This afternoon it was time for my once-a-year processing of my tax returns. I filed, electronically, the Form 1040 to the Internal Revenue Service and Form 140 to the Arizona Department of Revenue. I have refunds coming back, a chunk of change that I intend to squirrel away in my savings account for that eventual rainy day that is sure to arrive.
As I was thinking this process over, I thought about something that I heard Rush Limbaugh suggest. I am all in favor of what he suggested even though this method would cause me some personal pain. What this method would do for everybody, though, would be to force awareness on just how much we are paying in taxes and would surely cause a tax revolt. I'll get to what he suggested later on, but first let's review a little history and the present process.
The federal income tax was first tried in 1861, presumably to pay for the costs of the Civil War. This tax was repealed and replaced by another one the following year, and in 1894 the Democrats in Congress passed the first peacetime federal income tax. The Supreme Court got involved a year later and issued a ruling that had the effect of making this tax unconstitutional, mainly by the means in which the income was being taxed.
Some years later, in 1913 specifically, the Constitution was amended to make a federal income tax constitutional, and the top tax rate was only 7%, and that only applied to incomes over $500,000......and half a million was a lot more money back then than it is now.
Over the years, the tax brackets have increased, and the incomes subject to them have been lowered so as to bring more taxpayers into the tax base. I have read that in the 1950s, there wasn't withholding.....you sent in a quarterly tax payment, and you filed a return the following calendar year. Now we've got withholding, which means that your income is confiscated without you being aware of it unless you read the pay stub that your employer issues you if you really want to learn how much they took, which you won't do in most cases as that you don't really want to know. You file your return; if you're lucky you get something back and if you're not then you have to send the IRS a check.
Now stop and think about this process for a moment. A chunk of your income is confiscated each pay period, but you largely don't care because what you're interested in is your "net" pay as you figure out how you're going to make the rent or the car payment or if you can take your sweetie to a cabin in the mountains for a weekend. You might roughly know that they take a third, but I'll bet my mortgage that you cannot tell me how much you pay in each week down to the exact dollar amount without looking at your pay stub. And, I'll bet that you can't tell me down to the exact dollar, just how much you paid in federal income tax last year.
What you can tell me is whether or not you got something back, or if you "owed". It wouldn't surprise me if a few folks getting a tax refund are all smiling and happy about that, thinking that they somehow pulled a fast one on the IRS and they are now getting a jackpot that they can't wait to go blow on some big screen TV or something.
Well the reality is that you "owe", regardless of what you get back. Every time your employer issues you payment for your services rendered to them, you owe taxes regardless, and the more you make then the more they take. And since the process is rendered somewhat painless by withholding (it isn't painless if you end up "owing" when you file, of course), you live with it. I know that. I live with it too. I can't tell you what I paid in income tax last year other than it was several thousand dollars, and no, even though I signed a tax return this afternoon and saw the number I immediately forgot what it was.
But now let's get back to the intended subject of this post. How do we reduce our federal (and state) income taxes, legally? How do we bring this about?
The short answer is an Act of Congress.
OK, you'll buy that, but some of you are asking, how do we go about getting Congress to act?
Thus, the idea that Rush Limbaugh floated. Here it is.
Abolish *ALL* withholding. Your gross pay becomes your net pay, minus deductions for 401K's and the like. What your gross pay is is what you get, and no withholding of taxes.
None.
Zip.
Zero.
Nada.
None.
Next, you send in what you owe in one lump sum payment. And, the day that that lump sum payment is due, is the day before the federal election in November. Think about this some. You send in one huge check on this one Monday in November, and the next day you're deciding whether or not to re-elect your Congressman. Please, think about this some more, and grab a copy of the latest income tax return that you filed. Look at the amount of your tax liability, and then imagine having to write out a check for that amount to send in on the day before the election.
Yes.....look at the amount.....and then try to imagine writing out a check made payable to the Internal Revenue Service for that amount. Think you can swing it?
