Blue-Footed Musings

As you may recall, we were audited by the IRS over the 2008 First-Time Homebuyer’s Tax Credit. We did everything our tax guy said to do at the time, including paying back the loan amount in full and writing a letter to the IRS. It turned out to have been bad advice, or at least ineffective. The IRS ultimately garnished our tax returns until they had paid themselves what they felt we owed them, some $3,000 in fees and interest.

But my husband and I refused to accept their decision. I mean, if someone takes that much money from you wrongfully, you fight it, right? So we ignored our tax guy and contacted the IRS directly. They were actually easy to deal with and very specific about what needed to be done. They told us to send a letter asking them to reopen the case.

This letter was more the kind of thing I had wanted to write initially. It contained zero pleading and lots of facts. Instead of “Please be nice to us because we’re good citizens,” it said, “Please reopen the case because you made the wrong decision. Here are the facts that support our position.”

Their response was not exactly speedy. For a long time we’d get a letter every month telling us that they needed more time to review our case. Then the letters stopped coming, and we didn’t notice at first. When we finally did, I started pestering my husband to call (we file under his name, so it’s complicated when I call).

He finally called them this week, and guess what? We won our case! In fact, they say that they already sent us a check for the refund. Only somehow it never arrived here, and it got sent back to them, and it seems to have been for the wrong amount anyway.

So, there will be more delay as they look into the matter, but eventually we’re going to get a nice chunk of money back. Plus, for the first time in years, we will probably get a tax refund. I wish I had the money in my pocket today, but the news that it will be forthcoming is still pretty darned good.

Today my husband described one thing as “terrible” and another as “horrible,” and he used those descriptions in a way that implied that one was worse than the other. This struck me as odd, because I think that “horrible” and “terrible” are roughly the same on the Scale of Badness.

I suppose if forced to choose one over the other, I would say that “horror” is slightly worse than “terror,” and therefore “horrible” is slightly worse than “terrible.” But on this my husband and I do not agree. He says that “terrible” is like a habanero pepper and “horrible” is like a jalapeno. Sometimes a jalapeno can be super hot (i.e., very bad), but most of the time the habanero is hotter (i.e., worse).

Which do you think is worse?

I just tried to click on my cat with my mouse pointer. He was standing so close to my laptop screen that it seemed like I ought to be able to do it. He is an icon, right? But of course not. Only a sleep-deprived person would think that!

I woke up at 5:30 this morning. I could not fall back asleep, courtesy of Mr. Squeakers, whose scritchings and scratchings in the wall were grating on my nerves. I couldn’t stand to listen to him anymore, so I got up and came downstairs. I thought I’d do some writing and get an early start on breakfast.

I didn’t get much writing done, but the early breakfast was a success. The kids and I enjoyed the relaxed pace. I should always get up a little early.

But not too early. The early morning hours seem so cold and dark and mean. I prefer the nighttime hours, which are darker and yet so much more welcoming. I should not rise before the sun.

Sometimes I construct puzzles during my spare time. There is one particular puzzle that I like to work on when I have nothing better to do, such as when I’m riding in the car. All I need to make the puzzle is a piece of paper, something to write with, and some brain power. If I can finish one of these puzzles during time that would otherwise have been wasted, it’s like finding a $20 bill.

One day, we were on a longish drive. My hubby was at the wheel, so I had nothing better to do than construct one of these puzzles. But I was having some trouble coming up with the entries. I needed a word that could precede ALE, like GINGER or PALE. Naturally, I asked my hubby for some help. He said, “I ate some bad fish, and now I feel ALE.”

Smart-ass!

But that’s how my hubby helps, by infuriating me and making me laugh at the same time! 🙂