I'm going to combine a few totally unrelated items into one blog. I can do that, right? Of course I can.
Let's start with this great new blog I found called Stuff White People Like. It's basically a social commentary on...well, the title says it all. Here's an excerpt from #71 Being the Only White Person Around:Many white people will look into the window of an ethnic restaurant to see if there are other white people in there. It is determined to be an acceptable restaurant if the white people in there are accompanied by ethnic friends. But if there is a table occupied entirely by white people, it is deemed unacceptable.
How true is that?
Moving on...
Mable is fast approaching 300,000 miles. Logically, her end is near, but realistically, she's running as good as she did years ago. I'm going in for a tuneup in a week and fully expect everything to check out fine. Thing is, I need to hedge the risk and prepare myself for the day she moves on to rustier pastures. I've briefly entertained the thought of buying the exact same car. I searched cars.com and the closest 1995 Grand Prixses (?) for sale is 548 miles away. That's pretty amazing considering the population in Southern California. Kind of sad, too. 131,000 miles for $2400. Not bad?
Sure, I want a newer better car as much as the next person. But I'm trying to make the most financially sound choice. No, I probably wouldn't drive 548 miles to pick up an old car with who knows how much life left in it. It would be pretty adventurous though.
Let's say that I get a newer car, though. The average car payment is what? $300? So if I spend $2400 on a used 1995 Grand Prix, it's only got to last me eight months to make it worth it. Anything longer than that is cake. That may be a pretty big risk, though. I have to assume those other Prixs haven't been taken as good of care of as mine.
The more likely plan is to put $5000 down on a $10,000 car. Likely a Toyota. Even likelier a Toyota Yaris. Yes, it's the cheapest car they make, yes I could probably afford better, but I really don't want to. I want to have that thing paid off in 6 months. Plus, it's a Toyota; it will last me a long time. I intend on it being the last economy car I buy.
Sorry folks. I don't want a car payment. I had two new cars before I was 21. I'm so over that.
Finally...
I got an email from the pastor of my church today talking about the weekend services and what not. He mentioned how one of our worship team drummers, Drew Hester won a Grammy a couple of weeks ago. So I'm thinking, that is pretty awesome. Then he goes onto say that Drew ALSO is the drummer for the FOO FIGHTERS who won a Grammy for Rock Album of the Year. So, apparently the drummer at the church I go to has been moonlighting with the Foo Fighters this whole time and won two Grammys and I had no idea. Okay, if you know me and you know the Foo Fighters, that is pretty stinkin' cool. I just watched them on Letterman the other night, so B.A.
I'm leaving for Birmingham, Alabama tomorrow where I'll be working until Friday. I hope to blog at least once while I'm there, but if not, I hope this ties/tides you over. You choose.
Stuff White People Like; Mable; Foo Fighters
Thai One On Me
My buddy/co-worker Don and I were eating lunch today at Thai Basil, a Thai restaurant, duh, when there was just curry left in the bowl of chicken and curry. I said to him, "what will you give me if I drink the rest of that?" Cause you see, I'm classy like that.
He said... "You finish that, I'll pay for your lunch, and for FroYo sometime this week."
He didn't really say "FroYo," I'm saying that in hopes that it will catch on. FroYo = frozen yogurt.
I debated it for a few minutes. Took a couple sips of the curry. Not too spicy. But this will tear me up, right? Not tear like cry (well maybe that, too) but tear as in rip my stomach apart.
But I'm going to save $9 on lunch and $4 on FroYo! So I did it. I drank the rest of the curry. He was all excited in anticipation of my afternoon in the bathroom.
Lunch = free.
Then he challenges me to finish the rest of the rice and the pad thai. That would equal free FroYo or Jamba Juice every day the rest of the week. Well, I couldn't do it. I had to draw the line somewhere, right?
So I was anticipating an interesting afternoon, but my stomach totally stepped up to the plate and took that curry like a (Thai)man! I felt fine all afternoon. I felt bad that I didn't feel bad. I feel like Don didn't get his money's worth. Well, I sure did. Free lunch. You can't beat that.
I'm a winner.
Lazy Sunday
Well I don't want the title of this blog to lead you to think of the SNL Digital Short, because you will be disappointed. It really is a lazy Sunday.
I went into the office to prepare for this week. I went in for a tune-up on my car and got brushed off until next weekend. I did some laundry. I cleaned my bathroom. And...yeah not much else.
I plan on watching the tube the rest of the day. Now that I have a DVR like the rest of the country, I need to make sure it doesn't get too full. It's usually not a problem, but when I'm gone for a week at a time and only home on the weekend, stuff piles up. Priorities, people!
I better enjoy it while I can. I'm buying my CPA review course this week and it should be here by the weekend. That means less TV time for yours truly. Boo-hoo, waaah-waaah. Right?
It will be worth it in the end, of course. And I like the fact that I'm forced into no social life right now because I'm 100% focused on paying my credit card debt off. It's going well.
Also, what's this thing Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul are always doing on American Idol? When a contestant is waiting for the judges "yea" or "nay" it's always one of them, or both, who say "1000% yes!" then the next person has to top that, usually Paula, who says "one-million-trillion% yes!" Ohhhh that bugs me so much. I'm pretty sure you can't be more than 100% certain of something. No. 110%-150% is acceptable, because it's unavoidable in everyday conversation, but not 1000% or one million thousand percent. Bah.
Good Eats in San Francisco
I’m sitting in my hotel room in San Francisco writing this. The internet is $4.95 per day, so I’ll have to type this in Word for now, and just post it later.
I haven’t been here since September, and let me say, I’ve missed it and I didn’t even know it. Like New York City, but in a completely different way, there’s just something about it. Maybe it’s just the whole urban living type thing. The smell of urine, people begging for money, public transportation…you just can’t beat it.
But seriously, it’s just a blast to be staying in a nice hotel that I’m not paying for and to be able to step outside the front door and be within blocks of things to do. And now that I’ve been here before, we hop on the subway from the airport and don’t have to think twice about what we’re doing or where we’re going.
Tonight I went back to the best food court I’ve been to in my life. It’s just a higher class food court or something. No fast food joints, but Italian, Mexican, seafood, Japanese, Korean BBQ, Gourmet Thai, burgers, gelato, a cream puff place called the Beard Papa or something. Yes, Beard.…Amaaazing! I was walking down the street eating this thing out of the bag sort of, trying to make sure a bum didn’t see me porking in front of him/her, and the cream was dripping all over my hands and on my face. Good thing it was dark, although I’m not sure that mattered. It was so good, though.
So while we had some down time before dinner, I decided to hit up a couple of these spots beforehand so I made sure to get them in. Last time I was here I didn’t get any gelato, so yeah, I went. I had my dessert before my dinner and I loved it. Then I had a chocolate covered éclair with vanilla cream in the middle. Holy cow. Mmm.
