Re: Happy Winter Solstice!

[http://dummy.us.eu.org/robert (Robert)]

 > From: Mike McQueen <http://www.gte.net/~mike.mcqueen>
 > Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2004 21:12:28 -0800
 >
 > More stuff.
 > 
 > >Lifestyle
 > >    * Breathing a business-friendly atmosphere.  To deal with taxes and so on
 > >      as a computer consultant, I found out that I needed to acquire a
 > >      business license.  (Not that I have had a lot of consulting gigs.  But,
 > >      I was trying to be safe 'cause penalties for not paying business tax
 > >      can build up.)  It was unbelievably complicated here in Alameda County
 > >      and I am not even sure if I still met all the requirements for holding
 > >      the license.
 > 
 > So, are you 1099 corp-to-corp with your agency?  I've been doing
 > consulting gigs for 10 years and have almost exclusively gone W2
 > (which means, I'm a full-time employee of the agency, they take my
 > taxes out and cut me a check, I pay for goods & services with the
 > money).  I've done a couple 1099 gigs (btw, I love saying & writing
 > "gigs"), but I never bothered incorporating, and really, I can't
 > remember ever thinking I needed a business license.

Don't tell anyone!  If they catch you, they may require back-taxes.  Ugh.

In any case, I never even made enough to pay real taxes to Alameda County.

 > I researched it
 > at one time, and the only real benefits I saw from incorporating was
 > protection from liability (more likely a lawsuit than taxes in my
 > mind), or being able to write off business expenses, of which I have
 > never had enough to matter.

Yeah.  It's only worth incorporating if you do a lot of 1099 "gigs"
because you have more exposure.  But, it can be pretty expensive -- up to
$1000 -- so only if you have a lot of income does it matter.

 > >       This
 > >        gives me a chance to go through my bills, record my receipts, and
 > >        get some reading done.
 > 
 > Long bus commutes are great for reading.  Take a print magazine if
 > you're not reading a book.

I have a huge pile of magazines built up from the last 2 years of
unemployment.

After I'm done with that, I'll probably buy a small laptop and acquire a
wireless service so I can do computer stuff while commuting.

 > >  * Travel
 > >      We stayed in a hotel in Mariposa (since it was cheaper) and drove to
 > >      Yosemite. 
 > 
 > That's the way to do it.  Go back during the summer/falll and give
 > Halfdome a try.  It's a great day hike, and some great views up there.
 > Take lots of water, and a flashlight.  Or, check out San Simeon
 > (Hearst Castle)

Good idea.

 > and Big Sur down on the coast.

We've gone to Esalen a couple of times and that's at Big Sur.

 > I went to Acapulco/Cancun for a week after Thanksgiving, and even with
 > my slacker unemployed lifestyle, time slowed down for me, for a week.
 > It made me want to learn Spanish, and I bought a book called "Mexican
 > Time" about an American couple that uprooted and moved to some
 > smallish Mexican city.  Haven't read it yet, but I'm looking forward
 > to it.  Fuck Canada.

Well, the food south is definitely tastier :-).

I have a couple of "Spanish learning" things on my wishlist (see
http://tinyurl.com/nl2w ), but haven't done anything with that.  I guess
if I buy a small laptop for commuting, I could learn Spanish, too :-).

 > >  * Home
 > >     Just a small level of culture difference, but something
 > >      that makes me understand my values and where I am.
 > 
 > I always knew you were a Left-Coaster.
 > 
 > >  * Books
 > >    * Getting a job is a job.  I only read two books this year:
 > 
 > I read a couple job books too.  There were mostly about "tricky
 > interview questions you'll likely get asked at Microsoft."  Since,
 > I've been contracting there off-and-on, and the number of
 > tricky/abstract questions they ask contractors seems to be on the
 > rise.

Interesting.  I wonder if they ask the same questions in India...

 > >  * People
 > >        Mike Hamrick
 > 
 > Blah.  I know I've followed through on this in the past, but I guess
 > it didn't work.  He's still alive.  The last time I saw Clint Fisher,
 > Mike was host/admin'ing a Counterstrike game server that he played on.
 > Let me know if you get confirmation of his whereabouts please, as I
 > will be seattleactively pursuing this.

Glad he's alive.  I've just don't have his e-mail.

 > >Entertainment        
 > >  * Movies
 > >    * We sold out.  Or perhaps bought in.  Regardless of which, I bought
 > >      a DVD player.  It turned out that there was a bunch of stuff that was
 > >      only available on DVD.  The other side effect of this is that we signed
 > >      up for Netflix.
 > 
 > I don't own a DVD player ('cept on computer), or a TV, but I have
 > heard nothing but positive things about Netflix, and know several
 > people who subscribe, and I'm actually trying to get my parents to
 > subscribe.

Yeah.  My Netflix queue now has 195 things on it.  I figure that should
keep us busy for 2 years.

 > >    * It's spelled different than the company or train set.
 > 
 > It took me about two months after the Tyco scandal unfolded to realize
 > it wasn't the same company that made the trains :).
 > 
 > >     He's author of several books, of which we'll probably
 > >      never have time to read.
 > 
 > If you have an hour bus ride on weekdays, you can do it!
 > 
 > Also:
 > 
 > >    Yes, I tried that too -- slime tire and also Mr. Tuffy.
 > 
 > Mr. Tuffy.  That's it, that's what I use.  Presumably you could use
 > two per tire, and wrap one around the inside of the rim, but I still
 > think a new bike is a worthwhile investment.  I don't know how I feel
 > about the folding bike though.  For myself, I'd prefer a good solid
 > bike that is optimized for when I ride it, for my safety and comfort.
 > Full buses do occur and they are damnably inconvenient, but they
 > aren't a big enough issue for me to sacrifice much in the way of my
 > riding experience (note: it's possible I'm somewhat of a "bike snob").

Yeah.  But, if this gig (see, I like using it, too) doesn't continue, and
I end up commuting into San Francisco via BART, having a folding bike will
be way convenient.

 > tardes,

Is that with a rolling 'R'?

 > mike