Your projects, what are you working on in your free time? Options

[Decrepit]

Still delayed: Tax Returns

Launched TurboTax first thing this morning. Was greeting with a message telling me the missing State form should be available tomorrow, 28 Feb. Sure hope so! I've not waited so late in the cycle to file in decades.


Not started: Next Transport Fever YouTube video

I think episode 16 spoiled me. No other train route comes close to equaling its track-side scenery. Too, it drives home my poor rail network planning skills early on, when almost all tracks and stations were put in place. The point being, it's hard to come up with a worthy follow-up. That said, I've raw footage for two "Revisit" episodes in-the-can. Just can't drum up enthusiasm to work them into a finished product. No biggie. It's not as if I'm force to upload on a weekly basis.

[Dark Reaper]

Which of these sound better in story format for Sky High and the Princess of Power?
Plan A: Sky High arrives in Etheria but gets captured and forced into servitude for Hordak but later defects to the Rebellion but has drug and PTSD issues.

Plan B: Sky High enters Etheria and after a couple of confrontations with Horde Troopers he finally arrives in Brightmoon to a festival being held and meets up with the Rebels there but in this story Adora is having issues with a break up with Sea Hawk and her She-Ra persona tends to seep through without her using her magical sword to transform. This path is linked to my original fanfic concept and makes for a much darker tone for She-Ra.

This post has been edited by Dark Reaper: Feb 28 2019, 03:31 PM

[Decrepit]

Project Complete: Tax Returns!!!!!!!

Well, not quite complete. I need to visit the local Post Office and make sure my State Return has adequate postage. Otherwise, I'm done this year (I hope). Fed Return has been e-filed and accepted by IRS. State Return is printed out and ready to mail. I've collected and/or printed out and stored my personal copies of everything.


No Progress: Transport Fever episode video

Am spending my TpF time adding/improving scenery to several existing train routes rather than mess with recording/editing.

[Dark Reaper]

Project Complete: Tax Returns!!!!!!!

Well, not quite complete. I need to visit the local Post Office and make sure my State Return has adequate postage. Otherwise, I'm done this year (I hope). Fed Return has been e-filed and accepted by IRS. State Return is printed out and ready to mail. I've collected and/or printed out and stored my personal copies of everything.


No Progress: Transport Fever episode video

Am spending my TpF time adding/improving scenery to several existing train routes rather than mess with recording/editing.

My Dad got "violated" by the IRS and the folks that does his taxes. Pity we where going to use that to finally tag the Jeep---I guess we'll have to find another means .

[Decrepit]

Project Complete: Tax Returns!!!!!!!

Well, not quite complete. I need to visit the local Post Office and make sure my State Return has adequate postage. Otherwise, I'm done this year (I hope). Fed Return has been e-filed and accepted by IRS. State Return is printed out and ready to mail. I've collected and/or printed out and stored my personal copies of everything.


No Progress: Transport Fever episode video

Am spending my TpF time adding/improving scenery to several existing train routes rather than mess with recording/editing.

My Dad got "violated" by the IRS and the folks that does his taxes. Pity we were going to use that to finally tag the Jeep---I guess we'll have to find another means .

Man! Lots of folk get rude, unexpected surprises this tax season. Me, I actually came out ahead. Then again, my situation is so simple I've always taken the Standard deduction. So no nasty surprises for decrepit me. Course my big windfall is discovering that my state no longer taxes Military Retiree pensions. That being my chief source of income, I came out like a bandit, State wise. Fed wise, I get a modest refund increase. (I'm gonna reduce my Military Pension state tax withholding after mailing my return tomorrow. No sense taking out way more than I need to.)

[Decrepit]

Today's projects:

Morning: Dropped off utility fees payment at "city" hall. Took State Tax Return to local post office to insure it had sufficient postage and have them mail it out.

Afternoon. Minor Transport Fever scenery additions along Goodstown-Chesham Passenger Service tracks. Captured raw footage for what will (hopefully) be a Scenic Excursions episode of said route.


