Please note: This post is not intended to come across as bitter or in search of a pity party. I am merely expressing thoughts that I have muling about in my head, partly out of frustration; partly out of confusion; partly out of desperation; partly out of a desire to let others know what not to do. I am not trying to excuse anything.

First, some things must be understood:

1. I am this close to having my parents paid off!!! I want it to happen; I want the loan out of my life; I want to make it happen this month. I wanted it to happen last month, but circumstances such as interest on the loan and taxes prevented it. I adjusted the target for this month, but I goofed. I over spent. And now am at one of those points of fear that I never want to be at again, much like the one that got me into this loan two years ago.
2. I am going to cross the finish line. I may be scraped and bruised from head to toe, but I am going to cross the finish line.
3. I will finish this course of the race. Again, I may be scraped and bruised from head to toe, but I will finish this course of the race. Likewise, the next course, and the course to follow. Just like the Jamaican Bobsled Team, I may feel dead, but I’ve got to finish the race.

I plan to send the following to my Senators and Representative.

OK, so last month was our favorite month, which featured our favorite day, April 15th. I went through the agony of preparing my taxes via the Free File service vendored by H&R Block. When I saw the amount I was going to have to owe, I realized I couldn’t quite do it in one lump sum. I wasn’t all that crazy about the extra $52 fee that would essentially negate the student loan interest deduction, but as I calculated things out, a payment plan was the only option I had.

I filled out the appropriate paperwork and submitted the forms along with the amount of my proposed monthly payment. The way I figured it, it would only be a couple or so months and I’d have them taken care of since it only seemed logical for them to apply my economic stimulus to my taxes due, which should take close to three months off, a month’s worth sent in, and I should only have a month or so left to pay. This isn’t all that bad.

Granted, I was looking forward to stimulating the economy of paying off my loan from my parents, but, if I was keeping the IRS happy, I could divert my earned money to the primary debt of the moment.

I don’t know what happened, other than I got careless. I had paid the rent. I had eaten every day. Apparently a lot, because I was about to run out of money. This was not cool at all. I had no one to blame but myself. Fortunately, I get a pay check from one job or the other each week, so it’s just a matter of cinching up and holding on tight for a bumpy ride for a few days, and surviving.

Then I get a letter from the IRS, and I’m thinking, What did the H&R Block software miss? I don’t need this in my life right now!

I trembled with great fear as I opened it up, and was relieved to read the first paragraph:

We’ve accepted your offer to have your monthly installment payments automatically taken from your bank account. …

OK, this is alright. Then I read they want me to send in a check with “the enclosed envelope” for the $52 payment plan fee. That left me wondering why they didn’t just calculate it into the payment plan and automatically take it out of my account. Furthermore, what enclosed envelope was I supposed to use? Yup, no enclosed envelope! That was real smart on the part of the bureaucracy!

Then there was a fancy chart about special deferrals for low-income situations, and if they looked at my return, they would know I didn’t qualify, so why waste my time and space on the paper? Next paragraph talks about if I’ve already paid the $105 user fee, and I’m thinking, Wasn’t it only $52??? What’s this $105 business? No explanation was provided, nor did $105 further appear, other than to say if I qualified and had already paid, $62 would be applied to my owed taxes.

You have to understand that I’ve done all my business with the IRS on the same account for 10 years. The bank did do some reformatting a while back, but for the last 5-7 years (at the very least), it hasn’t changed. On the same note, I had authorized them to automatically debit a month’s worth of my proposal with the return. So I was a bit dumbfounded when the next paragraph stated that they needed to verify the bank account information before they could automatically debit from said account. Meanwhile, I was welcome to send in monthly payments until they start their automatic debit, perhaps next month (June).

In addition to all that, they will automatically calculate the “final payment” amount and presumably automatically debit said amount. No further reminders of this commitment will be sent to me. That to me is a little offensive as I would like to know what my final payoff amount is going to be BEFORE they attempt to ping my account for money.

Page three. Nothing has been said about my current balance. Nothing has been said about the economic stimulus refund and how my taxes owed relate to it. Terms and conditions are stated. #4 mentions that any (emphasis added) refunds will be used to pay the amount owed. Does this mean my economic stimulus is going/has gone toward my tax bill? Who knows. One word on the street is I get my check regardless of my tax obligation and then I can send it back for my taxes if I want. The other word on the street is that if I owe them, they automatically put it on my tab. I guess I’ll find out in the near future.

