness". He wants me to make an offer. I think I will write-up a proposal that will have me pay him 50% of fees collected the first two years, and 20% the third and last year. We'll see what happens.

Until the next time.....

Morgan gone / Day 1.....

Wasn't going to post this evening, but I will make it a "shorty" As it says in the title, Morgan is in Memphis. She got there this afternoon, and has already met up with people in the industry that she knows. She told me that most did not recognize her. She also told me they went to a rib place for dinner, while I had leftover soup. :-)

Did not call about the tax practice today. I spent today cleaning all work that had arrived off my desk, and setting up with the new business client in NC. I know he is a "definite", so I had to make sure to handle him first. I will call the accountant that is selling tomorrow, and see what answers he has to my questions before I pursue any further.

Also hope to get out on the bike tomorrow morning to go to the bank, and the office supply store. Ran out of labels for the tax return folders by two sheets. Oh well, I would have needed them later, but with nothing on my desk, I have an excuse to get in a 30 minute ride.

I see that Casey started his "picture of the day" posting, and changed his background to black, which I really like. Kellie saw his post, and has also changed her background. Also to black! I gave her a hard time about it.

They did not get any snow in the eastern part of NC like was called for. Because of the potential bad weather, most schools decided to announce and delay the start of school on Wednesday evening (including Wake Christian Academy where Cassie attended, and Kellie teaches), so the kids and teachers got a little extra sleep time for plain 'ol rain.

Spoke with my buddy, Tim. He is going through a separation and soon to be divorce. I feel bad for him, as now things are starting to drag, and for him, his soon to be ex-wife, and their teenage son, it really just needs to get going and move on.

The Hurricanes lost again. Actually, they got crushed by the Ottawa Senators, 5-1. Nothing more really needs to be said. As of now, they are out of a playoff spot. They also traded away Craig Adams to the Chicago Black Hawks. It was supposed to be the start of a "wake up call". Well, the team seemed to hit the snooze button.

Ok, I said, short, and I mean it.

Until the next time.....

buyer beware.....

So, I just found an e-mail from the business broker giving me the contact information for that LA tax practice I was interested in acquiring. It is only the first step, but it's a step. I can't say too much because of confidentiality, but the current owner's illness and a large decline in income from 2006 to 2007 will only have me offering to pay a percentage of the income collected over the next 3 years. If every client stayed, I would be paying more than the current asking price, but if every client stayed, I would be ecstatic, and not be worried about it.

To be honest, I think the fact that we are 125 miles apart, and my payment structure will not put me at the top of the list, and I understand that reasoning, but I can at least throw it out there and see what happens.

See that the comments section of my blog has become as social gathering. Maybe it will get as famous (or infamous) as MySpace. :-) We got Casey and Morgan trash talking about the game on Sunday, Casey and Kellie exchanging photography info. And just general merriment, all around.

Casey mentioned that because of me posting almost daily, that he was going to try to post more, and because Kellie always has a picture in her posts, he was going to try and take a picture worth posting each day.

Kellie always has great pictures, and Casey is also very good with the camera. I hope to really use mine more after tax season. I really have no excuses, and need to be better about it.

Thursday looks like snow or sleet in NC, so they should both get some nice pictures. I can't wait to see them.

Morgan is packing for her Memphis trip. I am really going to miss her. This will be our first time apart since we moved out here, but most of all I will just miss her. These past months have brought us closer than ever in our 17+ years together, and I really don't want to not see her for 4 days. :-(

Cassie is all signed up for her next swim meet on February 2nd & 3rd. She will have 3 different events on each of the days. She is steadily improving, and should do fine.

Besides swimming, she is also signed up for some tennis lessons through the school's afterschool activities program. She has also mentioned something about drama classes, and the guitar lessons through the church. Morgan and I try to keep the activities to two at a time, for Cassie's and our sanity. Hopefully after these "tryouts" she will decide what one or two things she wants to focus on.

Think I have gone on long enough. Did I mention that I will miss my wife?

Until the next time.....

rocking.....

I see from the comments section that my friends Kellie and Casey are discussing photography. I need to keep an eye on their comments, and I might just learn something. They are the two people most influential in me even having a camera.

