Feeling stabby.

There are so many things bothering me right now. I'm not even sure if I can articulate them properly. But, I'm gonna try.

1. How is it that now - everyone is a financial genius? I am so completely frustrated by this phenomenon. Makes me want to gouge my eyes out. Even people in my own circle - have the balls to tell me they knew the economy was going to crash like this. Yet, they are all struggling to make ends meet. That is how I know I'm not inserting revisionist history of my own. It seems to me, that all these brilliant people might have socked some money away for a rainy day. But, no - they are just getting by like rest of us. Mother f-ers. Pisses me off.

Every once in a while I think "maybe they did say something, and I ignored it". I most certainly would not have believed it. Just being honest. They certainly would have gone on my radar. Because, I have special radar for crazies. I have people in my circle, that I think are extremists. Those are the people I pay attention to the most. The almost crazies. They are very nice people. Just sort of extreme. Like most of California really. I'm certain I would have remembered if they'd made such an earth shattering prediction. If only to mock them. The joke would be on me. But still.

2. Social networking. Why are people so empty they need to let the world know where they are every minute of every day? I totally love technology - but when Erykah Badu is twittering during delivery of her baby. WTF! This is actually why I've resisted twitter. Besides - if I hold out long enough, the fad will have passed.

In this same vein. In 10 years - do people ever think of what a dumb-ass they are going to look like - with pictures of a cell phones glued to their heads? Hell - I had that talk with myself in younger years, and even I look like a tard now from my teenage days. Cell phones have turned into little umbilical cords.

3. What a naive chump I turned out to be. I guess I'm the only non tax cheat in town. Remember in October when I said people should train to be auditors? That my Friends, is a prediction.

Of course, the reasons I gave were wrong. And what pisses me off is - I've been paper audited two years in a row. I've found the IRS to be easy to deal with. But I'm not a tax cheat. The call usually goes something like this.

Them - "We need you to send a copy of this form".

Me - Well, I sent this form in my return. Do you not have a copy?

Them - well, yeah. We have a copy.

After we establish what part of the form is making them stabby, I send them all the paperwork they need. They are professional and reasonable. Yet, somehow I imagine this process will be less enjoyable in the coming years. Yes - I plan to get audited more. My returns are complicated enough I assume I'm going to get audited every year. Which is why I'm honest.

4. Do you know what I did this weekend? And last weekend to be frank. I regraded the dirt on my property. Why? So water wouldn't run off as easily. I somehow convinced Mr S. to move probably - 20 cubic yards of dirt. Which I fastidiously smoothed out to build up my yard in other areas. So my garden was convex. Ie - holds water. Yet, not one of my neighbors can fix their sprinkler systems so water doesn't shoot 12 feet in the air. And, no. I'm not exaggerating. Yet, in the next couple of weeks - I am going to be forced into water rationing. Pisses me off. I'm not even joking about my neighbors. One day I took a picture. I'll have to see if I can find it. Water was shooting up above the corner street sign.

Somehow the idea that it's only rained 4 days in January - doesn't clue them in that maybe they should swap out their sprinklers. Oh - but once the rationing hits. They are all going to be water geniuses. "I knew it was coming" they will say.

Then why didn't you change your fing habits?

The thing that pisses me off more is - I don't even care about most of this stuff. I'm not trying to do the right thing because of some moral position. To be perfectly frank - I do it because I'm greedy. I don't want to have to pay extra because other folks can't get their shit together. Yet, it never - never works out that way. Doing the right thing just doesn't pay off.

So frustrated.