I'm back!

So after last week of wanting to throw myself in "puppy lake" & just end it ALL, thanks to the massive head cold & bronchitis I got, I am now back on the road with my dad! Here we go-

10:27- Arrive at our first appt. in Chino (approx. 35 mins from where we live) & they are actually new clients that were referred to us by a VERY good & close family friend of ours. It's a couple with a 8 month old baby girl. The woman is my age. Well, actually, I'm older than her, which I find weird cuz I sometimes can't wrap my mind that I should really call & consider myself a woman but I still think I'm about 10-15 years younger than my actual age! I know, I'm odd. Ya don't need to remind me of that! :)~

Anyways, the chick (there we go, I'll use the word chick!) is Hawaiian & is a Hawaiian dancer. She does competitions all around! Her & her lil family seem really sweet & she has a head on her shoulders. She, as we speak, is working at a law firm AND is also going to school to become a lawyer! Woot for her! I could NEVER go to law school... Too much for me!

Also, everything turned out really well doing their return & my dad told her & her husband how to properly claim on their W-4s! All & all, good experience! Glad they were referred to us...

OH!!! I almost forgot! Talk about small world shit! So as much as LBS thinks I am an asshole & thinks that I talk shit about her & call her a bitch, I talk about how much of an AMAZING manager she is @ her salon. See, whenever I mention my sister is a manager of a tanning salon, I usually get the "Oh. That's nice.", assuming that she's an airhead & doesn't know her ass from a hole in the ground... Well, let me tell you, that is SO far from the truth! My sister is truly brilliant & knows her shit when it comes to the tanning industry! She goes to conventions, has taken classes on the side to learn about different products & beds and teaching her employees how to become better at their jobs! My sister has such a repartee with most of her clients that a lot of them always stay around & talk to her! LBS has done mind blowing things to that salon and the owner should be on his hands & knees EVERY night thanking the heavens she came into his life. If it wasn't for her, he would so be up shits creek without a damn paddle! She runs everything for him while he can go & either work somewhere else or take care of other things in his life... So small world shit- the chick we just went to see has gone a few times to my sister's salon to tan and was never informed of the salon before by our family friend! Small world...

On to the next house...

11:36- At our next house. My father & I for the life of us could not figure out where we were going! Turns out they're clients who used to live in Anaheim (which is approx. 25-30 from Corona) near where my grandparents. My dad actually tried to talk them into buying my grandparents place when it was on the market again but they decided to move here. At least its an older house. The reason for being appreciative of that- when you buy a home out in Riverside & San Bernadino counties that was built in about the mid 90's to about now, you're paying an extra tax called Mella-Roos.

Looks like this was a quickie so we're on our way!

12:27- At a house in corona valley, aka- a "city" that was created about 7 years ago due to ALL the new houses that were being built in corona (riverside county). We have quite a few clients out here. At least you can say that these houses are beautiful...

So this house we're at right now has a semi-funny yet irritating for them story. See, for some reason, whenever we're schedule to come to their house, we're either unbelievably late (like 2-3 hours) or we have to reschedule them! Today, we were about 30 mins early & they were in shock! Hell, the wife went shopping cuz she knows we're always late! My dad finished their return within 20 mins & the wife came home right when he was done! She was in shocked!

Alright, on to the next house!

2:12- So we're now at a client's house that my dad has known for about 30 years. I will flat out say that they are one of my favorites! I met them about 5 years ago. When I met the wife, she told me this incredible story about my uncle Jorge- about 30 years when she was applying for a job, she couldn't read or write in English. Well, it turned out she was applying to work where my uncle did & he saw that she was struggling so he helped her fill out her job application & because of him, she got the job & got to retire there after, whew, like 35 years! That was the type of man my uncle Jorge was but I'll tell the story about him later....

Well, let's actually go back to this morning before we even left the house- I was in the kitchen, getting ready for the day when the phone ran. It was the wife of this great couple. She called cuz she wanted to make us a nice meal for when we went over to see them this afternoon. I was so touched to have someone think & care for us like that! So she started naming off things she could make us & she then mentioned some carnitas that she had for us a few years ago & I yelled, "YES!". I've been waiting ALL day for this meal....

There was a reason why she also wanted to make us this meal- See, last year when we went to their house, my dad (I think) was going into some kind of diabetic shock. About 2 houses before them, my dad has these clients who have oranges in their backyard that you would maybe only find @ a farmer's market! They're huge, sweet & the juice is out of this world! My dad praises the juice yet he doesn't realize that being a diabetic, ON INSULIN, he can NOT drink that stuff or maybe he can have a small cup to taste it. Well, despite all my warnings & trying to care for him, he had about 3-5 FULL glasses of orange juice. I was pretty pissed. Not as pissed as I was when we were at this couple's house & he starts saying, "um, my vision is blurry". Then informs me, "Oh, I don't feel well". I look @ him and he's all clammy, pale and just looks ill! He eventually goes to lay down & I just start to tear up. The fantastic couple tried to help out by giving him water & the wife made him a salad with olive oil dressing. They helped me take care of him & I was truly grateful for their generosity...

