jenepel

Ah, February. Thank God. The annoyance and horror and general miserableness that was January has finally passed. (I kid. It wasn't really *quite* that bad.) Anyway, now we have February: Valentines Day, my birthday, and two fabulous concerts! (Panic! At the Disco and My Chemical Romance) Plus B is going away for a week. Yay! And hopefully the weather will get better?

I hate to inflict on you all the general rant about me not using my journal anymore and how do I even catch up, etc, so I'm limiting it to this one sentence, but UGH ME. I suck. (Okay, two sentences!)

I can't even tell you what I did in January. Sat around in my room a lot I think? It was nice after the craziness of Nov/Dec to not have many plans, but it kind of made me a slug. I read a few books (the Hunger Games trilogy! OMG!) and watched almost three whole seasons of ABC Family's Greek. (When she first asked me a about it, silly_cleo thought it was about actual Greek people. Evidently "the Greek system" is not known as a phrase over here. Something I hadn't considered.) I also almost completely caught up on all of my other shows from this year, which is kind of amazing, since I was 9-10 episodes (ie the whole fall/winter half season) behind on some. So, yay TV watching?

Oh and also I went to lots of movies (8!) with silly_cleo and minihannah in a determined bid to make sure we're getting our money's worth on our Cineworld Unlimited Cards. The best of them had to be The King's Speech! If you haven't seen it you're crazy. Go see it. And also Morning Glory, which was ridiculously cute. Cleo and I shelled out real money to see Burlesque on Orange Wednesday b/c we missed it at Cineworld, and it was totally worth that £6. (Which means the full movie price was £12, since O_Wed means 2 for 1. London movies prices, seriously!) I said when we went in that I wanted the movie to be 80% dancing and 20% plot, and it totally did not disappoint. Loved it.

I'm also in the middle of trying to sort out various computer/organisational things out. I got a new macbookpro in December, which may or may not have been a smart move, moneywise. But it is shiny and pretty and has a 500g harddrive just waiting to be filled, so that part is awesome. But I'm kind of using that excuse to transfer and sort all my files, which is...taking a while. Also, I am moving my booklist to Goodreads, after a ridiculous method of site choosing whereby I finally took the Rory route and made some pro/con lists. But, amoung other things, it has an iphone app that reads book barcodes! It's awesome! You can find me here if you want to add me: Jenn. I'm still kind of sorting it all out, but should be up and running better soon.

Work is starting to get busy-ish, which is good. I was so BORED, and it wasn't good for my mood. The tax season, while stressful, is always a lot more fun then sitting around just scanning & filing things. (Or being told by B to go home b/c there isn't enough to do, and thus not getting paid.) Also, still kind of trying to figure out what I'm doing on my own, business wise. I really really need to work on a website, so that's kind of next on my list. I'm hoping this year to do a better job of weighting my holidays to the second half of the year, so that they get timed to the period where I have less work. That way I can feel less guilty about taking the time off! Or something.

This year I had no idea how the contract thing would affect me (ie how little hours B would let me work in Sept/Oct/Nov/Dec) and thus took too much time off early on and ended up losing money. I made less money this year then I have in 4-5 past, which is scary. But, on the bright side, I have just negotiated a 15% raise (going forward from Jan 1st), so hopefully I'll work a bit more in the front half of the year and also earn more, and it will improve. Plus - more of my own clients? We'll see. At the moment I'm trying to decide if I have enough of them to justify moving to the larger tax system that I covet. MUCH more expensive, but infinitely more flexible and accurate and easy to use. Plus, it's what we have at work, so I'm familiar with it. IDK. At the beginning of January/end of December I was miserable at work and saying I needed to quit and it was bad for me, etc. Now that we have work (and he's hired on another girl for secretarial, just for the season) I feel fine. So I don't really know what to do with that.

Anyway, if you know any Americans in London (or elsewhere!) who need their taxes done, send them my way. Tis the season.

