**.. taxes ..**

Today I skipped my second class to go get my taxes done at H&R Block.  Jason went a couple weeks ago and suggested this lady, with 41 years of eperience, to me.  (That's almost as old as my parents but who's keeping track!)  She was very nice and helpful.  There is some thing for college students where you can get up to $2500 back.  The catch is that you have to pay extra to get it.  I was only allowed to get $290 (from this school part) back and I decided to go ahead and do it BUT it cost me $140.  I guess we take the good with the bad.  I don't think it's fair to make us pay more for what is already ours though. Am I out of line ?! 

**.. refund ..**

I am the child of a Disabled American Veteran.  For that I recieve some money for schooling.  This past semester we also found out that my dad can get the Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits and share them with us.  Here is were the confussion begins.  You cannot 'double dip' into both of them, you can only use one at a time and it goes by year instead of semester.  You would think that a lady whose job is DEVOTED to taking care of this would know all of the aforementioned information and help a sister out.

I went into her office in October and asked what needed to be done.  She filled out all of this paper work and submitted it.  I said, "Shouldn't we wait until next semsester, becasue I have already paid my tuition this semester and it's just a waste to do it now."  Her response, "Oh yah, that would be dumb to use it now."  It was this whole thing that had to be called and cancelled.  She said just e-mail me in December and I'll file it for next semester.

So I e-mailed her in early December (she has a habit to forget things so I e-mail her often).  Well she filed them in the middle of Decmeber while I was still taking class for the fall semester.  A week ago I got an e-mail saying that I owe $1908 for tuition and fees from the FALL semester.  That had been over and done with since August.

To make things even better, I wrote an essay in the Fall for a scholarship and I got it.  So now I am trying to find that money too.  I had to go to my college and go back and forth between the financial-aid office, the Bursar office and the registar office.  I knew what needed to be done but not one person handles all of it and for some reason they could not figure it all out.

I finally got a check and I think I should have gotten more but if everything else was settled correctly (fingers crossed) then I'll take it.

** .. b . i . n . g . o .. **

For the past year or so I have been playing bingo occasionally Wednesday nights at a local Legion.  Sometimes my dad or sister go with me and  every once in a while my mom and Austin (Alex's boyfriend goes too).  Jason normally doesn't go because he has to work and that kind of gives us some time alone too.

They hold this Bingo tournament every Wednesday with the Early Bird tournament starting at 6.  We always get there around 5:45 to sit together.  There are about 24 different games and it takes nearly 4 hours to get through all of them with a couple intermissions and prize give aways.  Each game is worth $50 - $100 and it costs $25 to play ($20 for newbies).  The final coverall game is worth about $650 each week.

Usually when we go we agree to split what we make to increase our odds.  Tonight me and dad agreed to share our winnings and Alex and Austin agreed to share their winnings.  Well Alex hit a $50 pot early on and that was it for our luck tonight.  There were 70 people there tonight which is quite a bit for this little place.  We had a good time though and I got to spend time with my sister and her boyfriend before they go back to college for the Spring Semester.  I always miss them when they go.

I also always try to get my dad to come with me because I think that it is good for him, since he has the TBI.  He struggles sometimes but I like to think that it helps and it gives us some time together.

So for all of you who always wonder about my bingo adventures, there it is!