The Adventures of Being Me

Thought to give out tax tips before tax season is upon us again. I do tax preparation in addition to full time jobs to earn extra money. Here are some tips before getting our taxes done. 1. Know the difference between Independent Contractor and Employee. Employees fill out W-4 forms upon being hired to declare how much taxes to take out of their paychecks. They get pay stubs along with their paychecks spelling out the deductions taken out. Employers are required to issue W-2s by Jan 31. Independent contractors don't have taxes taken out of their paychecks and receive 1099-Misc forms if they made over $600, which means they must pay estimated taxes and/or self employment tax if they made over $400 income (meaning Sales minus Expenses equals Income). Independent contractors need to keep records of expenses, business miles driven, and separate car/home office expenses into personal and business uses (insurance, electricity, phone, etc.). Then there is self-employment who usually ...

Merry Christmas to my dear friends and family. My New Year began with getting two kittens from a relative. Unsure if they were male or female so called them White Nose and Gray Nose until gender was established. Two days after picking them up, they had eye goo and vet diagnosed them with a respiratory infection. Vet affirmed their gender to name White Nose as Bilbo and Gray Nose as Misty. My ferrets were bigger than the 6-week-old kittens and would drag them under the sofa. Started tax preparation with an income tax preparation company. Lost female Beta fish Ananke that I got as a baby and was growing bigger every day. Took Mom to my Dad's cousins’ reunion at a pizza place. Lost male Beta fish Atlas Jr that I got full grown. My ferret Luthien was dubbed The Brave when she was the only ferret to go outside during the polar vortex, then I knew it was freezing when even SHE refused to go outside. Got new Beta fish Aeneas and Pandora, both full grown. Adopted 2 Bonded Bud...

After a hail storm, had 2 roofing companies drive by asking to inspect my roof for damage. Sure why not. One company I never heard from again. The second one had me call my insurance company to make a claim. The insurance guy came out to inspect the damage and guessed my roof was 12 years old. He must have called the roofer cause they showed up at the same time (and I know I didn't set that up). Insurance guy agreed to a new roof so got a new roof. Roofers broke my gutter guards so waiting them to be replaced. With all this snow and cold, I might have to wait a while for that. I informed the insurance guy of my plight and he agreed not to release any funds until I am satisfied. Canceled the cable and sent back the box. It is weird watching antenna TV and some channels don't come through. I notice a lot of rerun channels that play reruns from 50's, 60's, 70's, etc. all day. Bought concert tickets to see Elton John with my nephew. Paid nephew a few times to rake le...

Just made the last weekly claim for unemployment I can enter. Have to cancel the cable TV tomorrow. If I have to borrow money to pay for food, I should not make my Mom pay for my cable. Sure borrowing money from Mommy sounds nice if she is the fairy godmother, but my Mommy Dearest has been called The Wicked Witch of the West by friends so borrowing from her comes with a side of emotional abuse (Why can't you normal like your sister?). At least I went to the Joan Jett/Heart Concert before falling into the abyss. My female Beta Leda Jr died so I guess my life is just cursed. And I gotten others to beleive I'm cursed cause I just can't catch a break and everything around me has to fall apart. But on a better note, I'm finishing my fall cleaning. Vacuum one floor and I'm done. It feels weird walking around a clean house.

Finished the summer celebrating nephew's 15th Birthday, going to the local amusement park, and Iowa State Fair with family. Had to fix the clothes washer connection with 5 trips to the hardware store. Enjoyed my newly planted roses blooming. Sister planted marigolds and those blossomed beautifully this fall. I got 2 pansies bloom, the only blooms in my flower pots this summer. My new female Beta fish Danae died, then got Danae Jr to have her die a few weeks later. To save money, my family decided to cook my birthday instead of going out to eat. As fall approached, grilled my last hamburgers, hot dogs, and smore's before putting the grill away for the winter. Put away the dining set on the patio away too, getting too cold to sit outside to eat breakfast. Started my Fall Cleaning. Planted new iris bulbs and pray they bloom next year. Celebrated ferret Eowyn's 6th Birthday (ferrets live 5-8 years is she is an old lady). Got a phone interview today so crossing fingers. After ...

