Here’s Hoping

2018 is off and running. So far, not two full weeks into the new year, across the country we’ve had two major weather events (a blizzard that pretty much stopped the East Coast in its tracks – not to mention international travelers still trying to reunite with their baggage at New York’s JFK Airport – and killer mudslides in California); an overhaul of the U.S. tax code; a near takeover by cryptocurrency (derailed by this week’s plummet); and continuing general divisiveness in the country at large, with the President publically using expletives when discussing immigration from certain countries. It’s a whirlwind already.

And to think I’d been hoping for a smooth start. Call me an optimist, but here are some headlines I wouldn’t mind seeing sometime soon:

Seasons Return: Ticker Tape Parade in Honor of Spring and Fall

Tax Reform Proves Even Easier than Hoped for Individuals and Businesses

Congress Comes Together, New Culture of Bipartisanship Rules

Desktop Nuclear Buttons Replaced by Bobble Heads

#Cute Knocks #Mean Down the List, Thanks to Baby Zoo Animals

Health, Happiness and World Peace Prevail

Hokey? That’s OK. We could use a little hokey about now.

As a follow up to last week’s posting, for those of you who saw it, my trip turned into one of those travel experiences you read about and hope to avoid any way you can.

My meeting ended in Naples at noon. I checked the JetBlue app to find my 3pm flight with a 20-minute delay. Not so bad, or so I thought. I headed to the airport in Ft. Meyers, arriving at 1:00, only to find the 20-minute delay now 40 minutes. Still not so bad, considering the weather the day before. I had an exquisite airport lunch with my friend and fellow accountant Stu Kotler (hello Stu!) who happened to be on the same flight, and by the time we were done, the delay was now 1 1/2 hours. On to the gate, where we ran into another NYC accountant and friend, Harriet Greenberg (hi, Harriet!). To make a long story very short, every 20 minutes JetBlue extended the flight delay by another 20 minutes until we finally left at 8pm. All told, a 5-hour flight delay with 7 hours in the airport. Who said business travel is glamorous? So a big thank you to Stu and Harriet who made the 7 hours pass as best they could. If you’re going to be stuck like I was, it’s nice to have friends to share the pain with.

Let’s hope those of you traveling for this coming extended weekend, for Martin Luther King Day on Monday, don’t experience what we did.

By the way, Marcum will be open for business on Monday (with no days closed until Memorial Day), preparing for the start of tax season on January 29. So if you need us, we’ll be here.

Have a great weekend, everybody.