Turn Your Lights On!
by admin on February 4, 2010
in Admin Posts, Bad Drivers
My girlfriend has to be to work at 8 am. Because of the horrendus traffic, the very poorly timed traffic lights, and the general bad driving, we have to leave no later than 7:25, and the drive is not that far.
It is still dark enough to require that a driver have their headlights on, but a lot don’t. I swear this drives me nuts. If they have a dark car, forget about it, they are difficult to see. Same deal when it is raining. It can be really dark, pouring rain, and there will always be idiots out there who refuse to turn on their lights. It is a state law to turn on your lights when raining.
On to turn signals. I don’t know about anyone else, but my turn signal is located right on the column. I don’t have to take my left hand away from the steering wheel to use it. It takes literally 1 second to turn it on. I think my car is one of the few built in this area that actually has turn signals., because no one else around here uses them. Are people that friggin’ lazy?!
————
New Category Added, Bad Drivers
by admin on January 30, 2010
in Admin Posts, Bad Drivers
Yes, I Hate Bad Drivers
Hey y’all, all 50 visitors a day, Timothy here. Thanks for reading my blog. And pardon the grammar. I’m a tax pro in the middle of peak season. Which means we get a good 75% of our business right now. I’m tired already. But I digress.
I’ve added a new category about bad drivers. Go ahead and friggin’ ask, “what does this have to do with internet and home based business?” Well, I’ll tell ya.
Just bear with me, this might be a long post, but I promise I’ll get to the point of what this has to do with internet business sometime in this post.
The Background
I live in the Tampa Bay area, where there are roughly 3 million permanent residents, plus a zillion non-residents known as snowbirds who come from October to the day after Easter, not to mention the out of state tourists who drive here, which seems to number in the millions. I live in Pinellas County, 5 minutes from the beach. Pinellas is one of the most densely populated counties in the country. There is very little land left to build on, there are a million strip malls, and also boatload of asphalt and concrete. I have been here since 1971, and I’m currently 42. I got my DL when I was 17. My only moving violation was in 1996. I like to think I’m a good driver.
Let me say, I do live in a scenic area. It was more scenic though before all of the condos where built on Gulf Blvd. I love the area though, I really do. Great food, especially seafood, pizza and steaks, nightlife…anything, you name it, it is here.
I just hate driving here!
Yea, I know other areas suck for driving also. I know this, because I have driven to, in or through Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Chicago, Birmingham, and Las Vegas, among other places. And y’all in NYC have to be nuts to drive, and I mean that in a respectful way. I was there in 2003 when AC/DC got inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. I walked and took the Super Shuttle. I sure as hell couldn’t drive there.
The Tampa Bay area is one of the tops for bad traffic, and bad drivers. A few years back, Readers Digest had an article about the most dangerous roads. The part of U.S. 19 in that goes through my area was in there. I have driven that road many times. The speed limit goes from 45 to 55, to 45, sometimes 35..It is scary. Too many lights, too many side streets, too many businesses along there…it is just a recipe for disaster. That is bad enough before the drivers are added.
I drive a lot in the Pinellas area, between driving my girlfriend to work and getting myself to work, plus many places in between.
I’m digressing again…whomever is responsible for spell check in Firefox…c’mon, do some damn research…Pinellas is spelled Pinellas!!! Look it up!! Stop telling me I’m spelling Pinellas wrong. Damn that drives me nuts.
The Business Part
I have a domain picked out, I just have to find the time to set everything up and to make sure the site runs smoothly.
I’m going to launch a blog/website about the bad drivers my girlfriend and I see during the course of driving, and, of course, I hope to make money from it. She will write from a passengers point of view, and I will write as the driver.
My posts will be short and to the point, and though I won’t be profane, I will use the terms idiot, moron, asshole, douche, douche bag, ass wad, dickhead, and other terms like that to describe drivers. I have no idea how the passenger’s writing will be, but I do know she will write in her own way. She does not drive, and it is a good thing.
