2/19/2015

Slow News Day

You know things are really slow when the most inspiring thing you can find in the paper is in the funny pages.   OK, the comics section to be more precise.  This morning in "The Family Circus"  Dolly said, "My favorite form of oatmeal is in cookies."  In my world, that's only way I like oatmeal.  Barb makes "Uncle Chuck's Chocolate Chips Cookies" that contain oatmeal. and she has been known to make oatmeal cookies that are pretty darned good.  I second Dolly's opinion.

The hype on TV is about the Oscars next week and I couldn't be impressed less unless they replay the Super bowl.  I don't even remember the teams that played in the latest one, let alone what the Roman Numerals were for the game.  I don't remember the last movie I saw.

The K-State coach is all worked up about the lack of energy his team is showing in their games.  I'll bet they would have to send a trainer over to his house to get him out of bed if he was suiting up and still playing.  The teams are well into the 25th game of the season and are getting played out.  Yes, I know they are young but the season is dragging on and they aren't in the top half of the BIG XII.  Just how motivated would you be if your motto is we are number 10?   The other day I saw a bunch of Highway Patrolmen  drinking coffee at the Turnpike Rest area.  I asked them if there was any truth in the rumor that if you get caught speeding over by Manhattan you are given a ticket to a men's basketball game.  If you are going real fast, you get two.  We all had a laugh at that one.

The City Council nominees are posting in a blog by the local paper and I am blown away at the responses to, "Have you ever been arrested."   The people responding seem to think if they completed a diversion program they didn't do anything.  One person had a court diversion when he was a minor and thought that would be a sealed record.   Most of them have a pretty serious driving record of speeding and/or lack of current registration on their cars.  One guy had a DUI when he was in his 20's and didn't think anything over 15 years old would matter.  If you got caught driving drunk once, you probably had a lot more times you didn't get caught.

For the record, I am currently a sober drunk.  I would be an alcoholic but I don't go to meetings.  I say I am a drunk because there is a lack of the switch that says one drink is enough.  If I get started I want to drink more.  For me, the best way is to say, "Today I am sober and will be all day."  Throw enough of those days together and it has been about 20 years now. 

Here in Kansas there is a former employee of mine that is heading up a group to kill the skin business here in Kansas.   They object to strip clubs and those shops that sell sexy material.  My feeling is that the Legislature has tackled this four years in a row and each time kicked it to the back burner as their session gets nearer to the end.  If I were to place that issue on a list of all the things important, it would be near the end of the list.  To me, it is a lot like the issue of same gender marriage.  If you don't want one, don't go there.  It has been at least 20 years since I went to one - once.  The place was ever so dirty and smelled  like urine.  The thought of drinking $5.00 beers or even eating anything there made me kind of throw up in the back of my mouth a little.  I understand that one local place here in Topeka has girls serving food in the nude.  I don't want my waitress to even have on sleeveless blouses let alone having their privates uncovered.  Just me, just saying.

This is the time of the year when I get the latest Turbo Tax program and spread my records all over the card table I set up to help me organize everything.  The first time I run through the entries it shows me that I am several thousand dollars short on my withholdings.  A good share of that is the rental properties and some mineral rights.  The only way I could get above board is to pay quarterly withholdings but I have never not had the money to pay come the 15th of April.  I guess I could just do the darned things and send a check.  It just irks me to do it early for some strange reason.   I know my little amount of money isn't going to balance the deficit.

I am often reminded of the saying, "The return of my money is more important than the return on my money."  With the interest rates so low, I don't think there is anything out there that returns anything near what my rental properties do.   If it weren't for the hassle,  I might look for one or two more.  I had to go over to one of my rentals to see why the furnace didn't work and found that the new faucet handle on the tub was again broken and they were using a pair of water pumps to shut it off.  Not sure how to fix that one until they leave and I can replace the whole fixture. 

Now that I have managed to kill an hour or two, I now feel the urge to move on.  Not sure where, but somewhere.   Have a great day.   I know, I'll go check my lottery tickets.

MUD 


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