God bless the DVR

So for obvious reasons I don't get to watch that much TV during the tax season.  I don't know how I survived 2003-2006ish busy season's without a DVR to record my shows.  Since April 15 has come & gone I've been catching up on most of my shows:

• 24 - yeah, i know it finally hasn't been renewed, making this the final season.  I also know it started out slow and many people gave up on it, but man, Jack Bauer has really picked it up the last 8-10 episodes.  Needless say, Revenge Jack is definitely the best kind of Jack.
• Damages (FX) - The 3rd season of this FX staple was just as solid as the first two seasons.  Definitely one of the best kept secrets on cable
• The Pacific (HBO) - the next WWII miniseries drama on HBO from Hanks & Speilberg.  Basically if you liked Band of Brothers, then this is a must watch for you and any other war historian buff
• The Office/30 Rock - Hilarious, enough said
• ESPN's 30 for 30 Documentaries - These are beyond awesome.  Something to me about sports documentaries just draw me in.  All of these are riveting and I can't get enough of them.  Even the one they turned into a corny animation type episode (fantasy baseball being invented) was very solid.  Can't go wrong w/ these
• Flashforward - On October 6, 2009, the entire world blacked out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds.....great show

A show I haven't started watching yet, Justified (another FX original), I hear is very good, but I'm holding off until catch back up on the shows above.  Not to mention the NHL Playoffs and NBA Playoffs, TV has been a big part of my life recently.

Next 10 days will be fairly busy.  Playing golf Saturday w/ Rick and Tad, then again on Sunday w/ Dad & the Pappas's.  Tad and I then make the road trip to Oakmont CC (just north of Pittsburgh) Monday night for a Tuesday morning tee time.  It can't be said enough, but this course is rated in the Top 10 in America (Golf Digest) and could be the most difficult course in the nation.  It's gonna be awesome.  Then Dallas for the weekend for my cousin Rachel's graduation along w/ the fact that I can visit my sister and aunt/uncle that live in Dallas. 

These videos were brought to you by Diddy, both very funny.  The first video comes to you in the spirit of fans getting tazed at a few sporting events recently.  I vote for this to be a punishment option.
Second, if I remember correctly, this is why I wasn't allowed to enter the sports broadcasting world.  This is pretty damn funny for you sports media enthusiasts.  As always, thanks Diddy

BFC

I couldn't have said it better myself

I wish I could take credit for this analogy, but the best I can do is share it w/ all of you.  Trust me, I've worked w/ the US Tax Code for my whole professional life and this is by far the best story/analogy on breaking down symplistically how our tax system works.  For all of you who voted for "Change" in November 2008, this is essentially what you voted for w/ O.B.A.M.A's (One Big Ass Mistake America) tax proposals.   Once again, in 15 years when we are paying 45-50% income taxes along w/ a national sales tax or VAT, don't come crying to me.  Enjoy!!!!

Tax system explained in terms of beer - to make it more manageable*

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

•  The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
•  The fifth would pay $1 
•  The sixth would pay $3 
•  The seventh would pay $7 
•  The eighth would pay $12 
•  The ninth would pay $18
•  The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do.  The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. "Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20."  Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.  The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes, so the first four men were unaffected.  They would still drink for free.  But what about the other six men - the paying customers?  How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?'

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33.  But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer.  So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.  And so,

•  The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings). 
•  The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings). 
•  The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28% savings). 
•  The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings). 
•  The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 ( 22% savings).
•  The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before.  And the first four continued to drink for free.  But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.  "I only got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man.  He pointed to the tenth man," but he got $10!"  "Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too.  It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!"

"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!"  "Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.  

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
University of Georgia

For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible...

By the way, I've mentioned on here multiple times that I love Athens, GA - case & point w/ the apparent author of this story being from UGA.   Dr. Kamerschen actually refuted the writing of the story, although he acknowledges that it is an accurate portrayal of our tax system.  Either way, we'll give him credit since no one else has claimed it.  Love it...

stupid rain

by far one of my favorite commercials currently showing on TV...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KscChA1DxAk

not really sure I want to have a Heineken afterwards, but i'm not opposed.

