Month in Review

Okay, so it's been more than a month since I posted. One month, six months, whatever. I still stand by the excuse of the dying laptop, but even though it's definitely terminal, it still hasn't died. And since there's no sudden influx of money to buy a new one anywhere on the horizon, I decided I just need to start posting again, with or without pictures. So maybe it'll be boring to everyone but me (pictures are the interesting part, right?) but it's my record of my life, so maybe that's not such a big deal. So on with the review.

1. Joe got laid off. Ugh. He hated his job anyway, so there is that, but still, you know, income. He didn't hate having an income, and come to think of it, neither did I. If only we still had plenty in savings we could think of this as a nice little vacation. As it is, not so much.

2. A week or so after the big layoff, I brought in the mail to find a big, fat envelope from the IRS. Wait, let me rephrase that. A BIG, FAT ENVELOPE FROM THE IRS. Are we being audited? I was immediately hyperventilating. But no, no, we're not being audited, we're just being billed. FOR $2000. Apparently there was a "mistake" on our 2007 tax return (yes, as in 2 years ago) and we got an "extra" $2000 on our refund that we "shouldn't have gotten." I like to use air quotes when I'm annoyed, so just picture the fingers in the air. I said fingerS, what kind of lady do you take me for? Anyway, they want it back. Little do you know, IRS, I have the evidence to prove you're wrong, that you've miscalculated, not me. Ahem. Please?

I've prided myself for years on being an excellent CPA for myself at tax time, and I'm going to be really annoyed if I have to admit otherwise. Two states of residence? Five W-2's? Mortgage interest, moving expenses, itemized deductions, capital losses? No problem. I've got it all figured out and I don't know why anyone thinks they need to go to a, what? a professional? Bah. This stuff is easy.

Joke's on me, huh?

3. A few days after the IRS envelope (which is also a couple weeks after the layoff, keep track will you), the car died. I was babysitting 3 little girls (that makes 5 little girls under the age of 6 in the house, plus me), so Joe wisely decided to splurge a little and go golf 9 holes. Until he tried to start the car, that is, and it just clicked and said "ha ha, Sucker!" What? Your car doesn't laugh at you when it decides not to work? Anyway. Joe took the battery out and went to the auto parts store to have it tested just to make sure that was the problem, and of course it wasn't. The battery was fine. Couldn't be that simple. We felt like we got a bit of a break when we had the car fixed by the end of the day and the mechanic's bill was only $100. Sweet.

So I guess I'll leave it at that. Any more and this will turn into a bad country song. All we're missing is someone getting drunk, or incarcerated, or both.

In better news, Joe and I will have our 5 year wedding anniversary next week. We've been inspired to go to a Jon Schmidt concert to celebrate . . . here, watch this and see if you're inspired too:

(disclaimer: I CANNOT STAND the Taylor Swift song. What do I look like, a 13 year old? No. But that just shows the talent of Jon Schmidt. He actually made me kinda dig that loathsome song. Oh, and Viva la Vida? Yes, please.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v3d6SFcDys