I think I have to keep posting about summer to remind myself that there's life after tax season. One woman just quit because it was too hard. She's only 23 and just got married to a rich guy that said it wasn't worth it for her to work when she could stay home and save her sanity plus the lower cost of daycare.
Everyone under the age of 40 said we envied her in some way or another. I also realized that every woman that works with me up in MN has cried by now, so I feel some kind of validation for crying last year during tax season. Life at work has changed a lot, again, with another director getting promoted to Vice President and another job opening up. It's looking good for my next promotion, so keep your fingers crossed for me. Of course, I won't be a director or a vice president yet, but we will hope for some incremental steps up.
I'm reading the book Final Cut right now, it's brushing over the history of film way too quickly for me to remember the consequential details. But one part they didmention was that in the 1900s, income tax was only 6% and the cost of living was low in Hollywood and your money could buy anything. So I guess if you started with lots of money in the early 1910s and took care of it, you could come out on top for generations to come. Until you make one really shitty movie called Final Cut.
Last week at this time, I told myself that I was just going to ignore my stupid family for awhile. Today, already, I miss them. I've been missing them for a couple of days, but now I want to run back and say "I'm sorry!" Even when there's nothing to be sorry for. I guess this is normal.
Dan's mom is coming up this weekend and we're taking her to the drunk spelling bee. I am sure she'll love it. Right now, I should be cleaning the apartment for her, but sitting down after an 11 hour day is much preferable.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Note to self
Do not forget about your sheets, towels, and bathing suits in the dryer for a week. If you do, someone will steal them.
Farewell tankini from 5 years ago. Farewell giant striped bath towel.
Of course, this means that I still have the butterfly sheets. Even after the people were done stealing our shit they didn't want the butterfly sheet. Maybe I should be happy about this? Still remember the day that I bought them. Oh, the stories I'll tell when I'm unafraid of censorship and horrified faces. Gosh, it was a lot easier once, wasn't it?
Farewell tankini from 5 years ago. Farewell giant striped bath towel.
Of course, this means that I still have the butterfly sheets. Even after the people were done stealing our shit they didn't want the butterfly sheet. Maybe I should be happy about this? Still remember the day that I bought them. Oh, the stories I'll tell when I'm unafraid of censorship and horrified faces. Gosh, it was a lot easier once, wasn't it?
Sunday, March 27, 2011
This marathon will eat my soul
Yep. I am going to die when I try to run the 26.2. At least when they do the autopsy, my veins will look awesomely healthy.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
And yet still there are some misfits who persist in believing that there's no such thing as progress
Just read a comment from an old message board that I posted on, though it was full of trolls and I gave up posting there. But the King Troll just made a comment that I couldn't resist mocking here, because that's mature and all. :P
The guy just said he couldn't believe that funerals cost $10K and had no idea that they could cost that much. He and I are the same age and I've known how expensive funerals are since I was 23--and probably earlier, since I knew how much my grandparent's cost when they pre-paid them. I guess I think everyone should know how expensive funerals are at this point in their lives, unless they live under a rock. Now I'm questioning why I even let myself get offended when this guy trolled me online.
The moral of this story is that internet message boards are stupid.
The second thing is that I listened to Marketplace Money today, where they interviewed two people in each decade of their lives, 20s-70s. The 50 year old lady had a huge problem: paying for her long-term care insurance for her mother. I know this is going to be a huge problem for Dan and I, even if our parents have their own long-term care insurance or their own retirements. I'm already worried about it, since there are only 2-3 carriers now that will even underwrite these polices.
I keep wondering if I'm the only person worried about it and I was relieved, because listening to this show told me that 1) I'm not the only person worrying about long-term care for my ever-aging parents and 2) people that don't plan ahead for this kind of thing get royally screwed over when it happens to them.
So I'm not going to be that guy this time. Wheeee.
