Pentagenarians & Beyond: W/B 10/14

the new subaru is much MUCH more intrusive than our 04 subaru or our ford truck. the older ones gave a short time where you could unbuckle and do small things without going into a constant unrelenting ding-ding mode. I mean really? does no one ever need to reach into the back seat or out the window? I always wear the seat belt but I'm reaching the point where I connect the blasted thing behind me so I can accomplish small tasks because I can't think straight with the constant barrage of noise. it is a very annoying tone. It's the only complaint I have about the car but it's a big one. I don't parallel park very often but again, the belt won't let me rise high enough to look behind and to the right to park. the mirrors don't work they don't show what's right next to you anywhere near as clearly as actually looking. maybe because I'm short? I need to see over the car "body" to park. anyway, just in an angry annoyed mode today and for the last several days.
took a day off yesterday except for yoga. she worked us thoroughly. and I needed a rest day.
 
Hi Deb, Josie, and Valerie--

This morning I did the 47 min. premix on Cardio Supersets.

This is the conference I am going to speak at: Sylvia Plath Symposium 2012

Deb, I am speaking on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

The seat belt warning on our Honda CRV is intermittent and only goes off a couple times on my way to the mailbox. Not so intrusive. Sorry you have sooo many problems with machines, Valerie. I would be annoyed too--who needs to be in constant conflict with technology that is supposed to help us?

We are going to see Argo tonight--a new Ben Affleck film that has received excellent reviews. It's based on events around the 1979 takeover of our embassy in Iran. Some of our embassy personnel managed to find their way to the Canadian embassy and the problem was how to get them out without alerting the Iranian police. A CIA agent decided he would have them pose as a Canadian film company making a space fantasy in the desert called Argo. The clips I have seen are alternately hilarious (Alan Arkin says, "If I'm going to produce a fake film, it's going to be a fake hit!") and very tense. We're going out for pizza after.

Josie, my in-laws are Republican, too, and we just never talk about politics, although my mil has recently said she just doesn't want to vote this time. She doesn't like the idea of a Mormon in office.
 
I thought most of DH's side were R's but over the last couple years we've found out they are D's! so many people are afraid of saying what they are probably to avoid potential arguments or lectures. I know I'm cautious, no bumper stickers or lawn signs. I worry about my car getting vandalized because someone doesn't like Obama so I don't give anyone a reason. it turned out most of the family I was worried about are on the same side as I am. nice to knwo, but we still generally don't talk politics. Josie, that's a cute way to think of it....cancel away!!

My oven exchange is on the way. I convinced the sales mgr that I'd already had a service appt. if they send someone there's no reason to think the same thing wouldn't happen again, just delays the process. it didn't work the days before he came, nor the day after but worked fine when he was here for 2 hours. I did make it sound like I needed to arrange time to be here, which is not entirely accurate since I'm not working outside anymore, but I do have to make time and sit here for a couple hour window and I already did it once. and there is absolutely no question that there's something wrong with this oven. apparently all new ovens have fans that run all the time they're on to cool the electronics.
Just like all new cars have seat belt alarms more persistent than old ones. I'm a dedicated user and was in an accident a long time ago where we both could have been seriously hurt if we hadn't been wearing them. still, it seems with all the refinements it should be possible to disconnect briefly to without the thing dinging until your brain ceases to function.
 
Good morning,

So nice to sleep in until 3:00 or so, then have DH get up with the dogs, and wake up again at 4:00, then get up at 6:00. So glad it's Saturday. A nap will be good this afternoon.

Garance, nice write up on your books etc. When are you leaving?

Valerie, glad that they are exchanging the oven for you. I hope the new one works and you like it!

Not much going on here this weekend, no class today, HouseMax and whatever we can do in the yard to clean up. About 9 of our arborvitae died from the draught, DH has pulled out about 4 of them so far, and we need to get the others out. I am not sure what we should replace them with, something that is more hardy I guess. We have about 20, all along 3 sides of our fence. Sad, we have had some of these for 15 years. All of a sudden they started to die off. We tried to keep them watered, but it was a losing battle this summer, with no rain.

Have a great day!
 
Good morning ladies,

Not much going on here. I work and work and sleep. I will be going to the football game tomorrow. I don't want to but dh loves it and won't go alone.

I can't believe that CNN or democrats didn't exploit Romney saying he would eliminate taxes on interest, dividends, and capital gains. Then he wouldn't be paying 14% but 0%. Nothing.
 
