Wednesday 1-30-08

Payroll today, got it done by Noon for a change. Then more of the same: 941, 940, KS Unempl, W-2, W-3 & 1099 & 1096’s. Some mixups in one QB file with some contract labor being posted to a customer instead of a vendor. Sort of messed up the reports & almost made some dreadful 1099 errors. One more instance of being glad I double check things. Only problem is things get more behind all the time.

Went to Hillsboro for payroll signatures & to leave off some prized payroll coupons with some sizeable taxes due tomorrow. I think they still like me…..

Another stop in very rural Marion County, not far from where Thayer’s used to live. More mixups with 1099’s. Totals included some wages paid which are already being deducted. Also doubles up income for the recipient. Seems the more questions I ask the more of this stuff crops up.

Back home & got things ready to go to Hutch. Lorne Kuepfer had the topic on Col 4:6. Unfortunatly David Y got sick today so he couldn’t have the opening   His father did the honors. Hope you have a speedy recovery David.

Then found people to fill out some payroll documents. Then 3 hurried payroll stops. Also dropped off a payroll coupon AND payment at the 1st Natl night box before moving on. Stopped at WalMart & got a new Canon calculator. Just like the new ones we have for counting the offerings at Center. Familiarity is a good thing here. On a sad note, my trusty old Canon will be going into retirement, after surviving 2 hard crashes on concrete. Still works fine, but the keys are sticking. Had this machine well before I quit working for Eugene in 1994. Memories!

Made it home before the snow storm, if it ever makes it here. Storm running 2 hours late

mikey

Tuesday 1-29-08

Woke up at 3:30AM & felt fairly good so got back to W-2 prep. Back to bed at 6:30 & up again at 11AM feeling fully rested. More calls coming in and getting more behind.

Went to TRG for a bit for several signatures. Also took a very large trash bag of trash to the dumpster which is nearby. Don’t bother looking for documents as they are all shredded into a bazillion pieces.

Also cleaned out my closet & have 17 shirts & 5 pairs of pants to go to Goodwill and to make room for the new clothes. Some shirts have been in there maybe 15 years and unused about the same amount of time….. If they are out of style, then that’s just too bad. They are all in good condition.

One payee for one of my clients is not cooperating with getting him 1099 info. That usually means….unreported income somewhere. The trick is to get the SSN or Fed ID number BEFORE paying them. $50 penalty for each failure to file.

Went to Lehigh & had quite a time finding a house on Maria Street. The directions I had were completely inadequate as I had suspected. Several intersections with no street signs & virtually no house numbers visible in the dark. All the streets are at an angle, so makes for challenging drivng. Finally found a house number & worked my way cross town assuming I was still on Maria. Finally found the place. No light, is this the right place??? Turns out their light had burned out, tripped on up to the house in the snow & ruts.

Got that done, then a quick jaunt to Marion for another info pickup & back to Hillsboro to get an updated Quickbooks backup. Again from 2006 going into 2008. Worked perfectly.

Found out McCain won in Florida today over Romney. Hillary won over Obama. Apparently none of the others warrants much news except that Giuliani is possibly ready to retire from the race.

Back to W-2 & 1099 prep & all the related payroll forms that need to be completed & checked to mke sure everything matches

mikey

Monday 1-28-08

Had another short sleep as I had an 11:30 chiro appt. Really not making much headway lately & need to go again Friday. Unable to sit for long periods of time and working at taking stand up breaks.

Had a bite to eat at KFC. A rather loud manager bossing staff around, You’ve got customers waiting, put more wings and legs on the buffet, etc etc. I noticed his jaws were doing a lot of work, but not much else.

Went home to catch up on sleep. Up again to return a large number of phone calls and getting 941’s, 940’s & KS Unempl forms, W-2’s W-3’s & 1099’s & 1096’s out.

Kept going too long with a headache & had to shut down about 8PM. It got out of control, so ended up taking a leftover Lortab…with delayed results. Parents watching/listening to Pres Bush’s final state of the union address & our very own Gov Kathleen Sebelius’ Democratic response. She really is a classy lady and altho I don’t agree with all of her politics I think she is an asset of our state.

An unexpected no-show for Hillary tonight, hmmmmm.

mikey

Sunday 1-27-08

A fairly short sleep last night. SS on James 3:1-12, major topic, of course, on the tongue, or vocal cords, or vocal folds as we were more accurately informed by….guess who….??

Thanks for the info Singerman    

This week we will be praying for David Yutzy. btw he will be having the opening Wed nite.

David Y had the sermon on “where is your treasure”. Focusing on I Pet Ch 2. Singerman mentioned being short on sleep last night, so voluntereed he could sit by me so I could keep him awake. As it turned out I got poked quite forcefully on my leg. Well, what can I say?? About as little sleep for me as it was for singerman. Anyway, thank you again for gracing me with your presence Singerman! A sort of inside joke if you were at Center today.