Also, you can't retire for very long on 760K, which is how much the couple in their 60s had saved. While they said it's a good number to have, it's probably not enough. I need to do some more projections to get us to a few million in 40 years, which means that I have to start controlling my expenses NOW.
The guy just said he couldn't believe that funerals cost $10K and had no idea that they could cost that much. He and I are the same age and I've known how expensive funerals are since I was 23--and probably earlier, since I knew how much my grandparent's cost when they pre-paid them. I guess I think everyone should know how expensive funerals are at this point in their lives, unless they live under a rock. Now I'm questioning why I even let myself get offended when this guy trolled me online.
The moral of this story is that internet message boards are stupid.
The second thing is that I listened to Marketplace Money today, where they interviewed two people in each decade of their lives, 20s-70s. The 50 year old lady had a huge problem: paying for her long-term care insurance for her mother. I know this is going to be a huge problem for Dan and I, even if our parents have their own long-term care insurance or their own retirements. I'm already worried about it, since there are only 2-3 carriers now that will even underwrite these polices.
I keep wondering if I'm the only person worried about it and I was relieved, because listening to this show told me that 1) I'm not the only person worrying about long-term care for my ever-aging parents and 2) people that don't plan ahead for this kind of thing get royally screwed over when it happens to them.
So I'm not going to be that guy this time. Wheeee.
Also, you can't retire for very long on 760K, which is how much the couple in their 60s had saved. While they said it's a good number to have, it's probably not enough. I need to do some more projections to get us to a few million in 40 years, which means that I have to start controlling my expenses NOW.
Area Rugs
I want to buy one for my brother and NFM is having some sort of 50% off sale. The problem is that I don't know what 21 year old kids like in terms of rugs.
I think maybe this one would be ok for him:
http://www.nfm.com/DetailsPage.aspx?ProductID=8204240
I think maybe this one would be ok for him:
http://www.nfm.com/DetailsPage.aspx?ProductID=8204240
Thursday, March 24, 2011
5th Snowiest Winter ever, snowiest in 25 years
So we sure did pick the right time to come to MN. It's time for more skiing. Holding steady at 85 inches this year.
Monday, March 21, 2011
taxes, or how I learned to stop worrying and love H&R Block
Yeah, I do love the HRBlock. I used to get my taxes done for free when I worked there, but we just elected for the free software instead of going in to have it done. Big mistake. We probably could have saved ourselves with some major exemptions in MO and KS taxes. While it's not too late now, it's not necessarily worth it to refile for 2007 and 2008 when we paid in.
We paid for our taxes to be done because the software doesn't let you do a home-office deduction and we wanted to be sure that the rental use of our house wouldn't eat us alive next year after we lose our mortgage deduction. This year, we learned that our mortgage interest shrinks every year and won't even be advantageous for us next year and also that the home-office deductions don't work for me because we make too much money and my current company paid for almost everything. But it was easier to spend 5 minutes letting someone else plug this into the computer for us than filing by hand or upgrading to software that would cost more. It also helped us save on KC earnings tax, reduced our MO, KS and MN taxes. So if we'd done it ourselves, there were a few small categories that we might have missed.
And we now know how to play it for next year when we rent the house. We know what deductions to go for, which exemptions to claim on the w4 and how to avoid getting a giant refund or paying in.
I love our friend at HRBlock and I can easily see how people develop a long-term relationship with their tax accountant, even when they are capable of doing it themselves. Having someone else calculate depreciation for you is way easier.
We paid for our taxes to be done because the software doesn't let you do a home-office deduction and we wanted to be sure that the rental use of our house wouldn't eat us alive next year after we lose our mortgage deduction. This year, we learned that our mortgage interest shrinks every year and won't even be advantageous for us next year and also that the home-office deductions don't work for me because we make too much money and my current company paid for almost everything. But it was easier to spend 5 minutes letting someone else plug this into the computer for us than filing by hand or upgrading to software that would cost more. It also helped us save on KC earnings tax, reduced our MO, KS and MN taxes. So if we'd done it ourselves, there were a few small categories that we might have missed.
