Dagny's Law

Updates

2011-12-15T04:23:00.000-08:00

Life is going well. Kyra is getting bigger and bigger everyday. And it is so much fun to see how much more aware she is becoming of her surroundings. Her smiles really make me melt.

Work is also going well. Even though I am starting to get very busy at work, things are still manageable. I think it has something to do with having a few years of experience under my belt. I no longer have to research my subject matter extensively for every project. It feels good to be able to answer questions off the top of my head. My only stressful project is preparing materials for a speech I am giving to a particular industry next month. I need to find some spin on a subject that tons of attorneys and consultants have already spoken about. Plus, I am supposed to take a management course that my firm signed me up to start next month. Hmm...I am sure I will figure something out!

And today is my firm's holiday party. Strangely enough, the party is at a brewery that also has a location in Portland. So, I am already familiar with the menu. Should be fun to leave the office a little early and kick back with some co-workers for a few hours.

That is all I have for now!

Exhausted

2011-11-28T06:52:00.000-08:00

Kyra is a morning person. She smiles and happily eats her formula in the mornings. However, she can be very-very cranky at night. For instance, last night she decided that she wanted to cry non-stop for about two hours. My husband and I, in our sleep deprived state, decided to drive her around until she fell asleep. I knew we had to take some sort of action, as I was actually getting jealous/mad at my husband because he had napped for two hours earlier in the day, haha. It took an hour and a half of driving to finally get her to pass out. In a sick way, I actually had fun singing Christmas songs while driving around in the middle of the night with my fussy little girl. :)

Back to cranking on another client project.

Cranking Away

2011-11-18T06:35:00.000-08:00

New Routine...Get up 3 to 4 times a night for diaper, feeding, and hanging out with little Kyra. Get up early while Kyra is asleep and answer client emails. Hold Kyra on my lap while cranking on client reports. If only I could bill for both us working on client projects.

Fall

2011-11-11T06:41:00.000-08:00

Fall is my favorite season. I love wearing sweaters and my cute pea coat. I love watching football with my family. I love the first snowfall and watching my dog play in it. I love eating Thanksgiving food. I love shopping for Christmas gifts...And now I will love spending these months with my little girl.

More Updates

2011-11-09T06:11:00.000-08:00

Well it has been a week since my little girl was born. Weird enough, we still have not made it to her original due date of November 12. I am so glad she did not go to her due date or after. 8 pounds is big enough for me, haha.

Anyway, being a parent has been awesome so far! Having my mom and my husband home to help has made my life a million times easier than if I had to do this all myself. And yes, I will admit I have been doing a little client work here and there, when I have a bit of time to myself. Its the beginning of my busy season and so I have had to sneak in a few phone calls and emails every once in awhile.

Alright, a few updated Kyra pics for all you...I think she is going to be a pole vaulter, just like her mom.

Meet Kyra!

2011-11-03T10:11:00.001-07:00

8 pounds, 1 oz...Born yesterday!

B.K.

2011-10-26T04:43:00.000-07:00

So I went to my weekly doctors appointment yesterday and was told that I need to start going on daily walks to speed the process up...Why you might ask? Because I already have a big baby. She is over 8.5 pounds (90th percentile) and if I go to term she will be over 10 pounds...OMG.. I never would have thought I would have such a big baby..My husband and I have started calling her B.K., for Big Kyra. Do not worry, we do not plan on calling her that after she is born. We do not want to give her a complex. :)

In the office today

2011-10-20T04:44:00.000-07:00

I am in the office today because I need to learn how to setup client projectcodes under the new peoplesoft system. What a gigantic waste of my time. It literally takes weeks for us to set up these stupid codes so that we can bill our clients. Seems like my company should hire a few people to set up these codes as their daily jobs. Ugh, just mad that I have to waste hours upon hours (on top of my client work) just trying to bill for work I completed weeks ago.....

Another Day Another Doctor Appointment

2011-10-19T03:31:00.001-07:00

I am at that time where I have to go to the doctor every single week. The office I go to rotates between four doctors. Two are super nice and two are not so nice. My track record is that I typically get the not so nice doctors. I just hope that when I actually go to the hospital to deliver I get one of the nice doctors..Wish me luck, haha.

Working From Home

2011-10-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

I am currently working from home in anticipation of my due date. Theoretically our little girl could arrive at anytime. And given that there is an insane amount of traffic and construction between the hospital and my workplace, I think it is wise for me to work from home. Anyway, it is strange to work in the silence of my house all day. No co-workers popping into my office to ask random questions and harass me about the Brewers not making it to the world series. Sure, I am getting more work done..But I think I miss the social aspects of the workplace already haha.

Internal Alarm Clock

2011-10-10T05:35:00.000-07:00

I stayed up entirely too late last night watching the Packer game. I am so happy that they came back to win the game! In fact, it was a great day for Wisconsin sports fans, as both the Packers and the Brewers won!I like seeing small markets win major games!Anyway, the late night of sports watching took a toll on me. I would've slept in this morning because I forgot to set my alarm clock, but the baby starting kicking me right when I needed to get up. I guess you could say I used an internal alarm clock this morning ha-ha. :)

Paralysis Due to the Unknown

2011-10-03T05:19:00.000-07:00

No, I am not talking about having a little girl in a few weeks..Though this title likely applies to that situation as well...