Joan I think you're right about Romney saying that. I'd need to read a transcript to be sure. so much flies back and forth so fast that I miss things. plus, you would know taxes!

we got our ballots in the mail yesterday. WA switched to mail voting a couple years ago and I can't say enough good about it. there always was something I'd overlooked and hadn't researched enough to decide. and then I'd be at the polling place feeling stupid. I switched to absentee voting 20 years ago and left it that way. now the whole state does mail voting. It's a great option if you have it. I fill in what I'm decided on, and have all the resources to check anything else. into the mail box and done. no standing in line in the dark or rain. plus votes trickle in and the count can be started sooner.

did LBB yesterday and have some sore spots today. nothing major. the floor exercises with leg elevated always get me. overall, my legs are pretty well worked from hiking and biking.
Arborvitae are one of my least favorite plants. plus, the deer eat what they can reach so they all look misshapen. we have a few as a trial that didn't work. does laurel work in your climate? I think it needs to be pruned more to keep a shape. photinia is popular here too but I don't recommend it.
raining here and snowing up high. went from summer to winter in a couple days.
 
Hi Deb, Josie, Joan, and Valerie--

This morning was Housemax. It feels like summer here--over 70 degrees--so I think I will be doing some gardening cleanup later this afternoon.

Deb, I will be leaving on Tuesday, returning on Sunday of next week, so I won't be checking in--or working out, for that matter. I will be busy with the conference activities, seeing old academic friends and getting nervous about all my talks. Probably the most interesting one is the gallery talk, because it's open to the public, and the works are very provocative, the artists eccentric, and according to the conference coordinator, my talk has a lot of humor. We'll see. I noticed yesterday that someone had lined their property with burning bushes and they were really stunning. We have three and I do love them this time of year, and they need no trimming unless you like an Edward Scissorhands look or want to shape them into little balls. I sleep in on Saturday mornings, too. Lovely!

Went to see Argo last night. It was really, really exciting, and alternately humorous and tense. My only issue was that sometimes the dialogue was mumbled and I couldn't make it out. Ends with a reminder of the history behind it. Argh! made me angry all over again at the Iranians--mind you, not enough to start a war.

Joan, what I found mind-boggling about Romney's promise on taxes, is that a lot of ordinary people don't have the kind of interest, capital gains, or dividends that would add up to all that much, so what impact would it have on them? He is really out of touch.

Hope your appliance wars are almost over, Valerie!

Hi to Josie!
 
My brother and his family are big on Romney. I think they hope to be rich someday. (They are the ones that I bought the airconditioner for because they are broke.)

"To broaden the base" is the code word for making more poor and middle class pay. I would expect to eventually see no exemptions, child tax credit, or EIC.

There are many adjustments to the tax code I would make. I don't like that they made the education credit refundable if you don't have any taxes. Unfortunately about half of the parents who take the education credit for their child don't pay the tuition. That's all on the student loan.

I would leave the exemptions but probably would phase out the child credit. I'm not sure I want my taxes to pay you if you decide to have 10 kids.

The $17000 cap on itemized deductions would be on taxes, mortgage interest and medical but not on deductions for "capital assets". So your deduction for investment interest would be unlimited. Out of 400 middle and upper income tax returns I think I have 3 that have investment interest deductions. (This was not in debate but one of Romneys advisors was talking about this.)

Unfortunately most people who end up in a nursing home have more than $17000 worth of medical expenses.
 
Hi Joan--

Thanks for the education. I wish more people really assessed what Romney is proposing to do--and also what he is so vague about it should make people profoundly skeptical. Because my husband is a farmer and we have a lot of forested land, we have deductions for depreciation and keeping our acreage in crops and trees. We used the child deduction for college and it was a big help, but they had no loans (for which they are very grateful), and there was some help from my college on tuition.
 
I have a minimal understanding of tax policies but I was under the impression that dividends, interest, capital gains are where "rich people" tend to make their money or, as Romney, they shelter it in off shore accounts in the Caymans or other international spots so they don't pay taxes at a rate like the average middle income person. I know we pay our fair share of taxes. we have ours done by an accountant because they're complicated and change every year. DH and I do not have the time or interest in trying to keep up and the penalties are nasty if you make a mistake.

Our involvement in numerous wars in difficult locations has IMO caused much of the problems we find ourself in, along with the banking disasters of 2008.


Romney is glib and fast talking. I don't believe a word of what he says. besides, in the debate format there's no time for anything approaching a detailed answer. I don't think for a second he has a clue about the choices and difficulties the "average" person has finding or keeping a job. I also worked for many years with a group of Mormon men and I'm not comfortable with how much his faith might influence his decisions.

Did a 15 mile bike ride yesterday bertween rain storms. not a killer day but we're adjusting to a lot of rain and colder riding conditions.
 
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