So, to all intents and purposes, I am self-employed. This ends up meaning that I am responsible for properly filing my income and expenses as tax-time rolls around. In Japan, we file in February. So, I pay for my National Health Insurance and Resident tax, which are figured based on the previous year's reported income. This year I added the Pension Plan to my official payments!

The Pension Plan will start returning my money when I turn 65. But the rules are you're supposed to pay for it for 25 years. I turn 43 this year. So, when I went to the town office to sign up, the man helping me was a little worried. He called the proper office and they said that, as I've been working in Japan since 1998, there was no problem with signing me up.

Enter the bills! The paperwor arrived while I was in the States. My choice was to have the payments automatically deducted from my bank account, so I went today to start the process. The clerk helping me was pointing out that I could pay monthly, for 3 months at a time, for 6, or for the whole year at once and get 3000 yen off. Then we hit a snag. He said there was this rather large amount to pay. I've developed a sense for when I really need to understand something. So I contacted the Tochigi International Center. The woman who usually helps me talked with the bank fellow and then explained the snag. As one is supposed to pay in for 25 years, the pension office solved the problem of my late joining with impeccable logic. They billed me for back-payment from my 40th birthday. Ah. It's no small amount, but not devastating. I've saved and could pay without wincing, though I twitch
ed a bit. Now I'm officially in yet another system!

Whoever thought of this pairing deserves a medal or some shit. Just imagine it. Your mind just went "aww", didn't it? As it should. And it's even a romance-historical flick. But we probably won't get to see the movie until next year... great.




Unrelated: Old-ish rumor. There's a rumor that there's going to be a HERO 2 next season (with Kimura Takuya and Yoshitaka Yuriko). I honestly don't know what to think of that.


/late flails

eta. omg, sweet potatoes. om nom nom.

Mom uses Netflix. I know, I know, lots of people use Netflix. That's why Hollywood Video down the hill from here went completely out of business. So, we requested the U.K. Life on Mars DVDs and set them up to come ASAP. Only, owing to my inexperience with the system, Vol. 4 arrived first rather than Vol. 1. *sigh* Mom had told me she'd seen the U.S. version, though. So I thought she would have a decent base to start from. But listening to British English was tough on her coupled with, I guess, an iffy sound system so we ended up turning on the subtitles.

That was actually interesting. The subtitles appeared under whoever was speaking, and when you could not tell who was speaking, started with the name of the speaker. Useful, that! Vol. 4, though, means the end of season 1. And Mom, after seeing half of episode seven, made a wonderful comment that I quickly wrote down in order to share it with whoever reads this. Except now I cannot find the piece of paper and probably won't remember it quite as well as I should. What DID I do with that paper? It was in my pocket. Darn, I'm stuck paraphrasing.

"This is a lot more serious than the other one. Sam is really distressed."

She clarified that the U.S. Sam seemed to be having fun and treating it as an amusement ride. And she also judged Gene Hunt as a jerk. No one take up arms, for that is exactly the impression you'd have of him for most of episode 7. Especially if that is all you see. Gene Hunt has to grow on you.

My flight back to Japan departs at 12:50 Wednesday. It's supposed to arrive some time after 4 PM at Narita Airport on Thursday. Gotta love the International Date Line.

location: Mom's living room Seattle mood: loved tags: life on mars

Title: No Pink Elephants
Fandom: Green Lantern Corps
Characters: Guy Gardner, Hal Jordan, Kyle Rayner
Prompt: 095 – NEW YEAR
Word Count: 1421
Rating: PG
Summary: Guy has plans for New Year’s Eve. Hal wants no part in them.
Author's Notes: Part of the Alkyl Halide series, but stands on its own. Set pre-Sinestro Corps War. Slashy, but only if you squint.

( I don't want any. Go away, Guy. )

Nalanzu's Little Damn Table

tags: big damn list, dc, fanfic, guy gardner, hal jordan, kyle rayner, nanowrimo:2009, slash

Happy New Year, and I hope everyone makes it home safe and sound. From Seattle, my best wishes to all who know me and all who don't!