The Boston Red Sox are the 2007 World Series champions. Yow!
The Olde Towne Team gave it quite a run this year -- they tied for the best record in baseball, they fought off the dreaded Yankees at every charge, crushed the Angels in the Division Series, went tooth-and-claw with the Indians in the ALCS and surged back from a 3 games to 1 deficit, and then surmounted the Rockies in a sweep, their second consecutive.
It wasn't so long ago that the 2004 Sox also swept the Series, and that one was the culmination of an amazing ride (which we won't rehash here). Amalie still remembers me pouring champagne on my head, and Carson was still percolating within Val at the time. Tonight, I gathered the kids to me, and we watched the last few outs together. They were happy with me as Papelbon got Smith to strike out, clinching another trophy a mere three years after the legendary 86-year gap since the previous championship, when Babe Ruth was still on the team. I pointed out to Carson that he wasn't here (mostly) the last time, so it was good he got to see this one (who knows, it could be 86 years to the next one, again).
We stepped out back, I popped the bottle of Taittinger, and drank some -- not all of it, not this time -- and for the principle of it, and at Amie's behest, poured a small amount on my head. Satisfied, we went back in, and Amalie headed to bed -- school tomorrow, after all.
Winning always feels good, yes. But I got the one I really wanted in 2004 -- the one so many of us had waited for. This one -- excellent of course, no complaints -- but it feels more like a bonus, a cashing in of overfunded good karma, delight but not ecstacy. It was a show we've seen before, and recently. And no mistake, the 2007 team was better than the 2004 edition -- but for dramatic impact, it couldn't compare. After all, there's no more Curse to break, heh.
I watched it, with my kids (both this time), and it was a good time. The Red Sox are not only champions, they are champions AGAIN. I never imagined I'd be able to write that sentence in earnest. A most happy ending to the 2007 baseball season.
And that's the downside of the World Series and the crowning of a champion: it's the end of the season. Baseball goes away, mostly, for five months.
Thank you, baseball, and hurry back. I miss you already.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Monday, October 15, 2007
Tax Liberty Day
You know that day, which keeps getting later every year, when you finish paying your taxes and begin earning for yourself? I think it's currently in mid-May. That is not what this is about.
The IRS allows, without fuss, an extension to file the annual return, an extra six months past the notorious April 15 date. I took the extension in 2006, finished up our return in a mad crush as October 15 approached, filed and paid what we owed, and swore to myself I wouldn't do THAT again.
Oops, I did it again.
Sunday was another mad crush, organizing receipts (for 2006; I still need to catch up on 2007, and there's some leftover 2005 stuff as well, nothing important, obviously), figuring out how much we had forked over in sales taxes (since Texas residents can deduct it; we don't have a state income tax), working out how badly stock sales would hit us (not bad at all really), and finally waltzing it all through TaxCut and e-filing. And, heck, I had over 11 hours to spare! Plus a nice refund coming.
It felt like Frodo delivering the Ring into the fire, with the upside that I didn't have to have a finger bitten off.
So this time, in public (inasmuch as anyone reads this sketchy blog), I hereby promise myself that my 2007 return, next year, will not take so long to file. Next year I will be diligent. And praise be unto the people who produce TaxCut.
When filing, did you take the long distance phone tax refund? The standard value maxes out at $60.00, but if you can provide receipts you can claim the actual value. I'm enough of a nerd that, yep, I have all the phone bills for the last N years, though only back to early 2003 are meaningful for this purpose. I wrung out all the actual tax paid, dollars and cents, and it worked out to $76 and change, so a small win for the home team. Well, it got better -- the IRS only deals in whole-dollar amounts, so everything got rounded up -- a small gain there -- and the kicker, there was a few dollars of interest included! Final score, $92. Man, tax accounting is weird.
The IRS allows, without fuss, an extension to file the annual return, an extra six months past the notorious April 15 date. I took the extension in 2006, finished up our return in a mad crush as October 15 approached, filed and paid what we owed, and swore to myself I wouldn't do THAT again.
Oops, I did it again.
Sunday was another mad crush, organizing receipts (for 2006; I still need to catch up on 2007, and there's some leftover 2005 stuff as well, nothing important, obviously), figuring out how much we had forked over in sales taxes (since Texas residents can deduct it; we don't have a state income tax), working out how badly stock sales would hit us (not bad at all really), and finally waltzing it all through TaxCut and e-filing. And, heck, I had over 11 hours to spare! Plus a nice refund coming.
It felt like Frodo delivering the Ring into the fire, with the upside that I didn't have to have a finger bitten off.
So this time, in public (inasmuch as anyone reads this sketchy blog), I hereby promise myself that my 2007 return, next year, will not take so long to file. Next year I will be diligent. And praise be unto the people who produce TaxCut.
When filing, did you take the long distance phone tax refund? The standard value maxes out at $60.00, but if you can provide receipts you can claim the actual value. I'm enough of a nerd that, yep, I have all the phone bills for the last N years, though only back to early 2003 are meaningful for this purpose. I wrung out all the actual tax paid, dollars and cents, and it worked out to $76 and change, so a small win for the home team. Well, it got better -- the IRS only deals in whole-dollar amounts, so everything got rounded up -- a small gain there -- and the kicker, there was a few dollars of interest included! Final score, $92. Man, tax accounting is weird.
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