Crystal Groves

Next week I start a tax course to train to be able to do taxes. It runs in the evenings for several weeks, and then maybe by tax time next year, I’ll be doing taxes part-time. Mostly evenings and Saturdays. It doesn’t pay much, but it at least puts my foot in the door for another line of work under my belt. I like having experience in many different fields, and right now I have it in veterinary care, retail, customer service/admin, and web development. All of which I could fall back on should the need arise (web development being the preferred, obviously).

Taxes are sort of an odd way to get into finance, but it’s an easy/cheap start. Right now I wouldn’t want finance to be my main source of income, because it’s simply so volatile. Taxes on the other hand, will always be doing business because everyone has to do them.

Now I just need to work on my web dev training more.

In 2007 and 2008 I was involved in working on a project at work called “Scientists Without Borders“.  I’ve been meaning to do a post about it since, but for some reason never did.

It actually felt good to work on this project, despite the pains that come with every project.  I felt like I was somewhat contributing to the less fortunate from my little corner of the world.  Like “Doctors Without Borders“, this site was intended to help spread science and the skills of science teachers and programs to third world countries, or less fortunate countries.  It’s a project started by the New York Academy of Sciences (another site we are in the process of redoing that should launch this year), who is I believe a leader in the Science World on the Webosphere.

Almost all of the html/css you’ll see on the site is mine, but don’t look too closely, because when merging html/css with a .NET framework, it loses a lot of it’s w3 validity luster.

So I talked to my Aunt about working for the tax company she manages, and we’re going to look into that as a possibly second job -next- year. There is a tax course I have to take in order to prepare to answer questions about all sorts of situations regarding taxes, which I will be taking this fall. My cousin Steph is going to take it with me so I’m really looking forward to that.

Anything to diversify my skill-set and get a leg in the “financial bracket” of the work force That’ll put at least 5 different types of jobs under my belt that I have experience with should I ever need to fall back on one.

Now if I can only get into more programming

I’ve mentioned before that my Aunt works for Jackson Hewitt. She does my taxes every year, and manages three separate Jackson Hewitt offices.

This year she’s pretty short-handed, and I’m thinking of asking if I can help out on Saturdays (and some Sundays, but not every Sunday). This would be a small extra income, and also get me some experience in the tax/financial bracket.

We’ll see what she says anyway. The extra income would be put towards my fathers loan so perhaps we can get the $5k paid off even sooner than September like I originally anticipated

Obviously I couldn’t work during the week, due to my current full-time job during the day, and my personal activities in the evening.

Today was my annual review at work. It went well and I got a raise, but for some reason I get ridiculously nervous before these things. Fear of losing my job I think. People keep telling me that I shouldn’t be worried about that, but I look at all the responsibilities I have now and the thought of being unemployed just scares me to death. It’s a crappy pessimistic attitude, and I’m quite aware of that. If I were just supporting myself, I wouldn’t be so worried. But because I’m taking care of my father, my emotions are so strongly attached to anything that has to do with me being the supporter.

I guess to try and put it into perspective, here is a guy who for 40 years has worked a blue-collar job, had so many people screw him over financially (especially my mother), all because he’s just a nice guy. That’s all. I feel the need to protect him because -he- feels like he’s let me down as a father because he’s on disability, couldn’t afford to send me to school, and now has to ask me for an allowance.

I can only imagine how he feels. I’m certain he feels blessed to have a daughter so determined to take care of him, but at the same time I know he feels ashamed at himself. If he didn’t have me he wouldn’t have anything. He wouldn’t have his animals, he wouldn’t have anyone relying on him, he’d just be the third wheel.

My passion is to make sure that my father never feels stupid, unneeded, alone, scared, or abandoned. And I’d cut off my right arm to make sure he never did.

I actually got into this conversation with someone not too long ago when I told them I’d never put my father in a nursing home. Even if I had to stay home and take care of him while my “supposed” future husband worked. They argued that it would be too much for me and would burn me out, drive me nuts whatever. But I honestly don’t think it would. I don’t think I would personally allow myself to have a choice.

I just respect this man above all else, even myself. If I had to put my roles as a person in order (as in, spiritual leader, co-worker, daughter, pagan, woman, mother, sister, etc), daughter would be at the top of that list always. The world is a better place because -he- is in it.

So. When someone asks me……why do you upset yourself so much and worry about losing your job so much, that’s why. All of that is what rushes through my brain anytime it’s brought up. It’s not all the time, I don’t really think about it because I’m always focusing on the task at hand. I just want my dad to feel secure and to be proud of me.

Another thing I want to work on is diversifying my “skillset” as far as my job is concerned. Expanding into jquery, javascript, php, and a few other things. I think if I felt more comfortable with those that I’d feel more comfortable at my job.

In other news, work had their annual jamboree tonight, and my father went with me. I think he was tickled to see me up there playing and singing music with folks on a microphone. My fingers are blistered but I had a really good time. Another thing I want to do is to learn to read music. I still never have and I can’t keep putting it off as something I’m gonna do eventually.

My boss told me that if I ever do a duet with someone that he absolutely wants to be up there playing with us. I thought that was kinda cool. He said I should start playing music around locally, just for fun. But not to expect to make a lot of money doing it. I don’t really want to make a lot of money doing it, nor do I want to be on some big record label. I just want to play my own music, and have people that enjoy listening to it.

When I’m up there singing and my eyes are closed (usually to remember the words) I ignore everything around me and all the people listening in. It’s a pretty magical feeling to shut out the world and just enjoy the music. That’s what I’d like to do.