Now.........what do you think will happen, presuming that we do pay our taxes in this manner? Do you think taxes will go up, or will they go down? As you're writing out a check for five thousand dollars or whatever it is that you owe, are you going to feel like re-electing your Senator or your Congressman? Or even your President? Or are you instead going to vote for someone who's campaigning on a promise to ease your burden?
Now you know the real reason why there is withholding, and why the process is what it is.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
The Saints Win It!
Like most of the nation, I tuned in to the Super Bowl yesterday. I watched the first quarter and a little of the second. Believing that the Colts were going to run away with it, I walked away from the TV set to take care of some odds and ends before returning just as the second half was about to get underway.
The onside kick surprised me just as much as anyone else. No one had ever done that in the Super Bowl before aside from the fourth quarter. That clearly put the momentum into the hands of the Saints, though the Colts weren't going to give up. I was glad that we got a good game. For a while in the 90s it seemed, that Super Bowls were blowouts where one team wiped up the field with the other. We didn't get that this time, we didn't get that last year when the Arizona Cardinals were in it, and the one before that was one of best Super Bowls......but not the best. The best Super Bowl, in my opinion, was Super Bowl XXV, although any longtime fan of the Buffalo Bills might not share that feeling.
As for the commercials, they can be summed up as follows: They stunk.
Things with Lynette are continuing to go good. It really feels great to have a girlfriend again. And, she's the most reliable one that I think I've ever had.
There is a sense of uneasiness at work. We have more people than we have work available for them. My lead was notified last week that they wouldn't be needing his services any more. He's looking within the company, though he's also spoken frequently of retiring. Me, I'm not worried. My plate is full, and threatening to overflow.
However, is there really anything out there that is really secure? I suppose gravedigging is the most secure job that there is, since it can't be outsourced to China. Then again, some illegal alien might get to do the work since he won't have to be paid as much, and doesn't need to speak English in order to operate a shovel.
That's all I have. I need to pay some bills, process some laundry, and do some cleaning. With this being a Monday, I might even go to bed early.
The onside kick surprised me just as much as anyone else. No one had ever done that in the Super Bowl before aside from the fourth quarter. That clearly put the momentum into the hands of the Saints, though the Colts weren't going to give up. I was glad that we got a good game. For a while in the 90s it seemed, that Super Bowls were blowouts where one team wiped up the field with the other. We didn't get that this time, we didn't get that last year when the Arizona Cardinals were in it, and the one before that was one of best Super Bowls......but not the best. The best Super Bowl, in my opinion, was Super Bowl XXV, although any longtime fan of the Buffalo Bills might not share that feeling.
As for the commercials, they can be summed up as follows: They stunk.
* * * * * * *
Things with Lynette are continuing to go good. It really feels great to have a girlfriend again. And, she's the most reliable one that I think I've ever had.
* * * * * * *
There is a sense of uneasiness at work. We have more people than we have work available for them. My lead was notified last week that they wouldn't be needing his services any more. He's looking within the company, though he's also spoken frequently of retiring. Me, I'm not worried. My plate is full, and threatening to overflow.
However, is there really anything out there that is really secure? I suppose gravedigging is the most secure job that there is, since it can't be outsourced to China. Then again, some illegal alien might get to do the work since he won't have to be paid as much, and doesn't need to speak English in order to operate a shovel.
* * * * * * *
That's all I have. I need to pay some bills, process some laundry, and do some cleaning. With this being a Monday, I might even go to bed early.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
My 40th post! 1/31/09
I figured that it was time to check in and post an update of what is going on. Upon signing in I noticed that there were 39 posts, and that will become 40 once this posting is published. In one way there is a lot going on and in another there isn't very much going on.
Nothing at work is really changing. I don't know what is going on with the singles scene here as that I don't have a reason to be out there among them these days. I can't tell you who is playing at the Maverick on Thursday nights as that I haven't been over there for three weeks. The weather did change some as that we had a winter storm blow thru here about nine days ago and the Catalinas still have snow on them as I saw when I looked toward them from the driveway this morning. I haven't bought any new DVDs lately, but I am reading some good books, and I intend to devote a post in the near future to discuss what I've been reading.