Casey is worried that Morgan will not speak to him if the Patriots win on Sunday. :-) I am staying out of this, but leaning towards my wife, because, well, she's my wife. :-) One of the two will get "bragging rights" for a few text messages. We will be a couple of hours behind in watching the game because Morgan flies in from Memphis Sunday morning, so we probably won't start watching until 2pm or so, our time. That will mean no answering phones or text messages.

Only thing I know is that everybody better have their longjohns. Looks like the east coast is getting some "winter" this weekend, and neither Green Bay (which is a night game!), nor Foxboro are supposed to be above 15 degrees. Good thing the game in Green Bay is not Sunday, it is supposed to be a high of 4 degrees that day.

Work is just a steady stream of trying to stay above water these next 4 weeks. As I said in prior posts, this time of year, I have 4 or 5 different things types of work needed to get done, and I always feel like I am running in place. At least I feel better, so that should help me catch up by the weekend.

I have put in some papers about an existing tax practice in the LA area. Seems the owner is ill, and trying to sell before tax season gets going. I am hesitant about it, but I figured I can "throw something out there" and see what they say. It is about 150 income tax clients.

It seems I have a new business client in NC. It is a friend of another business client, and they have a similar set up. He has been in "business" since 2005, but really is only getting started right now. But 2005 & 2006 are a little bit of a mess. A small mess, but still a mess. Being cross country is not a problem with business clients that are already set up, but for someone new, and having to backtrack a couple of years will mean some patience. Luckily, this gentleman seemed not to mind the extra "lifting" to get him on track.

So now we have two XBOX Live Gold members in the house. Morgan has been enjoying Rock Band so much, that in order to play online with my friends, I have to upgrade her membership. This of course upset Cassie, who also wants to play with Mr. Furgus (Casey), Jeeps and Bun-Bun. This is the hard part of being an only child who always does things with mommy and daddy. She just doesn't "get" that she can't do everything with us.

Anyway, we got together with a couple of my friends, and rocked for about 90 minutes. Ninety loud minutes, as it seems we kept my precious daughter awake. That should be a great excuse in school tomorrow. "My mom and dad were playing Rock Band all night". We had a blast. Playing online is always amazing when you think of the technology. Tonight we were in San Diego (Morgan singing and me on guitar), while McJeepers was in Orlando playing drums, and BunBun was in Tennessee playing bass guitar. Lots of fun!

What was not fun was the Hurricanes losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4. With the Atlanta Thrashers winning, the Canes are no longer in first place in the division. I know they have injuries and illness (A bunch have the flu. Hey guys, ever hear of a flu shot?), but somebody needs to step up and put the team on their back. I'm talking about Eric Staal or Cam Ward. They both have healthy contracts for being stars. Stars carry their team when it needs a lift.

Well, that's it. Should have been in bed an hour ago.

Until the next time.....

Charger fever.....

Well the city has finally realized that it has a football team. Charger flags and colors were all over when I was going to and from Cassie's swimming practice. Southern California has always been known for not being a "sport area", but when it is fashionable to cheer for the team, they come out of the woodwork.

Pretty much the same thing happened with the Hurricanes, except Raleigh and North Carolina in general are better sport areas. The Canes problem is they play a game not native to the area. I see attendance is down, and I am pretty sure there are not too many flags or team colors in the area, except for game days at the arena. Hopefully, they will get going, and catch the area's attention again.

I am not jumping on the Charger bandwagon. Mine is hitched to the Miami Dolphins, and to a lesser extent, the Giants, but I really don't agonize over them like I do the Dolphins. It is fun to watch Morgan get so animated during games. I really have no rooting interest, but would love to see Brett Favre and the Packers win it because I really like Brett. Now that is a guy I would like to hang out with and have a beer.

I do know, I need to keep the texting with Casey down this week. He is a big time Patriots fan, so Morgan just might throw away my phone if we have too much contact. :-)

Not much going on except for work keeping me and Morgan steadily busy. Other than that, it is pretty quiet around here.

Until the next time.....

chains.....

