February 19, 2013

Thoughts about houses, college life, taxes, FAFSA and hair...it always boils down to the hair

Yeah, I know.  I've not been the best blogger in the world lately.

Would it help if I told you that I "write" blog posts every single day....IN MY MIND?

Yeah, I didn't think so.  But it's true.  They are there, bogged down in the insane recesses of my brain.  Somewhere.

The thing is, I generally have to have a fairly reasonable grasp on sanity in order to sit down and share my thoughts.  And lately?  I have not had any semblance of having a grasp on sanity.  And for the life of me I can't figure out why.

At any rate, here's what's been on my mind lately.

First up, the house.

The husband is once again making noises about selling the house.  He has listed all sorts of valid reasons and justifications.  And I know that he is right.

But here's the thing.  I LOVE this house.  We designed and built this house and it has everything I've ever wanted in a house; except for the fact that it's not exactly IN a neighborhood.

I really don't want to think about packing and moving.  I don't want to deal with the whole "keeping the house perfect" thing that goes along with showing a house.  I don't want to try and figure out where we will live.

I know that selling is the best option.  For one thing it will help get us out from under this mountain of debt we have accrued over the past two and a half years while Hubby was unemployed.  I know that downsizing would mean that I have much less housework to deal with and more money in the checking account, so that I could sneak purchases into my closet more often.  I know all this and still....I don't want to do it. Our plan had been to live here for at least ten years.  It's only been about four.

But for now, he's just talking.  He hasn't stuck the sign in the yard.  So I've got time to make my peace with it.

Next up? Man-Child.

Bless him.  He loves college.  And up until now, has been breezing through.  But this semester he had to take a math class.  He told me the other day that he'd had a test and he wasn't sure how he'd done.  Yesterday he called me to tell me that he'd completely bombed the test.  He was unhappy.  He said, "Mom, the questions and problems looked like they were in Russian."  I know; GOD do I know!  Neither his father or I am mathematically inclined either.  In high school he did okay in math, how I don't know, when he's got our genes coursing through his body.

But despite this being the "easy" math course, he's having a rough go of it.  He has decided that he will look into tutoring to get through it.  I don't think he will be selecting a major that requires a lot of math.  And I don't blame him, not one tiny bit.

The next thing that has been on my mind - taxes and filling out the FAFSA for college next year.

Well, not really.  I had banished those thoughts from my mind.  But Hubby kept reminding me.  Over and over and OVER again.

I hate doing our taxes.  Like a dummy, I persuaded him to use TurboTax last year.  Because it would be SO much cheaper.  I forgot that using TurboTax meant that a computer would be involved.  And since a computer would be involved that meant *I* would be involved.

Doing our taxes now means that I sit at the keyboard and ask the questions while he shuffles through the papers and throws out the occasional, "I don't know!" while running his fingers through his hair and I get frustrated.

But I can mark that one as done.  We did them on Sunday and miraculously I didn't kill him and, obviously, he didn't kill me since I am typing this post.  And we are once again crossing our fingers and praying that we don't get audited all because we don't know what in the hell we are doing; as referenced a few paragraphs previously.

After we were done, I made him take me to dinner because I deserved a reward after spending an afternoon going through that particular hell.

Dinner was an event only because our waitress, bless her heart, came up to us with the check, looking extremely flustered and said, "Here's the thing...oh, my heart is pounding....my manager is going to kill me..."

Apparently, she'd given our check to another table, that had already left.  When we noticed that their check was very similar to what ours would have been we told her not to worry about it; that we would take care of it.  The look of relief on her face was palpable.  It was only after we left that Hubby informed me that MC had told him he would never work at this restaurant because he'd heard from other kids, who have worked there, that the manager is an ass.  And after seeing this poor girl's face, I can believe it.  For the record, I will never eat there again - despite the fact that I like the place, only because I don't want to give someone my money who is terrorizing to his staff.  The staff which is mainly made up of kids.

At any rate yesterday, bright and early, Hubby reminds me about the FAFSA application.  Dear God in heaven...

But I did it.  It's done.  So now, I can well and truly banish them from my brain until next year.

And then there is....my hair.

Yes, if you've been around here for any length of time, then you are well aware of how much time I spend pondering my hair.  The state of it.  The length.  The cut.  All of it is up for pondering.

I've been growing it out, mainly because of finances and also out of curiousity.  And it got to be the longest (and rattiest) it's ever been.  So I called the new lady I've been seeing lately to get a trim.  It turns out she left the establishment (before Thanksgiving - so that gives you an indication of how long it has been since I last cut my hair.  It also gives you an idea of how ratty it was).

Now I had a quandary on my hands.  Take my chances with someone new or suck it up and go back to the guy I used to go to back when we occasionally had money to throw away on frivolous things like haircuts.  Throw into the mix, that I'd mentioned getting a haircut to a friend who immediately informed me that she liked my hair shorter and even told me the way she liked it best.  Funny, I'd been thinking about cutting it off anyway....