Sorry for non-response on recent entries, flist, for I have vanished under a pile of tax returns. Look for me (hopefully) after April 15th when I shall attempt to become sane again. Apparently it has become so bad that I've actually made myself sick. This morning (sorry for the TMI) I felt nauseated the entire ride, and about half-way through actually stumbled off at a random stop and threw up on the platform. (This was pretty much completely mortifying.) Cue worried people (a lady gave me water and a man fetched an attendant) and then sitting in the station room for a half hour while they made sure I was okay. That was good, but what was ill-advised was the cup of tea I drank while there. It sounded so good at the time! And you know how you feel much better right after you throw up? Well, I called my boss, he said okay but when will you be here? so I hopped back on the tube and went on in. I still had about 30 mins to go on the ride, and it was seriously rough feeling.

Half an hour into work I threw up again - goodbye tea and a few crackers that I had managed to get down. By then it was agreed that I could go home despite the deadline, but I admit I am now completely reluctant to get back on the tube. I seriously don't think I can face the hour long ride without throwing up again. I'm drinking Ginger Ale, which Isla nicely got for me, and frankly having a really hard time concentrating on anything tax related, thus this entry. I want to be in my bed, but my bed is so far away!

Speaking of my bed (like that segue?) I had a weird dream last night. It was one of my just hanging out with celebrities as if I know them dreams (for previous examples see Adam Lambert & David Tennant - I'm too lazy to link those properly) and this time it was Kris & Katy Allen. We were at some kind of benefit, although who knows why I would have been there (!) and seated at the same table, just chatting. From what I remember they were really nice and friendly, and we talked almost the whole time about music and what we liked and what his influences were and stuff. I don't know if he was famous in the dream, because I don't remember feeling star struck, but he was definitely a musician. Maybe I was famous too and that was why? :) Even weirder, I actually had another Kris Allen dream just a few days ago. We were at a concert or a show or something and he gave me his seat because I couldn't see over his head. Meet Jenn, the only person shorter than Kris! I don't know where Katy was in that one though.

So yeah, I have a strange brain. And I feel sick. UGH. Plus, to make it worse, I have to meet with one of my freelance clients after work tonight. They were even going to feed me dinner (an older couple, really sweet) but I don't think that part is happening if I still feel like I do now. I can't skip it though, the 15th is only two days away and they owe!

ETA: Just threw up for the third time (this is so embarrassing at work!) and am going home in a taxi. Just gave in, it's not worth it. Not sure what to do about appt tonight though, maybe I can push it until tomorrow and skip bookclub?? That sucks.

This is how today went:

Go into work early
Do a lot of taxes
Come home late(ish)
Work on Sainsbury order with Rach (we may be switching allegiances)
Cook dinner
Eat dinner
Do a lot of taxes

AND NOW IT IS ALMOST 3AM HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?

So no, my 12 of 12 is not getting posted. Nor (sadly) am I getting to watch last week's Dollhouse.

Also, tomorrow (er, today) is April 15th.

Today I have on bright pink tights, which makes me happy. basilm gave them to me randomly the other day. She knows of my love for the bright tight colours on Gossip Girl, and they definitely made me squee! I did trade out my bright red coat for my black one this morning, because although Blair could probably pull that colour combination off, I doubt that I could. Also speaking of Rach, I'm trying very hard to resist the open bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos in my handbag that belongs to her - she made me hide it and then I accidently brought it to work. It's calling to me.

(must not eat her Cheetos...she bought me pink tights...must not eat her Cheetos...she bought me pink tights!)

It's been a busy last couple of days, mostly just because it's finally really properly picked up at work, and the cases are now coming in fast. We've also had tons of client meets this week, as well as a bunch of potential new client phonecalls. My boss is on holiday next week, so we're trying to get through as many as possible before he leaves. I have a feeling it will be crazy here in his absense.

I'm kind of up to my ears in taxes at the moment, because I'm also trying to expand my freelancing. When I was home this weekend (more on that later) I met with a few people to go over tax paperwork. I've been doing a few of my mom's teacher friends freelance for the past few years (and some of my friends who live in various places too) and I think last year I did about ten people, plus my parents and my brother. I don't really have a proper price list, I've just been telling people to give me whatever they want, but I think I need to work on that. I also bought some professional tax software this year (I've been doing them by hand and then using IRS PDFs) since they're getting more complicated and I hope to expand.

