(R) 2005, if you want to be technical. This gets an (R) instead of a (P) because I'm not going to offer serious solutions, just complain. That's what Mondays are for, after all, even if it is opening day!
First a compliment, though. It took the Cardinals about the same time to score 8 runs as it took me to do my taxes. Not too shabby. Usually, the people who complain about taxes are the ones with all those annoying things like houses and stock portfolios. Or the ones trying to hide cash in offshore accounts. To assets I say pish posh.
The ranting part is that for all the crap certain "family values" political operatives spew about marriage penalties and whatnot, the tax code takes aim squarely at young single filers, because our main expenses are things like rent, food, transportation, and work clothes, none of which are deductable. In 2005, I paid 9.4% of my total income to the feds (well, just the income tax portion) and 3.1% to the state (not to mention the 1% that went to the city of St. Louis, and again, just income taxes. The regressive nature of consumption (sales) taxes are a whole separate issue.).
Now, I guarantee you that my parents made more money than me in 2005. I would wager a lot that they paid less than 12.5% of their income in state and federal income taxes. Any takers?
4/03/2006
4/02/2006
in between bites
Mmm, Ghirardelli brownies so chocalately they coalesce into a blob...then smothered by icing and ice cream. My roommate is trying to kill me.
But while celebrating so sinfully, let's not forget the fruit. Somebody turns especially old today (well, technically yesterday by now, assuming life begins at the submission of paperwork for articles of incorporation). Happy 30th Apple!
But while celebrating so sinfully, let's not forget the fruit. Somebody turns especially old today (well, technically yesterday by now, assuming life begins at the submission of paperwork for articles of incorporation). Happy 30th Apple!
4/01/2006
on my birthday no less
Check out what fantasy info central had to say about the upcoming baseball season yesterday. Now, it's not all bad. It's good to see the respect being heaped upon the Central division for once, even to the point of proclaiming, "it would be a shock not to see this division produce the wildcard winner in 2006, thus hanging whoever falls short in the AL East out to dry."
But here's the juicy birthday present:
"If I were a Royals fan, I’d drink……… a lot!"
What happened to hope springing eternal? You can't lose 100 games in March! In fact, the Royals haven't lost any games.
Yet.
But here's the juicy birthday present:
"If I were a Royals fan, I’d drink……… a lot!"
What happened to hope springing eternal? You can't lose 100 games in March! In fact, the Royals haven't lost any games.
Yet.
3/31/2006
ahhhhh
I clicked on my Blogger profile, and it said 24. (That's the ahhhh part, in case my sleep deprived dry humor wasn't soaking through).
By the way, it really sucks when your birthday falls on a weekday. This is gonna be one fantastically long weekend ;)
I can't wait to take a nap during lunch.
*turns up volume on iPod*
Update: And whoever thought this would be the right weekend to lose an hour of sleep deserves to be taken out back and beaten to a bloody pulp with a wiffle ball bat.
By the way, it really sucks when your birthday falls on a weekday. This is gonna be one fantastically long weekend ;)
I can't wait to take a nap during lunch.
*turns up volume on iPod*
Update: And whoever thought this would be the right weekend to lose an hour of sleep deserves to be taken out back and beaten to a bloody pulp with a wiffle ball bat.
out of my comfort zone
And partially deaf, too. To welcome my birthday a friend and I met some other friends at a blues bar downtown (Beale) for Kim Massie and other musicians. Never mind for a second that I was at work until 10:00 pm last night (that's not even being blogged about) and need to get up in about four hours.
It is so fascinating. I see these people who obviously feel and hear things that my brain simply doesn't register. And then it drives them to move their body in ways I find awkwardly difficult to imitate. There's a whole language these people speak, and I'm just trying to learn enough letters to say hello. But I do want to learn, as painful and embarrassing and intimidating and frustrating as that may be.
Here's to a weekend of new experiences and no sleep!
Oh, and so my car wouldn't feel left out of the festivities, it sits at 65670 out in the parking lot, exactly 30,000 miles since I got it.
