My wife and daughter spent the better part of this week in Florida visiting my wife's mother. They returned this evening and now our home is back to raucous normalcy.
While they were gone things were too quiet. I've been coming home earlier than normal so my other daughter won't have to be home alone for too long. I've been home by 6:15 PM as opposed to my usual 7:30 PM. Our evenings were quiet with her time occuppied by homework and mine taken up with playing around on the computer and reading. Last night the two of us went out to dinner where we lingered unlike what we do during normal dinners.
After dinner this evening I played a game called Bananagram with my older daughter. It's kind of like Scrabble but you make the crosswords with your own letters and you can rearrange them. It's a good game because there is no scoring and even if you fall behind you can often win the game. My daughter won tonight.
I went skating again today but learned that the rink will only be open until Tuesday - boo! What will I do for fun after that?
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Taxes
In today's mail was a little surprise. It was a tax bill from an audit that was done on my 2004 New York State tax return.
I can start by saying how ridiculous the whole tax structure is. I work in New York but live in New Jersey. This requires me to file 3 different sets of tax returns; one for the feds and then for the 2 states which lay claim to me. The tax software I use never seems to get it right and often doubles my income on one of the returns requiring a bit of manual intervention. When I looked at what New York was complaining about it appeared that an incorrect check box was highlighted on the return. Instead of checking Federal Income Tax Paid it checked General Sales Tax Paid. Apparently, not an allowable deduction in New York.
Now, of course, they could have figured this out if they bothered to look at the Federal return (or I daresay at the W4?) which they claim to have done and recognized which tax I indeed had paid. To add even a greater insult they are charging me interest of $120. Now I know why people are so excited about taxes. To think that tax dollars actually go to pay someone to harass people like me.
I'll, of course, file an appeal which I'll probably lose and have to pay even more interest. Now, I'll be on the "watch" list.
I can start by saying how ridiculous the whole tax structure is. I work in New York but live in New Jersey. This requires me to file 3 different sets of tax returns; one for the feds and then for the 2 states which lay claim to me. The tax software I use never seems to get it right and often doubles my income on one of the returns requiring a bit of manual intervention. When I looked at what New York was complaining about it appeared that an incorrect check box was highlighted on the return. Instead of checking Federal Income Tax Paid it checked General Sales Tax Paid. Apparently, not an allowable deduction in New York.
Now, of course, they could have figured this out if they bothered to look at the Federal return (or I daresay at the W4?) which they claim to have done and recognized which tax I indeed had paid. To add even a greater insult they are charging me interest of $120. Now I know why people are so excited about taxes. To think that tax dollars actually go to pay someone to harass people like me.
I'll, of course, file an appeal which I'll probably lose and have to pay even more interest. Now, I'll be on the "watch" list.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Skating Away
There's an ice skating rink in Bryant Park behind the New York Public Library that's open from late November until early February. It's free if you have your own skates and midday it is uncrowded. Yesterday and today I walked over and took a few turns around the ice.
I'm not sure why but I never learned to skate as a kid. I remember once while in college taking myself to the rink in Coney Island to see if I could do it. I've been out occasionally but I've never felt like I've gotten it.
About 2 years ago I saw an ad in the LL Bean catalog for "comfort skates" Rental skates were never comfortable so I thought I'd give these a try. We have an LL Bean Visa credit card so with every $1,000 we spend they send us a $10 gift certificate plus we get free shipping from LL Bean. I basically got these skates for free.
Monday was frustrating but I managed to stay on my feet. Today was a bit better getting a little speed up and managing not to think about falling all of the time. The weather today was in the balmy 60's and there is something magical about gliding around the ice with tall buildings on all sides. It also helps that everyone there seems happy and flushed with the glow of health.
Weather permitting I'll be there every day until they close for the season.
I'm not sure why but I never learned to skate as a kid. I remember once while in college taking myself to the rink in Coney Island to see if I could do it. I've been out occasionally but I've never felt like I've gotten it.
About 2 years ago I saw an ad in the LL Bean catalog for "comfort skates" Rental skates were never comfortable so I thought I'd give these a try. We have an LL Bean Visa credit card so with every $1,000 we spend they send us a $10 gift certificate plus we get free shipping from LL Bean. I basically got these skates for free.
