Another week come and gone

Well I hope everyone had a merry Christmas! I know I had a great weekend -- no matter how busy it was. Santa was good to me and I finally can have the chili and margarita party I've been planning since I moved into my apartment now that I have a crock pot and blender! jk! Everyone knows margaritas go better with queso dip rather than chili. Anyway the weekend was a complete blur for me. I started out at my Dad's on Christmas Eve, then drove back to my Mom's and then to my Uncle's and then came home with a car packed to the roof at like 9 at night on Christmas night. Needless to say, I didn't want to do anything the Monday after Christmas even though it probably would have helped me a lot today if I would have gone in to work for a few hours.
Like the past few weeks, today was a complete mess. I don't know why Wednesdays are a crazy day for me. Every other department has a fairly slow day on Wednesday and I get slammed. Of course this week it didn't help that I only had two days in our corporate office and that I'll be down in the sticks for Thursday and Friday again this week. I shouldn't complain though. This week has to be better than last in that regard. Last Thursday was a complete disaster for us at work. I got up early on Thursday morning all ready for my 2.5 hour road trip and emailed our Executive Assistant at like 6 am because I forgot to get payroll numbers before leaving Wednesday night and started to get psyched for learning the billing cycle. As soon as I'm getting ready to walk out the door at 7 am, I get a call from our E.A. and she tells me that both people in billing called in sick and that I probably wasn't going down to train in billing that week. Then I get a call from M saying that our boss had decided that it would be better for us to just stay here and get our own work done and that she would come pick me up in like 5 minutes. So that was fine. I was pleased with being able to go into work up here because I had a million things to take care of anyway. So she picks me up and we get to work and start on our normal Thursday duties. J came into the office for a bit on his way back from picking up his truck up here. It was a nice surprise too because we didn't think he was going to come into the office and we were already suffering from J withdrawals. We ended up talking to him for a few minutes and then find out that the President of the company wanted M and I to go and work on billing in our other office because the billing department couldn't close down for 2 days, especially at the end of the year. So at 9:30 in the morning, we packed up everything we were doing up here and get things set for everyone else and head out on the 2.5 hour drive that we were supposed to make 2 hours prior. We got down there at 1:30 in the afternoon after making a few stops and started on billing right away and ended up working until after 7 that night. It was an extremely long day and after dinner we came back to the hotel and decided that instead of feeling sorry for ourselves, we were going to party. Well there are not many places to party down there so we decided to go to the gas station and pick up a few things to drink. Yeah...they don't sell liquor at the truck stops down there so not knowing where else to go, we call J (since he lived down there for 6 months) and ask him where the nearest liquor store is. Not knowing exactly where we were anyway made it that much more fun too. We ended up finding it after J was able to decipher our location and lead us there while he himself was driving down to visit family in Arkansas. Come to find out the only liquor store down that way is a drive-thru one. KICK ASS! That was awesome! So we got our drinks and headed back to the hotel and ended up staying up way too late that night talking and trying to figure out the meaning of life. I know Josh thought I was absolutely nuts because he called me a few times while out Christmas shopping wondering what I wanted for Christmas and I was completely in another zone....not because I had too much to drink or anything but I just had a million things on my mind and I was ready for some fun rather than think about Christmas. I tried convincing him to make the 40 minute drive down but he had too much shopping to get done in only a few hours but I promised him another hotel party this week and I'm hoping he'll come by and visit, especially since we haven't seen each other in about a month and a half.
M and I and even our boss ended up working on billing again for a few hours on Friday and then made the trek back home. We made the drive back in record time too....2 hours and 10 minutes and that's even with stopping for gas! We just wanted to get back home because it had been a stressful two days. This week we're in for a treat again because Friday is the last day for one of the people in billing. I'm scared to death to think what is going to happen for the next few weeks but we will survive. We always do...but its still just scary to think about sometimes....I think that's why I have gone out for a few nights this week already. M and I are trying to get pumped to take over this stuff. Last night we went to dinner and then tonight we hit a happy hour for a bit and just talked and tried to be each others support system. I'm really thankful to have someone who understands exactly what I'm going through right now with work and we work so well together anyway. I'm truly lucky to have her as a friend.

So that's that. Not a whole lot is going on otherwise. I'm planning on behaving myself this weekend with New Year's....or at least that's my thought right now. I have to work on Monday next week and close out 2005. Hard to believe 2006 is so close already -- hard to believe so much has changed for me in 2005. Thinking back on it....in 2005 I acquired my first "real" full time job after graduating in December; quit that job for a better position as a full fledged accountant in July; moved into a place of my own; went on a weeklong vacation to DC with Josh; lost one of the most important people in my life (my Grandpa); met awesome coworkers, many of whom I consider some of my closest friends; became the queen of the dance floor (thanks to my buddies J, C & M); and even spoke up and told the owner of the current company I work for my ideas for helping our business succeed. I don't think I would have been outgoing for even some of that last year at this time....my how things change in a years time! I'm sure some of you have seen the difference lately too.

So I'll leave you all with those thoughts for tonight. I have to finish packing for good ol C-town tomorrow. If you're down that way...call me and you can come to our hotel party. ;) Anyway, Happy New Year to all! May 2006 bring you good health and happiness and lots of time for "kickin it!"

Well, where do I start?

It's been over a week since I have had a chance to update and it's not because there is a lack of things going on in my life. On the contrary...I have been working about 55 hours a week and trying to get ready for Christmas and have a little fun in the meantime. First off with work -- the last two weeks have been the most stressful weeks I have had in a long time. Besides taking care of my regular job, I have also been going down to the office in Southern Missouri to learn billing since our billing department decided to turn in their resignation a few weeks ago. Last Thursday and Friday ended up being a complete blur and I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to show the two new people that willl be starting in a few weeks everything that they need to know to take over these jobs. I know there is an easier way to a lot of what they have been doing down in our other office but it's figuring everything out the way they have been doing it and then coming back to our office and trying to tweak it a bit. If that was the only thing I had to do....heck no I wouldn't have a problem, but besides that I have my usual routine as well as finishing up projections for the end of the year and getting everything ready for 2006.
Last Wednesday was a good example of how frustrating things can get sometimes. I was minding my own business, knowing what needed to be done before I headed out on Thursday for the other office and about an hour into my day, everything changed. I felt like I was running around the office trying to meet deadlines and feeling like I was falling farther and farther behind because more problems were arising. At one point, trying to get to the fax machine, J turns around and says, "smile and cheer up - you're doing a great job." That did make it a little better, especially since he flashed that killer smile at me. :)
Speaking of J, he headed for our Laredo terminal last weekend. M, C, J and I all went out for one last hurrah last Friday night and we had a blast. It's going to be hard knowing that we all won't be here to party like that for at least a year or so, but we had fun while it lasted. Dr. Zhivegas was playing at the bar and we spent most of the night out on the dance floor shaking our stuff. It was sad to see the night end.