And that's the reason for the meal she made us! She also made my dad this really colorful salad that he had 2 big servings of! The meal was absolutely everything I imagined it would be, maybe even better! Even though I ate like a damn pig, still thinking of the food makes my mouth water!

Since we were so early, we end up staying for about 2 hours just visiting & talking with the couple! It was a perfect treat to a pretty good day so far. I will DEFINITELY be sending a Thank You card to her for everything her & her husband did for us! Oh & she even gave us the rest of the carnitas & beans! I left as a very happy lil manatee!

On to the next house.....

4:30-ish - We get to the house in Colton & the people thought it was for next weekend. It worked out cuz we'll be about 2 miles away from them next week.

I inform my father that I'm going to go find a AT&T store b/c my phone is on the verge of death & my car charger is dead! So while he went to see the new client, who we find out that the last guy who did his past tax returns claimed he has about $26,000 of job "expenses" when he gets a W-2, I was going to try & find an AT&T store... Well, it was a lil adventure. See, for most of you who may read this, you have NO idea where or what the city of Colton looks like. It's truly one of the MAJOR armpits of Southern California! Yet according to the navigation system, it said I was about a mile & a half away from one. So I punch it in & let it take me there. When I arrive to the address, it was a residential area. I could have gone up to the door & asked if they sold a car charger for a blackberry but I was pretty sure my response would have been, "QUE?!" So no luck on the car charger& my phone will most likely die in a matter of an hour but at least it was a lil adventure around the even MORE ghetto side of COLTON!

Go pick up dad & end up going back to Corona Valley for the last 3 appts. of the night...

6:17- Ok, I am in shock! What I am witnessing here I NEVER thought I would hear or see! Brace yourselves, this is a heartbreaking story!

Alright, I have also known these people for about 4-5 years now. When I met them, they were trying their hardest to have a baby, even going to MEXICO to do IVF treatments!!! (BTW- side note, we had come by this house earlier yet the husband had to go run an errand about 30 mins away. We didn't think much of it since EVERYONE knows my dad runs late & they probably thought, "oh my appt. is at 2, I'll be home by 3:30!" We took alot of people by surprise today! But for some reason, I asked my dad, "Why did they go to Mexico to do IVF? Did they not have insurance?" Well, the answer was no. I then understood why they went down there, since it was cheaper, yet I mentioned to my dad, "I wonder if there would any side affects for going down there...." OK, back to the story!)

So we walk inside and I had noticed that the wife was missing. I found it out since she always greeted us & she was the one that had everything ready & prepared for us. I must have taken my time walking in cuz all I heard was, "She's living at her mom's" & "I think it's over". The guy went to go get some more stuff & I looked @ my dad & he gave me a look like, "Yup, you heard right." I was just like, "NOO!!!!" but in a whisper.

My dad does his best to do the tax return to the best of his abilities since the wife took like ALL the paperwork! He only had a few things but I guess he's going to try & get the rest of it.

Ok, fair warning- this is a truly sad story. Just thinking of it, it gives me the "sads" all over again...

**Editor's note- After writing the whole incident, I informed my folks & PH that I mentioned it in my blog. Well, they think that due to the nature of the story & how devastatingly sad it is that I should take that part out. To sum up what basically happened to the couple- the wife pulled a "Chris Brown" b/c she has turned into "Britney being locked up in her bathroom, before they wheeled her off to the psych ward"! Yeah. =(

7:49- Now that I am this distraught mess, we end up at this really cool & really funny couple's house. It worked out perfectly that they were after our last appt b/c they were not only able to make my dad & I laugh but they were also a half a mile away! Both the husband & wife work for the county as engineers & make a pretty decent living at it! Right when we're about to leave, the husband gives me this HUGE 42 oz. bag of M&Ms & says, "Here. These are for your mom. She'll know why she's getting them." I'm all confused so I go outside to call her & she remembered that b/c she squeezed him in for today, she told him the payment for doing that would be a bag of M&Ms. When I told her it was a 42 oz. bag, she was all, "DAMN! I just wanted a small bag but hell, it'll last!"

Done here. Off to the last house of the night!

