The Update for Everybody Else

[free my dawg]

I'm ripsh**t and I need the biggest ****ing bottle of Captain Morgan that they have to get over it.

Essentially, I have a little over six weeks to get in a few more financial aid forms (apparently I got randomly selected for verification) so I can get an estimate of how much they will pay me. Then I have to get student loans. FAFSA is done, I just did all the things I need for verification, and all they need is a tax return transcript from my dad. Problem is, Papa Sawx was supposed to have that done two Fridays ago, and it's going to be done around late this week.

Another big problem is, Papa Sawx doesn't take constructive criticism well at all. I go down, remind him of the deadline, and tell him that's it's very urgent. He just goes off and says something to the effect of "It's not my fault, it's the accountant's." (he never told her that I have six weeks) I just tell him that it's absolutely his fault because he never told our accountant to hurry up and that it's urgent. So then, he starts getting angry, and after that, I go from "you need to get this done because I had eight weeks and you pissed away two" to your average Gordon Ramsay tantrum. Cue both of our descents into screaming and insults, and his descent into lies.

After this goes on for about ten more minutes, he then threatens not to do the tax return essentially to spite me. His supposed reasoning was that I "wasn't giving him the quiet to do the form", and after all of it he tried to essentially say he was in the right because "it was an attempt to control the siuation because you were out of control."

I don't know, maybe all of this is why I don't want to go to college in-state, you narcissistic sack of sh**t?

[Torie]

I don't even know what I said to her, Sanchez.

I've already forgotten. I just hope I didn't tell her about Bushie.

The quality of your recollection, makes you a perfect candidate for the Obama cabinet, or a high position in the IRS. And what difference does it make?  It's over now.

I am taking a lot of tax law classes, and I think I am going to pursue an LLM, so a position at the IRS in the future may not be out of the question. It's the perfect place

What is the difference between realization of a capital gain, and a recognition of one, counsel?

You do know that being a tax lawyer is the most demanding specialty when it comes to raw intellectual power and ability to deal with the Byzantine and complex, and also requires an almost absolute mastery of economic theory to really master the game don't you?  I have spent hours, and hours, at a time, brooding about a complex tax problem, and then -  as my egomaniacial side waned a bit, and I became more clearly aware of my own relative ignorance - I would seek out other expert advice, and sometimes still not be reasonably confident that I knew just where the prudent groove  to move down lay, with considerable sums at stake, sometimes millions of dollars.

And so much is about judgment calls, because in the end capital gains and ordinary income are identical concepts economically for example, so where one ends, and the other begins, has to rely on convention, and convention can never keep up with modern finance, and the ever new and novel deal structures, which mine the grey areas of the code, because they go where no man has yet gone before in creative slicing and dicing of the pie in a contract deal, sluffing risk here, hedging there, assuming it over there, and having just the right affiliate, or lack thereof, relationship (itself a term of art) with this party or that.

You are a brave man Dukey. But I am not sure that you have the temperament for it. You are a people person, and brooding about convoluted texts, packed with terms of art, requiring a lot of peripheral vision in other disciplines, is the life of the lonely long distance runner in the end - an almost obsessive loner. It is just you and the texts, doing something that if you chatted about a cocktail party, folks would never invite you to another one, because you would be a terminal bore. The very best though become fabulously rich. The worst rely on their malpractice policies to keep from becoming bag people.

[free my dawg]

And now I'm sick because nobody in this house knows how to cover their  mouth when they're coughing or sneezing.  my life.

[opebo]

...a terminal bore.

[Torie]

...a terminal bore.

Thank you. I am pleased that you derived some meaning (and pleasure) from what otherwise might as well to you be the chatter of some space alien speaking in its native tongue.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

I've heard just what you described, which is why I'm not entirely sure I am going to go for it yet. But I've enjoyed the tax classes I have taken so far, mainly because they were more to the point, and I didn't have to come up with creative arguments for the exam compared to other classes.

I am still feeling around though. I am fairly certain I do not want to do criminal defense or anything like that. A judge friend told me unless I wanted to be in the courtroom all the time, I should avoid it.

[free my dawg]

Sickness update: I just did a self-exam for strep to see if there's white spots or anything. I found one so I asked my mom to double check. I have a horrible gag reflex already and have an even worse one when I'm sick, so around the second time, I wound up puking in my mom's iced tea and on the floor.

It was awful.

[opebo]

...a terminal bore.

Thank you. I am pleased that you derived some meaning (and pleasure) from what otherwise might as well to you be the chatter of some space alien speaking in its native tongue.

Please don't take offense - I don't find you a bore at all.  Just couldn't resist the cheap shot.  And I do understand what you're talking about in your post - just because that type of interest isn't my personal taste doesn't mean I can't 'get' the appeal for others.

[Dave from Michigan]

the fire station in my city caught fire early Sunday morning causing substantial damage and destroyed a fire truck.  The fire station was not completely destroyed but may have structural damage. Although they did save the other two fire trucks that was in the station. Apparently it was the fire truck it's self that caught fire. I'm going to ride my bike by the station tomorrow and check it out, it is less than a mile away.