Also last week was my company Christmas party on Wednesday night. Not a good night for a Christmas party when you have to make a two and a half hour drive the next morning, but still it was a lot of fun. I spent part of my evening talking to the owner of the company about ideas I have for the next year and he spent the rest of the time telling me of things that they have in the works. Most of my co-workers were making fun of me for talking with the big boss for as long as I did, but it was really nice to get to talk to him considering he barely knows me and or what I exactly do for the company. I will say though that he was impressed with some of the ideas I had regarding payables, receivables, billing, financials, etc. I guess college did pay off! I have decided (in like the last 2 months or so) that I need to be more outgoing and work for what I want. I can't sit there and take a back seat role because I do have an important job and I need everyone's cooperation. I think eventually this new outlook will pay off for me. Who knows...I may have already wowed one person.

And finally because I need to get ready to pack my stuff for my little roadie tomorrow....I've spent whatever time I've had left over after work and partying to Christmas shop. Finally, I have everything bought and wrapped and all I have to do now is deliver them and that's what Saturday and Sunday are for. Saturday I'm driving out to my Dad's and spending Christmas Eve with my Dad's side of the family and then Sunday morning I get to drive back to St. Louis and spend it with my mom and step-dad for a few hours before heading over to my uncle's in Southern Illinois. It will be a busy day but a great time with my family. Hopefully everyone likes their presents too! Monday will be my day to relax....or bake cookies since I have promised to send a batch back into work for the fleet managers and a batch down to Laredo for the terminal. I'm such a nice person!

Anyway, I hope Santa is good to everyone. Merry Christmas to all!

Party Planning Committee Succeeds!

My first major party planning event came off without a hitch and ended up being an awesome evening! So awesome I still can't feel my feet from all of the dancing I did! It turns out that we were able to get just about everyone in the office out to celebrate J's big promotion...a task that had not been accomplished until just last night. Even the President of the company and Controller spent a few hours out "kickin it" as my co-worker M (she's the other part of the party trio along with J and I) keeps mentioning. Really though, the night was great. It was packed at Syberg's but we managed to get a table once everyone got there and we scoped out a huge group leaving. After the band started playing at 9 I don't think anyone of us (by this time the group was half the size) stayed at the table for more than one song. Everytime a new song would come on and one of us would try to head back....we'd pull that person back out onto the dance floor. I don't know how many times I would be dancing with J and then he'd tell me that he needed a break and he'd walk back to the table and I'd pull him right back out there because another good song was playing.

I have pictures of all of this but some are rather incriminating so I think I'm just going to keep them to myself for the time being. The best picture of the night which I think I'm going to have blown up to poster size is a picture of me and J and C. I wanted to get a shot with those two so M took my camera and I walked in between them to get a good shot all of a sudden I hear from both of them to M to wait until they say 3 and then take the shot because they wanted this one to be the best shot of the night. So I'm standing there....kinda buzzed but knowing what's going on around me or at least thinking I do and I hear, "1....2.....3." On 3 both guys plant their lips on my cheeks and I have a picture of being kissed by both of them. You should see the smile on my face with that one! My coworkers are freaking awesome!!! For those of you that don't know, which I'm not sure who doesn't, I consider both J and C very hot guys. Not that anyone really wants to hear that but it's come up as conversation in my personal office quite a few times since I started working here in July between me and the girls. So anyway, the night was extremely fun.....we all stopped drinking pretty early which is a good thing and for the last like 2 hours it was straight water because we were all extremely warm from the dancing. We all rode back to the company together after dropping another girl off at home and picked up our cars at like 2 this morning and I crashed as soon as I got the pictures downloaded to my computer.

M and I are now trying to devise a plan to get down to Laredo for some weekend to kick it with J and maybe even C if he's down there at the time. Laredo is one hell of a drive from St. Louis but I'm sure that we could find a cheap flight for a weekend trip so we can all still party like we've been accustomed to for 3 or 4 months now. Next week we're taking a road trip to our office is southern Missouri....not a trip I'm really looking forward to next week because I have alot to take care of up here with my job but with both of our people in billing giving their resignation earlier this week, M and I have to go down and learn the billing system until we can hire someone else for that position. Another thing I get to learn for my job...pretty soon I'm going to know the entire accounting cycle for trucking. I guess that's not a bad thing though since I am an accountant and I produce the final work for financial statements and reports but I don't have nearly enough time in a day to be able to do everything I'm learning. I'm working about 50 hours a week as is and I still can't keep up sometimes. But, I also have to look at it in a positive light...they wouldn't have me learn all of this stuff if they didn't think I could handle it and they weren't going to keep me around for awhile.

So that is my exciting evening out and its so sad that my dear buddy J is leaving next week for Texas but like he said he's going to fix up our Laredo terminal and get back up here as fast as he can so he can come back and party with his girls. By the way, M and I are the girls. The rest of the women in our office have a pre-girl status since they haven't gone out and kicked it like the two of us have with him. But what can I say, M and I are party animals! Rock on! :)

Finally, one last note...congrats to my aunt and her boyfriend, well now fiancee. They got engaged last Saturday night while I was out in Highland. I wish them all the best!

It has been a long week!

Finally it is Friday night and I have a night to recover! This past week has been extremely busy and its good to have a few days off now. Nothing new has really happened, I've either been at work, bringing work home or out living it up with my work friends....seems like everything right now revolves around work...but that's ok. I still love my job and the people that I work with. In fact, I'm now in charge of the party planning. J is leaving for Laredo, Texas in two weeks time to become the 2nd man in our Laredo office and I was told to plan the blowout for him. Next Friday night we're having the shindig of the year. I'm actually really pumped about being the party planner. I sent out the invitations today (via email) and I think I got the office excited. Actually they laughed at the invite because I signed it "The Party Planning Committee in Accounting." The girl I work directly with is the other big partier in our company...when it comes to going out after work, usually its her, J and myself. Well we couldn't let J plan his own party so really she has been my co-pilot in making sure everything is taken care of. She's off in Vegas this weekend so I'm left figuring out the remaining details. It should be a great time though! I will definitely post after the party!

As for this weekend, I'm going out to my dad's tomorrow morning and spending the rest of the weekend there. We're working on thank-yous from my Grandpa's funeral with my Grandma and the rest of the family and I'll probably end up doing a little bit of Christmas shopping with my Dad. I would also like to bake my Christmas cookies but I might just wait until next weekend...we'll see how much time I have left over this weekend to accomplish that since I would like to bake cookies for my co-workers, family and friends...and that's a heck of a lot of cookies!

