Well, my wife and I decided to make the move to set up a small business to make a few dollars extra each month.  Being the law-abiding citizens we are, and being somewhat a stickler myself for being that way, [and according to my wife, I'm like that in almost everything else, I think she calls that anal-something ], we decided to go ahead and set the business up by going through all of the registration requirements from the city on up to the federal government. You know, set everything up legally and proper.

Well, having called up the State, I verified the name we wanted to use was not yet being used and I was told to go ahead and submit out paperwork for a LLC.  So, I got online, filled out their online forms, paid, and proudly sat back thinking we were on our way.  Oh, should have known.

The instructions said that I needed to do the next step, fill out a Master Business Application, again, being able to do that online as well.  So I went ahead and did that too, paid, and a little more tentatively, sat back thinking I had accomplished even more.  The instructions said I needed to do this step in order to get a Unified Business ID (a UBI) which would cover us for State taxes, help us open a banking account, and other legal stuff, and make us really official looking.  [Well, the last part I threw in there.] 

Then went and called the IRS and a less than friendly lady asked some questions, and then gave me a Federal Tax Identification Number (FTIN).  Now, I am really feeling official.

This all happened earlier this week.  Since the online instructions for the registration said they would expedite the filing after they charged me the expedited fee, and the Master Application instructions said they would have their stuff done in 2 business days, today I called the office for the Master Application first.  Hold time was only about 4 minutes for someone to answer.  And I was told what my UBI number was.  And then I was told it might not be the right one because the other office still had not registered our filing stuff yet.  “Please call them because they might have issued a UBI number and we have to use theirs.”  So I called the filing office.

The hold time was 17 minutes.  She asked me for the filing number and then told me that they were working on stuff from 7 days ago, and no UBI number.  So much for expedited work.

But wait a minute.  So I can get a UBI number from either office, but one of them is not necessarily good.  Hmmm..I’m looking less studly now.

Okay, I sorta understand, it’s the government.  Then I went to check on our operating agreement to make sure everything was the way we wanted.  The IRS says because it is only me and my wife doing the business, we can be considered as a sole-owner LLC and need 2 FTIN but the lady on the phone said no.  To file taxes, we may be considered as partners.  And to pay taxes, we may be taxed as a corporation.

And oh yes, by the way, even though I was able to file the Master Application online which also covered the city where I live because I have to get a license from them also, I still have to bring paperwork back to them as well in order to get the license.  Even though it is the same stuff I filed online and paid already.  But they added a requirement to provide a copy of my floor plan for my house since this is a home-based business.

And the operating agreement?  Well, the State says I don’t need one.  The IRS just wants to see one, whenever they ask, just to show we are actually doing some kind of business.  Course, it doesn’t have to be signed…..huh?

Just trying to make sure the little bit of money we plan on making is properly reported and the required taxes paid.  But I can tell you right now, with all of the conflicts of information, the different sources you have to go through, the different stacks of paperwork you have to wade through, and the misinformation, I fully understand why some people just get paid “under the table”.  If I was paid for the time I have spent so far, well, with that rate of pay, I wouldn’t need the business.

Oh yeah, still waiting on everything. It still hasn’t been filed, registered or fixed yet.  And I almost feel neutered….

Bake sales are in trouble.  From the Arizona Republic:

Put down those illegal oatmeal cookies. Step away from those illicit Rice Krispie treats. And drop your brownies.

Maricopa County health inspectors are scrutinizing homemade goodies at local bake sales. Violators can be cited and fined hundreds of dollars.

Bake sales lasting two or more days require a permit as a “temporary food establishment” and can only sell items made in a professional kitchen. One-day sales can offer home-baked items but must display a sign saying the food was prepared in a kitchen that isn’t county-regulated.

All that for a bake sale, a part of traditional Americana just this side of Mom and apple pie.

When was the last time you heard of someone getting sick from a bake sale?  Now how about the last time some fancy restaurant made someone sick?  (Here in King County, they post inspection results online – and some of the fanciest, most expensive restaurants in this area have critical violations.)  I’ll be nice and won’t even go into fast-food joints.  Frankly, I would pit anyone’s private kitchen against a government “licensed” kitchen any day of the week.

When I was in college (and no, it wasn’t that long ago), there were regular demonstrations against government interference in our personal lives — we used to joke that we would soon be required to file for a permit to use the bathroom. Nowadays, it  seems like a frighteningly real possibility.  When will the busybody ”I know better than you” government types realize that we are capable of looking out for ourselves?

