Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Tuesday More

It's always fun to get new drive axle tires installed on a semi tractor.  Number one because you are looking at close to $4,000.00 for 8 tires.  No-one ever said maintaining a semi was cheap.  However, the last 8 tires on that truck have been on there for a full 3 years - which is very good for a truck.
Number 2, cause' once you get on the freeway with that new rubber driving you forward?  You're all OVER the place!!  I'm serious, every time I have had new rubber on a truck, the thing is attempting to zig and zag everywhere.  It usually takes a couple of WEEKS before that stops happening.

Taxes.  Beginning to drive me crazy.  I was on the phone with the IRS today after the online company I was in an online chat with said that this is a "very complex tax issue and you are better off calling them".  So I did.  The man I was talking with was cool enough, but he started reading from a publication, an IRS publication of course. Endless questions.  I answered all of them I could.  In the end?  I have to be able to PROVE the fair market value of the home before it burned down.  Lol.

The ONLY existing publication that I know of that I can actually get a hard copy of is from the county tax assessor's office.  I don't know about where you live, but around these parts, a house is never given as much value as the market actually gives it.  Which is a good thing, I guess, when it comes to paying property taxes, but in this case?  Not good at all.  I'm going to have to use it, I have no other choice.

BTW, next year, the county's FMV on my current home?  Almost HALF of what I owe on it.  Gag.  If that IS the FMV, I am SCREWED.  The only way to answer the question as to whether I should short sale this place and eat the bad credit for however many years is to have an appraisal done on it.   Scary scenario, for me anyway.

The next question was about the contents of the house.  I most assuredly hope that they don't think I should have to come up with receipts for every single thing I had in there.  Do you have receipts for every piece of furniture, clothing, electronics, etc that you own?  Oh, I am sure there are people out there that have all the stuff and probably have it in a safety deposit box.  Not me.  I am 99% convinced that I am going to be audited on this situation.  I don't care, I am not going to lose all the money I can get out of it just for the fear of having to face the IRS.  This may end up being a long, drawn-out process.

But, I am ready for that.  I don't expect a check in the mail from them anytime soon.  I do, instead, expect either phone calls demanding documentation or a letter saying I am being audited.  Come what may, I am heading down this road because I must.

It's about this time in life where I wished I had a few thousand dollars in savings to be able to draw off of to get a real accountant, sit down with that person and have a face to face discussion about what is actually going to happen.

Oh well.  I guess I could pay off the $463 loan on my 401K and then get another loan - but - there is a 30 day lapse between the time you pay off the loan and the time you can get another one.  Too late : )

No, this is the only course of action I am financially able to take, it's the one I'm riding on, wish me luck!

ben

Tuesday 3/29/2011

Tuesday

Ummm, so I was waiting yesterday for the hailstorm that never materialized. The discussion around who has the phone and who is holding onto it got me going just a bit. But without going into all of that again, the phone issue never came up, interestingly enough. I do not expect that "trend" to last forever, however.

Yes, I like the insane injectures to yesterday's comments, lol. Oh well, I make no apologies. I'm not running down the streets proclaiming the end of the world, either. 

Not much going on otherwise. I'm just trying to get this tax situation done and the only thing holding me back now is how to go about doing this "carry-over" stuff. I want to apply that 2007 loss to every single year I can apply it to - and get a MUCH larger tax return. Talking potentially thousands of dollars - and right about now, I could use - thousands of dollars, payment free, tax free, thank you. 

Hey, it's past 8:00 am on the East coast right now, I could get into a live chat with them now. Indeed. However and first? I am listening to statements by upper level management about last fiscal year and projections for the upcoming fiscal year. I did a survey last month which gives you the opportunity to ask your questions of them - upper management. I have only one question: when am I going to get full-time hours back? 

And I am going to press it. "We" just hired on a new salesman. Well, if we are in the position for hiring new people, then we SHOULD be in the position for paying out 40 hours per week, at least.

G'day.

ben

Monday 3/28/2011

Monday

This situation in Japan is getting to be a bit much. They have BEEN talking a meltdown, but today was the first time I saw: "with global implications". 

My ex-wife sent me a very long message that is being circulated around by a modern-day prophet. For the record, yes, I do believe there are prophets still walking the land, hear from the Lord and speak whatever the Lord impresses upon them to say.

If you don't believe that, well and fine, but when a particular individual is making specific predictions about things that are going to happen - such as the earthquake in Japan - and has been doing so for decades, perhaps one should give at least a teeny bit of credence to the possibility that, 1: God is alive, on the throne and is who He says He is in the Bible; 2: That yes, He does love His creation - meaning all of us; but 3: Is not a fan of sin because sinning is always against God, not for Him (but, admittedly, we have all engaged in such in some form or another, it's a big club, we're all on that particular boat); and 4: that there is a good possibility that He actually DOES speak through certain individuals.

Usually it's a warning of things to come that really go to a more urgent, underlying problem: Get your life right with the Lord, seek the Lord while He may be found and do a 180 in your life, because Jackson, there is some serious stuff coming down the pike. 

The prediction of the earthquake in Japan is now followed by a prediction of an earthquake in California. Oh, that's a tough one, right? But this "word from the Lord" goes much further than that. Banks closing their doors, complete economic collapse, inability to access your money, bartering being the only means of acquiring goods for a time. 

I'm not telling anyone what to do, I'm just going to up my preparedness status another notch - maybe several notches. This is not the first statements I have heard in recent times that the time is coming when money supply will be slowed or even stopped, buy gold (which I am not going to do, however), store up food. Buy seeds so you can grow your own food, get hunting gear to be able to kill for the meat, water sources and this that and the other thing. 

I am not even saying get afraid of anything. What's going to come - will come regardless. I fully understand that some day, I am going to die, it's just a matter of when, where and how that event will happen. If I were to encourage anything in hearing these statements, it would be to seek the Lord, get right with Him and whatever else happens in this life isn't really going to matter that much. In the end, we all go and stand before Him and give an accounting - THAT is a bit fearful for me, I have lived far from a perfect life, to say the least. 

Fortunately there is Christ, forgiveness can be found.

I am done, getting off the pulpit for now. Time to redirect my focus on the day's work that lies ahead. I haven't looked in the routing system, but I know there is at least one delivery - it's already loaded on the truck from last week. 

G'day.

ben

 Sunday - early 20 minutes until departure time.  I don't much care for delivery on Sundays for it takes a while to get security to the ...