So tonight I'm going to relax and do as little as possible. I think I'm starting to come down with whatever everyone else has been getting sick with and after going out last night after work and drinking with one of my work buddies and getting about 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep...I need a nap and a chance to do nothing for a change.

Let's Hear Those Sleigh Bells....

Well Thanksgiving has come and gone and I have to say under the circumstances, it turned out to be a very nice day. My aunt and her boyfriend ended up doing the whole Thankgiving dinner thing since my Grandma wasn't too gung-ho for cooking this year with the loss of my Grandpa and for the most part I think we tried to make the best of the day. Dinner was excellent and now I have to work off all of the extra calories I packed in that day.
Anyway, I had to work the day after Thanksgiving, which really wasn't as bad as everyone else made it out to be. I had a ton of work to catch up on anyway so it was nice to be able to go in at least for a few hours without any major interruptions since a lot of the companies we do business with were off. I did have one customer who wasn't very happy with me and tried to call my boss because he thought I was being unreasonable, but my boss gave him the exact same answer that I did. That'll teach him...don't try to mess with me! I can be quite the bitch and he found that out!

Dealing with our customers is a new thing for me at my current job. Our general manager at another office retired and he was the one who dealt with them, well rather than replacing him my boss and I have taken over all of his duties and I am now in charge of accounts receivables as well as numerous other things. It is taking some time to get use to everything especially since I now have to balance everything I was doing and this new stuff. Even with the holiday last week I put in about 40 hours because of the deadlines that I have to meet.

I did find some time for fun though. I went out with my friends from work on Tuesday and Friday night and then Mom and I went shopping for Christmas yesterday. First time in a few weeks that I have gotten to see my mom for any length of time. We hit the mall and a few other stores to pick up a few Christmas presents and had lunch together. Most of the time though was spent browsing and really I have to say, it wasn't that bad out yesterday. I would have thought that the stores would have been busier than they were, but I guess it's still early in the season. I wanted to be on the ball this year. Last year, I waited until the weekend before Christmas to even start my shopping because I was focused on taking my finals and getting decent grades in all of my classes. Amazing what a difference a year makes!

This post is dedicated to my Grandpa

Many of you are unaware of the stress I have been faced with this week and rather than emailing everyone letting them know, I have decided to just post it on here. There is a reason why I have dedicated this post to my Grandpa. After falling earlier this year and breaking his arm, my Grandpa's health took a turn for the worse. We had been dealing with his declining health since about February and after having numerous bouts of pnuemonia, a hip replacement, a minor stroke and the start of Alzheimer's set in, my Grandpa passed away on Wednesday, November 16th in his sleep at the nursing home. This came as a complete shock to me and I have been a mess ever since I found out when I was getting ready for work that morning. The funeral was yesterday and really I don't know how I was able to make it through it. I guess just knowing that he was no longer suffering and in pain was a little bit of a help. I do have to hand it to my family, especially my Grandma who was tough as nails through all of this. She and my Grandpa were married 52 years and she was there for him every step of the way. If couples nowadays were as committed as she was to him, the divorce rates would be half as high as they are now.

Besides being the big baby I was throughout the last few days, I was also in charge of the picture memorial. I was very honored to be able to put together the photos. It brought back a lot of the good memories I had of family vacations and holidays and just regular time we got to spend together. I was also able to learn more about my family history which is one thing that I have been meaning to look into more when I had the time. It's horrible to have to put something like that off because of time constraints and really I have given a lot of thought to prioritizing everything in my life and making more time for family and friends and fun.

I do have to say that I am very appreciative for my job and all of my coworkers though too. They have lent me so much support over these last few days and I'm extremely grateful. I don't think I have ever worked at a place that has been so caring and considerate. The flowers that they sent personally to me were absolutely beautiful and I know my family was thankful to receive the plant as well. My 4 month anniversary was on Friday and to put so much effort into making sure that I was ok after such a short amount of time was very helpful.

I also have to say thanks to Josh who has been amazing as usual. I saw him last Sunday and updated him on the entire situation after going out to my Dad's and Grandma's the day before and I'm sure he figured something was coming. I called crying to him numerous times and he was able to calm me down and ease my mind a bit.
My brother was also a big help at the funeral home when I broke down, so he deserves a hug also. And Bro, I'm sure Grandpa would be proud of you as a pallbearer...you did a very honorable thing under so much stress.

So...that has been my week in a nutshell. I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to stay in touch with many people this week...hopefully the next few weeks will be better. The holidays are a time to come together as family and I hope that we are going to be able to do that this upcoming week.

One last thing - my deepest sympathy also goes out to Amanda. If you need anything, please get ahold of me. I know what you're going through right now too and I'm here for you even if we do live a few hours apart.

Wow...I feel awesome!!!!!!!

Ok...this post might not make any sense, but right now I don't really care. I thought going out last week was the best time I've had in months...well it comes in second compared to tonight....which was so awesome that really words can't explain it. Like I said in a previous post, two of us were going to take J out for his birthday this week. Well rather than go out Friday, which we found out was bad because J was leaving work early tomorrow we decided to take him to Syberg's tonight....dude, it was freaking so much fun! We were able to get a few more people to go out with us tonight and we had a heck of a time! I probably drank a little too much but I worked a lot of it off by dancing again. But this time we got J out there on the dance floor along with one of our bosses, who I would never expect to go out and kick it with us. It got a little crazy but all in good fun. I was a dancing fool...and actually being the quiet, shy girl who works in accounting seems to be just a facade I have. I don't think anyone has ever seen me have so much fun...including my friends who have known me for years. Really I could have given little thought to who saw me and what they thought of me, but overall it was the most fun I have had in forever. And wow, the guys can dance...I didn't think they could and I wouldn't have expected them to but they got out there and it was great. As some of you know, one of my favorite songs is "The Thong Song" by Sisqo and I was actually able to get both J and C (one of our bosses) out on the floor and dancing around me. One of the other girls I work with has a theory about guys that dance...and if that theory is true for these guys then I'm in deep trouble!!! I'm not going to share that theory but it's a great one. You can email me if you want details. Anyway, dancing was a very good way to work off all of those extra calories from the Smirnoff Ices I had plus the shot I did with the guys. I couldn't let them show me up...if I'm one thing...its competitive...I will fight alongside the best of them! So finally at about 10:30 we called it an evening....C had to get home and J rode with him so me and the girl I came with decided to leave also. I didn't feel bad until I made it to the parking lot...then, I don't know what happened. J offered to take me home, but it was way out of his way so I drove to our office and then had someone else follow me home. Really I don't feel that bad....I just feel the room spinning every once in awhile. I called my cousin Mary and Chris just to let them know that I made it home alright and I am in the process of making my cake for J to take into work tomorrow morning. I hope that it is still edible....I just added the ingredients that it asked for...so it shouldn't be too bad. How much can I screw up a cake mix???? Anyway, I need to get ready to ice my cake here in a few so I'll be sure to update soon! Hopefully I'll wake up in the morning and be ready for work...but I know what happened the last time we went out on a Thursday night and it wasn't pretty.