On the personal front though, things have changed. Lynette was down here for the weekend and she brought her son down here so that I could meet him. We've also chatted quite a bit via email and via cellphone, and I had probably better start paying attention to what's left in my balance of minutes that have rolled over. Our relationship is serious, and my next series of phone calls to my family will bring them the news that I have met someone.
In a way I can't believe that I am where I am right now. I've jokingly told Mark that when my marriage broke up in October of 1998 which set in motion the chain of events that led to a relocation to Arizona a few months later, that I somehow slipped into the wrong universe and I was now living in some parallel universe like you see sometimes on Star Trek except that the parallel universe I'm in now had some new kind of normal. And the Dave Mosier who lived in this universe somehow took my place back in that other universe and is still living in San Jose.
And so for ten years I've dealt with this universe here in Tucson, and now I'm in some other new universe but this time this universe still has me in Tucson and this time I have a girlfriend named Lynette in this universe while in the old Tucson universe my counterpart goes to the Maverick every Thursday night for dance lessons. That's fine I guess, as that I still help with the design of circuit cards in this universe but I don't yet know if this universe is going to give me same raise that I got in the last universe this year.
All joking aside about universes, (and don't get me started on relativity), I have to admit that the current set of "problems" that I now have sure beat the fire and brimstone out of the last set of problems that I had. It's a time in my life where I can say that life is good, and I don't mind publicly admitting that Lynette is turning out to be something else. I'm thinking that we had the First Date to End All First Dates. The question is now, how do we get to where we think we're supposed to be? The bridge wasn't out this time and so there's some uncharted territory down the road ahead.
While watching something on the tube last week, I noticed that when it came time for the commercials, that the volume of the commercials was louder, and the first commercial was for a hearing aid.
Listening to too many of those hearing aid commercials just might put you in the position to where you will actually need one.
And speaking of TV, is it just me, or is something wrong at the History Channel? When I first went satellite some seven years ago that was my favorite channel. The first show that I watched here via satellite was a two hour documentary on the Soviet space program and it was fascinating. I've since seen documentaries on the history of prohibition, hillbillies, Al Capone, and other good shows.
As of late they seem to be on this fixation for six hours straight of something like "Ax Men" or "Ice Road Truckers" or "Gangland". Do we really need six straight hours of each of these shows? Why not mix them up?
Or better yet, get rid of them entirely so that we can have more airtime for shows about history or for "Modern Marvels".
Time now for the evening victuals. Take care, and don't forget to pet a dog or a cat.
Nothing at work is really changing. I don't know what is going on with the singles scene here as that I don't have a reason to be out there among them these days. I can't tell you who is playing at the Maverick on Thursday nights as that I haven't been over there for three weeks. The weather did change some as that we had a winter storm blow thru here about nine days ago and the Catalinas still have snow on them as I saw when I looked toward them from the driveway this morning. I haven't bought any new DVDs lately, but I am reading some good books, and I intend to devote a post in the near future to discuss what I've been reading.
On the personal front though, things have changed. Lynette was down here for the weekend and she brought her son down here so that I could meet him. We've also chatted quite a bit via email and via cellphone, and I had probably better start paying attention to what's left in my balance of minutes that have rolled over. Our relationship is serious, and my next series of phone calls to my family will bring them the news that I have met someone.
In a way I can't believe that I am where I am right now. I've jokingly told Mark that when my marriage broke up in October of 1998 which set in motion the chain of events that led to a relocation to Arizona a few months later, that I somehow slipped into the wrong universe and I was now living in some parallel universe like you see sometimes on Star Trek except that the parallel universe I'm in now had some new kind of normal. And the Dave Mosier who lived in this universe somehow took my place back in that other universe and is still living in San Jose.
And so for ten years I've dealt with this universe here in Tucson, and now I'm in some other new universe but this time this universe still has me in Tucson and this time I have a girlfriend named Lynette in this universe while in the old Tucson universe my counterpart goes to the Maverick every Thursday night for dance lessons. That's fine I guess, as that I still help with the design of circuit cards in this universe but I don't yet know if this universe is going to give me same raise that I got in the last universe this year.