Good to see Bethany in Church today. Also, Allen Plank’s in Church from California, here to see their Aunt Clara and staying with Willard & Fannie.

Also, had the pleasure of inspecting the contents of several weeks old pizza boxes located on the back seat of a certain car I am aware of. Fascinating!

Quite a change at the hospital due to various factors. 3 ER’s resulting in 2 admissions as well as a dismissal on our shift. Reminded once again that this job is physically demanding. Just how in the world can a day like this be so different that yesterday?? Even fancy lifts can’t make caring for greatly obese pts easy. Dragging my feet by 5PM. Emotionally draining as 2 people were literally drowning in fluid. Not expected to make it thru the shift, but still with us at 3AM. May God be merciful I pray!!

I am reminded once again at the contrast among families. Nonstop bedside vigils for some and others die alone.

mikey

Saturday 1-26-08

Slept in since I need to work at the hospital, am informed it could be a difficult weekend.

Got up & read the paper & basically took it easy. Got the mail & that kind of thing. Very warm today & might get up to 60 today & tomorrow. My parents left for CO yesterday to watch the kids play ball & are expected back tomorrow night.

8 pts at the hospital tonight & 4 ER’s arrived appx the same time, right before supper. Kind of enjoyed the hustle & bustle. Times to make decisions, what needs to be done & what can wait & what can be left undone. After that activity was over I still had the energy to assemble 100 ER charts & make copies & staple forms for next time.

One of those shifts that left me with a feeling that something was accomplished. Also pleased that with these 8 sick pts, most were a bit more on the independent side, so that left me more time to cont with chart assembly.

Tired & achy, but could have been a whole lot worse. Need to study the SS lesson & get to bed

mikey

Friday 1-25-08

Slept in as late as I wanted before I got up for sales tax/KS WH deadline day. Did my final sales tax calculations. I was fairly certain it wouldn’t take too long, but I took my time anyway and made sure it was all done to my satisfaction before I sent these off. Did the tele sales tax filings for 3 clients, all with the strange automated lady at the KS Dept of Revenue. Rather cheap sounding technology, but glad KS wants to save money. I don’t spose this lady will be around for much longer since webtax filing will most likely soon replace her and her recordings. Some future museum visitors might find her prompts amusing, if TPTB choose to place her recordings in such a place.

Delivered all my mail sales tax & KS WH letters to the Salina Post Office at 6:30PM, 1.5 hours before mail cut-off. Quite astounding for my standards. Went to WalMart & gritted my teeth & purch some more jeans, Church slacks & shirts. 11 garments in all!! A nice lady at the fitting area measured my neck size as an 18″. No special sizes for large protuding abdomens, such as I have, so have several oversize, tent-like shirts to enjoy wearing with comfort & to annoy those who might observe the same ill-fitting shirts with disdain.

Had a bite to eat at Coyote Canyon & some kind of sports event here at the BiCenter. Elbow-to-elbow at every eating establishment so I was told. Some kind of tournament going on, and of course I am clueless as to what is really going on.

Went home to go thru my new stash of clothes & sort out old ones and other painful, similar activities.

mikey

Thursday 1-24-08

Did Quickbooks on my new 2008 version & going well, esp since it hasn’t changed much. Thankful my bank statements arrived, so I could reconcile those. Very important since it is a year end statement & I want to make sure everything balances, etc.

Ate some leftover meatballs & spaghetti, good the 2nd time around. Read about Gary Olson’s court case in the Salina Journal. Large splash front page news. I am acquainted with this man who is about my age and lives just a few miles away. I have found him to be a pleasant person in my dealings with him.

Spent the rest of the day doing sales tax & KS WH forms. Also a call from a Sec 105 administrator for one of my clients who is needing that kind of assistance. I don’t provide that service. Dad went to Gideons & Mom & Aunt Vivian went to a movie & that left me to enjoy the house to myself as I slaved away on sales tax. Later went to Durham for the repeat visit, this time WITH the sales tax & KS WH documents. Triple checked this time before I left. Yesterday they were laying right on top of my desk & really no extra clutter to obstruct the view. How frustrating. Picked up some more 940 envelopes while I retrieved sales tax & KS WH signatures.

Found out there is an ice skating party in the area, which accounted for some last minute tax info change of plans. I think this is an event worthy to change plans. Family & neighbor bonding time that can provide a lifetime of memories. Made a fast dash to Hillsboro to pick up some W-2’s that were left at the hospital before I went home.

A long visit with a client couple who just lost her step-mother & all the extra stress & work that brings, along with the grieving process and for other immediate family members, all in different kinds of ways. Very good friends of mine & appreciate their letting me in on their more personal observations, etc.

