Tax Season

This past weekend, I was at my computer trying to do my taxes. I have had some people say, "Why don't you just take in your taxes and have someone do them for you?" My response, "Why should I pay someone over a hundred bucks to do my taxes, when I can do them online for next to nothing?" What can I say, times are tough, and money is hard to come by. This year, I started treating my music as a business. My first step toward a professional entertainment business.

As I sat down and started adding up my expenses, and saw how much Uncle Sam took out in taxes. I started adding up my newly found business expenses and deductions. I was sitting here, and the neighbors kept playing their music loud. Walls shaking and bass booming. After thirty minutes, I got tired of hearing hip hop, R&B, and their babies crying and playing on my fence.

I started thinking to myself, "Must be nice to live off the government." Yeah, have kids, don't work, get paid for sitting at home and listen to your stereo while the kids play outside in the cold. Not too long after yelling at the neighbor kids not to play on the fence, the neighbor's wife comes rolling in a new ride. A sense of anger and resentment comes over me. I can't even afford a new ride. I have had the same ride for the past 5 years. I barely make ends meet. Living paycheck to paycheck. Paying taxes with zero dependents.

If you read my last blog, I lost my ride to an unfortunate accident. Maybe insurance will help me out. Yeah right! Have cheap insurance, you can kiss your ride good bye.

So what am I to do? What are my options? Have babies, get fired and claim I can't work? I grin as I think to myself, "What a nice thought, maybe I can pursue my dream of being a rock star by not working, having kids, and get my monthly check." Why not? I have paid my taxes every year since I was 16 years old. How is it that I work my butt off, but my neighbor, who is probably a high school drop out, get a loud stereo, new ride, and party just about every weekend?

The computer reminds to keep plugging in those numbers or else the site is going to log me off. My grin goes away. The dream fades off into the unknown. I stop tapping on my desk. I look at how much I'm getting back. Not bad. I look out the window, and see kids playing by the tree. My grin slowly comes back. I have something much more than those who take the easy way out. Dignity. I don't need to be pampered and handed freebies. I make my own way in this world.

Life is tough, so is tax season. Hahaha. As I complete my taxes, the tax program says there is an error. It tells me, the form needed to complete my taxes is not available at this time. My grin goes away. It's my money, but I have to wait. Life's not fair, but I know for sure what I'm going to get when my refund comes in, the biggest damn stereo system and turn it up so the neighbors can hear my music...

chuck

The Mondays

"Somebody has a case of the Mondays."

What is it about Mondays? Some of us have jobs Monday through Friday. Some of us work through the weekends and have Mondays off. I for one, is stuck in a Monday through Friday job, 9 to 5. I miss the days of working weekends and having the weekdays off once in awhile. I can see why some people "fake" their sickness. I remember the first time I did that. I felt guilty. Hahaha. I don't like liars, but yet, I was one, just to be off of work for one day.

Funny thing, I don't do that anymore. I'm stuck at my desk working away being productive. Just this past December, I was in a Rollover accident. My brother had to help me get out of the ride. I was taken to the Emergency Room via ambulance on a Sunday morning. Damn weather.

The Next day, Monday, I called my boss and told her what happened. Eventually, my job told me to take the week off. I only lasted two days at home. Bored out of my mind! I went back to work, two days later, battered and bruised. People thought I was crazy coming back in. "You should have just taken the whole week off!"

I don't know if they knew what was going on in mind, but why should I stay at home and let this "tragedy" beat me down. I wasn't about to be succumbed to the accident. There was no way this accident was going to control my life. Sure I bumped my head, bled a little, and froze my butt off in the cold mud, but "what doesn't kill us, makes us stronger."

A new life, a new beginning for me. I was taken back to the accident scene, picked up some loose change from what was left, and told myself that I was lucky. Ironic that we did a complete 180 turn on the road, slid onto oncoming traffic, then flipped. I was dangling upside down. Kind of reminds me of life. Sometimes we "think" we have control over life, like the way we control a vehicle, but the way life turns you around, flips you, and dangles you upside down until all your change falls out... sounds like life to me.

Another Monday, another adventure.

I'm glad this Monday is about over. A word to the wise, make sure you log off your computer everytime, or else. But that is yet another story for next time...

Live your life.

- haven

Korn/Coal Chamber Influenced band turns heads with its Studio Debut release

FOUR CORNERS AREA HOLDS THE HOTTEST UPCOMING METAL BAND CALLED SIGNAL 99 WITH THEIR DEBUT CD RELEASE

Farmington, NM -- New Mexico has long held the roots of some of music industry’s most influential and successful artists, crossing genres from Bo Diddley to Randy Travis. In the millennium, Signal 99- helmed by singer/songwriter/lead guitarist Chuck Haven- has emerged as one of the region’s hottest up and coming metal bands. Rock fans and critics alike have been tuning into Signal 99 for a distinctive millennium metal sound that Metal Horizon Magazine has already praised for its “strong vocals and intense sound.”

Signal 99 has been hard at work carving out a solid live reputation, having shared stage-time with many of the region’s biggest rock/metal acts, including ill nino, Nonpoint, Green Jelly, Ekotren, DIECAST, Dine Alone, I.R.A.T.E., Nuumak, Psychostick, and soon to be Powerman 5000.

Signal 99 has also been featured on No Cover Magazine’s ‘Groupies Suck Vol. 9’ Sampler CD, released in 2007, Apache Rose Publishing’s ‘Best New Bands Vol. 3’ Radio Sampler (serviced to 1000+ college radio stations), and Versailles Records’ ‘Strip Club Rock Vol. 1/2’ comp, released nationally to stores in the spring of 2008.

The band’s considerable radio presence has included rotation on KRWN FM 92.9 - Farmington, NM; KFMQ 106.1 FM - Gallup, NM; KXXI 93.7 FM - Gallup, NM; and KSJD 91.5 FM - Cortez, CO among others, as well as ‘Track of the Day’ on GarageBand Records for several tracks, including ‘Armed & Dangerous’ and ‘Candy.
The band has also been hard at work in the studio for the release of their full-length debut LP, ‘Armed & Dangerous Vol. 1’, in September 2008. Priced reasonably at $9.99 and available on CD Baby.com (http://cdbaby.com/cd/signal99music), at Farmington Hastings, select ZIA Records Stores in Arizona, and soon to be national outlets.

Looking to the future, Metal Horizon Magazine has further concluded that Signal 99, because of their unique style of playing, “have an opportunity to influence a different sound of metal to the metal scene." As the band’s profile continues to rise nationally, visit them online at http://www.sig99.com/, www.myspace.com/signal99

My first time...

Greets!

My first blog, so take it easy on me. Why this blog? Something to help get some ideas across, and share my views on current events.

I'm hailing from the Four Corners of the world. lot of news, music, and thoughts in this area. Sometimes good, and sometimes bad.

But hey, it's a blog. Be forewarned, as my spelling and thoughts at times, will not make sense.

Until next time,

haven