All joking aside about universes, (and don't get me started on relativity), I have to admit that the current set of "problems" that I now have sure beat the fire and brimstone out of the last set of problems that I had. It's a time in my life where I can say that life is good, and I don't mind publicly admitting that Lynette is turning out to be something else. I'm thinking that we had the First Date to End All First Dates. The question is now, how do we get to where we think we're supposed to be? The bridge wasn't out this time and so there's some uncharted territory down the road ahead.
* * * * * * *
While watching something on the tube last week, I noticed that when it came time for the commercials, that the volume of the commercials was louder, and the first commercial was for a hearing aid.
Listening to too many of those hearing aid commercials just might put you in the position to where you will actually need one.
* * * * * * *
And speaking of TV, is it just me, or is something wrong at the History Channel? When I first went satellite some seven years ago that was my favorite channel. The first show that I watched here via satellite was a two hour documentary on the Soviet space program and it was fascinating. I've since seen documentaries on the history of prohibition, hillbillies, Al Capone, and other good shows.
As of late they seem to be on this fixation for six hours straight of something like "Ax Men" or "Ice Road Truckers" or "Gangland". Do we really need six straight hours of each of these shows? Why not mix them up?
Or better yet, get rid of them entirely so that we can have more airtime for shows about history or for "Modern Marvels".
* * * * * * *
Time now for the evening victuals. Take care, and don't forget to pet a dog or a cat.
Friday, January 22, 2010
My First Date with Lynette! or, Does eHarmony really work?
I can now make this public.
I just wrapped up my first date with Lynette, who I met over eHarmony. We went thru the "guided communication" steps, sending each other prewritten questions, then those we wrote ourselves, then open communication thru their system.
It quickly went to private email, and then to the phone. The "buildup" to this was phenomenal. It was scary. And I hadn't been this nervous on a first date for years. I mean years! It was like being 16 all over again.
In a situation like this, that is the "buildup", well it seemed that no matter how you sliced it we were compatible. She didn't waste any time into getting this into an honest and open dialog. From the anonymity of the keyboard I opened up. And I kept wondering, is it going to be different this time?
Those were legitimate questions. In October of 2005 I was in some great dialog with this Linda in Scottsdale who I met via Match.com. She practically promised me the moon. We went out on a date, and it was like a scene from some Stephen King novel. I'm thinking, this is weird, I've been led down some long winding road to get to a dead end, and why did I let this happen?
Then in early 2006 there was this Sheri from Dewey, Arizona, also from Match. She got a little brazen in our first phone call and I loved it. I ran down the battery in my cordless phone talking to her. She said all the things I wanted to hear. I could hardly wait to meet.
However, I got suspicious on that one. I ran a check of the online court records and learned that she had several convictions for passing bad checks. She was also the target of several civil actions from those bad checks. And, she was still technically married since her divorce action showed up and the decree didn't look like it was going to be final anytime soon. She quickly got an email from me stating that I had panicked, wasn't ready, and asked that she not contact me further.
That wasn't a lie. I was not ready for someone like her! And there was a sense of panic as that I was on the brink of arranging a meeting for that one.
In early 2007, and again from Match, there was Mary from El Paso, or "Little Miss El Paso" as my friend Cheryl called her. The emails were getting on the steamy side. I was about to commit to a trip to El Paso to meet her. Then she asked me if there was such a thing as "love at first sight" via computer. I related to her that I wasn't sure that there was such a thing, that instead I would have to meet the person. I also offhandedly remarked what my friends would think about my going to El Paso to meet someone.
Well, Little Miss El Paso really lit into me on that one. I got this angry tirade from her about pulling back, and that it didn't matter what my friends thought, we were going to meet and it was going to happen with us.
What Little Miss El Paso doesn't know is just how highly I think of my friends. Nobody, but nobody criticizes my friends! Nobody! I happen to think that my closest friends are all better people than I am, each and every one of them. The way I see it, is that my friends are very important to me, and I just won't stand for anyone criticizing them.