Why I love my bro

So if you happen to look at the previous entry...you may be shocked to see 25 comments. No, it's not a mistake. My bro finally checked out my blog and decided to comment a few times. Not wanting to be outdone by him, I had to reply. He got his friends involved so I commented back to them also. It was a vicious cycle of commenting. One of his main complains about my blog is that there isn't enough about him on here...so I am dedicating this entire post to him.

First off...10 reasons why I love my bro so much:
1.) He sings an awesome rendition of "Baby Got Back."
2.) He can always cheer me up (no matter how bad things are) by calling me "Linny."
3.) He's got me believing that "Junction of Axis" is an actual geography term.
4.) He makes me laugh uncontrollably by saying, "What's Crackalackin Yo?"
5.) He picks football teams to win games based on their team colors.
6.) He has a great sense of humor. (Who else would name their football teams the Biscuitmakers or the Muffin Men???)
7.) He looks adorable in camo pants, high heels and a Shamu t-shirt. (I'll never forget that one bro...even if you were only 2!)
8.) He makes delicious scrambled eggs.
9.) He still remembers all of the Spanish that I have forgotten since high school. (Yes Bro...I do now recall that Te Quiero means I love you...I just had a brain freeze.)
10.) He always rises to a challenge. For example, when I gave my Mom and Dad an ultimatium not to bring him home from the hospital when he was born unless he was a little girl or a green baby (because that was and still is my favorite color), he turned out to be a green baby by being born on St. Patrick's Day. How many other 4 year olds get their wish that way???

And because I told him I'd give him a little plug too. Check out his website that he and some of his friends have created. There are funny skits on there and they are constantly working on new material. Click here

So there we go...anyone else feel like they need more exposure on my blog? Drop me a comment and I'll see what I can do.

Why am I wide awake at 7 am on a Saturday?

I would not be pondering this question right now if it were a weekday (because I'm usually up at 5:30 or 6 am for work) or if I had gone to bed last night at like 10 or so, but I got home at almost 2 this morning and I didn't get to sleep until some time after that. I'm not sure why my body felt the need to tell me that I was ready to get up because let me tell you..it's a little rough this morning. After work last night a few of us decided to throw a happy hour. This is not unusual for us, normally about once a week or every other week a few of us go out for drinks (and sometimes dinner) after work and just to kick back and have a little fun and listen to a band of some sort. Well last night we decided to hit a bar at a local casino just to kick back because most of us have pretty stressful jobs...it was the most fun I have had in months! Usually 2 or 3 of us are the regular partiers but we were able to get one of the guys that works in the operations part of our company to go out with us too. We've heard that he is quite the partier himself and besides the one time that a few of us went bowling he hasn't gone out with us...we were starting to get complexes, but last night he agreed. What was good about that was that he's just a little older than me and I finally had someone to joke with about things. For example, because most of us are into music at work we constantly have the radio on back in my department and up in the reception area we listen to classic rock or a variety of things all day long...well, last night they played a lot of songs either from the late 70s or early 80s and some of my coworkers were reminicing about being in jr. high or high school when those songs came out and J (I won't give his real name - but its another J I know!) and I would laugh and he would say something like, "I was only 4 or 5" and I would say, "well, I wasn't even born yet or I was only 1 or 2." Always nice to make the people that you hang out with feel 10 times older than the really are. Or when the band would take a break and they would play newer stuff he was right along singing all of the words with me. What impressed me is that he actually was able to keep up with me and sing almost every word to "Baby Got Back" by SirMixAlot. I only know of two people that can sing it pretty much word for word, one being me and the other being my little bro so this was actually kind of neat to know someone else that can too.
Probably the greatest aspect of last night (and really any night that I go out with my work friends) is the looks that one of the other girls gets when we're out. She's about twice my age but she doesn't look it and there are always guys trying to buy her drinks and dance and flirt with her when we're out. Last night was no different, but J and I couldn't believe how agressive some of the guys were about it. One guy sitting at table behind us would not stop checking her out. She had her back to him and J and I were facing him and every few minutes he'd look over and do a rundown of her with his eyes. WE CRACKED UP! Because of the type of person she is, she is nice to everyone....she's bubbly and doesn't want anyone to feel bad so when the waitress came over and said to her, "the guy behind you wants to know what you're drinking and buy you a drink." She says, "oh, I'm alright right now, but maybe later" to the guy...I guess to him that meant he'd already scored and on the other side of the table, we were laughing our butts off. What makes it even more hilarious is that she always mentions her kids and husband and that she's just out to listen to the band and have fun with her friends and the guys that come by don't seem to pay attention to those facts, but she's a super sweet person and would never do anything to compromise her relationship with her husband and family.
I think we are all going to try to go out next week also....J's birthday is next Friday so that gives us an excuse to go out partying again.
So that was my Friday night...I danced my butt off and wore myself out completely and still only needed close to 5 hours of sleep. Thank goodness I'm still young! I'm sure later I will need a nap. :)

The rest of the week went pretty smooth too. I did month-end closing at work on Halloween night and just did my regular routine for the most part Tuesday through Friday. Yesterday I started the task of accruing for revenue for each month of the year in one of our companies and that will be my main task to finish on Monday. Luckily it's all just spreadsheet work and when I have all the data spliced and added, I will just have to add formulas....piece of cake! It's just time consuming having to go back and accrue the right amount to each month since January and then make adjusting journal entries. Doesn't my job sound fun??? Seriously, I do like it...this is what I went to school to do...so finally school is paying off!

I'm off to my Grandma's today to give her a birthday card and visit with her and my cousin, who is also stopping by and see how everyone is doing.
So until next time....try to digest everything I've rambled on about here. I guess that's why I named it random thoughts, right? :)

My Rams pulled it off today!

