Katie Doyle, Girl About Town

Friday, Jun. 30, 2006 - 1:30 a.m.

Freaking. Out.

13 days left. A million things to do.

And what the f* is WRONG with Ben Bernanke? The dollar has been really sliding against the Euro, it finally starts a painfully slow comeback, and then when they raise rates today, which should serve to strengthen the dollar a little more, the farging asshole takes on a little statement about how they aren't going to raise interest rates again.

So instead of gaining strength, which it would have if Bernanke had just kept his fat yap shut, THE DOLLAR ACTUALLY FUCKING SLIDES AGAIN.

Fuck. By the time I leave, I'll be back down to May's horrendous exhange rate of 1 dollar being worth 76 Euro cents...or worse, and I frankly think worse, given the rate it's sliding, which is a helluva lot faster than it crawled up. Awesome.

My mom is spending Sunday with me. Thanks to Em, we are going to the butterfly exhibition at the science museum, so at least I have something to do with Mom. Unfortunately, my brother called to inform me that he has informed my mother his birth family contacted him, and she has been freaking out ever since. She picked fights with him on Mother's Day, from which dinner she stormed out, and this last Saturday, from which concert in the park my brother stormed out. This means that *I* will have to spend all of Sunday assuring my mother that my brother is not trying to replace her with a new family, nor does he in any way hate or dislike her.

I so very fucking much hate family.

The only member of my family I actually like spending time with is this particular brother. Because he gets it. We really don't know each other very well, since my dad took him away and we didn't get to speak between me being 16 and me being 24, but we were in the trenches together, so we share an understanding I don't have with anyone else. There's not much closeness, though. We definitely live separate lives, and we talk maybe once a year. But there's no guilt, and we Get It. It's the only truly familial bond I have, and that's fine. I have friends who give me everything I need, and they rock. I'd like to belong somewhere, because you can't belong to your friends, but I know they love me, and some of 'em get what my life was, so it's okay.

Speaking of friends, my best friend's dad - who I call Dad and consider my dad way more than my own father and who is the man I would like to give me away if I ever get married - is having a bypass today (Friday), so please say a quick one for his speedy recovery and all. I'm sure he'll be fine, coz the man is an ox, but still, good vibes are...um, good. His name is Larry.

Hi, Mike!

'Sup, Gayle? :)

Yesterday, I happened to flip past C-Span while John Kerry was speaking, and he had this to say about a proposed Constitutional amendment regarding flag burning: "Are we really that frightened of somebody's willingness to go out and be stupid?" (emphasis his) His delivery was dead on. I'm sure he didn't mean it to be funny, but I laughed. Hard. Kudos, John.

So, apparently, the city of Los Angeles has this little thing called a "Business Tax License." I have no idea what it does, other than apparently license you to charge or pay tax. Why you need such a thing, I can't imagine. And I don't. Since I make less than $50K a year, I am exempt from needing such a thing. Seems rather arbitrary, but I don't make the rules, and since that particular rule means I don't have to pay yet another freaking fee, I'm good. Unfortunately, to get out of paying said fee, you must file for the exemption. Otherwise, you have to pay the fee plus any penalties that may have stacked on, depending on how late you're paying it, even though you were never responsible for the fucking thing to begin with.

Well, since I didn't know I had to file said exemption - not really doing any actual business in LA - I didn't. Which means I got a letter yesterday for operating without a business tax license...and a bill for roughly $500 - the $111 yearly tax license fee, plus 40% for paying late, for every year since 2004.

How awesome is that?

I am rapidly running out of money for France, which is freaking me out. I've had gurgly upset stomach all day long. I literally have dreams where people materialize out of nowhere with their hands out, demanding money I have to pay right now, only I have no money in my account, so when I go to the ATM to get some, the ATM screen blinks vivid red, and the banker comes out and yells at me for trying to take money that doesn't belong to me, threatening me with imprisonment. Or my checks bounce, and suddenly I am surrounded by angry men threatening me with prison for writing bad checks. I'm not kidding. I wish I were, but sadly, I am not. I'm tweaked, yo.

Peace out,
Katie

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Yesterday's News - Next Stop

In which Katie shares sad news - Wednesday, Apr. 01, 2015
In which Katie returns after a very long absence - Monday, Jun. 25, 2012
In which Katie pokes her head in and brushes some of the cobwebs away - Thursday, May. 06, 2010
In which Katie asks you to write your congressman again. - Monday, Jun. 02, 2008
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