So I decided to call my old guy.  Because if I was going to chop it, he was the one to do it.  I called him on Friday.  But it's been so long since I've seen him, I soon discovered that he now doesn't work on Fridays or Mondays and only works every other Saturday.  And, as I'm sure you've guessed, I hit the weekend that he didn't work.  When he called me back, he squeezed me in for today.  I love that guy.

So I went in and he chopped it.  About three to four inches.  Sorry, no before and after pictures because I didn't think about it that's how I roll.  Now keep in mind, I've just lost THREE TO FOUR inches and, if you are a woman, you know that is a LOT of hair to lose.

So I'm feeling all kinds of sassy and pretty - because this guy has the knack of not only cutting your hair to perfection and chatting but also for making you feel like the prettiest woman on earth by the time you leave his chair.  But when I came strolling in the house Hubby looks at me and says, "I thought you were getting a haircut?"

I may have to kill him yet.

10 comments:

  1. :-)

    Men and hair. Don't get me started.

    About your house, though. Did you ask the little man? You know what I mean. The little man knows all. And I think you know what needs to be done, you just don't want to do it. I think you need to hold a wake. Have people over. Get drunk. Have finger foods. Tell stories about the house. And then move on to the next part, the part where you transition, where you heave a sigh, knowing that you're moving from one chapter to the next.

    Let someone else love your house. You just go on to love yourself and your family. There's so much more, you know?

    Love,

    Pearl

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  2. I had my hair cut too! It was a major deal as I hadn't had mine cut since pre Car!

    Most of my blogs are stuck in my brain forever and then I write them and they're not always that good!

    But you got stuff done, even the bleugh stuff.. and I agree with Pearl about the house but having moved several times I hate packing (can you persuade Man Child and husband to do it instead of you, fake an illness or something!)

    BNM

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  3. When I tell my husband I'm going to get my hair cut, he will tell me how nice it looks every time I walk in the door, even if I haven't done it yet. He's so afraid that he might not notice that he, well, doesn't notice! :-)

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  4. I started freaking out this week realizing that I have to do our taxes. I need to get on that. Soon.

    The thought of trying to get our house ready to sell and then packing it up and moving sounds like my worst nightmare. It would help us finacially (it's to early to figure out how to spell that correctly) too, but I'm just not up for that much work right now.

    Hair. So much is wrapped up in how it looks and feels. Whatever you do, you will be beautiful. :)

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  5. LOL! My hubby would soooo notice. He is all about the hair.

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  6. Thanks for this update; I love keeping up with your business. Does MC play sports in college? Also, did you search for scholarships? Just asking since I'm headed down that road.

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  7. You have no idea how much I can relate to this post right up to the college part. :) I write posts in my head ALL DAY LONG... then sit down and (A) fall asleep (B) can't construct a sentence or (C) can't remember what I came in the room to do.

    We finally settled on staying in our house because I love my tiny mortgage, and that it takes two hours to clean the entire thing. PLUS in my heart, it's just not time yet.

    So for now, we are doing all the things we want to it... regardless of cost vs. increased value. Why fix it up so it's nice for someone else, right? Better to make it our own and enjoy it.

    I do have a tip for the taxes though. In your file cabinet, put a folder for tax receipts. Or use a shoe box, just don't lose the shoe box... The throughout the year put all receipts for taxes (health co-pays, tax bills, excise bills, school bills etc.) in that folder. Come tax time, you won't be trying to find them, they'll all be right there. It saves so much time. Then in January, while you're waiting for your w-2s you can enter in all of your deductions. When your w2s come you can add them in... as long as you save in between you're good to go. Once everything is in you can file. Easy peeasy, and much less stressful than doing taxes for hours.

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  8. Oh so much information!! First, I am so glad to hear I am not the only one who writes blog posts in my head!! I so do that. I think that must make us fabulous bloggers :) Second, math sucks. That is all.

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  9. I LOVE Pearl's idea!! I have found that hanging onto ideas, dreams etc. can be good in some instances, and just hold you back in others!! (Hence, the buying and selling and moving on 3 years!!) Love this house, but don't get stuck on it, because you will love another one too!

    As for us, I learned this week (from three different brokers) that we cannot qualify for a mortage. Doesn't matter that we have good credit, or that we never defaulted on our other mortgages, or that we have a chunk in the bank. The hang up is- I only work part-time (32 vs. 40 hours a week). The fact that I make a decent buck had no bearing AT ALL. Hubby is basically like a subcontractor, so neither of our incomes "count" until we have been with our current employer for TWO years. Two. WHich is this fall for him, and a year and a half for me. I cried and cried and cried. It's ridiculous, and we're stuck. We are lucky to be with my parents, but I long for a place of my own.

    I am glad to be ut from under our other house- no doubt- in fact, I'm chuckling about all of the snow in Maine this winter (and the heating bill). The people who bought our house were such @sses.

    Anywa, think of a new house as an adventure!!

    Hugs, Lee

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  10. So few people can appreciate how hard it is grow hair and fill out financial aid applications simultaneously. At least now I know I am not alone.

    SK

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