Intaxication

This is a word that was invented in a Mensa contest to create new words by changing one letter in an existing word. The definition for 'intaxication' is what sticks with me. It's the euphoria you feel from receiving a tax refund ... which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

This particular word is in my head right now because I'll probably do my taxes this weekend, and the big 1040 Forms & Instructions book came in the mail and is laying here staring at me. I almost always do my taxes as soon as I get my w-2s, so that means usually the first weekend in February. Really, I should pay someone to do them, but it's a hold-over from the days when I could still file the EZ form. I just want to do them myself. And it's not like my life and finances are so complicated that it takes a rocket scientist (or a CPA) to figure them out. I basically have one source of income. I have very few deductions beyond the basics. It just seems crazy not to do them myself.

I do get a little worried that I'll do something wrong and be audited. It's not like the IRS accepts ignorance as an excuse. Maa. I'm not sure I make enough money for them to be worried about auditing me. And although I usually get a little something back as a refund, it's not a lot. At least I don't usually owe them, although that has happened. Another reason to figure taxes out early, even if I don't file right away. Gives me time to get used to the idea if I have to pay. So if I owe the government, I file on April 15th, and if they owe me, I file on February 2nd.

I want to go shopping. I always want to go shopping when I think about owing money. Spending money is my idea of 'euphoria'. I'm really glad that I have a job that supports me AND all my bad habits. Maybe this coming weekend I'll go check into places about re-doing the floor and kitchen in my house. Hmmmmmmm. Or not. We'll see what kind of mood I'm in on Saturday.

I finally got around to all the responses to thank you notes that I wanted to write. That's another habit that really dates me. Not very many people still hand-write notes and letters except the generation before me and some of the people in my generation. No. That's not true, come to think of it. Two of the thank you notes I was answering were from my nephews and their wives, and they're the generation behind me. I suppose a Thank You note is still fairly personal, and like it or not, there's nothing 'personal' about an email.

Nope, not saying that electronic communication is bad. I couldn't do a large part of my job without it, and instant contact with people is wonderful. I'm just saying it tends to be over-used, and people forget or ignore how important personal contact between people is. Sometimes a face-to-face is irreplaceable. It's easy to be mean, or harsh, or bad-mouth someone over the phone or in an email. When you're standing there looking them in the eye though, you remember that they're a real person with their own problems and needs and agenda. It's much easier to understand a person you're sitting next to or across the table from then to understand an email ghost. Ever given a teleconference? One where you are sitting in an empty room with a phone and talking while people in other locations are following your slides? It's hard!! In an actual conference you rely on the audience response, clues you don't even realize you're picking up. People are nodding off, pick up the pace. They didn't like that comment, tone it down. You even use feedback from the audience to pace the talk. None of that is there in a teleconference setting. Especially a pre-recorded one where you don't even get audience questions at the end. Email communication is like a teleconference. You have no visual or sound clues, so you have to interpret the sender's intent from what they type. And sometimes you interpret wrong. That's why I'm trying to break my own bad habit of dashing off an email for every little thing. It's hard because that's often the best way to insure that a busy person hears from you rather than playing phone tag all day. Still I'm trying to catch up to more of my colleagues in person, or at least call and speak with them instead of emailing. I'm not crazy though. or at least not in this way. I will email if I can't catch someone easily.

How'd I get on this topic? Random thoughts just flowing I guess.

We had an ice storm here yesterday. I actually stayed home which is unusual for me. Usually I struggle my way into work, and I always get there (yes! Subaru!), but given the traffic accidents happening around me on the way it usually takes me a looooong time. Yesterday I think I heard there were 500+ accidents in the metroplex, ranging from the common fender-benders and cars in the ditches all the way up to a couple of fatalities. I kept checking the news but my two main routes between home and work didn't clear up until nearly noon. By then it wasn't worth going. Not when I can remote in to the network and do a bunch of work from home. There's simply no way to manuever and no margin for error when there's a coating of ice on every surface. So today at work I was totally clueless as to what day it was. It felt like Monday since I wasn't at work yesterday. Luckily for me, tomorrow is Friday.