So, today, I got my State of Texas tax payers number for business purposes.

You see, graphic design services in Texas are sales taxable. Now, marketing/PR/communication services are not. It's kind of screwy. My dad is a CPA, and he was explaining that if they use a computer to do a client's payroll services, it is sales taxable. If they do it manually, it isn't.

So, I am official. I hadn't billed my client yet, good thing too, I would have been committing a misdemeanor, punishable by not more than $500 per day.

All is good and proper in my business world.

Eskimo   

I just answered this Featured Question, you can answer it too!

I went into the bathroom with the lights off and said "Candyman" three times. Then I said "Bloody Mary" three times. Then I left the bathroom and closed the door, I figured they could fight it out.

That was 6 hours ago.

Now, I'm in the house, alone. It's an old house, lots of creaking.

I also have an over-active imagination.

So, I am sitting here, watching Letterman (who really doesn't strike me as funny anymore), with the dogs, Mr. Sparky, my bow staff, my nunchaku,  my that's-not-a-knife-this-is-a-knife knife, and of course, my rapier wit...which is kind of got me into this situation in the first place.

I tried to talk my sister into staying with me, but she wasn't having it.

Update:
I made it through the night alive (okay, so I took some Valarian root to help me sleep, forgetting that it gives me odd dreams, fortunately, this one was just about me, one of my soul sisters, Spike the souled version, and Angel Angeleus, getting sent back in time to the late 1700s early 1800s).

This morning, I went into the bathroom and sang Candyman (from the original Willie Wonka Movie) three times, now, I've got BloodyMary, Candyman, and Sammy Davis Jr. hanging out. Thankful, I have a solution given from SladeTheGreyFox, as soon as I finish this update I'm going to follow his instructions (see link) and send all three to San Francisco.

 Topic: The weather.

"It wasn't always this humid in North Texas."

Wha-huh? Oh, now dad's going to go on about global warming, which is odd for him. (It's not that he doesn't believe in it, but he has done extensive research about the whole history of the whole history, and well, it's all cyclical, in 60s it was global cooling, and don't even ask him about the mini-ice age....)

"When I wanted to work on my boat, the humidity had to be less than 40%, in the 60s it was more than 75%* of the time."

Oh, yeah, the boat, the boat that has been in his garage at least since I achieved conciousness. The boat he keeps saying he's going to get fixed and out on the water.

"But, then they started damming up all the rivers to make the lakes for water reserves to match the growing population. Now it is humid and the mosqitoes rule."

Texas doesn't have an abundant of natural lakes, if really any, even the one most people will tell you was natural was actual a result of a logging dam. Plenty of river and creeks, no real lakes to speak of.

"Mother nature really doesn't like to be meddled with."

Right on, dad, right on.

*This number might be off, I admit, I zone out a little when there are too many numbers in a conversation.

So, my family is taking a trip to Red River, New Mexico next month.

We are staying in cabins (it isn't camping to me, but the rest of the fam considers it such, so, whatever).

I've had a tent and sleeping bag for years and years. Got my flash light. My fishing pole and fishing gear. A coleman lantern. The dogs' travel kit. I'm good. Wait, no, I can't find my knife. Crap.

So, on to Amazon.com I did go. Found a nice looking, Bowie-style knife, reasonably priced, too. From the photo, I guessed it was about eight inches long, total. Oops, make that just the blade, it's over a foot total.

It's one of those, "that's-not-a-knife-now-that's-a-knife" knives. Like, illegal to carry on the street knives.

After I got over the initial shock, all I could think was, "cool." It will be very convenient for camping and tramping.

Oh, let the double-entendre comments begin.

Very, very carefully.

Confronting a friend with an eating disorder is just like confronting someone with any sort of obsession or addiction. If you don't do it the right way, you could cause more damage. An intervention is not as easy as the pop media would have you think, getting through to someone who is doing damage to themselves is not easy. You can be the best debater or orator in the world, but that doesn't mean you can change their perception. Logic doesn't always play into the situation.

I would contact Healthy Place, the AWARE Foundation or some other professional organization and seek advise from experienced professionals.
   

I just answered this Featured Question, you can answer it too!

Topic: Landscaping

My father was watering the lawn this morning and I was outside talking to him when I commented on how the wisteria had grown back. You see, six years ago, when my mom was ill from the chemo, the smell of the flowers on the wisteria made her nauseous. So, my brother-in-law cut it back to a stump...worse than a stump, he cut into the roots.

I said that I thought we should leave it to grow.

My father told me that, 30 years ago he cut it out, three feet deep into the ground and roots, salted the earth. And, yet, that wisteria still came back.

He said that anything that wanted to live that badly, he wasn't going to mess with.

Whenever I get the urge to do a long diatribe of a post, bitching about all the things that other bloggers do that irritate me, my mind inevitably wanders back to the wise words of Eleanor Roosevelt:

And, I am reminded, it isn't worth the time. Too, many cool things to do and be to spend my time worrying about the things that others are doing. Whatever your thing is, man, do it, enjoy it, just know that it isn't my thing. I know that the average person isn't into my things, and it doesn't bother me if some random blogger doesn't enjoy my posts or doesn't get them (the average person I've met in my life doesn't get me, so why should the blogosphere be any different?).

I may not have 500 subscribers, and I may never make featured content. It doesn't matter to me, because I have met some really smart, fun, and exceptional people who I call friends, and if I had just met one of them, it would still be worth more than having a bazillion subscribers, getting recommended constantly, and making featured content. I'm not saying all of those things are bad, or that I would reject them, they just aren't my priority. If they are yours, then good for you for knowing what your thing is.

I just don't get people who put all sorts of energy into slamming other people's blogging style, so if anyone can explain that, I'd appreciate it.

This is just my blogging philosophy, so, of course, your mileage may vary.

Well, I am settled, have dsl and networked the house. But, after that trip across the 2-3 deep western-most contiguous United States, I have the bug, gas prices be damned. Hit some small town, get a job for the summer, and see what happens.

I watched Into the Wild, and even that didn't deter me. I get where McCandless was coming from, but honestly, that kid probably should have tried therapy or at least gotten some wilderness training prior to moving into the Alaskan wilds. I don't exactly want to go that far off grid anyways. Plus, I like my car, as un-PC as that may be. Though, it is a Subaru getting great mileage.

I've got to get into Austin sometime this month, and there are some peeps I need to see in Houston, so that will have to suffice for my tramping needs for now.
 

It is possible only Aviran will get this:

I'm sitting in the car with my sister and two nephews, we were at Sonic...or McDonalds (one wanted Sonic, the other McDs...my sister was feeling nice), and the person on the intercom said, "Hello."

Pretty standard, no?

All of the sudden from the back seat, I hear, "Hello, I am Lindsey Lohan." This from a four year old boy.

Oh, that Jeff Dunham and Ackmed the Dead Terroris.