Tax refund update: Officially impressed (and stupid)

Thanks Stevie. You're the best. Really.

Okay, Stevie Harper and your Federal Government Jamboree. I am officially impressed. I'm sure this is an improvement that some other, better government (surely not the Liberals) had in process before you were elected a crappy, half-cocked minority, but I digress: I got my tax refund processed faster than ever this year. Exactly one week from submitting via NetFile, my return shows online as assessed, and a refund has been...mailed.

Forehead slap.

I completely forgot that I was going to input my direct deposit information this year. Rats! So it looks like I'll have to wait another 5-10 business days for the cheque show up in my mailbox (has anyone else noticed that Canada Post has been deadly slow lately? Ants tug crumbs faster, I swear.) And another 10,000 business days for the cheque to clear at the bank. I mean c'mon guys. It's a government cheque. You know old penny-pinching, arts- funding-cutting Stevie is totally good for the dough...

How much should we give?

Following the horrific events in Japan this week, I realized that I have neglected something crucial: I haven't allocated any funds in my budget for charitable giving.

I thought about it this morning on the way to work. It was raining and I remembered a parable from the bible (bear with me, I promise this won't turn into a religious diatribe!)
It was Luke 21: 1-4, the parable of the widow's offering. Please, keep reading even if you think the bible's a load of crap. I promise this will be interesting:

"As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

This made a big impression on me as a kid. Being literal, as kids are, the lesson seemed to be "give everything." Now I think of it in terms of spiritual wealth (or wealth of character, if you're not a spiritual person) versus material wealth.

I think the parable was intended to make us uncomfortable. It's saying, take stock of what you've got and "give of yourself." This will be different for every person. When it comes to money, it might not be a straight equation - a percentage or a line in one's budget.

I feel that I can and should sacrifice something in solidarity and support of the people of Japan. My monetary contribution, like the widow's, will be negligible in the grand scheme of the billions that are needed to piece their world back together. But if the parable holds true, it's still has value. All I'm giving up is the money I would have put into my vacation fund. Maybe that's not enough? I'll see how I feel. If it doesn't feel uncomfortable I will add more until it does.

I pray that the people of Japan will be able to sustain hope in such dark times. Hope is hardest when it is most needed.

I'm interested in hearing whether others have a set amount of funds for charitable giving, or how they determine what they will give. Thoughts?

Can I get this off my chest?

I was inspired reading Krystal's post last week on Give Me Back My Five Bucks about Toastmasters and how she's tackling her anxiety regarding public speaking. I really admire when people share their fears with others and take constructive steps to overcome them.

So here's mine (and this nothing to do with PF, so please bear with me):

At times, I get extremely nervous meeting new people. It can range from a medium level anxiety that is probably somewhat normal to feeling as if I'm so nervous I can't quite get my breath. And in those situations, I can say the wrong thing at the wrong time and make a bad impression. Talking to groups of people, where I am an unknown person - and especially if other people in the group all know each other - is a special kind of hell for me.

Here are some recent examples: During a panel job interview, I froze up and could not say a word. My mind was like trackless snow. The room started to spin and tilt and my heart was pounding so fast I felt like it would hammer right out of my chest.

I got the same bad feeling during an audition for the orchestra I'm in, but managed to stumble through. When I was invited out with other orchestra members for the first time, I didn't even go because I was so nervous.

It isn't always like this. Sometimes I am "on" and I am fine. I am capable of making a good impression, both in job interviews and social settings. But other times I crash and burn. In an interview setting, awkwardness is a death knell. And if you screw up in a social setting, many people won't give you a second chance. They may write you off as weird, self-absorbed, oddly quiet - whatever apparent deficit rears its head. Ideally we would be judged over time on who we show ourselves to be. This isn't an ideal world, though, and life isn't "fair." It's not something wrong with other people, or "the system." It's me. I must learn to adapt if I want to thrive and be happy.

I'm most comfortable when I'm arranging words in a way that makes sense - with the opportunity to edit and delete. This is probably why I work in communications, but on the written end exclusively. To stand up in front of 500 people and play the violin? I don't know how I ever did that. I have a picture from the newspaper when I am 15 and I am doing exactly that and I am smiling. I look relaxed.

I want to get to back there again. I want to be able to come off poised and confident in any situation, and with consistency. I'm making this an official goal of 2011. I think it's doable!

Tax refund: Rev Can, bring it.

Let me sing you a song about taxes....
because I'm a sensitive guy and not a robot....

After some typical dithering born out of frugality and coupled with a side of indecision (sounds tasty, but needs hot sauce) I Netfiled my taxes yesterday.  I've read with this method, you can get your return in as little as eight business days. So, the race is on. Let's see what Revenue Canada is made of (other than...uh....Hey, it's early. I won't go there).

I will say this: the online experience this year is much improved. The website is faster, Netfile codes are available through the website, and everything has been streamlined under "My Account." As I recall, last year, I needed about three different passwords just to file my taxes and the website kept seizing up. I blamed Stephen Harper personally for this because it is fun.

The site tells me my return has been "Received" but doesn't assign a date as to when (I submitted it yesterday). I'll be checking this daily to see whether there are any updates.

I'm interested in hearing time lines from others: How long did it take to get your refund last year? Has anyone out there already gotten theirs?

What I thought I wanted

Well, well, what a week. A lot has happened. And when you have a shake-up like this, it can cause you to rethink your priorities.

Specifically, I've been thinking about whether I might actually want more money. Not that I don't want to save (no way am I giving up on that) but perhaps I don't want to live quite as frugally as I'd thought.  Having and doing nice things can be fun. It's certainly not important, but it's a dimension of life that, if it's in your grasp, why wouldn't you want to at least try for it?

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm opening my mind to new possibilities. Perhaps I've been too strict in my anti-materialism. Maybe I do want nicer clothes or a car (actually, I'd take a nicer violin over a car any day). I know I'm not a fundamentally materialistic person, but I think I want to have a family. And how would I want to raise a family? Would I want to send them to public school or private? Where would we live? It doesn't have to be complicated at all, and there are no set standards in my mind except for loving your kids and your partner and being there for them to the best of your abilities. At the same time, there's nothing wrong with trying to raise the bar to make yourselves more comfortable in life. Provided, of course, that the means don't thwart the ends.

That said, I have some issues with capitalism. And even bigger issues with materialism. The idea of a lifestyle where you need millions to retire - and there are many people who feel this way - is a bit scary to me. Of course, so is the idea of this (and coincidentally, probably my favourite TV show of all time).

Anyway, if you haven't guessed by now, I met someone. His financial goals and cultural background are quite different from mine. I haven't shown him this blog yet (should I? I'm a little scared). I think we both might have something to teach each other; I sense we're both re-evaluating some of our ideas now that we've met.

What he has taught me so far is that you can think you want something, and then realize that what you really wanted is something else entirely. And that's just in the short time I've known him. I have also sampled some truly kick-a** Chinese food. ;)

When you're first meeting someone, do finances come up right away? Are you freaked out if it seems like a scenario between the Capulets and the Montagues - or are you curious?

I think I'm curious and so is he. :)