Upcoming project:

I'm running out of room on my Video Projects partition. Gonna have to delete old no longer needed raw footage used or rejected for various TpF Scenic Excursions episodes. Might save at least some of them to DVD. We shall see. (I'm not getting rid of any actual finalized episodes, which are stored on a different partition in any case.)

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Mar 1 2019, 10:23 PM

[Decrepit]

Project: Edit raw footage into an uploadable Transport Fever Scenic Excursions episode.

All clips are in place. Transitions link them. I'm now stuck on what I least enjoy, creating text narrative. Push come to shove, I'll upload with minimal narrative. Would like to upload overnight tonight. Narrative aside, I still need to type out a YouTube description and create a custom thumbnail.


Afternoon update:

YouTube episode description, CHECK. Thumbnail, CHECK. Text Narrative, NOPE. I've acceptable if sparse text throughout intro clips and 'ride-along." It's outro clips I've stymied over. I ponder and ponder. Nothing comes. Not a clue.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Mar 2 2019, 08:16 PM

[Decrepit]

Completed Project: Upload new TpF Scenic Excursions episode to YouTube.
This was done overnight. It's now available for view. A link is found in our What are You Playing thread.


Postponed Project: Help brother prepare tax returns.
We were going to do this today, Sunday Mar 3. He called yesterday, postponing until next weekend due to potential snows and a change in work schedule.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Mar 4 2019, 07:58 PM

[Sakiri]

Tax related: I'm a fan of less paid, lower returns. All a large tax refund is is a free zero interest loan to the Feds.

Transport Fever looking good, and the MOTU stuff looks interesting.

My current project: update my passport. I'm heading back to the States. Not permanently, ofc.

Need to find somewhere to get a bank check though because that's the only mail payment they'll accept.

[Decrepit]

Tax related: I'm a fan of less paid, lower returns. All a large tax refund is a free zero interest loan to the Feds.

<nods> I'll soon be reducing my State withhold for that reason. No sense keeping it as big as it is, now that my military pension doesn't get taxed by the State. I'll still allot more than absolutely necessary, to be on the safe side. (Last year my State refund was something like a whopping $28US, but again that's with them taxing my pension.)
As to Federal withholding, though I got a bigger refund this year, I'll prolly leave it as is due to a couple of rinky-dink mutual funds whose dividends and interest-earned vary greatly from year to year. I suppose I'm something of an odd-man-out in that I believe in robust taxation so long as the burden is fairly distributed among the different income levels of society and the monies collected are used for the benefit of the many rather than the few. But now I stray into taboo political territory.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Mar 3 2019, 11:26 PM

[Decrepit]

Today's Projects
1) Morning Grocery Run: Complete
2) Early afternoon, Balance Checking and Savings Accounts: Complete
3) Early afternoon, Log end-of-2018 Mutual Funds dividends, long & short term capital gains, and reinvestment into computerize account ledger. I should've done this during January, not that it matters. Complete

A past Saturday Project: find handkerchief
In preface, I should remind you that, due to a constantly drippy nose that's been with me all my life, I'm never without a handkerchief that sees steady use. This past Saturday, not long after lunch, I sat at my computer dressed, as usual, in sweatshirt and pants, house slippers and a light toboggan. Needed to execute a periodic nose blow. My handkerchief, which should have been either sitting wadded on the desk in from of me or tucked in my sweatshirt neckband, was neither place. Where could it be? I looked around the room. Didn't see it. Checked the kitchen cabinet and dining table. Nope. Checked the bedroom. Nada. The bathroom? Zilch. Checked all those rooms again, and again. Negative. Then, during my third bathroom search, I happened to notice myself in the mirror. There, perched atop my head, sitting wadded above my toboggan, was my lost handkerchief. I'm standing there looking at myself thinking, "Okay now Decrepit, this is decidedly odd, even for you." Project Complete!

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Mar 4 2019, 11:13 PM

[Acadian]

Detective Decrepit and the troublesome case of the missing hankie!