It goes on to talk about withholding and estimated payments to avoid this situation in the future, etc. I can call with any questions (that’s good!) or I can write, but I have to enclose a copy of the letter (five pages in all!) along with my phone number and available hours. Whatever happened to the Paperwork Reduction Acts of 1980 and 1995?? They’ll get a phone call before I send in a copy of the letter they sent me just so I can ask a question.

Reading all this leaves me wondering about that ad campaign in the 90’s about putting the Service back in the S of the IRS. The letter goes a number of different directions that make me wonder what I need to do right now, and in spite of me using the same back account with them for several years, nigh unto a decade, they can’t hit the ground running on this plan. I fail to see the improvement that they were so happy to announce.

So, International Niece’s Day is on the horizon, and I’ve just about nearly thrown myself into a fit of confusion over my niece’s age. She is in fact two years old, not three like I was about to type here. The thought of tomorrow being the third annual International Niece’s Day and this week being the second annual International Niece’s Week, which I started last year after missing the second annual IND, threw my brain for a loop. Hopefully, some of this confusion will wear off when I get older and/or get a wife.

But, this post is about none of the afore mentioned topics, although it is closely related to Macy.

For several months I have known that Nathan and Bethany were expecting. The excitement grew as I learned they were on course for an April birth. I have something of a preference for April births. March is pretty good too (Macy’s and my birth mother’s), as is May (Nathan’s), and June (Dad’s). But alas, I go rabbit hunting.

Some may be questioning the timing of this post. I am not trying in anywise to detract attention from Ruth’s latest pride and joy. I had this post planned before she commented on my last post, and before I knew that she had a post up on her blog about the birth of her youngest niece. Did you see that rabbit over there?

Anyhoo, the month of April plugged along; almost depressingly. I realized it was going to take me just a bit longer than I planned to have my parents paid off, taxes came due (don’t get me started on that), and through it all, I had hoped that I might one day get a call from PA. Snow fell on the day that I accumulated another year. I was dreaming of a white birthday after all, and I’m not talking about the color my hair is starting to explore. April was growing short. Mom took on another year (without snow) and only a few days remained in April. I was fixing to make a call, but time was going crazy fast.

The last morning of April arrived and I heard my answering machine pick up a call, but I did not hear who was talking on the other end. I forgot to check messages after I got out of bed. I got home from working at the motel and remembered I had at least one message on the phone. I pressed play and after I got through the 500th “final notice” of my car warranty being about expire, Nathan’s familiar voice started speaking to announce to me the birth of his first son! It happened the night prior and he was big; 22 inches and 9 lbs! I was a proud uncle and everyone back there was doing well. What a blessing to end the month on!

So, welcome to the world, Levi. Nice to know I’ve got such a famous niece with her own Thanksgiving parade, and a famous nephew too, with his own line of jeans.

And now you know why I saved this announcement for post 501.

Good day!

Wow! I’ve Finally reached that proverbial 500th post. I thought about doing a post about blogging, but then I remembered, I’ve got a holiday to commemorate. Then I remembered I had a big announcement that might be kinda neat to post here, but I figured having it in the next post would be more fitting. So, I’m back to the holiday.

Yes, it’s the second annual International Niece’s Week, a week to commemorate nieces everywhere. Tomorrow is of course, International Niece’s Day as proclaimed by myself. I’m still waiting to hear from Hallmark on a deal

My little niece is two years old now. Though we haven’t met, she sure has been a blessing in my life. Just the other day I got to talk to my niece and her father (more to her father than anything). At any rate, he had her come to the phone and say hi. He told her who I was and she managed to say those three words that every uncle with my first name loves to hear: “Hi Uncle Scott.” I tell ya,’ my heart melted as I felt a smile grow from ear to ear.

So, to Macy and all other nieces out there, happy International Niece’s Week!

Thursday I had the pleasure of attending the open house at Jen Talich’s State Farm office. I also had the pleasure of meeting Jen Talich.

She recently moved here from the other side of the Big Horns to take over the good work that was done by Marci Hicks. About the only bad thing Marci Hicks had going was location and space.

The office used to be located on 19th and Sheridan in a small building with a small and tight parking lot. Now the office is located on 11th and Beck in a much roomier building with diagonal parking on the side of the road.

For the hour or so that I was there, the event was well attended. Refreshments, snacks, goodies, and even drinks were provided. Door prizes were drawn for every half hour. Jen is a very friendly lady and has a friendly staff to keep things going from day to day.

