A late post, but blame it on April 15th filing deadlines….. Still on vacation, though it’s feeling more like I’ll need a rest afterward!
More things I can’t stand. Feel free to add your own:
Estimated taxes. I don’t mind paying them, but the entire estimated tax system is based on one thing – your best guess as to what you’ll make this year. Seriously, there’s no guidance for coming up with the base figure – that “Adjusted gross income you expect in 2010” number that’s at the top of the damned worksheet. And if you get that wrong? You pay a penalty. Bite me, IRS.
The devaluation of writing skills. Okay, I can’t let go of this one. Devon said it in the comments section last week, and yes, I’m getting to be like a bulldog with a bone on the topic. All those places and employers who think that writing can be, and should be, had for less than minimum wage – they too can bite me.
Slanted journalism. More than a few cases of emotional manipulation in writing/reporting have set me on edge. Writers should be striving to remain objective and remove emotion when reporting something that affects another person. I believe one should treat another as fairly as one expects to be treated – especially in the media. It’s why I hate reality shows and the pseudo-news programs. I don’t care how high up the food chain you are – you have a responsibility to your readers and any person in question to present things fairly and accurately and without assumptions. If you can’t do that, hang it up now.
Waiters/waitresses that rush you. It was a Monday night. The restaurant had five other people in it. Yet the waiter kept cleaning off our table to the point where the remaining eater in our party was apologizing for taking so long to eat. That’s lousy service no matter how stellar you are otherwise. Same thing on Tuesday night. Where’s the fire, people?
Anything bugging you today? (Hugh, here’s your chance – maybe today you’re in the spirit!)
6 responses to “Things I Can’t Stand (Part Two)”
The best way to figure out estimated taxes is look at the previous year's. Figure out how much of a percentage you need to pay quarterly.
For example, you paid 20 percent of your income to taxes. So, look at your previous quarter's earnings pay 20 percent in taxes. It's worked for me for over a decade. I hope that makes sense, or maybe my post does a better job .
I am NOT an accountant. I cannot replace your accountant's advice. This is a suggestion. 🙂
Taxes- Yes, I agree. I have my 500 mg. friends by my side while I plug away at those forms. I love those little white friends; they give me a lot of support during that stressful time.
Devaluation of writing skills- Again, I agree. What bugs me most is when they try to justify why they deserve less than minimum wage work with stupid reasons.
Slanted journalism- That is starting to bug me lately too, with the situation that I'm guessing you're mainly referring to. Sometimes, I wonder if the internet isn't a way to relieve your PMS problem. Yeah, I said it.
Waitresses/Waiters rushing you- I haven't had too many of those. It's usually them buttering you up to the point of annoyance for a huge tip.
My biggest annoyance lately has been people who think cell phone conversations are private in grocery (or other retail establishments) stores. The other day, my usual trip to the grocery store, turned out to be an adventure. I left there knowing one woman's personal medical problem and the ointment that she was using to correct it. I can also sleep comfortably, now that I know another woman's checking account balance and the bank that she uses. Normally, I don't listen in on other people's conversations, but some people talk so loud that it makes it difficult not to hear.
And while we're on that subject; there are days where I'd like to strangle the person who came up with the idea for various cellphone ringtones. I have heard some of the most ridiculous ringtones ever. I joke around with a friend of mine about what you're cellphone ringtone says about you as a person.
Here's what I do about estimated taxes: I enclose a letter stating that I am in fact NOT psychic and have no way of predicting when my clients will pay me or how much I'll be paid in a given month, let alone in an entire year. That, I explain, is why I'm paying them based on how much I *actually* took in during that quarter. (After all, people who get W-2s have their withholdings based on what they actually earned, so the self-employed should receive the same courtesy.) I also point out that although I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, I cannot begin to decipher the utterly incomprehensible instructions that go along with their worksheet to "help" you calculate how much you owe.
What usually happens is the IRS sends me a stack of forms to include with future payments and/or any correspondence over the course of the year. They also supplied envelopes, but when I folded the form up and stuck it in, my address showed through the little window, not theirs.
I might not be doing it their way, but I still overpaid last year, and likely will again, so they haven't complained. Yet.
(Lori obviously hit a nerve with that one!)
And speaking as the slowest eater I know, when waiters start clearing and rushing, I chew even slower. I've had waiters grab for my plate if I so much as pause. Even if my mouth is full I'll find a way to make it clear that I am not finished. Pardon me for wanting to savor my meal. I just don't understand how or why anyone would want to eat so fast that they can't enjoy it.
Meryl, thank you. Yes, it does make sense! And I'll do that. It's a better system than "Guess what you'll be making!" 🙂
Wendy, totally with you on the cell phone conversations! I had a few instances where the phone users were so graphic that I got both a full-blown description of their lives and a bad taste for the kind of people they are. One young woman bitched so much about her parents (in your twenties? Really? Isn't that a teen thing?) that I concluded she was a spoiled, immature brat. She was sitting in a hotel lobby bitching loudly on her phone, and she had the nerve to look at me because I was sitting there overhearing it all. Then take it outside or shut up! The other guy was bragging poolside into his phone about his sexual escapades -in front of children. There's a narcissistic jerk!
Paula, I love it! And I hear you on the waiters clearing things too quickly. My husband has been known to snap at them for trying to take his plate. In a few cases, he's given them a Waiting 101 course on how to tell when someone is finished. He's a slow eater and refuses to be rushed. 🙂
Okay, my peeve is people who follow me to my parking space at a store or mall & then wait. First, it feels like I'm being stalked and I really don't like that. Second, who's saying I want to leave right away? Maybe I want to brush my hair or look at something before I start up & go. Just because they're in a hurry doesn't mean I need to be. And if I'm putting my son in his car seat, I cannot hurry for them. I have actually had people honk at me to hurry up. At that point, I will get BACK out of my car and go back to the store. I can't stand people like that.
Becky – I agree completely. The library I go to always has that problem. People line up waiting to get your spot because the parking lot's too small and no one wants to lug heavy books from the library to the mall's parking garage across the way. They'll circle around like vultures and when they see someone walk into the lot they slow to a crawl, trying to figure out which car you're going to so they don't go past it.
My pet peeve lately is people who call each individual blog post "a blog."