And we now know how to play it for next year when we rent the house. We know what deductions to go for, which exemptions to claim on the w4 and how to avoid getting a giant refund or paying in.
I love our friend at HRBlock and I can easily see how people develop a long-term relationship with their tax accountant, even when they are capable of doing it themselves. Having someone else calculate depreciation for you is way easier.
Back in the USSR, boy
I'm back in Minnesota after 4 days in KC. We hottubbed, we parade-watched from the balcony, we fell in love with our friend's new Brookside home, we went out to a million dinners with old friends and generally felt like we were back at home. Except, of course, we weren't. It was only sort of weird to be in our house and only sort-of weird to work again there. I think I'll be back quite a bit as I realized that I can't stay away that long from the second job and I want to be sure that the contractor does the "right" work on our house while we're gone.
South Hyde Park only had 2 houses for sale. The ones that were on the market when we left have all sold, including the giant mansion on Gilham next to the chapel. A family bought it and they're dousing it with remodeling funds. I am envious and elated, at the same time. That giant lot would have been amazing, the carriage house alone was enough for friends and the rest of it was simply splendid.
In Central Hyde Park, there's only one house for sale, and it's by owner. I guess the drastic changes on Armour Boulevard really did make all of the difference. This, of course, means that we could list our house there, but I think we're going to rent it for another year since everyone wants to keep staying there.Because there doesn't seem to be much harm in that right now; they're taking care of the house and I still dream about the Troost village coming back or perhaps I have just invested all of my heart into the house and can't imagine yet saying goodbye. Both of us had twinges of pain in the city, asking ourselves if we did the right thing. I had mine when I drove around CHP and saw the leaded glass that I've been missing. Of course, I missed our friends in KC, sitting on the hot tub and imagining everyone soaking in the lake after dark with some beers makes nostalgic.
But Minnesota has plenty of lakes, too. And so, we came back to MN. My heart is here, too. I still remember my extended stay here when I was 11, the happiness I felt last weekend when riding the Avatar ride in MOA, the plans we have for the rest of the year with the new friends that we have, people that care about the news and will talk about the drug crimes in Mexico and the darkness of the Republican rule in Iowa. And when I came back to work, tons of people said they missed me and I really did miss them. So yes, I did the right thing....
South Hyde Park only had 2 houses for sale. The ones that were on the market when we left have all sold, including the giant mansion on Gilham next to the chapel. A family bought it and they're dousing it with remodeling funds. I am envious and elated, at the same time. That giant lot would have been amazing, the carriage house alone was enough for friends and the rest of it was simply splendid.
In Central Hyde Park, there's only one house for sale, and it's by owner. I guess the drastic changes on Armour Boulevard really did make all of the difference. This, of course, means that we could list our house there, but I think we're going to rent it for another year since everyone wants to keep staying there.Because there doesn't seem to be much harm in that right now; they're taking care of the house and I still dream about the Troost village coming back or perhaps I have just invested all of my heart into the house and can't imagine yet saying goodbye. Both of us had twinges of pain in the city, asking ourselves if we did the right thing. I had mine when I drove around CHP and saw the leaded glass that I've been missing. Of course, I missed our friends in KC, sitting on the hot tub and imagining everyone soaking in the lake after dark with some beers makes nostalgic.
But Minnesota has plenty of lakes, too. And so, we came back to MN. My heart is here, too. I still remember my extended stay here when I was 11, the happiness I felt last weekend when riding the Avatar ride in MOA, the plans we have for the rest of the year with the new friends that we have, people that care about the news and will talk about the drug crimes in Mexico and the darkness of the Republican rule in Iowa. And when I came back to work, tons of people said they missed me and I really did miss them. So yes, I did the right thing....