When I walked int he door, I was greeted by one of the staff members and invited to register for the need-not-be-present-to-win door prize drawings. Of course, once you win, you’re out of the drawing, but I figured with the luck I have, why would I win anything, present or not? So, I placed my name in the bowl. I meandered over to the well-stocked snack table and grabbed a plate to get some crackers, cheese cubes, and Heritage Bakery cookies. Jen is also a great bar tender as she poured a refreshing cup of Mountain Dew for me. It takes a lot to talk me into a free drink

While I was milling about, the first of what was to be several drawings I had registered for was held. It was announced that i had won! Yes, my name was drawn, thus I had won and was exempted from the remainder of the weekend’s drawings. It was incredible. I won a gardening set containing a small potting shovel and rake (both with the State Farm logo) and a packet of sunflower seeds.

Now that I had another item to carry, I balanced the plate on my cup which made drinking very hard. I succeeded for a couple minutes and then my plate dove to the floor. Fortunately it was just pretzels and crackers, so it wasn’t too messy and the birds likely enjoyed the fruits of my clumsiness. I figure I must have been overcome with excitement.

Given the fact that I’ve endorsed Jen, even though she was not the one that drew my name, to avoid the conflict of interest (receiving a door prize from an insurance office after endorsing said office’s agent) I will be passing the flowers on to my mom as she has more space to garden than I do.

Throughout the time I was there, folks came and went. Folks insured through State Farm visited with each other and their new agent and her staff members.

The time came for me to leave the event. As I headed out, I stopped by the desk to thank Jen and welcome her once more to the community. She was ready and willing to set up an appointment if I ever had any questions. She also asked if I was married. Anyone uninformed would have been stunned, but I knew she had a family of her own, so I was not stunned, and told her that I was not married, but that I was indeed looking.

“Well, if you ever get married, come by and see me and we’ll make sure you’ve got the coverage you need for your family.”

Anyone else would have taken that as just another insurance sales pitch, but, in my years of following politics, I’ve learned to, as Rush says, read the stitches on the fast ball. This was not just another insurance sales pitch, it was an endorsement for my marriage and I am pleased to accept it, and am thrilled to have Jen Talich in my corner, pulling for me to get married. She joins the ranks of my family, friends, and numerous coworkers.

Now I was going to have Marci in the wedding somehow because of a great experience I had when I reached the age all male drivers aspire to reach, 25. She called me a month before and made sure my information was current so that I could get my big 25 year old male  discount.  I was so thrilled  about her excitement for my birthday that I decided she was to be near the top of the list of people to call when I got engaged. After all, I hear having a wife does the car insurance well. I continued thinking about it and eventually had her in the wedding party. I couldn’t figure out in what role, but I figured my bride and I could work it out, even if we forged a new tradition of including the insurance agent as the insurance agent in the wedding party, and I thought about that long before the Gecko was talking on TV about being invited to some bloke’s wedding.

Of course, Marci’s moved on now. But as long as Jen is still around, in the event that I get married, Jen Talich will not only be notified early on and often that I’m engaged, as well as when the date is set, but she will have her place in the wedding party.

My endorsed car insurance agent is hosting an open house! At the beginning of this year, Jen Talich moved over to Cody to oversee the State Farm Insurance office. Prior to her move, the office was managed by Marci Hicks near 19th and Sheridan. She has moved up in the company and now the office is located on 11th and Beck, kitty corner from the old Law Enforcement Center. The new location has much better parking accommodations and a lot more office space inside.

The Jen Talich State Farm Open House will be taking place Thursday and Friday May 1st and 2nd from 1 PM-6 PM and Saturday May 3rd from 9 AM-1 PM on the southeast corner of 11th and Beck. Come meet my insurance agent, enjoy refreshments and more!

Motel staff at a motel on Cody’s West Strip from the Assistant Manager on down to the laundry lady, housekeepers, and maintenance man were stunned to hear the news yesterday morning.

One housekeeper had his portable headset radio on KODI. Another housekeeper was near a room that had the TV on, as was the laundry lady. The Assistant Manager was cleaning the breakfast room, with the TV on for noise. All devices picked up that annoying buzzer sound shortly after 10 AM. None thought anything of it.

