Brother Bea = Smart. Sweet Bea = Not So Much.

It must be said that Brother Bea is a math genius. He takes after Daddy Bea, and me being adopted, didn't get any of the cool stuff from my folks. Except my mom's ability to over-dramatize EVERYthing...but I think that must be nurture, not nature. And if you've seen it in person, you know it's not cool.

In order to pass my math requirement in college, I depended on Brother Bea to program HIS scientific calculator with the various things that people need to pass Calculus and Trigonometry (see? I'm so dumb I don't even know what the things are called!)

Have I mentioned that Brother Bea is 3 years below my in school? Meaning that he was still in his baby years of HIGH SCHOOL when I was having him program the calculator for me?? He smart, me dumb. And to this day, anytime I have a math-related question, I turn to him. Keep this in mind.

Now, onto the rest of my post:

So if you've been reading my last few tweets, you'll know that I've been fighting with the State of California over my taxes. Basically, they say I owe money from when I worked there during the campaign season, and I say I do not.

Here's a bit of backstory: I LOVE tax season. I know, I'm a freak. But I LOVE doing my taxes...I find something very soothing about it. It should be noted that I still use the EZ and short forms of nearly all my taxes because I have no investments or anything that will one day make me want to pull my hair out/cringe and hide under a rock during tax time. My taxes are usually easy-peasy.

Except every other year.

Because every other year I get a wild hair up my bum and decided to take off for exotic lands like Racine, Wisconsin or East Bay, California for a campaign.

And then my taxes get a bit tricky.

In 2006 I had to file in Wisconsin, DC, and Virginia (stupid House of Reps didn't process my change of address from August 2005!) Everything worked out fine and I ended up owing a minuscule amount to DC, but getting all of VA (rightfully) refunded and almost all of Wisconsin back too. YAY me!

And then 2008 tax season came around.

I ended up having to file in both DC and CA...which from the looks of things, should have been easier than 2006. But no, not it isn't.

My dear home state of Cali decided that not only do you need to fill out your regular, non-resident taxes (not online, I might add) but you also have to fill out a ridiculously complicated adjustment schedule form...which was 2 pages of charts and nonsense.

But I got it done and mailed in on time. YAY me!

And then I got a letter last week, stating that CA had redone my taxes (sidenote: seriously? You redid my taxes?? why not just do them for me in the first place next time and tell me how much I'm getting back??? SHEESH!) and found a discrepancy, and now I owe then $200.

Needless to say this did not make me happy and I spent the better part of an hour cursing my state to anyone who would listen (Florida.)

I gathered all my necessary tax documents (luckily still not properly filed away and laying on my bedroom floor) and prepared to do battle.

I spent much time yesterday trying to call and was greeted with the lovely message that they were talking to too many other people and I would just have to try back again later. Over and over again.

So today, I regathered my resolve and tax forms and called. I got through! This in itself was a major victory! I was determined to take my complaint to the Governator if I had to. I was not going to pay CA any more money!!!

So the wonderful woman on the other end, Agent 352357 or something, spent over an hour going over line by line with my, trying to figure out where they had gone wrong (she never said that they were right and I was wrong - she assumed that I was right and they made a mistake.) I could understand her words completely, and when they didn't make sense to me (because the tax forms are ridiculous!) she tried several different ways of explaining until I pretended I understood.

Finally, it got down to this: I had to read to her line by line the numbers I had for BOTH FORMS so she could figure out what went wrong.

So line by line we went.

Through the entire forms.

We narrowed it down to a problem with the standard deduction percentage. WHY the standard deduction would vary from person to person when it was supposed to be a STANDARD deduction still boggles my mind, but whatevs. We knew the problem was there.

And then I hear this come from her mouth:

I think, on Part 4 line 47, you divided the numbers in the wrong order.

Which to me sounded much like:

garbledegook garbledegook math math math.

To which she further explained:

You needed to divide the little number by the big number, and you divided the big number by the little number.

YES. She said big numbers and little numbers, as if I was seriously in 2nd grade learning math...

...and she was right.

I now owe The Great State of California $202.13 because remembering which number goes into the calculator first, even after asking several times, when it says "divide line x by line y" is hard.

FAIL blog anyone?

Hope your Tuesday is cheaper than mine has become...

Cheers,

Sweet Bea

My 25

Like Ms. Mindless, I keep getting tagged, so I decided to post my 25 random things. Enjoy!

