So about a week ago I got my W2 in from my former job and got giddy. In all of my years filing taxes I have always gotten a return. A very nice return if I say so, but a lot of it comes from Earned Income Credit and the Child Tax Credit from my daughter. Anyways I was told that because now I own my own business, it would help if I were to go to a CPA because they could help me get the best return possible. I called a recommended local guy earlier last week and he was telling me all of this stuff to get and how I should total everything up before I got there so that him and I don’t have to go through paperwork. Now while this might seem like a smart idea to some it doesn’t sit too well with me. If I am doing all of this work on my own then why don’t I just do the taxes my own damn self? Isn’t that what we pay them for?

Since Chris and I will be using our returns on putting deposits down with wedding vendors I asked the guy how long it would take for everything to be processed etc. I was informed that we don’t actually go through the paper work during our meeting and that he gives the information off to some other dude in the office and that it takes about a week to then go and file. After that it would be an additional 8 to 15 days for me to get my direct deposit tax return. I am an impatient person and I want my money ASAP. I then asked what his fees were and I was told that it would be 300 and that it couldn’t be taken out of my return so it had to be upfront.

300 buck up front! Sheesh!

When I was at my meeting last Wednesday my Director, Lori, told me that since I started so late in the year that going to H&R would be fine for me because of how little paperwork I have accumulated so far. Cool! H&R……

I’ve had my taxes done by them for awhile now and I even did them by myself last year online (I tried that this year and knew that if I did try with all the extra stuff that I would have screwed up and probably have been audited. No bueno.)

So yesterday I tell Chris that we should probably go to file my taxes today and he says OK. I start getting my papers together and start adding stuff up. Once I was done with that it was already about 11:30 in the morning. I looked on Google Maps the closest location and gave it a call. I was told that the earliest appointment could be at 2 but I asked if I could come in earlier since we had a lot of errands to run that day. I wasn’t fibbing about that either. We did have a lot to do.

Ok.. 1 o clock appointment with some lady whose name I can’t even begin to spell. We got there at 12:30 and I went in checking to see if maybe I could be seen early. I was told that the lady was scheduled to start her shift at 1 o clock so Chris and I went across the street and got some drinks at Starbucks, went and filled up his tank with gas, and after all of that it was around 12:50. I go back inside thinking that maybe this person is normal and gets to their shifts early, but alas I was wrong.

1 o clock came around and nobody was to be found. Instead Chris and I got the chance to sit on some rather uncomfortable chairs for a long time. After awhile I asked Chris what time it was and he let me know that it was about 15 after 1. 15 minutes late to their own job and 15 minutes late for my appointment. Seriously. At 1:20 I see some grotesquely dressed woman come through the front door. I turned to Chris and said “Watch that be her.”

10 minutes later we were at 1:30 and I finally had it. I went up to the front desk thingy and asked this lady how much longer it would be. She went back to check and told me that she was almost ready for me. No… she wasn’t. She had her pink thingy wrapped around her, was holding her purse in her hand, and was jibber jabbering with another girl that worked there.

I then told the lady that I was going to leave. Since the people there work on a commission of some sort she asked if I was sure since she was ready. I didn’t want to be rude but I was getting cranky and I really hate waiting. I was about as nice as I could be and I said: “I know this isn’t your fault, but I don’t feel confident having my taxes done by somebody who can’t show up on time to their own shift.” She understood and went to check and see if there was somebody else who could see me.

When she came back out she was accompanied with an elderly man who was really nice. Poor guy was eating lunch and I told him not to worry about it. I love food and won’t dare interupt somebody enjoying their tasty spoils. He said that he had availability at 3 o clock but it was too late for me. I wanted my stuff done already! He then asked about next weekend but I told him that we need the returns ASAP for wedding purposes. The front desk lady checked some of the other H&R Block locations in the area and told me that if I was to go to one right up the street that I could be seen right away.

Right away…..

We drive there and I saw only 4 work stations. 2 were occupied and the other 2 lacked an employee. A lady who was with clients came up and asked if I needed anything and I told her that I needed my taxes to be done. She informed me that she had just started with a couple and would see how far along the other person was. She came back to me only to say that he or she too had just started so it would be about an hour or so to wait.

To wait….

My patience at this point is already shot. It was after 2 and I should have had my taxes filed at this point. I then called ANOTHER location and this is how it started….