Cassie took her GATE test yesterday. She thinks she was the only person in her testing class to finish the whole test. That did not surprise me or Morgan. What happens if Cassie does get accepted is that she will still be in the same classroom and learn the same material as all the other students, but they will give you "extra learning material" in areas being studied if that is an area you excel in. Sounds interesting, and should help Cassie stay focused throughout the school day. We'll know the test results early in February.

Last night's church service by Pastor Harry concerned chains and how they drag you down, and are not the way to live your life. He told us that the peace in God (Jehovah-Shalom) is necessary to release the chains, and that you can come to that peace to help you face the tough times. His finishing line was that he is "Too Blessed to Be Stressed", was really something I need to think about. Morgan of course told me the same thing later in the evening after the service. I'm trying, and much better than I was before in my life, but it is tough for me, but I will try harder to "let go".

After the services ended there were people around that lead the different small groups in the church. They have a motorcycle riding club, and a car club that Morgan and I signed up to be a part of. Also available is a writer's group, hiking, outdoor skeet shooting, and self-defense classes that meet throughout the year.

They also have someone who gives basic guitar lessons. Cassie says she is interested, but just signed up for tennis through school, so we are going to wait for that to finish before starting the guitar. We don't want her to have too much going, seeing that swimming can be a six day a week event.

Another item on the list is their Marriage Super Bowl on the Sunday before the actual Super Bowl. Basically it is a couples' scavenger hunt. Sounds interesting, so I may see if Morgan wants to do it together.

Morgan's station ranked #1 in the fall book for the area, and their morning show, while 5th, is on .4 away from being in the second position, and not much further away from being the #1 morning show in the market. As always, I am proud of her.

She leaves for Memphis on Thursday morning to visit St. Jude's Hospital. This is the charity where most, if not all, of the stations fund raising goes towards. It will be strange her not being in the house for a few days. I was used to it just being Cassie and I in the other house for times, but this will be the first time in SD that we will be on our own.

The Hurricanes lost 5-4 last night to the Colorado Avalanche. The blew a 2-0 lead after the first, and then a 4-2 lead after the second period by giving up three third period goals in five minutes. UGH! On top of that, I see that Glen Wesley has been placed on the injured reserve list because of an illness. I am assuming it is just a bad case of the flu, and nothing else.

OK, it is almost game time for the Chargers. Two good games yesterday, although I expected more fight from the Seahawks, and today's games should be good, as the teams match up pretty well.

Until the next time.....

testing day.....

Cassie is taking a test for the school to determine if she should be taking some "gifted" classes. It is called the GATE program, but all I know is that it will be a little extra work to keep her challenged. She tells me she is learning new things (which I believe) and is not bored (which I am not sure of), but she picks things up so easily (like her dad did), I don't want her to get lazy (again, like her dad did).

Today in school was Game Day. The kids brought in their Nintendos, board games, iPods, etc., and spent part of the day interacting with the other kids in class by playing these games. Maybe this will help her socially, but where's the learning? Maybe Morgan and I are overreacting on this, but we really hope she does well on these GATE tests and is accepted into the program.

Caught up on my work that has been sent into the office. Still have a few more pieces that need to be sent to me for the "normal" work of the month. Glad I am caught up with my head still feeling lousy. My body feels OK, but my head is still "fuzzy".

Received back the proof of the ad I will be placing in a local monthly magazine. They are even using a picture of me in it. I was hesitant to put my picture in the ad, but their graphic artist used the picture, my business card, and a few extra "lines" about the business to make it a nice ad. Hopefully it will generate a few phone calls.

Looks like I have picked up a new income tax client in NC, that was actually an old client. Her and her husband went through a separation last year, and neither used me because they thought the other was. Well, I actually worked with neither one of them. I have had plenty of divorced clients over the year. The trick is to be normal and neutral, and you can keep both clients. I have had a married couples one return, turn into 4 tax returns when they separated and had their new boyfriend and girlfriend use my services.

I might also have two new NC businesses coming in as clients. The first one called Monday, but I think the fees might have scared him off. He was not able to give me a real good idea of the amount of work needed, so I had to estimate high fees (and told him so). The other is a friend of a business client, who I should be speaking with on Monday.

Went for another run this afternoon while Cassie was swimming. The day was close to 70, so I had perfect late afternoon weather to be running in. I went for about 50 minutes or so, and my legs are a bit sore but OK. There is a dirt trail for half of my run, so that should help my legs not get so beat up.