8:57- Man, I thought this would be kind of a quickie but it's FAR from that! The worst part? They don't even have everything they need! It's not their fault though. It's amazing how much of assholes companies are these days. These people were still waiting for some 1099s yet about 4-6 companies hadn't sent them out yet! 1099s & W-2s are due to the Feds by the 28th of this month, let alone to everyone else!

So the background story about these people- The husband was making great money at a company doing pavement work & whatnot. Well, he decided that he should just go out on his own. Can I just say that in the time that I have been going out with my dad, people who try to go into business for themselves usually don't succeed. I would say 1 out of, oh, I don't know, 25 make it. It's probably even higher! It's really sad b/c you wish these people the best yet you also have to fair warn them that it's a HUGE risk. Honestly, I don't know that many people who have been successful in running their own business & it really just all ends in heartbreak.

The wife is the epitome of organized. She has everything in order & can really inform & show my dad everything that has happened. Well, in the 2 years that her husband has been doing this, they have been scrapping by. She even had to take money out of her 401k to be able to live. Now the guy realizes his mistake. He tried to go back to his old job but they had their own lay offs so he either needs to go forward with his business or find somewhere else.

We spend about an hour & a half there. The tax return is no where near done. Well, I'm done & I want to go home! We leave @ around 10:30-ish....

11:15- FINALLY home!!!! OH! I forgot to mention this- when I was in Colton, trying to find the damn AT&T store, HO called me. He informed me on his lottery ticket luck. He bought a ticket & won another ticket. So when he went to get another, he won $2! So he went to get another & won $10!! He took it as a sign that he was having a streak of good luck so he wanted to see if I wanted to go to the casinos with him. I told him that we should be home around 9:30-ish & he said, "Alright, call me when you get home". Yeah.... I called & he was asleep & I was super tired but we're still determined to go! I know THAT will be a story on it's own so when it happened, I'll definitely share!

Alright, I'm going to bed! I'm exhausted....

ttyl,

me =)

Unfortunately...

No blogging on the road for me today... I am sicker than a damn animal & all I want to do is sleep & take drugs! I feel really bad though b/c this is my first time in about 4-5 years that I have missed a Saturday going with my dad. I really feel that I should go but I know if I do, I'll just make everything worse for me, my dad & even for the guys at work! I just need to nip this shit in the butt & get on with life! 

Here's hoping for sleep, soup & cough medicine with codeine! 

Til next time,

me =(

It's that time of the year again!

During tax season, I go with my dad to do taxes out of our house. We travel all around! This is me telling of our adventures/experience through out the day:

9:48- We're leaving! On our way to my favorite day of the season- Hemet/UPS day! :)

10:57- So we're at the first house in actually San Jacinto (next to Hemet)... These people are very nice & welcoming yet you can see/tell there's tension between the husband & wife... Between the issue w/ their house (being worth less than half of what they paid for it)!, the "rental" that they helped a family member (who's illegal!) & having a 19 year old who's now a dad yet finds getting a "cool car w/ no license" more important than the baby, man, it would have taken the jaws of life to cut tension! Side eyes all around! Nice people though... I hope everything does work out for them... On to the next house...

12:23- So now we're at the 2nd house... This guy is always the first person to call EVERY year! Once again, super nice people yet the wife got laid off & the husband had his hours cut at work...

See this is what I'm fearing- this year is going to be one LONG depressing season... I hope I'm wrong yet so far w/ just these 2 houses, let alone the other houses my dad has gone to this year, its going to be bad... Still a nice visit with them... Cute lil girl & expecting another one in May... Leaving in a few...

7:01- Ok, I had to stop for awhile cuz every house we were going to, it was the same story- refinancing/getting a house (a mortgage) within the last few years & now not being able to afford to payments OR are pissed that the value of their house has been cut in HALF!!! It was getting really depressing, especially hearing these stories or even worse- god forbid this OFFICIALLY becomes a Depression, the thought of desperation that will become rampant & the violence that would most likely occur... It would be, of course, to help others eat & stay alive yet people would go to dire situations to do so...

So I have decided that I need to look into the nice/good things that have happened at each house we've gone to b/c if I continue to share what's going on with each house, it'll become repetitive & we'll all want to off ourselves, some how, some way!!!

Here are some highlights of the day:

-Starting in San Jacinto, I got to play & hold a 7 week old pit bull named Tyson & got to talk to talk to & see one of my favorite clients! They're the ones that have spread the word around this area & thanks to them, that's how this day has also became "UPS day" as well!

-In Hemet, went to see another guy who has also spread the word around about my dad for YEARS & told us the story of how he became a "feeder" for awhile for UPS... A feeder is someone who drives kind of cross country & back within 24-36 hours... He would drive from here to Des Moines, IA! Crazy stuff but it was pretty interesting. He's also always very organized & we're usually done in about 20-30 mins but we also stay for a few mins to talk...

