This morning things were going really well for me. I got to sleep in a little bit, my co-worker called and reminded me of a conference call at 8am that I totally would have missed because I thought it was at 10, and my apartment was much warmer than yesterday morning. THEN... I took the trash to the dumpster which is right next to my car port, where I found shattered glass everywhere. For some delusional reason I just thought, "Hmm, bummer. Wonder where that came from?" And then I looked up and saw my poor little Civic with no window and no stereo. I truly gasped in horror (and muttered a couple explitives - ooops, sorry.) Yes, my window was broken, my glove box and center console ransacked, and my stereo ripped from the dash. Yes, it was an after-market, and no, I had not removed the face plate because it's so darn finicky that it took 5 tries to get it back on once removed. I guess I'm partly to blame for it being stolen. Better to waste some time putting it back on than taking a day off work, paying my $100 deductible, and filing a claim with my insurance company. I sure hope my insurance premium doesn't go up...
My neighbor's BMW was also broken into, but he had moved it before I went to the carport. I just saw all the glass on the ground on his side of the parking area. I HATE, yes hate, people who steal!!! It's unbelievable. Anger and bitterness wells up in me when I think of the guy standing at my car, jamming his screw driver into my window, bending the metal frame of my door, breaking the plastic molding, scratching the paint and the plastic interior, covering the interior of my car in thousands of tiny shards of glass, and bending the plastic mount just to rip out my measley $160 stereo. Come to think of it, he did manage to find the remote control for it and take that too... I wish WISH that I could stumble upon this bastard out in some flea market selling my stereo and give him a piece of my mind.
On the other hand, I am thankful that he didn't take my CDs or my sunglasses, that he didn't cause more damage than he did, that my insurance is going to cover the loss, and that I was able to find a shop to replace my window TODAY. The insurance was trying to tell me they could set me up with an appointment tomorrow or next week. ?!?! I'm sorry, is my car not sitting, vulnerable out in the open with a broken window for the elements to damage and other thieves to take?
Merry Christmas.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Monday, December 18, 2006
my life...
If anyone out there reads this and/or cares... I've been engulfed in the world of Financial Accounting and Reporting. Yes, I'm finally back to studying for the CPA exam. I MUST pass all 4 exams in 2007. Not only for the whopping $2000 bonus, (which, after taxes, I'll probably only get half of and that won't even cover the costs of my CPA prep/review class) but because I REALLY, REALLY want to get this behind me so I can go on living and enjoying my life without the stress of "I still have to pass that exam..." And hopefully the CPA exam will be the last test I ever have to take.
So in addition to the stress of studying, I've cut sugar, bread, acidic foods and caffeine out of my life in a self-prescribed attempt to get rid of this obnoxious sinus problem I've been suffering from for MONTHS! I had to diagnose myself since my Ear/Nose/Throat Dr. won't return my calls about what my CT scan revealed. Oh man has it been hard not eating sugar, bread, and coffee. If you know me, you know that I have a sweet tooth and LOVE bread AND I think of myself as a coffee connoisseur of sorts (I have my own espresso machine, which is so sad and unused right now). The good news is that I was able to stay on the diet for ONE entire week! and I feel like it has helped a bit, AND I lost 5 pounds. IN ONE WEEK! wow. And then I was at a client's office and he physically placed a cookie in my hand! (who does that?!) so I felt obliged to eat it. =)
While I do feel that the "cleanse" diet has helped a bit, I still feel yucky in the sinus area. If you wouldn't mind adding me to your prayers, I would GREATLY appreciate it!
Peace and love.
J
So in addition to the stress of studying, I've cut sugar, bread, acidic foods and caffeine out of my life in a self-prescribed attempt to get rid of this obnoxious sinus problem I've been suffering from for MONTHS! I had to diagnose myself since my Ear/Nose/Throat Dr. won't return my calls about what my CT scan revealed. Oh man has it been hard not eating sugar, bread, and coffee. If you know me, you know that I have a sweet tooth and LOVE bread AND I think of myself as a coffee connoisseur of sorts (I have my own espresso machine, which is so sad and unused right now). The good news is that I was able to stay on the diet for ONE entire week! and I feel like it has helped a bit, AND I lost 5 pounds. IN ONE WEEK! wow. And then I was at a client's office and he physically placed a cookie in my hand! (who does that?!) so I felt obliged to eat it. =)
While I do feel that the "cleanse" diet has helped a bit, I still feel yucky in the sinus area. If you wouldn't mind adding me to your prayers, I would GREATLY appreciate it!
Peace and love.
J
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
NOW NOW NOW
You don't want to deal with your marital issues anymore? There's a quick fix for that. You want pleasure NOW? We've got something for that too. You want to get in touch with your mom, your boss, your best friend NOW? Yeah, we've got stuff for that too. Gotta know what's on sale at the Gap at 1am? No problem. Don't want to drive to the mall to buy that new John Mayer album?
