ita - I saw that same article yesterday and read it twice. The pattern-obsession is what got me. go figure.

Polter, did you buy the shares or were you given them? It appears that two of the programs are assuming you bought them (cost) and the other is assuming the options were additional income. In my IANYTL view, it is likely that you should be declaring both the income of the options and the gain.

I called LA City's Finance helpline, and they said that yes, this appeared to be an error, and it sometimes happens. They said to attach a copy of my business license and supporting documentation that I paid my taxes and am in good standing. So I did that, checked the box for an immediate hearing.

I pulled copies of my tax returns for the last three years, made copies of all documents related to my license, including the canceled check, and mailed the form back with the documentation attached, circling and notating each error on the form they sent.

Hoping for quick resolution.

On the up side, however, men's jeans usually do have a longer rise than women's jeans in the same size.

Except, when you do have a waist/hip/ass situation, the men's jeans that fit, sit lower than your waist, so the longer rise is more of a downside.

Sox, I'm not even done reading the article yet. I have more clicking to do, and more googling and wikipediaing.

ballroom!

sorry, I just went back to highschool for a second there.

Polter, did you buy the shares or were you given them?

I was given them. Well, it's a same-day sale: essentially, you buy the shares at your strike price and then immediately sell at the current stock price, and you keep the difference.

It appears that two of the programs are assuming you bought them (cost) and the other is assuming the options were additional income. In my IANYTL view, it is likely that you should be declaring both the income of the options and the gain.

Oooh. Hm, I see what you are saying. But that doesn't seem to work out since the number that shows up on my W-2 is the gain, not the income of the options. And none of the programs asks me about the income of the options. That is, there's nothing different about the way any of them asks me, so I don't see what HRBlock is doing that's making the tax so much lower. Is the income of the options really income if I technically paid for them myself by selling the stock?

I am irritated that people are telling me to try the men's section just on principle. Why aren't women allowed to have cargo pants anymore?

All my cargo pants are Old Navy men's. I like the schlumpy fit.

Man. Lately I have no sense of scale when it comes to problems. Everything seems equally as horrible and and enormous, and rational thought isn't at all helping. Like, I got an email from sears with the delivery date for my appliances, and I have to call to reschedule the date, and that seems like, "OH GOD HUGE PROBLEM NO ENERGY CANT DEAL." Ridic.

Completely unrelated, my therapist had this awesome nugget: You know, part of the problem is that you're actually too smart for your job.

Which I of course took as a platitude because that's what I do.