I feel like Willy.

Although,  now that I’ve started reading up a little bit about Willy Nelson and his tax troubles,  I realise he was in the BIG LEAGUES.   Whoa.  Those are some scary numbers.   No no,  we’re not even remotely close here…

See here’s the deal.   When you’re an “Ex-Pat”,  the Company that Cannot Be Named will do whatever they can to “keep you whole”.   So what that means is they hire the lawyers and tax people to sort out all those little details,  and we just make sure we sign the papers in the right spots.  Some times there are pages and pages,  but it’s been working so far.  The Puerto Rico gig was OK,  but the various entities that are supposed to be handling these little issues have been dragging their heals a bit when it comes to our European Experience. 

The Dutch government in particular has been pretty slow in getting their end of things sorted out, and it was only just recently that that whole mess was put to bed.  We moved here (i.e. left the Netherlands) in 2009.  Just thought I’d mention that.   Doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things,  since it all has to be dealt with by the hired hands.

Meanwhile,  back at the ranch,  our good buddies over there at Revenue Canada,  (yes, I know they call it something else now and I don’t care,  “The Revenuers” OK?)  have been getting a wee bit anxious.   See,  for a while now,  Travelling Companion has been telling somebody in the Company that Cannot be Named,  that not enough was being deducted from her pay.   See where this might be headed?    Scary thought,  I know.   We have been dutifully setting aside our shekels for a quite a while now.   We knew.   Oh ya,  we knew them chickens was comin’ home to roost.

It’s not supposed to be this onerous.   The Company that Cannot be Named sent some dough off to the Revenuers to keep them happy,  and then when all the dust settled,  they wanted their money back.   That’s the way it works.  Sucks,  I know. 

I thought we should offer some sort of monthly payment plan like,  oh I don’t,  Fifty bucks a month?   T.C. didn’t think they’d appreciate that.  

Well,  we don’t have a cheque book lying around in these parts,  but thankfully we gave daughter number two signing authority at the bank.  There are simply some things you can’t do from half a world away.   My impression is she had to practise a little in order to get all the words into that little line on the top of the cheque,  but she managed.  I mean,  even when you get a mortgage,  you don’t actually have to write the cheque,  so writing those bigger ones can be a challenge.   The other slight wrinkle was,  she naturally wrote the cheque on our Canadian bank,  and we weren’t too sure if the fine folks at the Company that Cannot be Named would even know what to do with it.   Several days passed, *several*,  but much to their credit,  and to the detriment of our bank account,  they did figure out how to cash it.  *groan*.   That’s the thing with on line banking,  you can find out any time day or night just what kind of shape your finances might be in.  So much for being blissfully unaware.

So for anyone out there who thinks,  “Oh those executives,  they don’t pay their share”?  You can just bite me.  That’s all.

 

I guess it’s like having a tooth pulled.  Once it’s over with and the pain subsides,  life goes on and you get over it.   Sort of.

So no,  we won’t be going “On the road again".

 

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Last week some time I guess it was,  I noticed this ad for a production of “Carmen”  that will be put on next summer.

 

 

Had no clue where this open air theatre was,  and couldn’t for the life of me decipher where it was from all the bla bla in the ad.  I guess they figure you should know?   Well,  it turns out it’s a former quarry that goes back to Roman times,  (in German, a Römersteinbruch)which is now used as an amphitheatre.  

It’s also under an hour’s drive from here,  which you can see by clicking on this map link.   I have my suspicion that this isn’t necessarily something that is a draw for the average tourist in these parts,  and that’s mostly since the tickets were not as overwhelmingly expensive as most opera tickets tend to be.   The total amount came in under €200,  for both of us.  This will sound a tad silly,  but that’s “cheap”  for opera tickets.  Well,  unless you want to stand at the back,  but I think I’ve explained how that will never be an option.

Not only that,  but the quarry itself if quite something, so we’ll get there a little early,  have a look around and go and enjoy an opera.   This isn’t happening until next July,  so there may even be a chance to take a drive down there in the mean time. 

We’ve seen Carmen,  (back in 1991 I think?) and this isn’t like we’ve seen all the operas we’d ever want to see in our lives and have now decided to go back to the beginning.  That’s not the way it works.  It’s here.  We’re here.  We have to go.  That’s all there is to it.

 

Now back to my regularly scheduled Friday activities. 

Hope you enjoy your day.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

 

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