Sometimes I get overwhelmed by a project if it is something that I have never done before. As I blogged about last week, I had over a week to draft a specific plan document, but kept procrastinating due to my inexperience with this particular task. The funny part is that I should know better than to procrastinate and freak out about a first time task. Once I outline the design of a plan or a document, the pieces almost always fall into place and I am able to draft something. I guess its a lesson I learn every few months. Basically do not let fear of the unknown paralyze you. I need to remember to be confident in my abilities and to simply outline and thoroughly analyze a project, and that everything will likely work out for the best. :)

Procrastination

2011-09-29T05:13:00.000-07:00

I have had over one week to draft a plan document for a client. Its not a typical long-term incentive plan, but a pre-IPO plan document. The requested terms are complicated and I have never drafted such a document before. Hence, the procrastination. Now the deadline is here and I am forced to get it completed today...Wish me luck!

Incredible Speeds

2011-09-26T05:03:00.001-07:00

It has been difficult trying to move at incredible speeds without my typical daily dose of coffee. However, my impending deadlines make moving at incredible speeds a necessity today. I really should have tackled a few of these projects over the weekend. However, I ended up cleaning up the house, organizing the baby room, and watching way too much football over the weekend(go Packers go)!

Sobe Addict

2011-09-22T11:43:00.000-07:00

I have a fairly expensive addiction right now. I am very addicted to Sobe Lifewaters. Specifically, I drink 3-4 Yumberry Pomegranates a day. Not sure I will be able to give this habit up, even post-pregnancy!

Work Flow

2011-09-22T04:50:00.000-07:00

I am very slammed with work at the moment. I had project requests come in for ten different clients yesterday. Of course the deadlines for all of these projects are all a week or less! I have to find a way to balance getting all of my work done over the next few days and also finish getting my little girl's room all ready. Pretty sure things will only get more hectic from here!

Updates

2011-09-19T05:11:00.001-07:00

So, I have pretty much done a horrible job of posting on this blog over this past year. I guess it is related to some of the recent distractions in my life. These distractions are not bad, they are just life changing for me. I bought my first house in February, and then shortly after found out I was pregnant. That is right. I am due to have a baby girl at the beginning of November. Somehow I managed to make it through some intense morning sickness during my busy season. And now, the beginning of my new life as a parent starts very soon. Scary, but cool!

Shopping Story

2011-03-09T04:11:00.001-08:00

The other day my husband and I stopped by a local Borders bookstore that was going out of business. The funny aspect to our shopping experience is how excited we were to buy science and calculus books on sale. Even funnier is how was extremely disappointed we were that someone else had beaten us to the Feynman lectures that had sat on those bookstore shelves for the past two years! Old habits die hard. When we were younger (and pretty much broke)we used to daydream about being able to purchase those books. So, in a way, buying those books were the fulfillment of a nerdy dream we have had for a few years, ha-ha.

Alright, back to cranking out employment agreements. :)

Breakfast of Champions!

2011-02-23T04:13:00.001-08:00

Lindt 70% Cocoa Dark Chocolate and a cup of Godiva hazelnut coffee for breakfast!

Seems like all I ever write about (when I actually write) is work. Seems like I am always in my busy season. Unfortunately, it seems as if all I ever actually do is work, and that the busy season is now a permanent, year-round fixture! So my husband has staged an intervention. I am apparently taking Friday off, and we are going out of town somewhere. I do not know the details, but I am excited!

Quiet Office

2010-12-28T04:43:00.000-08:00

I have been working half days for the past few weeks, as client work and internal projects have gone to the wayside during the Holidays. The best part of half days is coming home when it is still light outside! Most of the time I go to work in the dark and return when it is equally as dark. But this quiet time will soon fade as proxy season begins. Proxy season, which runs from January to May, is my busiest time of the year. So, I think I will enjoy the half days for the rest of the week and then prepare for the craziness that is right around the corner!

Happy holidays everyone!

Working on Sunday

2010-11-14T09:47:00.001-08:00

I am currently sitting at my desk, cranking out projects so that I can take Friday off. Normally I would be angry right now, as I would likely be missing the Packer game. But because the Packers have a bye week, I really cannot be that mad. :) All I can say is that I am very lucky that my husband is so supportive of my nutty work schedule. Here is to hoping that this schedule is not permanent.

Note to Self

2010-11-04T05:23:00.000-07:00

If you want to get paid as much as two people typically make combined, then it is expected that you work as many hours as two people typically do...Oops.

Updates

2010-11-02T04:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I have not blogged for months. I have been a billing machine for the last few months. Specifically, I have been busy trying to exceed my monthly billable goals so that I can get a big bonus to pay down a chunk of my student loans. Luckily all of the hard work paid off, as I finished the fiscal year well over 100% of target!

