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This morning I did my taxes. (In case you haven't heard, if you do e-filing you don't have to buy federal software this year. IRS.gov is giving it away. See their site.) Luckily I was able to do my state taxes as well, even though I hadn't had a chance to go out and buy state software. For only $9.95 the free site (TurboTax, in my case) would do and file your state taxes as well. So for a grand total of $9.95, I did and filed both my state and federal.
I'm getting about $650 back total this year. I never understand people getting excited about getting a tax refund; you should get angry you're not getting more back! You pay in thousands and they give back a couple hundreds. This isn't something extra you're getting, it's your own money they're giving you back.
I was highly amused by the usual question on the form. "Check this box to donate $5 to the presidential reelection campaign!". HA HA HA HA. {Thanks for the offer, but I'll have to pass.} There should be a checkbox to take $5 FROM the campaign as well! Hell, or a checkbox that, when clicked, will make a giant fist appear and punch Bush.
Bah. Yes, I'm in a grumpy mood today. Work is sucking (as usual). Last night was very frustrating. (And here we enter the FFXI-only portion of today's post.)
For as long as I've been playing, being able to farm tigers was a major goal. I have no clue why it was tigers and not coeurls or some other mob, but somehow "tiger" got imprinted on my wussy little WHM brain as being something big and strong and something only tough farmers could take. Last week I tried farming them, and while I could kill them, my HP dropped into the yellow. In an area with mucho undead, that made for impossible farming.
Last night I went back into Carpenter's Landing and tried again. The extra two levels (and bloody bolts) made all the difference. I was able to kill one tiger after another, as quickly as I could find them. I ended up with a stack of hides and almost two stacks of fangs.
So I should have been happy, right? On one hand I was. On the other, the ferry/barge system in Carpenter's Landing is impossible. Awful. Utterly unreasonable.
I arrived at North CL (by way of Sandy). Wait for the first barge: 45 minutes. However it was out of service, so I had to take the one which came next (a minute later, not a long wait).
Arrived at Central CL. Farmed for a while. Got tired, wanted to go home. Went to the dock. First barge coming back was going to South CL (and 30 minutes from now). Wanted to go to North, so waited. (Turns out ferries ONLY go to South from Central. WTF?) Second ferry came 30 minutes after that.
Got to South. Yes, routes from there go to North, but not the one that just pulled in. Waited 45 minutes AGAIN for a ferry. Ferry trip took 18 minutes.
So total travel time for an hour of farming? Nearly three hours. One hour farming, three hours of waiting/traveling. (Edit: Yeah, I could have zoned out to Jugner and ran home, but Jugner is one of the two zones I lag so badly in that I can barely function. I avoid it as much as I can.)
As if that wasn't bad enough, farming dhalmels is (for me) more profitable than farming tigers. A stack of tanned tiger hides sells for LESS than tanned dhalmel hides (*boggle*), and there are tons more dhalmels, they have more drops, plus I can hunt other things at the same time.
Oh, and I think the weather is broken in all of Carpenter's Landing, not just the little area I had been faming all along.
Once I finally got back from my mess-of-farming, I attempted to start the 5-1 mission (The Final Seal). I traded a bunch of crystals (till NPC told me my rank bar was filled), and went to the castle. Dude wouldn't give me the quest. Scratching my head, I thought maybe I needed to start it in Jeuno, so I went to Ru'Lude Gardens and talked to the NPC there, but still nothing. Checking Alla this morning, I think I missed an NPC: I think I need to talk to that dude near the gate first, the one who gives you all the low level missions and such. I'll try again tonight. (I know the fight cap is 50 so I have some time, but I want to have the quest accepted so I can tag along in case a LS group forms to do it.)
No plans for tonight, other than to get ready for tomorrow's "subjob static". Please, please, please let us get more than one level this time! I'm so tired of my DRK subjob bordering on being gimped. I can't believe WHMs are so hard to find...
I'm getting about $650 back total this year. I never understand people getting excited about getting a tax refund; you should get angry you're not getting more back! You pay in thousands and they give back a couple hundreds. This isn't something extra you're getting, it's your own money they're giving you back.
I was highly amused by the usual question on the form. "Check this box to donate $5 to the presidential reelection campaign!". HA HA HA HA. {Thanks for the offer, but I'll have to pass.} There should be a checkbox to take $5 FROM the campaign as well! Hell, or a checkbox that, when clicked, will make a giant fist appear and punch Bush.
Bah. Yes, I'm in a grumpy mood today. Work is sucking (as usual). Last night was very frustrating. (And here we enter the FFXI-only portion of today's post.)
For as long as I've been playing, being able to farm tigers was a major goal. I have no clue why it was tigers and not coeurls or some other mob, but somehow "tiger" got imprinted on my wussy little WHM brain as being something big and strong and something only tough farmers could take. Last week I tried farming them, and while I could kill them, my HP dropped into the yellow. In an area with mucho undead, that made for impossible farming.
Last night I went back into Carpenter's Landing and tried again. The extra two levels (and bloody bolts) made all the difference. I was able to kill one tiger after another, as quickly as I could find them. I ended up with a stack of hides and almost two stacks of fangs.
So I should have been happy, right? On one hand I was. On the other, the ferry/barge system in Carpenter's Landing is impossible. Awful. Utterly unreasonable.
I arrived at North CL (by way of Sandy). Wait for the first barge: 45 minutes. However it was out of service, so I had to take the one which came next (a minute later, not a long wait).
Arrived at Central CL. Farmed for a while. Got tired, wanted to go home. Went to the dock. First barge coming back was going to South CL (and 30 minutes from now). Wanted to go to North, so waited. (Turns out ferries ONLY go to South from Central. WTF?) Second ferry came 30 minutes after that.
Got to South. Yes, routes from there go to North, but not the one that just pulled in. Waited 45 minutes AGAIN for a ferry. Ferry trip took 18 minutes.
So total travel time for an hour of farming? Nearly three hours. One hour farming, three hours of waiting/traveling. (Edit: Yeah, I could have zoned out to Jugner and ran home, but Jugner is one of the two zones I lag so badly in that I can barely function. I avoid it as much as I can.)
As if that wasn't bad enough, farming dhalmels is (for me) more profitable than farming tigers. A stack of tanned tiger hides sells for LESS than tanned dhalmel hides (*boggle*), and there are tons more dhalmels, they have more drops, plus I can hunt other things at the same time.
Oh, and I think the weather is broken in all of Carpenter's Landing, not just the little area I had been faming all along.
Once I finally got back from my mess-of-farming, I attempted to start the 5-1 mission (The Final Seal). I traded a bunch of crystals (till NPC told me my rank bar was filled), and went to the castle. Dude wouldn't give me the quest. Scratching my head, I thought maybe I needed to start it in Jeuno, so I went to Ru'Lude Gardens and talked to the NPC there, but still nothing. Checking Alla this morning, I think I missed an NPC: I think I need to talk to that dude near the gate first, the one who gives you all the low level missions and such. I'll try again tonight. (I know the fight cap is 50 so I have some time, but I want to have the quest accepted so I can tag along in case a LS group forms to do it.)
No plans for tonight, other than to get ready for tomorrow's "subjob static". Please, please, please let us get more than one level this time! I'm so tired of my DRK subjob bordering on being gimped. I can't believe WHMs are so hard to find...
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