October 15. D-Day in the tax world. The final deadline for all those returns for 2007. Of course, there are still some people with a zen-like attitude toward tax filing, but I digress. It's the final deadline for all those people who actually want to file their taxes in a timely manner. Finished up the last ones last night and got them e-filed. Including mine, thankyouverymuch. In the process, the house went to Defcon 8 when I realized that I hate the way Quickbooks processes payroll taxes with a white-hot passion usually only reserved for some political candidates and select NASCAR drivers. Bob does his half of the company's books on Quickbooks. I'll be chatting with him about that sometime soon... after I've quit swearing in my head.
Of course, I still have to finish those not-for-profits that are due on November 15.
This past weekend sis-in-law Sandi came down from VA to go to the spring apparel market in downtown ATL. She was buying for the family store, and Richard and I went down to assist (Oscar stayed home, since his fashion sense is somewhat questionable). What we found, other than a bunch of dresses better suited to a line of stores titled "Hos-R-Us" was that there were very few people there buying. Vendors were twiddling their thumbs and not writing orders because there was simply nobody shopping. Normally at the spring market, there's not room to walk. Our guess was that, due to the current economic conditions, people are waiting to see how they do over Christmas and then order in January for immediate delivery. You gotta have stuff to sell... At any rate, we helped Sandi order some nice dresses suitable for church and funerals and some spring and summer tops (she had already ordered pants). Found a cute line of flip flops too.
Our most amusing moment came when the three of us, wandering around to see what new things we could find, wandered onto a floor with temporary vendors set up... and it turned out to be the "gangsta" floor. We were just a tad out of place there. Interestingly enough, it was the only floor with a police presence -- not the floor selling diamonds, mind you, but the gangsta floor. We quickly realized that we should leave and found an escalator to head to another area where we were more culturally comfortable.
I managed to do some damage at a place that sells beading supplies. Swarovski crystals for $1 and $2 a dozen depending on size. Gold beading wire like JoAnn's sells for $18.99 a spool for $6. Yeah, I love being able to shop at the mart!
Be proud of me... I successfully avoided the knockoff purse stores. Most of them were full of the giraffe print Dooney and Burke knockoffs in a rainbow of colors. Who knew giraffe prints were so big?
As for stitching and knitting -- HA!! So no pictures this time. :) Next week is ASG... DF Ann is headed down a week from today, and she'll join me and DFs Jill and Heather in the Party Van (tm) as we drive to Hilton Head next Thursday for the weekend. There'll be a cooler in the car full of LaCroix for swilling, puppy chow courtesy of my mom, and we'll meet up with DFs Vicky, Debbie B, Angela, and Joy... as well as CJ from California and Carol B from MD to hang out and enjoy the weekend of merriment. Oh yeah... there'll be needlework classes too. :)
A thousand apologies to most DF Teresa, my roomie for ASG, who I totally inadvertently left off the meet up list... I now must bribe her with some beautiful yarn, or she'll kill me in my sleep.
