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Low-energy Fun
Feb. 17th, 2007 10:19 pmToday I got to have some fun without expending much energy. (I did, in fact, spend yesterday at home vegging and doing chores. It was the best day for not working, the day of continual nose-blowing. Today I just have a minor sore throat and don't feel like eating much. Much better for socializing.)
**
I met with a bunch of friends at the Upper Crust Bakery this morning. We mostly caught up with the friend who joined a roller derby team and is moving and has experienced that thing where they escort you out of the building when you've been laid off. I also learned that another friend's new commute is not as horrible as I'd thought (sometimes as short as fifteen minutes of driving), though still much worse than his previous commute (walking distance).
**
And I got to go to a juggling show at the Texas Juggler's Society's annual Jugglefest. I've gone before, maybe ten years ago. Now it's mostly people from out of town. My favorite performer from last time was reduced to announcing the acts (and entertaining us between them). I got to say hi to a couple of other audience members.
It really is quite amazing what some people can do with their hands.
**
Afterwards the parking was so crowded that we went across the street to Starbucks to let everyone else leave the parking lot. We tried some sandwiches, and they seemed much healthier than most fast food. But they did that thing where they piled the sandwich toppings in the middle of the sandwich so it looks thicker than it really is where it's cut in half. They did not do that at Pret a Manger in London--the fillings were spread all the way to the edge, so what you see is what you get. These had a little too much fat and sugar (in the bread), but the chicken was an actual chicken breast, the lettuce was a dark kind of lettuce with actual nutrients, etc.
**
I also finished my first draft of my taxes. I admit this wasn't that fun because I sold all the shares of my index fund. Oy. I bought them all years ago, but the fund keeps reinvesting dividends, so you're always buying. My tax form explained how many shares were "long-term" or over a year old (170.807) and how many were short-term (1.401) and even told me both the amount I received and the average cost basis of what I had paid for them. So everything was easy except for knowing when I bought all these shares. Fortunately the IRS lets you say "various" in the "Date acquired" section.
On another stock I sold, I had bought half more than a year ago and half less. The form for that showed the gross proceeds less commissions, which is great except it was an odd number. I know the IRS wants you to round to the nearest cent (or even the nearest dollar) on the form so long as you use the whole amount in doing calculations. So they won't mind that the numbers add up to be off by one cent. Right?
There was a fun part. I might be getting a refund of over $100. This is a better first draft than I do most years, so that figure is probably not subject to as much change as usual in the coming drafts. All I have left to do is look over my old returns to see if I've missed anything obvious, re-check my entries, and re-check my math.
Another thing I noticed was that even if I add just my property taxes and charitable donations together, that is now more than the standard deduction. So it looks like I'll be itemizing my deductions even after my house is paid off. (If I'm still single.) Weird.
**
Now I'm going to read in bed. I'm finally reading A Wrinkle in Time.
Quote of the day - "Chip Queso wants me to move into his house." Wallace and Gromit would have said yes. ("I know, let's go someplace where there's cheeese.")
Other quote of the day - "We're going to have an exorcism party for our team." You know, because of the curse of the broken bones.
Site of the day - Ring of Kerry by Indigo Rose. It's an exciting travelogue set in Ireland. Here's how it starts: 'Well, that was seven hours of "You know, that is kinda pretty..." followed by "OhmigodI'mgonnaDIE!!!" and "Whew! Lived through that one... Wow! Look at that view! Glad the sky's so clear... GonnadieGONNADIE!!!"'
**
I met with a bunch of friends at the Upper Crust Bakery this morning. We mostly caught up with the friend who joined a roller derby team and is moving and has experienced that thing where they escort you out of the building when you've been laid off. I also learned that another friend's new commute is not as horrible as I'd thought (sometimes as short as fifteen minutes of driving), though still much worse than his previous commute (walking distance).
**
And I got to go to a juggling show at the Texas Juggler's Society's annual Jugglefest. I've gone before, maybe ten years ago. Now it's mostly people from out of town. My favorite performer from last time was reduced to announcing the acts (and entertaining us between them). I got to say hi to a couple of other audience members.
It really is quite amazing what some people can do with their hands.
**
Afterwards the parking was so crowded that we went across the street to Starbucks to let everyone else leave the parking lot. We tried some sandwiches, and they seemed much healthier than most fast food. But they did that thing where they piled the sandwich toppings in the middle of the sandwich so it looks thicker than it really is where it's cut in half. They did not do that at Pret a Manger in London--the fillings were spread all the way to the edge, so what you see is what you get. These had a little too much fat and sugar (in the bread), but the chicken was an actual chicken breast, the lettuce was a dark kind of lettuce with actual nutrients, etc.
**
I also finished my first draft of my taxes. I admit this wasn't that fun because I sold all the shares of my index fund. Oy. I bought them all years ago, but the fund keeps reinvesting dividends, so you're always buying. My tax form explained how many shares were "long-term" or over a year old (170.807) and how many were short-term (1.401) and even told me both the amount I received and the average cost basis of what I had paid for them. So everything was easy except for knowing when I bought all these shares. Fortunately the IRS lets you say "various" in the "Date acquired" section.
On another stock I sold, I had bought half more than a year ago and half less. The form for that showed the gross proceeds less commissions, which is great except it was an odd number. I know the IRS wants you to round to the nearest cent (or even the nearest dollar) on the form so long as you use the whole amount in doing calculations. So they won't mind that the numbers add up to be off by one cent. Right?
There was a fun part. I might be getting a refund of over $100. This is a better first draft than I do most years, so that figure is probably not subject to as much change as usual in the coming drafts. All I have left to do is look over my old returns to see if I've missed anything obvious, re-check my entries, and re-check my math.
Another thing I noticed was that even if I add just my property taxes and charitable donations together, that is now more than the standard deduction. So it looks like I'll be itemizing my deductions even after my house is paid off. (If I'm still single.) Weird.
**
Now I'm going to read in bed. I'm finally reading A Wrinkle in Time.
Quote of the day - "Chip Queso wants me to move into his house." Wallace and Gromit would have said yes. ("I know, let's go someplace where there's cheeese.")
Other quote of the day - "We're going to have an exorcism party for our team." You know, because of the curse of the broken bones.
Site of the day - Ring of Kerry by Indigo Rose. It's an exciting travelogue set in Ireland. Here's how it starts: 'Well, that was seven hours of "You know, that is kinda pretty..." followed by "OhmigodI'mgonnaDIE!!!" and "Whew! Lived through that one... Wow! Look at that view! Glad the sky's so clear... GonnadieGONNADIE!!!"'