Thursday, January 29, 2009

Notes on the News

Family receives 445 credit card offers in one year.
I wish I'd counted ours. It wasn't quite that many. Frank's started to receive quite a few....mostly based on a frequent flyer account in his name. Don't they realize he has no (or a very small) income? Ernest also has a frequent flyer account -- where are his offers? Just wondering.

No link for this, but are your credit card companies reducing your limits?
Not here yet. I called one company to ask for an interest rate reduction...they grudgingly gave me a tiny reduction but were exceedingly quick to offer a credit limit increase. All my other credit cards have sent letters with checks for balance transfers, to make me charge more. So my experience is not normal, according to the news.

Are you doing your own taxes or hiring an accountant?
Let's see: massive stress and anxiety on my part, vs. writing a reasonably sized check to our accountant who takes care of the whole thing? We also have the rental of my mother's house, which requires weird depreciations that I am not willing to comprehend. And our accountant? I've know him since first grade. So yeah, we will keep the accountant. Forever.

Does your job challenge you enough?
Pshaw. (Used to indicate impatience, irritation, disapproval, or disbelief.) You know how impossible your own children can be? Imagine that times, whatever? 16? 32? 100? I had to stop a foursquare game today because the participants were too... Crazy? Unsportsmanlike? Mean? And this was only foursquare. ...This is why they've had no soccer for most of January.

Does Guitar Hero World Tour challenge you?
Ernest's been playing Rondo alla Turca on the piano for like, forever, but now there's a guitar version. "That Rondo was really REALLY hard, " he said, "in case you're writing about it." Yes, I am. "Blog THAT, mom." (Not quite stealing Cheri's title.)

Super Bowl:
Bruce? at halftime? I'll watch him.

Lost.
Ernest and I are slightly past midway through a Lost marathon. He politely requested that I do not watch the 8:15 recap. (So I'm only linking, not embedding.)

I don't know how long I can keep that promise. Many of you may know that I like to read the ending of books before I finish them (I like to know where I am going). This is an ongoing battle between Ernest and me. I promised him I would not peek at the end of Harry Potter (AND I DIDN'T) but he didn't finish the book, either.

Will we have an issue over me watching the new season of Lost? I've lost a couple weeks already. I'm going to put my leopard-clad foot down next week and say YES, I'm watching, and he can just leave the room. Because we've had 4 years to watch the rest of it prior seasons and we DIDN'T and I want to watch it now. So there. Methinks I will finally prioritize my obsessions before the child's. Which leads me to...

The joys of not having a toddler.
Yes. You, the parent. Your wishes can occasionally come first for a change.

Mwa ha ha. If I could get that into a bigger font, I would.

6 comments:

Mooselet said...

We have an accountant because I have to file taxes in 2 countries! The US makes their citizens file (and sometimes pay) taxes every year even if you didn't earn a cent in US income! Since there are half a dozen forms I never heard of to claim exceptions for 10 different things according to tax treaties... I pay her. Bonus points is that she's American and so understands me when I speak! :-)

Anonymous said...

We get ton's of credit card offers, as well as checks too.
An accountant does our taxes since Husband is a self employed farmer and has all kinds of depreciation.
My job so does NOT stimulate me. At times it is very boring.
I don't watch Lost.
We have been watching The Unit season three on DVD. Love that show, hate that they switched it to Sunday nights at 10. I can't stay up that late.
Always watch the Superbowl. Love the commercials. Bruce should be good! Rooting for the Cardinals.

barbra said...

Just yesterday my credit card wanted to talk me into opening another credit card or taking out a loan; me: "no, thank you. no, thank you. no, thank you." I have good credit and they want to get me to pay them interest - they need to make some dough! I have never paid them interest, don't plan to start now!

Our accountant retired so last year we started doing our own taxes. (And by "our," I mean "my husband." Money computations bore me.)

Vanessa said...

After being audited by the IRS, I will happily pay for an accountant forever. I NEVER want to go through that again!

David said...

I probably should have kept all the offers of money for nothing that came in the mail. I always get an accountant to do my taxes although this year will be easy: long term disability and no taxes taken or to be paid.
Getting to job is challenging enough (see new post)

Pretty Things said...

Oh gosh, Lost. Last year I saved up about 8 episodes and devoured them all at once -- looks like that's happening again this year since Sponge Bob can't seem to get OFF MY TV.