Tax Season Tribune

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Getting your green on

By Sandy Weiner, J.D.

Contributing Editor

While we know most tax professionals will equate March 17 this year with filing partnership and S corporation returns, most of the rest of the world will actually be celebrating dear old St. Paddy.

For those who can’t break away from their desks to celebrate, we thought you’d like to know what’s happening away from your computers:1

  • In Portland, Maine, they’ll be taking the Paddy’s Day Plunge into the Atlantic Ocean at 5:30 a.m., where the average water temperature is around 40 degrees;
  • In New Orleans, where a good parade and party can never be resisted, they’ll be flocking down to the Irish Channel neighborhood for a huge street party, where many will be participating in a cabbage food fight;
  • Chicago, my old hometown, turns its river bright green, which is definitely a step up from the murky green it used to be; and
  • Not to be outdone is Hot Springs, Arkansas, which manages to host an hour-long parade over a 98-foot bridge. How can it be an hour long?  Well, there’s the Blarney Stone kissing contest ... and of course Elvis impersonators.

But these celebrations are not limited to Ireland, the U.S., or even the world. In Montserrat, a Caribbean island, the festivities last 10 days, and St. Patrick’s Day, where both the saint and a slave rebellion are celebrated, you’ll find residents partaking in a calypso competition and eating Creole food.

St. Patrick’s Day is even celebrated on the international space station, where you will find the astronauts belting out an out-of-this world rendition of “Danny Boy” and playing the Irish flute.

As for me, I may be sitting at my desk that day, but I’ll not be alone. I’ve found a fabulous new Irish drink: a Boozy Shamrock Shake, with a little vanilla ice cream, milk, Irish crème de menthe, and a not so little amount of Bailey’s Irish Cream. Care to join me?

Men talking
1 Koyfman, Steph, “The 10 Most Unusual St. Patrick’s Day Traditions  Around the World,” Babbel, March 10, 2022

Opinion: Have Little Golden Books jumped the shark?

By Kathryn Zdan, EA

Editorial Director

I recently purchased a Little Golden Book; not one of the vintage titles that we are all familiar with, like “The Poky Little Puppy” or “The Little Red Hen”, but a brand new one. I am well beyond the typical age for a Little Golden Book reader, also I do not have children. But I was equal parts horrified and delighted to see that one of my favorite movies of all time had been turned into a Little Golden Book… “Jaws”.

That’s right, Tribune reader, everyone’s favorite movie featuring blood-stained water, severed limbs, and a haunting retelling of the USS Indianapolis sinking is now a charming book that illustrates opposites, as the little boat chases the big shark. I probably don’t need to tell you that the above-mentioned features have been scrubbed from the storyline. Instead of homemade moonshine and plates of beans and rice, our sailors sing songs over coffee and croissants (also, Quint lives). Spoiler alert: at the end, the shark gets tired and goes home.

I love that Little Golden Books has released bios of famous people such as Lebron James, Zendaya, and Harry Stiles. And their Taylor Swift bio sold 1 million copies in just 7 months.1  But turning bloody 70s thrillers into children’s books seems weird. Although, when they release the Little Golden Book version of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, you know I’m going to buy it.

Men talking

Happy National Egg McMuffin Day

Sunday, March 2 is National Egg McMuffin Day, celebrating the 50th anniversary of McDonald’s flagship breakfast menu item. The McMuffin was released in 1975, invented by Herb Peterson, who for some reason was looking for a way to put eggs benedict “in the palm of your hand.”1

To celebrate, McDonald’s is offering egg McMuffins and sausage McMuffins for $1, only on March 2 and only if you order through the McDonald’s app. For the rest of March, you can get BOGO McMuffins delivered directly to you via the McDelivery option in the app.

A few fun facts about this week’s writers:

Sandy Weiner, J.D.

Sandy Weiner, J.D., as California editor, loves all things California. Whether it's hiking at Big Sur or playing at the beach in San Diego where she lives, Sandy takes full advantage of all that California has to offer as a way to clear her head after trying to comprehend and explain California's Revenue & Taxation Code.

Kathryn Zdan, EA

Kathryn Zdan, EA, spends her non-Spidell hours on photography and watching horror films (and then sleeping with the light on). She also enjoys hiking, biking, and watching foreign films.

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