I am not the boss of anything but the plants lol - the list goes daughter, wife, cats, then me followed by the plants. If I don't keep myself healthy my plants will not be healthy. I've had my share of plant accidents without any libations. Just yesterday I was throwing a makeshift javelin(long branch) closer to the compost heap. Then what do you know it impaled my favorite hosta in my garden 'Dream Queen'. I will walk the debris to the compost pile next time. Not too long ago I was teaching my daughter how to throw a frisbee and my first throw chopped a big Angel wing begonia in half. Luckily I rooted the other half and now that plants is thriving and bushier than ever :) In regards to repotting... I enjoy repotting plants that I do not have to worry about declining after the repot. I enjoy repotting my succulents since I view it as an 'artistic process'. I also enjoy raising my adenium in their pots to develop their caudex. My hoyas not so much due to the fact that no matter what I tell them to do they pretty much do what they want to do anyway. -David

For anyone who wishes to order hoyas from Thailand or any other foreign country for that matter,make sure that you can get a phyto certificate to accommodate your shipment before you pay for it. Customs has been getting their panties in a twist lately and destroying any shipments that are not accompanied by proper documentation. I had a rather large order of rare hoyas coming from Thailand that were shipped on 8/11. The box finally showed up at my house on 8/26. EMPTY!!!! All that was in it was a piece of paper from customs stating that the cuttings had in fact been inspected,were found to be insect and disease free but due to no phyto ( my fault) with the shipment ,my hoyas were destroyed. Bad part about it was that instead of the idiot inspector destroying the box as well, I mean hey if you trash the plants,trash the box too,they found it amusing to go ahead and send me the empty box. A letter would have been fine, my name and address were right on the box!!! The Thai vendor who is someone that i've dealt with for several years now was gracious enough to replace the shipment for me,with a phyto this time. That box was mailed last Monday 9/14,it arrived in N.Y. Saturday 9/19 and it was at my house yesterday 9/21,sent EMS. It took exactly 1 week from the day of shipment for me to receive the order and everything was in excellent condition. david

I'm going to add a little wisdom here based on my experience. I've been a tax preparer for 14 years, completed over 3500 returns, and taken more than 500 hours of training. I've had experience with various types of tax organizations. Deciding who to go to to prepare your taxes can be confusing. Let's change that! Here is an explanation of the differences of a CPA, tax preparer, and an EA -- and -- some information about how each of them work. I hope this will help you pick the one that best works for you! ~ An Enrolled Agent (EA) is a designation by the IRS that the individual has passed a knowledge exam on taxes that allows the EA to represent a taxpayer infront of the IRS. An Enrolled Agent may be a tax preparer or a CPA. Not all tax preparers or CPA's are Enrolled Agents. ~ A CPA is Certified Public Accountant. They received this designation by passing knowledge exams on numerous accounting areas. Many CPA's specialize in a specific area of accounting. If you go to a CPA make sure they specialize in taxes. Not all CPA's specialize in taxes or are Enrolled Agents. The CPA must be an Enrolled Agent to represent you infront of the IRS. ~ Tax preparers are trained to prepare taxes. Often they have a educational background or work in accounting but not necessarily. Their knowledge varies based on the number of years they have prepared taxes and educational courses they have taken. Tax preparers at H&R Block begin with a basic training course of 66 hours of class time plus additional hours for updates on new tax law changes and on-the-job training hours. Students of the basic training course must pass a final exam to qualify to work for H&R Block. Experienced H&R Block tax preparers are required to complete a minimum of 30 hours of training each year plus additional hours for updates on new tax law changes. Many tax preparers at H&R Block and smaller tax prep firms are Enrolled Agents. ~ H&R Block charges are determined by the forms used and what is filled in on the form. If you require H&R Block to do bookkeeping (you know that brown bag of receipts) they will charge an additional hourly fee. ~ Most CPA's charge on an hourly basis. From my personal experience the cost of going to a CPA is about 2X the cost of going to H&R Block. Some local firms are even less but may not have an EA or year-around office to help if there is a problem. ~ If you go to H&R Block you will sit with a tax preparer as they prepare your return. The preparer will ask lots of questions, answer questions, and make suggestions for future tax savings. Unless there is a complex tax issue that needs to be researched or missing information, the preparer will complete your return while you are there and you can take it with you when you go. ~ If you go to a CPA they may have you sit with them as they prepare and complete your return -or- they may just have you leave the tax information and call you to pick-up the return when it is completed. ~ Many CPA's hire tax preparers such as myself (often current or former H&R Block preparers) to complete the return. The CPA reviews the completed return and signs it as the preparer and presents it to the client. This is very common in our area especially with larger accounting firms. ~ Tax laws are complex and change each year. I've amended returns prepared by individuals, H&R Block, other tax prep firms, and CPA's. Anyone preparing your return can make a mistake. ~ If you prepare your own taxes on-line be sure to print a copy for your records. The on-line programs are great for simple returns (such as those with just W2's and interest). ~ If you want to purchase tax software Turbo Tax and Tax Cut are the most popular. Be sure to print a copy of your return for your records. The software is a great choice for a return that is not complex and if you are willing to take the time to research items that you are not sure of. ~ If you choose to go to H&R Block or a smaller tax firm call and request an appointment with an experienced preparer and let them know you would like a preparer that will spend time reviewing and explaining your return in detail. They will schedule you with a preparer that meets your needs if they know when you call for an appointment. ~ To find a good CPA or tax preparer ask friends and family for recommendations. Ask them why they like their preparer and see if it matches what your looking for. If you find a someone you like then call next year to schedule an appointment specifically with that person. As for the original poster ... from her explanation they have a rather simple return. If she felt confident to do her own return she could go online and do it. It sounds as though she wants to learn but would like some help this year so going to a professional might be a good idea. Since the return seems to be rather simple I think an experienced tax preparer would be less expensive than a CPA. I'd suggest calling for an appointment in advance and requesting that the appointment be scheduled with an experienced tax preparer that will be willing to answer lots of questions.

I used to play in actual rock bands where I had to sing, so karaoke hardly makes me nervous (although I'm not used to having the backing band never mess up!). My fave karaoke song was "Be Bop A-Lula" by Gene Vincent, although I sang it more like Elvis would. But I liked to mix it up. I'd do a punk/metal screamer or two, then surprise the audience by stepping up to the mic and crooning a 1950s Sinatra torch song, like "Night and Day". Sadly, I don't have the voice for either anymore. Some would say I never did. I was at a restaurant/bar on karaoke night one time when I had a very sweet and very cute waitress named Sunshine (or at least that's what her name tag said). So in the most sultry voice I could muster I sang Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine (When She's Gone)" for her. Went over very well ;-) The easiest song to sing is of course "Louie Louie". You don't even have to know the lyrics! When did "Blister in the Sun" become so popular? It's one of these songs that was never a hit and rarely heard in its day (1983), yet it's all over the radio now.