As for those to whom this regulation supposedly applies — Why put up with that nonsense?  The way to protest things like this is to not back down. Have your church hold a bake sale and say, “Come in and arrest us.”

One of three things will then happen. (1) Maricopa County will back down;  (2) the county will not back down and the utter ridiculousness will be exposed and common sense will prevail; or (3) the county will not back down, and the community will support it.

If the third’s the case, then it truly is time to get out, because the inmates are running the asylum.

I had a few errands to run around town today, and drove past the Molbak’s in Woodinville on the way to have a cup of tea with my mother.  Molbak’s is a horticulturalist’s dream-come-true.  It has to be seen to be believed — a high quality profusion of greenhouses, outdoor and indoor plants, flowers, bulbs, garden accessories, patio furniture, gift store, classes —  so amazing it’s a tourist destination here in the Seattle area with over a million visitors a year.  More than one of my family Christmas photo have been snapped there!

Sorry, got carried away there for a minute.  Molbak’s has a terrific after-Christmas sale, so I pulled into the parking lot, noticing that, as in years passed, the lot was jammed full of cars.  Inside, people were pushing shopping carts around the store; unlike yours truly they weren’t looking to buy only one or two small items.  Nope, there they were, carts overflowing, shopping with a vengeance. 

Part of me wanted to shake my head at this overzealous display of consumerism.  Just how many Christmas decorations can you cram into a house anyway?  (Honey, that’s a rhetorical question, I really don’t want you to answer it!)  Part of me said, it’s just because everything Christmas was 50% off.  And part of me looked at it as a sign of optimism.  These people fully expect to be around in a year’s time, or they wouldn’t be buying decorations for next year’s Christmas celebration.

But Lisa-Ann, I can hear you say, if folks are that optimistic, why is so much of the news about the economy so negative?   Reuters:  “Home prices post record annual drop”.  AP:  “Retailers look for post-holiday bump”; or maybe you prefer: “Stocks slip on weak holiday sales“.   What is interesting is that like my excursion to Molbak’s, the evidence of optimism, or decline, seems to be anecdotal.  If you read the AP story about retailers looking for a post-holiday increase in sales, you’ll see lots and lots of anecdotal stories, but not much in the way of facts.

So here’s a fact for you.  “ShopperTrak Reports ‘Super Saturday’ weekend sales increase  18.7 percent.” 

ShopperTrak RCT Corporation’s National Retail Sales Estimate (NRSE) today reported that retailers can breathe a sigh of relief as sales for the critical Super Saturday weekend (December 21, 22, 23) increased a healthy 18.7 percent over the same period last year - with Super Saturday, or December 22, leading the way with $9.36 billion spent, representing a 7.6 percent rise over 2006.

“As we anticipated, Super Saturday weekend was indeed a significant event for retailers” said Bill Martin, co-founder of ShopperTrak. “Retail traffic was slow during the first part of the week, but last minute shoppers swamped stores on the weekend, allowing retailers to breathe a sigh of relief.” Martin continued: “Based on this performance, it appears our forecast of a 3.6 percent gain for the holiday shopping season is right in line.” (emphasis added.)

So, consumer spending this Christmas is in line with the forecasts, and up 3.6 percent from last year.  That’s some pretty good news after all.

It’s the morning of Christmas Eve. I’ve got the Christmas music on, and I’m getting ready to head for the kitchen to make some more treats for the family get-together later. We’ll be 16 this year, a bit smaller than usual. My son and daughter-in-law are in Virginia showing off their new baby to the other set of grandparents and great-grandparents. Underneath my tree, the presents for my siblings, my parents, my nieces, my nephews, and yes, even my husband, are all wrapped (and hopefully not collecting too much dog hair). When we get together at my sister’s house later today, we’ll fill up the back of the car and the wonderful smell of home baked cookies and mincemeat pie will drive my husband crazy during the 40 minute drive.

I love giving gifts. I especially enjoy seeing that look that says “this is perfect!” when someone opens a gift. I smile when I hear their excited “I love it!” Don’t get me wrong, I like to receive too — but I like the feeling of giving much better. My favorite gifts of all at Christmas are the ones that weren’t on anyone’s list. The things that simply say “I was thinking about you.” They’re the best.

We don’t overlook the One Whose birthday it is. My father always reads from the Gospel of Luke before we get to the gifts, as my nieces and nephews wriggle in anticipation.  And sometime during the day, we’ll all get to church to remember and celebrate the reason this day is so special — Emmanuel, God With Us.