As an example, tonight we were pulling out of Publix, just west of a major intersection. Light is green heading east/west. This douche, heading south, makes a right turn to go west, and turned right in front of another car. I saw the whole thing happen, and I was shocked not to see an accident. Props to the person who was heading west and to avoid the accident.
Just wait until I get started on the people who INSIST on doing 30 mph in a 45 zone. Crap, I’m not a speed demon, but if the speed limit says 45 mph, well damn, I sure has heck do not want to be doing 30, especially when I’m trying to get to work. No crap, it takes 30 minutes to get somewhere and it should take 15 minutes. A good of the problem is the timing of the friggin’ traffic lights. Yea, I have a few rants in me.
The new site will have some good rants. As another example, last year, there where plenty of days when took me a good 30 minutes to get to work…and the drive was less than 8 miles away, not to mention a straight shot at that. Yea, I remember those days and what the idiots did.
Back to the business part…I hope to make a few bucks off of the site, but mainly it will be a place to rant.
The Bottom Line
My girlfriend trusts me with getting her to work safe and sound, being a safe driver, and I will do my best.
The new site/blog will be about shitty drivers seen firsthand, written by me and my girlfriend. Proper grammar is not guaranteed, though we will do our best. I do think you will be entertained. Maybe, as long as you are not expecting Pulitzer quality writing.
The Bad Drivers category is to get the content started, and then it will be moved to the new site, with new content added when we have time.
Eventually, I would like to include posts from readers. That will be in due time though, if the site ever expands.
The new site should be ready by the end of February.
Sorry, no pictures, though I may have one of us crossing the Skyway with the t-tops off.
————————
Am I Required to File?
by admin on January 26, 2010
in Admin Posts, Taxes
Do I have to File a Tax Return?
You must file a tax return if your income is above a certain level. The amount varies depending on filing status, age and the type of income you receive.
Check the Individuals section of IRS.gov or consult the instructions for Form 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ for specific details that may affect your need to file a tax return with the IRS this year.
Even if you don’t have to file, here are eight reasons why you may want to file:
- Federal Income Tax Withheld If you are not required to file, you should file to get money back if Federal Income Tax was withheld from your pay, you made estimated tax payments, or had a prior year overpayment applied to this year’s tax.
- Making Work Pay Credit You may be able to take this credit if you have earned income from work. The maximum credit for a married couple filing a joint return is $800 and $400 for other taxpayers.
- Government Retiree Credit You may be eligible for this credit if you received a government pension or annuity payment in 2009. However, the amount of this credit reduces any making work pay credit you receive.
- Earned Income Tax Credit You may qualify for EITC if you worked, but did not earn a lot of money. EITC is a refundable tax credit; which means you could qualify for a tax refund.
- Additional Child Tax Credit This credit may be available to you if you have at least one qualifying child and you did not get the full amount of the Child Tax Credit.
- Refundable American Opportunity Credit This education tax credit is available for 2009 and 2010. The maximum credit per student is $2,500 and the first four years of postsecondary education qualify.
- First-Time Homebuyer Credit The credit is a maximum of $8,000 or $4,000 if your filing status is married filing separately. The credit applies to homes bought anytime in 2009 and on or before April 30, 2010. However, you have until on or before June 30, 2010, if you entered into a written binding contract before May 1, 2010. If you bought a home after November 6, 2009, you may be able to qualify and claim the credit even if you already owned a home. In this case, the maximum credit for long-time residents is $6,500, or $3,250 if your filing status is married filing separately.
- Health Coverage Tax Credit Certain individuals, who are receiving Trade Adjustment Assistance, Reemployment Trade Adjustment Assistance, or pension benefit payments from the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, may be eligible for a Health Coverage Tax Credit worth 80 percent of monthly health insurance premiums when you file your 2009 tax return.
For more information about filing requirements and your eligibility to receive tax credits, visit IRS.gov.
Links:
