Prednisone...It's a Jagged Little Pill or Fun with Side Effects!!

Common Side Effects of Prednisone:
Check with your doctor if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome:
increased appetite -Yes, this bothers me!
indigestion -nope, not yet anyway
nervousness or restlessness -This is bothersome to The Girl
flushing of face or cheeks -Not so bad....easier than going to a tanning bed.
hiccups -this sounds almost cute compared to the rest of the horrors.
increased sweating -As fun as it sounds.
sensation of spinning -Without having to drink!
Decreased or blurred vision -where are my glasses????
frequent urination -I must have a tiny bird bladder.
increased thirst -Is this connected to the urination?
confusion -Seriously, I've always been a bit confused so it's hard to tell if I have this one!
excitement -If The Girl's around, this is impossible to determine.
false sense of well-being -I don't think it's false....besides being sick, I DO have a sense of well-being.
hallucinations (seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there) -Not yet but I'm optimistic.
mental depression -I've never been a mental depressive.
mistaken feelings of self-importance or being mistreated -Don't look at me like that!!
mood swings (sudden and wide) -Sudden and wide? Isn't that the DEFINITION of mood swings??
restlessness -see above
filling or rounding out of the face -Classic Prednisone effect....hoping to miss this one.
reddish purple lines on arms, face, groin, legs, or trunk -I wonder if they make a picture? Or a map? Maybe I DO have the confusion thing...
trouble in sleeping -the codeine helps with this
unusual increase in hair growth -PAGING Cousin It...
unusual tiredness or weakness -nah, i'm tired now till april 15th
vomiting -should alleviate the weight gain.
weight gain (rapid) -Yippee!! I like fast things!!

Sick, Tired and Nebulized....

I am sick again. Back on the nebulizer....puffer as my Matey calls it! Today has been a constant fight with the phone. And I'm not winning. Every client with a real or imagined problem has wanted to talk, the IRS agent, the one who said the audit was OVER and then changed it to "just one more issue"...ya, her. She called, emailed and faxed. Apparently she had more than ONE more issue. I have tried, literally all day, to call my doctor. From 9:30 to 12:30 the line was busy. 12:30 to 2:30 they were closed for lunch and it is now 3:22, and the line is still busy. I think I might need another run of prednisone to open my lungs/airway up. However, until I can get through to the dr, I will just wheeze.

The Girl and I went to a funky little restaurant in Beverly on Saturday night. The Wildhorse Cafe. It was different. All the tables were different with big upholstered chairs. The Girl picked out a nice Australian Shiraz, I don't know much about wine so I leave it to the expert. For an appetizer we had seared sea scallops with butternut squash ravioli's. Topped with a bacon/cider demi sauce.

The entree's were equally good...Grilled rack of lamb for me and Filet of beef with Lobster bisque sauce and a few good chunks of lobster meat for The Girl. Both came with a twist on mashed potatoes...The Girl had grilled asparagus and I had some julienned veggie's. Desert was best part of it all, I must say. Grilled banana's with a silky caramel sauce topped with vanilla bean ice-cream and home-made whipped cream. Decadent and worth it.

What People are Doing....

I spoke with my mother today. She related the following information from Florida:



Alex was at his golf lesson.

Lucas was in the pool with Brenda.

Ella was in the jacuzzi.

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Me? I'm in TaxHell. In a snowstorm.

Oddly oxymoronic, isn't it?

If anyone's keeping count, that's the last 2 without an Ode.
I'm thinking the next one will be very Odeish (that's a word!)

Harriet

I miss having a dog. It's been 9 months since Harriet's been gone and I still think about her most days. Is that weird? Maybe, but Harriet and I went through a lot together. She was with me for the beginings and endings of relationships, births of nephews/niece and everything else that happened in my life for the past 11 years. She was a great listener, always available and very empathetic. She always knew when I was getting ready to go out and would look at me, hoping she was coming along for the ride. And she was ALWAYS ready to go along for the ride. I would take her to Starbucks for coffee. Well, coffee for me, lemon cake for her. Harriet was quite popular at Starbucks. Most people that walked by the car would stop and pet her....she would lick them and give them her paw. It would be hard to find a friendlier dog. Seriously, look at that picture! I always called her a "super-model" dog.
And she was. Super.
Now, I'm a dog person. The Girl...not so much. She only knew Harriet at the very end of her life and The Girl was great with her...cooking for her and helping me give her a bath. That was interesting! But The Girl feels and I mostly agree, that a dog is such a huge responsibility that to get one now, considering our lifestyle, would be a mistake. Every once in a while we bat this issue around. We'll see. Maybe someday.