1) I love to cook. I love to make intricate things...but my roommate had to teach me how to scramble eggs last week

2) I am fiercely loyal to my friends, relationships, and jobs, even when it is to my own detriment

3) My mother is one of my best friends, but she drives me absolutely insane sometimes

4) I was adopted when I was a baby

5) I am Persian and Irish, with an adopted German last name, which in Hindi sounds like the word "love"

6) I have a horrible weakness for dark-haired, blue-eyed boys. Please keep them away from me

7) I have a little brother who is brilliantly smart - he's the reason I passed calculus. I call him Stupes :)

8) I am a state champion in Parliamentary Debate. Which basically means, don't argue with me, as I will make you cry

9) Speaking of debate, I chose Arizona State partially because that is where my coach Kevin went to college. He died when we were at Nationals my first year. Debate is what got my life on track (and it's fun to make people cry)

10) I'm not a huge movie person...I often say "ooh I want to see that" and then never, ever watch it. The one movie I watch any and every chance I get is Love, Actually. I watch it every night as I fall asleep over Christmas, because I'm a hopeless romantic and I love the airport scene in the beginning. It is actually filmed at an airport, and they are real scenes of people greeting each other - not actors or scripted

11) Children annoy me greatly, and I don't plan on having any. Mom swears that will change when I meet "The One" but I'm not so sure

12) I can be ruthless in getting what I want. I'm always respectful, but I don't back down until the job is done and I've emerged victorious. It really sucks to be on the other end of that...

13) I am horribly allergic to cats

14) If I were to leave DC, I would move either to LA or Wisconsin. I would not move back to the Bay Area. I lived in WI in 06 and fell in love with it...

15) ...but I HATE being cold and my goal in life is to live on a beach

16) I am apparently very clumsy. I dislocated my ankle 2 years ago while walking in heels, dislocated my hip at the Inaugural concert 2 weeks ago (still no sure how I managed that,) and fell on the ice last week and ended up with a concussion and bruised tailbone

17) I am a blogger [this was done for Facebook...ya'll get an extra one at the bottom!]

18) In the summertime, you can often find me with a bottle of Moscato sitting on my front stoop, watching the world go by

19) I am a karaoke FREAK. I love to sing, and I have no shame. I qualified for a karaoke contest this summer, and took summer. While I won the crowd portion, I decided not to sing on key that night. Le sigh... :( I took second place and won a guitar. First place was a Mexican cruise...and I really needed a vacation

20) Speaking of vacation, I've actually never been on an a vacation without my parents...

21) I love country music, classic rock, and good, loud, smoky Southern rock

22) And whiskey and water

23) I love pearls and try to wear some every day. It's very interesting when I'm at a dirty dive bar listening to some dirty Southern rock, drinking whiskey, and sporting a double strand of pearls.

24) My favorite flowers are blue irises and I love that my neighborhood has some of the most amazing iris gardens

25) Teams I love: Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Arizona State Sun Devils, Wisconsin Badgers, KU Jayhawks, and NASCAR's #26 Jamie McMurray. Teams I hate: Florida Gators, University of Southern California, Oakland Raiders, New York Yankees, New England Patriots, any team from Pennsylvania, and the Busch brothers. I'm sure there are many more, but those are the top ones.

And for my sweet bloggy friends:

26) I love laminating machines. I've been known to laminate my NCAA Tournament bracket so it doesn't get destroyed, and carrying it around with me at all times. I once also laminated the bracket of the Congressman I was working for, because he was going overseas on a trip and I wanted to make sure his sheet didn't get messed up :)

Tis all for my, sweet friends!

Cheers!

Sweet Bea

TAG! I'm it!

YAY! My first tag! In the holiday spirit, its a Candy Cane tag, courtesy of Lulu (double yay!)

The instructions are to Copy, Paste, Answer, Add a Question, Tag the 3 bloggers with the most recent updates on your blog feed/roll, let them know they've been tagged in a comment, and learn about your fellow bloggers.

So...here are the questions and my answers:

1. What is your favorite Christmas Movie? It's a tossup between White Christmas and Love Actually. Daddy Bea and I always watch White Christmas together, so it always makes me think of him. When I first watched Love Actually I wasn't crazy about it, but I watched it again and absolutely fell in love. Poor Brother Bea has to put up with me begging to borrow his copy (yes, HIS copy. I don't own either movie!) every single night when I'm home for Christmas (so I'll start begging him on the 22nd of this month.) The other sleepless night I was actually Googling Vera-Ellen, one of the female leads in White Christmas because she was such a beauty and was so under appreciated in her time. Very, very sad.

2. Favorite Christmas Song? Ummm, is it wrong that it's again a tie...this time between Santa Baby and Do you Hear What I Hear? I also love David Bowie & Bing Crosby's version of Little Drummer Boy. Tee hee :)

3. Favorite Holiday Memory? Hmmm, this one is tough. It would have to be the last Christmas where my whole, tiny family was together, before Grandma Bea went into the care facility and my cousin Jean passed...Christmas 2006. There was nothing particularly memorable about it per se, but we were together and it was just very, very nice.

4. What is your favorite cookie/treat to make? If I made them, it would be gingerbread men. I just love them!!! But we try not to have too many cookies and treat in the Bea household (NOT your dear Sweet Bea's idea!)...

5. Have you ever made an igloo? Umm, no? I'm from Northern California...and not the part that has snow, sorry :(

6. Do you love Starbucks? Not particularly. I don't drink caffeine, but I do like their spiced cider. I am, however, a HUGE fan of Wilson's in Racine, Wisconsin. Our 2006 campaign office was next door-ish and we were constant visitors. Their decaf soy chai latte was to DIE for...I've never had one so good in my life. Their teas were excellent, and THEY were wonderful people. I miss it! :(

7. What makes the perfect Snowman? Again...being from NorCal I would have to say snow? I've never made a snowman, unfortunately. Even here in DC we don't get enough snow for a snowman...just snowballs, which are very fun to make. I suppose I could make mini-snowmen next time??