The client projects I work on continue to be very interesting to me. I am able to work with some of the world's largest corporations on a daily basis. I draft employment contracts for executive officers and help companies obtain share pools. Sounds boring, but its actually a lot of fun.

And life in general is going well. My husband and dog are still as awesome as ever!The Packers are playing better. I look forward to taking some time off around Christmas to road trip back out west and hang out with family..

Alright, this short update is all you get for now.

AWESOME!

2010-05-19T05:21:00.001-07:00

JIM HUFFMAN FOR SENATE!!!!

I wake up this morning to the news that Jim Huffman is the Republican candidate for a Senate seat in Oregon. Awesome!

The Famous McDonald's Coffee Case

2010-04-05T04:09:00.000-07:00

For the first time in my life, I understand why the lady in the McDonald's coffee case actually sued McDondald's. When the barista at Starbucks handed me my overfilled venti coffee this morning the lid was not secured all the way. As soon as I grabbed it from her, the lid popped off and a good amount of the coffee spilled on to my right hand and also all over my lap. It hurt horribly. And even though the coffee only touched the skin on my hand for just a few seconds it was hot enough that it blistered my skin...Not a fun way to start off the day.

Busy Season

2010-02-24T04:47:00.000-08:00

It is my busy season right now. The crazy hours and workload will last until May. And unfortunately for me, I am sick right now. My throat is swollen and I can barely move. If it were not for Popsicles and coffee I probably would not be getting any calories right now. My husband is also very sick. He slept upstairs and I slept on the pull-out couch bed last night, as he coughs on me in his sleep. It's pretty gross and he denies doing it on purpose, haha. :) I am not sure what I believe.

I'm Tired

2010-02-05T03:38:00.001-08:00

I am so freakin tired. I have been working from 4am to 9pm every night this week. I am overcaffeinated and worn out. You would think that since the spin my workload would go down because a bunch of partners with work left. However, the opposite has occurred and I am swamped beyond belief with work. I know I should be grateful, but right now all I want is sleep.

Updates

2010-02-01T04:57:00.001-08:00

Well, a lot has happened at work. Except, I have been unable to blog about it until now. I did not want to post about the situation at work because a few people who read this blog actually know the name of my current employer.

Anyway, I came back from my holiday break in December only to be told that a large number of partners/principals were leaving the firm to start their own "independent" firm. I was also told that a bunch of us were being traded back and forth between the partners that were leaving and the remaining partners. Of course, because I am one of only two people in the whole firm who is trained in an important specialty I was not allowed any choice in the matter. I was told that I would have to stay with the old firm, as the other person in my specialty was being traded (yup, we were being traded like baseball cards)to the new firm.

I had mixed feelings about the whole situation. It felt horrible knowing that some of the biggest rainmakers in the firm were leaving and I did not even have a choice about whether I could go with them. But on other side, I ended up realizing that this is my opportunity to shine. I have a lot of ideas regarding ways that client transactions in my specialty can be handled more efficiently and profitably. And strangely enough, with half of the partners gone, I now have more say in how things get done in my area of expertise. I figure I have nothing to lose. I am young enough that if this new situation does not pan out, I can always move on to somewhere else in a few years. But, I am going to try to stay optimistic and see what I can do...

Buried

2010-01-05T04:26:00.000-08:00

I am buried in paperwork. Mounds of client files sit on my desk. I am not sure vacation is worth it if what results is absolute chaos at work!

Vacation!

2010-01-04T04:36:00.001-08:00

I need a vacation from my vacation! We drove about 4,000 miles during my two week vacation. The first part of the trip consisted of a drive from Chicago to Phoenix. We stayed there for a little over a week, and also took a short break and drove to CA for a few days, before driving back to Phoenix. After spending some time with family in Phoenix, we drove from Phoenix to SLC, UT. We spent three days there with my husband's family before heading back to Chicago. My Jeep apparently needs a break, as the oil light came on this morning..So, I stole my husband's Jeep this morning, hoping that he will figure out whatever is wrong with my Jeep.

I'll admit that I checked my work email over the break, but only to make sure I didn't return to hundreds of unread emails. Nothing exciting happened over the vacation, I simply relaxed and played a lot with family. It was awesome not working on corporate legal matters for two weeks.

And now I am back to the reality of the workplace. Time to drink some coffee and move at incredible speeds, while trying to sort out what needs to be done!

Random Happiness!!!!!!!!!!

2009-12-17T05:10:00.000-08:00

I only have two more work days until I leave for my two week vacation! I am so excited! I feel like a little kid, all excited for a trip to Disneyland or Lagoon (Utah reference). It has been about two years since I last saw my parents. I am very excited to spend Christmas with them in the desert!

And today is my 6th wedding anniversary! It is pretty cool to think that my hubby and I have been married for 6 years! As evidence of how geeky we both are, whenever someone asks about our anniversary, we both tell that person that we were married on the 100th anniversary of flight, haha. For some reason we find that little fact very cool!

Alright, back to cranking out client reports!

More Random Updates

2009-12-11T05:14:00.000-08:00

I received my bonus check today, well, at least half of it. That is right, the government took half of it. Ugh, I might as well start viewing my annual bonus opportunity differently. Specifically, I need to view it has "target divided by a little over half." Good to know someone else (the government and the spend happy politicians) are enjoying my hard work. Enough griping..

