No, not the kids. The animals. Specifically the dog, a 120ish pound American Bulldog just over a year old, and a cute as a bug 6-month old torty kitten. Both have the reputation of being hell on wheels when they wake up in the morning. All that stored up energy just waiting to explode. Just like little kids, when they sleep they store energy at exponential rates and can't wait to turn it loose when their eyes open.
We (the animals and I) had the house to ourselves last night. Mike is still in Alabama, Devan stayed at his grandparents, and Dean went to a friend's house. Oh the blessed quiet; well, except for Herc (the dog) and Roach (the kitten). If they're awake, they're usually in trouble.
We decided as a group to head to bed early, watch a bit of TV and catch up on our magazine reading. That also means the other two cats will join the party in short order. Six, who must always have her pudgy self on top of me at all times, and Leroy, who can ignore absolutely everything around him. An admirable male trait, to be sure.
It was lights out shortly after 11 and everyone fell fast asleep. At 1:30, Herc wanted out, despite the fact he went out at 11. At 3:45, Herc wanted out, despite the fact he'd been out at 11 and 1:30. I try not to complain, as the alternative is far less amusing.
Sundays are for sleeping in; as much as I can convince my internal clock to do so. If I make it to 8, I've done really well. At 7:19 my phone buzzed with a text message. 7:19. AM. On a Sunday morning. It's Mike: "What ya doin up yet?" It took me three tries to write back that I was trying to sleep. Ten minutes later, the phone buzzed again. "Well kick your boyfriend out and get up call me when u are up 4 good." The boyfriend, Leroy, chirped to show his unamusement. Six started purring in my ear. The dog stopped snoring and stretched enough to move the foot stool and chair. And Roach decided it was play time. Before long, she had everyone awake. The dog started whining to go out; Six started plowing circles around my head; and Leroy stretched out across my feet.
For 45 minutes, Herc and Roach played and ran circles through the house. Herc got into the laundry and I guess he shared the fun with Roach. He came through the kitchen gnawing on a pair of Devan's shorts and Roach was right behind him proudly carrying one of my fuzzy socks.
Now, everyone except me is enjoying their morning nap. I'm too wide awake to even think about it. Damn animals. I really love my pets...except for Sunday mornings.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Saturday, January 31, 2009
How to lose 6 hours in the blink of an eye...
Turn on the computer. Really, that's all it takes.
What starts innocently enough as checking email and news headlines, quickly morphs into a black hole of other activities. Of course I read email, answering a few, forwarding a few; I checked the news on three national sites, as well as the local paper; and then trouble hit.
The simple act of a couple games of cards turned into at least 30 minutes. Dealing with numbers sets off multiple notes to self that are rolling around in my head.
I haven't updated my finances in Quicken in over a week, so better enter deposits, checks and payments. But wouldn't it be easier to set up some of my accounts as loans so I can track the balance with the statement? Absolutely. I've no idea the time I spent playing in Quicken. And I've made a committment to myself to keep everything on the computer from now on so that taxes aren't such a nightmare. Crap...taxes.
I'm pretty sure I have everything I need to do our 2008 taxes. Pull the pile off the shelf and start sorting. Recalculate Mike's expenses for traveling after finding a new stack of receipts. Double check the total for medical expenses. Gather W-2s, interest statements, mortgage statement, school loan statement. Put everything together neatly in two manila envelopes, labeled with name and contents. Whoops, also need the 2007 return for the CPA. Check. Add to envelope.
Now double check everything! Set aside to drop at office. I could easily do that when I take Dean's friend home because I'm going to be in the area. As long as I'm doing that, I may as well load up the excess trash collected from Devan's room (that tale for another time) and take it to the shop dumpster. Hmmm, side-tracked thoughts; let's stay on task.
It's handy working in the same building as the company CPA. It's been years since I've had anyone do our taxes. (One year about 14 years ago when we moved; I didn't want to mess with moving expenses, federal and two state returns.) I started out doing them by hand then got into HR Block online, and finally TurboTax. I've always felt confident doing my own, even in recent years when more and more things factor into the mix. But this year...not so much, despite having a tax class under my belt. Honestly, I just don't have the time.
Since Mike is working out of state, I'm the only adult around, so my responsibilities and chore list have grown. Or I delegate and have to supervise results. Plus, I'm trying to finish school (only 6 1/2 weeks left!). I'm working. And I'm tired.
Figuring I wouldn't like the answer, I asked the CPA how much he'd charge to do our taxes. He asked a few questions about what we'd have, thought it over a bit, and announced all he would charge is the filing fee for our 2nd state return. So I'm getting my federal, Idaho, and Oregon done for roughly $20. UNFREAKINBELIEVABLE!! He figures we trade favors, etc back and forth enough that it will come out in the wash. The man is awesome and beyond generous!
But I still have a table full of papers that I need to sort, file, or pitch. Maybe I'll save it for just a bit and take a break.
Edit
The guilt is too much. Must clean up the papers now. Can't shower since the dishwasher is running anyway.
