Good thing I didn't wait

I've been looking back over the year, as one tends to do at the end of the year. It has been almost one year since I put in for my tax refund and 1st time home buyer's rebate. The IRS turned me down, stating that because my last name and Dan's are the same, I am not eligible for the credit. You cannot buy from an ancestor or descendant - specifically defined as grandparent, parent, child or grandchild.

Call me crazy, but that leaves a lot of relationships out that still allow for the same last name. Perhaps the IRS is confused by my father's name Daniel D., Jr. and my brother's name Daniel D., III.

I wrote that I am contesting the decision because 1) Dan was my brother and therefore not in their "grandparent, parent, child, grandchild" parameter. 2) I bought the house from the estate and neither the executor nor the estate lawyer are related to me in any way. 3) It was bought out of foreclosure through the estate and as far as I know, no one at the bank is related to me.

So now I am awaiting another decision.

If  had waited on the IRS, I would not have my Kindle yet! That would be dire! I have been enjoying my Kindle so much; I can't even begin to imagine not having it! Knitting vies for my attention and often as not, loses.

I am two weeks out of a total knee replacement (thanks to insurance changes, I had it done of Dec. 9 instead of waiting for April). My Kindle kept me occupied during the hospital time when I was in bed but not sleeping. It was also a wonderful conversation ice breaker any time I was waiting in "public."

I've been reading a lot of "trash." Nothing too taxing on my brain while my brain is on drugs. The Kindle is the best gift I've ever given to myself! It would have been worth the wait, without a doubt, if I had indeed waited. I'm just so glad I didn't.

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Kindle vs. Dead Tree Books

I love my Kindle. His name is Vishous. I am faithful to my man V. I am in love with his technology.

There are people out there who try to lure me back to the world of Dead Tree Books (DTBs) for various reasons:

I'm reading a series and I'm offered a DTB because the friend has it. I won't have to buy the book; I can save myself that expense.

I might not like the book; try it first. So what if I can sample on Kindle?

Wouldn't I like the feel of the book in my hands? (Not to mention adding weight and taking up space in my purse.)

What they don't understand is this: There is a reasons I bought the Kindle. Aside from no longer dealing with bulk, storage and clutter, I love the feel of Vishous. I love the way my book is delivered to me and then V gets out of my way. Pages turn with the push of a button. It takes less time and my hand doesn't get in the way like it does with paper.

So now when friends offer DTBs -- mostly paperbacks, this is how it goes:

Friend: I can let you read the paperback.

Me:(puzzled look)

Friend: You can borrow my paperback!

Me: You have paper on your back? What?

Friend: Don't give me that! Here! (hands me the DTB)

(I dig around on the top for the "on" switch. I press the sides of the book)

Me: This thing isn't working!

Vishous is my honey. He hoards my library and only allows me access. V is faithful to me and I am faithful to V!

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Deadline set; bribery accepted

Order on the 27th. By then I will know if I fulfill the bribe requirement.

If I retain at lease $XXX in my checking account by the 27th with no large outstanding payments to before the 31st, I will order my Kindle. No more delays. I absolutely must have the money in the account or it's a no-go.

I went to the IRS again and there are several ways this can go -- all acceptable. I needed to hear that there are possibilities and that all is not lost, just because I'm an idiot and forgot the HUD-1 form.

I have my accessories all selected -- 2 year extended warranty is at the top of the list.

I have plans to put a dent in my wish list!

Just 12 more days of fiscal restraint and the Kindle is MINE!

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Local IRS -- Awesome

Federal Kansas City -- not so much.

I went to the local tax office to try and straighten out an error I made on my return. I am a first-time home buyer, so I had to file by mail. An automatic 6 weeks wait for a refund. I made a couple mistakes and a) had the wrong amount of the purchase price (well, there were three date and three amounts to choose from!) and b) I didn't mail the HUD-1 form with the return.

The local office has one woman there from 9AM - 3PM on Thursdays minus 12:30 - 1:30 for lunch. There are no plans to extend the hours of give her help, I guess. So this poor, lone woman has to brave confused and, I would guess, sometime angry taxpayers. Luckily there is someone else in the office but not waiting on customers.

This woman looked up information for me, checking to see where my paperwork is so maybe I can send the corrected forms directly to the proper people in Kansas City.

It seems that Kansas City is always going to be the bane of my existence. Anyway, the clerk found out that they didn't even start to process -- ie. shuffle around -- the forms to the proper committee -- this is a committee deal here -- until Feb. 15. To be accurate, since Feb. 15 was a holiday, this process didn't start until the 16th. There is no telling how long it will take them to realize they have to send me a letter saying they need my HUD-1. I can tell you from looking on their website it takes at least a week to open envelopes and place them in baskets since they haven't acknowledged receipt of my other forms yet.

The nice local lady gave me some more bad news. Apparently the IRS informed the "public" -- I missed the announcement -- that it would take an additional 2 - 3 weeks to process the first-time home buyer's forms.

But the woman at the local office said if I cam back in a month she would check to see if it was in the system.

Possibly another month before it gets in the system? Crikey!

I want my Kindle, dammit!

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C'mon IRS; I want my Kindle!!!

I started looking at e-readers when a friend of mine wrote an article about Sony's. What a concept -- reading books on a hand-held device; not having to go to the bookstore and not having to find a place for the books before or when you're done reading. Best of all -- not having to remember when AAUW is taking book and when they are not!

Then I saw the Kindle. Ooooh, ahhhhh, ohhhhh! I fell in love. Kindle 1 was out. e-ink and not back-lit were the attractions. I'm having eye strain problems and the Kindle won't aggravate that. It looks great, there are no hard copies to deal with, it holds lots of books, and Amazon is the supplier of the device and the books. What could be better?

Problem -- I like going to bookstores and browsing. Solution -- I still can. Not every book is available and not every book is suitable. Knitting books will still be purchased. If I see a book in a store that is available, I can d/l it on the Kindle.

I was able to get my hands on a Kindle 2 recently. I was also able to get my hands on a Nook. iPad has just come out and are marketing themselves as Kindle's successor. Sony is out of the running because it doesn't have and doesn't seem to be getting the rights to the books.

Kindle feels great. I think the DX is a little large for me but it has its attractions. It knocked Nook out of the running immediately. Kindle is easier to navigate with a lighter touch. It also feels better; the weight is better and the whole design just feels right.

The Nook is more difficult to navigate. The buttons aren't as responsive; there is an area at the bottom of the screen for a touch pad keyboard. Sorry, I want the keys. If the keyboard isn't showing there is a banner with the book covers -- not something I am interested in and a possible distraction.

iPad is simply an iPhone without the phone or camera. Backlit -- Big Problem. Too many apps; too much laptop; too big; too much.

So now that I've decided on the Kindle and I know my tax refund will be going for that, what do I do? Screw up my paperwork!

A month later I am still waiting for the IRS to send a letter saying they need more information. I had to mail the thing because I am a 1st time home buyer; that was bad enough. Then I forgot to attach the HUD-1 form. Now I wait.

C'mon IRS! I WANT MY KINDLE!!

Baby - come to mama.

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