I love Christmas movies.  Every year, I watch the same group, usually while under the pressure of an all day/all night marathon of cookie, candy, and bread making (my siblings prefer home-made to store-bought when it comes to Christmas).   There’s nothing like a good movie, some hot cocoa, and a dusting of flour.  The  damage I can do is limitless.

My top 6 (it was going to be 5, but I was having a hard time cutting the list down):

6.  Prancer (1989).  A little girl finds an injured reindeer and believes it must be Prancer - the reindeer missing from a local display. She wants to nurse him back to health in time for Christmas, but her father wants to sell him to the butcher as an advertising gimmick. Okay, maybe I love this one because Sam Elliott’s in it and I love his voice, but wonderful performances mixed with the realistic dynamic of a family dealing with desperate times keep this from being cloying and overly fantastical.  

5.  Christmas in Connecticut (1945). Barbara Stanwyck is radiant playing Elizabeth Lane, a 1940s Martha Stewart, who writes a ’down-home’ column, complete with recipes from a farm in Connecticut.  The fun starts when her publisher decides it’s time to visit the farm, because Elizabeth can’t cook and lives in a New York City apartment.  She needs a farm, and some cooking lessons, pronto. And yes, there’s a romance and plenty of gentle laughs.  Because this one isn’t shown a gazillion times every Christmas, I find it enjoyable whenever I can catch it.

4.  The Santa Clause (1994). What happens when an ordinary guy stumbles into the job of being Santa? Well let’s just say this is a charming, funny movie. While I am not much of a fan of the sequels, the original Santa Clause is funny, light hearted, and a modern Christmas classic.

3.  Holiday Inn (1942).  When you’re in the mood for the smooth crooning of Bing Crosby and the fancy smooth footwork of Fred Astaire, watch this one. Crosby and Astaire are partners in a resort hotel that is only open on the holidays, and brings in guests by putting on holiday-themed musical shows.  Of course there are romantic tangles, but eventually it all gets sorted out. Astaire has a great dance number for the 4th of July show (with firecrackers).  And this is the movie that introduced the timeless song, White Christmas.

2.  The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992).  I think this is, hands down, the best Christmas movie for kids and adults to enjoy together. Even if you’ve seen A Christmas Carol a thousand times, you’ve never seen it Muppet-style. The characters come together with human actors to tell the story of the Christmas carol in a way that is both hilarious and touching (and surprisingly faithful to the Charles Dickens story). Michael Caine is absolutely terrific as Scrooge.  The songs are catchy and fun, especially with a chorus of dozens of muppets singing.  I especially loved the Swedish Chef singing an unintelligible version of “Deck the Halls”.

1.  It’s a Wonderful Life (1946).   Jimmy Stewart is George Bailey, a truly good man with a loving family who is loosing his faith in humanity.  We’ve watched him grow and give up his dreams repeatedly for what he believed was right. Now, he’s been beat up and could very likely go to jail. When he contemplates suicide, his Guardian Angel shows him what the world would be like if George had never been born.

I wasn’t a big fan of this movie when I was younger. I think you have to have gone through some disappointment and abandoned dreams for it to makes sense. But it’s now my personal favorite of every Christmas movie ever made. I’m not ashamed to admit that I weep every time I see it.

Home Alone, A Christmas Story, A Miracle on 34th Street, and Scrooged (or maybe Babes in Toyland) would round out my top 10.  My husband thinks I’m very remiss to not include “Lethal Weapon” or “Die Hard” in this list.  Sorry honey.  Yes, they both take place during Christmas, and yes, I thoroughly enjoy both movies, but “yippie ki yay [censored]” just doesn’t have the same holiday feeling as “God bless us, every one.”

Well, I think I have read more than enough about how retailers are worried about whether or not great hordes of people will be hitting their stores in time to bail them out so they can make a profit for their stockholders.

I read an article this morning from Reuters that said people were worried about the current credit crunch, slumping housing market, and so on.  Oh, and it mentions that people are walking around “like lost puppies” trying to figure out what to buy.  Interesting, in a monotone kind of way.

I think I have some real reasons why people are not just up and running to the stores to buy stuff.  First, the rising prices on not only gas, but food and clothes.  As an example, a report hidden in the back pages of the Internet mentions that, oh by the way, food prices have risen 4-6% in the last quarter of this year.  [Sorry you have to Google that yourself.]  What a surprise since I only buy food every other day, I guess I didn’t see that one coming.  And gas, we have always paid higher than the national average here in this little town.

And someone stopped me in a department store who said that she always bought a new calendar from there every year, but wouldn’t this year.  I asked her why.  She said that it had always been around $1.19 but that they had raised the price up to $4.49.  So prices on virtually everything has risen. 