Congrats to Scott & Sara on their new addition to the family, JJ, born yesterday. Andy, Dave and I cancelled our Cincy trip due to the weather...didn't feel like watching baseball in the rain. I suppose we could have just gone to the riverboat instead, but we chose to pass.

My trip to Oakmont on May 18th has been confirmed and the lucky winner who gets to go w/ me to play the 5th rated golf course in America (and possibly the most difficult) is my step-bro, Tad. Needless to say he was fairly excited as he's a big golf fanatic, not to mention a better player than I am. should be a nice road trip.

Got the PS3 now...it's awesome. And since it's rained for 3 straight days, that's about all i've done w/ myself this weekend Had Friday off of work, which was nice, but it rained all day. I also have next friday off, so hoping for better weather then.

In closing, Las Vegas (and Harrah's specifically) misses me so much they've offered me a free room for a 3-night stay at any of their hotels, excluding Caesers in June or July. Just planting that seed....let me know if you're interested

spring & summer fun

Now that i'm through my hell on earth time, I can begin to focus on the fun things in life. Should be a busy 2010 and I hope it's the best year ever. Here are a few of my plans for the upcoming 6 months:

• Pearl Jam concert - early May
• Playing Oakmont Golf Club (Pittsburgh) - May 18th
• Texas for 2-3 days in late May
• Myrtle Beach for a week - late June
• July - still up in the air...was considering going out west (Portland, Seattle), Vegas at some point, Jimtown golf outing. Somehow Scott and I have to come up w/ a plan for him to ditch his wedding anniversary to play in the outing w/ me (love ya Sara!).
• August - Vegas if I don't go in July
• October - third annual Georgia trip

At some point during the summer, i'll make my annual trip to Wrigley and catch a few games in Cincy.

Should be a great summer. Being around Broad Ripple these past few beautiful weather weeks reminded me why I love living in this area during the summer. Winter, not so much....but we'll take the good w/ the bad.

Let's see, some news. Matt & Abby got engaged last week. No immediate plans for when/where the wedding will be, but possible talks of a destination wedding. Six of us went to celebrate w/ them last night, going to dinner at a Japanese steakhouse - very tasty. Makes me wish I could cook like that!

I love this time of year for sports. NHL & NBA playoffs, MLB in full swing, NFL Draft, personally getting outside to start playing golf and tennis again. Last year I achieved my golf goal of breaking 80. I don't really have a goal for golf this year, but to continue to improve. It's been fun the past seven years or so to see us all get better at golf, except for Andy who has digressed so bad that he is now going to try and play opposite handed to see if it will help.

seriously, enough!

I'm sick of getting crap about not driving to Elkhart for Easter Sunday. I've been home for Easter a whole 1 time in the past 7 years, so this isn't something new. Despite working 70-75 hour weeks for the past month, throw in the fact that the Final Four is in Indy this weekend....no frickin way i'm leaving town. So seriously, family, enough w/ the subtle hints and quit asking.

Now, w/ that out of the way, my Easter plans hopefully include my quasi-Easter tradition - crashing Tad & Kimberly's plans and joining them for Church, lunch, and some quick visiting time before I eventually end up working that night. Yes, i'll work on Easter...it isn't anything new.

So my brackets turned out alright. 11 out of 16 of the Sweet 16, 4 Elite 8, and 2 Final Four. Good enough to be in the top 98.8% on ESPN and take the lead in my work bracket pool into the Final Four. Am I going to games?? who knows.... I actually turned down free rafter seats. Watching a basketball game from the top row of Lucas Oil Stadium does not really excite me. I'd rather hang out w/ friends at a bar or someone's house and enjoy it in High Def. But if some better offers come my way before Saturday, i'll consider going. I really think Butler can win this. One game at a time, but if they do get to the finals, I think they match up a little better against W.V. then Duke. Time will tell

Diddy and I once again did our annual March Madness challenge against one another. I've never won (0-2 or 0-3, however many years we've done it). This year, i trail by 2 games going into Saturday, so I need to sweep to force a winner take all national title game, which would be fairly exciting...can't get much closer than it is right now.

