Sorry to keep posting about BASTARD national organisations, but I really have to vent somewhere. Feel free to skip to the happy-go-lucky post below about our holiday snaps from France last year rather than this lengthy diatribe…

So we got a decent tax refund this year two days ago. Unfortunately today we received a bill from the auditors for more than that amount for the year before. We went to H & R block- a national tax preparation franchise where we go and pay over the odds for tax stuff specifically to avoid all this crap. Last year I’d done a few web design projects so it wasn’t a straightforward joint filing for both our jobs but a fully-fledged small business affair. We spent over an hour itemising purchases like cameras, motherboards, software, scanners, even petrol and travel expenses to file. At the end of it we still had to pay a grand or so to keep the US in missiles and border patrols. Anyway. Today’s letter says we didn’t declare our earnings for the business. So after unearthing our documents from last year from the bowels of the garage we went over the forms we sent in through H&R and there is no record whatsoever of all this stuff we did. Even the W2s aren’t there. So we might end up having to pay $1300 dollars extra (which we can ill afford) unless Watsonville office can find all our stuff that they lost.

I’m extremely pissed off with all this. They’d better ring us up with news that they’re sorry, they’ve found all the forms they never sent, they’ll pay whatever they need to because of their gross incompetence. I’m a bit doubtful though, because we have no evidence whatsoever that we went through all this last March. It seems like the woman who prepared our forms doesn’t even work there anymore, and we don’t have her name because she put Richard someone or other on the forms. Arrgghhh. Repito, Arrgghhh.

Thanks for bearing with me… have a link to CuteOverload for fluffy animals as an antidote to the venom contained herein…

THANK YOU!, T. for sending us all those photos. Hard copies and CD no less. I noticed that some of them were panoramas and took it as a chance to stitch them together and turn into a virtual tour of Provence. Here’s the panorama page it might take a minute or two on dial up and I’m not sure how many platforms it’ll work on but it’s the first of a few I’m putting together. It’s from when we stopped at a picturesque little village with views of the whole region spanning out and around… Gorgeous. There’s a lot to be said for getting your photos back 7 months later not having seen them during downloading, editing, uploading, blogging etc. They really jog your memory. Other highlights of the trip were Provencale markets, wine tasting, wandering and the Med. coast:

All T’s photos of Geneva and France 2005 are available for perusal here…

A bit transportationally challenged this morning, so i sorted out Martin’s computer, tried some space saving techniques in the packing in the garage, showered Atticus with attention and filled in some forms ready to send to the American government. Also tried to watch Planet Earth during breakfast but had to turn it off. Watching cave worms spew silk threads to hunt cockroaches doesn’t go well with sourdough toast and butter…

So we planned to spend the afternoon chez the immigration help desk, but it’s closed on monday. However Sita dig some googling and we reckon I’m as legal as they come and just have to file some expensive paperwork and the US will no longer have to feel threatened by my presence… I might even be allowed to leave the states next monday as planned. Here’s hoping… Other fun this afternoon involves filing my taxes round H&R’s offices. Something that never fails to calm me down and cheer me up. Ay, Mexico… tan lejos de dios pero tan cerca de mi corazon…

The I cleaned up 6 months of the bunnies Augean mess this morning. Hammered the bits of the run together that had fallen off during the Los Angelean winter. We have a laugh…. lulu, klem and me…

Can’t believe how computer prices have fallen in the last 6 months… I’m going to splash out on an external 100 gb min. hard drive, blank DVDs and some other bits and pieces once I get the chance. That’s after I’ve paid my bloody taxes again. Anyone in Mexico need anything? Para ti, precio especial, amigo, bien barato… Cheers!

Well, we’re here but there’s going to be some form filling/ cheque writing/ queueing fun before the week’s out. They were not happy at LAX last night. and 1:30 am is not the time to be dealing with petty-minded bureaucrats who want to take your green card off you. Luckily Sally and Martin were waiting for us at the airport with their calming influence and Atticus was extremely excited to see us again after his bath earlier that day… Guadalajara airport is a modern affair, a bit like Bristol airport, with friendly staff, expensive but nice locales, ample parking. The taxi driver was great, he recognised us from a previous trip and we talked about politics, universities and sci-fi films. Even though I’d dressed up smart and smiled tons at the check in, no upgrade to 1st class for us. Looks like Sita has to travel alone for that kind of treatment… anyway Mexicana was a nice airline, good food, free full bar, minimal voiceovers about safety etc. and I listened to a goodly few podcasts on the way. Anyway then we arrive in LAX and you can actually feel the karma levels dropping to sub-zero levels around you as you head for the control checks… Whereupon Sita nearly went postal extremely pissed off as they wouldn’t let her talk to the git in control who was examining my case. Eeh well, shall chill out a bit today and take the week as it comes. M & S have done a fine job on the house, I’m not sure there’s much more left to do to be honest. Very impressive all round. Shall have to go and check on the bunnies and see if they’re as happy as Atticus was. Cheers