Days of My Life

My powered wheelchair, which was custom purchased 6 years ago in Hawaii when I was still attending school, uses a gel-based rechargeable battery.  It’s dying slowly.  It used to last about a week after a full charge, but now it lasts only a few hours.  And the wheelchair is pretty heavy to push.  Hope it won’t die on me too suddenly.

I’ve contacted the Providence Home Services Repair Center yesterday, and they’ll give me a call once they get an approval from my primary care physician.  I think they’re taking their time, though.  Oh, well.

I used to love watching Knight Rider when I was little. I think I was watching re-runs in the ’90s, because I wasn’t here in the U.S. until 1988, and I doubt it was airing in Korea. Anyhow, I think that’s when I got into science fiction stuffs like Star Trek, etc. I can still remember the original opening music and the voice of KITT.

Now they are planning to bring it back, which I definitely hope they do, and a two-hour pilot was aired by NBC this month. If you have a broadband connection, you can watch it here. If you ask me, it’s very promising!

I’ve spent nearly 7 hours yesterday e-filing both of my federal and state taxes using an online service. To my surprise, it looks like I’ll be paying a little over $1,100 for both with no refunds. It’s quite high mainly because of the income I earned through PayPerPost, which the government is taking 30% of. Since the federal tax is high, it affects the state tax as well since it’s based on the federal one. I’ve read that I’d pay less tax if I get a small business license which costs $150 for registration and $50 thereafter for annual renewals, but it would be a waste of money now that I’m not making big bucks as I was before the Google PR drop.

Since the state tax is based on the federal tax, they aren’t only taking 30% if you think about it. After all this, I don’t think it’s worth the time and efforts I put in for it, not to mention all the stress from promoting this blog / site; therefore, I’m considering getting off the PayPerPost bandwagon at least for a while… perhaps my PR would increase if I don’t do any paid post.

If you are making money online through PayPerPost and/or other companies, do you have a small business license? If so, how much tax do you pay for your online income? What’s the percentage of the tax?

On top of this, the ol’ man thinks annual car maintenance, such as oil change, tire rotation and other regular check-ups, is a waste of money.  But I disagree.  Such maintenance is done to prevent abrupt downtime, like getting stuck in the middle of highway, and to reduce potential repair costs.  This is more important to me, because if my vehicle breaks down in the middle of the road, I’d be stuck since I can’t just ride in a regular taxi.  My vehicle is equipped with a ramp system for wheelchair users.

To use an analogy, why do you have an annual physical?  It’s to find out if there’s anything wrong with your body, right?  Well, it also applies to your car.  Even if it costs a little, it’s worth the money if it prevents further damages.  He just can’t see that… he’s the “don’t fix it if it ain’t broke” kind of a guy.  But it’s not like he’s able to do the maintenance himself even when he suspects something is wrong — even with his own car which has had numerous problems.

I just don’t understand his way of thinking…

Most of my good friends were/are Cancer, and people with this sign are generally compassionate and kind in my opinion. However, they tend to be forgetful of important dates, such as your birthday, anniversary, etc., and they aren’t able to take subtle hints. Coincidentally, they seem to lack the consideration of others’ needs and wants. So while I love my friends, past or present, I don’t generally like Cancer people. Keep in mind, though, that this is a broad generalization made from my personal experiences.

How about you? Which astrological sign do you hate the most and why?

This isn’t about me; this is about people I despise.

Apparently, there are people with no plans for their future, and they don’t give a damn about their own children’s future, either. These people are either selfish and/or hedonistic to the extreme, and they don’t know/care to save for the rainy day. These people usually work just enough to get by, and they spend like there’s no tomorrow. That is, they spend what they earn in a day on that same day, and they often take out loans with their paycheck as collateral. I don’t mean to sound like a racist, but I’ve heard that a lot of first-generation Mexicans are like that at least here in Oregon. But then, there are other nationalities who are even worse… like my ol’ man. Continue reading ‘No Plans for the Future’ »

I had an appointment with my neurologist this afternoon whom I didn’t see for about 5 months.  Like the last time, we lowered the pulse width to 150.  If it was up to me, I’d have lowered it much more than that.  I just don’t like the waiting game, although I do feel a little different already — in a negative way, which I hope it will pass.  I’m feeling a little more restless, tensed, and I seem to be experiencing hot flashes like old women going through their menopause.

Anyhow, since I’ve always wanted to go it in for setting changes more frequently, he’s handing me off to a new doctor who’s interested in DBS in Dystonia patients.  Since he’s fairly new, my current neurologist said he’s less booked than he is and therefore, he can see me more frequently.  Basically, I’m gonna be a guinea pig.  I’m going back in two months to see both of them and possibly another settings change.

On Saturday, a friend of my mother treated my mother and I to a “Pub & Grill” place where I had a couple of drinks and a steak.  One of the drinks was a cocktail called Tropical Potion which contained Vodka, orange juice, banana and some other stuffs I don’t recall.  Man, it was quite strong even though there wasn’t that much Vodka in it.  I then had a dark ale called Optimizer.  By the time we were finished eating and chatting, it was a little after 10PM.  We were there for 4 hours, but we had to wait initially for about 30 minutes as it was packed.  They were using wireless “pagers” that vibrate and flash when it’s your turn.  Pretty high-tech, I thought.   Continue reading ‘A Decent Weekend’ »

I feel so sorry for my mother.  One of my aunts e-mailed me yesterday saying that he’s in a hospital probably for the last time as he’s in a critical condition.  I don’t feel sorry for him that much, because his lifestyle was not so ethical, and now that I’m old enough to understand, I don’t approve of his lifestyle at all.  It doesn’t have anything to do with his sexual orientation; in any case, I don’t think I’d publicize it online. Continue reading ‘My Mother’s Only Brother’ »

Even though I can’t drive myself, it looks like I’m gonna have my vehicle registered under my name. It’s under my mother’s name right now, but since the ol’ man can’t have 2 vehicles registered under him or my mother if he wants to be eligible to receive Supplemental Security Income on top of his Social Security Benefits, it has to be transferred to me since I’m over 18. Basically, my income and assets are totally separate from my parents’ even though we are living together since I’m a working adult. Continue reading ‘Title of a Vehicle, Etcetera’ »