-In Sun City, I had the best.coffee.EVER!!! Oh my god, it was fantastic! Between it being french vanilla & then having the Delight creamer, which is the BEST brand creamer, that the flavor was chocolate caramel, I had 4 cups!!! No joke! It also curbed my appetite & sweet tooth for about an hour longer...

-Going to Nuevo, I got to play with a Boston terrier named "Zapito", which means "bull frog" in Spanish... He was an absolute sweetheart & was very well behaved! :)

-When we ended up in Perris, I went to get a bite to eat for my dad & I... Took longer to get food than it did for my dad to finish the tax return & I was barely gone!

We're now in Moreno Valley & it seems like these people have their heads on straight! Asking the right questions & doing shit right... Its nice. :)

Alright, on our way to the last 2 houses...

9:05- At the last house! :) Before this house, we were at this house that literally took 22:04 minutes! Why do I know the exactly time? I was in the car & on the phone returning my mom's call! My dad did say that this guy wouldn't take too long & he was right! He also mentioned that the guy is doing alright & was even able to contribute a few grand into his IRA!!! That's pretty woot!

So here we are at the end of the night & I'm actually meeting this man for the first time ever yet this is like at least my 2nd or 3rd time here! The reason being that this man is a VERY hard working man! He works at an IV making plant and then goes to work at the Disneyland Hotel in the room service dept.! I just asked my dad why he was home this time & he said that the guy mentioned in passing that he gave some of his hours to some people who wanted to make a lil extra cuz they need it more than him... Now that's nice...

My dad also mentioned that he may want to go to another house after this but I think its too late! We'll see though...

9:24- BTW- the guy just informed me of this site called "watch-movies.net"... According to him, you can see any movie you want on there, even movies that are about to be released into the theaters! I'm going to have to check it out when I get home!

11:06- After a 13 hour day, I am now laying in bed! Granted the situations in most of the people we went to see weren't the best yet we all tried to make the best of it! 

Until next weekend...

Me =)

just cant wait to get on the road again...

10:35- So I finally get up to get ready. For some reason, everyone was either calling or texting this morning! Let me sleep bitches!

11:15- Go downstairs to make something to eat. Find out that today will literally be a nothing day! We may be home at 8!!! If that's the case, I may have to make a cameo at LBS's bday party...

11:58- Alright, our first appt. is in 2 mins. In Corona (which is about 25 mins. away)and we're still at the house!!! Had a lil argument with dad about putting on the shoes we bought him (you know, the ones that we were looked down on when buying them, ala our "Selena" moment). He didn't want to wear them for some reason & I told him he needs to put them on for better support AND to not trip like he did TWICE yesterday!!! We went back and forth for a few mins until he gave in & I got my way! Damn me for caring for my father & his well-being... He's finally coming to the car so I take it we're on our way...

12:38- So we're at the first house and this woman... ugh... She is something else! She's definitely teetering on being on the list of people we let go... Depending on how she is today, we'll see if she ends up on it...

1:20- Well, other than this woman giving a lil bit of attitude, insinuating that she's better than me & of course most, she's actually been decent. It was so out of the norm that my dad said (**fair warning- semi crude** ), without skipping a beat when we got in the car,"well, someone got a new battery for the dildo"... I was rolling! If you only heard how he said it, all nonchalant. It was truly classic... As of right now, it seems like she may not be on the list... On our way to next house...

2:13- As we drove to this house, I totally felt like an ass! While I was looking at the appt. list, I asked my dad who this person was & had I ever been there before. He looked at me as if I just had a stroke & lost my mind!!! We were going to a favorite of mine & I totally forgot his name & where he lived!!! God, if that doesn't show how out of it I have been I don't know what does!?

Anyways, it's a married couple who are both teachers. Nice, great, organized & welcome us with open arms every time we go there. They live in a downtown area that has some great old homes. Other than some upgrades in windows & paint, it looks like it's right out of the early 1900's. My favorite part of their house are the windows! It's just a piece of glass but there's no panels or fancy design. It's a nice & simple piece of glass. It's one of the things I just look at & soak in whenever I'm there. The husband & I talk about baseball & the Cleveland Indians (his favorite team & I went to school with one of the starting players). We take about 30 mins there & then leave. I only wish we could stay a lil longer at houses like this. Oh well...... Til next year.

To to next house.

3:12- Get to the next house & I stayed in the car for a few to try & contact someone to see if we could go by & do her return. See, my dad made the mistake (like he does WAY too often!) of loaning this woman money last year & well, she hasn't paid him back yet. Now she's avoiding him. What a shock. Well, once again, she has made some excuse to not meet up with us & I inform my dad that most likely he will NOT be seeing her or the money he lent to her ever!

