Journal

Spring is in the air - the lilacs are budding out, the tulips and daylilies are poking their tips through the soil and the garden catalogues have poured in. I have to restrain myself with garden catalogues like others do with a Nordstrom catalogue. All the pictures look so wonderful. I limited myself to buying Bittersweet, Lilies of the Valley, Horseradish, Hostas and another China Boy Holly - one of our China Boy Hollys didn't make it and so the China Girl Hollys won't produce their red berries as they should. Also, plan to buy some Columbine and some Thuja Green Giant trees to plant up along the road - supposedly they grow 3 feet a year.

I did my second annual shift at Kentucky Fried Chicken on Saturday morning - this is a fund raiser for AAUW to provide money for scholarships. It is a worthy cause and very easy to do.

Thursday evening, friends T&G arrived from California where they had spent a month in a co-housing unit in Oakland. They were very positive about their experience and the co-housers sounded like a diverse, interesting group. T&G are interested in the co-housing concept and hope the one in Lawrence gets going. While P&G played tennis on Saturday morning, T&C checked out a a new state park about a half hour drive from our house. It is a small, but very nice park including some pleasant hiking trails and an asphalted bike trail.

And speaking of bike trails, we are now the proud owners of bikes. Notice I said proud owners - we are not yet proud riders but if the weather warms up some today we'll go out for a spin. P got his bike a few days ago and has gone up and down the road by our house. I'm going to start on asphalt and something not so hilly. We have some neat accoutrements including a computerized speedometer/odometer.

Elizabeth thought I should post this on the blog. I guess it has a little humor about it, at least if you're not personally involved. I hope it's self explanatory. It's the transcript of an online chat I had this afternoon while trying to deal with a problem that arose in TurboTax.

Please wait while we find an agent to assist you...

You have been connected to C Dan.

C Dan: Hello John, how may I help you today?

John Karl: I'm having a problem not filling in a sched C

C Dan: John, Could you please elaborate your issue?

John Karl: I'm at easystep, Types of Businesses
John Karl: Business - Schedule C is checked
John Karl: I uncheck it and click on continue
John Karl: Then I'm invited to upgrade to Premier Home and Business
John Karl: I click on Don't Upgrade
John Karl: At that point Turbo Tax is asking me about my business, which I don't have, which is why I unclicked it earlier.
John Karl: If I now go back, Business-Schedule C is selected again, even though I unclicked it earlier

C Dan: John, If I am right you are using desktop version turbotax deluxe 2003.

John Karl: That's correct

C Dan: John, If I understand you correctly that you are getting error in the Interview screen with the part Business-Schedule C. Am I right?

John Karl: Yes, I guess. I don't think I can explain it more clearly than I did above.
John Karl: The "error" is that TurboTax insists on going through the Schedule C part of the interview even though I have unclicked it.

C Dan: John, Could you tell me whether you have saved the file after you have uncheck it and click on continue.

John Karl: Well, I would say yes. It wasn't immediately after I unchecked it, so I don't know if TurboTax had rechecked it or not.
John Karl: Now I have just unchecked it and saved the file. When I restart TurboTax, it's checked again.

C Dan: Okay John, Please give me a moment.

Currently experiencing network delays, one moment please....
Network connection re-established.
John Karl: I assume you're still there
Currently experiencing network delays, one moment please....
Network connection re-established.
C Dan: John, Please stay online while I research your issue.
John Karl: ok
C Dan: John, Thanks for being online.
John Karl: no problem

C Dan: John, Please go back to interview screen and check whether you have entered any business info.

John Karl: Go back to what interview screen?

C Dan: Go back to Business, Rental or Farm Income Interview screen.

John Karl: I think that's the one in easystep 2.Income with the heading "Types of Businesses". Is that right?

C Dan: John, Do you need to report any income and expenses?

John Karl: On that screen I have "Farm Rentals - Form 4835" checked.

C Dan: John, Just click on the option "Farm Rentals - Form 4835" and then continue.

John Karl: Does that mean that I have to go through the Sched C part of the interview?
John Karl: I've already explained that it's apparently impossible to click only on the option "Farm Rentals - Form 4835". The "Business - Schedule C" option is always forced to be checked.

C Dan: John, If I am right you have checked the option Schedule-C and described the description of your business.

John Karl: I have no business, I have UNCHECKED the top option schedule-C, but TurboTax keeps rechecking it.
John Karl: So, no, you are not right.

C Dan: John, Please uncheck the option now and tell me what you are seeing in the next page.

John Karl: "Upgrade to Premier Home and Business"

C Dan: Let me know what you are seeing in the next Interview screen, if you click Dont' upgrade.

John Karl: "Your Business"

C Dan: John, Do you have any business which is named "Untitiled or anyother name" in the box.

John Karl: In what box?

C Dan: John, You have the box which is named "Business / Net income".

John Karl: where is that box?

C Dan: John, If I am right there is no box in the Business summary.

John Karl: C Dan, if you would just answer my questions some of the time, I think we would get through this a lot faster. What box?
John Karl: When you say "in the Business summary", where are you talking about?
John Karl: Are you talking about a line on my Form 1040?

C Dan: Okay John, Please start a new return which will resolve this issue.

John Karl: You realize that I already have about 20 hours invested in this return?
John Karl: BTW, may I ask what country you're located in?

C Dan: John, Could you tell me whether you have imported any data's about your business from last year.

John Karl: There was no business last year. I did import my 2002 tax info. Could you please start answering some of my questions. The last one I'm interested in is: When you say "in the Business summary", where are you talking about?

C Dan: To continue the process of resolving your issue, I am giving you an Express Access Code and a phone number to call to speak with a phone representative. Please be at your computer when you call so that the agent can troubleshoot the issue with you. The phone number to call is (877) 826-1922. The standard Access Code is: [9113384]. This Access Code is valid for 24 hours.
C Dan: Is there anything else I can help you with?

John Karl: I would still like to know what country you're located in.

C Dan: John, We are working globally. We are not supposed to give our location.

John Karl: why not?

C Dan: Okay John, I am from India.

John Karl: Thanks.

C Dan: Thank you John for contacting Intuit.

About four weeks ago an old friend from the town where I grew up telephoned me. She had done a google search which led her to my mother's obituary which had my married name and then to the white pages. She wanted to invite me to our high school class reunion even though I did not graduate from there. Last Monday we met for lunch - a 2 and a half hour lunch. I had not seen her since I was 15. She stayed mainly in the hometown - got married the day after she graduated from high school. She knew what happened to a bunch of people - some of which I hadn't thought of for years. It was interesting to revisit events and laugh about some of the stuff that happened. And, wow, how we have changed since the '50's and not just physically.