So it's been awhile since I've had a chance to post...sorry to all of my loyal readers! :) This past week has been an absolute mess in terms of work and any extra free time I had I spent it going out trying to forget about everything else I still had to muddle my way through and fix before the end of the month. I knew I was going to have to put in extra time with my job, that was not the problem, for me the problem was that it felt like they wanted me to work miracles and fix payroll and fuel expenses that have been wrong since day 1 of one of our companies in like 5 days time. Usually that would not be a problem for me but when numbers are still wrong after trying to fix them then that is a real issue. If I could get my hands on the previous "accountant" who did all of this stuff...she would be in bad shape. So anyway, after I put in my 10 or 11 hours most days this past week, I decided it was time for a little fun. I'm hoping that tomorrow is my last day of having to put in extra time before the next month-end but I'm sure we'll find something else that I'm going to have to re-create for the entire year for one of the 5 companies that I'm in charge of all before the end of this year.
I do have some of the best friends though....they listened to me complain about all of my work problems this week and really were quite supportive. Thanks everyone for listening to my rants and raves.

This weekend I promised myself that it would be a relaxing one and it has been. Yesterday I went and visited my mom and step-dad and did my laundry and then came back home. Last night Mark came over to watch the Blues game with me and hang out for a bit because he heard about my week too. Actually I think he came over to try to talk some sense into me and get me to root for the LA Kings instead. For almost the entire game I kept telling him, "oh the Blues will win...they got out to a great start and now they're just trying to wear out their opponents." And he just kept telling me that they were going to lose 6-3. Well, they didn't lose 6-3 but rather 5-2...still not a great game. Patrick Lalime wasn't even in goal last night which I think made it even worse because this just goes to show that we have absolutely no goaltending with our #1 & #2. I hope this is just a small rut and things will change soon otherwise the Blues risk losing the few fans that did return when the NHL & NHLPA straightened out their mess.

On a positive note, the Rams won today! I actually picked them to win too when it seems like everyone else in our Pickem league (with the exception of my bro) thought that they were going to lose. Go Linds! I watched the entire game in hopes that I would see the Jags put in #31 Cornerback Scott Starks. Scott and I went to high school together and now he's in the NFL. Didn't see him in the game, so I'm not sure if I just missed him or if he didn't get to play. The Jags other CBs are actually pretty good so perhaps he's not getting much of a chance to play yet. It's still neat to be able to say, "hey, I graduated from Hazelwood East with that guy and look where he's at now."

Enough useless ramblings for now. Just thought I'd update especially since I haven't been online much this week.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!! (One day early, since I'm sure that I won't feel like posting tomorrow.)

My Confessions

I'm a little perturbed right now. The Blues game is not on TV and I scheduled all of my nighttime activities around watching the game. Ok, that's a lie...I finally had nothing going on this weekend and was actually looking forward to staying home to watch the game. Game 1 of the World Series is also on, but I'm a little bummed that my Cards aren't in the series so I didn't really care to watch the game tonight...perhaps when it gets down to the wire it will peak my interest a little more. I'm rooting for the White Sox. Since it's not the Cubs or the Blackhawks, I can root for a Chicago team to win something, plus I'm not a huge fan of the Astros anyway.

I got an email the other day and rather than sending out my answers I decided to post it on here. It's called "Confessions." So these are my confessions...feel free to laugh or comment as you wish. I'm sure most of you know this stuff already.

[] I've run away from home.

[] I listen to political music.

[] I collect comic books.

[x] I shut others out when I'm sad.

[] I open up to others easily. (Not really…Josh and Mary are probably the only two besides my Mom.)

[] I am keeping a secret from the world. (I’m sure that there isn’t something that I haven’t told to someone.)

[x] I watch the news sometimes.

[x] I own over 5 rap CDs.

[] I own an ipod.

[] I own something from Hot Topic.

[x] I love Disney movies.

[] I am a sucker for Blue eyes. (Green are my favorite!)

[] I don't kill bugs.

[x] I curse regularly. (It's becoming more and more regular with my job and life in general!)

[] I have "x"s in my screen name.

[] I've slipped out a "lol" in a real conversation.

[x] I love Spam (as in the food).

[x] I bake well. (Better than Sex Cake is my specialty!)

[] I would wear pajamas to school. (Even if I didn't have to go straight to work from school , I wouldn't.)

[] I own something from Abercrombie.

[x] I have a job. (A stressful job at that!)

[] I love Martha Stewart.

[x] I am in love with someone.

[] I am guilty of tYpInG lIkE tHiS

[x] I am self-conscious.

[x] I like to laugh.

[] I smoke a pack a day.

[] I have cough drops when I'm not sick.

[] I can't swallow pills.

[] I have many scars. (Just one on my knee from when I was a little girl trying to jump over a big rock. The rock won that one.)

[x] I've been out of this country. (Cancun and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)

[] I believe in ghosts.

[] I can't sleep if there is a spider in the room.

[x] I am really ticklish.

[x] I love chocolate.

[x] I bite my nails.

[x] I am comfortable with being me.

[x] I play computer games/video games when I'm bored. (Gotta love Super Mario Kart!)

[x] Gotten lost in the city. (I’m horrible with directions…just ask Josh and Tom and anyone else who has been brave enough to ride with me somewhere.)

[] Saw a shooting star.

[] Had a serious surgery.

[] Gone out in public in your pajamas. (Public as in where? I walked outside my apartment the other night when my mom was leaving to say goodbye and I was in my pjs...does that count? It was 10 pm at night and I don't think anyone else saw me.)

[] Kissed a stranger.

[] Hugged a stranger.

[] Been in a fistfight with the same sex.

[] Been arrested.

[x] Laughed and had milk/soda come out of your nose.

[x] Pushed all the buttons on an elevator.

[] Made out in an elevator.

[x] Swore at your parents. (Unfortunately and I still regret it.)

[] Kicked a guy where it hurts. (I’m too nice to do that!)

[] Been skydiving. (Next time I go to Hawaii – this is on my list of things to do there!)

[] Been bungee jumping.

[] Broken a bone.

[] Played spin the bottle.

[x] Gotten stitches. (Same time I tried to jump over that rock.)

[] Drank a whole gallon of milk in one hour.

[x] Bitten someone.

[] Been to Yosemite Falls.

[x] Gotten the Chicken Pox.

[x] Crashed into a car. (Don’t get me started on this….Chris has nicknamed me Crash now.)

[] Been to Japan.

[x] Ridden in a taxi.

[] Shoplifted.

[] Been fired. (Is laid off the same as being fired??? If so, then yes.)

[x] Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back.

[] Stole something from your job.

[x] Gone on a blind date.

[x] Had a crush on a teacher/coach. (Mr. Bly…junior year of high school. I don’t think I was the only one either!)

[] Celebrated Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

[] Been to Europe.

[] Slept with a co-worker.

[] Been married.

[] Gotten divorced.

[x] Saw someone dying.

[x] Driven over 400 miles in one day.

[] Been to Canada.

[x] Been on a plane.

[] Seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

[] Thrown up in a bar.

[] Eaten Sushi.

[] Been snowboarding.

[] Been skiing.

[x] Been ice-skating. (I belong in the Capades..I’m that good!)

[x] Met someone in person from the internet. (Some of the closest people in my life I met on the net.)

[] Been to a motocross show.

[x] Going to or have gone to college. (McKendree College - Class of 2005)

[] Done hard drugs.

[x] Taken painkillers. (Of course...because I was in pain!)

Isn't it fun to learn more about Lindsay??? I'm going back to watching my all time favorite movie which is on TV tonight. I bet you can't guess which one it is. I've only seen this move about a trillion times but it still is so good and John Travolta is so hot in it....I can probably sing every song too. I'm such a nerd!

Go Blues!

My mom is the absolute greatest! Last night she invited me to the Blues game and we got to sit in club seats at the game. To me those are the best seats in Savvis - they are close enough to the ice but also far enough away to see the entire game plus you get waited on hand and foot while you're sitting in one of those sections. To top it off the Blues actually won against the Mighty Ducks so that was even better. The Blues still didn't look like they were all playing on the same page. There were communication issues that I'm hoping will be worked out once some of the guys start playing together a little more. Backman and McAmmond scored the first two goals and Brewer scored the game winner with less than a minute left in the game. And finally having Lalime paid off on my fantasy hockey teams! :)
I guess the only thing that would have made the night better is if the Cardinals would have won game 6. It is an end of an era for Busch Stadium. I just hope the new Busch will have as many great memories as the old one has. I still remember the days of Ozzie coming out and doing back flips across the field. Those were the days when I had nothing to worry about besides eating my vegetables and cleaning my room...man...how things have sure changed!

Anyway, for your enjoyment I am including a little quiz on here. It's the "How Sexy Are You?" Test. I got a 40. Go ahead and post your scores as comments if you feel like it.

GET A PIECE OF PAPER AND NUMBER IT 1-11
1. WHAT SHADE OF HAIR DO YOU HAVE?
a) Dark
b) Light

2. OUT ON A DATE WOULD YOU WANT TO:
a) Go to a party?
b) Go out to eat?

3. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR OUT OF:
a) Baby-Pink
b) Yellow
c) Baby-Blue
d) Turquoise

4. PICK YOUR FAVOURITE HOBBY OUT OF:
a) Surfing
b) Skate-Boarding
c) Skiing

5. IF YOU COULD PICK A STORE OUT OF THE FOLLOWING, WHICH WOULD IT BE?
a) Louie Vuitton (Shoes)
b) Coach (Sport)
c) Againt all odds (Clothes)

6. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE OUT OF THE FOLLOWING?
a) Hawaii
b) London
c) Florida

7. IN THE SUMMER WOULD YOU RATHER GO TO:
a) The Beach?
b) Somewhere Cooler?

8. WHAT IS YOUR BIRTHDAY MONTH?
a) January
b) February
c) March
d) April
e) May
f) June
g) July
h) August
i) September
j) October
k) November
l) December

9. WOULD YOU RATHER:
a) Chill at home
b) Go out with friends

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE INSTRUMENT OUT OF:
a) Guitar
b) Bass guitar
c) Drums
d) The Triangle

11) NAME A PERSON OF THE OPPOSITE SEX


**ANSWERS**
1. a) dark=sexy [5 points]
b) light=sweet [2points]

2. a) go to a party=playful [2]
b) go out to eat=romantic [5]

3. a) baby-pink=cute [2]
b) yellow=loud [3]
c) baby-blue=cool [5]
d) turquoise=sexy [5]

4. a) surfing=active [2]
b) skateboarding=determined [2]
c) skiing=daring [5]

5. a) Louie Vuitton=tasteful [7]
b) Coach=laid back [2]
c) Againt all odds=stylish [5]

6. a) hawaii=you like being around people [2]
b) London=You are quiet, and like the cold [2]
c) Florida=You like to party! [5]

7. a) beach=tan, likes the sun [5]
b) somewhere cooler = pale and original [2]

8. a) January=popular [5]
b) February=lovely [2]
c) March=loud [2]
d) April=playful [5]
e) May=happy [5]
f) June=chills a lot [5]
g) July=smooth [2]
h) August=fun [5]
i) September=quiet [2]
j) October=out-going [2]
k) November=pimpin' it [5]
l) December=warm [2]

9. a) home=quiet, romantic [5]
b) go out with friends=crazy [5]

10. a) Guitar=eye-catching [5]
b) Bass-guitar=mellow [2]
c) Drums=loud [2]
d) Triangle=crazy [5]

11. This person will fall in love with you!

SCORES!!!!
UP TO 20 = Not so sexy
21-35 = Rather sexy
36+ = Too Sexy for this test!!!!

Now wasn't that fun?!?!?

Let's Go Cards!

Well another weekend just happened to fly by and really I wish it hadn't. Yesterday turned out to be a really great day and I could have used more time off without thinking about work or all of these other things that are taking a toll on my life right now. Josh came up from Cape last night to visit me and was a big help with letting me forget about all of the stress in my life. I always love it when he comes to visit. I can act stupid and goofy and he doesn't really mind because he knows that sometimes that's just how I am. We watched the Seahawks-Texans game last night and then some movie from 1991 with Bruce Willis in it. I didn't know it was from 1991 until Josh mentioned it and I checked the info guide on my digital cable and sure enough he was right. I don't know why I would doubt him...he's almost always right. But man...1991...I was only 8 years old. Where has the time gone? Speaking of time flying by, I got a survey in my mail today from Hazelwood East and a reunion company they work with. Pretty much it was just about my time in high school and what I'm doing now....nothing too earth shattering, but I filled it out and put it back in the mail. Now that I think about it, I would have never thought I'd be at the place I am already in my career and life in general. Tomorrow is my 3 month anniversary at work. I wasn't sure I would make it one week in the trucking industry after seeing the software but I've made it 3 months and seem to have a grip on most of what I'm doing. It's kind of unusual to see me stepping up to the plate and tackling the problems that I have and making a difference. I have always been the quiet, shy girl who follows the rules and never questions anything. I think now I've stepped out of the box a bit and found a little more self-confidence and I now have an input in the business world and more specifically the company I work for.

