I actually got my taxes done in a reasonable amount of time this year! In fact, I mailed them out today. Aren't you proud of me?
I am! As some of you may remember, I didn't get them out last year until the end of July. Oh, the shame!

I actually would have gotten them done a few weeks sooner this year but I opted for more fun things like making Peeps dioramas, disc golfing, hiking, making/eating sushi, watching the entire first season of Full Metal Alchemist, grilling out, hitting some art shows, gardening, cleaning my house and working 50-some hours a week. But they are done now. Finally, I can relax...

Sort of.
We've had a change at my work place. Blue has left her position and so has her husband, the main bookkeeper. That leaves a huge void that I am now filling. I've been promoted from Office Manager to "Business Manager". Which means that I am in charge of, among other things, paying bills, keeping track of all the business's money, and, ironically enough, filing and paying periodic taxes! Don't worry though, I'm much better at doing things for other people than I am doing them for myself.

Once I get my new position straightened out I should be able to find time to post and surf more regularly.

12 comments:

Kari said...

Hey!! Congrats on the promotion!!Woo hoo for getting taxes done early!!

Derek Knight said...

I always do my taxes as early as I can. I love getting the beeeg chunks of refund money myself...

Of course, I don't own rental property like you kids do...Perhaps my taxes, not nearly as complex.

Evil Spock said...

I got them done at like 4P at work on the 15th.

Peep dioramas are so much more worth it.

OldRoses said...

Congrats on the promotion! I always do my taxes on President's Day in February. Since I have the day off, I dedicate it to Uncle Sam. It seems appropriate somehow.

Sylvana said...

Kari, thanks. The taxes were such a relief and the promotion is bittersweet. I really relied on Blue for sanity around work, now I have to find a whole new balance.

Derek, before we had rental property our form could actually fit in a regular letter envelope - now we need to send it in one of those manila envelopes!

Evil Spock, if I were more meticulous with my paperwork it really wouldn't be so hard because it would all be organized and ready to go.

OldRoses, thanks. President's Day, eh? I would do it then (yeah, sure), but we don't even have all our W2 by then. We usually get all of our tax documents in the mail by the end of February - yes, even though they are required to have them to us sooner! I even called the IRS to ask what could be done about that, and they basically said "Nothing".

ag said...

I'm picturing you surfing in a lake. :)

Mrs. Loquacious said...

I don't do my taxes - my accountant does. :) He has figured out the best way to help Hubbs & I maximize our claims and get the juiciest return possible. Of course, our return this year only serves to pay off car repairs, but still...I love seeing the big cheques in the mail. :)

Sylvana said...

AG, Superior is a pretty big lake you know ;)

Mrs. Loquacious, I tried an accountant a couple of times, but found that they really like to take a huge cut from the return and I do better at getting deductions than they do because they don't try that hard. They get paid either way, after all.

Shannon said...

This is the first year I consulted an accountant (out of a sinking suspcion I was doing everything wrong since that has been my traditional track record). I'm glad I did. I was in and out in 20 minutes. It was worth the small fee.

Congrats on the promotion. I hope things slow down and you return to the blogosphere soon!

Sylvana said...

Shannon, seriously, after getting the rental properties, I had someone do our taxes - he charged us over $500!! And I know he didn't get all the deductions possible. A total waste! I've done them myself ever since and have gotten much better refunds AND I get to keep it ALL!!

Thanks about the job! I'd be much happier about it if there was a substantial raise involved. I'm thinking about asking for one soon. I deserve it!

The Doc said...

Congrats about the job promotion, Syl, even though working fifty hours a week must be kind of annoying. As far as taxes goes, I usually do them at my parent's place with QuickTax, because they have all my old returns from five years ago, and I have over $20,000 in tuition that's being carried forward. Hopefully that'll be enough to give me nice big tax refunds for the next few years.

Sylvana said...

The Doc, I have always used Turbo Tax. but I am starting to regret it. I had uninstalled Explorer a while back to help my computer run faster - and it worked. But Turbo Tax only uses Explorer, so I had to reinstall it to get my upgrades. But now I can't get Explorer uninstalled again and my computer is back to molasses mode!

I like nice big tax refunds. It sure beats the years that I had to pay in thousands every year!

La Brea Tar Peeps

Sunday, April 08, 2007 | 0 Comments

24 comments:

Sylvana said...

Here is "The Making of the 'La Brea Tar Peeps'".

Evil Spock said...

