Simple America

Well my blog came to an end last Thursday. Untimely, unplanned, and really because of stupidity on the part of yours truly. Some friends noticed, but being a Friday in SE Asia during this event and the low day for blog activity, most people did not even know.

Now I was supposed to come up with a clever way to kill myself, or get too busy for blogging, or have to choose between my missus or the blog. That was the line I was thinking for the end meme, Wuching tagged me with. But no, I seem to always do things to the extreme. Once again the simple theme becomes complicated.

What did I do? Well for close to 24 hours there was no Simple America. Why? Cause I was a dead beat. Did not pay my webhosting for more than a month. And still the Dow Jones Industrial Average managed to go up over on Wall Street. Shows you the impact I have on world affairs.

How could I let something like this happen? Read now the chain of events. I went to a restaurant for lunch with my office. I paid for our lunch with my credit card, which I left at the restaurant. By the time I realized my loss, I was miles away and too damn lazy to go back. So I reported my lost credit cart, which cancelled that card number. I happened to use that credit card to pay for my webhost at Yahoo.

In my blur blur focus only on taxes state of mind, I forgot to update my Yahoo account payment information. Yahoo did send an email asking for payment when the credit card did not work. I read that email the day after my blog returned to service. Why? Unfortunately, I did not have my email working at the time because of the new laptop was getting tweaked for maximum functionality. Now I do have my email working. Any email sent to my Tengu account after April 10th to last Friday bounced by the way.

I changed the payment history three hours after I noticed the site was down. Honestly, I thought it was just system maintenance at first. I went to read the maintenance schedule and discovered my no payment. I corrected this by updating my credit card number immediately.

Then I waited. And I waited. Went to bed. And waited summore before they finally got me back in operation. Thankfully they did not sell my domain name to pornographers during my lapse. I am grateful I did not have to wait three days to resurrect my blog, but how many folks would have noticed my disappearance on the weekend?

I’m back. Did you miss me?

I have also been tagged by Sweatpeamy with the goals tag. For this tag I list five to ten goals that can range from the obtainable to the entirely riculous, your wasting my time writing this idea for me to read.

My goals are (drum roll):

1. Start a new business, so I can better fend of the tax man and take care of my family.
2. Provide my kids with a superior education so they can take care of me when I’m old and drooling.
3. Make enough money so I don’t need my kids to take care of me when I’m old and drooling.
4. Make a world tour of all my favorite bloggers. Can I overstay my welcome? 
5. Become a published novelist with a world following.
6. Write a screenplay that Steven Spielberg begs to direct, and Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock cannot refuse.
7. Let my wife retire and become a Tai Tai.
8. Get a 30 foot yacht and learn how to sail it.
9. Receive a PhD in history.
10. Get to a healthier weight. 195 pounds would be nice.

I just got through watching Lost which featured a Sun-centric episode. Sun is played by Yun Jin Kim, the South Korean actress that makes the show worth watching for me. Miss Kim is just H-O-T.  You can take Kate, Juliet and Claire. I won’t fight you for them. Just let me watch Sun work in her garden. Or but on that blue bikini again. How come they only showed her in that bikini once? Scuse my lust.

The last few episodes have been some of the best produced since the opening season. Anybody else out there a Lost fan? Fellow Lost  fans, what makes you go back for more?

And this makes positive chi for me. Note to all my chi posting friends. 

eastcoastlife of Singapore tagged me last week. I have been trying to get on the Technorati site to register, but it says I did that already. I cannot remember my password and I must have registered under my old email that has not worked correctly since I set up the new lappie. Honestly, I do not recall signing up. Is there anudda Simple American?

But then I thought about doing this some more. No need to add myself really. The important thing it to “Fave the Site” of eastcoastlife. So that is what I would like to do. Go here and you can see what needs to be done.

If you have not read eastcoastlife you are missing out on one of the best blogs out there. She deserves your serious consideration in this vote too.

That’s right folks. It’s test time. And what better subject could I come up with than me! So do you know me or not? Let’s find out. By the way. If you score 75% of more I will award you a Tricolor Ribbon for the April Texas Hug Hug Club tally. That’s nine points just for knowing me.

So do you?

Create your own Friend Test here

Been so busy. Still managed to have some fun, which I hope to blog on later.