Anyway, with those three examples, I found myself down that road again. That road that you're not sure if the bridge was out the last time has the bridge in it now. Where the advertising looks promising, the scenery is fantastic.......but will the bridge that's up ahead be there when you need to cross it?
This time the bridge was there. I found out that Lynette and I had way more in common than I could possibly have imagined. We found oursevles as instant soulmates! And so, after a first date that will be cherished as a prized memory for the rest of my life, we immediately agreed on a mutually exclusive relationship.
This is better than anything I have ever experienced. I am quite pleased to be making this public!
We agreed on how things would be, how we would resolve conflicts, things we would like to do this year, and places we would go. There are some initial challenges with scheduling as that she is a nurse and I am an engineer. She lives in Queen Creek and I live in Tucson. But we'll work around these things.
It really feels good to be "off the market". It really does.
I just wrapped up my first date with Lynette, who I met over eHarmony. We went thru the "guided communication" steps, sending each other prewritten questions, then those we wrote ourselves, then open communication thru their system.
It quickly went to private email, and then to the phone. The "buildup" to this was phenomenal. It was scary. And I hadn't been this nervous on a first date for years. I mean years! It was like being 16 all over again.
In a situation like this, that is the "buildup", well it seemed that no matter how you sliced it we were compatible. She didn't waste any time into getting this into an honest and open dialog. From the anonymity of the keyboard I opened up. And I kept wondering, is it going to be different this time?
Those were legitimate questions. In October of 2005 I was in some great dialog with this Linda in Scottsdale who I met via Match.com. She practically promised me the moon. We went out on a date, and it was like a scene from some Stephen King novel. I'm thinking, this is weird, I've been led down some long winding road to get to a dead end, and why did I let this happen?
Then in early 2006 there was this Sheri from Dewey, Arizona, also from Match. She got a little brazen in our first phone call and I loved it. I ran down the battery in my cordless phone talking to her. She said all the things I wanted to hear. I could hardly wait to meet.
However, I got suspicious on that one. I ran a check of the online court records and learned that she had several convictions for passing bad checks. She was also the target of several civil actions from those bad checks. And, she was still technically married since her divorce action showed up and the decree didn't look like it was going to be final anytime soon. She quickly got an email from me stating that I had panicked, wasn't ready, and asked that she not contact me further.
That wasn't a lie. I was not ready for someone like her! And there was a sense of panic as that I was on the brink of arranging a meeting for that one.
In early 2007, and again from Match, there was Mary from El Paso, or "Little Miss El Paso" as my friend Cheryl called her. The emails were getting on the steamy side. I was about to commit to a trip to El Paso to meet her. Then she asked me if there was such a thing as "love at first sight" via computer. I related to her that I wasn't sure that there was such a thing, that instead I would have to meet the person. I also offhandedly remarked what my friends would think about my going to El Paso to meet someone.
Well, Little Miss El Paso really lit into me on that one. I got this angry tirade from her about pulling back, and that it didn't matter what my friends thought, we were going to meet and it was going to happen with us.
What Little Miss El Paso doesn't know is just how highly I think of my friends. Nobody, but nobody criticizes my friends! Nobody! I happen to think that my closest friends are all better people than I am, each and every one of them. The way I see it, is that my friends are very important to me, and I just won't stand for anyone criticizing them.
Anyway, with those three examples, I found myself down that road again. That road that you're not sure if the bridge was out the last time has the bridge in it now. Where the advertising looks promising, the scenery is fantastic.......but will the bridge that's up ahead be there when you need to cross it?
This time the bridge was there. I found out that Lynette and I had way more in common than I could possibly have imagined. We found oursevles as instant soulmates! And so, after a first date that will be cherished as a prized memory for the rest of my life, we immediately agreed on a mutually exclusive relationship.
This is better than anything I have ever experienced. I am quite pleased to be making this public!
We agreed on how things would be, how we would resolve conflicts, things we would like to do this year, and places we would go. There are some initial challenges with scheduling as that she is a nurse and I am an engineer. She lives in Queen Creek and I live in Tucson. But we'll work around these things.