Oh my god, that's hilarious! I'm sure you've seen this site:

http://www.peepresearch.org/

Oh, and as soon as I make the spring rolls, I'll post the recipe and do a step by step like you did for the sushi rolls. I'm waiting for my herbs to come back!

Sylvana said...

Evil Spock, SSB was showing me that site earlier today.
We really like the "Risk Analysis" one.

It's the perfect time for spring rolls - it being spring and all!

Lyvvie said...

It's wonderful!!! And it was a fun family project - so much better then soaking eggs in vinegar and dye for an afternoon! You're an inspiration!!

Sylvana said...

Lyvvie, glad you liked it. As much as I hate the feeling of clay drying on my hands, I would much rather have done this than be assaulted by vinegar!

OldRoses said...

OMG! That's brilliant. I can't believe that you topped last year's Peepshow!

Sylvana said...

OldRoses, glad you liked it! SSB came up with the theme. And it sure was a lot of fun building it!

ag said...

Splendid!!! Or is it Splenda? I heard they now make diet Peeps made of petrochemicals.

Sylvana said...

AG, Splenda is awesome by the way. Not in things. I just like to eat it by the packet.

Shannon said...

ROFL! This is brilliant. When I first saw it, I didn't realize y'all had done it yourselves.Bravo!

Sylvana said...

Shannon, that is so flattering! I should have spent the time doing my taxes, but this was way more appealing.

Douglas Cootey said...

Hey, I just wanted to pop by and thank you for your feedback on my call for comments. Really great post you left. Thank you.

As for peeps, tar is too good for them, IMO. LOL But my wife loves them so I can never escape them every Easter. ;)

~Douglas
-=-
The Splintered Mind - Overcoming Neurological Disabilities With Lots Of Humor And Attitude

Evil Spock said...

I need to wait for my Vietnamese Coriander, Mint, Basil, and Chives to come back. Fresh Herbs are key to a good spring roll.

Oh, I was wondering if you'd like to exchange links?

Sylvana said...

Doug, thanks. I'm glad that you did that post. It helps put it all in a completely different perspective.

And...
I don't eat Peeps, I destroy them!
Muwahahah!!!!

Evil Spock, huh, I thought I already put you in the Operant Conditioning Lab. Oh well, consider that fixed.

The Doc said...

Oh man, that's brilliant. I look forward to your Peeps scenes every year.

Sylvana said...

The Doc, we already have next year's planned out!

lindsaylobe said...

Hi Sylvana
I had never heard about Peeps before visting your blog, but I now undertand Peeps are a type of Sandpiper bird native to North America, but of a “nylon” or “porcelain” variety purchaed in shops to display around Easter each year ?. I liked your display last year as well !!
Best wishes

Sylvana said...

Lindsay, Peeps are a sugar coated marshmallow treat. We munched on a few of the Peeps in the display.

Dawn....सेहर said...

Thats so cool!
very cute
Cheers

hellbunny said...

Thats really cute

Irb said...

That's hilarious! My only complaint is that I can't actually hear the dying screams of the peeps and I'm forced to simply imagine their gurgling cries as the hot, bubbling tar fills their marshmallow lungs...

(I really hate peeps.)

Sylvana said...

Dawn, glad you liked it; we had fun.

Hellbunny, thanks. They were pretty good eatin' too.

Irb, that's the spirit!

jennie said...

I'm definitely adding that to my list of projects to do with the kids. It's all about learning, right?

Sylvana said...

jennie, welcome to my blog! Of course EVERYTHING is educational on Syllogism!!

I am back on 10-12 hour work days.

Don't cry. I'll still be posting. I'm shooting for at least once a week - probably on the weekend.

But while you're here...

I have had something take up residence in my nose. It's been there for almost a month and I think it is driving me crazy. And bitchy.

An alien life-form you say? Could be.

Whatever it is, I'm all out of ideas - except for the toilet snake, which I am almost desperate enough to try now. Any ideas? Trust me, I've already covered all the obvious ones.

How weird do think it would be to go to the doctor and ask them to pick your nose for you?

11 comments:

OldRoses said...

Not weird at all! Doctors do that sort of thing all the time. Granted, it's usually on kids. You'll probably make their day. Give them something to talk about at the next party. "You'll never guess what I pulled out of this woman's nose . . ."

Sylvana said...

OldRoses, I like to give people stories to tell.

Shannon said...

I'm so creeped out- is this thing alive???