Trying to get the 12 to Midnight accounting system back in order. I am now using Microsoft Office Accounting  2007, since I lost my Peachtree Accounting that I had used before the harddrive crash. It is difficult to build an accounting system from scratch and I found a few things that have me scratching my head. Overall though I found a way to streamline my accounting for 12 to Midnight now. Hopefully this will result in quicker accounting for me and faster payments for those that need to be paid. Have not got there yet. Always something it seems. Still owe folks. Must do something about it.

Oh wait. You don’t care about this. You wanna see the Personality Disorder Test. Go ahead. Move along. Have fun. No laughing at moi. Sniggering behind closed doors is permitted. I picked this up from the tiger lady. Go visit her and learn about endangered animals.

I have been tagged by Nicole in Malaysia (not to be confused with Nicole in Australia). And while I mention Australia Siwwy Pig has tagged me with this meme as well. Okay ladies. I shall proceed.

Layer One:
On The OutsideName : Simple American
Birth Date : 04 March
Current status : Married Happily
Eye Colour : Sky Blue
Hair Colour : Used to be brown. Now has a lot of gray. Whole bunch of gray. Beaucoup even.
Righty or Lefty : Righty

Layer Two :
On The InsideYour Heritage : Scottish, Irish, English, and the despicable part of me is French
Your Fears : Heights and snakes
Your Weakness : I don’t worry, even when I should
Your Perfect Pizza : Thick chewie crust with four cheeses, pepperoni, sausage, and mushrooms

Layer Three : Yesterday, Today , Tomorrow
Your Thoughts First thing when I wake up : Wake up the kids for school
Your Bedtime : Try to go to bed at eleven, but always knock out at midnight
Your Most Missed Memory : Cruising Westheimer with my buddies

Layer Four : Your Pick
Pepsi or Coke : Black Cherry Diet Coke
McDonald’s or Burger King : Burger King
Single or Group Dates : Group dates. Cannot eat just one
Adidas or Nike : Reebok
Tea or Nestea : Tea. Like Jasmine tea a lot
Chocolate or Vanilla : Neopolitan. Has chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.
Cappucino or Coffee : Coffee. Starbucks *slurp*

Layer Five : Do You..
Smoke : Not for over 20 years now. I find it annoying when others smoke now
Curse: I was in the army. I have a horrible potty mouth
Take a shower : Cannot go to bed without a shower. It relaxes me. On the weekend I may take a morning shower it I feel sweaty in the mornin
Have a crush : Orange or Grape
Think you’ve been in love: Over twenty years now
Go to school : Graduated with a Masters degree
Want to get married : Am. Done. Did. 
Believe in yourself : Of course, but I get second opinions and check the actuaries too
Think you’re a health freak : Fat slob

Layer Six : In The Past Month
Drank alcohol : Had two beers at the ball game last night
Gone to the mall : Not since Christmas shopping
Been on stage : Last time I was the warrior in a play about the Monkey King. This was entirely in Mandarin too.
Eaten sushi : Yes
Dyed your hair : Not in a while. Usually dye it a brown and red mix.

Layer Seven : Have You Ever..
Played A Stripping Game : Nobody want to see me nekkid. Yuck!
Changed Who You Were To Fit In : Doesn’t everyone? 

Layer Eight : Age
You’re Hoping To Be Married : I’m there.

Layer Nine : In a Girl/Guy
Best Eye Colour : Brown
Best Hair Colour : Black
Short Hair or Long Hair : Long hair. Really, really long is nice, nice, nice

Layer Ten : What Were You Doing
1 Min Ago : Writing this post
1 Hour Ago : Working on a report for the Feds
1 Month Ago : Working on taxes
1 Year Ago: Working on a report for the Feds

Layer Eleven : Finish The Sentence
I Love : My missus and muh kids
I Feel : So so sleepy
I Hate : Busy bodies
I Hide : Candy stash
I Need : To quit this job

Layer Twelve : Tag five people..
Too busy and tired to tag.

So busy at work. It seems like all of the government is jealous of the IRS and the attention they get at tax time. To fill the void (WHAT VOID?) up they demand report this report that. Damn! I am the reporter. Killing my blog time. Hope to visit you all soon!