While sorting papers, find yet another envelope of receipts for 2007. Medical and work-related travel. UGH! Moan, groan, and mutter expletives under breath. Say screw it, get a bowl of sugar covered kid's cereal and sit down for just a couple more games of cards. And lose yet another hour...
What starts innocently enough as checking email and news headlines, quickly morphs into a black hole of other activities. Of course I read email, answering a few, forwarding a few; I checked the news on three national sites, as well as the local paper; and then trouble hit.
The simple act of a couple games of cards turned into at least 30 minutes. Dealing with numbers sets off multiple notes to self that are rolling around in my head.
I haven't updated my finances in Quicken in over a week, so better enter deposits, checks and payments. But wouldn't it be easier to set up some of my accounts as loans so I can track the balance with the statement? Absolutely. I've no idea the time I spent playing in Quicken. And I've made a committment to myself to keep everything on the computer from now on so that taxes aren't such a nightmare. Crap...taxes.
I'm pretty sure I have everything I need to do our 2008 taxes. Pull the pile off the shelf and start sorting. Recalculate Mike's expenses for traveling after finding a new stack of receipts. Double check the total for medical expenses. Gather W-2s, interest statements, mortgage statement, school loan statement. Put everything together neatly in two manila envelopes, labeled with name and contents. Whoops, also need the 2007 return for the CPA. Check. Add to envelope.
Now double check everything! Set aside to drop at office. I could easily do that when I take Dean's friend home because I'm going to be in the area. As long as I'm doing that, I may as well load up the excess trash collected from Devan's room (that tale for another time) and take it to the shop dumpster. Hmmm, side-tracked thoughts; let's stay on task.
It's handy working in the same building as the company CPA. It's been years since I've had anyone do our taxes. (One year about 14 years ago when we moved; I didn't want to mess with moving expenses, federal and two state returns.) I started out doing them by hand then got into HR Block online, and finally TurboTax. I've always felt confident doing my own, even in recent years when more and more things factor into the mix. But this year...not so much, despite having a tax class under my belt. Honestly, I just don't have the time.
Since Mike is working out of state, I'm the only adult around, so my responsibilities and chore list have grown. Or I delegate and have to supervise results. Plus, I'm trying to finish school (only 6 1/2 weeks left!). I'm working. And I'm tired.
Figuring I wouldn't like the answer, I asked the CPA how much he'd charge to do our taxes. He asked a few questions about what we'd have, thought it over a bit, and announced all he would charge is the filing fee for our 2nd state return. So I'm getting my federal, Idaho, and Oregon done for roughly $20. UNFREAKINBELIEVABLE!! He figures we trade favors, etc back and forth enough that it will come out in the wash. The man is awesome and beyond generous!
But I still have a table full of papers that I need to sort, file, or pitch. Maybe I'll save it for just a bit and take a break.
Edit
The guilt is too much. Must clean up the papers now. Can't shower since the dishwasher is running anyway.
While sorting papers, find yet another envelope of receipts for 2007. Medical and work-related travel. UGH! Moan, groan, and mutter expletives under breath. Say screw it, get a bowl of sugar covered kid's cereal and sit down for just a couple more games of cards. And lose yet another hour...
Thursday, January 22, 2009
I should blog this
Every single day something happens that makes me think, "I should blog this." And more and more days go by that contain no blog entries of any sort. Such is a busy life.
I'm slowly working on picking myself up by the bootstraps and being productive again. Certainly my self-imposed break from school was necessary for my sanity. However, having 4 weeks of total freedom from class leaves a lot of time to fill. I did a lot of chillin' with the guys and a lot of time parked on my ass reading. I lost count of the books and magazines I read.
So when class time rolled back around, well the TBR pile on my bookshelf, and even some of my classic favorites were infinitely more interesting that auditing. Auditing is just not that fun. At all. I'm one of those quirky number loving fools, and I hate auditing. So I dug my feet in and put off the inevitable. I didn't read, didn't join discussion, and fell a week behind. I'm back on track...but just barely.
And it didn't help that Mike is out of town. After we returned from SC, he found out everyone had been laid off. Despite many fervent promises from the boss that everything was just fine and there was plenty of work to do. He made calls. He drove all over the valley talking to everyone he knows. There were a few promising positions, but in the end nothing panned out.
After 3 weeks, he was put in contact with someone he worked for about 5 years ago. The company works all over the nation and had a job going strong in Alabama. Would he like to come back?
What a hard decision. Stay here without work and fall further and further behind on bills, or take a GREAT paying job and go to Alabama. But really, it was a hard decision. He hates being on the road for weeks at a time. And we hate him being gone for weeks at a time.
For the first week and a half, I lost direction. I wasn't motivated to do a damn thing but lie on the couch and read or watch tv. The laundry piled up. The pet hair piled up. Meals were forgotten. The boys were basically on their own. God bless them for being self-sufficient, because I wasn't holding up my end of the bargain.
But things are slowly righting themselves. I'm getting involved in class, meals are coming around, I've done some thorough cleaning and tossing. I think the boys are glad I'm being productive again. I know I am.
