Terry's Past - The Serious Side

I walked to the post office to mail the rent check and submit a story, but forgot the little black notebook I take with me to jot down specifics or things that come to mind about…

…pretty much anything.

On the way, I stepped around the panhandler situated outside the sushi bar.  He is always laying or sitting there and today he wore socks instead of sandals.  No shoes.  He asked me something but I couldn’t hear what he asked because I had earphones in.

I’ve taken to carrying my IPOD around with me.  I wear Sony earphones that are hard at the end, unlike the Apple earphones that constantly fall out of my ears.  Since I usually have a baseball style cap (to protect my eyes from the sun), the earphones go over my hat and are fairly obvious.

I don’t mind being obvious because I can just point to the earphones and people who want you to sign petitions just leave you alone.

Most other people leave you alone, too.

Since I walk a lot, I often run into people that want something.  I don’t sign petitions because there are so many identity thieves nowadays that I just don’t sign anything anymore.

I don’t give money because I don’t have it.

In fact, yesterday I noticed that the state tax board put a levy on my meager bank account, saying I owed money from 1999 and 1993.  They got $75.  I wish I had income in 1999.  That would put me over the top and I would qualify for social security disability.

They’re waiving those taxes.  They just “estimated” I owed money because I had a real estate license.  They had no documentation that I made anything.  Besides, I was a loan officer until June 1996, not a Realtor.  Loan officers are employees and receive W2 income.  Realtors are independent contractors and receive 1099 income.  With one, the employer takes out taxes.  With the other, the individual pays his or her own taxes.

Anyway, they say I didn’t pay any taxes in 1993.  That’s bogus.  I hired a guy and paid everything off in 2006.  Afterwards, they didn’t think I owed anything, for 1993, 1999, or any other year.  Plus, I didn’t pay zero (like they said).  Even if I didn’t file taxes, my employer took taxes out.  No, I don’t have those W2 forms to prove it.  Doesn’t the state have them?  The state knows how much income I made, how come it doesn’t know how much taxes I paid?  And…

…it’s seventeen years ago!

This isn’t what I meant to write about.

I meant to write about a sculpture of big white metal leaves.  I got sidetracked.

“Oh.  Shiny!”