It is so fascinating. I see these people who obviously feel and hear things that my brain simply doesn't register. And then it drives them to move their body in ways I find awkwardly difficult to imitate. There's a whole language these people speak, and I'm just trying to learn enough letters to say hello. But I do want to learn, as painful and embarrassing and intimidating and frustrating as that may be.
Here's to a weekend of new experiences and no sleep!
Oh, and so my car wouldn't feel left out of the festivities, it sits at 65670 out in the parking lot, exactly 30,000 miles since I got it.
3/28/2006
it's the economy, stupid
(P) Three cheers for actual analysis on the situation in Iraq and not the same old same old story du jour on the cable news channels.
While in the reading mood, this is a good one, too. I think liberals who whine about the incompetence and stupidity of the Bush Administration are mistaking apathy of some subjects for what's really been done over the last five years.
While in the reading mood, this is a good one, too. I think liberals who whine about the incompetence and stupidity of the Bush Administration are mistaking apathy of some subjects for what's really been done over the last five years.
3/26/2006
random car fun
With my trip home for Mark and Erin's wedding, I just put the 1,000th gallon of gas in my Escort. Yay for anal recordkeeping. And, I am about to put my 30,000th mile on it since I bought it; probably this coming weekend. And this weekend is great for other things, too, hehe. I won't really miss being 23, though. 24 doesn't sound any older, unlike the jump to 23. Once you're already out of school working, there's not much to worry about.
Until 25. That's ancient.
Spending a weekend with college students at Windermere makes you think about ages. Thank goodness for grad students counting; I'm only in the middle of the pack!
Until 25. That's ancient.
Spending a weekend with college students at Windermere makes you think about ages. Thank goodness for grad students counting; I'm only in the middle of the pack!
3/23/2006
well today was interesting at work
We're undergoing "reengineering" right now at work, which usually means one of two things (often a little of both). Either there is discussion about how people waste time and what inefficencies can be improved, or it's a way for management to tell employees they have to do more for the same pay. At times, it feels like there is serious discussion about processes that can be improved and more efficient ways of allocating job duties.
But my goodness, the overarching theme seems to be blame the employees! Why aren't you getting all this work done? You have to get it done, you must be wasting time, every other organization out there is doing what we do with fewer people, blah blah blah. It's partly frustrating because operational improvement is one of the big things that draws me to business; of course there are always ways things can be done better. It's called progress.
Creating an atmosphere of combativeness and blame is not how you realize constructive progress, however. It is particularly frustrating when managers talk about thinking outside the box, so to speak, yet have no real intention of actually entertaining ideas that are outside the realm of how the managers want things done. In our particular case, we are caught in this impossible bind between our bosses' desire to keep control of all things within administration/accounting and the simple fact that pay scales and job titles suggest significantly more responsibility should be assigned to departmental managers.
But my goodness, the overarching theme seems to be blame the employees! Why aren't you getting all this work done? You have to get it done, you must be wasting time, every other organization out there is doing what we do with fewer people, blah blah blah. It's partly frustrating because operational improvement is one of the big things that draws me to business; of course there are always ways things can be done better. It's called progress.
Creating an atmosphere of combativeness and blame is not how you realize constructive progress, however. It is particularly frustrating when managers talk about thinking outside the box, so to speak, yet have no real intention of actually entertaining ideas that are outside the realm of how the managers want things done. In our particular case, we are caught in this impossible bind between our bosses' desire to keep control of all things within administration/accounting and the simple fact that pay scales and job titles suggest significantly more responsibility should be assigned to departmental managers.
3/21/2006
7 more days
Considering he's a dog, he's actually doing a half decent job of not getting the apt too messy with the fun rain/snow we've gotten recently. A nonnegative is almost a positive, right?
3/20/2006
i realize some of you would say this is a happy statement
The dog is stuck here for another 8 days.
I think I'll keep a countdown.
I think I'll keep a countdown.
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