Deep in the Heart of Taxes...

Who ever heard of doing your taxes at the end of MAY? I have never been late with my taxes, since I first filed in 1968. Oh, I crank about it, I threaten to file an extension on April 14 (but you have to pretty much have everything done in order to have the numbers to put on the extension, so what's the point of that?), but I get them in.

This year, I was on the West Coast on April 15, and all my W-2s were either sitting on my desk in TN, or in the pile of mail mouldering at the post office. I found a quirkly little regulation though that says if either spouse is working out of the country on April 15, you get an automatic 2-month extension without filing a thing. You just have to attach a note when you file, explaining who, what, when, where, and why. But the problem is that I can't very well do that without Bill's signature, and he won't be home until mid-July.

So, I have to do the taxes to get the numbers to file an extension, attach the note to the extension request and get it in by June 15.

I've got a pretty good handle on everything, as I went through and organized the "To-Be-Filed" bucket last night, looking for the paperwork on my "clunker" trade. I never did find that, but I found charity receipts, a whole year of bank statements (which will help me re-populate Quicken for the 3 months when my computer crashed last summer), and other useful paperwork. Now I have to go to Walmart and pick up a box of file folders so I can truly be done with this annual paper mess.

I know. If I did the books monthly, I wouldn't have to go through this big mess once a year. But let's think about this for a minute. If I did everthing monthly, that just means I'd be tackling this odious chore 12 times a year, instead of just once a year. Sure the pile would be smaller, but the mental frustration of it is 11 times less if I do it annually. So I doubt that I am prepared to change my evil ways.

At least the To-Be-Filed bucket corrals the mess in one easy to ignore place. The Zen of Accounting. Out of sight, out of mind. Finis.

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In the meantime, I have discovered that the continuing pain in my foot is probably due to a stress fracture, compounded by a high-ankle sprain. I am taking the week off from work and spending quality time with my books and ice-pack.

Bounder did me the favor of walking himself this morning, finally returning home by racing full-speed down the hill to the porch (I'm amazed he didn't crash through the railing). Full of ticks, burrs and a foot-long tongue hanging ridiculously out the side of his mouth, he staggered in, drank 2 litres of water and collapsed on his dog bed for a nap.

I think I'll take a lesson from the dog on that nap thing...