Mike will be home on the 7th, his birthday. He thinks he'll be around for about a week before he has to go back. I can't wait! I just can't wait.
I'm slowly working on picking myself up by the bootstraps and being productive again. Certainly my self-imposed break from school was necessary for my sanity. However, having 4 weeks of total freedom from class leaves a lot of time to fill. I did a lot of chillin' with the guys and a lot of time parked on my ass reading. I lost count of the books and magazines I read.
So when class time rolled back around, well the TBR pile on my bookshelf, and even some of my classic favorites were infinitely more interesting that auditing. Auditing is just not that fun. At all. I'm one of those quirky number loving fools, and I hate auditing. So I dug my feet in and put off the inevitable. I didn't read, didn't join discussion, and fell a week behind. I'm back on track...but just barely.
And it didn't help that Mike is out of town. After we returned from SC, he found out everyone had been laid off. Despite many fervent promises from the boss that everything was just fine and there was plenty of work to do. He made calls. He drove all over the valley talking to everyone he knows. There were a few promising positions, but in the end nothing panned out.
After 3 weeks, he was put in contact with someone he worked for about 5 years ago. The company works all over the nation and had a job going strong in Alabama. Would he like to come back?
What a hard decision. Stay here without work and fall further and further behind on bills, or take a GREAT paying job and go to Alabama. But really, it was a hard decision. He hates being on the road for weeks at a time. And we hate him being gone for weeks at a time.
For the first week and a half, I lost direction. I wasn't motivated to do a damn thing but lie on the couch and read or watch tv. The laundry piled up. The pet hair piled up. Meals were forgotten. The boys were basically on their own. God bless them for being self-sufficient, because I wasn't holding up my end of the bargain.
But things are slowly righting themselves. I'm getting involved in class, meals are coming around, I've done some thorough cleaning and tossing. I think the boys are glad I'm being productive again. I know I am.
Mike will be home on the 7th, his birthday. He thinks he'll be around for about a week before he has to go back. I can't wait! I just can't wait.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Sheesh, where have I been??
It's been so long, I don't remember what all has happened.
For today, I've had enough.
Trying to plan a family trip to South Carolina to visit the in-laws. My father-in-law has cancer that is not responding favorably to treatment. It's in his bladder. They want to operate to remove the bladder, but can't. All the meds he's been taking have messed up his heart rhythm, and until that straightens out, he remains on the treatment that is offering no cure. They are down, depressed, and need some cheering. My brother-in-law thinks a visit from us would go a long way toward cheering them up and is working the OT to put us on a plane.
I'm awed by his thoughtfulness and generosity. Simply awed.
God knows we are stone cold broke and can't afford to fly out on our own. Someday, we'll be able to return the generosity...someday.
And I just found out today that my brother hasn't been seen or heard from since last Thursday. My paranoid schizophrenic brother. His history with this is long and I won't get into it here. However, the last time he went off meds, the paranoia and delusions set in like flies. He ended up nearly homicidal and certainly suicidal. He's had run-ins with two family members in the last month that weren't pretty. Now no one knows where he is, if he's ok, or what his state of mind is.
Right now, I just want to crawl in bed and sleep for a couple days.
For today, I've had enough.
Trying to plan a family trip to South Carolina to visit the in-laws. My father-in-law has cancer that is not responding favorably to treatment. It's in his bladder. They want to operate to remove the bladder, but can't. All the meds he's been taking have messed up his heart rhythm, and until that straightens out, he remains on the treatment that is offering no cure. They are down, depressed, and need some cheering. My brother-in-law thinks a visit from us would go a long way toward cheering them up and is working the OT to put us on a plane.
I'm awed by his thoughtfulness and generosity. Simply awed.
God knows we are stone cold broke and can't afford to fly out on our own. Someday, we'll be able to return the generosity...someday.
And I just found out today that my brother hasn't been seen or heard from since last Thursday. My paranoid schizophrenic brother. His history with this is long and I won't get into it here. However, the last time he went off meds, the paranoia and delusions set in like flies. He ended up nearly homicidal and certainly suicidal. He's had run-ins with two family members in the last month that weren't pretty. Now no one knows where he is, if he's ok, or what his state of mind is.
Right now, I just want to crawl in bed and sleep for a couple days.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Cheese and Whine (Subtitled: I just don't wanna!)
I've a day of homework planned.
Things I'd rather be doing:
Those are all things I loathe, don't see the point in, scare the shit out of me, or that I will put off until the last possible minute. All sound much more inviting and fun than the homework I have in front of me.
Anyone got some tasty cheese to accompany my whine?
Things I'd rather be doing:
- Deep cleaning my house with a thimble bucket and toothbrush
- Catching up on the office filing
- Balancing my checkbook
- Giving both my cats baths
- Snorkeling in a shark tank
- Skydiving
- Algebra homework with my 15-yr old who hates math
Those are all things I loathe, don't see the point in, scare the shit out of me, or that I will put off until the last possible minute. All sound much more inviting and fun than the homework I have in front of me.
Anyone got some tasty cheese to accompany my whine?
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