Speaking about Muni, I watched the Muni fare inspectors this week bust four people on the train for not having a transfer or a Fastpass. Two inspectors came on two separate days and each time busted two people. And at the height of morning rush hour, they are not busting bums or other people you think are taking advantage of the system. They are giving tickets out to people wearing very expensive suits and carrying very expensive bags.
I can't believe these people. The Fastpass only cost $45 a month and if you're going to work every day, you should get one. It makes me wonder how many other well-heeled Muni patrons are working the system and riding for free and just not getting caught. Or, maybe they just don't pay on the way to work and only pay going home. Still! These people are the reason Muni is losing money and threatening to raise the monthly pass fees. Muni was at least breaking even when they had a driver on every train, but then probably some knucklehead on our city council living in some fairy-tale world of their decided that San Francisco people are honest and Muni could run more efficiently on the honor system. WRONG!
You know I don't mind that bums or poor people ride for free because those people cannot really afford to pay, but I get really upset when I see a woman with a $400 handbag and wearing $1,000 worth of clothes and jewelry getting busted for not having a monthly pass in the morning. Dang! It's only $45. That woman probably doesn't wear anything that costs under $100, and yet she's jerking the system and riding for free!
People who work in downtown San Francisco hate the train inspectors because they think it's stupid to bust people during the morning and evening rush hour. It's a nuisance and I know everyone thinks that no one is that dishonorable enough to ride for free. But from what I saw this week, I hope everyone is getting that there are quite a few dishonset people or quite a few people dumb enough to get caught without a pass or transfer.
Saturday, April 08, 2006
This is the first day since last Saturday that I've felt a little happier. This last week has been so hard! I missed M-Square so much, and was practically crying at work when my friend S and I were exchanging emails about him. She told me not to get discouraged, but it just made me miss the guy even more! And then on Friday, I started thinking about M-Square and tears were coming out of my eyes on Muni. Nothing beats crying on public transportation during the Friday night rush hour. People stare at you with genuine pity in their eyes. God only knows what they must be thinking.
I am definitely processing something in my mind because I have been having the wildest, wildest dreams. I dreamt my grandparents were still alive and so was our old neighbour, Mr. Murakami. He had these amazing manicured gardens with all these bonsai plants. The man was truly a gardner artist, but boy did he hate dogs. My grandparents swore the man poisoned all of our dogs because they kept getting into his gardens and doing their morning and evening routines. In the dream, my grandparents were laughing because Mr. Murakami was screaming and throwing dog poo back in our yard saying it belonged to our dog. My granparents were just laughing and rolling their eyes. I don't know if this was a real memory that I dreamed about or just some kind of weird dream.
I am definitely processing something in my mind because I have been having the wildest, wildest dreams. I dreamt my grandparents were still alive and so was our old neighbour, Mr. Murakami. He had these amazing manicured gardens with all these bonsai plants. The man was truly a gardner artist, but boy did he hate dogs. My grandparents swore the man poisoned all of our dogs because they kept getting into his gardens and doing their morning and evening routines. In the dream, my grandparents were laughing because Mr. Murakami was screaming and throwing dog poo back in our yard saying it belonged to our dog. My granparents were just laughing and rolling their eyes. I don't know if this was a real memory that I dreamed about or just some kind of weird dream.
On a better note, I did my taxes today and I am getting a huge refund! I haven't filed them yet, because I want to think about the deductions I'm taking but I think I am getting at least $700-800 back. And I'm getting a refund from the State of California for once.
I thought for sure I was going to owe money, which is why I've waited this long to do my taxes so I was pleasantly surprised to find out I am getting such a big refund. I claim two on my exemptions, which I was supposed to switch back to one in July but kept forgetting about. When I claimed two exemtions in 2004 I screwed myself over tax wise, but not this year.
That business license I got last year has really workjed out for me tax wise. It is definitely the way to go. I wrote off my beading classes and beading supplies, and then decided to write off all of my writing classes as well because I earned some money doing a little writing gig last year. I earned $35 working as a film panel person at the Academy of Art College for my ex-screenwriting teacher. My business license says "wholesales sales" but I think writing qualifies under my business license, don't you think?
I'm thinking I should actually switch my business license to writer, if there is such a thing. Then I could start writing off not only writing classes, but books as well. Maybe I will even write off movie tickets as research. My brother says owning your own business is the best thing a person can do to not pay too many taxes. He writes off his gym membership, clothing, his car, food, you name it, and the boy writes it off. But then he really does have a legitimate business with a few employees. But he says I can do it as well. He told me I should write off my trip to Hawaii as a business expense for my beading business, because I was showing my jewerly off to friends I know who own shops. They even asked me if I was going to make more and were very interested in selling them. Not sure if they were serious or not or just being polite, but my brother said that our interaction would qualify as a business meeting. He is so funny!
I thought for sure I was going to owe money, which is why I've waited this long to do my taxes so I was pleasantly surprised to find out I am getting such a big refund. I claim two on my exemptions, which I was supposed to switch back to one in July but kept forgetting about. When I claimed two exemtions in 2004 I screwed myself over tax wise, but not this year.
That business license I got last year has really workjed out for me tax wise. It is definitely the way to go. I wrote off my beading classes and beading supplies, and then decided to write off all of my writing classes as well because I earned some money doing a little writing gig last year. I earned $35 working as a film panel person at the Academy of Art College for my ex-screenwriting teacher. My business license says "wholesales sales" but I think writing qualifies under my business license, don't you think?
I'm thinking I should actually switch my business license to writer, if there is such a thing. Then I could start writing off not only writing classes, but books as well. Maybe I will even write off movie tickets as research. My brother says owning your own business is the best thing a person can do to not pay too many taxes. He writes off his gym membership, clothing, his car, food, you name it, and the boy writes it off. But then he really does have a legitimate business with a few employees. But he says I can do it as well. He told me I should write off my trip to Hawaii as a business expense for my beading business, because I was showing my jewerly off to friends I know who own shops. They even asked me if I was going to make more and were very interested in selling them. Not sure if they were serious or not or just being polite, but my brother said that our interaction would qualify as a business meeting. He is so funny!
I'm so mad at myself today. I let the batttery on my palm tungsten E die out, and I lost a ton of information! And stupid, stupid me, didn't back my palm up since last summer so I've lost about 8 months worth of information. I lost the list of books I've been reading for 2005 and for 2006. I lost all of my appointments, and can only remember three I have this month so if I have anything personally scheduled after April, well, I just hope I remember them. What else? My list of movies seen for 2005 and 2006, and all my financial information that I've been storing on my Palm., which thank God I think can replaced if I spend a month re-entering everything.
But I'm mostly pissed at the list of books and movies that I've lost. God, this is the first time I've let my palm die ever! I am so pissed at myself right now! I'm going to have spend a whole month I think trying to re-enter everything. What a horrid, horrid, stupid thing to do!
But thank god it wasn't worse! At least I haven't lost any of my writing. I think there might have been one or two writing things on my Palm, but nothing too terribly important I think.
But I'm mostly pissed at the list of books and movies that I've lost. God, this is the first time I've let my palm die ever! I am so pissed at myself right now! I'm going to have spend a whole month I think trying to re-enter everything. What a horrid, horrid, stupid thing to do!
But thank god it wasn't worse! At least I haven't lost any of my writing. I think there might have been one or two writing things on my Palm, but nothing too terribly important I think.
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