My last-minute long weekend was lovely, even though we did not go to the beach. Instead, we did lots of other stuff. Thursday night we finally closed on our refinance. Whew. I have used the fax machine more in the last three weeks than I ever have, I think. Friday was my last-minute holiday. Joe had the day off too. At one point he looked at me and said, "It's Friday! I like that in... Read more →
Our VP likes to have all-hands meetings, where the entire department gets together and listens to lots of information about lots of stuff having to do with what we do. Anyhow, he was doing the normal round of shout-outs and attaboys and lo and behold, he called my name! That was a nice surprise, but when I told my manager that it was a nice surprise, she said that I'm getting a bonus, which is... Read more →
This grainy old picture is a screen capture I snapped from the results of a Google search that I did on "Voorheis Brothers Circus," one of the shows I worked for back in my sordid youth. It's a picture of the Marcellis -- I wish I could remember their first names -- a wonderful couple who treated me like a daughter. She was a juggler; he was a slack wire master. She also assisted him... Read more →
I just liked the look of these trees against the wispy clouds. So you get to look at it too. Read more →
If I was happy to be refinancing before -- even with the "one more piece of paper" syndrome -- I am now really really really really happy. The reason? My current mortgage servicing company has some of the worst customer service that I have ever encountered. The latest piece of paper my loan officer needed was the letter that confirmed that the original loan had been paid off. This is not the first time we've... Read more →
One of my favorite places in the whole entire world is a short walk from my office. It's the Bishop's Garden, in the shadow of the National Cathedral. We walked there yesterday -- it was a great destination! It's almost like a secret garden, or something out of Hogwarts, with its heavy, arched wooden doors complete with iron rings and hinges, its birdbaths and fountains and benches. Okay, the trash can may be a tad... Read more →
Life has been happening at an alarming rate over the last few days: 1. We're refinancing our house. So much for selling it -- our window of opportunity slammed right down on our fingers for that -- but refinancing? A good thing, especially since Mr. Bernancke keeps cutting rates. The thing about the mortgage racket is that every time you think you've sent in every last possible piece of paper about your entire financial life... Read more →
Joe's working late tonight, so I did the taxes. A wild woman, is what I am. I fired up TurboTax online and dove on in, answering questions and filling in forms with various numbers. I did the W-2s, the 1099-INTs, the 1099-MISCs, the 1098s, and a 1099-G in a pear tree. I love the checkbox approach, too. You know, there's a list of all sorts of arcane and esoteric stuff that affects your taxes, and... Read more →
Well! No one gets two pats on the head! Y'all are either too damn young or your memories are shot or you didn't watch one of the best television comedies of the 60s. I refer, of course, to The Dick Van Dyke Show, wherein Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore play Rob and Laura Petrie. I loved this show; I still love it! In this particular episode, Rob and Laura have a quarrel. Rob... Read more →
I had a bad night's sleep last night. I fell asleep on the couch, as I am prone (heh) to do, during a broadcast of Laurence Olivier's Hamlet. I suppose that's not quite as bad as falling asleep during The Guns of Navarone*, but it could result in the revocation of my literary license. Anyway. I staggered up to bed around 11:00, pulled the covers up around my head, and went out like the proverbial... Read more →