It really feels good to be "off the market". It really does.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Monday, the 18th of January, of 2010
There may finally be something happening on the eHarmony front. I can't go into details lest I jinx this.
I was in email correspondence over the holidaze with someone else from another site, and we met. Unfortunately in that instance it was obvious within five minutes that the chemistry wasn't going to be there.
With the latest......well........I guess we'll be finding out just how well eHarmony's matching system really works.
We are in for some clouds, overcast, and rain this week. We had light rain this morning. The sun did come out of the clouds about an hour ago, but but we're back to overcast.
It's one of those days where it's great to be out on the back patio with a cup of Joe.
We found out last week just *how* well things were going at work. Our project is in very fine shape. The customer is very pleased with us, and now we're moving into the next phase of development.
I'm not sure, but I might be in Rhode Island this coming April for a few days to witness the first tests of our circuit cards. At least the weather there should be better by then.
I can't say much about work, but I think it's safe to say that things are going well there.
Uncle Tony continues to make phenomenal progress. I sometimes wonder if he has any idea about how well he's regarded within our family. It's too bad that we're scattered all over the U.S., but each of us went to where the opportunities were there for us. That's one reason why I'm in Arizona.
I really should get out to Iowa when his recovery is complete.
Around Tucson, I haven't been all that active in the singles groups. I did accept an invitation over a week ago to attend a happy hour that one of the local "Meetup" groups did.
The people there were friendly, and I ran into a few folks I hadn't seen in a long time. One of them is someone who I'll identify only as "Snowbird Tom". I've known him for several years.
There were also some others that I know from TSP: Tucson Single Professionals.
As for another singles group, I did attend some happy hours from the Tucson Desert Singles before the holidaze. There's been some turnover of membership, which is good for that group. Just a few years ago there were some real bad apples hanging out there. I stopped going because of that.
Don't get me wrong, I've got some good friends that I made thru them. My housesitter is one of them. Former girlfriend Peggy is another. My housesitter, I, and a few others like to kick around the idea of going out dancing at the Maverick. Thing of it is, with my current eHarmony situation, I don't feel much like going out nor do I feel like attending happy hours.
I guess as far as the singles clubs go, they may be thinking that I must have fallen off the face of the earth.....again.
And so, I'm now alone in my thoughts of "what might be". I've been down this road before. I keep going down this road in the hope that this will be my last trip down this road.
To steal that line from that one Eagles song, "Put me on the highway......show me the sign.....take it.....to the limit......one more time".
Live long, and prosper.
I was in email correspondence over the holidaze with someone else from another site, and we met. Unfortunately in that instance it was obvious within five minutes that the chemistry wasn't going to be there.
With the latest......well........I guess we'll be finding out just how well eHarmony's matching system really works.
* * * * * * *
We are in for some clouds, overcast, and rain this week. We had light rain this morning. The sun did come out of the clouds about an hour ago, but but we're back to overcast.
It's one of those days where it's great to be out on the back patio with a cup of Joe.
* * * * * * *
We found out last week just *how* well things were going at work. Our project is in very fine shape. The customer is very pleased with us, and now we're moving into the next phase of development.
I'm not sure, but I might be in Rhode Island this coming April for a few days to witness the first tests of our circuit cards. At least the weather there should be better by then.
I can't say much about work, but I think it's safe to say that things are going well there.
* * * * * * *
Uncle Tony continues to make phenomenal progress. I sometimes wonder if he has any idea about how well he's regarded within our family. It's too bad that we're scattered all over the U.S., but each of us went to where the opportunities were there for us. That's one reason why I'm in Arizona.
I really should get out to Iowa when his recovery is complete.
* * * * * * *
Around Tucson, I haven't been all that active in the singles groups. I did accept an invitation over a week ago to attend a happy hour that one of the local "Meetup" groups did.
The people there were friendly, and I ran into a few folks I hadn't seen in a long time. One of them is someone who I'll identify only as "Snowbird Tom". I've known him for several years.
There were also some others that I know from TSP: Tucson Single Professionals.