On a positive note, I have decided that I am going to start my trek back west for the holidays a little earlier than planned. The hubby, Lobo and I will start our drive on Saturday, the 19th versus leaving on the 22nd. I know it is a long drive, but I seriously am so excited to go somewhere warm for a few days. The crazy drive will be worth it. Plus, driving allows us to bring the dog on our little vacation. I really did not want to leave her in boarding for two weeks.

Alright, back to cranking out client reports..Have a nice weekend everyone!

Updates

2009-12-10T05:42:00.001-08:00

Well, I am still as busy as ever. However, I learned earlier in the week that I am getting promoted and will be getting a big salary increase and a bigger bonus opportunity. Apparently, all this hard work is getting me somewhere!

I cannot wait for my Christmas vacation. I am taking two weeks off. I am not bringing my work laptop and am refusing to do any work on my vacation. Here's to hoping that I get away with this..

Hindsight

2009-12-02T06:02:00.000-08:00

If someone would have told me a few years back that I would end up taking out thousands of dollars in debt so that I could work 15 hours a day non-stop, I would have said that did not sound very smart..Hmmm.

Burned Out

2009-11-25T12:01:00.000-08:00

Everyone in the office is gone, EXCEPT for me.....I think I am going to head home in a few minutes as well, and just finish up my remaining projects on Friday. I am burned out right now.

Morning Update

2009-11-25T04:47:00.000-08:00

I incorrectly assumed traffic would be light this morning. My regular 20 minute commute was over 40 minutes! And I am super tired this morning. My little sister's flight did not arrive until 9:45 pm last night. I tried to stay up late with my husband and sister to watch the latest episode of NCIS, but I crashed around 11:00 pm. Anyway, I am hoping that I can get caught up at work today and get out of the office by about noon or 1:00 pm at the latest. I would have stayed home today, except that I still have two outstanding projects to complete. If I can get them done today I won't have to work on Friday.

On a fun note...There was a guy playing a trumphet by the parking garage in the O'Hare Airport last night. As we approached the parking garage elevators he called my little sister out and played the Air Force fight song for her. It was pretty cool.

On another fun note...I ordered a bracelet from Lisa Leonard Designs. If you are interested in buying some neat, cusomized jewelry for someone, I recommend ordering from this site! The bracelet I ordered turned out awesome.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-24T04:21:00.000-08:00

I am very excited for the Thanksgiving holiday. My little sister is flying out from Colorado Springs to spend the week with me and my husband. I am looking forward to relaxing, shopping, watching the Packers beat the Lions and hanging out...that is, if I can get all of my work projects done by Thursday. I made the mistake of saying I was bored last week. The result of that confession was 5 gigantic client files being dropped on to my desk. Luckily, I have completed 3 out of the 5 projects. So, I am going to guzzle some coffee today and move at incredible speeds to complete the remaining two projects!

Also, I feel like I am getting a cold. I have swollen glands and a headache. I am in denial about being sick. I am the only one in the office who has not had a cold, yet.. Alright, I am off to work!

Running

2009-11-05T06:26:00.001-08:00

I had an awesome run last night. I started out a slow pace and steadily progressed until I was basically running as fast as I could go for the last two minutes. It was the first time in a long time that I felt as strong as I used to feel back when I was competing in college. A positive side effect of my running schedule is that my confidence is increasing everyday as I become physically stronger. Here is to hoping that I can continue to balance my running schedule with my work schedule. Sound mind and sound body, right?

Busy, But Not Stressed, But Maybe Slightly Angry

2009-11-04T04:53:00.000-08:00

I have way too many outstanding projects with deadlines fast approaching, but somehow, I have managed to avoid being overly stressed. I think working out every night definitely helps me manage my stress levels. It probably also helps that my husband is super laid back. He balances out my wacky, high strung self. Anyway, the only projects that are driving me crazy are the non-billable ones I have been assigned. I have not had a chance to finish these internal projects, and have been emailed almost everyday regarding when I plan on completing them. It is starting to make me mad. I have a crazy billable hours goal, and I have plenty of billable projects. But, somehow, I am expected to not sleep or something, and to complete these two time consuming non-billable, internal bs projects at the same time..The other crazy part is that there are plenty of associates sitting around here with nothing to do..Maybe one of them could take these internal projects off my plate.And let me say that I am not avoiding pro bono work or something similar to that, I have been assigned to basically go through some data and check it for accuracy...Ok, done venting...

Chicago is weird...

2009-11-02T05:16:00.000-08:00

Ok, well technically, I live in a far north suburb of Chicago...so I should say North Chicagoland is weird...Why do I think it is weird? Well, my husband and I went Halloween candy shopping at around noon on Saturday. We went overboard, buying 20 bags of assorted candy for all of the neighborhood kids on our street. As we drove home from the store we noticed that there were a few kids already trick or treating at 1:00 pm..Wtf? Apparently, kids in our area do not wait until night to trick or treat. The city I reside in has a pre-established window for kids to trick or treat in the middle of the day! I have never seen such a weird set-up. In Utah, kids wait for night to fall, and then head out for candy. Anyway, we only handed out candy to three trick or treaters, as we missed most of the kids while we were at the store!