Monday was frustrating but I managed to stay on my feet. Today was a bit better getting a little speed up and managing not to think about falling all of the time. The weather today was in the balmy 60's and there is something magical about gliding around the ice with tall buildings on all sides. It also helps that everyone there seems happy and flushed with the glow of health.
Weather permitting I'll be there every day until they close for the season.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Short Sighted
That's the way I sometimes feel but it would be more precise to say that I'm near sighted. That means that I can't see to any great distance but these days the near distances (like the computer screen) are problematic too.
In actuality, this has been the problem all of my life. I was born with something called optic atrophy or, in English, an underdeveloped optic nerve. It makes it difficult for my eyes to focus and my eyes try to compensate by shaking which makes things a bit worse. I'm not blind but my vision is only correctable to 80/20 on a good day. When I'm tired or agitated it's a bit worse. This condition has prevented me from getting a drivers license and made things like going to baseball games an unrewarding experience.
So, a lot of my energy goes into coping. In school I needed to deal with being unable to see what was on the board no matter where I sat and as an adult I find those bright signs in the fast food restaurants almost impossible to read. You can imagine the limitations being unable to drive puts on where one can work and live.
An optometrist once convinced me that I could get a driver's license under a special program and training. I did the training, passed the road test, and actually drove a bit. I never got comfortable, though, and I felt that there was way too much that I wasn't seeing. I let the license lapse when I moved to Israel.
Here's the good news. I think that this "handicap" has made me a lot more clever than the average Joe. As a kid I had to somehow figure out what was happening in class without embarrassing myself. Sports also posed a challenge but I stopped playing softball as soon as I could and took up bicycling and hiking. As an adult I still try to avoid standing out and having to explain myself. Every day is a new challenge, though. I sometimes have to cross streets to read street signs and house numbers and now I need to be sure to carry a magnifying glass to read the print on most printed documents.
I had a friend from college who called me several years ago when her son was diagnosed with a severe eye disorder. She asked what she should do. My advice then was to treat him like she would any other kid; no special classes and no special treatment. This was the world he would have to live in and I was sure that he would become clever enough to deal with it. About 4 years ago we were invited to his Bar Mitzvah. He used a special device to read the Torah but he did it with no more mistakes than the typical 13 year old. I think I was as happy at his party as he was!
In actuality, this has been the problem all of my life. I was born with something called optic atrophy or, in English, an underdeveloped optic nerve. It makes it difficult for my eyes to focus and my eyes try to compensate by shaking which makes things a bit worse. I'm not blind but my vision is only correctable to 80/20 on a good day. When I'm tired or agitated it's a bit worse. This condition has prevented me from getting a drivers license and made things like going to baseball games an unrewarding experience.
So, a lot of my energy goes into coping. In school I needed to deal with being unable to see what was on the board no matter where I sat and as an adult I find those bright signs in the fast food restaurants almost impossible to read. You can imagine the limitations being unable to drive puts on where one can work and live.
An optometrist once convinced me that I could get a driver's license under a special program and training. I did the training, passed the road test, and actually drove a bit. I never got comfortable, though, and I felt that there was way too much that I wasn't seeing. I let the license lapse when I moved to Israel.
Here's the good news. I think that this "handicap" has made me a lot more clever than the average Joe. As a kid I had to somehow figure out what was happening in class without embarrassing myself. Sports also posed a challenge but I stopped playing softball as soon as I could and took up bicycling and hiking. As an adult I still try to avoid standing out and having to explain myself. Every day is a new challenge, though. I sometimes have to cross streets to read street signs and house numbers and now I need to be sure to carry a magnifying glass to read the print on most printed documents.
I had a friend from college who called me several years ago when her son was diagnosed with a severe eye disorder. She asked what she should do. My advice then was to treat him like she would any other kid; no special classes and no special treatment. This was the world he would have to live in and I was sure that he would become clever enough to deal with it. About 4 years ago we were invited to his Bar Mitzvah. He used a special device to read the Torah but he did it with no more mistakes than the typical 13 year old. I think I was as happy at his party as he was!
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Walking Around
When I was a kid on the odd Sunday my father would take my sisters and me on long walks. I used to think of these walks as "getting lost". We would wander around seemingly for hours and end up in marinas, junk yards, and often at Nathan's Famous in Coney Island. I don't think I knew the reason why we took these walks but I can guess it was the result of my mother badgering my father to spend some time with the kids and let her have some time to herself.
