Stuff, bullet-point style.

[kv0925]

• It's Friday! Hooray!
• No idea what we're doing this weekend (aside from a last trip to WDW on Sunday), but the weather looks like it should be better, finally.
• Weather.. craziness! The past few days have been cold (well, for us Floridians, anyway) and rainy and gloomy and just awful. Today will get warmer but still rainy, and then we'll be in the lower 80Fs for the next week or so. And that may be it for winter this year.
• Ah well, just means I can start working on the butterfly garden earlier this year, right?
• Been spending too much money lately. Nothing big, but it seems like I keep finding little things that I just have to have. $5 here, $10 there, pretty soon we're talking about real money!
• Still waiting on some info to do our taxes--we're in no hurry this year because we're pretty sure we'll end up owing money, but I guess it would be good to know how much the damage is going to be. My bonus (due in a few weeks) will cover it, but I'm curious to know how much will be left over!
• A little bummed about my photo business lately--not that I've been trying particularly hard, but inquiries have been few and far between for some time and I can't help but wonder why. Is it my prices? Do I need to revamp my website and ads (which I've been meaning to do for some time anyway)?
• I did get an inquiry last night from a previous client, and return business is always good. But it's to cover her son's birthday party, which strikes me as decidedly meh. But she's asking for 2 hours, so I think I'll ask for my full hourly rate x2, and if she bites that would be worth it. And she probably will, since they're pretty well-heeled. Ever heard of the movie The Queen of Versailles, about the rich couple building a huge mansion? Yeah, that's in their neighborhood.
• Another round of trips coming up, did I mention that? Bakersfield will be up first, probably early March. Then the other 3 markets between then and early April, and in April that conference in Nashville. I need to get that Southwest credit card and start racking up the points!
• I'd been wanting to check out one of Joe Hill's novels--that's the pseudonym of Stephen King's son Joseph. Happened to come across one (Horns) at the Dollar Tree, of all places--which frankly didn't bode too well. But I picked it up and started it a few nights ago, and so far it's pretty awesome. I'll have to review it here when I'm done!
• I had to change my cell phone password yesterday (it's a BlackBerry--I know, it sucks, but it's my work phone so at least it's free) and every.single.time I type the old password before I remember it changed. Passwords suck.

Um, I guess that's enough for now. Seems like a pretty slow day around here!

Comments

[magenta-girl.livejournal.com]

I got my copy of Horns at the Dollar Tree too! I had put it on hold at the library but by the time I bought the book, I was still only 3rd in line for it.
I really liked Heart Shaped Box.

[cp.livejournal.com]

Ha, nice! :) I've found lots of interesting books there, which is awesome even though it makes me feel kinda bad for the author, you know? Must not have done too well to end up there. But still, I'm really enjoying it so far--have you read it yet?

[magenta-girl.livejournal.com]

No I haven't started it because I have too many library books out!

[cp.livejournal.com]

I'm only 4 chapters in or so (and the first one is like half a page), but it's very good so far. :)

[audamy.livejournal.com]

I feel like all I've been doing lately is spending money but on bigger things like airfare to London. As a result, I'm really anxious to get our taxes done because we usually get a nice refund from all of Chester's business write offs.

Is Horns the book there's a film adaptation of starring Daniel Radcliffe?

[cp.livejournal.com]

Holy crap yes, that's the one and I had no idea it was being made into a film, let alone with Radcliffe! That really excites me, thanks! :)

After we bought out house a few years back, we found that were getting everything we paid in taxes back and then some thanks to the interest deductions, so I had my tax withholding dropped to zero. Last year we owed a little, but we also refinanced so we're back to paying more interest and I left the tax withholding at zero. So we'll see how bad it is, and if it's a big bite I'll probably have some withholding put back in. It's nice to get a refund, but if you think about it the ideal would be to come out even at tax time and have that money to do what you want with for the rest of the year. Still, it's a lot more fun to get money back than to owe. :)

[audamy.livejournal.com]

No problem! I thought that name sounded familiar and I knew the Daniel Radcliffe movie was sort of a darker urban fantasy so I sort of just assumed it was the same.

I usually withhold a bit more because I never know how Chester's tax stuff is going to pan out with him being self employed but since this will be the 3rd year of his business, I may try to make some adjustments to my withholdings now that I can sort of see how things have been on average across the past few years. I'll also be interested to see how this year works out since we bought a house in 2013.

[girlspell.livejournal.com]

I didn't know who Joe HIll was. Thank you for the information. I will check it out

[cp.livejournal.com]

I guess the whole King family are authors at this point! I've been a fan of Stephen for ages, and I'd heard good things about Joe's books so I was keeping an eye out. Pleasant surprise to find it for a buck, and so far so good!

[girlspell.livejournal.com]

Check out books by Joe Lansdale. He's described as a "mojo" writer. A kind of hip, darker Mark Twain. He's from East Texas. The part of Texas that's well, the south instead of the west. He knows wondering through dark strange woods. And how to write about it. I call that part of Texas, lost. Anyway several of his books are set there. I recommend "The Bottoms" & "The Thicket". He knows the old south very well. He ties a kind of horror with humor, and a innocent hero, often a child. He also writes films, TV, comics, His stuff is dark psychological with a wicked twist of humor. The Bottoms is set in the 1930's. The narrator is an old man, but he spins at story about what happened to him at age 11. It has everything in it. Murdered black prostitutes, the KKK, boot leggers, and a "monster" roaming the East Texas woods.

[re-vised.livejournal.com]

Well, hopefully Well-Heeled Return Client will bite! A children's birthday party does sound pretty blah. Should prove to be easy, though. Kids are great subjects, as they tend to be oblivious to cameras and act naturally.

[cp.livejournal.com]

I did a family shoot with her like 2 years ago, and her boys were pretty adorable. They took a shine to me too, holding my hand and everything. Too cute. :) Hopefully they haven't gotten obnoxious in the meantime!

[kiiabby.livejournal.com]

Joe hill is also a lovely chap, he did a talk with the book group I ran in my bookshop a few yeas ago :)

[cp.livejournal.com]

I figured--I've generally had the impression that Stephen King is a pretty decent fellow, so I'm not surprised he'd have pretty decent (and talented!) kids. :)

[nick-101.livejournal.com]

Glad you got some vacations coming up.