Catching Ducks

Stargate isn't the best show ever, but it is, on occasion, quite fun. From the episode "Bad Guys":


[Vala is trying to turn a bomb into a power source for the stargate.]

Daniel: [over walkie-talkie, to Cameron] How goes it on your end?
Cameron: [to Vala] How goes it on our end?
Vala: I think I have it. Maybe.
Cameron: Vala...
Vala: There's a 70% chance that if we dial [the stargate] manually we'll be able to establish a connection and a 50% chance the bomb will just go off.
Cameron: That's 120%.
Vala: Well, there's some crossover where we establish a wormhole and it blows up.
Cameron: [to walkie-talkie] Jackson, did you catch any of that?
Daniel: Yeah. There's 100% chance we should have brought someone who knows what they're doing.

Labels: Stargate

I took my check to my bank (where everybody knows my name, yes, thank you, Iris) and showed the teller. I told him I was worried about it going through. He said the only thing I needed for it to go through was his approval (which he was willing to give). He was concerned, however, that it might be a problem with the IRS. He said that if I wanted to deposit it, I could.

So I did.

Labels: IRS

I got my tax refund check today.

It was made out to [last name] [middle initial] [last name].

I'm not quite sure what to do with it: drop in the ATM and hope for the best, or go into the branch where everyone knows me.

Labels: IRS

This week's Burn Notice wasn't quite as good as the previous two episodes, but it was still pretty good.


[Michael's planning on bribing a man for information.]

Fiona: I still can't believe you're giving all this money to some sleazy bank manager.
Michael: I went to a lot of trouble to find this guy; I don't have a lot of options here.
Fiona: Michael, he hid money for a man who tried to assassinate you.
Michael: Which makes him a good person to know if I'm trying to find that assassin.
Fiona: You're going into this meeting unarmed, you've no information...
Michael: It's a tactical risk. Fi, I was warned not to meet you the first time.
Fiona: Yeah -- I almost blew off your hand with a block of C4.
Michael: And I made a friend. Maybe I'll make another one. [pause] Watch my back.

Labels: Burn Notice

On this season of The Amazing Race, they have a deaf racer (he's racing with his hearing mom). Tonight was the season premiere, and they came in (spoiler!) first. Which was cool. But what was even cooler was that before Phil said they were first, he signed it!

He did it right, too, although I could see him hesitate before signing "team", like he was going to sign "number", but then remembered that came next. So cute! So awesome! Yay Phil! (And yay deaf racer and mom, who both seem pretty cool, too, and who have the added burden of language barrier/interpreting duties, but still managed to come in first.)

Labels: ASL, The Amazing Race

Last night I realized that I hadn't received any emails in the last few days. I don't get scads of emails, but I usually there's something. Plus, I never got the confirmation emails from the IRS. (And the website said that everything had been accepted.)

To test things out, I sent myself emails from my regular account and from my Yahoo account. Tonight, nearly 24 hours later, neither had showed up. Dun dun DUN!

I called my ISP, and they were able to help me fix it. What happened was this: My ISP is switching programs, and I was still logging into my old program. (I think it's because I use my bookmarked login screen, rather than going to the main page every time.)

Once I was able to get into the new program, I found my test emails, the test email the ISP guy sent, my IRS emails, and several others.

So..... If you've been waiting for a reply from me, I actually have a good excuse this time!

Labels: computers

When I picked up my comics this month, I found out that one of my favorites, "Fallen Angel", has ended. Of course, I'm way behind in reading them, but this spurred me to catch up. So, from Fallen Angel (series 2) #18:


Shi: I am called Shi.
Lee: What's your last name? "Bangs"? Or "Who Must Be Obeyed"?
Shi: Just "shi". Japanese for "death".
Lee: Also Chinese for "poetry".
Shi: Why... yes. Who are you?
Lee: I'm "Lee". It's Egyptian for "Stay the hell out of my way".
Shi: No, it's not.
Lee: Boy, nothing slips past you.

Labels: comics

The IRS rejected my e-filed tax return because "Authentication Record The year of Taxpayer Signature Date must equal current processing year".

Whatever that means. (Also, what's with the random capitalizations of words? Very weird.)

I guess I'll try again!



Update:

What that error message meant is that I'm a big dummy, and dated it 2008 instead of 2009. Whoops!

Labels: IRS

I just "e-filed" my taxes. It was weird to just click a button and have my return sent. It feels sort of anti-climatic. But then, putting the envelope in the mailbox usually feels anti-climatic, too.

I chose not to do direct deposit for my refund, though. I still want my check!

Labels: IRS

I've started re-watching Buffy. Hence, a quote from the pilot episode, "Welcome to the Hellmouth":


Cordelia: Some guy was stuffed in Aura's locker!
Buffy: Dead.
Cordelia: Totally dead. Way dead.
Xander: So not just a little dead, then?
Cordelia: Don't you have an elsewhere to be?

Labels: Buffy the Vampire Slayer