May 26, 2005
No Worries
Sometimes I'm a dork and I accidentally make things difficult for myself. This year I did my tax returns myself, sort of, by using one of those Web sites where you pay $19.99 to answer a series of questions and then it spits out your return. The thing is, this Web site asked me whether I bought property in 2004. I said no. It never asked me whether I sold property in 2004, and because I'm a dork, I didn't think about it at the time. I just figured that since my lawyer straightened out all my long-standing tax problems last year, it should be smooth sailing.
When the state sent me a suspiciously large refund check, I realized my mistake. I called my tax accountant, whom I should have called in the first place like I usually do. I was worried. First of all, I'm holding this large check from the State of California that I obviously can't cash. Second, what if I actually owe a lot of money, like I have almost every year for the past five years? The suspense lasted several days while my accountant looked at my paperwork, asked me questions, and did some figurin'.
So guess what? Not only do I owe nothing for the first time in recent memory, but I'm getting an even larger refund than the suspiciously large refund check that was first sent to me! Like, a whole bunch of money! Not enough for a yacht or anything, but I can think of some things I can do with it:
So yay. Things are getting better all the time.
May 24, 2005
Sew Hard! Harder!
After one late rainstorm, it looks like the San Francisco summer has finally started. Mind you, one can't just blithely pack away all the sweaters. Our summer evenings are foggy and frigid—a well-kept secret that enables the souvenir shops to sell many crappy fleece pullovers to thousands of surprised and shivering visitors in their tshirts and shorts. Haha—they believed the brochure about the sunny California coast, all bikinis and beachballs!
Nevertheless, I suddenly need more summer tops, and my current budget is geared toward making clothes, not shopping for them. Since time is money, I can skip the money and just spend the time. So while my wardrobe is very cheap, it's also a lot of work.
If I had my shit together, I'd already be working on my wardrobe for next fall. Did you know that a fashion designer must finish her fall collection by April in order to shop it? Next fall's colors have already been chosen: blue and brown. The fall collections have been showing for months, and They have decided what you're going to be wearing five months from now.
So I'm catching up on my personal sewing pojects, and thus not getting much homework done. But I've just about finished the first section in the class, the section about skirts. I've made 14 muslin skirts for class so far, with 5 left to make. In two or three weeks, I'll know how to draft and sew every basic type of Western women's skirt there is. You want a skirt? I can make you a skirt, to your specifications.
May 16, 2005
BBQ and Poker
I had the best day yesterday, barbecuing and playing poker with my pals. Rick took some pictures, available here.
May 12, 2005
Happy Birthday to Me
Today's my birthday! Here's how I spent it:
Hope your day was as delightful as mine!