Then that peculiar NOAA radio voice came over the airwaves, and still not much thought is given to it, but the voice is just not ignorable:

The National Weather service is Riverton has issued Tornado Watch number 99 99 in effect until 11:05 AM Mountain Daylight Time. for the following counties/areas:

• Big Horn County
• Park County

Residents in these areas should be aware of sudden rains, strong winds, large hail, ….

The housekeepers upstairs discussed the situation at hand.

“I know they usually run a test watch in the transitional parts of the seasons, but theirs usually a disclaimer about the watch/warning only being a test. This had no disclaimer, but it was odd that the tornado watch was numbered.”

“Well, if something develops, we should probably go downstairs.”

One housekeeper went downstairs to confer with the Assistant Manager about going downstairs.

“Yes, downstairs would be safer than upstairs, unless you pick the bathroom that happens to get imploded on.”

“In that case, I’ll stay upstairs so that they’ll have less rubble to dig through to find me, unless of course I get sucked up, and wind up in Munchkin Land and have to follow some absurd road to a city of mythological proportions to get back home, only to discover I could have clicked my heels three times and been back in a jiffy.”

“OK, whatever Scott.”

Whilst everyone was going about their work, the airwaves buzzed that annoying buzz again.

“NOW WHAT!!!” bellered a motel guest working on a new shopping center next door to the motel.

The National Weather Service is Riverton has issued a tornado warning in effect until 11:05 AM Mountain Daylight Time. for the following counties/areas:

• Fremont County
• Hot Spring County
• Washakie County
• Sublette County
• Teton County
• Big Horn County
• Park County
• Johnson County
• Sheridan County

This tornado warning is a test in observance of Wyoming Severe Weather Awareness Week. Procedures and drills should be reviewed and practiced….

The motel staff let out a collective sigh of relief and wondered how many calls the National Weather Service had logged for their test watch that wasn’t announced as a test, prompting the announced test warning.

Could it be love? As soon as I know for sure, I’ll let you know. It’s just a little early to be blogging about a tricky emotion like love, especially when it’s something that’s neither been dually confirmed or denied.

Meanwhile, it is an election year (shocking news, I know). I was looking at my blog the other day and noticed that it looked a little stale. I wasn’t ready for a total overhaul with a new theme, but a new header can do wonders to spruce things up.

For many months I’ve been mulling over where I am in life. I have concluded, that yes, a change is needed, but how to facilitate it? I’m not yet ready to go into specifics about things, but last night an e-mail arrived in my inbox that just might be the avenue I was looking for. We’ll see where it goes.

Meanwhile, I’m certainly looking forward to doing what I can to see Cynthia Lummis be our Republican nominee for our lone U.S. House seat in Wyoming.

Or something like it is anyway, at least for everyone else. Yea, there’s rumors and what not  that love is sure as all get out in the air I’m breathing, but I’m not going to confirm, add to the speculation, or deny any of that at this juncture in my blogging. If something happens that I want to share about here, I will do so in the appropriate time. I will say that I’m not opposed to having love in my air.

A few things have provoked this post, and I’ll point them out in no particular order. Before I do so, I want to mention , since I know  that, for some odd reason, I have an amazingly quantitative female audience, I am in no way upset at any of you, nor am I trying to distance you from me or my blog. I appreciate each and every one of you. God made both of us different, so sometimes I get confused, but that’s OK! I’m sure I’ve had my share of confounding you from time to time.

So, here’s the stuff that’s brought about this post:

• One of my blogger friends posted a story on her Facebook profile about a tennis star and swimsuit model getting engaged. That was fine and well, until I logged into Facebook later that night and saw this on my computer screen. I don’t blame her; just the story and the ad server taking unfair advantage of my sensitive feelings.
• The previously noted blogger friend posts a blog about the politics of bipartisan dating.
• Aforementioned blogger friend proclaims engagement on her Facebook profile. That seemed awful random, but that’s from my perspective. I’m sure from their perspective, it was perfectly natural.
• I read on Snopes about an April Fool’s superstition that if a guy fell for an April Fool’s joke done by a pretty lady, the two would have a really goo long-lasting relationship, possibly all the way to marriage. I waited all day yesterday for a pretty lady to April Fool me, and it never happened Not that I’m superstitious by any stretch of the imagination…
• It seems like every movie and T.V. show I watch, I can fit me into the role of the main guy who always gets the love of his life in the end. Hollywood, congrats on connecting with at least one single guy out there.
• I’m having the same problem with music.