Liking the warm weather, but really it's just a tease too me until after April 15th. I intentionally leave my golf clubs in my basement until after tax season. I don't even want to be tempted to play right now. I need to restain my deck, so that's probably the first thing on my outside to do list. First time i've had to restain it, so I have no idea how long it'll take, but I assume it'll be a good afternoon's work since my deck isn't that big.

I've been bad about updating my taxable income tracker for 2009. I'm going to guess it's somewhere around $30-33 million. i need to go back and update it for the past 10 days worth of work or so.

I'm also looking forward to getting started on my culinary goal for 2010. Since my dinners are provided for me by the firm, i haven't cooked a real meal since mid-January. I'm starting to get the urge to cook though, so feel free to send me any recipes you think may be good for me.

If only our desks didn't weigh a ton at our office, Diddy and I could definitely do some damage like this. I really love The Office. It's about the only show i've been able to keep up on during tax season. every other show i'm watching is just sitting on my DVR, waiting for my return (24, Justified, Damages, The Pacific, 30 Rock, FlashForward)

Until next time...

March Madness Quickie

tax season, as usual, is getting the best of me. here are my picks (i know a day late, but this was my #1 bracket)

Sweet 16
Midwest - Kansas, Michigan St, Georgetown, Ohio St
West - Syracuse, Butler, Xavier, Kansas St.
East - Kentucky, Wisconsin, New Mexico, West Virginia
South - Duke, Purdue, Baylor, Villanova

Elite 8
Midwest - Kansas vs Georgetown
West - Syracuse vs Kansas State
East - Wisconsin vs West Virginia
South - Duke vs Baylor

Final Four - Kansas over Kansas State, West Virginia over Duke

Champ - Kansas over West Virginia.

Georgetown really screwed me already....oh well. I have saturday off this week, so big weekend of basketball w/ Scott, Andy and Dave. should be fun!

In Diddy's and I annual pick every game against the spread against one another, I jumped out to a 10-6 lead after Day 1. He has owned me in this rivalry (0-3 all time for me)...i'm pretty sure this is the first time i've ever had a lead after Day 1, so I'm fairly excited.

I'm out, more posts in the near future hopefully

Venting

Monday, March 8th....one week till the 1st deadline is past. Last week and it's 73 working hrs in 6 days can go to hell. I think that's the earliest in busy season I've ever worked a 70+ hour week. 5 more weeks total, w/ a slight breather week March 15-20th, where I become useless once the NCAA Tourney begins. Can't wait.

8am on monday morning and i'm sitting here waiting for the roofing/attic guys to show up. Getting the insulation in my attic doubled. Thought about doing that myself later this spring, but laziness and convenience got the best of me. It's the thought that counts. Got me thinking...in the past 2-3 years I've spent a decent amount of cash on my house just to "maintain" and basically my house is appraising for what I paid for it 5 years ago. I suppose that's better than the 25% less....but we all know that I probably couldn't sell it for the appraisal value. Typically I've always seemed to be in the right place at the right time when it comes to these kind of things, but not this time. If I could unload this house for what I paid for it and then go and buy a nicer/bigger house on the cheap all while lowering my monthly payments, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Problem......I can't sell this for what I paid for it, no question. Brand new deck, all new HVAC system, new roof, better insulation, it doesn't matter, too much of a buyer's market right now. Oh well

I'm looking forward to my next post - NCAA predictions! I did so well last year getting a whopping ZERO Final Four teams right, which was the first time ever I've never gotten at least one. I did get 4 of the Elite Eight teams right though. Can't wait, love the 3 weeks of the tourney, excluding the whole work thing.

My mom is on a cruise this week in the Caribbean and of course I took them to the airport Saturday. "Wish you could come w/ us...." she says....yeah, no kidding! Same ship we were on 18 months ago when Buell and I took the ultimate man-date w/ them. It was fun though!

"My" Ritter alumni bball team earned the #1 seed for the tourney and we won yesterday to move into the semifinals. I would say there are 3 other "good" teams, besides us, that have a legit chance of winning the league, and all 3 of those teams are on the opposite side of the bracket. We were basically given the draw that we would have picked ourselves if we were running the tournament. To put in 2010 NBA terms, it's basically the equivalent of the Cavs playing the Nets, Knicks, and Pacers to get to the NBA Finals

7 more days till the first one has passed, breathe, breathe