So, while I miss having a dog, I think, really, it's that I miss MY dog.

Kids....say stuff

I haven't seen the monkeys this week. I've been sick and they're leaving for Florida today and my sister (Clown) didn't want them around a sicky like me. So, they'll be gone for a week and I will miss them. I started thinking about some of things they and other kids have said. I wish I had kept journal through the years but, it's never too late to start.

Alex(then 4)"Auntie, where's your husband?"
Me:"I don't have a husband"
Alex:"why not because only girls live in your house and even Harriet's a girl?"
Me:"yes, only girls live in my house. Some families are all girls, some all boys and some boys and girls"
The funny part of this is how random a question....I've been involved in this kids life since day ONE....it's not like he ever SAW me with a husband!
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Lucas(then 5) to his friend, while standing in his driveway with Brenda as I was pulling in.
Lucas:"That's my auntie. She's married to a girl. I know it seems weird but that's how it is in my family."
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The day after my girlfriend of 6 years had moved out. I was at my parents house with the kids.
Lucas(6):"So, I heard you and Chris got a divorce."
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Lucas was 4 and at my parents house in Florida.
Me:"how's your vacation going?"
Lucas:"I'm not on vacation"
Me:"Your not in florida?"
Lucas:"Nope"
Me:"where are you?"
Lucas:"I'm staying at the airport"
At this point in his vacation, Lucas had been to DisneyWorld, SeaWorld and Universal
Studios.
Later in the conversation
Me:"Have you done anything fun?"
Lucas:"Nothing! I told you I'm at the airport!!"
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Rosanne, my friend & co-worker, trying to play a game with her 4 yr old grandson Dean.

Dean:"Nana, read the rules"
Rosanne:"I don't have my glasses and I can't see them"
Dean:"If you can't see and I can't read, how are we gonna play???"
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So, this has been about neither taxes or The Girl. Though, my friend Deb says if I say a post is NOT about The Girl, then it's still an Ode.
So, Ode.
You know it's all Ode all the time in my head anyway.
That much is clear.

Happy Valentines.....

This week has been Tax Hell and MORE! I'm sick too! I came in late a couple of days but haven't really missed too much work. I can't. More and more work comes in everyday. February is a very difficult month. March 15th (corporate deadline) is fast approaching and it feels like I'll never get done all that needs doing.

More importantly, today is Valentines Day. This is the first "real" Valentines Day The Girl and I are spending together. We knew each other last year and we actually spent Valentines Day on IM, while watching Lost. Not as romantic as this year but it had it's charms.

To The Girl I say...I love you and as I enjoy this Valentines Day, I look forward to all that are to come.
Seriously, did anyone think THIS day wouldn't turn into an ODE to The Girl??

"Am I gonna have to pay?"

We found out today that the audit we've been working on for over a year has come to an end. The verdict? NO CHANGES! This is very good news for a few reasons.

1. It means we were able to justify every single calculation on many various returns (personal, trusts, s-corps and LLC'S) over a number of years.
2. No Appeals process necessary.
3. The Client will be loving us for a long time to come.

Also in Tax News.....received a call from a gentleman referred to me by a long time client. This man, I'll call him "Tim", asked me 2 questions..."am i gonna have to pay" and "how much do you charge" I told TIM that it's impossible for me to answer either question! He wanted me to tell him he'd have zero tax and would owe nothing! I have NO idea what his tax situation is. Or how much work/time is involved with his personal and corporate returns. Yes, Tim has a corporation. Also, when a prospective client asks "how much" in the first 5 seconds, they will be a problem.

Tim also told me that the accountant he's had for 8 years has disappeared. Can't find him or get him on the phone.
Hmmm.....wonder why that is??
So, there you have it. A post that's NOT an "Ode".....and it's killing me.

Ode to....

