rolanni | Entries tagged with death and taxes

What Went Before: Yesterday, I wrote 1,147 new words, for a WIP total of +/-7,160. Only 92,840 words left to go. I also received what I believe in my heart to be the last piece of Official Paperwork needed in order to complete the Tax Packet.

What Went Before, Early Morning Edition: So we had an explosion last night. I'm not sure what exploded, but there were two consecutive BOOMs, followed by the UPS's going briefly nuts, some (but not all) of the touch-lamps lighting up, and this morning the clocks are crazy -- they got kicked half an hour into the future -- the bedroom clock said it was past 7 when I woke up, but the phone said it was 6:45.

Freaked the cats bad. Rook came and snuggled under the covers, which he never does. Tali went to the top of the bookshelf in the bedroom. Firefly and Trooper Investigated. Trooper eventually came back to bed, but Firefly never did. Guess it was her shift.

Kettle's on for tea.

Two CMP trucks backed up in the drive, and drove back toward KMD. They specifically paused at the transformer across the street, but moved on. I guess they're walking the lines.

Tuesday. Sunny. Windy. Cold. The trash is in the garage, and the trash can *stay* in the garage.

Breakfast was cottage cheese, toast-and-jelly. Lunch ... I ought to bake those three chicken tenders that weren't sacrificed to the stew, so, path of least resistance -- chicken tender and fried potatoes, since I have potatoes left over.

I had been toying with the idea of going to the sewing club, but that was before I was contacted by a colleague who had worked with us on a dozen or more projects -- and who hadn't heard that Steve had died.

For those playing along at home, Thursday will be one year since Steve died. I'm kind of dreading that as if it will be some kind of nightmare Groundhog Day. I am therefore trying to keep busy, and put my brain to other tasks.

Today's task will be finalizing the taxes, and if there's day left over after that, more words would be good.

I've checked various sources, including the neighborhood group, CMP's webpage, and the local newspaper, looking for more information in re the Midnight Explosion. A couple of the neighbors heard the booms, one guy saw flashes, but Actual News, we have none. And, yes, clocks getting kicked a half-hour into the future is a new one on me, too.

EDITED TO ADD: I have been reminded that the power outage would have kicked all the clocks back to 12:00 and that 7:20 is time-elapsed-since-reset. Sigh. Need more caffeine.

How's everybody doing today?

We had a crow conclave in the Long Back Yard yesterday afternoon.

Today, it was back to the Winslow Library, which despite being smaller and consisting of one really big room (the Winslow Library lives in a converted roller rink -- in what was conceived as a temp location until a proper library could be built, oh...I'm gonna say ten, twelve years ago. Despite the fact that it was never supposed to house the collection forever, it's well-maintained and very easy on the nerves, and holds up extremely well to the old library building, which was, I believe, a former church. When the congregation outgrew the building, it somehow came to house the town library. It was old, it was tiny, it was cold. Oh, and it was on a flood plain. Every spring, the librarian would put out a sign up sheet for those folks who would be available at any hour of the day or night (I'm not kidding here) to move the books out, if the river crested above a certain number of feet. Good times.) -- is much quieter than the Waterville Library. Also closer.

Edited to Add: I have a lousy memory; here's a quick history and current news on the old library

Anyhow, I'd slept late, and so got a late start. The day was sunny and cold, and I noticed as I drove down the Garland Road that there are, like, a zillion maple trees on tap -- more than I've ever seen. I'm wondering if this because this March is displaying some arcane signs of being the Best Sap Year EVER, or if I'm seeing desperation. Gotta make money, and there's good money in maple syrup. Not necessarily in comparison to the labor involved, but having something to do is better than having nothing to do.

At the library, I realized that Number Ten Ox, the laptop was only half-charged, and that there seem to be no public plugs in the library. Note to self: Remember to recharge Ox every time you come home from a writing shift away.

Got about 1100 words down on Chapter Five before I needed to shut down for lack of power, whereupon I went into town to perform various errands.