9/17/2019 Dear Senator Grassley, I am disturbed at the President and Vice President affirming on TV that we are “locked and loaded” for war with Iran. Forgive me if I’m wrong here, but I do not recall the US Congress declaring war on Iran. Last I looked, it is Congress who has power to declare war, not the president. I think many Americans would be against war since we have not been attacked, like Pearl Harbor. If we went to war, I daresay not many allies would blindly follow the piper to war, like France when we were forced to called food Freedom Fries just because they refused to invade Iraq or Afghanistan. I remember once on TV you refused to write a blank check for President Bush to run his war in Iraq and I was proud to call you my Senator. I call it Bush’s Iraq war since he lied to Congress to overthrow Saddam Hussein resulting in a civil war splitting the country in three parts (Sunni, Shite, and Kurds). Also, we have a $22 Trillion national deficit so I fail to see how this ...

I read how some people whine about the student loan crisis while others complain how exploitative college loans/tuition are to students. OK, less than half of a college's income is from tuition. Much more of it is from endowments, sporting events, federal grants, and state government funds. Colleges are hardly exploiting students by giving them an education. If one thinks college is worthless, then good luck finding a job that doesn't require education beyond a high diploma in this digital world. Many middle aged people go/return to college to get better paying jobs so many would disagree college education is worthless. To pay college expenses, it is best to figure out first what occupation you want to do when you graduate. What are your interests and what are you good at? If you can't decide, work summer and/or part-time jobs until you figure it out. I have met people who didn't go to college until their late 20's when they decided what they wanted to do. If y...

Did an Ancestry DNA test done and I'm European which is no surprise. Going by records my ancestors came from Netherlands, Prussia/Germany, Ireland, Scotland, and England 1600-1800's. Last 1st Immigrant to America came in 1850's. Dutch ancestor DeFreese/De Forest came in 1600's from Leiden, Zuid-Holland. Prussia/Germany ancestors came in 1700's (Arnold and Row from Wurttemberg; Schonemann from Eisleben, Saxony-Anhal; Kempf from Grosseifen, Rheinland; and Drushel/Trushel from Germany) and 1800's (Hartz from Harz Mountains, Langebartels from Hanover, Schumacher from Wurttemberg, Nolte from Hitzhausen, Lohse from Nelle). Scotland/Scotch-Irish ancestors came in the 1700's (Todd from Forfar, Angus, Scotland; Campbell from Ireland rooted in Argyll, Scotland and McNair from Donegal, Ireland rooted in Argyll). Surname Killen is Scotch-Irish surname. Surname McCaffree is an Irish surname. English ancestors came in 1600's (Stern from Nayland in Suffolk County...

Summer is always fun when unemployed and deep in debt. Discovered a black and white striped garter/ribbon snake while mowing the lawn. Haven't seen it since. Plenty of birds, chipmunks, and squirrels eat from the bird feeder plus corn cobs and shelled peanuts I lay on the ground. Saw a squirrel and baby moved into the tree in front of the house. Mama squirrel had half her tail fur missing so she got away from something vicious. Dogs next door and my cats get entertainment. Let the kittens and ferrets outside to play in the grass. Ferrets are digging a hole in a corner I have no plants so they can get as dirty as they like. Plus, it's always entertaining grabbing burs out of kitten and ferret furs. Nephew worked in my yard until he thought he could make more money at the local amusement park where my niece works this summer. Went to the movies 3 times this summer. Usually I wait for DVDs and skip the theater unless it is an ultra-important movie I have to see in the theater. ...

Tax season ended leaving me completely unemployed, had phone interviews and in person interviews to receive rejection emails. Still applying for jobs. Had to take unemployment office workshops teaching us older people how to find a job so naturally they were useless to me. I know how to apply for a job and do an interview (my wardrobe and resume are not the problem, though lack of correct experience is a problem for employers). Ferrets set up the Easter Bunny Trap and got extra chocolate eggs from his basket stashed away before Big, Bad Mom released The Bunny. Our Easter basket loot were: 4 large balls, 3 small tennis balls, 3 birds, 3 eggs full of chocolate eggs, 1 pink lamb, and 1 chocolate bunny. Not bad for kittens 1st Easter. Kittens chased their first butterflies and sniffed their first May flowers which were hyacinths and daffodils. Bought some potted tulips and planted them in the ground after the blooms wilted. Niece had her baby at last, a girl named Piper. My sister said...