Go inside for the last few mins of the return. This is a very nice lady. So is her husband. Unfortunately, they've been getting laid off & their just trying to keep their heads held high. I admire their determination to continue to work hard, even if they are close to SS age & retirement. Done here... On to West Covina....

3:56- OH SHIT. My father has just informed me he wants to go the opposite direction of the way we're suppose to go to see some guy we have been trying to get a hold of for well over a month!!! We tried to reschedule him but we could not get a hold of him so we're taking a chance to see if he still wants to get his taxes done. I'm not getting a good feeling about this.....

4:43- So right before we get to this guys house, my dad & I make a bet to see if the guy is even there!!! See, seriously, for while over a month, we would call, on average, 4-6 times a week, called family of his to check on his numbers, even called 411! Everyone had the same number we did but he NEVER answered or called back! I just said, "Fuck that. If he really wants to get his shit done, he would call us!"

When we get there, I told my dad I would stay in the car since it was about 100 degrees where we were & I was just going to sit in our car, wasting gas & battery that way I could stay cool. As I type this, I see my dad & the guy talking at the door. At one point, I actually thought the guy was going to hit my dad! Don't know why I thought that but I did. Anyways, I roll down the window to hear what they're talking about.

Turns out that the guy was "concerned" about my father. He waited ALL day last Saturday (the 5th) for my dad to arrive. My father informs him that we had been trying to get a hold of him NUMEROUS amount of times & ways. The guy asked what number we called. When my dad showed him the number, he informs him that he changed his number over 3 months ago. He called for an appt. 2 months ago. Doing the math people??? FUCKER GAVE US THE WRONG NUMBER!!! No one has the new one! Not even his own brother AND 411! He then informs my dad that being "so concerned" for my father & thinking something had happened to him, he just went somewhere else to get his return done..... Well, if that isn't a big "FUCK YOU" to my dad, I don't know what is?! If the asshole was so concerned, wouldn't he have called, like everyone else?! Let alone, he lives in butt-fuck Egypt! Doesn't he realize that my dad is doing this guy a HUGE favor is driving all the way out there??? Either way, when my dad got in the car, he was hurt & disappointed and I had to remind my dad that the guy is ignorant & this is way we shouldn't deal with people like this. I'm slowly but surely seeing him really understand why we need to cut idiots like this out of his life during tax season.......

5:36- We arrive about 30 mins early to the next house. Very nice people. This is about the 3rd or 4th time I've met them. The wife is super sweet. The husband is very nice but has a lil bit of an edge on him. We end up sitting there for about an hour & a half just talking! It was really nice.

7:03- Get to the "last house of the night". We actually came by about a month ago but no one was home. This is another house that my dad feels like he needs to loan these people money. I truly don't know when my dad is going to realize that he can't help everyone, especially the ones who don't appreciate it. They may say they do but most of the time, they don't.

Well, I will admit that these people are very nice. They also just had a litter of puppies and they were about 3-4 weeks old!!! I got to hold a few of them. I connected with the only non-black one and the woman noticed. She told me to come back in a few weeks and that I could have her!!! I was SUPER excited! All my dad said was to call my mom. I called her & she said,"I give up. Sure." So Delilah (I already picked her name out!) will be joining the filthy animal within the next few weeks! So excited!

8:02- After we left the "last house of the night", my dad says that we need to stop by 2 people places to get some checks to open IRAs for them. The first one we get to, the woman isn't there. What a shock. Takes us about 20 mins to find out what's going on since her mother knew NOTHING about ANYTHING! I hate going to houses like these. They're so irritating. With the whiny & snotty Hispanic voice to just being plain ignorant, I was done with that place within the first 2 mins. Everything taken care of. We leave!

8:28- We are now OFFICIALLY at the last house. I came by the same night I went out with my mom & LBS to shop for LBS's birthday party. Basically my dad went by to inform the guy how he has screwed himself. I was planning on staying in the car but I had to pee for the past 2 hrs. and I couldn't hold it any longer!!! The highlight (other than peeing) was playing with their dog named "patches". You know, you can tell the dogs that don't get that much attention. When I just said, "Hi" in my high pitch voice that only dogs & some deaf people (No, seriously! I guess it's a talent???) can hear, she goes nuts! She's so happy that all she can do is give me kisses and sit there and stare at me. I pet her the whole time I'm there. The last time I was there, they put her away cuz they thought she was bothering me. I inform them this time though that she can most certainly stay out here that way I can keep her company.