Football weekend. Four great games, with the eight best teams in the NFL. This is my favorite weekend of games. We already have the DVR set, and will be lazy watching the games. The Chargers game is a 10am start on Sunday, so that will mean Saturday evening services, and an early wake up. 10am football still seems weird, even after four months.

Until the next time.....

how's that 4am wake-up working?????

Ugh!!! Have a slight case of the head cold Morgan had last week. I knew it was too good to be true. So far (knock wood), I don't have it as hard as she did, but I guess time will tell. So, the head cold and the new wake up time is not the greatest combination. 4am has come early these past mornings.

I'm a morning person, but even that is too early for all my exercises, so a change was needed. Actually, when I first mentioned the extra early wake up, Morgan mentioned I should try to exercise in the afternoon, but I resisted. I like to get it done early, and get on with my day, but it just wasn't working so far. So, I am now going for a run or walk (depending on the knees) while Cassie is at swimming practice. I usually just read for the hour, but this will work out fine, and I can get get up at 5am and get an extra hour of sleep in the morning.

Called my mother the other morning, and she sounded terrible. Comes to be that all the treatments have knocked her immune system, so she ended up with a cold that turned into a sinus infection. Meanwhile, she had her sinuses operated on 2 years ago to supposedly take care of her infection problem.

Now comes word that my step-father might have a problem. Seems he had been snoring heavily for a while, and had a cough that would not go away. His regular doctor gave him medicine for a sinus infection, but still no good. So he went to the ENT specialist, and they think they found something above his vocal cords. He had a CT on Tuesday, will have a biopsy on it soon, and hope to know something when they get back from their vacation.

So, the Hurricanes beat the Boston Bruins 1-0 on Tuesday night, but lost 4-1 to the New Jersey Devils tonight at home. When you include the 1-0 loss they had in St. Louis, they have only scored 2 goals the last 3 games. I know Justin Williams is gone for the year, but they really need to get the offense going, because the D is looking a little shaky (being nice).

Also, I see for a home game against a rival who we have battles quite a few times during past playoffs, the arena was on 90% full. They better not slump too long with ACC basketball heating up, or those numbers will shrink even more.

Until the next time.....

primary day in NH.....

Nothing but work going on today. Had a meeting with a local magazine publication to get my ad in their monthly distribution. She said the have never had an accountant advertise. Not sure if that is a good thing.

As for the real work, I am caught up for now, and even got my tax season" letters out to clients. I love e-mail and reaching 300 clients in the click of the mouse. Some people have been a little slow getting their business and employee information to me, so I have a feeling the next week is going to be a bit of a "bear".

I see as I am writing this, that John McCain will win the Republican part of the New Hampshire primary, while Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and too close to call on the Democrat side. Good ol' NC boy, John Edwards is a distant third. I sure hope these last four years of campaigning was worth it for him. He has been non-stop since his defeat as the VP candidate on the Kerry ticket. With two small children under 10, and a wife battling BC, that is a ton of lost time, that will never be regained.

For me, I am very undecided at this point, but I like Mike Huckabee. Really for no other reason right now, then he seems like a normal guy, and closest to the "average" American. He is a former Pastor, and that will immediately turn people away, but I saw a quote after he played some guitar with a band the other night where someone said, "He's not some crazy type of Christian, he's a normal American." Um, yea, Christians can be "normal" people. But besides that, of all these candidates, Huckabee, John McCain, and yes, even John Edwards when he is not feeling so "full and mighty" of himself, are the three I could see having a steak and beer with. I would be agreeing more with McCain and Huckabee, but I like to hear the other side, and Edwards has enough cash to pay for the dinner. :-)

I felt the same way about George Bush, and still do. For everything he has done, good and bad, right and wrong, over these past 7 years, I have always thought I could join him for dinner and have a conversation. He may not be the best President we have ever had, but I always felt he was honest and believed in what he was doing. I never get the feeling while watching or listening to him that he is "scheming" his answer.

Seems like forever, but I used to be a political junkie. CNN, Meet the Press, C-Span. You name it, I watched it. Now, besides time constraints, I just don't have the stomach to listen to the same "garbage", and that's too bad. If I feel that way, those who only follow politics every fours years, must really be turned off.

