Useless Conversation

[tazelbain]

I hope you like your zones green.

[Engels]

Ya, grats! But, uhm, what's a Foreign Service Officer do nowadays? If its servicing foreigners, score dude!

[Strazos]

Ya, grats! But, uhm, what's a Foreign Service Officer do nowadays? If its servicing foreigners, score dude!

Depends on your career track, but whichever you pick, you end up servicing all sorts of people.

[Oban]

I hope you scored really high, because Iraq still has a few decades to go before it is safe for Americans.

[SnakeCharmer]

Depends on your career track, but whichever you pick, you end up servicing all sorts of people.

So you're a government hooker?  Ding gratz!

[IainC]

I hope you scored really high, because Iraq quite a lot of the world still has a few decades to go before it is safe for Americans.

[Yegolev]

I found out that Alton Brown's daughter goes to the same school that my son does.  I found this out via rumoring amongst the women while setting up the food festival for International Day and one of them said they didn't see anything sent in by Alton's daughter.  Not sure what to think about that.

[Signe]

Board of Examiners for the Foreign Service
Washington, DC 20522

February 2009
(Strazos)
(wherever he lives)
Dear (Strazos) ,

Congratulations! Based on a comprehensive review of your candidate file, you have been selected to participate in the next step of the Foreign Service Officer
selection process, the Oral Assessment.

(blah blah details)

OMG....I think my pulse just jumped like 50 bpm. I can has real career?

Hey!  Grats! 

[bhodi]

I used to work for DoS, so I knew several people who took that route. It's a great one, if you can get past the first two(?) years where you don't get to select your placement. Any way you look at it, though, it's a wonderful experience. Congratulations!

[Sky]

I get to be extra careful i standing water, because if I have to ford anything above, oh, lets say 3 inches or so, I have to do it quickly or risk flooding my exhaust. I cannot imagine it'd be any fun.

From the same series as that 

[Yegolev]

You need a new grief title.

[Oban]

I see he likes mudkips.

[Signe]

So, this year I've decided to give up doing our taxes and let someone else do it for a change.  Especially since Righ has been doing a bit of contracting from home and I don't want the bother anymore.  We have a local tax of 1%.  Righ's company accountant has been using the wrong area's tax for three years and I didn't realise it.  D'oh!  She's been using 2.5%.  Now, for the first time in ages, everyone has to give us money back instead of us paying! Well, except for the accountant - we have to pay her.  Our new accountant has found all sorts of things I didn't know about to deduct, too, which more than covers her fee with lots and lots left over.  Not enough for a fancy sports car but maybe a cheap diamond tiara to wear when I absolutely HAVE to go grocery shopping.  Diamond tiara and a shopping cart will make me even more dangerous!  There is nothing like looking down your nose at some horrible old slapper who was shouting on her mobile phone just before you ran her over! 

[Sky]

You need a new grief title.

lol wut


Ooh..better "puddle" pic:

PS: I call my FJ Susan, not George 

[Signe]

I know you love your car, Sky, but damn those things are ugly!  I understand, though.  You can't help who you love! 



Yes, if it was my cat I would love it!  If that was my hand though, I have it removed.

[Sky]

What's with the gunky nails?

How did you guys go about finding your tax person? Most people I know either do theirs or use H&R Block. I could probably figure out most of it on my own, I've always done mine, but this year with the new house and all the crazy tax laws getting shuffled for new home buyers...I need someone good, though I shiver at the cost.

[JWIV]

What's with the gunky nails?

How did you guys go about finding your tax person? Most people I know either do theirs or use H&R Block. I could probably figure out most of it on my own, I've always done mine, but this year with the new house and all the crazy tax laws getting shuffled for new home buyers...I need someone good, though I shiver at the cost.

Mine is a former coworker who bought into a tax business and eventually took it over.  She's been doing mine for close to a decade now.

[Merusk]

TurboTax.com

Or for this year TaxCut, since it was $20 cheaper and had free e-filling while Intuit was still charging $20 for it. 