Once my dad has informed the people there how their kid has screwed himself, we go home! I told my dad that if someone who is half Black/half Asian decides going to someone in the Ghetto of Anaheim to get his taxes done, so be it! You know, the guy didn't even know his instruction letter was in SPANISH!!!! Well, to be fair, there were 2 letters that were in English- "Balance Due". Yeah.... I think it's just harded with some people than with others for my dad to let them go.... Oh well.... Home, James!

8:58- Well, we beat our record again! As I lay here typing this, I keep debating with myself on going to LBS's party. I REALLY don't want to go but I feel like I should.

9:45- Alright, I'm starting to get ready. I'll let you know how it is tomorrow yet I'm not getting my hopes too high.....

Night,

me =)

On the road again...

During tax season, I go with my dad to do taxes out of our house. We travel all around! This is me telling of our day (check in about every hour for updates):

9:50am- I wake up from about 6 hrs. of sleep. Still kinda tired (didn't realize my shirt was backwards and inside out when I first put it on!) But got ready in about 20 mins.

10:41am- Been sitting downstairs waiting for my dad for the past 20 mins. that way we can be on our way. I go to the car to input where we're going today.

10:44am- MY GOD! We're going FAR today! Lake Elsinore- 40 miles, Menifee- 60 miles & to top it off, Nuevo- 75 miles... This is all one way from our house! Oh it's going to be a long day... I can feel it...

11:38am- Get to the first house. I guess these people couldn't wait last year & went somewhere else to get their taxes done... Doing that, they went to someone who messed up their return last year. Boy, it's a fiasco here!!! Between having a rental that wasn't claimed last year to a being involved with a business that lost over 50 grand, I can see how depressed my dad is going to be when we get in the car... I know these people are nice but I think they're going to have to go on "the list". My dad has been telling them how going into business by yourself can be scary & risky but they didn't listen. Another refinance... Then the lady (husband isn't here) admits that she wished they would have listened to my dad... Oh well! Their loss...

12:37pm- We're finally leaving this house... It has been a mess! I know my dad is going to vent like all holy hell the MOMENT his closes the door to the car!

12:39pm- OH SHIT! We're not even close to leaving!!! We have 2 more to do at this house! Ugh... We're so not getting home home til 1 in the morning... :(

1:08pm- My dad is now putting everything away! We're finally leaving! On to a sweet lady's home that we've known forever! But I have a feeling it's going to be depressing there too... We're on our way!

2:41pm- So I couldn't write at the last house cuz was no reception! Quick recap- nice lady is related to the people at the first house... AKA- she got taken advantage by her own kids to support them while the business was suffering... At least she got the claim basically everyone as dependants... We left there pretty fast... I'll write about the house we're leaving right now at the next spot...

3:39pm- So last house we were at was a guy that I "went to school with", which means he went to the all-boys school as I went to the all-girls school. They were our "brother" school... Anyways, the thing about this guy is that he lives about 50 miles (one way)from work and that's not even the weirdest thing about this situation! They bought a house that is literally in the middle of nowhere! Actually, you could say that they live on Mars! Seriously, when you think of Mars, what do you imagine??? If you said red rock & dirt, you're exactly right! They paid A LOT for the house too! They're nice but it almost seems like they have no idea what they're doing! I was talking to the guy while my dad did his return that's why I didn't get to type that much... Left there after about 35 mins.

On the way to the next house, the damn navigation screwed up and had us going in a circle! Oh well... We got to the next house in Menifee & my dad informed me that this was someone he used to work with when he was a truck driver. When I walked in, I was in awe! Their backyard is mind-blowing gorgeous!!! They're about 15 feet away from a lake! It's an amazing view! I'll try to take a pic... This man is originally from Scotland. I know he looks like someone but I just can't think of who.<--(UPDATE: Figured it out- Malcolm McDowell) Kinda crass and basically tells his wife to sit there and not say anything. This guy seems to have a decent head on his shoulders yet when he asks my dad something, he thinks he's lying... I think this is the first time my dad has ever done his return. We'll see if he'll call again...

Today has been a little depressing but not as bad as we thought. The day is not over yet though... K, going to take a break cuz my phone is getting hot & I think my fingers are starting to cramp up... I'll write when I get to the next place...

5:06pm- So we're at the next house but I'm staying the car to make some calls to see if there's a chance we can go to the 2 houses in Nuevo before the we go to the other ones in Corona... It would make life worth living if we could do that! I'm just waiting to hear from one...

5:18pm- YES!!! Got the calls from the people in Nuevo and we'll be going over there and then to Corona... If it didn't work out, I truly feel we wouldn't get home til about 12 or 1... Now there's a good chance we could be home at about 10-ish...