I would blog about the Packer game last night, but I am too bummed to do so.. Stupid Favre! Stupid Vikes!

Daily Emails & Halloween!

2009-10-30T04:49:00.001-07:00

Living away from all of my friends and family has added a daily complication to my life. I am slammed at work and do not get home until late at night, so I pretty much have to email everyone. Which means that every morning before I start cranking through my work I go through all of my emails and reply to them. What would I do without email? Seriously, it is such an efficient way of keeping in touch with everyone..I am not sure why I am posting about this. I guess I am a tad boring lately haha.

On a fun note, I am going candy shopping with my husband tonight after work. I cannot wait to hand out candy to the cute trick or treaters in our neighborhood. And I am going to buy good candy (i.e., peanut butter cups, Snickers, etc.). My little sister will like what I am about to say..I am dressing up as Samantha Carter from SG-1, haha. And my hubby has still not figured out what he is going to be. I think Lobo will just wear my old Brett Favre jersey, with a sign on it that says "Traitor."

Alright, off to work! T.G.I.F...

Emergency Pants

2009-10-28T12:38:00.000-07:00

I apparently need emergency pants (i.e., spare pants in case of coffee spills, etc.).

My day in a nutshell:

So I go to lunch with two co-workers. We drive in one of their cars, a Jeep Commander. I sit in the back where his kids sit.. Anyway, we go to the place, we eat, and then leave and go back to work. About two hours later I go to the restroom. On the way out I notice that I have some food smeared all over my ass from sitting in my co-workers car! I wipe it off, but it leaves a nice greasy stain on my ass, making it look like I had some sort of bathroom accident.. I think I want go home, hahaha.

Have You Ever...

2009-09-28T15:20:00.000-07:00

Unknowingly broken your bright blue pen and then touched your face? Yup, that would be what happened to me today.

Updates

2009-09-28T04:48:00.001-07:00

Last week was slightly crazy for me. I was in the office by 5:00 to 5:15 am every single day last week, and did not head home until about 7:00 pm on most of those nights. At least I know that I will meet my billable hours goals this month. Days like those are strange because I get in to the office and then the next thing I know it is time to go home. It is amazing how fast the day flies by when you are cranking through a project. Anyway, the end result of last week was that I crashed on Friday night. I fell asleep super early...But then I woke up super early on Saturday. The early week last week apparently reprogrammed by internal alarm clock...Not good..I am not enjoying that I automatically wake up before 4:00 am!

Labor Day Weekend!

2009-09-04T05:01:00.000-07:00

I am looking forward to the long weekend! I am desperately hoping that I will not walk out of the office today with a stack of work that has to be completed by Tuesday morning. We do not have any specific plans, other than relaxing and playing outside as much as possible! Long weekends make me miss living out west. If we were still living in Utah, we'd be out exploring in the desert this weekend. You would find us jeeping in Moab or hiking some peak. Don't get me wrong...There are plenty of outdoor activities out here, but it's not the same experience. I think most people as they get older grow fonder of where they grew up. And I am definitely missing the west.

Well, have a great weekend everyone!

Team Projects

2009-09-02T05:09:00.001-07:00

I have been working on a team project with two other co-workers over the past few weeks. It has been a simple project, with each of us researching a few examples of recent chapter 11 filings. The only real issue with this project has been that the default team leader holds meetings to discuss the project almost everyday. His meetings have been such a waste of time. Two of us finished our research last week. The only one who has not finished his research is the the team leader who holds meetings to discuss the project. He needs to shut up and do his stupid research. And when the boss asked the team leader yesterday why the project was not finished, he responded it was because there were too many of us on the project. WTF?? Nothing like passing the buck..

Update: Just sat with the team leader on this project, and I now understand why he has been taking forever on this project. The other member of the team put incorrect information in our report. I just spent the last two hours redoing her research..Ugh!

Disgusting

2009-08-26T14:20:00.000-07:00

I just finished up a conference call with a major client. I sat next to a junior attorney during the call. This junior attorney picked his nose, popped his knuckles, and then proceeded to bite every single one of his nails throughout the 1.5 hour long call. I thought I was going to die. It was freaking disgusting! I almost threw my notebook at him!

Random Updates

2009-08-26T06:32:00.000-07:00

1. I have to speak on a practice community conference call tomorrow, regarding some newly proposed legislation. I am super nervous to present my thoughts to the hundreds of associates at my firm. The fact that I have been asked to do a lot of research in this area makes me think that I might be transferred to a different team at the beginning of the new fiscal year. It wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, but my role would likely change.

2. One of my former high school track and field teammates recently emailed me. Super cool to see that she actually became successful in college pole vaulting and is now a fairly successful actress. I look forward to catching up with her on the phone and to comparing college competition war stories!