As a tangent: I decided that after having one or more caffinated beverages every day since I was 16 it was time to quit the stuff.  I did so Saturday before last (the 6th) and have had a massive fucking headache that starts at about noon for the last 4 days.  Fucking drugs.

[HaemishM]

Being approved for Foreign Service

Good on you!

[Cyrrex]

Board of Examiners for the Foreign Service
Washington, DC 20522

February 2009
(Strazos)
(wherever he lives)
Dear (Strazos) ,

Congratulations! Based on a comprehensive review of your candidate file, you have been selected to participate in the next step of the Foreign Service Officer
selection process, the Oral Assessment.

(blah blah details)

OMG....I think my pulse just jumped like 50 bpm. I can has real career?

Gee Strazos, I dunno.  That Oral Assessment thing sounds like a thinly veiled attempt by the selection officer to get a BJ.  You probably should practice on a friend before heading in there.

[Sky]

TaxCut

Not sure I want my first year using software to be one with so much crap involved. I'll go that route next year maybe, but for now I want a solid professional. Not some jackhob that hangs a shingle out or poorly paid worker drone. Which is why I'm afraid of the cost of competent professional tax preparation.

Nobody uses a preparer (excepting JWIV, I don't know any or I wouldn't need to ask!)?

[WayAbvPar]

We found our tax guy through a recommendation from someone in my wife's office. Have an appointment with him this afternoon, in fact! He is about 2-3x what Turbo Tax would cost, but it takes 20 minutes and I don't have to worry that I am royally fucking something up. Well worth it for the peace of mind.

Grats Straz! Hopefully there are some posts open for you in Western Europe 

[Samwise]

I use TurboTax.  Prior to that I did it myself.  TurboTax beats the fuck out of that for sure.

[Merusk]

TaxCut

Not sure I want my first year using software to be one with so much crap involved. I'll go that route next year maybe, but for now I want a solid professional. Not some jackhob that hangs a shingle out or poorly paid worker drone. Which is why I'm afraid of the cost of competent professional tax preparation.

I'm not sure I follow what you mean by "so much crap involved."  The house and tax credits?  I'd trust the software more, if anything, because it's kept up to date by a group rather than one guy (hopefuly) remembering everything.

It's a very simple software interface that asks questions about your finances and walks you through all the forms.  Along with it comes the ability to contact H&R block's tax professionals online if you have a question and the backing of H&R block should you get audited. (Turbo Tax has the same thing, but charges if you want the latter service IIRC from last year.)

I already filed so I know it asked if I was a new homebuyer so it could figure out if I was eligible for the credit.

I understand your apprehension. I had it the first time I did it, but ever since I wouldn't do it any other way for my personal taxes, unless I had some really complicated scenario like LLCs, inheritances to deal with, etc.

Hell, if it makes you feel better get the software off of someone (they both have multiple uses w/ each purchase), run through then it print the forms then take them to a preparer for review.

[Yegolev]

How did you guys go about finding your tax person?

I have been pretty willy-nilly about it.  Sometimes there was a guy who came by the office, then there were the times I just stopped at whatever tax-hole opened up near my house (great way to meet some real questionably people).  Past three years I have used TurboTax because I get a 15% discount due to being at a big place that uses ADP for payroll.  This year, though, it almost did me in and since I owe this time instead of get a refund, I might get a person to do them for me again... although I'm pretty sure it won't change much.  TurboTax is pretty damned easy and doesn't sweat profusely over my paperwork.  I also like how it shows me the tax rules if I want, even with links to the irs.gov docs at times.

I'll wait until early April to cut the check, so I have some time to think about it.

My advice is to not do it yourself, at least this time, since you bought a house.  TurboTax will catch all that shit, as will a smelly old man in the back corner of H&R Block (you hope).  I prefer the robot to do my taxes.

[Strazos]

Thanks for the support guys. Hopefully it goes well this spring and I end up having to make a very long day of it, filling out all sorts of forms to gain clearances and such.

