Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Tuesday Bullets

I have actually been having lots of thoughts about more meaningful posts. But there's no time! Bullets it's going to have to be.

- Yesterday I went back to Dream Uni City for an exam. Then my colleagues took me out for a goodbye-thanks-for-everything lunch, and I had a drink with lunch, which is a very rare pleasure. Then I met a student who wanted me to look over something she's submitting for a scholarship. Bye, Uni City...

- After that, I got on the bus to come back to Home City for my ballet class. The bus had just gotten out of Uni City when the actually quite terrifyingly hard rain started...and the driver-side windshield wiper broke into pieces! It was all a little unsettling. The bus driver had to pull over onto the gravel shoulder of the highway, in the insanely pelting wind and rain - he really could see nothing. And then turn around and go back into the city for a new wiper. I admit to being a bit nervous on that drive.

- I just made two important phone calls that I've been procrastinating on for WEEKS - for no reason. And I feel like an idiot now, because had I made these two under-two-minute calls weeks ago, things wouldn't feel so crazy now. Jesus. Why do I do this?

One was to my old accountant - I cannot find my tax return from last year (oui, I really am an idiot), and needed to know my RRSP contribution limit ASAP so I could fill out my own return this year. They're just, you know, emailing it to me. I was caught up in worry that they would think I was an asshole for not going to her this year, that I just avoided this for weeks. What is wrong with me? Now I have to complete the return with the deadline looming, and all this grading to do. Sigh.

The other call was to a driving school. Some of you may recall that I'm a new driver - and though I had opportunities to drive last year on various long trips I went on, I haven't actually been behind the wheel since early September. I need to get the final part of my license (where I live, licensing happens in stages) and I need to learn how to do a couple of things I have never done...chiefly drive on the highway in the city. Merging in the city TERRIFIES me - oh, the very thought!! Why did I wait on this, too? I basically have about two months to get completely up to speed with all aspects - I should have gotten on this much before now. (I want to be entirely comfy before I go to Scary City so that I can have frequent rental car escapes.) Anyway, I have a lesson on Thursday, and suspect I will have them frequently over the next couple of months.

Anyway, this is a dubiously long bullet. All to say - stop procrastinating, bad self, when things are so freaking easy!!!

- Faux-GF is here in Home City! We are spending the day and night together, and she is staying with me. It is gorgeous and sunny, and I can't think of a happier way to spend such a day! I haven't seen her since the end of December. I am so excited.

- However. I have so much grading to do, overall, and so little time. The exams, of course. Worse - much, much worse - a good fifth of the final papers from my Dream Uni courses still aren't in. Because I've been so lenient with extensions. They're all going to flow in by the end of the week. I have to submit my marks on Sunday. NO more of this in the future, Hilaire. It. must. stop!!!

Anyway, off I go to call Faux-GF to make plans for how we'll spend our beautiful day!

3 comments:

Pantagruelle said...

FYI on taxes and RRSPs: you don't need to know your RRSP contribution limit in order to do your taxes right. The govt keeps track of it for you. I started using UFile.ca back in 2002 (it is a godsend and so easy!), but back then I didn't add my RRSP limit (which was about 6K at the time) into the software, so the software made up a RRSP contribution limit based solely on my data from that year (about 1K). On my Tax Assessment, that I got back from the govt though, they recorded the correct amount. I never noticed or bothered to record my correct RRSP contribution limit to the online software for any of the subsequent years until this year, so I've been consistently sending in the wrong contribution limit through the software and the govt has been consistently sending me back the correct contribution limit in my assessment. I finally corrected it in this year's return (which is the first year I really bothered much with how much I actually was contributing to my RRSP), but theoretically I could have gone on for many more years entering the wrong amount and then gettting back my assessement report from the feds with the correct amount.

I don't though that you can get away with submitting wrong amounts anywhere else on the tax form though! :-)

medieval woman said...

Hee, hee - the Dutchman just mailed in our paltry taxes today - new system = new headaches!

I'm glad you and Faux-GF can hang out - have a lovely time!!

Hilaire said...

Pantagruelle, yes! This is exactly what I decided to do in the end...to just write in a random number that is somewhere in the ballpark of what my limit is, if I remember correctly. I figured, today after headaches and still not being able to find this information (of COURSE it was the assessment I needed, not the return) that I just had to make it up and know that they will correct it. Thank you for confirming with me that this will work!!