3. The weather is gloomy today. The grey skies make me feel like fall is on its way. When I think of the fall I think of peppermint mochas from Starbucks and NFL games on the weekends! I love the fall! Go Pack Go!

4. I think I may possibly have the most awesome husband in the world. Not only does he get up super early with me in the morning, but he also makes me coffee and packs my lunch. How sweet is that?

Alright, back to drafting my little speech for the call tomorrow.

Football!

2009-08-19T04:49:00.000-07:00

I went to a preseason NFL game last Saturday, the Packers vs. the Browns. Of course, the Packers won the game 17 to 0. I know it is only a preseason game, but gosh, the Packers looked awesome. It was the most balanced game I think I have seen them play in a long time. The offense and the defense both looked good! Here is to hoping that they do well this year!Obviously, I love football season. I am not quite ready for the fall to be here, but I am definitely ready for football season to be here!

And on an annoying note, I cannot stand that Brett Favre is playing for the Vikings this year! Of all the teams he could play for, he goes to the Vikings..It is outrageous.

Eye Issues

2009-07-31T06:15:00.000-07:00

Somehow I managed to get a piece of a potato chip in my eye. I not only frequently spill coffee on myself, I also apparently harm myself with food. I never realized how dangerous eating and drinking could be!

Mini-Vacation

2009-07-31T04:48:00.000-07:00

I am flying to Colorado Springs next week for my little sister's Acceptance Day ceremony. Acceptance Day is the day that the cadets officially graduate from basic training and become full-fledged cadets at the Air Force Academy. It is the first time that the cadets are allowed to have contact with family and friends. Additionally, it is the first time the cadets can receive care packages, full of snacks and personal items. I remember how hard it was for me during my freshmen year of college. I had a crazy, always screaming, cross country coach, which stressed me out all the time. I can only imagine how much tougher my little sister's situation is right now. So, I cannot wait to spend some time with her next week at this important ceremony, to let her know just how proud all of us are of her!

Good morning

2009-07-20T05:25:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone!My attitude has improved since last week. I cannot explain why, but for some reason I was in a bad mood all week long. I took last Friday off from work and caught up with random errands, and now I feel refreshed mentally and physically. I cannot claim that I accomplished much, but maybe that is what I needed.

On a side note, I have been going through pages of posted photos to find pictures of my littlest sister at Basic Training at the Air Force Academy. The military posts daily pictures of all of the cadets as they go through training. Additionally, someone is posting a blog that explains what events are taking place each day. It is pretty cool. My little sister appears to have lost some weight, though I am not sure that she ever needed to!

Alright, back to the grind. I am going to guzzle some coffee and move at incredible speeds!

One of those days!

2009-07-13T05:35:00.001-07:00

I am not exactly sure why, but I am feeling slightly grouchy today. I feel overwhelmed by my projects at work and if I did not have twenty things due today I would probably have called in sick this morning. I hope my attitude improves, or it is going to be a long day, and possibly a long week.

Nervous for littlest sis...

2009-07-10T14:11:00.000-07:00

88 Air Force Academy cadets have been quarantined for swine flu....... I hope lil sis is alright. The worst part is that we have no contact with her and do not know if she is one of the affected cadets.

Update: I heard from my little sister this morning and she and the other cadets are fine, despite feeling sick. What a relief to hear from her!

Not Enough Time

2009-07-08T05:05:00.001-07:00

Typical Day
Wake up at 4:30 am and run for 20-40 minutes. Get ready and head out the door by 6 am. Arrive at work between 6:30 am-7:00 am and crank through client files and business proposals and sit in on client conference calls or meetings until 6:00 pm or 7:00 pm. Leave the office and arrive home at around 7:00pm -7:30 pm, depending on how bad traffic is. Eat dinner and watch a tv show, while studying or working on a client file. Head to bed around 9:30 pm... Not much has changed since law school. I still find myself sprinting from one task to the next. Life is crazy..

Dear Secretary

2009-07-07T06:31:00.001-07:00

Dear Secretary,

I treat you with respect everyday. I do not get mad or yell at you or even criticize you when you hand me back documents with typos on them everyday. I do not get mad or yell at you whenever you get angry with me for handing you something to work on. But, I will admit that I am starting to get mad and angry with your lack of respect towards me. I do not think it is too much to ask that you use spell check, read your work for typos, and that you do not get angry with me whenever I ask you do your job.

Ugh!!!! I do not think I can put up with this anymore...

Boot Camp and Random Stuff

2009-07-07T05:07:00.000-07:00

I have a stack of letters that I need to send out to my littlest sister this week. She is at the Air Force Academy boot camp, which means that we cannot talk to her until mid-August. Here comes the bragging about my little sis. I am so proud of everything she has accomplished. She was the first female high school ROTC commander in her state (commanding over 100 kids). She scored insanely high on both the SAT and the ACT. And she is probably only one of a few kids who was admitted to every military academy. However, she chose to go to the Air Force Academy so she could study astrophysics. Freaking cool!

We went up to my family's cottage in Wisconsin last weekend. It was a blast! I played so many games that I feel like I ran a marathon. I am seriously that sore. And the dog played in the water so much on Friday, that she stayed inside the cottage all day Saturday, sleeping through everything. It was great to get outside and play a little bit.