Enough of the politics for now. Still ten months until Election Day.

Until the next time.....

start me up.....

Well, today was my first official day of tax season. Got myself out of bed at 4am (4:10 after the snooze), and after some weights and the elliptical machine, was showered and ready at 6am. I am starting early to compensate for the time difference due to 95% of my clients being in the eastern time zone. Got a good amount done today, but I still need to get out the initial "tax season email", that basically will spell out what is going on these next three months. I hope to have that done in the morning.

After not finding my tax preparer license application when I called this afternoon (yes, they lost it for a while, and took my number while they looked for it, and I almost "lost it"), it looks like when I sign into the site tomorrow morning, I will have a CA license and ID#. Finally.

Morgan seems to be feeling much better today. That is good, because especially being on the air is tough on her throat and head when she is not feeling well.

Spoke with my friend Kellie, and her husband, Steve this evening while at the pool for Cassie's swim practice. It was good to speak to both of them. We talked about football, hockey, couches, school, Bible reading, and general "goings on". Kept Kellie on for a while, and with the time difference it was late by the time we hung up, so I know she was up a bit later than she wanted to grading papers. They are good friends, and I am very glad we were brought together to be friends.

The city is excited about the Chargers winning their game against the Titans on Sunday afternoon. Now it is off to Indianapolis to face the Colts. They will really need their "A" game, especially with the Colts having time off to rest. If the defense plays well, they have a chance for the upset.

Off to sleep, to get that 4am alarm. Ugh!

Until the next time.....

the sickie.....

Morgan has been sick with a cold all week. It actually started last Saturday evening when she said she was feeling a bit tired. Then Sunday while watching football, she said she thought she was coming down with something, and boy, was she right. She has had a sore throat and stuffed head ever since. I can't ever remember her having a cold for so long in all the time we have been together. Back in 2005, she got a sinus infection and bronchitis, when we were in NY for Christmas, but usually she gets a cold for a day or two, and then it's gone. I don't like seeing her this way, and hope she feels better real soon, because I know she will not be calling in sick. She never does.

Finally had a sermon with Pastor Harry last night at church. He is a good speaker, with a very good sense of humor. We are starting a series on the different names for God in the Bible. Last night we discussed Righteousness. I look forward to hearing how he does the rest of the series.

My friend Casey took the second set of the new meds in his battle with Crohns. He has said, "so far, so good" in terms of no reaction to the medicine, and he is feeling OK. It should not be long before he knows if this is going to really help him feel "normal". Of course, "normal" will change in 8 weeks when the baby arrives.

The Hurricanes lost again last night, 1-0 to the St. Louis Blues. They can not waste good goalie efforts like the one from Michael Leighton last night. You don't get that many 1 goal allowed games from your backup goaltender.

I start the 4am wakeups tomorrow morning to try and get more on "east coast time" and be in sync with a majority of my clients. I probably could wait a week or two more to do this, but I want to be ahead of everything this year, so this will allow me to take care of the small items that pop up around the office.

Until the next time.....

I saw your ad.....

Morgan and I had a conversation about shoes, among other things. It all started off with my comment about her buying four new pair of shoes, and basically my misunderstanding on why she needs so many. Or what I think is "so many". It really isn't that many, but in our first 17 years together, Morgan never wore different shoes, and really not too many fancy clothes. She always wore nice clothes, and looked good, but now she is able to wear different style clothes, and shoes to make those clothes look better, and it is just another new part of her that I am adjusting to that comes with her weight loss.

Morgan is well over a hundred pounds lost, and it is not only a physical change that she deals with, but a mental one also. She tells me how different she is treated now, how people speak to her now, and how different she feels now, and sometimes that combination is hard to deal with. Sometimes I think she has to deal with a whole new life, and lifestyle, almost like being a new person, and it can be overwhelming. Add the move to the opposite side of the country, and it all adds up to a large amount for one person in a short amount of time.

I know she will get through all of it in its own time. I am proud of her, and love her very much.