As for another singles group, I did attend some happy hours from the Tucson Desert Singles before the holidaze. There's been some turnover of membership, which is good for that group. Just a few years ago there were some real bad apples hanging out there. I stopped going because of that.
Don't get me wrong, I've got some good friends that I made thru them. My housesitter is one of them. Former girlfriend Peggy is another. My housesitter, I, and a few others like to kick around the idea of going out dancing at the Maverick. Thing of it is, with my current eHarmony situation, I don't feel much like going out nor do I feel like attending happy hours.
I guess as far as the singles clubs go, they may be thinking that I must have fallen off the face of the earth.....again.
* * * * * * *
And so, I'm now alone in my thoughts of "what might be". I've been down this road before. I keep going down this road in the hope that this will be my last trip down this road.
To steal that line from that one Eagles song, "Put me on the highway......show me the sign.....take it.....to the limit......one more time".
* * * * * * *
Live long, and prosper.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Made it Thru Another One
Well this is my last day "off" for the Christmas break and I am spending it in a quiet afternoon at home. I have some reading that I want to do, but I also have to remove photos received in the 2008 batch of Christmas cards that are being held up on the fridge by fridge magnets, and replace them with those that I received over the past few weeks.
And speaking of Christmas cards, I finally got them all done. Those in the first half of the alphabet got theirs before I left on my trip, and those in the last half got theirs sent out yesterday. I started thinking, was it fair to make those in the last half wait a few more weeks?
I think the next time around, I'm going to start with the Z's (yes, I've got relatives whose last name begin with Z) and fill out and send theirs first.....and work my way backward to the A's. Maybe the year after that, I'll do something different.
It is tempting to fill out cards beginning next month, that is, write notes, sign the cards, address the envelopes......but wait until the annual letter is printed before I send them out. That way, all I have to do is print the letter out, stuff them inside the cards that have already been signed, and then chuck the whole shebang into the mailbox.
We are so far having a beautiful January here in Tucson. I think we'll hit 70F for a high this afternoon. The sun's out and the sky is clear. It has to be one of those days where the dogs are smiling and the cats are purring.
We are going to be in for an interesting year. There are midterm elections and a public that is highly dissatisfied with Congress. Our biggest problem is that if we do replace a large chunk of Congress, that what we're really doing is trading in one set of crooks for another.
I will vote this year, but I see myself as voting strictly anti-incumbent, all the way down to the line. The only incumbent I'll be voting for is a state representative who actually took the time to reply to an email I sent him some time ago. He didn't agree with me that we need to have a state law that bans the use of cellphones while driving, but he told me why. He said that it was a matter of personal responsibility and that he wasn't going to break that campaign promise not to have the state interfere with personal responsibility.
I appreciated that answer, even though I still think we need that law. He's the only elected representative who is doing what he said he would do in his campaign.
His name is Frank Antenori, and it's likely I'll have his yard sign on my front "lawn" (I have rocks, not grass) come October.
And speaking of Christmas cards, I finally got them all done. Those in the first half of the alphabet got theirs before I left on my trip, and those in the last half got theirs sent out yesterday. I started thinking, was it fair to make those in the last half wait a few more weeks?
I think the next time around, I'm going to start with the Z's (yes, I've got relatives whose last name begin with Z) and fill out and send theirs first.....and work my way backward to the A's. Maybe the year after that, I'll do something different.
It is tempting to fill out cards beginning next month, that is, write notes, sign the cards, address the envelopes......but wait until the annual letter is printed before I send them out. That way, all I have to do is print the letter out, stuff them inside the cards that have already been signed, and then chuck the whole shebang into the mailbox.
* * * * * * *
We are so far having a beautiful January here in Tucson. I think we'll hit 70F for a high this afternoon. The sun's out and the sky is clear. It has to be one of those days where the dogs are smiling and the cats are purring.
* * * * * * *
We are going to be in for an interesting year. There are midterm elections and a public that is highly dissatisfied with Congress. Our biggest problem is that if we do replace a large chunk of Congress, that what we're really doing is trading in one set of crooks for another.
