Would you rather
(a) Have a fantastic memory to the point that you retained almost everything
or
(b) Have your current, fairly limited memory?
Owl
7 hours ago
July 31, 2009
July 29, 2009
Summer School
I just posted my last post on the "Live and Learn" blog as an MPA student at the University of Texas at Austin (I'll be officially graduated in just over two weeks). For your convenience, I've copied and pasted it here:
Last year at this time I was halfway through my first term as an MPA student at The University of Texas. It’s a little unreal to see some of the incoming MPA class in that same situation now. Next month they’ll have their first career fair. It all happens so fast and is, in my opinion, quite a fun ride. For any of them reading, good luck!
Last year at this time I was halfway through my first term as an MPA student at The University of Texas. It’s a little unreal to see some of the incoming MPA class in that same situation now. Next month they’ll have their first career fair. It all happens so fast and is, in my opinion, quite a fun ride. For any of them reading, good luck!
It’s even more unreal to me that in less than three weeks I’ll be done with my master’s degree in accounting, I’ll have taken (and hopefully passed) all four sections of the CPA exam (finished the last Becker video lecture just this morning!), and I’ll have just arrived with Janssen in Boston to move into the great little apartment she found for us. And when I say “little,” I mean it. We have to get rid of several pieces of furniture just to fit in there.
Taking classes during the summer is great, by the way. It’s hot and beautiful outside, and really cool inside (I’ve resorted to packing a sweater in my bag–no kidding). And somehow, despite the fast pace of the classes, summer feels more laid back than other semesters. That might also have something to do with my only taking 9 credits Summer compared with 13 and 15 during Fall and Spring. Not to mention the demands of recruiting season during Fall semester.
In other news, I’ve been asked to continue blogging after graduation to give students an idea of what the first year as an auditor is like for me. It’ll be fun to stay in touch with UT that way and to blog of my experiences in Boston. As always, feel free to leave comments with questions, thoughts, etc. I’ll update every month or two. Until next time!
July 24, 2009
"Just Keep Swimming"
Last month I wrote about how I woke up from my ever-increasing inactivity and subsequently lost 20 pounds (which was about 10 more than I knew I had extra) from March to mid-June. I also outlined how exercise and diet fit into my new lifestyle, and explained that I was especially convinced that losing weight was primarily a matter of eating fewer calories than you burn.
During the last four weeks I have struggled to keep that equation balanced. I haven't been sure how much more weight I want to lose, and yet I haven't wanted to gain any back. Not surprisingly, eating more calories has taken little extra effort. In fact, the more I eat, the more my body seems to want to eat. Does anybody else find that to be the case? It's crazy.
It's especially that way with desserts and junk food. The more I eat of it, the more my body seems to crave it. And the less I feel full.
When I plan out my meals and eat fruits, yogurt, cheese, whole wheat bread and other such things, I usually feel much more satisfied and healthy, and I don't have a constant urge to snack. It's a much better, less distracting, way of living.
The other thing I experimented with this week was increasing my work outs to daily rather than just three times per week. As I suspected, I easily made up for the extra calories burned by eating more those days. For me, it doesn't work to rely on exercise alone to lose weight (yes, I've decided I can afford to lose a few more pounds, so I'm going back into calorie deficit mode).
Notably, it takes much less effort to eat a healthy diet and lose weight when, by taking the time to plan and prepare, I know exactly what I can and should eat at each meal. This last month was more difficult only because I didn't take those steps (planning and preparing), and so I had to make decisions each time I ate.
During the last four weeks I have struggled to keep that equation balanced. I haven't been sure how much more weight I want to lose, and yet I haven't wanted to gain any back. Not surprisingly, eating more calories has taken little extra effort. In fact, the more I eat, the more my body seems to want to eat. Does anybody else find that to be the case? It's crazy.
It's especially that way with desserts and junk food. The more I eat of it, the more my body seems to crave it. And the less I feel full.
When I plan out my meals and eat fruits, yogurt, cheese, whole wheat bread and other such things, I usually feel much more satisfied and healthy, and I don't have a constant urge to snack. It's a much better, less distracting, way of living.
The other thing I experimented with this week was increasing my work outs to daily rather than just three times per week. As I suspected, I easily made up for the extra calories burned by eating more those days. For me, it doesn't work to rely on exercise alone to lose weight (yes, I've decided I can afford to lose a few more pounds, so I'm going back into calorie deficit mode).
