Death and Taxes

Now all of these guys are flushed.

After procrastinating for long enough (all the while telling myself it was because I was trying to save up as much as possible, even though it was because I was scared of the 1099 process) I finally did my taxes today.

I gotta hand it to Turbo Tax for being pretty easy to follow. My favorite thing is when they tell you when some option is common or uncommon and then give examples so newbies can figure it out. It cost me $90 and I doubt I got as many deductions as I could have or should have, but I still ended up owing a lot less than I anticipated (helloooooo new MacBook Pro!!!) and got it done within a few hours, so not to shabby. 

However, earlier today, again after a lot of procrastination, I finally changed the water in my fish tank. About half of the water had evaporated over the weeks (it'd been a while since any water was put into it) and I took about another quarter out for a total of three quarters water change, which is about normal. After adding about half of the total amount of tap water in, which has always been fine for my fish since I specifically got hardy ones, I put in a bit of the water purifier. Then I added more tap water and topped it off with a few drops of the purifier. Maybe the tap water was too warm, maybe the fish were old, but the shock of the water change killed my two silver fish.

Fucking nothing is certain but death and taxes.

I'm a little sad because I'd had these guys for a while and kinda thought they were indestructible (I asked the guy at the fish store for fish that were difficult to kill and have been quite pleased with them the last few years), and after adding a couple of more fish to control my exploding snail population the silver fish were no longer kings of the pond. The new fish were bigger, though they were all supposed to live peacefully together, and the silver fish seemed intimidated and not as likely to go after food. It could be me seeing more of the situation than there was, but they looked thin (if fish can look thin). So I'm not really surprised that they died. I do feel bad for them though- I did like them a lot.

One thing is for sure though: I'm not replacing these guys. I'm about ready to be done with the whole having a fish tank thing, especially now that they're getting fed twice a day instead of once (damn spoiled fish) which is fun on weekends, and the new fish are still young so I know they'll be around a while, assuming I don't kill them with water changes. I swear, I kill more fish by changing the tank water than anything else. It must be like desert plants: water them too much and they shrivel up and die.

In other news, the water change has reminded me that I have way too many snails for one fish tank. I need something that eats the adults that won't eat my surviving swimmers.

A Case Of The Mondays

Well, the week got off to a great start.

Got my first paycheck of the year and lost almost twice what I expected to taxes. I now pay more money in taxes per month than I do for my rent, including the increase that takes place in April. Which is fucking nuts. The US tax code is wildly confusing- I've never gotten a tax return more than $400, and that was once when the $300 make work pay thing was in effect a couple of years ago, and last year I owed taxes despite working and having taxes taken out. Paying a quarter of my income in taxes seems like so much to me. I made more money than this in the past and got to see more of my paycheck then... where does it all go and how to other people get hundreds on their returns?


Add to that people were absolute bitches on the phone at work, going so far as to yell at me and hang up when I mentioned our minimum (FYI: you're going to pay good money for a remodel, you can't go calling around and say you want the cheapest thing possible and get mad when businesses tell you they like making money) and my headache from Saturday night that never truly went away, I had to remind myself a few times that I got to wake up with wonderfully warm arms around me and that my car wasn't damaged from the car fire parked right behind it (terrifying few seconds while I checked it out, though).


One thing I took away from my parents' marriage was to worry about money, even if there's no need. I've never not been worried about money. My life is in perpetual save mode: for the next 3 months I'll be saving for taxes (I'll just barely make it), and until July I'll also be saving for car insurance, which I most certainly will not make at this rate. I had planned on joining a gym this week to train for the non refundable half marathon I already signed up for but now that's an unnecessary expense I might not be able to justify, especially when I should be spending that same money on new running shoes.


Makes me wonder how a person working full time for a decent wage and relatively low rent and living expenses can feel like she's just making it. I've been just making it since... well, I've always been that way, from college to now, and my current rent is only $100 more than it was when it was its lowest. The only addition is a car payment (which is low enough to be affordable) and full coverage insurance (which is a bitch); other than that my lifestyle hasn't changed too much. I still eat rice and potatoes a lot, going out to eat means parting with $5, and my wardrobe hasn't changed since right before I got laid off 3 years ago. Granted, there's no way I would have been able to afford a new car or this level of insurance at any point in the last 3 years, but I'm working so much more now. Doesn't that make a difference?


The thing that scares me is I'll talk to a professional about my tax situation and be told that's just the way it is, whether or not I'm able to understand it. And if that's just the way it is and a quarter of my paycheck goes to taxes, I still won't get a return. And if this is all the case, why am I not doing something fun for work? Why do I sit inside and look at a computer 2 feet from my face for 8+ hours a day, 5 days a week? I was making more money per hour when I was happiest, when I had more energy, when I didn't hate Mondays. I thought I was getting ahead but now it feels like the more I try to move the more I stay exactly where I always was.


And I couldn't see the rain today. Being stuck inside in a fluorescent room with a computer sucks on beautiful days, but it also sucks on the rainy ones. I love the rain and don't get to see it enough here... I'd like to at least watch it out the window. Hope this season is another wet one so that eventually it'll rain all weekend and I'll get to see it.

Retaliation

I only drink Italian bottled water.

A couple of days ago a new tax on goodies from the European Union went into effect, including a 100% tariff on Italian bottled water. According to Italymag.co.uk, the US buys 40% of Italy's bottled water (Panna, San Pellegrino) so the tax, which will effectively double the cost of Italian bottled waters, is a big problem. Apparently this tax was one of the last ideas George W. Bush had before surrendering the office, as retaliation for the EU not importing hormone-laden American beef, and the EU is hoping Obama will make it all go away. 

American Italian restaurants are not happy about the new tax either. What used to be a $3 bottle of water will now be $6, and no doubt some patrons will switch to free tap and cost restaurants a good portion of their profits. I'm not a drinker of bottled water, much less bottled water from Italy, so I'm entirely unaffected. However, my former employer made the switch to exclusively Italian bottled waters right before firing me, and I was the one to make all the written changes. They'll probably have to switch back to Fiji and who's gonna make those changes now, hm? Fuck you, Sammy's!

For the record, the hormones in American beef are not proven to be a danger to people. It's safe to consume beef and milk products (including cheese) from cows treated with rBGH(rBST). However, the cows develop all sorts of terrible conditions when injected with these hormones. Remember that video a couple years back of the cow being fork-lifted to the slaughterhouse because it couldn't walk? Yeah, that's what happens. Buy naturally raise beef, people. The Europeans have a good point.