Everything is better with beer...
Much stress, packing for a month or more away, trying to get taxes done before leaving, and doing several work things.
A Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter, 9.5% ABV, makes it all better.
Taxes: jesuschrist I hate non-resident/part-year resident returns. It amazes me how much more straightforward the federal 1040 is than state returns are (including Utah, California, Colorado), and the NR/PY are just preposterous. I mean, really, really ridiculous: can't they avoid me doing yet another schedule when 99.9% of people will end up with the same number at the end as the beginning?
And today's funny note: the self-appointed tax crusaders in Utah are taxing us at 7%, while the notorious tax and spend liberals in California are taxing us at 6%... grh.
Perhaps more updates will come during the sidewaysdownunder adventure. Or, perhaps not!
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Thursday, March 09, 2006
The comment I just sent in to NPR's Fresh Air
I just listened to Terry Gross introduce her guest for today's Fresh Air, James Burrows.
She very prominently stated, in both the teaser and the show's intro, that the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen "IS SPONSORED BY HBO". Why the commerical endorsement on our belovedly non-commercial NPR?
Is HBO underwriting this episode of Fresh Air? If yes, it should be so stated. If not, they shouldn't be getting a free commercial.
-[dangr], Salt Lake City, Utah
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Bad day
Not every single thing that could be going wrong is, but it's close. First, I was lazy about the laundry, and threw some rags in with the clothes. Problem was, the rags had been used, in part, to clean painbrushes, and so they smell like solvent, so all the clothes now also smell like solvent. We'll see what the second round of laundry, with hot water, extra rinse, and a $750 super fancy pantsy washing machine does.
Out stupid car is in the shop, after we had to pay to have it towed there. (Turns out the shitty Hyundai 10 Year/100,000 Mile Protection Plan that the previous owners paid $1250 for only covers towing until 50,000 miles. Go figure.) I just got the call back from the dealer service department, and they think it was just flooded, since when he tried to start it and floored the gas to start it, it started right up. Ummmm, yeah. Whatever. Then he goes on to tell me that the mechanic recommends new plugs & wries, since the ones in there look like the originals (?!?) to the tune of $160, a new air filter for $37, the 60,000 mile service for $540, and here's the whopper: a new timing belt for $329! And while they're in there doing the new timing belt, might as well do all new drive belts for another $80. Fuck.
Then I opened up a beer to drink while I do the taxes, a Full Sail Old Boardhead Barleywine, and it's basically skunk. It's not bad, but it's not sweet at all, and tastes like a boring old APA or something.
Then my mp3 player wouldn't connect correctly to the computer. Fortunately, though, I can just take out the SD card and change around the songs on that.
Ugh. Maybe I should just go back to sleep.
Not every single thing that could be going wrong is, but it's close. First, I was lazy about the laundry, and threw some rags in with the clothes. Problem was, the rags had been used, in part, to clean painbrushes, and so they smell like solvent, so all the clothes now also smell like solvent. We'll see what the second round of laundry, with hot water, extra rinse, and a $750 super fancy pantsy washing machine does.
Out stupid car is in the shop, after we had to pay to have it towed there. (Turns out the shitty Hyundai 10 Year/100,000 Mile Protection Plan that the previous owners paid $1250 for only covers towing until 50,000 miles. Go figure.) I just got the call back from the dealer service department, and they think it was just flooded, since when he tried to start it and floored the gas to start it, it started right up. Ummmm, yeah. Whatever. Then he goes on to tell me that the mechanic recommends new plugs & wries, since the ones in there look like the originals (?!?) to the tune of $160, a new air filter for $37, the 60,000 mile service for $540, and here's the whopper: a new timing belt for $329! And while they're in there doing the new timing belt, might as well do all new drive belts for another $80. Fuck.
Then I opened up a beer to drink while I do the taxes, a Full Sail Old Boardhead Barleywine, and it's basically skunk. It's not bad, but it's not sweet at all, and tastes like a boring old APA or something.
Then my mp3 player wouldn't connect correctly to the computer. Fortunately, though, I can just take out the SD card and change around the songs on that.
Ugh. Maybe I should just go back to sleep.
Monday, March 06, 2006
a haiku, in honor of our impending downundersideways adventure:
wine we will drink much
sing dance scream, live life loudly
yes, much to be had
i know, it's slavishly observant to the 5-7-5 haiku hegemony. but so be it: WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
wine we will drink much
sing dance scream, live life loudly
yes, much to be had
i know, it's slavishly observant to the 5-7-5 haiku hegemony. but so be it: WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)