MBC has posted 8hrs ago that The Moody Blues are returning to cruise (Sur Ls Mer). "Details coming soon". I am hoping that the cruise is in 2017. Would prefer later month but would definitely go in February.

The cruise is supposed to "journey to the deep Caribbean" and is illustrated with pictures of Atlantis (sunken from the from Blue Jays cover art I might add)?

Eek.

For lack of anything better to say:

I won't get out of the country until I get my back taxes paid, but this would be a cool goal, indeed.

It's nice how the folks listened to you about Cozumel.

Trust me. I would call the IRS if I thought it would help. Their bureaucrats once gave me five answers for the same question. In my experience, there are long hold times - not appropriate for making on the phone of a place trying to do business. I want an attorney or an accountant so the blame will fall on them if I follow bad advice - and I don't want to deal with H&R Block because they, like my friends who try to tell me how to do my taxes, know less about the tax code than I do. Friends tell me to exempt stuff I clearly know I should not exempt, and H&R went overboard to give me the dumb blonde treatment. They sold me forms for $100 apiece until they ate through my entire refund. Then they kept emailing/calling me to refer my friends to them. Their computers went down when I went in, and they were helpless. The problem is, when you're stupid like me and you know something guys like these don't, it doesn't matter because their personalities are stronger. (It's like the time I went to the hospital when I thought I broke my foot and they gave me every cardiac test in the book, x-rayed the foot of the patient in the next room, discharged me to snickers and laughter, and charged me $1500. I asked for an itemized bill, and it came back with one line item, "emergency services." I called again and said I wanted an itemized bill. They said that was it.) I liked the old days when I could get a copy of the thick book and sit down and read it page by page. Now that everything's on computer, I never know if I'm getting the full story or if I'm reading something that was qualified or offering exemptions in another section or what.

Not to worry. I will watch my pennies and try to get this monster paid down before the next cruise.

With state taxes, I usually pay 25-30%. I'm an indy contractor, so I pay employer taxes, my own FICA, and now the Obamacare penalty. I blow all my income on food, gas, rent, car repairs, and Moodies tickets. None of those things are deductible, I don't think. The halving of my income back in the recession is not something to which I gently adapted. If I keep talking, maybe the folks out there will do my taxes. Then, I'll take the lowest bid and appoint its author my accountant to answer to the IRS.

Enough of this. We were talking about a cruise with lovely music in warm weather with palm trees.

If you take me on the cruise, I would ruin some Mayas for you, as I am currently ruining everything within about ten feet.

I was cold, but Justin would have to speak for himself. I'm sorry if I projected in a previous post. It's cold here. Outside, it's nice, but the office is all closed up and air-conditioned. Sometimes, I fantasize about working somewhere where people love summer as much as I do, and we can open the windows. I've always thought fresh air was good for the brain. That is probably why bosses don't want their underlings sniffing any.