Better not Butternut

Woo hoo! I just got my taxes done, and it looks like I am due for a refund.
I debated about paying someone to do them this year, since I’m still on a budget, but finally took them to my accountant. When I first graduated from dental school, I would do my own tax returns. Over the years, with investments and property etc, it just became too complicated. I didn’t trust myself to do them correctly, and the time it would take me to figure them out wasn’t worth it to me. Better to pay someone who knows what they’re doing. It’ll get done faster, and I’ll still get to reap the benefits.

Once I get my refund, I intend to treat myself to a nice dinner in a fancy restaurant. I have been in a bit of a food rut lately, since I’m trying to do my own cooking—and my attempts to expand my dietary repertoire have had limited success. The other day I was browsing through the produce section and saw that they had butternut squash on sale. Hey, I thought to myself, I love butternut squash! I’d never made it before, but there was a sticker on the squash with instructions: “Cut squash in half, remove seeds, and heat until tender.” That didn’t sound too difficult, so I bought one. Never again.

What they neglect to tell you on the sticker is that butternut squash can only be cut in half with a bone saw. I was using the sharpest kitchen knife I had, and doing only slightly better than a monkey trying to cut open a coconut with a plastic spork…..and I have opposable thumbs! I know I spent 45 minutes hacking that stupid squash apart, and as much trouble as I was having, it’s a miracle the knife didn’t slip and hack off one of my fabulous opposable thumbs. Once it was cut open, I still had to scoop out the seeds and cook it. By the time it was all done, I had completely lost my enthusiasm. I decided the next time I had butternut squash, it would be in a restaurant where I could pay someone else to deal with the hassle of cooking it.

I guess the lesson to be learned here is that sometimes in the kitchen, as well as in your finances—it’s better to just pay someone who knows what they’re doing. It’ll get done faster, and you’ll still get to reap the benefits.