I’m wondering if I’ll run into the homeless guy who rapped for me last time. We talked for 20-30 minutes and he told me he could rap about any topic, so I challenged him, and he did, and it wasn’t half bad. He had a pretty good story and everything, he was a newly homeless guy; his clothes were still clean and he didn’t smell or look scruffy or anything. Heck, he may have been hustling me, but anyways… I had some extra per diem left over for the week, so I gave him a little more than most people probably do. Point is…if he runs into me this week he’ll probably remember me as the sucker who bought into his crap and will try and hit me up again.
Either that or his story was true and the temp job worked out into a permanent job and he turned things around, thanks in part to my contribution. I’d like to think so.
In other news, when I was in the bathroom stall in between the gelato and the éclair, this guy comes into the stall next to me and is talking on his cell phone. He proceeds to give the person on the other line his cell phone number, so I’m sitting there (sorry if this is TMI), with my cell out already, playing pinball, and so I punch in his number. I hit dial. He says to the person he’s talking to, “hold on, I have another call…Hello? (Silence) HELLO??...Hey, sorry man, they hung up on me..” and I’m there trying not to laugh.
I didn’t really do that. I entered the number into my phone, but couldn’t go through with it. Maybe next time.
Neighborhood Band
It seems I live in the neighborhood of not one, but two garage bands. Well, the kid up the street I just hear playing his drums. The kid(s) down the street, though, have a guitar and bass in the mix. I'm kind of surprised the neighbors put up with it, but they do. I'm all for these kids pursuing their dreams, but you have to admit, most garage bands stink.
However, this afternoon, I was watching the teevee and I overheard the lick from Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," and it didn't suck. Maybe that's not saying much, and I was on the other end of the block, so distance may have distorted my perception.
That's all I have to say about that.
Is anyone watching Breaking Bad on AMC? It's about this chemistry teacher who learns he is dying of lung cancer so he decides to team up with a former student and cook crystal meth in an RV. It's pretty interesting/entertaining/funny. I didn't think I'd really like it at first. I mean, the lead is the dad from Malcolm in the Middle for Pete's sake. (Yeah, Pete.) If I would have known that I may not have even bothered watching it. Thank goodness he's nothing at all like that character. He's good.
I'm off to San Francisco for the week. I leave the house at 5:15AM tomorrow morning and should be back Friday night early evening. It should be kinda fun. I'm going to the same place and with the same team as back in September. I'm looking forward to ordering "The Chairman" at Specialties Deli and getting a blonde lager from 21st Amendment Bar & Grill. I'm not looking forward to missing out on the awesome weather SoCal is having right now. Sure, it's still warm(er) in San Fran than it is in MN, but it's still gonna be jacket weather in the morning. Boo.
I'm starting to wonder, too, who I'm writing this blog for. Some topics I'd like to blog about I just don't because I figure my constituents won't care about. And I don't want people skipping posts because they're uninteresting. If there are too many of them, I might lose readers. At the same time, I kind of want to talk about other things from time to time. Like the aforementioned Breaking Bad. Maybe the key is to marry it with other topics and not spend too much time on it. And, why do you care about how and what I decide to blog about? You don't.
Winter in California
I don't meant to complain or anything, but it's kind of hot out today. Yeah; 80. I looked at the temperature back home in MN, and it said 0. That's kind of a large difference. I'm trying to relate that difference to other things to put it in to perspective. That's eighty times warmer than zero. But 80 x 0 = 0, so I'm not sure how that works.
On days like today, I feel kind of bad for sitting inside all day. But then I think, too, that if I felt bad every time it was nice outside, I'd be outside 350 days of the year or be pretty depressed, so then I just open the window and don't feel so bad.
I did go to the bank and pick up my dry-cleaning though, so that was nice.
I also took a couple pictures of the view from my new abode:
This is from my bedroom.
This is from the backyard. The house sits on a little cliff type hill, so it's kinda cool. That's Saddleback Mountain in the distance. The same one you could see from my last place, just farther away.
Queer Eye for the Blog Guy
My shirt and tie inventory is low and in heavy rotation. I need to add a couple more combos as I start going to more clients in the next few months. My favorite men's store is the Knight's Chamber in my hometown of St. Cloud, Minnesota. Why? Because the last two combos picked out by Chris Bitzen, son of the owner, have been stellar. I've gotten so many compliments on them. I decided I might as well stick with what works.
The problem is, of course, I live in California. I had this idea that my mom could go to the store and take pictures of some killer combos that Chris picks out, then email me the pictures. I can then pick what I want and have them shipped to me. Another great thing about the Knight's Chamber is that they will lengthen my ties for free. This is a must, because I tie my ties in the double-windsor knot, and with my height...well, just trust me.
So my mom just sent me a few combinations and I want y'all's help picking out my next outfit. I intend on buying 1-2 shirts/ties this go round. They are $30 each, so I can't go crazy. Also, if we're not too crazy about these, I can have more options given to me. So here goes...
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So that's it. Vote 1-4 from your most favorite to your least. I don't expect many comments on my website, cause I don't get many to begin with, but you MySpace folks, I'm expecting a lot from you.
So, comment or e-mail me.
Free Hugs at Target!
Well, maybe just my Target.
Yesterday, I was walking out of Target and noticed the sign that said something to the effect that Target doesn't allow solicitors in front of their stores regardless of the cause. I like this. I'm sure most customers like this. I cannot stand to go to the grocery store when kids are selling cookies or old men in white suits are collecting change in a tin can. I do, however, give a free pass to the Salvation Army folks at Christmas, because they generally just ring their bell and don't actually solicit/elicit a response from me.
So right, the sign, no solicitors.
It just so happens that the very next day, I'm at Target again (hey, it's right by the office, I'm on my lunch break, I can't eat lunch at home anymore, I have time to kill) and what do I see? Solicitors.
Two of them.
One is holding a sign that says "FREE HUGS" while the other guy is holding a sign that says "HUGS: $10." As I approach I think to myself "there's no avoiding this" so I didn't even try. "You want a free hug or do you want to pay this guy $10?"
"I'll hug ya on the way out, man."
So on my way out... crap. He's still there. The $10 hugger left. Apparently, he cut his rate to $5 and still had no takers and just decided to give up and leave. I don't buy this story, because I was only in Target to drop off a prescription and this couldn't have gone down that fast. Regardless. I hugged the guy. Or he hugged me. I'm not really sure. All I know is that a random hugging occurred outside Target.
So to make this less weird, there was a film crew across the way filming what was going on. As in, this wasn't some pedophile who just wanted to hug little kids with unsuspecting mothers, or twentysomething accountants on their lunch breaks.