We're a culture of instant gratification. It's not pretty, but it's true. Just take a look at all the things that give us what we want when we want it... divorce, cell phones, instant message, masturbation, text messages, internet porn, 24 hour news channels, 24 hour gyms, 24 hour pharmacies and grocery stores, online shopping, iTunes, webcams...
Some of these solutions to our culture's need for instant gratification are great because of the convenience. If you wake up in the middle of the night with a sore throat, you can run to the pharmacy for some lozenges. If you realize you just ran out of formula for the baby, Ralph's is just down the street. And of course I love the fact that I can download the new John Mayer album as soon as the clock hits "New Music Tuesday." If there is a family emergency, everyone can be reached via cell phone in just a few moments. Families can speak with and actually SEE loved ones and soldiers overseas whenever they want to. But ultimately, I think this desire for immediacy, this false sense of urgency is just making us busier, more unhappy, more stressed, more lazy. Yeah, I know I just said busier and more lazy in the same sentence, but they're not mutually exclusive. We don't have to work as hard or give as much effort to get things done and achieve our goals. Things are so much easier for us, and we take it for granted.
I sometimes dream of settling on a farm somewhere and raising a family far from the busy-ness of this technologically addicted place we've come to call home. Maybe someday... Until then I'll try to pare things down in my life, try to be a bit more simple, more carefree and less demanding. I've started this process already. It's amazing how much stress you can cut out of your life by realizing what the "little things" are that we don't really need to worry about or concern ourselves with. Try to keep in mind that everything happens for a reason; what will be will be. We can't control the future and we can't change the past. If someone dings your car, oh well, what can you really do about it now?
Peace and love.
J
We're a culture of instant gratification. It's not pretty, but it's true. Just take a look at all the things that give us what we want when we want it... divorce, cell phones, instant message, masturbation, text messages, internet porn, 24 hour news channels, 24 hour gyms, 24 hour pharmacies and grocery stores, online shopping, iTunes, webcams...
Some of these solutions to our culture's need for instant gratification are great because of the convenience. If you wake up in the middle of the night with a sore throat, you can run to the pharmacy for some lozenges. If you realize you just ran out of formula for the baby, Ralph's is just down the street. And of course I love the fact that I can download the new John Mayer album as soon as the clock hits "New Music Tuesday." If there is a family emergency, everyone can be reached via cell phone in just a few moments. Families can speak with and actually SEE loved ones and soldiers overseas whenever they want to. But ultimately, I think this desire for immediacy, this false sense of urgency is just making us busier, more unhappy, more stressed, more lazy. Yeah, I know I just said busier and more lazy in the same sentence, but they're not mutually exclusive. We don't have to work as hard or give as much effort to get things done and achieve our goals. Things are so much easier for us, and we take it for granted.
I sometimes dream of settling on a farm somewhere and raising a family far from the busy-ness of this technologically addicted place we've come to call home. Maybe someday... Until then I'll try to pare things down in my life, try to be a bit more simple, more carefree and less demanding. I've started this process already. It's amazing how much stress you can cut out of your life by realizing what the "little things" are that we don't really need to worry about or concern ourselves with. Try to keep in mind that everything happens for a reason; what will be will be. We can't control the future and we can't change the past. If someone dings your car, oh well, what can you really do about it now?
Peace and love.
J
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Flaming Kitty
This is Sammy.
Sammy lives in San Luis Obispo with his "parents" Jeremy & Keshet. We think Sammy is gay. He likes to prance and strut around the house in scarves and feather boas.
Sammy lives in San Luis Obispo with his "parents" Jeremy & Keshet. We think Sammy is gay. He likes to prance and strut around the house in scarves and feather boas.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Gettin this party started
Welcome to my blog. Not much to it yet, but I'm just getting started. I don't know what I'll write here since I like to keep my innermost thoughts private and some things no one would care to read about. There isn't much in my life that is thrilling enough to write about in a blog and interest the general public. I'm sure no one wants to hear about being an auditor. For now I'll share with you a few of my favorite websites that you can check out...
****www.pbase.com - Where thousands of photographers from all over the world post their photos. Anyone can browse through them. Most people leave their albums public, but some are private. There are "Picture A Day" galleries and contests, links to "Favorite" photos and photographers.
****www.greyswriters.com - Where the writers of Grey's Anatomy blog about the episodes right after they're aired (Thursdays at 9pm on ABC). I know it's essentially a soap-opera, but I'm hooked on this show!
****www.johnmayer.com/blog - Where John Mayer reveals his humor and amazing personality. Not only is he a phenomenal artist, he's also quite a comedian.
****http://elevation-youth.blogspot.com - The high school youth group of Westside Christian Fellowship and Pacifica Christian High where I'm on the leader team
I'm currently in the process of studying for and taking the CPA exams, so I really shouldn't be blogging at all! I should spend every spare moment studying for these darned exams. Maybe I can blog at work when I have a few minutes of down time. (Shhh... don't tell my boss.)
Keep it real.
Julie
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