One Of Those Days in the BToS

I'm the first to admit that I've gotten pretty lazy in my retired state. There are days when I feel I've been busy all day, but look around and can see nothing that I've accomplished. Do this, do that and pretty soon the day is shot and I feel like the little critter in this cartoon looks, a bit frazzled.

Yesterday was a day like that, but I did manage to spend about 3 hours in the afternoon playing with receipts, 1099s and other income tax related items. I finally managed to collect all the tax info in one location and fired up my new copy of Turbo Tax.

It went smoother than I thot it would. I notice Turbo Tax isn't as obnoxious as it used to be. The running counter telling me how much $$ I owe is much smaller than it used to be a few years back when it would jump out at you like a vampire in the night to suck your blood. Today it just says things like, "Hey there little guy, the feds are gonna want a little more of your money." instead of "We gotcha by the gonads!!!" The $$ is the same, but the presentation is softer/friendlier.

It appears I owe the feds more money and the Great State of Maryland (GSoMD) owes me some money. On balance I'll get back a bit more than I have to pay. If I'm smart, I'll set it up so the GSoMD pays me before the ON (Obama Nation) collects to pay for the stimulus package. I can be smart at times even at my advanced age...or would it be smarter to owe both??? I'll let you decide that one!

I have to tell you that by 4:30, I was chilled clear thru with my fingers and toes so cold they were almost falling off. The house was warm and I was dressed warm, but I felt COLD. At first I figured it was 'cause old farts like me usually lose a bit of circulation in their extremities.

I gotta figure that my chilled state came from the ON sneaking in and causing Turbo Tax to take all that extra money from me. Even though the GSoMD was gonna give some back, the thought of the ON taking more money chilled me clear thru. My fingers and toes felt exposed to the cold just like the cartoon critter!

All I can say is; make sure you dress warmly when you crank up your Turbo Tax, cause no matter how warm and cheery it looks on the monitor, it can and likely will be a chilling experience!

JD