[Lambsbread]

the fire station in my city caught fire early Sunday morning causing substantial damage and destroyed a fire truck.  The fire station was not completely destroyed but may have structural damage. Although they did save the other two fire trucks that was in the station. Apparently it was the fire truck it's self that caught fire. I'm going to ride my bike by the station tomorrow and check it out, it is less than a mile away.

Oh the irony it burns my flesh

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

My uncle came through. They called me back for an interview!

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

My uncle came through. They called me back for an interview!

WooHOOO, Dukey the Mob Lawyer.......you'll need an update thread of your own!

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

My uncle came through. They called me back for an interview!

WooHOOO, Dukey the Mob Lawyer.......you'll need an update thread of your own!

The interview is tomorrow at 2! Thank goodness too. I'm not an early morning person.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

My uncle came through. They called me back for an interview!

WooHOOO, Dukey the Mob Lawyer.......you'll need an update thread of your own!

The interview is tomorrow at 2! Thank goodness too. I'm not an early morning person.

Wear your nicest suit, Dukey.  Look mobish.

[anvi]

I'm beginning to get excited about my immanent trip, so I'm bragging about it everywhere now.  On June 21st, I'm leaving for East Asia for three weeks, and several stops will be first-time visits.  Most of it will be to different places in China.  I'll go to a conference being hosted at a temple at Mian Mountain in Shanxi province, where I've never been, to give a paper first.  Then it's off to Xi'an for the first time to give a lecture at a university there and do some sightseeing.  Then I fly to Hong Kong to visit some friends.  The last stop will be Singapore, again for the first time, to give another paper.  I hate flying, and the trip there from Atlantic Canada and especially the flight back will be torture, so up to now, I've been dreading it a little.  But now I'm starting to look forward to it.  My supervision of the FC Chess tournament might be a little spotty during the days before I get to Hong Kong, but I'll look in on it when I can.

[Torie]

Your priorities in going to Asia are clearly different than mine, anvi. But have a good trip. Different strokes for different folks and all that. We are both savoring "the culture" in our own personal little ways.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Have a great and safe trip, anvi.  Enjoy!

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

I was talking to the girl I like (Liz) again last night about college.  Since I'm likely moving to the state she's attending college at, I wanted to know what things are like where she goes.  She said she was at a concert and that we could talk about it later.  I said, "okay."

Almost 24 hours later; no new messages.

Gulp.

Patience. Every reason you think is causing the delay is wrong. It's something completely innocent and normal. Fear not, puissant paladin.

That's what I'm hoping.  What I don't know is how long I should wait before messaging her again.  I don't want to come across as an obsessed stalker.

Don't get antsy.  Let her text you.

I'm with Hokey.  If necessary wait until tomorrow and ask her how her weekend went. All is well, just be patient.   Nothing bad can happen by being patient.  Bad things happen when you're not. Been there, done that.

So, Good Governor Scott.......what happened.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

I've got dyshidrotic eczema. Fortunately, it appears to be a fairly mild case.

[anvi]

Sorry to hear that, Nathan.  I hope available treatments keep it mild.

Thanks Torie and Grumps.  And Torie, the kinds of priorities you refer to are not exactly lacking in my case, I just have to work them into a schedule.    But I used to be a lot freer for that kind of thing than I happen to be at the moment. 

[opebo]

Your priorities in going to Asia are clearly different than mine, anvi. But have a good trip. Different strokes for different folks and all that. We are both savoring "the culture" in our own personal little ways.

Something tells me Anvee won't get much Asian culture at all on a trip like that.  You and I I'm sure have FAR more contact with the people.

[Torie]

Don't do liberal arts. They're all useless degrees.

Isn't liberal arts what one does before law school?

Yes, Dukey is missing the forest through the trees on this one. The best lawyers are well grounded in the liberal arts, and economics for that matter. It is what gives them peripheral vision as it were, not to mention skill at the use of logic and writing skills, and vocabulary and all of that good stuff, which is how we earn our keep.

[traininthedistance]

They've done actual studies that indicate humanities majors are better off than people who go into "business" or "communications" or any somesuch "marketable" BS field for undergrad.  I'm sure a lot of that is the fact that a degree in something like philosophy or history is legitimately good prep for law school.

Though, I was an English major and have not exactly done very well for myself in the job world.  This is what happens when you spend your entire undergrad career expecting to go the PhD route and then realizing a year after graduation that, no, that's a horrible idea. 

[traininthedistance]

And, of course, Cal Tony is 1000 percent right that it's pretty disgusting that people would pooh-pooh the humanities (i.e. that which makes us human) just because they don't pay the big buxx.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Don't do liberal arts. They're all useless degrees.

Isn't liberal arts what one does before law school?

Yes, Dukey is missing the forest through the trees on this one. The best lawyers are well grounded in the liberal arts, and economics for that matter. It is what gives them peripheral vision as it were, not to mention skill at the use of logic and writing skills, and vocabulary and all of that good stuff, which is how we earn our keep.

Well, if he's looking to go to law school, liberal arts is fine. I did a double major in economics and political science. But I'd never recommend a liberal arts degree to someone who had no interest in law or something similar. A political science degree is almost useless on its own.