Sylvana said...

Shannon, I'm pretty sure that it's this guy

ag said...

I think this is my favorite post. I think more needs to be said about alien things that lodge in nostrils and cause misery. We're not alone. We must speak out!

Sylvana said...

AG, I knew I couldn't be alone!! And misery is so much easier to bear with company.

Lyvvie said...

I hope you have a wonderful weekend - and I'm looking forward to some good Peeps action - last year's was AWESOME!

Thinking of you, and your peeps.

OH, and go see my pal Dr. Hoffman, he's an ear, nose and throat dr. who blogs. He's super - ask him and he'll tell you what to do, no insurance companies involved. Although, be open to the nasal douching - he swears by it.

peep peep

Evil Spock said...

Tis a shame that when I finally leave a comment, you're going on hiatus. By the way, I make spring rolls (the cold ones wrapped in rice paper) all the time. When herbs come back in season, I'll post pics and a recipe.

So you and Bob are husband and wife? Cool! I like that you guys write different blogs. Been trying to encourage the girlfriend to write . . .

Sylvana said...

Lyvvie we are going to try and do a photo shoot this weekend if we have time. We just have to go get a few more Peeps.

Here are last year's for those who didn't get to see them:
Peep Show #1
Peep Show #2

Evil Spock, welcome to my blog! I will still be around, just not as in depth as I would like to be - for a while anyway. But feel free to take a look at my previous posts. I suggest starting with Conversations At Our House.

Yeah! I want recipes for that! I keep buying the rice wraps for spring rolls but never get around to making them.

Yeah, we're yin and yang. It took me a while to get SSB interested in blogging - but he finally came over to the dark side! Muhwahaha!

Kari said...

Nice Peeps!!!

And I think that the doctor has heard stranger things before.

Sylvana said...

Kari, thanks. We have a lot of fun putting the scenes together - once we figure out what the heck we're going to do!

Sushimania

Sunday, April 01, 2007 | 0 Comments

I have been on a big sushi kick lately. I have a friend that makes really good sushi and I decided that I would have to try to make my own sushi. I mentioned in a previous post that I bought all the ingredients for basic sushi when I went to World Market. Well, I finally got around to trying it out. It really wasn't that hard. I wasn't planning on making high-end authentic sushi with all the ceremony; I just wanted something yummy to eat.

The full size sushi I made was a little too big to eat in one bite. You really wouldn't want these plugging your sushi-hole when you suddenly realize you maybe put a wee too much wasabi on them! And they are a little messy to try and eat in two bites.

What to do?

Well sushi-poppers, of course!!

All I did for these was to cut the nori in half and make the fillings more narrow.

They were the perfect size for dipping and popping in one bite. They were a little harder to roll, but definitely worth it. And they are a great healthy snack/meal. It's definitely a great way to get more veggies in your diet (we live in the Midwest, not a real great place to get fabulously fresh seafood easily, so I used a variety of veggies in mine with a little tamago for extra flavor and protein).

I wonder if you could lose weight eating sushi...

8 comments:

Laurie said...

Good for you! I love sushi but I haven't tried to make any, yet.

Shannon said...

My friends and I sometimes have "sushi" nights where we make homemade sushi. Sometimes we use tofu or cooked chicken in the rolls. I keep trying to make a "Thai peanut chicken" roll. It hasn't been sucessful yet.

Sylvana said...

Laurie, if you can roll a burrito, you definitely can make sushi! The rice is the trickiest part.

Shannon, SSB and I were just talking today about all the blasphemous things we could make sushi rolls out of - SSB says, "It's FUSION!!"

OldRoses said...

YUM! Sushi! What a great idea. I've never tried to make it. I'll definitely look into it. Thanks for the great mealtime idea.

Derek Knight said...

re: losing weight via sushi.

nope. I'm still fat.

Sylvana said...

OldRoses, I have had sushi as a meal about 6 times in the last week! The mini ones are pretty hard to roll, so I would start full-sized first.

Derek, eh, it was worth a shot.

Lyvvie said...

Your sushi looks great!! I want some! (although fresh, because those are a week old now) I always use too much rice.

Perhaps I should do this for lunch - the kids love sushi.

And yes, you can lose weight eating sushi.

Sylvana said...

Lyvvie, it is very tempting to use a lot of rice. Glad to hear that your kids love it. My son's friends all turn their nose up at it. My son, on the other hand, loves anything from the sea.

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