Good Times, Bad Times

After basking in the glow of a sports achievement in which I had no other part than spectating I figured nothing could bring me down. So I prepared my 2006 income taxes last night. I found something that could bring me down. Let’s just say that the number crunching went more in Uncle Sam’s favor than mine — by a lot. I am now re-budgeting 2007 and may wind up scrapping or severely altering the Seattle / Edmonton trip that I was planning on taking in July.

I Wish That I Could Go Out And Buy All New Electronics
Yesterday I noticed that my PDA had shifted all of my appointments in Outlook to compensate for the hour shift which didn’t occur last Sunday. Let me repeat that. ALL of my appointments were shifted and I will have to adjust them manually. Then they will only be correct until November when I go through all of this bullshit again. Argh!

After much consideration I think that I need to go and see if I ever downloaded a software patch for my PDA.

ITP Flickr Pic
Upon seeing my taxes due I became about this stoic.

My apologies to the Woodruff family for using his likeness to express my distain.

Another Change In Plans, This One Far Less Severe
One of the three books that planned to read this month was “The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book for Digital Photographers”. I picked it because I am trying to learn Lightroom and the book was due out near the end of March. Yesterday I received word from Amazon that the book was not going to be available until June, which makes it impossible for me to read in April.

In its place I’ve chosen to read a photography book that has been in my arsenal for some time, “50 Fast Digital Photo Techniques”. I’ve chosen this book not only because I think that it will improve my photography skills, but also I think that the chapters are short enough for me to complete on Marta commutes.

Honey, I’m Gone
Word the East Atlanta streets is that Honey’s Kitchen has closed its doors. While it’s not a complete surprise to me, I will miss having a breakfast option in my hood. I don’t understand why a breakfast / lunch restaurant can’t survive in East Atlanta Village. I understand that a lack of office buildings nearby hurts, but there are no offices near Flying Biscuit, is there?

The Next-To Last Regular Season Puck Drops Tonight
I will be at the final penultimate home regular season game for the Atlanta Thrashers tonight. Unlike past seasons the Thrashers will not be packing their duffel bags and heading to the golf links after the regular season. No, this year they have actually qualified for the playoffs (for the first time ever). However, if hockey is like every other major sport ticket prices will go through the roof for playoff games, so tonight will likely be my last live hockey game until next Fall.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood – still in shock
Current Music – Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Ween — “You Fucked Up” (man, there could be no better title than this for me this morning)
Website Of The Day – This should come as no surprise based on what I’ve written today — FairTax.org.
Exercise (b)Log – none, which is not to say I didn’t achieve an elevated heartbeat. After nearly stopping, my heart raced to a panic when I saw what I owe Uncle Sam
Mode Of Transportation To Work – Marta

April Goals
1) Lose two pounds. (starting weight 202 lbs?)
2) Run no fewer than thirty miles.
3) Do twenty push-ups and fifty sit-ups at on Monday, Wednesday and Saturdays.
4) Read three books, specifically
4a) “722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York”
4b) “Programming Interviews Exposed: Secrets to Landing Your Next Job”
4c) “50 Fast Digital Photo Techniques”
5) Take Marta to work at least ten times.
6) File my Income Taxes. (since they are due in two weeks I better get this done)
7) Wear “nicer” clothes to work at least one day a week.
8\) Cook dinner at home at least two nights a week.

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]