As I was sitting in my car in the parking lot, eating my sangwich, reading Nick Hornby's High Fidelityand waiting for my prescription to be filled, I decided that I'd had enough hugs from strangers for the day, and I'd go back tomorrow to pick it up.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say this was for some piece a local church was shooting related to an upcoming message to be shown during the service. I'd even go further and say it was for my church. They would do something like that. Cause, really, who else would do something like that?
Who doesn't like a hug, right? But in the end, I'm a little upset because Target allowed this shenanigan (that's exactly what it was) to go on a few yards away from signage that expressly prohibits it.
It's only a matter of time before little Suzie Q and Johnny Boy Scout are peddling their mint chocolate chip cookies outside my local Target. And then, pffft, I might as well just go back to shopping at Wal-Mart. At least I expect it there. Along with low prices.
I'm Officially a Dork.
Well, the verdict may or may not have been out on that in many of your opinions. But well, it's at least official with me. Why? Because, I am excited over my new keyboard.
It's true.
Now, I'm as much a Mac fanboy as the next guy. Heck, I went and bought the new operating system the day it came out. I watch Steve Jobs' keynote address at the MacWorld convention in San Francisco. But a new keyboard?
At least I haven't stooped to wearing the Apple t-shirt I got the day I bought the new OS. Not yet, anyways. I think I need to wait until I'm married to do that, or else there may be no hope for me.
I just never liked the one that came with my first Mac a couple of years ago. It was the standard Apple keyboard at the time, but it just always felt klunky to me and uncomfortable. It was white and pretty though. I had to keep it. It matched.
Anyways, now Apple has a new re-designed keyboard out. It feels and types just like my MacBook, which I love. I am typing so much faster now and with fewer errors. My fingers just glide across the board. And it has USB 2.0 ports on it. Nice!!
So over lunch on Friday I went over to the Apple Store at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif. to take one for a test drive. It was wonderful. I bought one.
And who are all these people hanging out at the mall on a Friday afternoon? It wasn't just moms and kids either, it was your normal mall crowd. What do these people do for a living? They couldn't possibly all be on their lunch breaks. The Apple Store was as busy as any weekend. I had to wade through a sea of wide-eyed adult-kids wondering why they've waited so long to make the switch to a Mac. Anyways, this is getting away from the point of the blog.
My new keyboard rocks. I love to type.
Go here to see pictures:
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No Worries, Boss!
I went to lunch with my coworker Audrey the other day. We went to Red Robin, but that's irrelevant.
It was around 2pm, so the lunch rush was over. We got a table and were waited on immediately. It was good stuff. Our food even came out in less then 15 minutes. All good.
Our waiter, different story. It started out cool and all. He seemed pretty into his chosen field of serving delicious gourmet burgers to folks like myself, which I think is great. Serving food is all about tips, right? So why not act like you're enjoying your job? He tried to upsell me a Blue Moon, "it's on tap, boss!" Which I normally would totally have gone for, but I guess it's not okay to drink alcohol when I have to go back to work. But who are these people who are getting drinks over lunch then? Unemployed folks? What are they doing eating out? And getting drinks, no less? Anyways...
This guy started to get on my nerves, not the first time he called me "boss," not even the second time. The third time on. This was his go to word to warm up to the male patrons. He didn't call Audrey anything. Just me. And if that wasn't enough to bug, he would always say "no worries" in place of "you're welcome."
"Can I get some more fries?"
"No worries, boss."
I didn't seem to recall ever being worried that he wouldn't bring me more fries. So, ok.
It actually takes me back to something my Grandpa Wendell told me about several years ago. He has this annoyance with folks who always say "no problem" instead of "you're welcome." Isn't that most people, though? He would say to them, even strangers, "I didn't say there was a problem." I need to confirm this, but I'm pretty sure he would actually say that to people. At first I didn't understand why that bothered him so much. In fact, I didn't really understand until Mr. No Worries, Boss waited on me at Red Robin.
No Worries.
No Problem.
Same difference, right?
Grandpa, now I understand. Thank you.
Okay, Now It's Official
I just settled on my lease. I'm out of the old place, and have freed up lots of $$$. Anyways, as promised, here's pictures of my new digs...It's not as big as it looks! BUT, it's big enough for me. I have everything I need. My HD-DVR should be working sometime this weekend (hopefully) and all will be good. And I'm even eating less than before. Way to go!
Okay, check out my boy-themed room. Cause I'm a boy.
Welcome to Your (My) New Home
I moved. I did it. Right down the street, say, about five miles. But it's done. (Almost) officially. I have everything moved, you see, I just haven't paid the moola to break my lease. I won't have the money until Thursday.
I went to the office on two different occasions to confirm that, yes, I can show up the day I want to break my lease, and yes just pay the money, no questions asked. That better be the case or I don't know what happens then.
My apartment is empty. I cleaned it out yesterday. I was hoping to have some help, but my help came down with something. I ended up getting help where necessary, but the rest I did on my own. Man, I must've taken 100 trips up and down that staircase to my front door.
So how do I go from a one bedroom apartment to a...one bedroom bedroom? It's not easy. I thought, well, I moved into my apartment from a bedroom in an apartment in college. I couldn't have acquired that much more, could I? Well, I must've. I somehow managed to fit it all, though. I may have to put some boxes in the garage to make it a little more comfortable, but it'll work. I even took a trunk load to Goodwill.
The furniture I acquired in November was from my new landlords. Well, neither of us knew we'd be roomies and I wouldn't need the furniture nor have room for it a few months later. A waste in hindsight. Since I didn't have room for the sofa-sleeper and the dresser, nor help to move it, I had to get rid of it. I originally wanted to take it to Goodwill, but that was a more than one person job. A little birdie told me I should just craigslist it and it'd be gone by the end of the day.
Sure enough, within 30 minutes of listing it, I had a call for each. Within an hour, I had 3 calls for each, 1 for both. Within 2 hours, they were both gone.
The first buyers (although I was giving them away for free) were a Russian or Slovakian couple or something. The lady was as manly as her husband and had construction worker hands and a deep voice with a think accent kind of like Nikolai on 'Six Feet Under.' It was great.
The second buyer was this fella named Gao. He wanted the dresser. He came over with his wife. He came in first and looked at it and said he better make sure his wife wants it before he decides to take it. So she comes up. I was a little worried they wouldn't want my generous gift when they realized not all the drawers worked. Thankfully, they didn't try them out first...until we got the unit in the car and were like "there's no room for the drawers!" But of course, Gao is all "lets pull out the dresser and put the drawers back in, then it will all fit!" And I am all "oh I hope he doesn't want a refund!" But before they finished he thanked me and I went back inside and locked the door. He never came back. Success!
I don't know if you've ever used craigslist before, but it was my first time. Next time I think I'll hire a secretary to make all the arrangements for me. Once things got rolling I bet I got 10-12 calls in the matter of 60 minutes. It was nuts.
