No Pain - No Gain

Today I began training to do taxes for AARP Tax Aide Program along with about six others.  I think this is my 10th year doing taxes.  We were thinking back and I said I began doing paper returns because computerized tax returns were still in the future.  The next year a few of us had computers and the rest did paper returns.  For the past couple of years all the returns have been completed on the computer in spite of the fact that due to individual needs some were filed via paper rather than transmitted.  This year Suddenlink has offered to install Wi-Fi for just our program so we can be online live with IRS.  The major advantage is that if we're doing a return for 2012 for an individual who's return we completed for 2011, we'll have access to the previous tax return and not have so much information to type into the return.  It's amazing how much I've forgotten just since April!  But that's what this training is to do for us.  A few of us are actually practicing the test questions, but once we're online with IRS, we'll need to complete the test online which will be slightly different from the test book we've been using.

I studied all afternoon and into the evening, then said, "I quit!"  I was just tired of studying and clueless how to figure out the tax return I was working on.  So, I'll tackle it tomorrow when we get together and compare notes.

Brother John comes back to Texas tomorrow!  I've truly missed him being here.  I'm not sure if hubby will go with me to the airport since he has a meeting at noon at a facility which is on the way to the airport.  He probably will be too tired to go back to that same area.  My chores tomorrow include going to tax training in the morning, finding a source for my Kirby vacuum cleaner bags, getting butter and OJ at Sam's, taking John to dinner, etc.  Oh, and I've got to call the other members of the Nominating Committee for board members for the Big Spring Community FCU, and call the potential board members.

And for the past two weeks I've been fighting intermittant pain in my lower back and down my left leg.  Sometimes it spasms while I'm walking, sometimes while sitting, etc.  Sister Alice promised to send me exercises she was assigned when her back hurt in a similar way.  The last time I went through this trial I was diagnosed with stenosis/arthritis in the lower spine which is probably causing the discomfort.  I had run out of my GS-500 (Glucosomine Sulphate) tablets which I take three times daily and blamed the problem on that.  But I got a supply of GS-500 last week and no improvement yet.  Here's hoping.

Sweet dreams!