Originally, my goal was to post something here Monday, Wednesday and Friday. If possible, once on the weekend. Well, seeing how it's Thursday, guess that plan is kaput. I have so much to do and once again I have several projects open at once, all waiting for the information necessary to complete them. So, what can I do but start another new project and hope everything I need is here to finish it, bill it and get it out the door. The billing is the key. Without that, we're all out of a job. This time of year is tricky. We're working extra hours, the majority of my tax/accounting hours are billed between January and April. However, with so much on hold, we can't bill the job. So, I try and get out as many indivdual tax returns as I can. The ones that are in this early are the easy ones...they don't take much time, I can get quite a few out and bill them immediately. I actually enjoy doing taxes. It's the administrative aspect of running the Practice that I don't love.
I've been accused of using this blog as an Ode to The Girl. Well, to that I say....SO WHAT?
What do you think I'd rather think/write about? Taxes or The Girl I had to wait 44 years for??
So, there's that.

Down The Chute...

Who do you trust to pack your parachute? Who do you trust, quite literally, with your life? This person hands you the parchute, you strap it on and you jump. You don't check it out. You trust that they value your life just as much as YOU do. You know when you pull that cord, the chute will open. And if it doesn't, you have NO doubt the back-up will.

I think there is a couple of ways of looking at this. Would your parachute-packer be the person you believe loves you the most? Or the person you find most competent.....or both? Would those same people trust YOU to pack their parachutes? I think most people would say their parents could pack their parachute. And that's most likely true. For me, I would trust The Girl and my sister, The Clown (she's a clown. I'm not kidding.)

When we get on a plane, we're trusting the pilot to "pack our parachute." I think we accept that and the risks associated with it. However, what about when we get our car brakes done at Midas/Meineke/Jiffy-Brake......are we trusting the 19 year old kid that's fiddling around under our car, talking to his buddy, texting and smoking a cigarette, all at the same time he's installing the new brakes? He's packing the chute too, in a way. That's scarier than my sister being a Clown!

All in all, if we have one or two people in our lives that we would trust to pack our parachutes, I would say we're very fortunate.

So, to The Girl I say, I know how lucky I am to have you, the person I trust most, to pack my parachute.

Leap....

New month, a LEAP month/year. That's great...an extra day of TaxHell. Oh well, I suppose I could use the extra time. The Girl and I usually eat out once a week or so. I've made a list of the restaurants we went to for the month of January. This is not so much interesting for the 2 readers I MIGHT have as it is a way for me to journal what we've done.

January 2008

1. Calitri's in Peabody MA-Had eggplant pizza with Deb (Hi DEB!!) Not great, would probably not return.
2. Petrillo's in Peabody MA-The girl had eggplant rolitini and I had veal parm with fusili. Excellent!
3. Blackwater Grille in Salem NH-Met The Girl's family for dinner at this excellent little place. We both had steak (ribeye, I think) and it was FANTASTIC. Sweet potato fries and a very fresh, crisp salad.
4. Siam Delight in Beverly MA-The Girl and I had Pad Thai and a few other dishes that I was not a fan of, at ALL. I will absolutely go back and will only order shrimp pad thai and a sapporo beer.
5. Sushi Island in Wakefield MA-Alison and I met and had spring rolls, a couple orders of Philly Rolls, Avocado & Shrimp Maki and we tried to be adventurous and we ordered the Sweet Shrimp Nigeri. This was a great, big, RAW shrimp! We both picked it up, smelled it and returned it directly to the platter.
6. Angelas Coal Fired Pizza in Saugus MA-This place is my favorite for pizza. It's crispy and flavorful and just perfect. The girl and I had their signature chicken wings(also roasted in the coal oven, with a marinade of olive oil, lemon, rosemary and salt) The pizza was meatball and ricotta cheese. So good.
7. China Sky in Winchester MA-I already covered this place in a previous post. Not my favorite chinese food and would not want the sushi again. But, the company more than made up for the food.

I hope to do this at the end of each month. And if anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear them.

I plan on working all weekend and I hear there's some game on Sunday. I don't know. I'm more interested in re-watching the Lost season premiere! That show is such a mind-f**k! I LOVE it.

I'm not that big of a sports fan.