Lost puppies not knowing what to buy?  If this is true, you have a lot of people out there that just buy stuff only to buy stuff, or even worse, have to show off they are better than someone else based upon the amount or type of stuff, and we KNOW that doesn’t happen.  Course, I have seen when people have gone back to the caveman days and stampeded, maimed and killed each other just to get the “must-have” thingie, whatever it might be.

Me, I have enough stuff already and don’t need more stuff.  My garage is already full of stuff, thank you.  Yeah, I know, it is un-American to park cars in garages, but hey, it would be nice to do so if all the stuff didn’t seem to accumulate.

And the credit crunch and housing slump don’t seem to have affected me as far as when I need to go out to buy milk and bread.  Oh yeah, sorry, I forgot.  This is supposed to be about all those other things I am supposed to be buying. 

I like getting gifts as much as the next guy, and I know my wife does too.  But going to the extremes just seems like gluttony or greedy to me.  And a little pointless since nothing lasts forever, and in some cases, not very long.

So I have already completed my shopping for some very practical things for my wife, things I know she will use on a regular basis.  Simple things that won’t fall apart or break after the first use, won’t maim or poision her, and I know she will appreciate them.  And it didn’t cost me an arm and a leg.  [Sorry, can't give it up, since my wife reads these things too.]  But I know she will enjoy them, in the spirit of Christmas, as gifts given in love. 

I remember being told a lot that it doesn’t have to be a lot, it is the thought that counts. 

Yesterday, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine signed into law a bill that abolished the death penalty, making New Jersey the first state since 1976 to do so.  

The New Jersey repeal comes despite the pleas of some high-profile victims, including Richard and Maureen Kanka, whose 7-year-old daughter, Megan, was killed by a repeat sex offender, Jesse K. Timmendequas, who is currently on New Jersey’s death row. Megan Kanka’s 1994 killing gave rise to “Megan’s Law,” requiring public notification when a convicted sex offender moves into a neighborhood.

And here’s where it gets tricky.  You see, I completely disagree with the death penalty. Our justice system is not perfect.   Errors have been and will continue to be made.  When a person is executed, there’s no room for resolving an error. There are no ‘do-overs.’  All the exonerating evidence in the world will not resurrect the dead.

Once upon a time, the death penalty served a purpose — it kept society safe from the violent.  In this day and age, especially in the U.S., we can lock someone up and keep society safe, without having to resort to executions. 

Those are the practical arguments.  The ethical argument is that either you value human life or you don’t.  Most supporters of the death penalty point out that the crime (especially Timmendequas’) is so heinous that the death penalty is warranted.  And on an emotional level, I agree, especially in this case.  But then my logical side kicks in (and makes me very unpopular with my father).

But - I think that we can all agree that human life has value.  The fact that some of our members of society choose to lead a dishonest or criminal lifestyle does not mean that their life has no value.  Should they be punished for their actions?  Most emphatically, yes.   After all, in the story of the ”good thief” in Luke 23:39-43, Jesus did not take the repentant sinner off the cross and give him a “get out of jail free” card.  What He did was give him the gift of salvation (”Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise”).

So yes, criminals should be punished — but not executed. And by punished I mean incarcerated in the middle of nowhere, with no amenities, no cable TV, no gymns, no law libraries.  And most certainly no parole (a sentence should be served in full).

There’s a side benefit too – being against the death penalty removes any real or inferred hypocrisy from my pro-life position.  I have given many pro-life talks at high schools and colleges,  most of which are not pro-life.  I point out that being pro-life is a rational, reasonable position to hold.  Almost invariably, I am asked if I am in favor of capital punishment.  The kids are just waiting for a “gotcha” moment, a chance to point out that I’m the one not being logical.

Human life has value no matter what. The unborn, the disabled, the worst of our society all have value, and all deserve a chance at redemption.  To argue otherwise is to argue that some human life is more valuable than others.  Who decides whose life is valuable and whose isn’t?  Mankind has been down that road too many times before, and I for one, don’t want to go there again.

I think it is kind of funny to see as many candidates for President as there are.  Of course, that does make it hard for one to make a decision as to who to vote for, since they started, what, a year ago to run?  But my wife, who is fond of options, is a little less than thrilled by the many options we have.

Now, the way I see it, in my own humble opinion, is that both the Democratic and Republican parties have a problem.  It is obvious that neither party has any real control over what goes on in their party, since there are so many candidates in each one.  It will be interesting to see just how much a party is going to be behind their candidate.