I will vote this year, but I see myself as voting strictly anti-incumbent, all the way down to the line. The only incumbent I'll be voting for is a state representative who actually took the time to reply to an email I sent him some time ago. He didn't agree with me that we need to have a state law that bans the use of cellphones while driving, but he told me why. He said that it was a matter of personal responsibility and that he wasn't going to break that campaign promise not to have the state interfere with personal responsibility.
I appreciated that answer, even though I still think we need that law. He's the only elected representative who is doing what he said he would do in his campaign.
His name is Frank Antenori, and it's likely I'll have his yard sign on my front "lawn" (I have rocks, not grass) come October.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Almost to the End
In about twelve hours or so it's going to be a New Year here in the Mountain Time Zone. I have nothing special planned for tonight. What will happen is that I will have a mostly quiet evening here at home, save for some firecrackers and an "artillery shell" that I'm going to light off when the big moment comes.
Funny thing is, is that I'm not lighting these fireworks out of celebration. I'm lighting them because this is one of the two nights each year that I can get away with lighting fireworks. Fireworks aren't legal in Arizona, not even sparklers, but people who've made the drive to Lordsburg and back to visit the fireworks stores that are open year 'round have them. And plenty of people do have them. I've seen lots of bottle rockets go up each 4th of July.
But getting back to the New Year, it's rare for me to be out on New Year's Eve. The last time it happened was at the end of 2003. I was up in Tempe with some friends to catch a BTO concert, and afterwards we were invited to a private after show reception at their hotel. We chatted with them until about 3:00 AM, after which it was time for everyone to turn in.
And as for celebrating the New Year, I just don't do it. It's not that I have anything against it. It's that I can't see what the big deal is. Sure, I'll reflect over the events of the preceding twelve months, and I might even contemplate what lies ahead. But I don't celebrate it, and I don't make resolutions either. The way I see it, if you need to do something to the point of making a resolution, you should make the resolution right then and there and not wait until the 31st of December of that year you happen to be in to make that resolution.
As for 2009, I got to do some things I wanted to do. I had a high point, and I had a low point. Life goes on, and that's what's important.
I returned to Tucson two days ago. Trip mileage going to San Jose was 850.1 miles, while returning was 885.4 miles. I took I-10 going in and I-40 coming back.
I really like the scenery along I-40. For stretches it parallels the old US66. At some point I'd like to drive the old 66 back. I'd like to have a babe with me if I ever get to do that.
As for the babe, well, I'm working on that.
I think that's going to be it for right now.
See you next year!
Funny thing is, is that I'm not lighting these fireworks out of celebration. I'm lighting them because this is one of the two nights each year that I can get away with lighting fireworks. Fireworks aren't legal in Arizona, not even sparklers, but people who've made the drive to Lordsburg and back to visit the fireworks stores that are open year 'round have them. And plenty of people do have them. I've seen lots of bottle rockets go up each 4th of July.
But getting back to the New Year, it's rare for me to be out on New Year's Eve. The last time it happened was at the end of 2003. I was up in Tempe with some friends to catch a BTO concert, and afterwards we were invited to a private after show reception at their hotel. We chatted with them until about 3:00 AM, after which it was time for everyone to turn in.
And as for celebrating the New Year, I just don't do it. It's not that I have anything against it. It's that I can't see what the big deal is. Sure, I'll reflect over the events of the preceding twelve months, and I might even contemplate what lies ahead. But I don't celebrate it, and I don't make resolutions either. The way I see it, if you need to do something to the point of making a resolution, you should make the resolution right then and there and not wait until the 31st of December of that year you happen to be in to make that resolution.
As for 2009, I got to do some things I wanted to do. I had a high point, and I had a low point. Life goes on, and that's what's important.
* * * * * *
I returned to Tucson two days ago. Trip mileage going to San Jose was 850.1 miles, while returning was 885.4 miles. I took I-10 going in and I-40 coming back.
I really like the scenery along I-40. For stretches it parallels the old US66. At some point I'd like to drive the old 66 back. I'd like to have a babe with me if I ever get to do that.
As for the babe, well, I'm working on that.
* * * * * * *
I think that's going to be it for right now.
See you next year!
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