I've only spent one night in my new digs, so it's too early to say how it's going to be. I have a lock on my door, and bathroom to myself, and we're getting me a HD-DVR box this week, so I think that's a good start. Plus, oh yeah, I'm saving $800+ a month on rent. You just can't beat that. For now.
Pictures to come.
I Should Be a Writer
At least that's what people tell me. But taking advice like that is how you end up on American Idol having Simon tell you you're the worst bloody singer he's ever heard. Here's how it would go down...
Simon: What is it that you do for a living Brett?
Me: It's Brent.
Simon: No, I asked what it is you do for a living.
Me: I'm an accountant.
Simon: Well if you're as good at accounting as you are at singing, a lot of people will be amending their tax return.
Me:
Simon: Off you go, Brett.
Granted, I'm not a tax accountant, but most people default to that when I tell them I'm an accountant. And I couldn't think of anything else.
The point is, I have to really take people's praise with some grain and a little salt. Sure, I enjoy writing, but people's comments are based on my free-thinking semi-regular observations and anecdotes. These days, blogs like mine are a dime a dozen. Back in the...'90s, I could have maybe used my musings to land me a column in a local rag but these days...pffft. This may be my only outlet.
I do have ambitions to write a novel some day. Thing is, I can only seem to write about what's real. I have a hard time coming up with anything that could actually develop into something. I'm sure if I spent a lot of time on it, I could learn the proper form and how to develop my ideas, but that's going to have to wait. I need to make money for awhile.
I would absolutely love to write a novel that is a smash and allows me to just quit doing the 9-5 and maybe buy a bungalow near the beach while I try to come up with my follow-up novel. Hey, it's been done.
I had this idea for a story once. It actually came to me in a dream. And I remember dreaming that it would be a good story to write about. When I woke up, all I remembered was that I thought it would be a good story for a novel. I can't do much with that.
Another idea I had the other day was this: I wonder if anyone has ever called the wrong phone number, and through a series of events, ended up dating and marrying that person. How would you get from point A to point B? I have no idea. That's the story, but I'm sure it's had to have happened out there somewhere. Or maybe it's a stupid idea.
Now don't steal it.
I suppose I should start small by writing short stories or a novella. I have no idea.
In the mean time, I'll just keep writing on my blog and hopefully you will continue to enjoy it.
For those of you who compliment me on my writing, don't stop (unless you're just sucking up to me so you get a shout-out on the World Wide Web). It's people like you that keep the hope alive that maybe some day I can do something with it.
Pizza the Hut
I've had pizza the past 6 out of 7 meals. I don't eat breakfast, so don't figure that in.
Here's how it went down...
Friday I wanted Digiornos after a long week of auditing. And some beer. Well, I ate half of it that night and thought I'd eat the rest for lunch on Saturday.
Saturday I went into work at 10AM. Well, there was a bunch of us there, so we bought pizza. There was way too much.
I ate the rest for dinner Saturday and then for lunch and dinner Sunday. It was so good. Fresh parmesan cheese. No lie.
Tonight, I still had my Digiornos left. And that's all she wrote.
And I had Chipotle for lunch cause I have a gift card to use up (which I ended up spacing on and forgetting to use!).
So no wonder my belt almost doesn't fit anymore.
Oh, and kudos to T.K. and Rachel (of Huntington Beach, Calif.) for winning the Amazing Race last night! Woo!
I'm Going to Miss This View
This was taken from my balcony on Saturday evening. My last Saturday in my apartment. Sad.
That there is Saddleback Mountain. I will be able to see the same mountain from my new place, just further away. You'll probably see it once I get moved next week.
Gettin' Busy
It's very sad that I have such a boring day-to-day existence that I blog about work 3/4 of the time. I suppose since I spend 40+ hours a week working on work, it makes sense though. The problem is, I can't say too much about work because my website is all public and everything.
Well anyways.
Busy season has officially begun. Although I was pretty stinkin' busy the last 2 months of 2007, it really picks up steam this month. Looking at our work schedule, it seems I'm pretty much out of the office mostly until sometime in March. It goes by so fast, though, it's not bad. I'm trying to mentally prepare for working nights and weekends. This weekend will be the first of many. I need to go in tomorrow for a half a day. And to be ahead of the game so I can be more useful to my colleagues, I even went in tonight and spent a couple hours finishing up my junk.
This is how workaholics get their beginnings.
I'm going to try and think of some old stories to blog about in the near future so I don't have to write about work just for the sake of blogging. Because, really, work is work. You work. I work. It's all the same but with different jargon and pay scales. Who wants to come home from work to read about someone else's job?
Enough of that.
I move out next weekend.
I need to keep packing.
The Day Has Come
I've finally had to loosen my belt up a notch. It's been about 5 years on this belt. Hasn't budged. What's happening? Is 25 the age one starts to lose that high metabolism?
I guess I won't start to worry until I run out of notches to use on the belt. But my buddy Don just tells me to use a hole-puncher to make it bigger. Desperate times...
I'm Moving...
...down the street.
It's true. What? Did you think I was moving back to Minnesota? Alas, it is a wonderful place, but it was 72 degrees here today and completely awesome outside. It smelled like spring. I came home for lunch and opened my windows to air the place out. I love that spring smell. Especially in the middle of January.
But yes, I'm moving in with some family friends. A dad, mom, three kids, three turtles and one dog. I'm going to be saving major money, so I'm not completely insane. I'm paying $2000 to get out of my lease 3 months early. Sure, it sounds like a lot, which it is, but I will be up by $2000 by June for getting out.
I'd stay where I am, but I'm a auditor. I like to mitigate risk. Such as, my car is old and broken in and right now I have no money to fix it and/or replace it. Moving will change that. I need to go to the dentist. I'm pretty sure I need a crown or two. Moving will allow me to fix them chompers. I need to buy the review course for the CPA exam. It's expensive. Moving will free up some cash to pay for that.
See what I'm gettin' at? It's a no brainer. Plus, I'll be gone so much working that it's not worth paying my huuge rent when I'm not even here.
I move out the end of this month. I plan on staying with the family for at least three months, probably more if both parties are satisfied.
Now it'll actually feel like I really make what I make. College budget gone; real job budget here. The high cost of living in California will essentially be eliminated.
Christmas Photos
Here are the best of the pictures from Christmas 2007:
Grandpa Watts and Me
My siblings, their husbands, and their kids.
Me, cousins Brad and Blake
Kyleigh and Grandpa with his new hat (she purchased at the $1 store!)
An experiment I learned from David Letterman. Diet Coke and Mentos.
I will never wear these again.
ItalSteam!!! I've only seen these in Vegas. Santa tracked down the kiosk at Planet Hollywood Casino and picked one up for me.
It's never to early to domesticate (the big one's still learning).
Dad, Me, and Mom.
Kyleigh and Makenzie.
Mom, Dad, Aunt Karen, Uncle Tom
Heidi, Me, and Krysti.