So yeah, if you know of any Americans in the UK who need (reasonably simple) tax returns done, send them my way! I only say simple because I don't want to be dealing with things like S-corps and stock options. Rental props, foreign income, tax credits, and all the rest of it are fine. The thing is, I really think this is a niche - all the London companies (like the one I currently work for) start around £500 + VAT. (And in my boss' own words, those are "not the big moneymakers" so that gives you more of an idea of the market.) For a simple return, especially one with just a 1040 and a 2555, that's ridiculous! Things like foreign tax credits aren't that hard if you know what you're doing, but most of the free online filing programs don't support them. There is no H&R block over here, so those low/medium income people need a tax outlet. (This is a common soapbox of mine - apologies.) So I could do it for those lower prices, now I just have to figure out how to spread the word! I really need a website and a new email or something to do this right. Hmmmm.

But I guess I should stop dreaming and get back to my actual job! I have like two other entries brewing, including one with bday pictures, but those will have to wait.

I really should be asleep since I need to be at work early again tomorrow, but I just can't seem to get there. BLAHHHHH!

A Week in the Life

1. Take between 6 and 8 new photographs per day.
2. Your picture days must be consecutive - no skipping days!
3. Post your photographs at the end of that day, some time after the last picture is taken.
4. Your post should be titled “A Week in the Life of [name], Volume [whatever day you're on].”
5. Link back to your earlier entries.

So here's day four: ( Monday )

Previously: Day One, Day Two, Day Three

Look at me, writing about the weekend on a Sunday night - it's all very exciting. Oh, and I suppose also giving an update on the flat situation, which isn't so much resolved as stale-mated, but hopefully heading in the right direction. Shahid and I between us seem to have talked the landlord off the ledge, and we're signing ANOTHER new contract (with Katie on it) that will only be until the beginning of June, as previously planned. Plus, no more mention was made of boilers or cookers, and both seem to now be working fine, thus I think that's best left alone.

So.

( It's possible I'm slightly too old for all this. )

Nice weekend overall. Makes up for the complete and utter crapiness of the week that just passed. Here's hoping the two days of work I have this week are VERY productive, so I don't feel too bad about going away and leaving my boss in the lurch less than a week before the (2nd) biggest tax deadline of the year! Ah, sweet guilt. But I'm going anyways.

p.s. New icon! Drinking!Jenny from Gossip Girl. So pretty.

p.p.s. basilm wrote HG (HP) fic! Read it HERE.

Well this is better than yesterday.  I came home from work today and did major cleaning of both flat and room as well as changing my sheets as well as a load of laundry.  Felt very accomplished.  (Oh, how little it takes.)  Plus at work he is starting to train me on the new computer programme, which I very much like.  A little less organising people's files and scanning things in so we go digital, a little more actual TAX WORK.  That is good.

Also, on the visa sitch (not mine, and yet still I get daily updates):  C got hers and should pick it up tomorrow, J's is still out there in hiatus-land.  Not sure what's up with that.  So they want her to go early, which she is not happy about.  Add to that the possible idea that maybe (just a little maybe) his won't come through at all, and then what do they do?  She teaches a week or two and then has to turn around and come home.  Not to mention the money they have put forth for hotel and food that the school is supposed to pay them back.  It's a whole new level of scary.  I do believe they have been doing an awful lot of praying.

So either way, they dropped their luggage off at mine at 9:30 tonight (thus the rapid clean) and will come to stay from tomorrow night onwards.  It will be interesting if she goes and he has to keep waiting - will he stay here?  get a hotel?  I don't even know.  And it's not like I don't know him, but she's my childhood friend, he's just her husband.  So it has the potential to be slightly weird.

In other news?  I might have to move again.  But more on that later as I have more info...

The Virtual Season is starting up again tomorrow too, so that's exciting.  K & A and I did a chat tonight and along with a crash course of reminder HTML, I'm feeling good.  It's nice for things to be happening again.