Went home & cont on Quickbooks & then entered another clients entire 2007 tax year transactions on his Quicken file. Done & to bed by 5AM.

Wednesday 1-23-08

Up at 10AM & changed some appts for later today. Disgusted that my bank statement hasn’t arrived yet. Why with all the junk that arrives daily does my bank statement have to get hung up like that??

Lots of stops today & the first was in Durham to pick up a 940 envelope which has just been arriving for everyone in the last few days. Why so late this year? Stopped at Hillsboro at the store to get a sales tax form & KS WH form signed & paid. Only I didn’t bring it along. I felt like throwing something, but then told the guy it wouldn’t do any good. He was quite understanding, but that still means another trip before Friday. Went to the Marion Courthouse for a RE tax statement for homestead purposes. Then S on Sunflower to Hwy 50 & on W to Hutch. Spent the late afternoon at Steve Miller’s & they invited me to supper. A very tasty meal, esp the meat and gravy. Turns out it was a doe that Winston shot recently. Got her right between the eyes & soon brought her down. This deer meat had NO taste of deer at all & I was completely fooled into supposing it was beef. Didn’t know I like deer so well. Thanks Winston, & Evelyn for preparing the delicious meal.

Then another quick payroll stop & then to Cedar Crest for the credit union meeting. Sleepy from the savory meat, but got the main parts I was interested in. I am in full support of this effort & appreciate the multitude of counsellors serving on this board. Named Kansas Brotherhood Financial if I remember correctly. Had a nice long talk with Phil Wagler later.

Stopped to see Jim on the way home & picked up a W-2, etc. Also glad to see Gizmo again. Later picked up a large quantity of food at WalMart, mostly frozen prepared meals & canned items, before going home.

mikey

Tuesday 1-22-08

Later decided to install the QB CD & it had all versions of the Premier series as I had supposed. That took about 3 hours to install, register & then update each of the files & do all the other stuff when upgrading. So much time involved. Glad to get this chore out of the way. Didn’t get to bed till 6AM.

Up again with a call at 10AM, tax info ready. Cont playing with QB 2008 & it really isn’t different from the 2006 version I had been using, except for payroll. Also the open & restore utilites a bit different, but is it better??

Several calls made for 1099 info & of course, most are not ready yet. They need to be out by Jan 31st. Installed an update for my W-2 & 1099 program & as usual I haven’t started yet, so glad I didn’t have the annoying bugs to deal with earlier.

Went to Salina & paid a large medical bill for my Dec procedure (too polite to use the descriptive term). Then saw a client who had just swept his carpet for my visit. A very lonely man about age 64 who lost his wife a couple years ago & he says he just doesn’t care anymore. He said he was SOOO glad to see me & it was a welcome I seldom have. Could it be I am his only friend?? Alcohol has destroyed most of his family & friend relationships & he stays to himself. Reminds me of the Fab 4 song “All the lonely people”. He is from that generation & uses the hippie terms “man” and all. Gave me a big hug when I left. I stayed around to listen to his stories even tho I had no time. Seemed like a time to “make time”. Glad I did.

Took a document to the courthouse, dropped off excess KS envelopes at the library, which they accepted, but will prob send them to recycle since the booklets have envelopes in them. Then did my green duty & dropped off a toner cartridge at UPS to be recycled.

Later went to Hillsboro for some tax info pickups & then to my last EMT recert class which was on OB and CPR & a relay race on random emergencies & the procedures to be taken. All done with recert until Dec 2010, upon which I will be age 50! When leaving JoAnn asked where my coat is. I said it is in the car. I feel too constricted when driving with it on. Then…the most important lesson I learned for the entire recert: my coat isn’t going to do me any good after a car wreck. How will I get it on??? I could freeze to death. Something to think about.

Stopped for a backup at the store to see if the 2006 version will restore to my new 2008 version. Thankfully it did!!

A very nice midnight phone call from a good friend of mine. Really cheered me up!!

mikey

Monday 1-21-08

Went to the chiro at 11:30 as usual. Don’t need to go back till Friday. Started sleeting and freezing rain on the way home. Had plans to go to Hillsboro, but postponed my stops until tomorrow.

Spent the rest of the day here installing updates & new tax & W-2/1099 software. Also double checked all my backups & found several that didn’t get done. This took the entire day & nervewracking when things don’t go as I expected. Tried to install Quickbooks 2008, but discovered it’s a Premier Industry CD instead of the Accountant’s version. It may be on there, but will call tech support to be sure. The packing slip said Acct version. 2AM now & have to wait to find out for sure.

Several calls to set up appts. Need to get W-2’s & 1099’s out first.

Guess I’ll go to bed now.

mikey