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Swap Party
Last night we had a swap party. You bring your stuff that you don't want to wear and so do they and then everyone swaps it out for something better and useable. Extend it to jewelery, CDs, kitchenware and home stuff, you're in good hands. Of course, the more girls you bring, the better. It worked out really well for me. My nice clothes that I'm too fat for went to girls that loved them and a girl that had just lost a lot of weight gave me lots of her nice "heavy" clothes. I got to take home some new shoes, several new necklaces, a new bowl, tons of shirts and one cute dress. Most of the other girls there are thrift-store lovers, so we compared the joys of finding Banana Republic jeans at Goodwill for 3 dollars and compared the best thrift stores in St Paul/MN. Sadly, I cannot participate in that conversation because I've never been thrifting in the Twin Cities.
Everyone was else was from Iowa, save for one girl, so naturally Iowa dominated a bunch of our conversations. But we also got to hear a bunch of stories about crazy people from the past, which is one of my favorite topics. Your friend that ends up sneaking into the wrong cousin's house at 4 am? The time you got lost in a state park for 4 hours? How you met your husband? Crazy woman that wants you to wear a bunch of glasses? These are my favorite conversations. By the time I went home again on Saturday, I was completely joyful. Again, I love our friends here and feel so lucky that we found them right away.
Everyone was else was from Iowa, save for one girl, so naturally Iowa dominated a bunch of our conversations. But we also got to hear a bunch of stories about crazy people from the past, which is one of my favorite topics. Your friend that ends up sneaking into the wrong cousin's house at 4 am? The time you got lost in a state park for 4 hours? How you met your husband? Crazy woman that wants you to wear a bunch of glasses? These are my favorite conversations. By the time I went home again on Saturday, I was completely joyful. Again, I love our friends here and feel so lucky that we found them right away.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Pyscho Suzis
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Keeping up with the Joneziz
Monday was awesome: Jim and Amy came over, newly engaged, full of good couples stories and fun board games
Tuesday was also awesome: GIRLTALK. It's the best expression of being alive, dancing, confetti, balloons, foam shit, toiletpaper rolls, drinks and staying out until 2 am on a weeknight.
Wednesday night was awesome: I crashed a company dinner and pretended like I worked in the field while meeting a bunch of the staff from around the country face to face. It was so nice to finally meet people that we've been talking to for the past several years. And it was crazy to realize that I'm hitting the 5 year mark next year. WOw.
Thursday: TERRIBLE. Homeowner's Insurance went up as expected, raising the escrow. I had an intense wash sale calc that I couldn't figure out and a bunch of other shit that I didn't have time to figure out or work on. At the end of the day, they dropped the political contribution bombs on me. I can't donate my time, money or anything to PACs or candidates without preapproval, in writing, which is completely crazy. I slipped on the ice on the way to the bus, developed a massive headache and finally got the email I've been waiting for from my Dad, which of course, was unhelpful. Did I mention that I woke from a weird dream this morning, too? I had moved to Dubuque, it flooded and a person that I was seeking solace from was there, but wouldn't let me visit. I know why this nightmare happened: yesterday was my grandma's 81st birthday, but I forced myself not to think about it yesterday. Ooh, also, we wake up extra early on Thursdays for a teleconference that didn't happen today. I sure wish I'd stayed in bed for the extra hour. But we celebrate by playing really loud Ben Folds covers and mocking each other's dance moves.
At any rate, this is another blog entry where I tell you that it's much easier to complain about the one bad day in the week than the 3 good days. Sooooo stupid.
Tuesday was also awesome: GIRLTALK. It's the best expression of being alive, dancing, confetti, balloons, foam shit, toiletpaper rolls, drinks and staying out until 2 am on a weeknight.
Wednesday night was awesome: I crashed a company dinner and pretended like I worked in the field while meeting a bunch of the staff from around the country face to face. It was so nice to finally meet people that we've been talking to for the past several years. And it was crazy to realize that I'm hitting the 5 year mark next year. WOw.
