Snow thoughts

Today I got stuck in the snow!
Most of the snow from our last storms had melted from our roads and driveways, but last night it snowed another fresh, wet 6-8 inches! Alt & the boys cleared paths out to and around the vehicles, and earlier, when I took Alt to work I got the car out just fine. But, after I got back home (knowing I should probably park down at the gallery) I drove back up to my regular parking spot. ~tsk~tsk~tsk.
Thank goodness I had some extra time this morning, because I ate it all up trying to get my car back out to the road. :p Also, thank goodness for tractors! An old dinosaur, just purchased by my FIL, came to my rescue (after I walked up to his pasture, got in his line of sight and flagged him down). *It's the tractor that's the dinosaur, not my FIL*
Parking here at the college this morning is just about as tricky as my driveway. Only some parking spots are cleared, as of 20 minutes ago, and many of those have cars at odd angles - suggesting that if I parked next to it, the first thing that car would do is slide right into me. So, I parked down a-ways next to two big ol' trucks. Funny how winter weather can sure bring out the trucks and SUVs. I wonder how those little smart cars do in the snow. 'Course, I guess they're light enough that if they get stuck, you could just pick it up and carry it out. :)

Oh, one quick serendipitous observation:
While I was watching the tractor clear my driveway this morning, I noted how dirty the big pile of snow was getting because he was scraping dirt and rocks and whatnot along with the snow. But, as I watched the snow right up close to the blade, there was a pure, iridescent blue glow as the snow tumbled together. It brought a zen smile to my face. Serendipity.

$ Sense for Taxes - Tax Credit for Students

Students...

If you make less than $80K a year ($160K filing jointly) you may be eligible for the AMERICAN OPPORTUNITY TAX CREDIT.

This tax credit reimburses 100 percent of the first $2,000 and 25 percent of the next $2,000 for a total of $2,500. It looks like the benefits are good through the 2010-2011 school year.

You may want to speak with your accountant, financial aid college representative, or person who helps you with taxes to see if you qualify. Below is a link to the IRS website speaking about the American Opportunity Tax Credit.

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=211309,00.html

It sounds like it is worth looking into for this tax credit.

Textbooks for CHEAP!

Last night, fellow Aggie, Kelli Christensen, told me about a website that lets students RENT textbooks for low prices. I checked it out today and found that I can buy my textbook on Amazon for only nine more dollars. Out of respect for my dead checkbook, I'm posting all the great sites, I currently know of, that sell cheap textbooks:

www.amazon.com
www.abebooks.com
www.cheaptextbooks.com
http://usedmarketplace.borders.com
www.cheapesttextbooks.com **this offers a comparison chart from different sellers

and to rent:
www.chegg.com

many publishers also offer an online version of their books for a small fee.
*if you are in a math class...I strongly recommend you don't even buy a book. Just use the mymathlab that your instructor uses - it has a multimedia textbook included.

Good luck and be thrifty!

Merry Christmas!!

Well, fellow Aggies, it's time to admit that Christmas is barely a week away, now. I'm still in the midst of a pile of unaddressed Christmas cards...you? It's sad because, somehow, in the chaos of our last move I've misplaced my address book. No problem, I thought, I must have it all on my outlook. Nope, sorry! those are just old business contacts. Well, surely, I thought, it all must be on the old palm desktop from my ancient palm zire. Nope, sorry! those are just doctors and dentists and contacts from Nevada and New York. OOOOOKAAAAAAYYYYYYY. So, I spent the last two days, in between band concerts and choir concerts, searching through several boxes labeled "office" in our storage unit. Nope, sorry! I did come across several favorite things that required lots of reminiscence and lolly-gagging. So, as a last resort, I'm googling everyone I can remember and hoping their addresses are public knowledge...(not sure I can completely trust that, though, it still shows me living at my old house). Oh, well, Merry Christmas!

What are YOU gonna do with all this snow???

Bachelors in Social Work

Just a reminder that the open house promoting the new bachelors degree is today!
Lunch is provided ;)
Come learn about this degree and enjoy a free lunch.
To see career opportunities in the field of social work, click this link:
http://socialwork.usu.edu/BSWCareOpp.aspx

Celebrity Anatomy

Something crazy I learned today:
Some celebrity women pay big money to have their last two pairs of ribs (their floating ribs) removed so that they can enjoy a real "hourglass" figure.
Sick and wrong.