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Busy Bloggin' Beaver / Death and Taxes
Mar. 10th, 2008 11:09 amWhich kind of sounds rude... anyway, both of me have done a lot of bloggin' today. You can read about the kinds of writing-related dreams I have over at SF Novelists. If you're interested in how Tate choses which supernatural creature to write about in her urban fantasy you can check out her blog over at Fangs, Fur & Fey.
Meanwhile, the tax meeting was much, much more painful than expected. To put it mildly, we're fairly screwed. Paying my taxes this year will, in point of fact, wipe out our entire savings. Luckily, we had some. We also had EXACTLY the amount we need to pay the Feds and State. And, as another positive, we're currently debt free right now -- yes, kids, that means don't owe nobody nothing. We have no car payments, no credit card debt, no student loans, no overdraft protection owed -- nada, only our mortgage.
We're just back to square one with savings, which means that we can't afford to remodel/fix our downstairs bathroom this year or hire anyone to paint the exterior of our house. I'm also going to be strapped in terms of promotional stuff for my books and travel. But, you know, as I keep reminding Shawn, if things continue as they have in terms of Tate's royalities, money is still flowing in our direction. It's just as unpredictable as before, and this time we're planning to pre-pay a little better so we can get money BACK at the end of the year.
Before you tell me to fire my tax guy, it wasn't his fault. We *were* paying estimated taxes, but we should have been updating our tax guy quarterly when things started to change. We'd still be out this money, we just would have not had it before instead of now. (Uh, if that makes any sense.) Believe me, without our tax guy, we'd be a lot more screwed.
And please keep in mind, we're nowhere near being destitute, we just have to go back to tightening our proverbial belts and that, well, is getting tiring at 40. I always forget that the government wants SO much money in terms of social security and all those other withholdings that other people get taken out of their checks automatically.
In other sad news, Johnny/Giant Girl is finally sucumming to whatever it is (cancer?) that has caused those weird tumors. Until Friday, he'd been completely oblivious to the fact that he was starting to look like Frankenfish, but over the weekend he stopped eating. A bad sign in any animal. Frankly, I think I'm WAY more depressed about the immenent demise of Johnny/Giant Girl than I am about my stupid taxes. Johnny/Giant Girl is such a gentle fish. I've been doing the only thing I really can for him, which is change his water a lot, and every time I do, he comes and swims up to check me out. Lately, since he's been so weak, he'll stop and rest in the curl of my fingers (as I'm cupping the siphon). He just hangs out there cradled in my fingers, like he's getting a little fish hug.
*sigh*
I'm probably going to cry like a dog when he goes, even though part of my mind is already trying to decide what else I could put in that tank. Shawn has suggested another betta, but I'm not sure. Johnny was special. I'm not sure I can replace him. Other bettas are so agressive, you know? Johnny was a weird little betta -- kind of shy and curious. He sucked at making a bubble nest, but he was very determined to try. I've always suspected that he was actually a she. Apparently, betta females will sometimes trans-gender, and grow fins like their male counterparts to pass as males. (Interestingly, now that South Africa has her own tank, I've noticed her trying to make a bubble nest too.) Anyway, I've always thought of Johnny/Giant Girl as my trans fish, especially after the completley unsuccessful attempts to breed. The likelihood of finding another betta like Johnny/Giant Girl seems pretty slim.
*double sigh*
Meanwhile, the tax meeting was much, much more painful than expected. To put it mildly, we're fairly screwed. Paying my taxes this year will, in point of fact, wipe out our entire savings. Luckily, we had some. We also had EXACTLY the amount we need to pay the Feds and State. And, as another positive, we're currently debt free right now -- yes, kids, that means don't owe nobody nothing. We have no car payments, no credit card debt, no student loans, no overdraft protection owed -- nada, only our mortgage.
We're just back to square one with savings, which means that we can't afford to remodel/fix our downstairs bathroom this year or hire anyone to paint the exterior of our house. I'm also going to be strapped in terms of promotional stuff for my books and travel. But, you know, as I keep reminding Shawn, if things continue as they have in terms of Tate's royalities, money is still flowing in our direction. It's just as unpredictable as before, and this time we're planning to pre-pay a little better so we can get money BACK at the end of the year.
Before you tell me to fire my tax guy, it wasn't his fault. We *were* paying estimated taxes, but we should have been updating our tax guy quarterly when things started to change. We'd still be out this money, we just would have not had it before instead of now. (Uh, if that makes any sense.) Believe me, without our tax guy, we'd be a lot more screwed.
And please keep in mind, we're nowhere near being destitute, we just have to go back to tightening our proverbial belts and that, well, is getting tiring at 40. I always forget that the government wants SO much money in terms of social security and all those other withholdings that other people get taken out of their checks automatically.
In other sad news, Johnny/Giant Girl is finally sucumming to whatever it is (cancer?) that has caused those weird tumors. Until Friday, he'd been completely oblivious to the fact that he was starting to look like Frankenfish, but over the weekend he stopped eating. A bad sign in any animal. Frankly, I think I'm WAY more depressed about the immenent demise of Johnny/Giant Girl than I am about my stupid taxes. Johnny/Giant Girl is such a gentle fish. I've been doing the only thing I really can for him, which is change his water a lot, and every time I do, he comes and swims up to check me out. Lately, since he's been so weak, he'll stop and rest in the curl of my fingers (as I'm cupping the siphon). He just hangs out there cradled in my fingers, like he's getting a little fish hug.
*sigh*
I'm probably going to cry like a dog when he goes, even though part of my mind is already trying to decide what else I could put in that tank. Shawn has suggested another betta, but I'm not sure. Johnny was special. I'm not sure I can replace him. Other bettas are so agressive, you know? Johnny was a weird little betta -- kind of shy and curious. He sucked at making a bubble nest, but he was very determined to try. I've always suspected that he was actually a she. Apparently, betta females will sometimes trans-gender, and grow fins like their male counterparts to pass as males. (Interestingly, now that South Africa has her own tank, I've noticed her trying to make a bubble nest too.) Anyway, I've always thought of Johnny/Giant Girl as my trans fish, especially after the completley unsuccessful attempts to breed. The likelihood of finding another betta like Johnny/Giant Girl seems pretty slim.
*double sigh*