It was tax day and I had procrastinated. Sometimes that doesn’t happen. Sometimes we get it all done and sent in early, but this year we hadn’t. Because of a mistake with accounting, we owed some state taxes. Now it’s the morning taxes are due and the plan is simple: pay them online.
So I hop online figuring it will be very simple. I’ve paid many things online before, should be a cinch. After I log into my account, go through all the necessary steps, and press enter it goes into “connecting to the next page mode” and doesn’t come out of it. 10 minutes goes by. I don’t know if my payment has been accepted or not. I try to re-log in, can’t get back in. It turns out I wasn’t the only one expecting to make my payment online that morning.
After an hour’s worth of trying to figure it out on my own, I finally contacted the Department of Revenue’s customer service. I anticipated trouble. I figured they would be swamped on tax day, and have little sympathy for those who waited until the last minute to take care of their taxes. Boy was I mistaken.
A very kind and considerate employee named Joan Linn helped me out. Not only did she let me know I could pay by check without incurring any late fees, she emailed me the necessary forms. She checked back periodically over the next week with updates until Monday when I received a personal phone call from her letting me know that my payment had been received, processed, and that no late fees were incurred. A personal phone call!
Government employees get a bad rap. They often have thankless jobs, and on top of that they get blamed for all the problems around (flailing school systems, any waste or inefficiency, etc). I think it would be extremely difficult to have a job where the only thing really holding you to excel is your own integrity and desire to be the best. Joan reminded me that there are plenty of people out there ready to exceed our expectations. It might be your mail carrier. It might be your spouse/partner. It might be Jeff Weaver. It might be a kind woman whose job it is to help you pay your taxes. Surprises can come from anywhere. If someone has surprised you lately, give them credit for it [in real life and] in the comments below.
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Nice post, Jake. But, it’s not Jeff Weaver. It’s never Jeff Weaver. As a Yankees fan, I can tell you he posted those solid innings now just so that he can crush your spirits later in the season when the stakes are higher. It’s a hobby of his.
I’ve been down the road with Jeff Weaver before. I’m grateful for even a solid start in May. On the crushing hopes front, it looks like Manny is taking care of that all by himself.
The lady at the tow truck place that looked like an abandoned building. Very nice and helpful, despite the scary warning/rules signage all over the place. When your car is totaled beyond all ability to repair, and you only had liability insurance, it’s utterly surprising to have someone say, “Just give it to me! I’ll take care of everything.” It was a good experience.
That’s what I like to hear.
I, too, would like to point out that Jeff Weaver will only do well now in order to ruin everything more horribly in the future. Get a solid middle relief guy now or face the consequences when he comes into the game with a 2 run lead in a do or die playoff game. Did I mention that Eric Bedard and Jarrod Washburn are available?