Stuff White People Like; Mable; Foo Fighters
I'm going to combine a few totally unrelated items into one blog. I can do that, right? Of course I can.
Let's start with this great new blog I found called Stuff White People Like. It's basically a social commentary on...well, the title says it all. Here's an excerpt from #71 Being the Only White Person Around:Many white people will look into the window of an ethnic restaurant to see if there are other white people in there. It is determined to be an acceptable restaurant if the white people in there are accompanied by ethnic friends. But if there is a table occupied entirely by white people, it is deemed unacceptable.
How true is that?
Moving on...
Mable is fast approaching 300,000 miles. Logically, her end is near, but realistically, she's running as good as she did years ago. I'm going in for a tuneup in a week and fully expect everything to check out fine. Thing is, I need to hedge the risk and prepare myself for the day she moves on to rustier pastures. I've briefly entertained the thought of buying the exact same car. I searched cars.com and the closest 1995 Grand Prixses (?) for sale is 548 miles away. That's pretty amazing considering the population in Southern California. Kind of sad, too. 131,000 miles for $2400. Not bad?
Sure, I want a newer better car as much as the next person. But I'm trying to make the most financially sound choice. No, I probably wouldn't drive 548 miles to pick up an old car with who knows how much life left in it. It would be pretty adventurous though.
Let's say that I get a newer car, though. The average car payment is what? $300? So if I spend $2400 on a used 1995 Grand Prix, it's only got to last me eight months to make it worth it. Anything longer than that is cake. That may be a pretty big risk, though. I have to assume those other Prixs haven't been taken as good of care of as mine.
The more likely plan is to put $5000 down on a $10,000 car. Likely a Toyota. Even likelier a Toyota Yaris. Yes, it's the cheapest car they make, yes I could probably afford better, but I really don't want to. I want to have that thing paid off in 6 months. Plus, it's a Toyota; it will last me a long time. I intend on it being the last economy car I buy.
Sorry folks. I don't want a car payment. I had two new cars before I was 21. I'm so over that.
Finally...
I got an email from the pastor of my church today talking about the weekend services and what not. He mentioned how one of our worship team drummers, Drew Hester won a Grammy a couple of weeks ago. So I'm thinking, that is pretty awesome. Then he goes onto say that Drew ALSO is the drummer for the FOO FIGHTERS who won a Grammy for Rock Album of the Year. So, apparently the drummer at the church I go to has been moonlighting with the Foo Fighters this whole time and won two Grammys and I had no idea. Okay, if you know me and you know the Foo Fighters, that is pretty stinkin' cool. I just watched them on Letterman the other night, so B.A.
I'm leaving for Birmingham, Alabama tomorrow where I'll be working until Friday. I hope to blog at least once while I'm there, but if not, I hope this ties/tides you over. You choose.
Thai One On Me
My buddy/co-worker Don and I were eating lunch today at Thai Basil, a Thai restaurant, duh, when there was just curry left in the bowl of chicken and curry. I said to him, "what will you give me if I drink the rest of that?" Cause you see, I'm classy like that.
He said... "You finish that, I'll pay for your lunch, and for FroYo sometime this week."
He didn't really say "FroYo," I'm saying that in hopes that it will catch on. FroYo = frozen yogurt.
I debated it for a few minutes. Took a couple sips of the curry. Not too spicy. But this will tear me up, right? Not tear like cry (well maybe that, too) but tear as in rip my stomach apart.
But I'm going to save $9 on lunch and $4 on FroYo! So I did it. I drank the rest of the curry. He was all excited in anticipation of my afternoon in the bathroom.
Lunch = free.
Then he challenges me to finish the rest of the rice and the pad thai. That would equal free FroYo or Jamba Juice every day the rest of the week. Well, I couldn't do it. I had to draw the line somewhere, right?
So I was anticipating an interesting afternoon, but my stomach totally stepped up to the plate and took that curry like a (Thai)man! I felt fine all afternoon. I felt bad that I didn't feel bad. I feel like Don didn't get his money's worth. Well, I sure did. Free lunch. You can't beat that.
I'm a winner.
Lazy Sunday
Well I don't want the title of this blog to lead you to think of the SNL Digital Short, because you will be disappointed. It really is a lazy Sunday.
I went into the office to prepare for this week. I went in for a tune-up on my car and got brushed off until next weekend. I did some laundry. I cleaned my bathroom. And...yeah not much else.
I plan on watching the tube the rest of the day. Now that I have a DVR like the rest of the country, I need to make sure it doesn't get too full. It's usually not a problem, but when I'm gone for a week at a time and only home on the weekend, stuff piles up. Priorities, people!
I better enjoy it while I can. I'm buying my CPA review course this week and it should be here by the weekend. That means less TV time for yours truly. Boo-hoo, waaah-waaah. Right?
It will be worth it in the end, of course. And I like the fact that I'm forced into no social life right now because I'm 100% focused on paying my credit card debt off. It's going well.
Also, what's this thing Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul are always doing on American Idol? When a contestant is waiting for the judges "yea" or "nay" it's always one of them, or both, who say "1000% yes!" then the next person has to top that, usually Paula, who says "one-million-trillion% yes!" Ohhhh that bugs me so much. I'm pretty sure you can't be more than 100% certain of something. No. 110%-150% is acceptable, because it's unavoidable in everyday conversation, but not 1000% or one million thousand percent. Bah.
Good Eats in San Francisco
I’m sitting in my hotel room in San Francisco writing this. The internet is $4.95 per day, so I’ll have to type this in Word for now, and just post it later.
I haven’t been here since September, and let me say, I’ve missed it and I didn’t even know it. Like New York City, but in a completely different way, there’s just something about it. Maybe it’s just the whole urban living type thing. The smell of urine, people begging for money, public transportation…you just can’t beat it.
But seriously, it’s just a blast to be staying in a nice hotel that I’m not paying for and to be able to step outside the front door and be within blocks of things to do. And now that I’ve been here before, we hop on the subway from the airport and don’t have to think twice about what we’re doing or where we’re going.
Tonight I went back to the best food court I’ve been to in my life. It’s just a higher class food court or something. No fast food joints, but Italian, Mexican, seafood, Japanese, Korean BBQ, Gourmet Thai, burgers, gelato, a cream puff place called the Beard Papa or something. Yes, Beard.…Amaaazing! I was walking down the street eating this thing out of the bag sort of, trying to make sure a bum didn’t see me porking in front of him/her, and the cream was dripping all over my hands and on my face. Good thing it was dark, although I’m not sure that mattered. It was so good, though.
So while we had some down time before dinner, I decided to hit up a couple of these spots beforehand so I made sure to get them in. Last time I was here I didn’t get any gelato, so yeah, I went. I had my dessert before my dinner and I loved it. Then I had a chocolate covered éclair with vanilla cream in the middle. Holy cow. Mmm.