8. Maids a-milking...(for some reason, no #8!)

9. Best gift you have ever received? Jeez, these are hard! I've had many Christmases in my advanced age! Let's see...best gift ever was probably my diamond earrings from Daddy Bea. They aren't big, but they were the first real jewelry I ever received from anyone, so they mean a ton. I wear them every single day (which reminds me, I need to buy some jewelry cleaner!)

10. What is the snowman's name on Rudolph? FROSTY, duh! Right? I mean, it must be Frosty? Those claymation or whatever movies frighten me...

11.Silver or Gold? In terms of what??? This is a trick question! In terms of decorating? Gold. (more like champagne gold, not gaudy gold.) In terms of jewelry, silver colored jewelry.

12. What is your favorite Christmas decoration? OMG I just found it on Friday too! When I had to spend Christmas here in DC a few years back, Mama Bea sent me all my ornaments...so all the Barbie collectibles that my relatives (who I think refuse to believe I grew up...) send me every year, and all the other ones that are "mine." But I don't do family keepsake ornaments and things like that...I like an incredibly polished tree, with white lights and ivory & champagne ornaments, ivory silk ribbons with gold trim, etc. So needless to say, the ornaments that Mama Bea sent me sit in their boxes year after year (apparently her idea of cleaning is shipping me things I don't want.) BUT - there is a vintage cardinal with paisley wings that I absolutely ADORE. It it meant to be clipped on to a branch or garland, not hung. I love, love, love this cardinal. So Mama Bea sent me that too, and it is the only thing that made it out of the big box of other ornaments that made it to the holiday party on Friday night. I'll take pics of it so ya'll can see and post back later.

Photos from Christmas 2004

13. What's your Christmas decorating style? Oh...well sugar! I should have read the questions more closely before answering the last one! Well, my decorating style is pretty traditional - I love fresh greens and soft colors and white lights. Very classy, very elegant, and very simple. OH and I LOVE wrapping presents in matching papers...this year I'm thinking toile with a gingham ribbon (I saw it in a commercial...don't remember what it was for...and I loved the look!)

14. Do you hang stockings? Yes...if Mama Bea can find them (its always an interesting hunt!) We've had the same ones since we were little, but Brother Bea's name is spelled wrong (well, they shortened his name, which we don't do in our family.) They are hand knitted, and soft and fuzzy. Just perfie! :)

15. How many days do you celebrate Christmas? Well I tend to put on the holiday songs the day after Thanksgiving and keep the tree up through New Year's at least. One year, however, I remember Mama Bea not putting the ornaments away until we needed the dining room table for Easter... (she'd KILL me if she knew I wrote that!)

16. What was your favorite ornament on the tree as a child? Oh this one is so easy. We have these thin metal ornaments that have very intricate, almost lacy, patterns cut into them, in gold, red, and silver (one color each.) There is one that is a box and you can actually open the box and put something into it. That was always fun to look for that ornament and see if there was anything in it (even though we couldn't touch it yet.)

17. Where will you be spending this Christmas? I'm going, going, back, back, to Cali, Cali :) I feel like I JUST left...but Mama Bea STILL likes to guilt me about Christmas 2004 when I stayed here...

18. When you do open presents? We open our ornament from June (family friend) on Christmas Eve night, stockings Christmas morning before parents get up (though these days I'm usually the last one up!) and then main presents once the whole family is together, but before "breakfast" (tee hee, usually around noon!)

NEW QUESTION 19. What is your favorite Christmas tradition? On Christmas Eve, we eat crab and chili with French bread. From what I remember, my godfather "Uncle" Ian's family used to do this, and somehow the tradition was passed from their family to ours (but I could be wrong about that.) On Christmas night, we eat "plum" pudding that Grandma Bea used to always make until a few years ago. I think it is supposed to be made with plums, but she couldn't find them one year, so she used persimmons, and its more like a loaf than a pudding. And then we have hard sauce (a thick, stiff rum & powdered sugar sauce.) And when she used to make it ooh-whee was it STRONG! Mama Bea has tamed the rum sauce a but, unfortunately. And the rule is: no hard sauce without pudding. But sometimes sneaky lil Bea's like to forage in the fridge for a nip of the hard sauce :)

Because I'm still new to this whole world o' blogging, I'm only going to cheat and only tag one lady: Newly Wed, Newly Bred.

Hope you all had a wonderful, fun, and safe weekend and a fantastic week! I just moved today, so I'll try to get some pictures for ya'll (now that my camera connector has been more-or-less located!)

Cheers,

Sweet Bea

Happy Birthday Brother Bea!

That's it...basically just happy birthday Brother Bea! :) He turns a whopping 26 today. He then reminded me that he is "a spring chicken in comparison" to me...to which I gently reminded him that I am a mere babe of 23...

:)

Cheers!

Sweet Bea