If you have doubts, look at the current Congress and their progress so far.  In my opinion, there hasn’t been much.  They have spent a lot of time trying to get bills passed through that they KNOW will be vetoed by the President.  He has told them this, in advance, and stuck to his guns.  Yet they went ahead, wasted precious time, and tried anyway.  Result? Failure and wasted time.

Remember when the Democratic party talked about all of the things they would get accomplished in their “first 100 days”?  Oops.  Well, they have named a lot of buildings…

But this is off mark a little.  I have yet to see any candidate who is Presidential stuff.  As an example, Mrs. Clinton has had three (3) different staff members either quit or be fired, for inappropriate comments and behavior.  Although not in exact wording provided, each time she has said, “I have told my campaign this is the way I want it run”.  Apparently either she didn’t make it clear enough, or even more obvious, has no control over her campaign.

Don’t get me wrong because I think it is time for a woman, or African-American, or Chinese-American, etc., to be President.  Way past time because it would mean that we are actually putting some prejudices behind us.  Contrary to what the media says or prints although they have been nice to print innuendos to influence the tide, at times.  And keep printing the same old stuff, over and over and over…you get the idea.   You know what I mean, “he said, she said” type of stuff and the dirt of course.

I wonder if they will ever show what each candidate has accomplished? You know, for their city, county or State?

In my probably over-simplified point of view, the President should take control of the government and get things done.  I think this although I also know that the Congress is responsible for about 95% of the actual actions taken by government, either directly or indirectly through funding approvals and denials. Take a look at the military funding.  Oops, they haven’t gotten that down quite right, have they?  Took them how long?

So looking at who is out there, I have yet to see which one would get into office and will actually clamp down on things and get stuff down.  Waiting for the evidence…not talk.

And even-so, I worry that even if one person did, the Congress would continue bickering in the sandbox, you know, Democrats and Republicans fighting over how much sand they can control…

Thank the good Lord that I am neither a Republican or Democrat, or Independent. Just an American wanting so common sense put back into government and the Congress.

Just when you think they couldn’t possibly come up with any more “i”stuff — pet stores in Australia are selling the “iPond“, a portable speaker with a built in fish tank.

A TINY fish tank that doubles as a music speaker has sparked outrage among animal activists and aquarists.

The iPond - up to 15 times smaller than the recommended tank size for the fish it contains - is proving a hit with Christmas shoppers.

One Sydney store has sold out of the $70 device and other outlets are reporting brisk sales.

The fish shown is a Siamese fighting fish (a.k.a. the betta).  Bettas live in puddles and rice paddies and are sold in pet stores in little plastic cups, so the space, while not optimal for a beta, isn’t too bad.  But speaker + vibration =  1 unhappy fish.  So in addition to all the other stuff I cart around (my purse weighs about 10 pounds), I would have to carry around a (soon-to-be) dead fish too?  Um…. no thanks.

Oh, and I don’t apologize for the bad pun in the title of this post, but it’s a late Sunday night!

The long-anticipated George Mitchell report on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball is out, and there are 86 names on it, including some of the biggest names in baseball.  The biggest one is Roger Clemens, one of the top pitchers in baseball history, whose long career began in 1984.   According to the report, Clemens injected steroids.  His lawyer has already held a press conference in which he has vehemently denied the charges.

Clemens is a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame (7 Cy Young awards — 2 more than any other pitcher, ever) — or at least he was until this report.  Given this revelation, should he still get in?  What about Barry Bonds or other top-notch players?  To muddy the waters, keep in mind that Major League Baseball didn’t ban steroid use until 2002, and didn’t ban HGH until 2004.   The use of performance enhancing drugs were not banned from MLB at the time of most of the infraction dates stated in the report. 

And then there’s a recent study in which 13 of the 52 supplements (25%) purchased at various U.S. retailers contained small amounts of steroids and six (11.5%) had banned stimulants.   Did the players in the Mitchell report unknowingly ingest steroids with their protein powder?  Can you prove they didn’t? 

The use of steroids bothers me because one of the joys of baseball is the historical nature of its statistics.  As a fan, all that really matters to me is seeing the game get cleaned up, so that we don’t have this mess again and the integrity of the game is repaired and maintained.

I see no value in retroactively punitive measures when in the end, the finger should be pointed at everyone — the owners who wanted to fill seats with powerhouse players, the players union which was adamantly against self-policing, us fans who craved 95 mph fastballs and 60 home runs a season,  the media that pretty much ignored the whole issue — well, pretty much the whole kit and kaboodle of us.