All that to intro into a special repost. Well, actually, it’s not a pure repost since I haven’t blogged about it; I’ve only placed it in my Facebook notes in December of last year, when I was thinking about me and the mysterious “her.”

Thinking About that Special Someone…

…and I don’t think either of us knows who she is. That’s right. I don’t know. Maybe she does, but I don’t know if she does. I just know that I don’t.

Do I think about her a lot? Yep. I sure do. I think about what qualities are musts and what qualities are negotiable.

Although it’s hard, I pray for her too. I must admit, it seems weird at times praying for someone who I have no idea is.

Mom and Grandma think about and pray for this “unknown her” a lot too. I’m sure Dad probably does too, he’s just not the type that’s gonna come right out and tell me.

Granted, there are those that I secretly count as having potential. Obviously, I can’t marry everybody, and even if I could, I wouldn’t. So when even setting out on the dating/courtship process, I like to be very careful.

Some people ask me what I’m looking for. So, if you are wondering (and even if you’re not), here they are,in no particular order, after meeting the salvation requirement:

* doctrinally sound: holding fast to those things which are clearly taught in the Bible, rejecting those things which are contrary to what is clearly taught, and not making a soap-box of those things which are not clearly taught.

* politically conservative: I don’t think that the political arena is end-all solution to all of life’s problems, but we do live in a country that gives its citizens some say-so in what happens. Therefore, we should be responsible with God giving us that blessing. I’m a social and fiscal conservative, and though there might some political debate that goes on, I’d like some one that is fairly close to my beliefs.

* debt free/moving towards debt freedom: Ideally I’d like to get married with no debt. If some debt is being imported into the marriage (and we’re both OK with bringing it in), then after marriage the debt becomes ours and we team up to knock it out. Before that, we are responsible for our own debt(s).

* attractive: Yes, if I’m getting married to some one, I want to be able to look at her and say to myself “She’s quite attractive” and occasionally tell her that I think so.

That’s just a glimpse of what I’m looking for.

All schools are closed today. Actually, not today, but in a few days. In an under-reported news item, the President signed an executive order that accomplished three tasks:

1. February now has 30 days every year, except in leap years when it will have 31. Since most even-numbered months have 30 days, the President thought it best to be consistent, plus he really has it in for the calendar industry for making all those calendars that count down to his last day in office in January of 2009. Since the leap year can’t be gotten rid of, every four years, February will still have an extra day. An adviser close to the   situation said that the Supreme Court would surely strike down any attempt to get rid of the 29th day of February, which is now the 31st of February, as a violation of Campaign Finance Reform laws that Presumptive Republican Presidential Nominee Sen. John McCain (R [sometimes]-AZ) spearheaded.
2. The executive order, signed at 11:47 PM, EDT on March 31, 2008, is retroactive. To take care of the extra days in February that were not observed because they didn’t exist, March of this year gets two extra days. The President has called them “Flashback days,” since they fill in missing gaps in the calendar that would have already taken place. Today, instead of being April 1st is March 32nd to make up for February 30th. Tomorrow will be March 33, to account for February 31st. Next year, February will only have 30 days. February will not have 31 days again until 2012.
3. What is April 3 on your calendar this year will be deemed a national “no school day” from here on out. Most private, charter, and home schools are exempted from this school holiday. This April 3 is, due to the executive order, really April 1, commonly known as April Fool’s Day. In signing the executive order to give mostly public school children across the country the day off, the President noted that No Child Left Behind has been viewed by many, conservative and liberal alike, as a joke due to the bureaucratic red-tape that it created. Additionally, the President figured since many hold to there being a separation of Church and State, and God is hardly given any recognition in the public schools, April 1 would be a good day for the schools to have as a holiday.

I know. I was shocked when I read the news too. But, I have to wish you all a happy April Fool’s Day somehow!!!!  Read more on this fun day at Snopes.com (really).

Oops! I missed my picks for the men’s Final Four. Out of the teams that made it, I probably wouldn’t have picked Memphis or North Carolina. My picks for the Triumphant Two are Kansas and Memphis. I know, this year I haven’t tracked all the original picks like I have in years past. Reason being that I didn’t print out a bracket this year to where I could track all my original picks all the way through. But, at least my round-by-round pick lists have been easier to follow.

On the women’s bracket, here’s my picks for the Final Four, BEFORE the Final Four takes place.

Women’s:

•  Greensboro/Spokane
  • Connecticut, Maryland
• New Orleans/Oklahoma City
  • LSU, Texas A&M