.:charlesroper.net:.

Murphy lies in exhaustion after filing our 2004 federal taxes.
[insert incredibly long thank you to Ronda for spending over an hour navigating through TurboTax to find out exactly how much I owe Uncle Sam this year]

For the first time in my life, I will have to pay over $1000 in federal and state taxes combined. In the past, my taxes were deducted from my checks before I even laid my eyes on them, but since I started the "independent contractor" thing, it's my sole responsibility to make sure that I save up enough money to pay Uncle Sam when April rolls around.

Throughout the year, I didn't think I was making all that much. I mean, with school and extra curricular activities, who has the time? Apparently me. It's amazing to look at that final figure and stare in astonishment realizing I've set a new personal record for earned income in one year. It's even more amazing to think about how much I've already earned in 2005 - next year I'll owe BIG TIME.

I've added several new pictures to the banner script above, so enjoy that. I believe there are a total of 9 images now. In addition, the webcam is up and running again after a 3 month hiatus. There's even a little indicator to let you know if the camera is "online" or "off-line". Next up: Work on the Photo Gallery.

Ronda and I are deciding whether or not to head to Omaha this weekend. I think these next few weeks are going to be really busy - being so close to finals and all. Also, the work load at Championship has reached a phenomenal level. I'd really love to just pack up and go with Ronda to see her parents - who I haven't seen since last AUGUST!!! It would make me very happy.

I really hope that "The Office" ratings start picking up. I don't want to see this show go off the air. For goodness sakes, NBC should definitely be getting rid of "Joey" before they even think about kicking the legs out from underneath Ricky Gervais's ingenious creation. It's the only hope for comedic entertainment that I've had since "Seinfeld" went off the air!

Well, that's all I'll post for tonight. Sleep well my friendly blog readers!