Pilot's Log

...Don't have no money. Besides pocket change, I guess.

The IRS refused my refund and won't let me appeal anymore, like I did in past years. I guess if I stay this poor they may audit me or something.

I got one of these as a door prize at a car dealership's promotion overday. It's about the size of a Hershey's miniature bar and "retails" at about $15. Because it isn't Solid Gold.

(After a week of horrible, sub-freezing weather and outright dangerous driving conditions, things finally improve to allow me and Moonshine to sortie out.)

ME: Sevier County! ( Read more... )

MOONSHINE: Yay!

Since it was the Austin office to which I filed my 2009 return, and since it was long enough ago that I sent it there, I went to the IRS official website just now to check on its status.

The Good News: my refund will go out in about two weeks. And get to me well before my planned vacation.

The Bad News: the IRS "recalculated" my refund, so instead of being enough to fund my whole trip, it'll be enough to get me a new pair of walking shoes and maybe a meal at Fat Boys in Brooksville. So I'm going to have to pare back my itinerary a leetle. But I'm not worried.

PS: I've noticed, via Hernando Today, that Fat Boys was eventually replaced by the new-and-completely-different Woodside Inn. I wonder if the Coney Island Hot Dog Stand is still around.

PPS: Coney Island Drive-In is still there. Elvis ate there. A scene from a zombie movie was filmed there. We must include it in the March Maraud.

*) On the Super Bowl--for the first time ever I saw Peyton Manning's dark side. At a few times when he was on the sidelines watching his team try to hold the Saints, the looks on his face reminded me of Tony Perkins in Psycho and Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange. For all his "nice guy" image it wouldn't surprise me if somebody cast him as a villain in a horror movie after his football career is over.

Meanwhile, nobody can say the Saints didn't earn their victory. Yes, they DID have "something to prove"...and now we'll have to get used to them being called "defending NFL champions".

I didn't watch the Who's halftime show or more than a few commercials. I get my sister's point about the Denny's commercial with the screaming chickens. I can't remember the last time I ate at a Denny's anyway.

*) I'm starting a Google account. I used to have one, but then I shuffled it to Mum for reasons that aren't worth explaining.

*) The weather is typical February lousy. Tonight is cold...not enough to freeze the water pipes, but enough to make us miserable. I've been hitting the coffee and cocoa very hard but wish I didn't have to.

*) I'm waiting for three things in the coming mail: a package of scale model parts to review; a check from the State of Tennessee to pay me for three days of jury duty; a response from the IRS to my return. Which one would you think I'd get first?

Refueled Moonshine and went to the library a little while ago. Looked at the local paper. Still loads of classified ad notices on foreclosures and sales of property and no employment want ads. But since I'm going back to school soon that doesn't matter as much to me now as it had been.

Jefferson City's government was attempting to take advantage of the economic situation to annex properties on the outskirts of the City Limits and expand, but it looks like this won't fly with the citizens or the business community. I wonder if this is part of a National trend among municipal governments...expand into the unincorporated zones and extort new revenue streams from the conquered peons.

Important points:
*Cars to be traded in have to be 1985 model or newer and get less than 18 miles to a gallon of fuel. The customer must have owned the vehicle for at least a year and have the paperwork to prove it (title, registration, insurance). The customer can only get the rebate once even if he trades more than one vehicle
*Only a limited number of new car dealers will be authorized to participate
*The new vehicle must have a sticker price of less than $45,000. The customer can't get a pre-owned vehicle, it must be from dealer stock or from the factory
*The amount of the rebate depends on the difference in mileage between the new vehicle and the vehicle being replaced. Trucks are held to a different standard than cars. The minimum rebate is $3500 and the maximum is $4500
*As the vehicle being traded in will be scrapped, the dealer is only obliged to pay salvage value, not "Blue Book"
*The customer can opt to lease the new vehicle instead of buying it
*The program will last till the end of October or when funding runs out
*If the new vehicle is a Hybrid, there are bonus incentives offered by the government!

All this information courtesy the official site: www.cars.gov

My father's best friend from childhood was laid to rest today. Dad couldn't travel to his hometown in time to make the funeral so I'm a little depressed for him.

The IRS rejected my tax return...again! I do my best to play by their rules and this is what I get. Grr.

Today I burned off the remainder of my 2007 Tax Refund by buying four pair of trousers at the VF Outlet store, Governor's Crossing plaza, Sevierville. Gray, "natural" carpenter's, black and brown. Yes, I have a problem with blue jeans.

I may pose for pictures once I find a competant photographer.

FP

Hey.

Got my IRS check deposited/cashed, and took my forlorn Pulsar watch to a repair shop recommended by Dad. Repairman changes the battery and says, "Hey, it still doesn't want to show the time!" and "The battery I took out still has a charge on it!"

So I got the watch back (the repairman didn't ask for any payment). Now I'm mulling over my options.

My watch is over fifteen years old, so warranties wouldn't apply and it's unlikely I can get help from the factory. But, strangely enough, another solution came to light via Google.

The workings in my watch were shared with a cheaper Seiko model. I found somebody who is selling one of those. If he still has it, and if it still works, I can take both of them to the repair shop and have the workings swapped. And my watch would be working again for who knows how many years. It would be dear, but cheaper than getting a repair job from the factory--or having to buy a new watch of the same class. It would be risky, but probably worth the risk.

And it beats buying a knockoff watch from somebody on a streetcorner--or who solicits via Spam e-mail.

FP