I’m wondering if I’ll run into the homeless guy who rapped for me last time. We talked for 20-30 minutes and he told me he could rap about any topic, so I challenged him, and he did, and it wasn’t half bad. He had a pretty good story and everything, he was a newly homeless guy; his clothes were still clean and he didn’t smell or look scruffy or anything. Heck, he may have been hustling me, but anyways… I had some extra per diem left over for the week, so I gave him a little more than most people probably do. Point is…if he runs into me this week he’ll probably remember me as the sucker who bought into his crap and will try and hit me up again.
Either that or his story was true and the temp job worked out into a permanent job and he turned things around, thanks in part to my contribution. I’d like to think so.
In other news, when I was in the bathroom stall in between the gelato and the éclair, this guy comes into the stall next to me and is talking on his cell phone. He proceeds to give the person on the other line his cell phone number, so I’m sitting there (sorry if this is TMI), with my cell out already, playing pinball, and so I punch in his number. I hit dial. He says to the person he’s talking to, “hold on, I have another call…Hello? (Silence) HELLO??...Hey, sorry man, they hung up on me..” and I’m there trying not to laugh.
I didn’t really do that. I entered the number into my phone, but couldn’t go through with it. Maybe next time.
Neighborhood Band
It seems I live in the neighborhood of not one, but two garage bands. Well, the kid up the street I just hear playing his drums. The kid(s) down the street, though, have a guitar and bass in the mix. I'm kind of surprised the neighbors put up with it, but they do. I'm all for these kids pursuing their dreams, but you have to admit, most garage bands stink.
However, this afternoon, I was watching the teevee and I overheard the lick from Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," and it didn't suck. Maybe that's not saying much, and I was on the other end of the block, so distance may have distorted my perception.
That's all I have to say about that.
Is anyone watching Breaking Bad on AMC? It's about this chemistry teacher who learns he is dying of lung cancer so he decides to team up with a former student and cook crystal meth in an RV. It's pretty interesting/entertaining/funny. I didn't think I'd really like it at first. I mean, the lead is the dad from Malcolm in the Middle for Pete's sake. (Yeah, Pete.) If I would have known that I may not have even bothered watching it. Thank goodness he's nothing at all like that character. He's good.
I'm off to San Francisco for the week. I leave the house at 5:15AM tomorrow morning and should be back Friday night early evening. It should be kinda fun. I'm going to the same place and with the same team as back in September. I'm looking forward to ordering "The Chairman" at Specialties Deli and getting a blonde lager from 21st Amendment Bar & Grill. I'm not looking forward to missing out on the awesome weather SoCal is having right now. Sure, it's still warm(er) in San Fran than it is in MN, but it's still gonna be jacket weather in the morning. Boo.
I'm starting to wonder, too, who I'm writing this blog for. Some topics I'd like to blog about I just don't because I figure my constituents won't care about. And I don't want people skipping posts because they're uninteresting. If there are too many of them, I might lose readers. At the same time, I kind of want to talk about other things from time to time. Like the aforementioned Breaking Bad. Maybe the key is to marry it with other topics and not spend too much time on it. And, why do you care about how and what I decide to blog about? You don't.
Winter in California
I don't meant to complain or anything, but it's kind of hot out today. Yeah; 80. I looked at the temperature back home in MN, and it said 0. That's kind of a large difference. I'm trying to relate that difference to other things to put it in to perspective. That's eighty times warmer than zero. But 80 x 0 = 0, so I'm not sure how that works.
On days like today, I feel kind of bad for sitting inside all day. But then I think, too, that if I felt bad every time it was nice outside, I'd be outside 350 days of the year or be pretty depressed, so then I just open the window and don't feel so bad.
I did go to the bank and pick up my dry-cleaning though, so that was nice.
I also took a couple pictures of the view from my new abode:
This is from my bedroom.
This is from the backyard. The house sits on a little cliff type hill, so it's kinda cool. That's Saddleback Mountain in the distance. The same one you could see from my last place, just farther away.
Queer Eye for the Blog Guy
My shirt and tie inventory is low and in heavy rotation. I need to add a couple more combos as I start going to more clients in the next few months. My favorite men's store is the Knight's Chamber in my hometown of St. Cloud, Minnesota. Why? Because the last two combos picked out by Chris Bitzen, son of the owner, have been stellar. I've gotten so many compliments on them. I decided I might as well stick with what works.
The problem is, of course, I live in California. I had this idea that my mom could go to the store and take pictures of some killer combos that Chris picks out, then email me the pictures. I can then pick what I want and have them shipped to me. Another great thing about the Knight's Chamber is that they will lengthen my ties for free. This is a must, because I tie my ties in the double-windsor knot, and with my height...well, just trust me.
So my mom just sent me a few combinations and I want y'all's help picking out my next outfit. I intend on buying 1-2 shirts/ties this go round. They are $30 each, so I can't go crazy. Also, if we're not too crazy about these, I can have more options given to me. So here goes...
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So that's it. Vote 1-4 from your most favorite to your least. I don't expect many comments on my website, cause I don't get many to begin with, but you MySpace folks, I'm expecting a lot from you.
So, comment or e-mail me.
Free Hugs at Target!
Well, maybe just my Target.
Yesterday, I was walking out of Target and noticed the sign that said something to the effect that Target doesn't allow solicitors in front of their stores regardless of the cause. I like this. I'm sure most customers like this. I cannot stand to go to the grocery store when kids are selling cookies or old men in white suits are collecting change in a tin can. I do, however, give a free pass to the Salvation Army folks at Christmas, because they generally just ring their bell and don't actually solicit/elicit a response from me.
So right, the sign, no solicitors.
It just so happens that the very next day, I'm at Target again (hey, it's right by the office, I'm on my lunch break, I can't eat lunch at home anymore, I have time to kill) and what do I see? Solicitors.
Two of them.
One is holding a sign that says "FREE HUGS" while the other guy is holding a sign that says "HUGS: $10." As I approach I think to myself "there's no avoiding this" so I didn't even try. "You want a free hug or do you want to pay this guy $10?"
"I'll hug ya on the way out, man."
So on my way out... crap. He's still there. The $10 hugger left. Apparently, he cut his rate to $5 and still had no takers and just decided to give up and leave. I don't buy this story, because I was only in Target to drop off a prescription and this couldn't have gone down that fast. Regardless. I hugged the guy. Or he hugged me. I'm not really sure. All I know is that a random hugging occurred outside Target.
So to make this less weird, there was a film crew across the way filming what was going on. As in, this wasn't some pedophile who just wanted to hug little kids with unsuspecting mothers, or twentysomething accountants on their lunch breaks.