Today is the deadline for Individual Income Tax in American. Finally and thankfully, I have completed mine. Wrote a painfully large check to add to the amount I have already been gouged for. Only hope the government will use it wisely, but I know much will be squandered. Out of my hands though.

Analysis after completing taxes. I have decided to take a much more thorough look at getting the marketing done for my CPA firm. All of my current work seems to just raise the family’s tax liablity. So when considering the gas I spend and other expenses related to work, it might be better off staying home and building a client base. Have to revisit my business plan and marketing plan.

I received a package from sunny Singapore. This came from Pinkie and Marc and totally unexpected too. Lifted my spirits up when I was getting beat up by all those numbers. They send me some spices to get a taste of Singapore, particularly their favorite dishes. Pinkie has warned me that the curry will be hot. LOL! But that’s okay. But look at the rose. Nice isn’t it? Marc sells glass and this tile is some of the work he does. He does most (if not all) of the glass designs that he sells to clients and now I can see how good he is. And he is good! If you are in Singapore and need glass, check him out.

When I was a youngster in Boy Scouts I developed a love for map and compass. Later while serving in the US Army these skills served me well. My commanders were impressed by the internal compass that guided me well. Lately, I’ve been looking at things and I have come to the conclusion that my inner compas tends to lead me southeast.

Why do I think this? I live in Southeast Texas along the Coastal plain. Most people think of Texas as a desert, but I assure you I live on the edge of a swamp. And honestly there is no where else in Texas I would care to be. I’m fond of my warmth and humidity.

When I lived in Europe I always sought to go to the southeast. Whether it was Southeast Germany in Bavaria to ski the Alps. Or offloading from the ferry in the shadow of the cliffs of Dover, England. My best times in Europe had this southeast connection.

In the States most of my vacations seem to take me to Florida in the southeast. Whether I am going for a beach vacation or tweaking Mickey Mouse’s nose I find my self travelling this direction.

My favorite part of Canada is Toronto. Isn’t that southeast also? I think so and I long to return so I can eat some good Chinese and Greek food. And going to Pacific Mall is the closest to Hong Kong I have ever been (From a shopping standpoint). It has similar shops according to the missus.

My brother and I used to plan on sailing to Australia and New Zealand. Isn’t that the southeastern part of the world? Now that he has departed, I think I could settle for flying there. Pet some koalas. Punch some kangaroos. Search for Hobbits.

But the southeasternest of all southeasterns where I wanna be is Southeast Asia. Ever since I found Wabbit’s blog I have been educated about this land. First I explored Singapore. Then I peeked into Bangkok. Next I visited the city with the twin towers, Kuala Lumpur. Previews of Indonesian and the Phillipino Islands quickly followed.

This blog hopping opened memories of the Malaysian-Singaporean Student Union from University of Houston returned. I remembered the dances, particularly a Chinese gal from Penang that I took to the rodeo and later to watch a Japanese film called Ran. I recall now that some of those students spoke English better than me, with that funny Brit accent. It never entered my mind that they would use English so much in daily life.

So how could an Asianeophile not fall in love with this part of the world. People he can talk to without a dictionary. Pretty women. Interesting chaps. Beautiful sceneries. Wonderful history. Scrumptious food. My compass now points to where I need to go. Yes I said need, not want. And the sooner I go the better. Even if it is just for a short while. Or until the end of days.

Every now and then we need to spread the word about friends in the blogger community. Since the new year started (actually since my burpday) I have added quite a few new bloggers to my daily visits. Wait I should say twice or thrice weekly visits. Getting so many blogs to see is impossibel to visit everyone everyday as I used to be able to do. But I am getting off the topic.

One of the blogs I recently added belongs to SiwwyPig. SiwwyPig is a recent grad that resides Down Under, though she is originally from Malaysia. I would like to introduce her site here to those of you who have not visited her. She really writes some cute stories about her life in the land of Oz with her beau Boss Darling. Another nice feature at her blog is the many song posts she makes, which often include the video and lyrics, as well as some pics of the artist.

Come on y’all. If you have not visited her yet, do so soon. Like today. Go say howdy. Peek under the carpet and behind the paintings. You’re bound to find some treasure down under.

How come this is not working? I paste the html code into the html editor. Any ideas or tricks I need for Word Press? The embedded script is eaten up?