I <3 the IRS

Seriously.

Aside from being a contract physician, I also have an internet-based business from my home. The taxes and forms almost make it not worth the effort, but it's too late to stop now.

I accidentally filed a form late (form 1120S if you care). I paid all my fees on time over the internet, but the actual form itself didn't get there until about 2 months after the due date. Another penalty. Oh well.

But wait!

When I called the IRS to ask which address to send my form, a very helpful woman named Judy answered. I told her about the late filing penalty and she said that this is the first year they are assessing the penalty. She told me they can automatically apply a "1st-time offender" waiver, which she did right there on the phone. $267 wiped away!

She also told me I could fax the form right to her (instead of mailing it), saving a several weeks in processing.

Our government actually working. W00t!!

University of Tampa 1988-1991

College was a strange time. I had just gotten out of the Army and was refocused on my goal of becoming a doctor. It all worked out, but sometimes you have to wonder.


I have more of these over on Facebook if you are interested.

Happy 4th of July!

On Anniversaries

Today is July 1st. That means it's been exactly one year since I got out of the Army. I remember dreaming of the day when I was finally free. All the things I could do. I would travel without having to get a threat-briefing. I would be able to come and go as I please. Hell, I could even smoke pot if I wanted (which I didn't).

Who could possibly imagine all the things that happened over the last year? Sure, I'm no longer a lieutenant colonel and no one salutes me any more. I also don't have to worry about going back to Iraq and I can honestly say I'm closer to my wife and family than ever before. That seems a little crazy since The Wife is living 800 miles away right now.

I wouldn't change a thing.

Choices

Falstaff is a friend of mine. Despite this character flaw, he's a damn fine writer. He's been writing his heart out over on his new blog and posting excerpts 1000 words at a time (he doesn't have an easy way to subscribe to his RSS, so just copy it and paste it into your reader). It makes for compelling reading in that chapbook kind of way since each 1000 words must stand on it's own and be entertaining. Aside from being a good read, it has the added benefit that it will likely piss off quite a few people given the subject matter. My kind of read!

Go. Read.

Thank me later.

Choices

Camelot

No, not Spamalot. Camelot!

Not a silly place

From Wikipedia:

Camelot is the most famous castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur.

It's also strongly associated with JFK:

The charisma of Kennedy and his family led to the figurative designation of "Camelot" for his administration, credited by his wife...

That's how some have referred to my situation. It's certainly the face I present to the world, both here in the blog and in person. For the most part it's true. I really do have a great life. Sure, I've tried to screw it up a few times, but the foundation is too strong to let a moron like me crack it so easily.

I have no intention of letting you see all the way behind the curtain, but let's just say that over the last year, we've been tested more than any other time in our nearly two decades together. In fact, the test really began around the time I was preparing to leave for Iraq. The stress of that time, coupled with the crazy hours The Wife had to keep, plus the death of my Father, my return home, her losing her job... well, you get the idea.

It's easy to "work it out" when you can easily define the problem. Despite being a fairly intelligent couple (ok, she's much smarter than me, but dammit Jim, I'm a doctor, not a vice president!), we were not able to do so. For the first time, a space began to open between us. Over the last year, it widened to a chasm and threatened to consume us both. Let me put it this way - I was actually looking forward to The Wife moving to California without me. It's hard to type that even now. Read it again. That's crazy talk, right?

We seemed to turn a tiny corner when we went to Vegas several months ago. It was a little spark, but you have to keep blowing on the ember, and we didn't. I don't think we tried very hard. There were other sparks, too. I wrote about some of them on Facebook and here. In the midst of all this, The Wife officially moved out. I got a charge out of it when people asked how I was doing. "Good," I replied. "My wife just moved out."

It's true. The Wife is now a California resident and just "visits" us here in Washington. She's here this week in fact. This coincided nicely with the Entrepreneur of the Year awards, a black tie event we go to every year with her old firm, Ernst & Young. It was a little strange going this year because she doesn't work there anymore. Well, I'll let you in on a little secret since you've read this far - we are not above gloating. Damn right - she's a Vice President now, bitches!

I could really delve into some of the changes we've seen this week, but I won't. I'll leave you with this. We are better. In fact, we are getting better by leaps and bounds. My love for her has never been stronger. I will grow old with this woman if she's continue to put up with me.

Can you blame me?

Twitter

Dammit all, but I've been seduced by the Dark Side of the Force. You can now follow me on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/DrChako