At the last house, I got to take a pic of the backyard... I hope I can put it on here cuz it's truly stunning! I was thinking that the backyard was going to be the best thing to talk about from that house until I saw the pics on their refrigerator. I'm all being nosy and looking at the pics & noticed someone that looked really familiar... It was Terry O'Quinn, "John Locke" from "Lost"! He was posing with the grandkids of the people we were at. According to them, "Locke" was super nice & talked to them for about 30 mins. You know, all I have ever heard is how nice the people from "Lost" are! I hope I get to run into one of them someday...

K, on the way to Nuevo!

5:56- Arrived to the 1st house. The great thing about coming here is the 2 people we're going to see, they live RIGHT next to each other.

The first people we were seeing were new yet my dad has been doing the folks taxes for years!!! We're at the folks house for the 2nd time to do the daughter's return. The father of the woman's return we're doing is one of the few clients that passed away this year. His wife (her mother) is just a sweetheart! They have 2 great dogs as well! I told her I was going to take the Rottweiler home! Well, nothing bad here... On to the next door neighbor...

7:06pm- Ok, this guy- He's been a client of my father's for well over 20 years. He's listens & does EVERYTHING my dad tells him to do. Basically, a perfect client! His only flaw? The epitome of a womanizer!!! He's been divorced twice in a matter of 4 years and except for tonight, always seems to have another woman with him. I could also tell he was drinking cuz he was kinda slurring... But, I must say-- he's one of the reasons I got my tax license! The first time I ever met him, he was concerned about the well-being of my father and what going to happen once he were to stop doing taxes. He was  so worried, I ended up saying, "Don't worry, everything will be ok & you'll been taken care of"... It was then that I knew I had to get my license and really start learning & soaking in everything! My dad charged him $70 but he not only gave my dad $80 but gave me a $20!!! Woot.... =) Alright, on to the last 2 houses in Corona!

8:07pm- Right off the bat, I told my dad I was going to go get us something to eat. Other than we had not eaten since we left the house but I already had planned I was NOT going to step into these people's house!!! I'm done with them! These are people who literally look at my dad as the man who comes to input shit & tell them how much of a ridiculous refund they will get! He has been giving them advice for YEARS and they have wiped their asses with it! When they originally bought that house, they got it about 12-14 years at about $150,000 and EVERY year, they would refinance and as of last year, they owed $502,000!!!!! Yeah...... Also,what happened when we came last year was the "cherry on top", "last straw" and the epitome of a "fuck you" all rolled into one! When we walked in, I noticed they were watching "Apocalypto".....I was semi-interested when I heard it yet after 30 seconds, I was done with the movie. WAY too violent yet even when I was pretty damn obvious that it was bothering me without saying "this is bothering me", they kept it on & even put it up, all while my dad was doing their return! THEN the 20 year old daughter, who was about 4-5 months pregnant, comes in thinking her shit don't stink cuz "she did her taxes all by herself".....Too bad she 1- didn't do them right & 2- DIDN'T HAVE ALL HER W-2!!! Ugh, and the mom......She just bothers me.....She honestly tries to find ways of getting money in, to the point of even doing foster care!!! From the movie to the actions of this woman, I wanted to throw up all around! It was just disgusting and I literally went off when we got into the car last year & informed my dad I would NEVER step foot in that house for as long as I live. Let's just say, they're DEFINITELY on the list for being "weeded out"!

So, I'm here waiting in line at In & Out..... If you have NEVER gotten the pleasure of trying In & Out, next time you go to Vegas (this is for the people in the mid west & east coast), hit one up!!! You won't regret it! It's so popular & delicious that there's ALWAYS a line & you usually wait about 10 mins or so but it's worth the wait!!! They even have a secret menu.....

8:43pm- I'm sitting in the car waiting for my dad to come out & eating my dank-ass In & Out when I hear that Charlton Heston has passed away. I immediately start calling my mom. I inform her & then tell her I have to call my CAM..... See, what most people don't know is that when something big, especially when someone passes away, I am usually the first one to find out (usually thanks to my "sites" but tonight it was thanks to 1070 talk radio.... who knew!?) So, I did my duties of calling everyone I'm suppose to inform.....

8:48pm- My dad gets in the car & I inform him about Charlton Heston. He was a lil sad. I will never forget how heartbroken my dad was when Johnny Carson passed away, ESPECIALLY since it was on my dad's birthday! It was quite a bittersweet day for him..... When he gets into the car, he tells me that these people who I can't stand have now filed for chapter 13 bankruptcy. Honestly, not shocked. I'm more shocked they have a home. But they do have flame rims on their raised trucks! I'm sorry but karma's a mother fucking bitch & I hate to say it but they deserve this!!! My dad has given them SO much help & advice! It's their faults for not listening to it & taking advantage of it! So long! On to the last house.....

