Higgledy-Piggledy, Take III

It sure seems like work is crazier than ever. And it also seems like I keep saying that over and over. But it is! And when I am done with work, I am just…done. I have exactly 100 unread emails in my personal inbox. I have 295 unread items in my Google Reader. And, now that I think of it, I may have even forgot to pay my bills. Oh $#@%! I guess I should go check that!

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Speaking of work, some crazy changes are about to take place within the next month. It’s going to be rough. I am trying to go forward with a good attitude and trust in my colleagues and my boss. I am praying that everything will work out just fine. Only time will tell. I really wish I could share more. Believe me, I do. The more I talk about something that is bothering me, usually, the better I feel. But I do not feel this is the appropriate place to discuss such matters. I will say, however, that my work schedule will change a smidge. This Night Owl will have to become much more of an early bird than ever before. Ever! (Well, except when I work in road construction, but that was a fairly mindless job.) That is a daunting concept for me, but I have to do it.

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In other news, people have been coming out of the woodwork on Facebook. I mean, holy bajeebers. In the last two weeks, I have had several people from high school befriend me. It’s weird. Most of them I haven’t spoken to since graduation (um, nearly thirteen years ago…omg!). A couple people I have seen, maybe, once or twice. To say the least, high school was my least favorite time in life. Hence the reason I have never sought anyone out. But, people grow up and change so it might be fun to reconnect.

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This past Friday, I had the pleasure of meeting up with a group of ladies from work for dinner and drinks. This, for me, was a giant step forward. Part of the town-left-behind excursion was to be able to make new friends and actually be able to hang out with them by being closer in proximity. We shared a few good laughs and great conversation. It was nice to finally be able to interact with a group of individuals who are intelligent, sophisticated, and share a number of the same interests. Now, don’t misunderstand. I have a number of individual friends (many who live far, far away though) who have all these same qualities. I have always been ok with one on one communication and relationships. When you add more to the mix, I get uncomfortable. Part of codependency includes difficulty in making friends and some severe distrust issues. Even with friends one on one, I still have some serious issues. So, I think, this was a big step forward for me.

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My nasty rash is also back. Or, never really went away. I was finally able to schedule another doctor’s appointment for tomorrow. It has taken me all week to schedule an appointment. Most of the time I forget to do it, then, when I remember, the office phone hours are over. Alas, I was finally able to make an appointment. Hopefully, my doctor will be able to determine what is really going on so it will go away for good!

*****

I have been pondering something very serious lately. Hehe. Very serious. Ahem, ok, it really isn’t a laughing matter. My Friend and I were having a discussion about forever. As in, being together forever type thing. A while back, a number of folks on Facebook answered a quiz to see how well they know me. One question asked, “What am I scared of?” One of the false answers was commitment. To my surprise, a number of people actually picked this for their answer and that bothered me a great deal. I never viewed myself as being afraid of commitment. I’ve always wanted a fully committed relationship. However, as My Friend and I discussed this forever thing, it came back to me. My counselor was always saying that I am always waiting for the other shoe to drop. And after my last decade of failed relationships, I am not sure I ever care to be married again. So, in essence, that makes me afraid of commitment, doesn’t it?

This brings me to another thought. I have always wondered how people know that they have met The One. You know, the one person that they know they are going to spend the rest of their entire life with. I have had many people say that you just know. Being the skeptic that I am, I fear I will never just know. So I wonder, for those of you out that that have met The One, how did you know? Because I am still waiting for the inevitable (in my mind) shoe to drop.

Tax Time

Photo courtesy Howdy, I'm H. Michael Karshis

It’s that time of year again. TAX TIME! Honestly, I don’t know why I get all excited about tax time. I really don’t get much of a refund from the Feds and what I do get usually goes to the State of Michigan. I guess it is the number crunching accountant in me that loves tax time. That is the only thing I really miss out on not being in public accounting – taxes! I love doing tax returns. Anymore, though, I’m not qualified. So I live vicariously through one of my BFFs and she would probably tell me that it’s no picnic.

Anyway, since I can’t do anyone else’s tax return, I am going to do my best to arm you with the ability to do it yourself. Do it yourself! You can! It isn’t hard, I promise! If your tax returns are fairly simple, meaning you had one or two jobs, you are single, you are married and each had one job, maybe a child, own a home or rent, possibly have a few charitable deductions, you can totally do you own taxes online. AND you might even qualify to do them for FREE. Let me repeat that…FOR FREE. Eff. Are. Eee. Eee!

First of all, check your state’s treasury website. Usually they list online tax programs and the requirements for each program to file for free. The State of Michigan lists programs that allow you to file just the State return for free, just the Federal return for free, and programs that allow you to file both for free. I have had to use two programs to be able to file each return for free, but, it is so worth it to save the ungodly amount of money that those tax places charge.

As a general rule, there are income limitations. And some programs are shotty. I have a tendency to try a few of them to see if I get similar results. Most programs allow you to input all of your information, see the result, and pay only when you actually submit the return to the IRS or the State. And, of course, if you don’t happen to qualify for a free program, there are a number of great programs to choose from and compare prices. Most of them are cheaper than paying big bucks to have someone else do them for you.

Without further ado, here are a few resources for you to check out. I hope you will give it a try and let me know how it turned out for you.

Free File State of Michigan

Low priced online tax preparation for State of Michigan and Federal

The IRS doesn’t have their choice of programs up yet, but they are telling you to check back January 15.

It's a New Year

Happy New Year everyone!  Wow! Can you believe that it's 2010 already?  Seems like just yesterday everyone was preparing for Y2K.  Well, here's to hoping that the new year brings new adventures and a lot of joy and happiness to all!

I cannot believe a full two weeks have passed and tomorrow I go back to work. It is going to be an adjustment.  It's amazing what two weeks can do to your sleep schedule, eating schedule...overall schedule.  I tried my best not to overdo the late nights (hello Night Owl) and I tried not to sleep in too much because I know the affect on my workweek schedule could be detrimental.  This first week back will tell how much damage has been done for sure.

So, I brought in the new year with a nasty rash.  First thing New Year's day, I was at the walk-in clinic waiting to see the doctor to tell me what in the world was on my skin.  Of course, no real determination can be made of what caused it since he claims it is an allergic reaction.  It could be a reaction to anything. We talked about soap, laundry soap, fabric softener, new clothes, etc.  It could be anything or any number of things.  He gave me a prescription for Allegra (Thanks, but I have Benadryl and Zyrtec at home. I could have saved myself a trip and the cost of the prescription.) and sent me on my way.  Meanwhile, two days later, I still look like this:







And I have more spots showing up on my back now. So...it's off to the Express Care this time.  Well see if a different doc gives a different verdict.  Until then...