As I was sitting in my car in the parking lot, eating my sangwich, reading Nick Hornby's High Fidelityand waiting for my prescription to be filled, I decided that I'd had enough hugs from strangers for the day, and I'd go back tomorrow to pick it up.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say this was for some piece a local church was shooting related to an upcoming message to be shown during the service. I'd even go further and say it was for my church. They would do something like that. Cause, really, who else would do something like that?
Who doesn't like a hug, right? But in the end, I'm a little upset because Target allowed this shenanigan (that's exactly what it was) to go on a few yards away from signage that expressly prohibits it.
It's only a matter of time before little Suzie Q and Johnny Boy Scout are peddling their mint chocolate chip cookies outside my local Target. And then, pffft, I might as well just go back to shopping at Wal-Mart. At least I expect it there. Along with low prices.
I'm Officially a Dork.
Well, the verdict may or may not have been out on that in many of your opinions. But well, it's at least official with me. Why? Because, I am excited over my new keyboard.
It's true.
Now, I'm as much a Mac fanboy as the next guy. Heck, I went and bought the new operating system the day it came out. I watch Steve Jobs' keynote address at the MacWorld convention in San Francisco. But a new keyboard?
At least I haven't stooped to wearing the Apple t-shirt I got the day I bought the new OS. Not yet, anyways. I think I need to wait until I'm married to do that, or else there may be no hope for me.
I just never liked the one that came with my first Mac a couple of years ago. It was the standard Apple keyboard at the time, but it just always felt klunky to me and uncomfortable. It was white and pretty though. I had to keep it. It matched.
Anyways, now Apple has a new re-designed keyboard out. It feels and types just like my MacBook, which I love. I am typing so much faster now and with fewer errors. My fingers just glide across the board. And it has USB 2.0 ports on it. Nice!!
So over lunch on Friday I went over to the Apple Store at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif. to take one for a test drive. It was wonderful. I bought one.
And who are all these people hanging out at the mall on a Friday afternoon? It wasn't just moms and kids either, it was your normal mall crowd. What do these people do for a living? They couldn't possibly all be on their lunch breaks. The Apple Store was as busy as any weekend. I had to wade through a sea of wide-eyed adult-kids wondering why they've waited so long to make the switch to a Mac. Anyways, this is getting away from the point of the blog.
My new keyboard rocks. I love to type.
Go here to see pictures:
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No Worries, Boss!
I went to lunch with my coworker Audrey the other day. We went to Red Robin, but that's irrelevant.
It was around 2pm, so the lunch rush was over. We got a table and were waited on immediately. It was good stuff. Our food even came out in less then 15 minutes. All good.
Our waiter, different story. It started out cool and all. He seemed pretty into his chosen field of serving delicious gourmet burgers to folks like myself, which I think is great. Serving food is all about tips, right? So why not act like you're enjoying your job? He tried to upsell me a Blue Moon, "it's on tap, boss!" Which I normally would totally have gone for, but I guess it's not okay to drink alcohol when I have to go back to work. But who are these people who are getting drinks over lunch then? Unemployed folks? What are they doing eating out? And getting drinks, no less? Anyways...
This guy started to get on my nerves, not the first time he called me "boss," not even the second time. The third time on. This was his go to word to warm up to the male patrons. He didn't call Audrey anything. Just me. And if that wasn't enough to bug, he would always say "no worries" in place of "you're welcome."
"Can I get some more fries?"
"No worries, boss."
I didn't seem to recall ever being worried that he wouldn't bring me more fries. So, ok.
It actually takes me back to something my Grandpa Wendell told me about several years ago. He has this annoyance with folks who always say "no problem" instead of "you're welcome." Isn't that most people, though? He would say to them, even strangers, "I didn't say there was a problem." I need to confirm this, but I'm pretty sure he would actually say that to people. At first I didn't understand why that bothered him so much. In fact, I didn't really understand until Mr. No Worries, Boss waited on me at Red Robin.
No Worries.
No Problem.
Same difference, right?
Grandpa, now I understand. Thank you.
Okay, Now It's Official
I just settled on my lease. I'm out of the old place, and have freed up lots of $$$. Anyways, as promised, here's pictures of my new digs...It's not as big as it looks! BUT, it's big enough for me. I have everything I need. My HD-DVR should be working sometime this weekend (hopefully) and all will be good. And I'm even eating less than before. Way to go!
Okay, check out my boy-themed room. Cause I'm a boy.
Welcome to Your (My) New Home
I moved. I did it. Right down the street, say, about five miles. But it's done. (Almost) officially. I have everything moved, you see, I just haven't paid the moola to break my lease. I won't have the money until Thursday.
I went to the office on two different occasions to confirm that, yes, I can show up the day I want to break my lease, and yes just pay the money, no questions asked. That better be the case or I don't know what happens then.
My apartment is empty. I cleaned it out yesterday. I was hoping to have some help, but my help came down with something. I ended up getting help where necessary, but the rest I did on my own. Man, I must've taken 100 trips up and down that staircase to my front door.
So how do I go from a one bedroom apartment to a...one bedroom bedroom? It's not easy. I thought, well, I moved into my apartment from a bedroom in an apartment in college. I couldn't have acquired that much more, could I? Well, I must've. I somehow managed to fit it all, though. I may have to put some boxes in the garage to make it a little more comfortable, but it'll work. I even took a trunk load to Goodwill.
The furniture I acquired in November was from my new landlords. Well, neither of us knew we'd be roomies and I wouldn't need the furniture nor have room for it a few months later. A waste in hindsight. Since I didn't have room for the sofa-sleeper and the dresser, nor help to move it, I had to get rid of it. I originally wanted to take it to Goodwill, but that was a more than one person job. A little birdie told me I should just craigslist it and it'd be gone by the end of the day.
Sure enough, within 30 minutes of listing it, I had a call for each. Within an hour, I had 3 calls for each, 1 for both. Within 2 hours, they were both gone.
The first buyers (although I was giving them away for free) were a Russian or Slovakian couple or something. The lady was as manly as her husband and had construction worker hands and a deep voice with a think accent kind of like Nikolai on 'Six Feet Under.' It was great.
The second buyer was this fella named Gao. He wanted the dresser. He came over with his wife. He came in first and looked at it and said he better make sure his wife wants it before he decides to take it. So she comes up. I was a little worried they wouldn't want my generous gift when they realized not all the drawers worked. Thankfully, they didn't try them out first...until we got the unit in the car and were like "there's no room for the drawers!" But of course, Gao is all "lets pull out the dresser and put the drawers back in, then it will all fit!" And I am all "oh I hope he doesn't want a refund!" But before they finished he thanked me and I went back inside and locked the door. He never came back. Success!
I don't know if you've ever used craigslist before, but it was my first time. Next time I think I'll hire a secretary to make all the arrangements for me. Once things got rolling I bet I got 10-12 calls in the matter of 60 minutes. It was nuts.