I was at first told that the soonest appointment could be at 5 but then was told that if I had all of my paperwork ready that I could be seen right away depending on how long it would take for me to get there. Chris and I were already on the road so we turned around with the quickness because I was on a mission at this point.

After we got to the location off of Herndon and Fowler everything was fantastic. I didn’t have to wait, the guy was nice… hell, everybody was nice. They even found ways to make my costs to them cheaper. They saved me money and found ways to get me a bigger return!

The main lady that was working there, not too sure if she was a manager or not, asked me about what had happened so I told her everything and she let me know that she would be talking with the manager of that location about what had happened and would make sure that the “Oh I’m so late” lady would be taken care of. I know that made it sound like the Mafia would be called on her, but I highly doubt she is going to wake up tomorrow with a horses head in her bed. At most she will have some disciplinary action taken against her.

My return came to $3,900 and I was pleased as punch.

Now I get to do this all over again next year! YAY!

- She Who Has The Last Word

As we’re walking back into our apartment this evening, after spending most of the day running errands and being about town, we noticed a small, beautiful, black cat with white and grey accents in the parking lot.  After a bit of prompting, it eventually came closer.  As I had somewhere around ten plastic bags filled with groceries and miscellaneous items hanging from my right arm, I felt that I would like someplace to set them down, so I said that I would be heading into the apartment.  Lindsey followed, and, surprisingly, so did the cat.  As I set our goods down, Lindsey got some cheese and milk for the little cat.  It came and went throughout the night, having some cheese, having some milk, etc.  It even came in past the door, for just a little while.  However, the cat seems to be gone for the moment.  If we get the opportunity, perhaps we’ll take a picture of it and post it.

-Because I said so

On December 23rd of last year (2008 to be exact) I entered myself in to a sweepstakes on www.theknot.com. For those of you who don’t know what The Knot is, it’s a wedding website and filled with girly stuff. I created an account there ages ago and hardly use it but since Chris and I are the ones paying for our wedding I have been on the internet searching for wedding related sweepstakes/contests.

Anyways, I have bad luck when it comes to these things and know that the odds of me winning are slim to none however today I woke up to a treat.

When I got up I thought today was going to suck. I almost fell on the way to the bathroom due to me being half asleep,  accidentally dropped my Sidekick on the tile floor in the bathroom, and then I almost fell into the shower/tub while trying to sit on the porcelian god.

After that fun I went to my PC and checked my email. I noticed something strange in my inbox with the subject mentioning my entry to the contest. When I opened it I seriously thought I had to check my eyes – I had won!

I am the Grand Prize Winner of their Dreams Remember the Resort Game & Sweepstakes and I couldn’t be happier. A guest (which is obviously Chris) and myself get a free 3 night stay at any of the new Dreams Resorts & Spas. We even get to choose which one we want to stay at. Three of the five are located in various spots of Mexico while the other two are in the Dominican Republic.

Right now I am leaning towards the Dreams Huatulco Resort because it is close to a jungle and a coral reef. It feels so odd even mentioning something like that because I never honestly thought I would be able to afford a trip like this anything soon. Since Chris and I are footing the bill one of the things we knew we couldn’t afford would be a Honeymoon so we were just going to go somewhere for a few days, come back for Christmas, and then go to another place in January 2010. Vegas came to mind since we could say that we visited the Pyramids, Paris, Camelot, New York, and other locations. Vegas, if done right, can be pretty affordable and that is very appealing to us.

All I have to do is print out the affidavit of eligibility/liability that also is a publicity release since they will advertise on their website that I am the winner and all that jazz. I might even be in their magazine! I am so excited I think I might explode!

You can check out their resorts and know more about the company at: http://www.dreamsresorts.com

I just had to share this with you all and will keep you updated as the days go along!

- She Who Has The Last Word

As of yesterday, World of Meh now has a community forum!  We haven’t quite decided to what extent we will be using it, but we do have some thoughts and ideas.  The main purpose, however, is just to have a place where anyone interested in the Meh can hang out and talk about whatever they want.  Sign up and have fun!

-Because I said so

So here I am, sitting in my office, building some spreadsheets, when I get a message through AIM from Lindsey.

For those not “in the know”, NKOTB is an acronym that stands for New Kids on the Block.

Yes, those New Kids on the Block.

Didn’t she say something last week about her taste in music improving over the years?

-Because I said so

I just tried to make some pancakes, and set off the smoke detector.  The details are unimportant.

Lindsey took over.  She burned one, but no smoke detector.