[mALX]

Today's Projects
1) Morning Grocery Run: Complete
2) Early afternoon, Balance Checking and Savings Accounts: Complete
3) Early afternoon, Log end-of-2018 Mutual Funds dividends, long & short term capital gains, and reinvestment into computerize account ledger. I should've done this during January, not that it matters. Complete

A past Saturday Project: find handkerchief
In preface, I should remind you that, due to a constantly drippy nose that's been with me all my life, I'm never without a handkerchief that sees steady use. This past Saturday, not long after lunch, I sat at my computer dressed, as usual, in sweatshirt and pants, house slippers and a light toboggan. Needed to execute a periodic nose blow. My handkerchief, which should have been either sitting wadded on the desk in from of me or tucked in my sweatshirt neckband, was neither place. Where could it be? I looked around the room. Didn't see it. Checked the kitchen cabinet and dining table. Nope. Checked the bedroom. Nada. The bathroom? Zilch. Checked all those rooms again, and again. Negative. Then, during my third bathroom search, I happened to notice myself in the mirror. There, perched atop my head, sitting wadded above my toboggan, was my lost handkerchief. I'm standing there looking at myself thinking, "Okay now Decrepit, this is rather odd, even for you." Project Complete!

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Gij5xNvCYiQ/maxresdefault.jpg


Othello Thug: "some honky's been honking in my hankie!"

[Decrepit]

Project WIP: Create new Transport Fever Scenic Excursions episode
Enough 'polished' scenery is at last in place to REVISIT the short train route first seen episode one. All needed video footage was captured yesterday evening. A thumbnail was created this morning. Still need to write up a YouTube description. Raw footage needs to be edited into a presentable video with proper transitions and text narrative. I've like to upload results overnight this evening, but highly doubt I'll everything ready until sometime tomorrow at the earliest.

Afternoon Addendum:
All footage is in-place, trimmed as needed, transitions added, a few save-pauses edited out. In that regard ep18 is good to go. My problem is text narrative. Beyond somewhat standard blurbs added near the start of just about every episode, I'm at a loss. No ideas whatsoever. I can always go minimal narrative if necessary, but what I have doesn't reach even that level.

Evening Addendum:
Gave up trying to think up worthwhile things to say. Am uploading the video as-is overnight. Should be ready for view tomorrow morning. Not the best time to be posting YT vids, assuming search filters remain broken. Assuming the issue isn't on my end. Doubt it, but can't rule it out.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Mar 17 2019, 03:42 AM

[Decrepit]

Project: upload TpF SRA ep18
Status: Complete

A link can be found in our What are You Playing? thread.


Project: Reduce State monthly income tax withholding
Status: Complete

I didn't remove it all, to avoid potential nasty surprises come next tax season.


Late Morning Addendum:

Project: Upload TpF SRA 18 thumbnail with corrected spelling
Status: Complete

I somehow managed to leave out an "i" in REVISITED. Luckily, I keep the master files on hand. Took no time at all to add the missing letter and replace the existing YouTube thumbnail.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Mar 17 2019, 05:16 PM

[Sakiri]

Project: Porch

Got a carpenter lined up to come out and take a look where and what we want done. Which means I need to draw up a sketch. And do some measuring. We can't span the entirety of the front of the house either, because that'd block off the path around to the basement door.

It also means we might have to do our own snow shoveling. We currently have a tractor that comes and does it for us, but we might not be able to have that if we want to prevent porch damage.

[mirocu]

Hopefully it won't be too expensive. Get back to me if he needs a cavator

[Sakiri]

If that cavator can get an old oil furnace out of our basement....

Who in Hate would we call to remove this? When he replaced the furnace a decade ago they never removed it. It weighs half a ton*, we can't remove it ourselves.

* possible exaggeration but I really can't get the farker to budge much less drag it out of the basement... need to park my moped in there!

[ghastley]

If that cavator can get an old oil furnace out of our basement....

Who in Hate would we call to remove this? When he replaced the furnace a decade ago they never removed it. It weighs half a ton*, we can't remove it ourselves.

* possible exaggeration but I really can't get the farker to budge much less drag it out of the basement... need to park my moped in there!

No, that's a realistic average weight for one of those. Don't even try! And the scrap value of the metal isn't enough to give it away to anyone who'll collect it.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Mar 20 2019, 10:00 PM

[Sakiri]

I'm willing to pay someone to get it out, I just don't know who the f to call.

We can't move it ourselves.