The Tax-Man Factor

Sorry for my absence of late. Been working on my income taxes, beginning with my writing income (or lack thereof) and expenses, followed by the stock trading business income and expense. We actually made money this year.

But I find this all consuming. Monday-Tuesday it took up the whole evening. I skipped church tonight (well, truck trouble had something to do with that) to do the taxes. I had one more thing to do to finish figuring the stock trading income, something that should have taken me all evening. However, I started it and five minutes into it realized the answer I was working towards was right there on the Fidelity brokerage statement. To be sure I contacted Fidelity, and the rep confirmed it. What I thought would take four hours took fifteen minutes.

With my evening thus relieved, I should have knuckled down and gotten to the expense side of the business taxes. However, my wind wafted into reading land. I went upstairs, cooked a simple vegetable supper, read some pages in an academic article about the canon of the scriptures, then went to work on editing my article for Biblio Buffet. A way to possible do what the editors wanted had come to mind today, and the found time seemed a good time to get that done. Fired it off a few minutes ago. We'll see how it works.

So, tomorrow I get the pick-up back, and will get back on the taxes. I think one, possibly two, evenings to get the expenses done, then one more evening to actually fill out and print the business forms. Then the personal Federal forms will consume the weekend. I'll take a week or a little more off and then hit the Arkansas taxes. No, wait, I need to get my mother-in-law's done too, and this year she will likely owe taxes so I can't turn them in late. Rats. Then there will be calls from someone who always needs my guidance for his taxes.

So, I may not be posting here at the frequency I like.