Well, what started as a very bad day turned into quite a decent one, due to the fact that I finally came to an arrangement with regard to certain unpaid taxes. This has been such a load on my mind; vaguely lurking in the background for the last few years and finally surfacing in a recent letter from the taxation office. Yikes, I thought, and so filed my returns… and then it all got so much worse.

Compound interest is an ugly, ugly thing when you’re at the wrong end of it.

B = P × (1 + r)ⁿ

But at least I finally knew the damage; things could only get better… or so I thought. In fact they got worse still, because it turns out not only did the tax office want an amazingly huge sum of money; they wanted it right away– all of it!

Anyway, long story short, after a few unhappy phone calls [and restless nights, including a particularly nasty dream about having my organs harvested in lieu of payment] this morning I finally talked to someone who understood my position well enough to agree to a provisional payment plan, which at least gives me breathing space and the option to apply for private finance as my situation changes.

And speaking of my situation– it is indeed changing ;)

Again, until I’ve properly started my new job I don’t want to jinx it by revealing too many details; suffice it to say that it is in an area both familiar and challenging, and it is also in another country [although not so far from here– only a three hour flight].

I know it probably sounds strange, but I’m kinda looking forward to not being my own boss for a change, because to date I clearly suck at it. While certainly this new arrangement will mean a lot less time working on my own software, it will also mean a lot less time spent not working on my own software, if you know what I mean.

And I get paid!