Resumania - Installment 1

A long, long time ago in a place far, far away...

The economy of the Monongahela Valley in Southwestern Pennsylvania was in a blue funk in the early to mid-1980's.

In January, 1986 I started working for A Professional Resume & Writing Service. Over six months I built the Falls Church, Virginia office to be number one among 14 in the Washington, D.C. Region.

Next, I became the Regional Director of the Baltimore Region. It was interesting because my boss from the time I was an Office Manager remained my boss. He was the Divisional Vice President responsible for both regions.

At the time I took the step up Washington, D.C. was ranked 14th among the company's 30 regions. Baltimore was 29th. The job was defined simply for me, "Kick ass and take names."

My region stretched from Rockville, Maryland, through Baltimore and up to Wilmington, Delaware. Four of the offices were sitting empty.

Fast forward to April 15th...

Looking from the outside in, it seems sort of hard to believe. I was going from day-to-day, sometimes hour-by-hour doing what was necessary to get the job done. While still managing to live my life. Afterall, having fun is what I was earning money to do.

As the hours of April 15th ticked away I realized I hadn't filed my income tax. Quickly I dialed up the IRS. I was directed to the federal building in Baltimore where I could pick up a form. Filing the form I was told would get me an extension. Off I went. The IRS office was abuzz; there was little time to answer any questions about filling out a simple form. The woman told me that it's all self explanatory.

I took the little green postcard and went on my way.

The most notable thing about this was one line on the form. Aside from, WHY do you need the extension? The direction was to enter an estimated amount of how much you owe. Simple enough. Also simple, if you under estimate you will be charged a % penalty based on the amount you have under estimated.

You should never lie to your doctor or the IRS.

The answer I plugged into the form? 100% true --- I wrote, "I have no idea." I ended up filing the return on the last day of the extended period. They sent me a bill with no % penalty of how much I had under estimated.