And now I am back to work. My mentor at work left me a stack of client files before he left for vacation. Which means that I will be busy all day today, finishing up some reports for him to review when he returns tomorrow. Alright, back to cranking through reports...

Duh

2009-07-02T04:48:00.000-07:00

It is always fun when you drive 35-40 minutes to work, only to realize that you left your computer and work papers at home.

Almost the weekend!

2009-07-01T05:51:00.000-07:00

It feels like Friday at work this morning. My boss is out for the week. Many of my co-workers are also out for the week. It is just me and a small group of fellow employees churning out client documents today and likely, tomorrow. As noted in previous posts, I actually enjoy when the office is quiet. I can work in peace, and be productive, without a ton of people stopping by to chat. I am especially happy that my boss is not in today. He pulled a little Robin Hood move on me yesterday. Basically my boss took a portion of my June billable hours and allocated them to someone who "needed" them more than I do. WTF? Last I checked, I am the one who produced the client deliverables and interacted with the client...This had better not happen again!

Overwhelmed again....

2009-06-22T04:53:00.001-07:00

I went from being bored out of my mind at work to totally overwhelmed again. Why is there never a happy median? I have three non-billable projects due this week (which are not my favorite type of projects). Additionally, I have four billable projects and a business proposal also due this week. It is going to take a lot of coffee and late nights at the office to get my work done this week!

On a happy note, I bought a new desk for my home office this past weekend. Now I do not need to push all of my husband's papers, books, and pop cans off of his desk to get some work done! It looks awesome, and I love it! Unfortunately, I have already made use of my home desk. I spent all day yesterday verifying the data in a client report. :(

Alright, back to work I go..

Work Anniversary

2009-06-02T04:51:00.000-07:00

I started working at my present job exactly one-year ago!

Playoffs and everything else..

2009-05-28T05:42:00.001-07:00

Well, apparently the fact that my kickball team has not won a game does not prevent us from being in the playoffs. We play some undefeated team tonight. My quad is starting to feel better, so I should be able to play. However, the only way I can kick without pain is by keeping my leg straight when I kick the ball (which means I can not swing it back at an angle). I am sure I will look ridiculous tonight!

Work is still going well. Things are pretty slow here this month, which means that I spend most of my time writing articles that we can forward to clients. It is a lot easier to write articles now that I have a specialty and I am somewhat competent in it. Compare that to when I first started and my boss asked me to write an article about a subject I was clueless about. It was a ton harder to draft something back then.

Additionally, I am taking some PTO in two weeks. One of my sisters and one of my husband's friends are flying out to visit us. We plan on taking them all over Chicago. It should be a blast.

Alright, I am done rambling...

Ouch!

2009-05-22T05:24:00.000-07:00

Well, I pulled one of my quadriceps muscles playing kickball last night. And if that was not embarrassing enough, I fell flat on my face while diving to catch a ball. Last night did not go well for me or my team, haha. The highlight of the night was when our college intern scored our first and ONLY run of the night!

Anyway, my leg is beyond sore this morning. I thought the burning sensation would go away, but it has not! Getting older sucks! I pole vaulted on a broken ankle in college. Now, I strain a leg muscle and I can barely walk...Kinda funny.

Double Header

2009-05-21T04:37:00.000-07:00

I am participating in a double header at kickball tonight. Yup, I am on the corporate kickball team. My team never wins. We are very similar to the Bad News Bears. Wish us losers a bit of luck, cause we will need it.

Morning Routine

2009-05-20T05:39:00.000-07:00

I am a lucky person...Every morning while I am ironing my clothes, my husband makes me a lunch and a thermos of coffee for work. How freakin nice is that?

Brain Fog

2009-05-19T05:46:00.000-07:00

I came in to work early this morning, to finish up a document before my boss got in to the office. However, my brain did not want to cooperate. I would open up a folder and then almost immediately forget why I opened the folder. I would pull out a document, only to forget why I pulled out that particular document. It was not until my coffee kicked in that I was able to finish up my document. Apparently, I had a major case of brain fog this morning. I have no clue why I had so many issues this morning!

Other than brain fog, everything else is going just fine.....

Updates

2009-05-15T06:07:00.000-07:00

I went to the Cubs game yesterday with a bunch of my co-workers. It was a lot of fun eating hot dogs and watching the game. The only downside to the game was that the Cubs won (I am an avid Brewers fan). I look forward to dragging my co-workers up to Miller Park for a Brewers game within the next few weeks.

Work is definitely slowing down a little bit and you can see the anxiety on everyone's faces. Throughout the game, conversation would turn to questions regarding everyone's monthly utilization numbers. It is hard disclosing my utilization rates to co-workers because my numbers have not been that bad the last few months. If I disclose my numbers, then my co-workers may turn more competitive with me. Anyway, so I basically dodge the question and say that the last few months have been rough for a lot of people...I feel like a jerk, but I think that I would be a bigger jerk telling people that my numbers have been pretty good..

Ok, I am off to finish a project. Have a nice weekend everyone!