It was then that I noticed the ABS light was now lit on Binjali's dashboard. The ABS light has to do with the anti-lock braking system. Seems that, if the light is on, the anti-lock brakes are off, though, somehow, "regular" braking is still in force (oh, rly?). The cure for this is to -- all together now -- take the car to a Subaru dealer. Yanno? I'll deal with that next week.

Errands accomplished, I stopped to pick up lunch at the Red Barn's Winslow satellite; and Steve and I feasted on fried chicken nuggets and potato salad. Excellent lunch!

I have now finished writing Very Substantial Checks to the IRS and the Maine State Treasurer -- and there's still money in the checkbook! (this, children, is why, when we get a check in, no matter how small, no matter how much needed, we take the taxes out first. Learn from our mistake; do this. It's painful, and depressing to see how little is left of a royalty check after 33% has been deducted, but it's even more depressing to find out on Income Tax Settling Day that you owe more than you have.

I've also finished Chapter Five in rough draft, and now it's too late to go to bed early, so I guess I'll settle for going to bed.

Who's got Big Plans for the weekend?

Progress on Carousel Seas:

8,510/100,000 OR 8.50% complete

"I don't bear any particular fondness for Arbitrary and Cruel, but they are my employer, so I gotta be careful, here," she said, slowly.

Current Mood: tired
Current Music: "St. Elmo's Fire," John Parr

Today, Mozart goes to the hairdresser for his summer do. It's a little early, but Mozart had obviously planned for a Cold Maine Winter, Just Like Grandpa Used to Have. I think he fails to understand that Grandpa tended to exaggerate when he was into the nip.

Anyhow, here's Mozart being prepared for winter:

I'm sure he'll be just as annoyed in the After shot.

So, first thing is hairdresser. Then back to the house to cook and eat supper; the chicken already marinating because I am mighty!; then out in the opposite direction to ransom the income taxes from the accountant. Then back home, to check over the paperwork and doubtless to write checks to the IRS and the Treasurer of the State of Maine. Possibly I'll get some writing done, if no more chores or errands mount up while I'm slaying the ones already in-queue.

Speaking of checks -- several kind people sent money via the Splinter Universe PayPal button, to help with the repair of my car. Thank you so very much; I'm surprised, but grateful.

I did yesterday get to the library for a writing shift, after picking said car up from the garage, which was good. I'm liking this getting out to a new room; varying from the Same Old seems to be sharpening up the writer brain. The writing goal is 2,000 words a day on Carousel Seas. The plan is to get to the point where I can juggle one ball, and then add in another for later in the day. This may or may not work, but if you don't try, you never learn.

Or something.

And I see by the clock on the wall that it's time to find a cat and insert him into a cat carrier.

See y'all later.

Progress on Carousel Seas:

6,004/100,000 words OR 6% completed

"Kate," I said, bending over to pick up the Journal-Trib, "you lack vision."

Current Mood: rushed

Less writing done this evening than I had planned on, due to complications with the new accountant, who needed me to log into her system in order to download a particular set of forms. Easy, yes? Except I couldn't log in, the figuring out of Why Not? taking more time than seemed reasonable.

Happily, once achieved, the forms in question are Extremely Familiar. All I have to do is get everything filled in in time to file by February 1, and hope that in the meantime all the various pieces of paperwork I need from Other Entities arrive in a timely manner.

Yeah, we're all adrenaline junkies 'round here.

Unfortunately, this means that I need to put aside writing in the evenings until I finish closing out the year and filling in the forms.

Grrrr.

Progress on Ghost Ship

25364 / 100000

Indeed we are not. The delm wishes to have eyeballs on this road -- an image I counsel you not to contemplate too closely -- and saw no reason nto to make one errand into two."

Current Mood: still cold

*Sigh* A word in the ear of any of y'all that file monthly 941 coupons for payroll. Check, double-check, triple-check, quadruple-check to make sure that payment amount written on the check and the payment amount written on the coupon match. If they don't match, there is a wasted day in your future, talking to the IRS on the phone four times in order to achieve four slightly different answers, and in going down to the bank in order to collect Paperwork Proving that You Did So Pay the Damn' Tax.

You will have to do this even if the check for the proper amount cleared, because, well...the coupon's the thing.

Gah.

As a way of decompressing, and with a tip of the hat to