Insomniac

[veritas]

Actually, Kirk said it was "LDS."

Good call you must be a Trekkie?

[j2kp0t]

Once upon a time

Good call you must be a Trekkie?

Once upon a time

[Black Bart]

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Sova

Matt you are right (of course). I have posted comments on this subject earlier. What do ppl think we do all year? I ususally tell them I have a full time job and then tax time comes and I have two full time jobs. Usually get a blank look. So my conclusion is they are asking a question like "think it's going to rain?" or "how ya doing?".

I

Actually, I think that barb was meant for you as well as me and jainen. Don't go feedin' his ego too much (it's already as big as a house) -- he's liable to overdose.
'

[Snaggletooth]

Geez

..we're really stretching out to grab stuff now. Glad I haven't been on for a few days -- I would go nuts reading this garbage.

[Black Bart]

Garbage to some - items of interest to others

..we're really stretching out to grab stuff now. Glad I haven't been on for a few days -- I would go nuts reading this garbage.

Gosh, for a while there I thought maybe Sova had "imped" your handle, but...guess not.

Just a few things to say about that "garbage," and then I'll let it alone.

Yes, they're obviously not "items of interest" for those advocating strict adherence to professional doctrine and content. And it did wander rather far afield -- much farther -- from "tax talk" than I had intended; perhaps even raising (or lowering) the bar here for deviation from the stated/implied purpose of the board. But...so what? Although some don't like it and probably feel that "barbarians" have invaded the board with a gaggle of irrelevant nonsense, the fact is, no one is forced to read all posts. Still, it's hard to skip them -- intellectual curiousity exists -- we want to see what others have to say even though we may disagree, have no interest, or even be repelled by a thread's topic. So, in that sense, you may feel I'm trespassing on the "sacred territory" of the purist by even posting. And you'd be right. That's exactly what I'm doing. Is it right? Should it be allowed? I don't know -- the answer's subjective; meaning that different people have different views, so maybe, maybe not. Seems to me it's up to two parties: the owner of the board (who's indicated a reasonable tolerance) and the members of the board (I'll post a poll).

Regardless of result, I'd like to note that we, as a profession, have an "image problem." It's no secret that the rest of the world (non-tax professionals) regard us a collection of boring, robotic, strait-laced geeks -- humorless nerd-wonks immersed in a dreary and unintelligible, uninteresting business. The very nature of our profession - its complexity and depth -- lends itself to that perception. Here's some excerpts from a newspaper clipping of yesteryear: "Q. What's an actuary? A. Someone who doesn't have the personality to be an accountant./ Accountants are supposed to be boring./ The phrase "wild and crazy CPA" is an oxymoron, like "jumbo" shrimp./ Who wants an earringed guy into Hootie and the Blowfish for an accountant? I want a Ward Cleaver lookalike who listens to old Lawrence Welk records while he does my taxes."

Some of it fits (we are conservative people), but mostly -- I disagree. I feel that some of the individuals in my profession are more intelligent and interesting than any others I've ever known. I also believe that a combination of professional discussion and reasonable amounts of "off-topic chatter" aren't necessarily and mutually exclusive. It seems to me that a broader discussion is necessary and that non-professional references, rather than diminishing the impact of our "talk," actually enhance it by inclusion of subjects which the public-at-large understands and relates to as guideposts, not to mention "broadening the horizons" (humanizing, if you will) of overly and narrowly-focused individuals.

So, I think we should fight against that negative view. The way I try to do it is to generate dialogues with other professionals about non-professional subjects. That may not be the right way -- I don't know --- but it's my way.

[OldJack]

Engagement letter?

Engagement letter? Shoot, she's lucky if I even respect her in the morning or call her the next day.

[JG EA]

Sappy Snappy

I swear, the next person that asks me if I am glad things are a lot slower now that tax season is over, I am going to punch them in the nose!!

Matt

A snappy retort to "Are you slowing down? Are you getting busy?

The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.
--Arnold Toynbee

[DaveO]

And what do the "exciting" people do?

Watch soap operas or survivor? I hear at least 50 stories jucier than anything spilled on Oprah or even Jerry Springer every season. I just can't repeat them to anyone. I also peer into the minds and portfolios of millionaries and professionals of all stripes. This job may be frustrating and stressfull, but it's not boring.

[Bees Knees]

Watch soap operas or survivor?

Speaking of Survivor, did you hear Richard Hatch, the first season winner is serving time for not claiming his winnings on his tax return?

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0516061hatch1.html

[jainen]

I read about that

I read about that, but it doesn't make sense to me. First of all, did he figure the IRS didn't know about his winnings? And isn't there supposed to be withholding on that sort of thing? And when he got caught flat, why did he defiantly reject a deal for two counts, demanding a trial which was only available through the Grand Jury which quickly discovered half a dozen other felonies like bank fraud. Then he lied on the witness stand, which increased his sentence.

He did come up with a clever defense, that the show producers had promised to cover his taxes in exchange for information about contestants cheating, except even his own lawyer realized what a ridiculous lie that was and refused to insult the jury with it. Besides, the jury said he was still guilty even if they ignored the show completely, because he also hid rental income and laundered money through his "charity."

[veritas]

Well remember when he was on survivor. He was good a lying. Probably something that comes naturally to him.