Thursday

Still hanging in there with the IRS.  Lots yet to get done by end-of-business on Monday.

Looks like the USADA has hung Lance's dirty laundry all out there for the world to see. http://espn.go.com/olympics/cycling/story/_/id/8486013/11-teammates-testified-case-lance-armstrong-usada-says  I don't have that much interest in the details.  If nothing else, it illustrates the commitment of a handful of bureaucrats to get to their point.  Not that I'm against the truth.  I've thought Lance was in the PED business all along.  My sleep patterns were not disturbed  by that knowledge.  I still think that the US DOJ guys made the better choice to walk away from the criminal case.   Who wins when you win that case?  Leave it to the high-minded civil attorneys to keep up the digging.  Whatever.

When I checked my on-line banking this AM, Wells Fargo required me to sign off on an updated agreement to continue to have access to my account.  I, of course, didn't read the attachment, but signed off anyway.  I'm sure that if WF screws up with my electronic information at some point in the future, it won't be their fault, or more likely, they have no liability because I acknowledged the risks.

I also received in the mail last week a notification of updated terms from a bank that I didn't recognize for a credit card number that I couldn't place.  Turns out it was for the bank that backs my GAP store card.  This notice is similar to the ones you get when you set up a new credit card and they send you the 4-6 page, fine-print disclosure on the do-and-don't's behind the credit card facility.  Does anyone actually read that stuff?  Right.  Lots of words to put it out there to make it clear (?) that you pay 1000% interest if you don't pay off your balance each month.  More lawyers at work.

Speaking of risks and data access, we had a situation with a client last week that illustrates the surprises that can come from out of no where.  The client's outside auditor (another local accounting firm) had one of their staff person's car vandalized, and the thief got away with a laptop computer.  A computer that had a boat load of client information stored on its hard drive.  Including spreadsheets of employee names, addresses and Social Security numbers!  Hmmm.  The computer had a security code, and there has been no breach to this point, but you know that there's a nerd out there who could break the security screen in a heartbeat.  Ultimately, we're just talking about more work for our attorney friends, eh?

Glad to have Patrick's comment on NASCAR.  That might be a 4000 Days first: someone actually had a reaction to one of my racin' observations! 

Also glad to have 2 back in the QCA.  She had good things to say about NYC.  Her favorite spot from this trip was the High Line area in the meat packing district.  I had spent some time there with 3, 3.1 (Herky at that pre-wedding time) and 4 on my visit there in May.  Kind of an art-y, New Wave area being redeveloped.  Very cool.

OK.  Now to those exciting tax files.  Make it a good day.

BCOT