I've only spent one night in my new digs, so it's too early to say how it's going to be. I have a lock on my door, and bathroom to myself, and we're getting me a HD-DVR box this week, so I think that's a good start. Plus, oh yeah, I'm saving $800+ a month on rent. You just can't beat that. For now.
Pictures to come.
I Should Be a Writer
At least that's what people tell me. But taking advice like that is how you end up on American Idol having Simon tell you you're the worst bloody singer he's ever heard. Here's how it would go down...
Simon: What is it that you do for a living Brett?
Me: It's Brent.
Simon: No, I asked what it is you do for a living.
Me: I'm an accountant.
Simon: Well if you're as good at accounting as you are at singing, a lot of people will be amending their tax return.
Me:
Simon: Off you go, Brett.
Granted, I'm not a tax accountant, but most people default to that when I tell them I'm an accountant. And I couldn't think of anything else.
The point is, I have to really take people's praise with some grain and a little salt. Sure, I enjoy writing, but people's comments are based on my free-thinking semi-regular observations and anecdotes. These days, blogs like mine are a dime a dozen. Back in the...'90s, I could have maybe used my musings to land me a column in a local rag but these days...pffft. This may be my only outlet.
I do have ambitions to write a novel some day. Thing is, I can only seem to write about what's real. I have a hard time coming up with anything that could actually develop into something. I'm sure if I spent a lot of time on it, I could learn the proper form and how to develop my ideas, but that's going to have to wait. I need to make money for awhile.
I would absolutely love to write a novel that is a smash and allows me to just quit doing the 9-5 and maybe buy a bungalow near the beach while I try to come up with my follow-up novel. Hey, it's been done.
I had this idea for a story once. It actually came to me in a dream. And I remember dreaming that it would be a good story to write about. When I woke up, all I remembered was that I thought it would be a good story for a novel. I can't do much with that.
Another idea I had the other day was this: I wonder if anyone has ever called the wrong phone number, and through a series of events, ended up dating and marrying that person. How would you get from point A to point B? I have no idea. That's the story, but I'm sure it's had to have happened out there somewhere. Or maybe it's a stupid idea.
Now don't steal it.
I suppose I should start small by writing short stories or a novella. I have no idea.
In the mean time, I'll just keep writing on my blog and hopefully you will continue to enjoy it.
For those of you who compliment me on my writing, don't stop (unless you're just sucking up to me so you get a shout-out on the World Wide Web). It's people like you that keep the hope alive that maybe some day I can do something with it.
Pizza the Hut
I've had pizza the past 6 out of 7 meals. I don't eat breakfast, so don't figure that in.
Here's how it went down...
Friday I wanted Digiornos after a long week of auditing. And some beer. Well, I ate half of it that night and thought I'd eat the rest for lunch on Saturday.
Saturday I went into work at 10AM. Well, there was a bunch of us there, so we bought pizza. There was way too much.
I ate the rest for dinner Saturday and then for lunch and dinner Sunday. It was so good. Fresh parmesan cheese. No lie.
Tonight, I still had my Digiornos left. And that's all she wrote.
And I had Chipotle for lunch cause I have a gift card to use up (which I ended up spacing on and forgetting to use!).
So no wonder my belt almost doesn't fit anymore.
Oh, and kudos to T.K. and Rachel (of Huntington Beach, Calif.) for winning the Amazing Race last night! Woo!
I'm Going to Miss This View
This was taken from my balcony on Saturday evening. My last Saturday in my apartment. Sad.
That there is Saddleback Mountain. I will be able to see the same mountain from my new place, just further away. You'll probably see it once I get moved next week.
Gettin' Busy
It's very sad that I have such a boring day-to-day existence that I blog about work 3/4 of the time. I suppose since I spend 40+ hours a week working on work, it makes sense though. The problem is, I can't say too much about work because my website is all public and everything.
Well anyways.
Busy season has officially begun. Although I was pretty stinkin' busy the last 2 months of 2007, it really picks up steam this month. Looking at our work schedule, it seems I'm pretty much out of the office mostly until sometime in March. It goes by so fast, though, it's not bad. I'm trying to mentally prepare for working nights and weekends. This weekend will be the first of many. I need to go in tomorrow for a half a day. And to be ahead of the game so I can be more useful to my colleagues, I even went in tonight and spent a couple hours finishing up my junk.
This is how workaholics get their beginnings.
I'm going to try and think of some old stories to blog about in the near future so I don't have to write about work just for the sake of blogging. Because, really, work is work. You work. I work. It's all the same but with different jargon and pay scales. Who wants to come home from work to read about someone else's job?
Enough of that.
I move out next weekend.
I need to keep packing.
The Day Has Come
I've finally had to loosen my belt up a notch. It's been about 5 years on this belt. Hasn't budged. What's happening? Is 25 the age one starts to lose that high metabolism?
I guess I won't start to worry until I run out of notches to use on the belt. But my buddy Don just tells me to use a hole-puncher to make it bigger. Desperate times...
I'm Moving...
...down the street.
It's true. What? Did you think I was moving back to Minnesota? Alas, it is a wonderful place, but it was 72 degrees here today and completely awesome outside. It smelled like spring. I came home for lunch and opened my windows to air the place out. I love that spring smell. Especially in the middle of January.
But yes, I'm moving in with some family friends. A dad, mom, three kids, three turtles and one dog. I'm going to be saving major money, so I'm not completely insane. I'm paying $2000 to get out of my lease 3 months early. Sure, it sounds like a lot, which it is, but I will be up by $2000 by June for getting out.
I'd stay where I am, but I'm a auditor. I like to mitigate risk. Such as, my car is old and broken in and right now I have no money to fix it and/or replace it. Moving will change that. I need to go to the dentist. I'm pretty sure I need a crown or two. Moving will allow me to fix them chompers. I need to buy the review course for the CPA exam. It's expensive. Moving will free up some cash to pay for that.
See what I'm gettin' at? It's a no brainer. Plus, I'll be gone so much working that it's not worth paying my huuge rent when I'm not even here.
I move out the end of this month. I plan on staying with the family for at least three months, probably more if both parties are satisfied.
Now it'll actually feel like I really make what I make. College budget gone; real job budget here. The high cost of living in California will essentially be eliminated.
Christmas Photos
Here are the best of the pictures from Christmas 2007:
Grandpa Watts and Me
My siblings, their husbands, and their kids.
Me, cousins Brad and Blake
Kyleigh and Grandpa with his new hat (she purchased at the $1 store!)
An experiment I learned from David Letterman. Diet Coke and Mentos.
I will never wear these again.
ItalSteam!!! I've only seen these in Vegas. Santa tracked down the kiosk at Planet Hollywood Casino and picked one up for me.
It's never to early to domesticate (the big one's still learning).
Dad, Me, and Mom.
Kyleigh and Makenzie.
Mom, Dad, Aunt Karen, Uncle Tom
Heidi, Me, and Krysti.
