Day 3056

I've been thinking that it would be a good idea to start taking money out of my retirement account when I turn 70. I called my bank and my broker today to find out exactly how to do this, and as you might expect, it was more complicated than I had imagined. What I wanted to do apparently isn't possible, so now I've got to come up with a Plan B. I also learned that I am required to start taking money out of my IRA before the end of the year whether I want to or not. When I asked why, I was told that the government doesn't want you to die before they are able to tax your retirement savings. Heaven forbid that you might pass it on to your heirs as an inheritance and they wouldn't be able to tax it at all. Needless to say, I hate dealing with banks. Every year there seem to be more rules and regulations that benefit the bank more than they benefit me.

I've been fighting the urge to buy things I don't need. I think the model trains taught me a lesson. When I get the urge to buy something these days, I make myself answer a few questions. Do I really need this? Am I planning to use this within the next six months? Do I already have something exactly like this? So far, this discipline is working. I've had my eye on a couple of cameras and a really cool portable multi-track recorder, but I haven't bought anything. Other than a few odds and ends, I haven't bought anything this year.

I wish it were easier to keep the business going. Life would be simpler for me if I didn't have to think about retirement and I could keep writing off cameras as a business expense indefinitely. The only way I can think of to keep the business going without going to meetings and dealing with people would be to dramatically increase my earnings from stock photography. I would need to upload thousands and thousands of pictures and get them all accepted to make this happen. A daunting task to say the least. Nobody buys pictures of flowers and birds either. The few photos that do sell well in my stock photo catalog all tend to be traditional studio shots involving models and photo assistants. The holy grail of a passive income that requires no real effort on my part remains as illusive as ever.

I think I'm going to have to find a new landscaper. I've called the guy four times and he still hasn't returned my calls. I hate to start over. This guy was very affordable and did a good job. He also knew exactly what I needed because he's been replacing the grass in my backyard every Spring for quite a while now. Why do things have to keep changing? Once you find a really good plumber, insurance agent, or landscaper, you ought to be able to keep them for the rest of your life.

It looks like I'm going to have to add banking problems to the leaking roof, the grass in the backyard, the aging kitchen appliances, and other unresolved issues. At least Dash is still eating well and the train collection is gone.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1584

I feel like I'm locked in my own personal Ground Hog Day. I've been trying to resolve a website problem for almost two weeks now. I call technical support every morning and talk a cheerful person who seems to understand my problem. He, or she, always says the problem seems easy enough to resolve, but that it will need to be escalated to the next level of support, because they don't have access to the information I need. The next day I get an e-mail saying that my problem has been solved and my ticket has been closed. I then go to the website in question and discover that nothing has changed at all. The problem has definitely not been resolved. I then call tech support again and explain the situation to another friendly person. They apologize for the mix up, telling me that they have reopened my service ticket and that the problem will be resolved properly this time. The next day I get another e-mail saying that my problem has been solved and my ticket has been closed again. Once again, nothing has changed. This has been going on for weeks.

I'm trying to solve a different type of problem with another client and have contacted a developer who supposedly knows all the answers. Today, he sent me detailed instruction, telling me exactly what to do to make the changes my client requested. So far, so good. At the very bottom of the letter was a final paragraph telling me not to do anything to the website during business hours and to be sure to back everything up before I attempt to make any changes. The developer concludes by telling me that if I follow his instructions exactly, I still might crash the entire site. WTF? I was hoping that thy guy would give me an answer, not a roulette wheel.

I went to my hepatologist for another blood test this afternoon. From now on out, these periodic tests are somewhat of a formality. By all indications, the treatment has already worked. These guys are just playing it safe. I will continue to get bi-weekly blood tests until June, and then probably once a year thereafter. One thing I have learned during Dash's cancer treatment and my own Hepatitis-C treatment is that doctors tend to take the amount of medication necessary to resolve a serious problem and then double it, just to make sure. This is especially true with cancer, since there is no definitive way to prove that the cancer will never return.

Maybe I'll have time to get the lawn mower battery replaced tomorrow. I can't put this off too much longer, since the grass is still growing. Dash has another radiation treatment in the morning and I have an appointment with an egg at my favorite restaurant. I hope I can get some of these ongoing website problems resolved soon. It's way too late in the year for Ground Hog Day.

Bella is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1486

It was a long day. The weather was damp and foggy, and as I worked, it seemed like the fog was creeping indoors as well. Everything was a foggy, unresolved issue today. There were websites that kept changing before I could finish the previous changes. There were budgets that couldn't be resolved. There were lots of things that made me wish I'd never gotten out of bed, but of course that was never really an option.

At least the dogs didn't need their winter coats today. They seem to hate wearing their coats, even though they get cold without them. I can relate. I hate writing sometimes, even though I know I'll go broke if I quit. Without their protective coats, the dogs got even dirtier than they did yesterday. That's what towels are for though. I did a lot of laundry today as well.

I though I'd be writing most of the day, but there were so many unresolved issues that I went to the gym instead. I cut my workout a bit short so I could make it to a 6 PM client meeting. The meeting ended up getting canceled, because not enough people could make it. I have a feeling that a lot of people had a foggy, unresolved day today. Even the people at the gym seemed to have lost their focus. A woman on a treadmill next to me was moving so slow that I wondered why she even bothered. I did make an effort to burn off some calories, but I didn't have time to shoot hoops on the basketball court, so maybe I shouldn't have bothered either. Shooting baskets is the only part of my workout that is any fun.

I saw my neighbor's car in the driveway on the way home, so I knocked on her door to ask about the tree on my roof. Nobody answered the door. I don't know why the car was in the driveway if nobody was home. She should have been home. Sadly, I know nothing about my neighbors. I know some of you guys better.

I hope it quits raining tomorrow. If if doesn't, I've got a tough choice to make. Do I go out in the rain and get my car muddy, just so I can have poached eggs and pulled pork? Or do I stay home and eat oatmeal in a warm house while watching Dr. Who re-runs?  As I said, it's a tough choice.

Mack is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day