8:54pm- Seriously, it was a block & a half away....... We lucked out with each city we went to cuz everyone was in a 2-3 mile radius TOPS!!! These people are really nice. Nothing bad to say. Dad wanted me to go call a woman to see if we could stop by her house to get the money to open an IRA for her so called my mom for the woman's #. Both her & LBS were at the house & I ended up talking to them for about 15-20 mins. on the phone. Ended up calling the woman & had a full on conversation with her in Spanish!!! I was starting to get nervous, I could tell. So I thanked her (we couldn't stop by cuz she didn't have the check book) and started to head home.

10:35pm- Well, we left the last house at about 9:30-ish. When I turned the car on, the traffic came on and said there was some heavy duty traffic on the 91. I said, "F that! We're taking the streets to pass that shit!" See, I'm not a fan of traffic, at ALL! That's one of the reasons why I know my way around So. Cal so well. I avoid traffic as much as possible! OC has gotten almost, if not, as bad as LA traffic! So, it took a lil longer to get home but at least we were moving the whole time!

12:46am- When we first walked into the house, I went to my room & the time was 10:35. Pretty good for driving to 11 houses and about 150 miles today! Talked to my mom and cleaned out a wound on my dad's leg for him. I noticed his leg at the "House on Mars"......It was infected, I could tell RIGHT away! I told my dad the moment we got home, I was going to "douche it out" with peroxide & then bandage it up. My mom saw it & right away said that she's taking him to the Dr. on Monday. It's just scary he's not concerned about being diabetic (on insulin shots!) & then getting cuts & not taking care of them. We just don't know what to do......=(

Ok, it's now 12:57am and I'm tired. This was some post! To anyone who read this, thanks & you're woot! =)

Til I wake up in about 8-10 hrs.,

me =)

On the road...

9:09- So I'm writing this on my phone since I don't think ill be home before midnight... This is being written as I hear my dad tell this man across from me his refunds from the feds & state... It's about 9-ish and we still have 3 more houses to go to... We've already gone to 8... I'm fucking exhausted, let alone I can only imagine how my dad must feel since he can't sleep thanks to my mother's snoring...On our way to the next house...

9:26pm- Sitting here listening to my dad analyse how this man has total screwed himself by refinancing for the 2nd time in about 4 years... The reason why he's able to say what's on his mind is for the simple reason the guy is not sitting with us while his taxes are being prepared... What appreciation... According to my father, this shouldn't take long...

While I wait for my father to finish, I must say that the day hasn't been too bad- The first 2 clients gave my dad more than the asking price, new promo at arby's (it's what we eat on Saturdays), talked some people out of doing some HUGE financial mistakes... Had to get on my dad's case though about what he was drinking (very sweet orange juice) but he saw that I was doing it with good intentions...

Looks like he's done... We're about to leave yet I must tell you about the daughter at this house... She walked out with a baby that looked like she was about a month or 2 old... Turns out the baby is 4 DAYS OLD!!! She delivered an 8 lb 14 oz baby NATURALLY!!! That's hardcore... Anyways, 9 down, 2 to go... On our way to Corona...

10:12- At the 2nd to last house... This guy lost his job at Arbon make-up factory... Once again, while the guy was away from the table, my dad mentions to me the hardships this guy & his family have gone through... I can hear the family watching "Flavor of Love" in the other room... I'm feeling brains cells die... Just made coffee for my dad & I... I think I've lost my touch in making coffee a lil... This guy thinks my dad is asking about ALL the upgrades or improvements on his house when all he needs to know is if he's done anything to better energy use... Ah! Looks like he's refinanced too!!! My god... Its so sad... These people don't understand how they're fucking themselves when they refinance so often! Refinancing is a big deal but people think that they can/should do it just to get money out to pay off things or better, buy things...ugh, I don't want to get into this at 10:30 at night but if you have ?'s on why refinancing is usually a bad thing, email me... We're done here! On to the last house!!! Woot...

11:00- THE LAST HOUSE!!! Now I'm wired b/c of the coffee at the last house but I really just want to fall asleep... I'm having great conversation with these people! We've been talking this whole time that I've barely written anything! The lady is a general mgr. of Del Taco so that's woot in my book! We're about to leave so ill finish this at home...

12:46- I am typing this from my laptop as I lay in my bed...... and it feels so good.... I kinda liked doing a "live blog from house to house"..... It would have probably been more interesting if I started earlier.... I'll try it again next weekend...

All I know is that we left the house @ 10:30 this morning & got home 14 hrs. later..... Now I'm going to try & fall asleep!

Until I wake from coma,

me =)