Whatever the reason I have very fond memories of these walks and we have some great photographs of those outings.
Today my wife and I took a long walk with our oldest daughter. It really wasn't a walk to nowhere but it certainly reminded me of one. We walked to the next town, Clark, about 3.5 miles away. We stopped at the library and then at Barnes and Noble for a coffee and then continued back to Westfield. We were out wandering about for close to 4 hours and were delightfully tired when we got home. After a few days of frigid weather it was quite pleasant today and good to be out.
The odd thing about our town is that we could probably count on one hand the number of pedestrians we passed. It's seems incredible that no one seems to walk anywhere.
Whatever the reason I have very fond memories of these walks and we have some great photographs of those outings.
Today my wife and I took a long walk with our oldest daughter. It really wasn't a walk to nowhere but it certainly reminded me of one. We walked to the next town, Clark, about 3.5 miles away. We stopped at the library and then at Barnes and Noble for a coffee and then continued back to Westfield. We were out wandering about for close to 4 hours and were delightfully tired when we got home. After a few days of frigid weather it was quite pleasant today and good to be out.
The odd thing about our town is that we could probably count on one hand the number of pedestrians we passed. It's seems incredible that no one seems to walk anywhere.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Scrabble
I'm addicted to this game. I'm not a superstar but I enjoy it particularly when I find someone evenly matched to compete against. Several months ago I discovered a web site which allows me to play whenever I'd like with people at the same level as me.
It's called the Internet Scrabble Club http://www.isc.ro/ and at the site you can download an applet that let's you find people at your skill level and your comfort level for length of game. My wife and I used to play often and we were pretty evenly matched. She played so slowly that it eventually became unbearable for me. I really don't think she misses playing with me.
This doesn't come without complications, though. There is a chat function in the software and some people can be a little too chatty. One game a guy trash talked through the whole thing and I couldn't believe how rattled it made me. Perhaps this is why I never was interested in competitive anything. I soon discovered two things about the site that made it much more bearable. There's a "quietplay" feature that doesn't let anyone talk to you while you are playing and their is a "no play" list that won't let any people who you have had unpleasant experiences with before challenge you.
So, while I write this I'm in my second game of the evening. I lost the first in a squeaker and I'm leading in the 2nd 240 - 208 with 10 tiles remaining.
It's called the Internet Scrabble Club http://www.isc.ro/ and at the site you can download an applet that let's you find people at your skill level and your comfort level for length of game. My wife and I used to play often and we were pretty evenly matched. She played so slowly that it eventually became unbearable for me. I really don't think she misses playing with me.
This doesn't come without complications, though. There is a chat function in the software and some people can be a little too chatty. One game a guy trash talked through the whole thing and I couldn't believe how rattled it made me. Perhaps this is why I never was interested in competitive anything. I soon discovered two things about the site that made it much more bearable. There's a "quietplay" feature that doesn't let anyone talk to you while you are playing and their is a "no play" list that won't let any people who you have had unpleasant experiences with before challenge you.
So, while I write this I'm in my second game of the evening. I lost the first in a squeaker and I'm leading in the 2nd 240 - 208 with 10 tiles remaining.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Dreams
Last night I had a dream that I used to have a lot more frequently. In this dream I realize that I have to take a test. The problem is that I'm not sure exactly when or where the test is, I'm not sure what subject it's in and, I haven't been to the class for weeks. I've basically dropped out of something and I feel an obligation to go back and take the test despite the fact that I'm in no way prepared for it.
I realize that this dream is a way of expressing some deep feelings of anxiety. This dream ended up a little differently.
Either right before I woke or as I woke up I remember thinking, "I don't care. I've already got my degree so what does this matter?" When I woke up I was in a surprisingly good mood considering I had gone to bed in a lousy one.
Does this mean that I'm on the road to contentment?
I realize that this dream is a way of expressing some deep feelings of anxiety. This dream ended up a little differently.
Either right before I woke or as I woke up I remember thinking, "I don't care. I've already got my degree so what does this matter?" When I woke up I was in a surprisingly good mood considering I had gone to bed in a lousy one.
Does this mean that I'm on the road to contentment?
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