Everyday Stupidities

Much like the young woman pictured, I'm unamused with the attention I'm getting. I have a computer repair home business, Geekery Ltd, which I haven't done much with in the last year; 8 engagements in 2005. I can't complain too much about that, my day job gets in the way of doing more work or promoting myself. I just filed my state taxes on the business electronically a few minutes ago, and now I can see why 9/10 of businesses fail...
Total cost of creating the business: $315 ($300 for county permit + $15 for state license)
Total income of the business: $325
Difference: $10 "profit"
State/local taxes, based on the income after $2 of credit: $28
Grand earnings therefore: <$18>
But hopefully things will be better when I file my income taxes next month, because as a home business I just fill out a Schedule C to account for the business stuff and they have a mileage deduction. I logged 825 miles going to jobs outside my local area, so this should count for something. If it weren't for my friends in the distance, I'd have no business at all. Know what burns my butt? ("flames about yay high"?) When I started the business, one of the inspirations was how people always came to the local library to ask for help, so I figured I could get my name pitched to those folks. How many of those people who didn't already know my household called? Zippo. Missed the demographic I was targetting completely, though I did do work for a couple people who worked at the library.

You can see my house in the distance if you watch the local [Seattle stations] nightly news. It has rained every day for 25+ days in this area, and the creek a block or two from my house has overflowed into yards and streets. I'm fine, thanks, and the newspaper says that the salmon are liking having rivers to swim upstream to spawn in again (it's been too dry here the last couple years), but it could get kinda ugly if the weather doesn't let up soon. Some neighbors have their lawns underwater, ergo the TV cameras, but as yet no one has had to evacuate or had their houses damaged. I took a photo yesterday of the house on the next block which has sandbags in its driveway, and benchmarks of debris halfway up the driveway to show why these measures are justified. I realize that I'm luckier than the folks in various other parts of the country or world, who have been hit with floods and tsunamis, as well as the folks with houses near Clover Creek I can see from my front stoop.

The real stupidity of the day is this furshlugginer cold. I'm usually a healthy cat, so much so that I stopped going to the doctor whenever I'd catch strep throat because 3 days later my immune system would take care of it on its own. (I had strep a lot as a kid...) But this cold here is taking me down a peg. Yes, I have been drinking OJ and taking zinc tablets to build up my resistance, and that was working well until I failed to follow the Zicam's label directions and continue taking it for 48 hours after I felt better – it came back with a vengeance two mornings later, which would be today. Apologies to Chrome, R.A.T. #1, who spent the night, if either A: I gave you this disease, or B: you were disappointed by how not-fun I was when I got up this morning. I'm calling in sick tomorrow so I can stay in bed and possibly drill a hole in my skull to drain my sinuses, and give my car's windshield (the seal was repaired yesterday, gratis) a little more time to cure. Speaking of, how damn long does it take for a foam rubber firewall to dry?! It's been indoors for a week and I can still feel damp spots. Anyhow, wish me increased health and let the happy thought that you don't need the product below add light to your day.