my money is sitting in tax refund purgatory.

i went to the fair lawn branch of the div. of taxation - spoke with the girl there and i am going to send her tulips tomorrow... unfortunately, i couldn't hug her through the bullet-proof glass.

she helped. she was friendly. she was wondering how in the world it got to the point where they zapped me with the tax refund offset...

so on the plus side - i am getting the monies owed to me... on the minus side - as i said, they are in purgatory - sitting there somewhere between the federal bank account and the nj state bank account... once it hits the nj state account, it will take "maybe 4 to 6 weeks before you see it"

after she got everything squared away she gave me parting advice....

"i suggest you never try to do your taxes on your own ever again"

preachin' to the choir, honey. preachin' to the choir

that wasn't the only bit of advice that was bestowed upon me in the waiting room of the musty tax office...

an elderly woman and her - i think - husband, were sitting there because their accountant messed up...

she starts chatting... the weather first, then the tax problems... then she says to me:

"take this advice... whatever you do, invest in utilities... and health like johnson & johnson... people need utilities and healthcare... you look like a smart young thing... you are single i take it? listen to me now... don't get married until you're 35 - and marry someone who is on the same level mentally... and not afraid to work. make sure he is a worker and you'll never go hungry - make sure he's not afraid to use his hands and legs in case you fall on hard times, make sure his heart is as strong as his back"

and her husband (or lover) sat there quietly as this 80+ year old woman was passing along her wisdom to me.

seeing as i am "investing" in my car payments and rent, not to mention my "monthly utilities" i can't exactly "play the market"... and my life pretty much has already been listening to her marriage advice (the "at least 35 years old" part)... *sigh*

so what else could i do but slowly back away as i nodded and said "um... thank you... i think i'll go hang out near some construction sites to pick up guys" -- and flashed her a big smile - to which she poked her husband and said "isn't she a cutie?"
so that's my day...