Notably, it takes much less effort to eat a healthy diet and lose weight when, by taking the time to plan and prepare, I know exactly what I can and should eat at each meal. This last month was more difficult only because I didn't take those steps (planning and preparing), and so I had to make decisions each time I ate.
July 10, 2009
Weekend Would You Rather - Work Travel
Would you rather:
Travel all over the world for work (you'd have some time to see the sights here and there, but your primary purpose would be to accomplish work)
or
work every day in the same office within miles of your home?
Bonus question: What would change your mind?
Travel all over the world for work (you'd have some time to see the sights here and there, but your primary purpose would be to accomplish work)
or
work every day in the same office within miles of your home?
Bonus question: What would change your mind?
July 2, 2009
The "Starter" Home
We sold our house on Tuesday. Closed. Done. Strange. And a bit of a relief. Here are some of the things I've learned from our "starter" home experience. I'm no expert, but I wanted to get my thoughts down in writing for at least our future selves when we decide to buy again:
1 - Buy low, sell high. Not the other way around. This involves both timing the market AND finding a great deal. We bought at the peak, but it was a pretty good deal, so it didn't end up setting us back too much. We also bought small, which limited our upside potential, but also served to minimize the downside risk. Which brings me to the next item:
2 - Buying a home is a big, risky investment (don't listen to anyone who tells you otherwise), especially if you ever plan to move. We closed on Tuesday, and though we lost a few thousand in equity because of all of the costs of selling and closing (the selling price was actually slightly higher than what we paid for it, but commissions and fees were a considerable chunk of change), we're grateful not to have to bring a bunch of money to the table to sell our house.
3 - Contribute a 20% (or more) down payment. It avoids the requirement of paying mortgage insurance, helps you get a better rate, and makes it less likely you'll ever get caught upside down in your mortgage (though there's no guarantee - there are plenty of people who have lost a lot more than 20% of their home value in the last 2 to 3 years, which again is evidence that buying a home is a risky investment).
1 - Buy low, sell high. Not the other way around. This involves both timing the market AND finding a great deal. We bought at the peak, but it was a pretty good deal, so it didn't end up setting us back too much. We also bought small, which limited our upside potential, but also served to minimize the downside risk. Which brings me to the next item:
2 - Buying a home is a big, risky investment (don't listen to anyone who tells you otherwise), especially if you ever plan to move. We closed on Tuesday, and though we lost a few thousand in equity because of all of the costs of selling and closing (the selling price was actually slightly higher than what we paid for it, but commissions and fees were a considerable chunk of change), we're grateful not to have to bring a bunch of money to the table to sell our house.
3 - Contribute a 20% (or more) down payment. It avoids the requirement of paying mortgage insurance, helps you get a better rate, and makes it less likely you'll ever get caught upside down in your mortgage (though there's no guarantee - there are plenty of people who have lost a lot more than 20% of their home value in the last 2 to 3 years, which again is evidence that buying a home is a risky investment).
4 - Find an excellent real estate agent. Don't settle for less than the best, whether you're buying or selling. It makes a huge difference to have someone who really knows how to price a house, find good deals, make sure everything runs smoothly, document everything properly, be your advocate but also a voice of reason, etc. We've really been impressed with our real estate agents (they're a married couple that work together) and feel very grateful to have found them through our friends' referral.
5 - Have more than one exit strategy. It was very comforting and useful to know that we didn't HAVE to sell our house if we couldn't negotiate a win-win deal with the buyer (we were ready to keep it and rent it out as an investment property). If we didn't have that option, we may not have been able to hold our ground during negotiations. It's never fun to have your back up against a wall during the negotiation process, especially when it's something as significant as a house. Which also implies that you should:
6 - Buy within your means. A home should be a blessing, not a leash/tether/chain that binds. Buying something you can reasonably afford without maxing out your budget is wise. If you don't have a good amount of leeway in your budget for saving money each month, you're stretching your paycheck too thin. There are other houses out there for less money. Leverage is only a good thing up to a point, even for businesses.
7 - Expect all kinds of unexpected costs. Like the deductible on a new roof after a serious hail storm. Or a new air conditioning unit when the old one dies. Or even just the money it takes to furnish and decorate your home to your satisfaction. The list of ways you could spend money to fix up, take care of, and decorate a home is lengthy, to say the least.
Those are the big ones. Did I miss any?
In our case, these suggestions will have to wait several years before we're ready to apply them. For now, we need to re-learn all about renting! Any pointers? Janssen's in Boston right now to find a nice little apartment to call our new home.
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