Caught up on the work that had come in so far, so today it was time to sort out my advertising options. I am staying away from the phonebook, and trying to hit more local papers and publications. I will already be in our HOG newsletter for the year, and for $60 for the whole year, it is a great deal. All but three clients (out of about 60 new clients) the last 2 years were from "word of mouth", so I am always skeptical about any advertising. Have someone stopping by on Tuesday for a color ad in a monthly, and I have some more research on a couple of others options. Need to do it soon, as people will start looking in the next few weeks.

We are supposed to have have rain here this weekend. The weather geeks are calling for a couple of inches, but they also said it was supposed to start last night, and so far nothing. Guess we will see if all that fancy technology is working for them by the end of the weekend.

We have the Chargers' playoff game against the Tennessee Titans this Sunday afternoon. Up until this morning, there were still 350 tickets available, and there was the threat that the game would be blacked out from local TV. There are also many thousands of tickets still with brokers and on websites, as the so called "fans" are staying away from possibly the only home playoff game the Chargers might have this year. If a football stadium is partially empty for a playoff game, it does not reflect well on the fans in the area.

The Hurricanes cut ties with John Grahame, and put him on waivers. I was never a fan of his, and always though he was a bit of a showoff, and not good technically. His angles always seemed off, and he needed to make those "hard" saves in easy situations.

The Canes made up for their overtime loss on Wednesday, and beat the Thrashers 4-3 in Atlanta tonight. They started off by falling behind 2-0, and it did not look good. Nice to see them bounce back, and get a road division win.

Until the next time.....

night at the theater.....

Try getting back to work today. Could never seem to get any traction, but I was able to get quite a few sets of employee W-2s out the door. This next 6 weeks are usually the most hectic for me. There is normal business client work, along with payroll tax returns, W-2 & 1099 preparation, and then finalizing numbers to prepare corporate returns. Mix in a few income taxes, and the normal monthly work of the first two weeks of February, and there is a reason I dread these first few weeks.

Still have not received my California Tax Preparer license. Should know its status tomorrow. On top of that, the CA Secretary of State is sending back my paperwork that allows my corporation to do business in California. Must have not dotted an "i" correctly. :-\

Tonight we went downtown to see the play Jesus Christ Superstar. It was an excellent production, and was very enjoyable. Ted Neely played Jesus, and Cory Glover (from the rock band, Living Colour) played Judas. It was interesting to hear Cassie's take on it. She was semi interested, but mentioned some pieces that were missing from her Bible studies. It actually made me want to read the story in the Bible, for nothing else but to catch up a little bit with Cassie's knowledge of the events.

The Hurricanes lost in overtime, 5-4 to the Atlanta Thrashers. Never good to lose at home, but losing to a division rival at home is even worse. They really need to step things up.

The city of San Diego is somewhat excited about the Chargers playoff chances. California in general, but especially Southern California don't really have "sport towns". You have your die-hards here, but the casual fan does not care unless you win big. I am hoping Philip Rivers (NCS grad) gets it going and has a good playoff.

Until the next time.....

New Year's Day.....

First day of the new year out here in San Diego, and it is 70 degrees and sunny. You cannot ask for anything more. It was windy, so there was a "fire watch / wind advisory" in the mountain areas, but nothing developed.

It was strange celebrating New Years last night. When 9pm rolled around, I sent a text message to Casey, and got a hold of my mother. It was weird to say "Happy New Year" to them, and then go back and wait 2 1/2 more hours until our New Year.

Morgan took down the Christmas decorations this afternoon and condensed some of our items. It actually fits very well under the stairs where there is some storage area. We have really learned to eye what we use and don't use anymore, and make our "stuff" smaller.

I watched the outdoor NHL game from Buffalo. It was snowing and a bit windy, but not too bad. The guys had to deal with the "snow" buildup on the ice during play, but it was a great experience. They really need to try to do this every year, or maybe every other year, but it really needs to be scheduled more often. It is great for the sport, and hopefully somebody clicked on it while changing channels, and became a new fan of the game.

I am going to start working tomorrow. I could probably wait until Monday, but I want to make sure that (this year especially) I am on top of everything all tax season, so that this is as smooth as possible for my clients, and ease any worries they might have due to the move.

Hopefully, you all had a safe New Years, and again best wishes for the upcoming year.

Until the next time.....