-Because I said so

So last night after the MehCast, Chris and I were hungry however we didn’t feel like cooking. After a long debate over random fast food places in the area I decided that I really wanted chicken. The closest place to us was El Pollo Loco.

I’ve been there before and have liked what I’ve had so far which made it an easy choice for me. I was craving flan and knew that I wanted a nice, juicy chicken breast. Maybe a leg too. Chris made a remark about how it would be so hilarious if they were closed. Me, being hungry, didn’t find it too amusing. After that, our evening hit a low note.

We went into the drive thru and Chris asked what I wanted. I told him to check to see if instead of a breast and wing, if I could have a breast and a leg. I also wanted my sides to be the refried beans and macaroni and cheese. Obviously I wanted the flan too. It’s so good!

At this point I am really into what I am about to have for dinner. One would even go so far to say that I was excited. Knowing my luck, I really shouldn’t get excited about anything nor should I look forward to anything because things tend to go sour.

Chris tells the lady behind the squawk box that I would like to know about the chicken boobage and leg combo. I then hear a sentence I thought I would never hear:

“Sir, we are out of chicken.”

Chris replies with, “What?”

“Yes, we are out of chicken for the evening.”

Chris: “For everything?”

“No sir, we have chicken for burritos, tacos and salads but not the roasted chicken.”

NO CHICKEN! THE PLACE ONLY SERVES CHICKEN! How in the hell can they call themselves “the crazy chicken” when they lack the product that they advertise!?!?!?!?!?

Being incredibly disappointed, I tell Chris that I no longer want anything there and we left, hanging our heads low.

For those of you wondering what we did end up having, we went to Farmers Boy’s Burgers that was in the same shopping center. Chris really enjoyed his burger mainly because the bacon was so crispy but my sandwich had way too much mayo so it was just meh.

Damn El Pollo Loco fucked my world up. Bastards.

- She Who Has The Last Word

Good morning, World of Meh!

So last night marked Episode 5 of Year 1 of our weekly MehCast.  It was a good show, and, if I recall correctly, our best attended and longest show yet!  The two of us had a real blast with this episode, and we really appreciate everyone who has been watching and participating.

We started off the show by discussing Lindsey’s Princess Leia style aluminum foil hair, followed by the “Yo Stink” music video featured on the most recent episode of Nip/Tuck (also posted about earlier this week).  Talking about the video lead into talking Nip/Tuck, which lead to Kitchen Nightmares, Smallville, and the upcoming new episode of Heroes.  We discussed our tryout for Jeopardy! (which was posted about yesterday), Star Wars Battlefront II, Windows Mobile applications, and our plans to get our drug-dealing, loud, douche neighbours kicked out of the apartment complex.

We also had our Weekly Picks:

Song of the Week (Chris):  Bat Country by Avenged Sevenfold

Song of the Week (Lindsey):  Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon

TV Show of the Week (Chris):  Fawlty Towers

TV Show of the Week (Lindsey):  Bridezillas

Movie of the Week (Chris):  Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Movie of the Week (Lindsey):  The Fountain

We also discussed some of our upcoming wedding plans, my issues with farting, and other topics which I can’t even begin to remember.
We hope everyone enjoyed Episode 5 of the MehCast, and we hope you all make it back for Episode 6!  See you next week!

Episode discussion at:

http://worldofmeh.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=10

-Because I said so

No, one of us hasn’t been convicted of a crime once, and then commited the exact same crime again.  Both of us took the online test for Jeopardy! last night.  Now we get to wait up to a year to be notified if we’ll be called in for the next stage as contestants.  Apparently, even if we pass the test, we’re not guaranteed a callback because of the limited number of slots.  They randomly pull from the ones who passed the test until they’ve filled up their year’s worth of contestants.

Fingers crossed!

-Because I said so

Lindsey had her Mary Kay meeting last night.  I, as always, attended as well, since she doesn’t have a driver’s license.  Now, normally, the meetings last about an hour or two, which is fine, but last night’s meeting was almost four hours.  Allow me to explain why that makes a difference.  The chairs at the Mary Kay center, while appearing comfortable to one unaware of the truth, are hard as stone.  There is absolutely no padding on the butt or the back whatsoever.  At the two hour mark, I’m generally very uncomfortable and fidgeting a great deal.  At the four hour mark, I would have preferred waterboarding.

I wonder if anyone else found it odd that I was attempting to describe that which was indescribable.

-Because I said so