Anyway, enough life changing thoughts for tonight. Right now I'm watching the Cards-Astros game hoping that the Cards can pull of the win to keep the NLCS series going. Even if they would make it to the World Series, I think they would still not gain the respect they deserve. Since the White Sox clinched the ALCS last night I'm sure most baseball fans will be pulling for them to win the Series just because they haven't been there in so long...pretty much a replay of the BoSox last year. Rams are playing tonight too but I pretty much figured that game was a loss even before it started. Playing the 5-0 Colts in Indy...when Indy is 2-0 at home already this season...doesn't look good for them. At least this week I decided to use my brain a little more when making my football picks and I have won a few more games that way. Smart of me, isn't it?
Blues play their next game on Wednesday night and I'm hoping this game is the turn-around for them also. I will actually get to go to that game too. Gotta love a Mom that scores awesome tickets to her daughter's favorite team and sport for that matter. I really feel loved! (Thanks Mom for thinking of me!) Hopefully I will have good news to report about that game. The Blues are playing the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. I haven't followed the Ducks this season so I'm not sure what to expect but I'm hoping it will be a good game and Lalime will actually stop some goals this time. I shouldn't rag on him. I'm not out there playing but it just seems like he could save a few more than he has. This is coming from a girl that had a heck of a time just ice skating last year...so am I really one to talk? Hmm...I'll leave you with that thought.

What happened to my teams?

Well it was another busy weekend for me, but it was a lot of fun. The only thing that would have been better is if the Blues and Rams would have won this weekend. I went to both games and didn't get to see a win. My boss commented to me this morning that he was glad that I didn't head out to San Diego for the Cards game because I obviously was bad luck to the teams here. He did tell me that I was on tv at the Blues game on Saturday night in the 3rd period which was kinda cool...I moved down to seats in the lower bowl since there were so many extras down there. I guess with the Cards game people decided to follow a winning team rather than see the Blues struggle. I will say though that the Blues game had some good points to it and I think eventually the guys will settle into a groove and actually start playing well. Lalime does need some work though - he gave up 7 goals. Some of which were not completely his fault. I blame Salvador for the whole penalty shot thing. He knows better than to cover up the puck in the crease and he also knows that Lalime can't make the saves when it comes to penalty shots and shootouts so there are 2 strikes against him. Mayers had a good night...I was quite surprised. I think he has decided to step it up a little this season since he's the veteran on the team. Anyway, I hope that they win the next game I go to - whenever that may be.

The Rams were pitiful this week. I thought we got off to a great start with the touchdown on the kickoff but then it went down hill. Tom assured me that the Seahawks were going to lose it at some point and the Rams would take advantage of it, but it never happened. The defense needs some major work. I'm surprised that it wasn't more of a blow out but I guess the Hawks had there problems too considering we were able to score 31 points.

As a result of this past weekends games, I can say I officially suck in Fantasy Hockey and Pro Football Pickem. I'm last in the one fantasy hockey league and 2nd to last in my football league all thanks to me having faith in my hometown teams.

It was back to work today after all that fun and I was beat that's for sure. I spent my day working on account reconciliations and calculations until I finally couldn't think and decided at 5:30 that it was time to call it a day. I guess after 9 hours that's alright to do. Tomorrow I get to get back into the groove of more spreadsheets...oh how I love Excel! Thank goodness everyone at work is fun to hang out with otherwise I'm sure I would be more stressed than I already seem to be.

2 Days Until the Blues Season Opener!

Hockey season is almost here! I made it to my first (and last) preseason game of the year yesterday and I have to say...welcome back NHL! The Blues beat the Blackhawks last night 2-1. I was a little worried about the trade that sent Pronger to Edmonton, but Eric Brewer looks like he might be able to fill Pronger's shoes. He scored the first goal of the game and seemed to mesh well with the guys out on the ice.

A BIG WELCOME BACK goes out to Walt! Even though Tom continues to make unfair comments about him and his Krispy Kreme's he looked like he was playing for the Stanley Cup out there in his first game back after being suspended for not passing his physical for training camp. He scored the game winner. He also scored a goal in the shootout showing the new NHL rules regarding overtime....so there Tom! :) #7 is back and better than ever.

I would have to disagree with some of the calls (or lack of calls) made by the officials on both sides. For instance, they called an interference penalty on Lalime which clearly wasn't a penalty. Tkachuk was nice enough to serve it for him. Then Matt Walker gets a game misconduct for a fight he had with Vandermeer in the third. Granted it was his second fight of the night, but the Blackhawks were taking some cheap shots at some of our players and he was just stepping in to protect his linemates.

I think it's going to be a great season. I'll get to see my first real game of the year Saturday night when the Blues play the Sharks. The Sharks were undefeated in the preseason, so it should be a good game.

I do have to say thanks to Joe for thinking of me last night and giving me his extra ticket to the game. Thanks Joe...I owe ya!

Why are some people such jerks?

Today has been one of those dreaded days that I wish I just would have stayed in bed and not done a darn thing but instead it started off pretty bad and didn't get much better. I was involved in an accident this morning and the other guy was a complete prick. (Not a word I use all that often but in this case it is more than true.) I was coming out of my apartment complex and turning to get onto the highway and the guy in front of me stopped short and the rest was history. Luckily we weren't going all that fast considering I was previously sitting and waiting to turn onto the main road but now he's making a huge deal about it. My car took the brunt of the damage compared to his big Ford F150 which only had a bent trailer hitch and a very small scratch of paint from my car. He didn't say much when we exchanged information and I wasn't sure if he was going to turn it in or not to the insurance but I should have known better. I called my insurance like 2 minutes after they opened this morning and he had already placed the claim like 10 minutes after everything happened and complained to them. I told him we could work everything out but he didn't like that...of course not...he's trying to take me for a ride. I guess he doesn't realize that I'm just a poor girl that graduated from college and is up to her ears in college loans and credit card bills. He'll find out soon enough!

Anyway, I ended up getting to work a few minutes late which wasn't a big deal because I have to work late every night this week since it's the last week of the month, but I felt like crap and couldn't even think. My boss wanted me to put together a year-to-date income statement for one of our smaller companies and for the life of me I couldn't remember what to do. An income statement...one of the most important pieces of financial information and I couldn't remember how to put one together. Well, I eventually figured it out and it was right compared to the net income found in the trial balance so I was pleased. This afternoon I worked on my daily calculations and intercompany transactions and had a heck of a time with that too. I think I just need a day off....it's been a long week already and it's only Wednesday. Thank goodness that after work tomorrow we're going out for Happy Hour at Harrah's again. Even though I'm not much of a drinker, I'm sure I could down a few tomorrow with no problem.

Tonight I'm baking my specialty... "Better than Sex" cake. A few of the girls at work heard that I'm quite the little baker and one of our customer service managers is leaving the company on Friday so we decided to all bring in something to pig out on and I'm in charge of dessert. Plus, I have new cake pans and a cake tote that I was dying to try out and I think they knew that too. I get excited over the craziest things, I know.

Anyway back to my baking...hopefully the rest of the week goes better!