As to the shitty posts...Yeah, I know. Within your first 5 years, you will definitely be sent to at least 1 hardship post (re: shitty area). That doesn't neccessarily mean Iraq, but I won't hold my breath on that one.

On the bright side, I'd get a max hardship post differential and a max danger post differential (max 35% multiplier each), so I'd clear out all of my debt inside of 1 year.


To be honest, I think I could put up with a lot as far as surroundings go - just give me edible food, comfy bed, and a solid internet connection. I can deal with the shit post for 2 years until I can get a few choices of NICE places to go, like China, Japan, or anywhere in Europe - I'd even go back to Rome. 

[stray]

I caught an accident earlier right after it happened/ before emergency came. Pretty brutal, from the looks of it. Some dude was laying on an access road, one car off to the side, another car flipped over in a ditch. Not sure if he survived.. Something bad enough where he flew out of his car though, and it took awhile to even get him in an ambulance, with a lot of neck support on him from what I could tell. Some people got there before me, so I didn't get out of my car. Wasn't sure how to help.

[Lantyssa]

I use TaxAct.  It's free if you don't use the delux version, and it asks all the questions about new homes, etc.  Since I've used it for a few years I can do a completely paperless e-file, too.

[Der Helm]

It is that time of the year again...

I'd post pics, but I am to busy drinking beer. 

Should I post weirder stuff than usual today or during the next 5 days, you now know the reasons.

 

[IainC]

It is that time of the year again...

I'd post pics, but I am to busy drinking beer. 

Should I post weirder stuff than usual today or during the next 5 days, you now know the reasons.

 

No shit. We had Glonkis and Narros outside our window all last night, bells and drums till 4am.

[Bunk]

Wasn't sure how to help.

Unless you are trained for it, there isn't much you can do. I've seen a few, including a fairly nasty car in to the ditch right in front of my parents. Most useful thing we could do was keeping the people involved that were not hurt calm. In that particular one, it took ES near an hour to get the drivers brother out of the car.

Call 911, park your car back a ways and put on your hazard lights, not much more you can generally do.

I'm sure Jimbo could chip in with more experienced advice here.

[Murgos]

...filling out all sorts of forms to gain clearances and such.

If you do need the real deal and you are older you will need up to 10 years of documented history, possibly more.  My best advice is to start compiling it now, jobs and addresses mostly, any gap will get flagged and you will get questioned about it.  Trips out of the country may need to be at least accounted for, non-US citizen girlfriends/contacts will need to be vetted.  You will also need character references that aren't family, (non-lunatic) college professors are good for this.  Also debts, don't have any other than the standard school, home, car.

Being young is best though, my first time through the process I was a Marine and before that a live at home student, nothing to question because I had no history, easy peasy.

Most importantly, don't lie, every discrepancy can be waived (They'll waive felony drug trafficking if they feel they like you) but lying and being discovered anytime in the future is the big boot.

[NowhereMan]

As to the shitty posts...Yeah, I know. Within your first 5 years, you will definitely be sent to at least 1 hardship post (re: shitty area). That doesn't neccessarily mean Iraq, but I won't hold my breath on that one.

Hey cross your fingers, not all hardship posts are equal. They don't always bother to update statuses to reflect recent changes and I know 3 or 4 years ago the Foreign Office still classified China as a hardship post, so you got a decent enough spot and extra pay. Same may be said of some of the Stans that are picking up economically or a few other spots. Maybe you'll get lucky and clear that debt in relative comfort Also grats and good luck on the real career!

[Oban]

Actually, the joke now is that there is still such a backlog of sec checks on the books that he will be finished with his tour in Iraq by the time they get around to starting to knock on doors.

[WayAbvPar]

This fucking sucks.

Yes, we need more entertainment for retards on the radio. It is not like there aren't 20 other channels playing the same stupid shit.

I am further embarrassed every day to call myself an American.