Had my last day of filing taxes for people. Thank goodness. I get a lot crazy people in. Like people coming to my tax company expecting cheap prices (you want cheap, do it yourself on the internet). More get upset how there situation changes their tax refund results (like better paying job, divorce, or their child grows up and can't claim them anymore). I get old people who think they shouldn't pay taxes cause they are retired (lodge your complaint to Congress). Then I get people upset their refund isn't bigger than last year (it's not a contest). I try to explain that their refund is greatly dependent on how much they pay in taxes all year through their paychecks (like a interest free loan to the government). If you want a huge refund, you have pay a lot in taxes in the first place. Otherwise have several children and low income to get large earned income credit. Even better are people expecting huge refunds because of the tax law changes. Obviously, they didn'...

Worked some hours at different tax sites in my tax prep company. One employee went to jail for drunk driving and didn't know when they could come into work (they were couple hours late). Another had their baby early. And yet another employee suddenly quit. Tax preparers are dropping like flies and I can't be in multiple locations at once, so some locations are closed for the season (the ones without appointments). Earning my last dollars before the last day tomorrow and then I will be completely unemployed. Might clean my house just to do something. Working 6 days a week makes a very dirty house. Plus Misty had diarrhea after her spay so there is some poop droppings. At least she got better with antibiotics and pate canned cat food. I got my Hyacinths and Daffodils blossoming, plus saw a bee so happy for spring's arrival. Bought some new Tulips and different colored Hyacinths. Planted more morning seeds so will see if they will grow. Got a pot and dirt to place in the fro...

Did taxes for a former coworker and his wife at my tax place. That was a surreal experience. Naturally, had to tell people at work who I ran into. Finished the kitten shots and got my furbabies fixed. I prefer not having inbred kittens and shelters have plenty so we don't need to add to the cat population. Passed out green mints and buttons on St Patrick's Day at the tax place. Some kids were more interested in the buttons that the candy. Odd. Rescued ferret Boromir trapped under a box and caught ferret Luthien drinking out of the kitten milk bowl. Nearly slipped on ice outside the garage door when going to the grocery store where I bought Girl Scout cookies. Girl Scout cookies are a must in this part of the country. Kittens have gotten big enough to jump up on the table, which is next to the kitchen counters so they are exploring the sink and cupboards. With all this melting of winter snow and rivers flooding, my basement had a leak and could never figure out where it was c...

Read stuff on the internet debating Christian beliefs. Some think the Bible is a bunch of fairy tales while others believe the strict interpretation that it is the Word of God. With so many conflicting beliefs around the world, how does one figure out what to believe for themselves. Churches I hear have trouble recruiting young people and slowly dying out of existence as the older generation dies one by one. Well, how does generations fall away from the faith in the first place? I can only tell you what I live. It was a long and complicated process, not a single event that caused me to be angry with God as many believe. My youth was full of attending church every Sunday, going to Vacation Bible School (I even attended a friend's church's Vacation Bible School one year). I was in the Christmas Play and helped my Mom with crafts for Vacation Bible School as a teenager. I was the weirdo who wore a dress while everyone else wore shorts. My Mom insisted we wear nice clothes to chu...

Had freezing rain and thunder in February. I didn't know what was worse: the hills, the curves, or the potholes. Then it turned into snow. We finally got enough snow for ferret Boromir to experience his first snow tunnels. Eowyn and Luthien had to show him how to dig them first. Neighbor with a snowblower been doing my driveway this year. Guess he got tired of watching me rest on my front stoop. I offer cocoa, but he won't accept it. I try. Explained to family his snowblower wouldn't fit in my garage with the car in it so shovel for me. Polar Vortex making certain rooms cold so I bought new curtains, doing their job keeping light and cold out of the rooms. Don't want to overwork the furnace when it's 10 below outside. Been waking up to kittens in my bed, very nice to wake up to purring in my ear. Kittens been escaping out the door into the garage when coming home. Yeah, they don't last long out there. Take off my coat, change into my slippers, and they are rea...

New Year started with introducing my kittens Bilbo and Misty to my ferrets. Luthien ferret keeps displaying her dominance by biting their necks and shaking them them, which makes them scream. Took a month and half, but she is getting less aggressive. After a couple days, had to take kittens to vet when goo started coming out of their eyes. Upper respiratory infection was the diagnosis and given antibiotics. Introduced the kittens to the family who love to play with the new furbabies. Started working for an Income Tax Prep company, I hope one of these days to be an Enrolled Agent and make lots of money. Right now, I need it to pay off debt (these student loans are killing my saving capabilities). We finally got snow in January and ferrets were happy to swim in it. One even made a snow tunnel. Kittens got their paws in the snow and backed away from it. Lost female Beta fish Ananke that I got as a baby and was growing bigger every day. Neighbor saw me resting from shoveling my driveway...