Thursday: TERRIBLE. Homeowner's Insurance went up as expected, raising the escrow. I had an intense wash sale calc that I couldn't figure out and a bunch of other shit that I didn't have time to figure out or work on. At the end of the day, they dropped the political contribution bombs on me. I can't donate my time, money or anything to PACs or candidates without preapproval, in writing, which is completely crazy. I slipped on the ice on the way to the bus, developed a massive headache and finally got the email I've been waiting for from my Dad, which of course, was unhelpful. Did I mention that I woke from a weird dream this morning, too? I had moved to Dubuque, it flooded and a person that I was seeking solace from was there, but wouldn't let me visit. I know why this nightmare happened: yesterday was my grandma's 81st birthday, but I forced myself not to think about it yesterday. Ooh, also, we wake up extra early on Thursdays for a teleconference that didn't happen today. I sure wish I'd stayed in bed for the extra hour. But we celebrate by playing really loud Ben Folds covers and mocking each other's dance moves.
At any rate, this is another blog entry where I tell you that it's much easier to complain about the one bad day in the week than the 3 good days. Sooooo stupid.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
The Babies and Argentina
After I moved here, the baby bug bit me. It's bitten me in the past, but a vacation always cured it or common sense prevailed. Or we wanted to have kids, but it wasn't quite right. Should we have tried the night Don Helvick passed away? Was it better to have waited because my parent's divorce was so messy? Should we wait until we were completely satisfied with our careers or found our dream job? Does taking that "one big vacation" really outweigh the benefit of having kids now? There's that anecdotal truism that says you can't vacation after you have kids. Some people seem to prove this wrong, like my parents who went to Korea with their kids in 2008 or an acquaintance whom took her twins to an African safari in 2008 or our cousins, whom vacation to Portugal every other summer to visit their family. Are these people outliers?
I want to have kids and I'd like to start....now. I'd really like to start the adoption process, with the meetings and the social work visits and the applications and the paperwork. I know it can take a long time, sometimes, or sometimes it happens really quickly. The obstacle to beginning these things is just that we still own a house in KC and we're not sure if it will sell once we list it on the market. Who wants to have a kid, a rent payment, and a house payment?
Logically, I know it's best to wait. I come home and read the NYTimes Travel section with a trip to Argentine fantasyland. I'm not out buying my plane tickets to South America and I'm not out having kids. I am a DINK, all dressed up and not nowhere to go. It seems a little sad, a little wasteful, a little empty.
I want to have kids and I'd like to start....now. I'd really like to start the adoption process, with the meetings and the social work visits and the applications and the paperwork. I know it can take a long time, sometimes, or sometimes it happens really quickly. The obstacle to beginning these things is just that we still own a house in KC and we're not sure if it will sell once we list it on the market. Who wants to have a kid, a rent payment, and a house payment?
Logically, I know it's best to wait. I come home and read the NYTimes Travel section with a trip to Argentine fantasyland. I'm not out buying my plane tickets to South America and I'm not out having kids. I am a DINK, all dressed up and not nowhere to go. It seems a little sad, a little wasteful, a little empty.
Provincial
b : a person lacking urban polish or refinement
I guess you'd say that was me. I think you could still say it's me. We don't have places as nice as the W hotel in Kansas City, so I definitely felt too uncool last night. But really, I just felt more inspired to try to make our space feel this classy.
I might have to start with getting rid of our butterfly sheets from Walmart that I bought in 2004.
Here are two photos.
I guess you'd say that was me. I think you could still say it's me. We don't have places as nice as the W hotel in Kansas City, so I definitely felt too uncool last night. But really, I just felt more inspired to try to make our space feel this classy.
I might have to start with getting rid of our butterfly sheets from Walmart that I bought in 2004.
Here are two photos.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
The bestest
Man, there are some awesome people living up here. I think the last time I became friends with people that want you to meet their parents and hang out with them was back in Ankeny. But I love this new group of people here and I'm thrilled to have been lucky enough to find them. And we're planning a summer vaca with some people from KC. I've just broken every rule about proper grammar while typing this.
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