I wouldn't say I exactly procrastinated on the taxes, though it is true I didn't get too far on them on the weekend of the 5th-6th. I was still pulling together lots of materials at this point, especially the small gifts to charity. The only positive is that I need almost all the same material and even a bit more for CRA, so it won't take nearly as long to get started on them, though they do take twice as long, since I need to file completely separately from my wife. Sigh. Also I am mostly but not 100% finished with pulling together medical expenses. This is likely going to be another year where this will be treated as a non-refundable credit, so I am not likely to owe too much to CRA, though I guess I'll know in a few more days. (I am definitely not leaving it to the last minute like I usually do with the IRS.)
I'm struggling a bit to remember what I did on the previous weekend, though I remember I did bike around a fair bit, even though it was wet. On Sat., I had tried to fit in a swimming session (since the Regent Park pool was closed). I found a pool near Corktown, though I didn't actually get there until the pool hours were over. They strongly warned me to not leave anything in the lockers, as there were massive security issues there. The pool itself looks pretty nice, and I may go one of these days, though it isn't a free pool (like Regent Park and Jimmie Simpson). I did hit the galleries in the Distillery, and a small gallery on Richmond near Jarvis, then went to Gallery Gevik in Yorkville. I honestly can't remember if I did anything else that afternoon or evening, but I think it was mostly spent on taxes, esp. starting my son's. I did spend a lot of time pulling bank statements together, but some were missing, and it took forever to try to track down some health expenses, though fortunately they don't matter for US taxes only Canadian taxes. That Sunday I saw Esprit's concert, which featured a solo percussion piece, as well as a Vivier piece.
Over last week, I was mostly overwhelmed by work, but I did continue to pull receipts together. As I mentioned, I finally managed to get to see Mickey 17. I had been debating going to see The Little Prince at Theatre Passe Muraille (and they offered me free tickets!), but in the end I passed. I may go this week possibly, depending on my mood. Friday, I managed to see Godard's Une Femme est une Femme (literally catching the Lakeshore East train with one or two minutes to spare! I didn't care much for it at all, and I feel you can already sense the contempt Godard has for conventions and certainly audiences that like movie conventions. Also, I strongly disliked all the characters who were very unappealing to me. I wish I had known how much I would have not liked this movie, but live and learn I guess.
Then Sat. I did manage to get some swimming in, though only about half my normal laps. Then I went to Gallery Gevik to look again at a small painting that is calling to me, along with a Yorkville gallery that had quite a few Letendre paintings, including a watercolor that is also calling to me (and somewhat blocked my interest in the painting at Gevik). Then I ran into the AGO to see a new exhibit I missed last time. (It really wasn't worth my time...) Then I swung through Richmond 401 and used the cheque that I thought I was going to use at Gevik to pay for the framing of a piece I bought at Abbozzo.
Then I finally started in on the taxes, and it took pretty much all night. The worst was I started with the FBAR, which has the worst consequences if you don't file it. I somehow put it in for the 2023 tax year and used the wrong file name as well! I wasn't even that tired, so that was an extremely bad sign. Over the next couple of days, I tried to tell the system to delete it, and that this was not an attempt to amend my 2023 filing, which was on time a year back. I finally got a note from the government saying that they couldn't delete the improper filing, but that they had noted my comments. I guess because I then filed the FBAR again with the same info but correct year and file name, that's the best I can do.
I took the forms home for my wife to sign. I thought I would sleep in, but in the end, I did go to the gym for 25 minutes and picked up a small number of groceries. I'm glad I didn't completely give up this weekend on staying active (and I had biked everywhere on Sat.), even though taxes were pretty overwhelming.
I still had a few minor tweaks to the taxes (mostly filling in Forms 8938, which are a total pain and simply repeat the same information on the FBAR!). I think I probably could have/should have amended my Form 2225 and Schedule 1, but it wouldn't have actually changed the tax consequences, and it just wasn't worth it. (If the IRS asks for any other amendments, I will do it at that time.) I will read up on the topic and make changes for next year if it is still relevant. While I haven't decided definitely to renounce or not, the ridiculous extra burden of all the extra forms for having investments in two countries makes the idea of renouncing very appealing, on top of the fact I wouldn't be connected to a country that seems determined to be run into the ground by the Worst and the Stupidest (to say nothing of the most Corrupt and Venal)...
Sun. was at least a little more fun to make up for the last gasp of the taxes. I saw an Amici concert where they focused mostly on Armenian music. Then I went out west to Ossington (luckily that was the last stop before a weekend subway closure!) and had Ethiopian food and watched Kiarostami's Certified Copy. There are many parallels to Before Sunset, and personally I found Before Sunset to be a lot more satisfying. Kiarostami refuses to let the audience know whether the couple are actually married or not. Perhaps the one (fan) theory that makes the most sense is that the two are in a long-term affair and that Binoche's character decides to just play along that they are married (after a woman in a cafe assumes they are married) as a "copy" of marriage that has its own intrinsic value. That still doesn't quite square up with the beginning of the movie where the author seems to have no idea about Binoche's family life, including her sister's name. So a movie that is being intentionally obscure in a lot of ways, which frankly I don't appreciate.
Anyway, the important thing is that taxes are done, and I mailed them off on Monday. I don't think I will be quite so late with Canadian taxes, since I have everything pulled together now. I should be able to get them wrapped up this weekend. Fingers crossed. (And perhaps if I don't owe anything or even get some money back from CRA, I will more seriously consider buying the artwork I saw on Sat. And while I don't buy art as an investment, it wouldn't be a bad idea to track down what I did pay for these other pieces and just note it down somewhere, since "collectables" are taxed at a different rate, and I probably have two or three pieces that should have at least held their value whenever I die or otherwise decide to give them up. Such a cheery thought for a somewhat dreary day...)
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