I know Paulette doesn't want to read this, but what a BEAUTIFUL day here. I just found I Was in very high spirits today. It is sunny and the sky is a bright blue (with billowing white clouds in the distance - over the Sierras). What a treat for December. IT will be almost 60 today.

I feel less homesick this year. For sure. Has been very much like mild Bay Area weather. (Without the Bay area prices - win-win!). Well, I'll enjoy it while it lasts. I keep hoping in a few years the weather whimp in me will stop pining for "perfect" weather. It's hard to give up once you get used to that.

Um, our Craigslist listings are not faring so well. I assume it is the time of year. Will try again in January.

Of course the powers that be want me to hit $10k, though I don't think I care that much. Dh got a call for some video work. HE quoted $100, though he then realized they wanted it BEFORE Christmas, and he would probably have to drive down to San jose to borrow some of the equipment. The stuff isn't in a format we can decipher with our own. So makes it tough with the deadline. Anyway, he revised his estimate to $300 but I think it was too much for them. I said who else is going to get that done in 5 days anyway. They may still want to get it done after Christmas. So he may make an easy $100. But if they change their minds, $300 would be a perfect top to my challenge.

I heard the stupidest commercial on the radio today. I heare these commercials here and there and my first thought is always that it's just a joke. I mean, they can't be serious. It was a commercial for the local mall. All about how much it sucks to shop for your old aunt when really you just want to buy yourself a new Coach purse. So if you go to the mall, you can do all your shopping at once. Get the icky stuff out of the way so you can do what you really want to do - shop for yourself!!!!! This was a Chrismtas commercial. BARF!

I just wonder what planet most of the world is on.

& anyway you couldn't pay me to go to the mall, or anywhere NEAR the mall, this week. Ick ick ick.

Well, in other news, Congress passed another one-year AMT fix today. MEans I Won't have to pay a $100 surcharge (AMT) on my ROTH conversion. I can't remember if I counted that in my calculations for 2007, but I don't think I did. I last calculated months ago. I didn't dream it would go up to the last minute or that I would have to pay any AMT. So hey, until next year... But this year was just, scary. Talk about down to the wire. I Am relieved I can now go lower some tax estimates for most of my clients. Phew. The upper middle class that just gets slammed the most. A lot of them will save a big chunk of change this year.

Anyway, as for my prior example, which was not our situation. But would be if dh got a $25k/year job.... In that example regular tax was $7,000 & AMT was $9,000. So we'd pay the $9,000 (higher amount) under old law.

With this change, our regular tax is still $7,000, but AMT would only be $3,600. So we'd have to pay the higher one - regular tax of $7,000. But see how suddenly AMT practically drops off the radar. Phew. Until 2008. Until next week I guess... Lord knows, I could get a large raise and worry about AMT.

I was considering doing regular IRA contributions in 2008 & 2009, and converting them later. (Assuming more income down the road, but could get more into retirement now with the tax savings). Anyway, with all these AMT worries, not sure it will be worth it. Just one more kink in the equation...