Editor's note: The name of the cake does not necessarily represent the writer's feeling on the subject! ;)

Where do the days go?

Wow...Saturday has pretty much come and gone already. It's the day I look forward to the most and it seems like for at least the last few months it's the busiest day of the week for me. Today was no different but I had quite a bit of fun and spent way too much money. My mom and I finally had a day for the two of us to go out together. We've been talking about it for months and have tried to plan things ever since I moved out but today it was actually accomplished. We headed to the Mills because she had a gift card from her birthday that she needed to use and we ended up spending 6 hours there shopping and then we spent another hour in the grocery store because I was down to hardly anything in my fridge. It's always a blast hanging out with my mom...we find more ways to get ourselves into trouble...what was supposed to be a two hour trip turned into all day deal and a huge shopping spree. But good news for me, I have new work clothes and even an awesome dress, shoes and a purse for a special occasion. (I don't have a special occasion to wear it to yet, but if you know of something coming up...let me know...I'll wear it there!)

Tomorrow is another busy day - big family gathering at my Grandma's - something we haven't had in probably 3 years. For no other reason except for the fact that everyone will be in town for a change. Let the Scattergories and Liverpool Rum tournaments begin! Plus, I would like to head up to the Mills again to see the Blues practice. They got the team narrowed down in the past week and I want to see what some of these new guys look like out there. They dropped their first preseason game to Nashville, so its time for them to step it up and get serious about the game. (I'd make a great coach, wouldn't I?)

For now, I'm going to take the rest of my Saturday night and crash. I'm still a little worn out from my night at Harrah's with my work buddies yesterday, but if you know any good websites about peptides and phosphorylation, send them my way by Sunday night! :)

1st Preseason Blues Game Tomorrow!

Well I just got home from working out and I have to say, I'm completely worn out but it's definitely a good feeling to know that it's making a difference. I think Demetrius took it a little harder on my tonight since he knew it was my last time working out up at Attilio's, but I survived it so that's all that really matters right now. Later this week or early next week I need to visit Club Fitness and see what kind of programs they have up there so I can keep up with this drastic change in my life. It actually was kinda nice tonight...Demetrius asked if I would bring in a picture before I started the T-burn combo and working out. Both he and Sirrah were impressed with the change and couldn't believe the difference in me physically. 34 lbs. and 6 inches lost in my waist in just over 4 months time....not too shabby if I say so myself! I would have probably lost a little more, but for the past few weeks a few of us have been going out for drinks after work and that really doesn't help the cause. Of course last week out at Westport, Mimi and I were dancing fools so I'm sure I burned a good portion of those Smirnoff Ice calories or so I hope!

Anyway, the first preseason Blues game is tomorrow night. It would be nice if the Blues can pull off a win, even if it is only preseason. They didn't look too bad when I went to training camp on Saturday morning up at the Mills. Hopefully that is a sign for the season to come. It amazed me to see that puck whipping around the ice and the power that some of those guys have. I really have to hand it to hockey players, especially goalies...they have guts to be out there! I've seen Josh come by with a few bumps and bruises and Joe even pulled a TO earlier in the year and finally was able to get back out on the ice after months of complaining. But, definitely for me...it's a spectator sport. Thank goodness it's just about underway! I just hope the team can bounce back from losing Demitra, Pronger and MacInnis. We'll see what happens! Let's go Blues!

2nd post today...woo hoo!

2nd post today...I'm on a roll. Actually the first post is dated today but it was really from yesterday. As a few of you can attest to, I've had a heck of a time getting this thing up and running. I created it yesterday afternoon and then when I went to fix some stuff last night it wouldn't bring anything up so after being frustrated for about an hour or so I scrapped everything and started over this morning. (Thanks Shell and Tom for listening to me complain last night and trying to help me get this thing to work correctly! I believe it was just user error on my part although I'm not sure what I did differently today.)

Anyway, the Rams game just finished up and I have to say...I hope they play better in their home opener next Sunday than they did today. They got the win and I guess that's all that really mattered but they just didn't look very good out there for much of the game. Thank goodness that Kurt Warner didn't look that great for the Arizona Cardinals for a good portion of the game. He tried in the end, but failed due to the fact that he didn't spike the ball and get another play off. Man...what happened to him since those few great years on the Rams? He just doesn't look like the same guy he was when he took the team to the Super Bowl in 2000. Really though I can't say much, I'm not the same person I was back in 2000 either...people change and I guess I need to realize that. I do have to hand it to the fans in Arizona - they were a class act today - throwing bottles and cups onto the field in the 4th quarter because of a call made by the refs. The right call I mind you, but does that really matter???

Not to do a complete 180 here, but if anyone can provide me with some insight that would be great. Here's the situation: I've only got 2 months left to take my Real Estate License exam but I'm wondering if I should really take it or not now. I still haven't found a broker to hold my license and I'm not really sure if I will be able to find one to hold it because I don't really want to do the whole selling houses right now, but I would like to have my license just in case I would need it someday. Most brokers really don't want to just hold a license because it creates more of a liability for them if I'm not making them any money. So I've kinda been putting off studying and going to register for the exam. Now I'm thinking I just might go to a tax preparer and take their class and exam and prepare taxes during tax season. (I know the tax laws and can do taxes but to work for someone you have to take their class to prove you are competent to actually do them.) But then I was thinking that Attilio's is hiring right now too and I could work there part time and sell the T-burn combo...heck, I'm educated on the product and it does work so I could totally sell it. The other night I was in there waiting to work out with Demetrius and two ladies came in to get more info and I was able to give them a little bit of insight into the product and both of them ended up starting the program. There are so many opportunities for me out there and I guess that since I was busy for so long with school and work I need the same thing now. When I mentioned everything to my mom a little earlier today she gave me some good advice and told me that it might be nice for me to just take some time off and not to over extend myself and just enjoy my life because I'm only young once. That is a good thought too and I have enjoyed going out after work and just having fun and living in the moment. So whatever advice anyone can provide that would help a bit.

Just another random thought that has been milling around in my head for a few days.

Something Different

I don't know why I made this blog other for the simple fact that Joe has been on my case about it. He was tired of getting the useless emails and surveys from me so he figured that if I had a site of my own I could type all of my random thoughts here instead. (Ha...what he doesn't realize is that I'll still keep sending emails too.) Anyway now that hockey season is almost underway and football season is in full swing, I will have a few things to comment on. Plus the Cards are headed for the postseason and that should be an exciting time as well.

I don't think I'm a very exciting person, but I will try to post a few updates about my adventures with life too. I'm sure everyone will love to hear about my accounting dilemmas in the trucking industry, but feel free to comment whenever!