Column: Tax time in the Kent compound

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I’m going to try something new this weekend.

There are lots of things I’ve never done before. I’ve not jumped from an airplane. I’ve not been to Key West. I’ve not been on a cruise. I’ve not been to Africa. I’ve not been asked to appear on the Food Network.

But this weekend millions of us doing the same thing.

Most of us will be successful. A few of us will fail. Some of us will decide we need more time.

For me, it’s time to take this step.

This weekend, I’m doing my income tax.

I’m one of those people who usually have my income done before Feb. 1. I usually have my refund in hand and already spent by the St. Patrick’s Day.

I have no idea what the time frame for my refund will be in 2017.

I hope it’s in hand by the time I have to pay for my long-awaited, much-needed, can’t-wait-much-longer-for vacation.

I’m typically not a procrastinator, but this year was different … in a lot of ways.

I was paid by a former company to leave it early. I was unemployed for about six weeks. I worked for a second company for about a month (to be honest, I forgot about that third job until just a few minutes ago) and now I’m on my third company to earn a paycheck from this year.

Still, I should have plenty of time to do other things this weekend. I dug through the old mail a week ago and found two of the three W-2s. The third one I remember seeing a couple months ago. It’s under a pile of something in a room somewhere in this house … or in a file … or in a drawer … or it may have been chewed up by Miss Beatrix. She does that when she is out of toys.

She hasn’t chewed on any of my shoes or boots in months. She won’t chew on furniture or pillows or the cats (so far), but she does kind of have a thing for mail.I can’t blame her, I get tired of all the crap delivered to my house, too.

I shouldn’t be surprised Beatrix has a thing for mail. She is a femail. (Gosh, I love pun humor).

Anyway, I’m pretty certain that last W-2 is in one of seven rooms in the first floor of my home.

So that’s my plan, and I’m sticking to it.

Maybe.

Unless something better comes along.

I’ll watch at least part of the Cavs’ playoff opener: Saturday, 3 p.m. on ABC. The Cavaliers have not been very good the past month. In fact, they’ve been just about as bad as anyone in the NBA. I hope it’s just a phase, that they’ve become bored with the regular NBA season. That’s what I hope, but I have my doubts.

Anyway, my pessimism served me well last year during the NBA Playoffs. Perhaps it will work again.

But there’s not too much on my plate this weekend.

I’ll go out for breakfast Saturday or Sunday. I’d like to make it to the driving range, but I think the rain and my inherent laziness may combine to make that an impossibility.

I’m cooking some ham for Easter and will visit with family this weekend.

I’ll put in several hours of work.

I should run the sweeper at the Kent compound. After all, it is April 15. And if that’s not a sign that it’s time to say goodbye to the past — past hair balls, past fur piles, past cobwebs in the corner, past white pit bull hair on every piece of furniture and clothing in my home — what is?

Maybe I’ll do a little more cleaning this weekend.

Yes, I’m laughing at that though, too.

I can always file an extension on the income tax and use my refund for Christmas presents.

While I was looking for that elusive third W-2, I did spot a can of Lemon Pledge in the back of one of my cupboards. And I know there is a bottle of glass cleaner on the front porch. I put it there last Spring when I thought about cleaning those porch windows.

Maybe finding the Pledge was an omen.

The fact that some personal information of mine was stolen this year is another reason I’ve not filed my income taxes.

I tend to put off bad news as long as possible. And I’d hate to go to all the work of finding three W-2s and loading up Turbo Tax if only to find that my refund has already been spent by someone in Nigeria, or Russia.

But at least if that happened, I’d know it was Donald Trump’s fault.

Maybe I’ll just go see a movie.

OK, I just looked. Maybe not. I’ve seen “Kong” and “Life” and “Ghost in the Shell.” All good, the last two much not better than the first. I’ve not seen any of the “Fast and Furious” movies, so I’m OK with skipping this one.

But wait. “The Case for Christ” opens this week.

I read the book. And it was a pretty good read. Thought provoking. I recommend it.

But for the life of me, I cannot figure out how they made a movie out of it.

Besides, most movies pale in comparison to the books they’re based on. But this one may be an exception.

Anyway.

Wish me luck on the taxes … and then cleaning. And have a Happy Easter.

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Russ Kent

Inquirer Editor

 

 

Email Russ Kent at [email protected] with comments or story ideas.

 

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