I have a problem...

2009-04-28T04:58:00.000-07:00

I have a problem. It does not matter how careful I am, I spill coffee on myself or my desk or my keyboard or computer on almost a freaking daily basis. It is getting ridiculous! I cannot plan my daily wardrobe based on whether someone will be able to tell if I spilled coffee on my lap...I am sick of black pants!

Sunny Day

2009-04-24T06:02:00.000-07:00

It is supposed to be 87 degrees today! I am stoked for a warm and sunny day here in Chicago. Heck, when it was only 56 degrees on Tuesday I made my husband play basketball outside with me after work. I am still deciding what outdoor adventure I will make my husband endure after work today. I am also looking forward to a warm weather weekend. I think we will probably shoot some hoops, go for a run, canoe, or do something else outdoorsy and fun.

Things are going well on the work front. I just received my year-to-date utilization report, and my numbers are tracking well above my targeted goals. So, barring some unforeseen dry spell, I should meet my billable hours target.

Other than work and outdoor play time, nothing too exciting going on with me. I would talk about politics, but it offends most of the people who read my blog. Besides, I think I would rather focus on the positive things going on around me now adays.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend!

Random

2009-04-03T04:51:00.000-07:00

Things I miss
1. Living in the desert
2. Living by the mountains
3. Seeing my family more often
4. Del Taco
5. Sitting at the coffee shop with old friends

Things I don't miss
1. Law school (except for some of my classmates)
2. High school
3. Terre Haute
4. College cross country running
5. My Fundamentals of Marxism undergrad course

Favorite Food
1. Tacos
2. Filet Mignon
3. Prime Rib
4. Spaghetti
5. Peas

Favorite TV Shows
1. NCIS
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. Fringe
4. Sarah Connor Chronicles
5. House

Newspapers/Websites I Read Daily
1. Wall Street Journal
2. Drudgereport
3. Bloomberg.com
4. Financial Times
5. A bunch of blogs

Off to work....

Vacation?

2009-04-01T05:47:00.000-07:00

My bosses are all on spring break vacation this week. I asked if I could take Monday off and was told no. I took last Friday off, and ended up working from home anyway. I need a freakin vacation, whether my boss agrees or not. Just a day or two would be nice. Granted, the reason I was told not to take this week off is because I am the only trained back-up for one of my bosses and need to be available to take all client and consultant questions this week. So, here is to hoping that I will be able to take a few days off next week!

Work has been beyond hectic this week. I have a new found appreciation for what my boss (the one trained in the same specialty as me) actually does. I walk in to the office every morning to 20-30 more emails than I normally receive. As soon as I log in to my computer, a million little instant messages pop up from other consultants. All of the questions are supposedly life or death and need to be resolved ASAP. To say this week has been slightly stressful is a bit of an understatement!It is only Wednesday and I feel like it is Friday!

Ok, back to work.

TGIF!!!!!!

2009-03-20T05:10:00.000-07:00

Hopefully I will not have to work this weekend. I could use some relaxation.

Happy Friday everyone!

Law School

2009-03-19T05:22:00.000-07:00

A lot of people have asked me if I thought law school was worth the money. My answer has always been that I made it worth the money. As is the case in with any type of school, law school does not force you to learn, provide you with a job, and it certainly does not provide you with automatic competence. My experience ended up being a good one because I found an area of the law that I truly enjoyed (tax). I worked as hard as possible to learn the subject, with the ultimate goal of being employable in the field. My grades were not the highest in the class, but I was always knowledgeable and had real world experience in my chosen area of law. That stupid little quote that many of us heard growing up, "life is what you make of it," certainly applied to my law school experience. As I have mentioned before in previous posts, I received a ton of job rejection letters, which was at times disheartening. But in the end, it only took one acceptance phone call to get where I am now. So, overall, having a J.D. gave me to the opportunity (although maybe an overpriced one) to work for one of the largest consulting firms in the world.

The next famous lawyer/author!

2009-03-19T05:08:00.000-07:00

One of my law school buddies has made it to the quarterfinals of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Competition. You can download a free excerpt of the novel here. I cannot wait to get a copy of the entire book! Awesome job Matt!

Updates

2009-03-17T04:53:00.000-07:00

Friday was a crazy-busy work day. I sprinted from one client file to the next and sat in on a bunch of conference calls in between drafting reports. To cap it off, a few of my clients did not send me the data and files that I needed to complete their projects. So, I fully expected Monday to be a hectic day of catch-up. Surprisingly enough, Monday was boring. Again, my clients did not submit their data sheets and files to me yesterday, even though important deadlines are coming up for them. Instead of writing reports and modeling out scenarios all day long, I organized my desk and started researching for an article that I want to draft. It was strange not to feel rushed for once.

After work I came home to an awesome meal cooked by my husband. He makes the best tacos in the world. We ate tacos and watched re-runs of NCIS until we passed out. I know I sound slightly boring, but I'll take boring over a dramatic any day.

Competence

2009-03-12T05:57:00.000-07:00

I am finally half-way competent in my specialty at work and it feels awesome. My analysis and preliminary client reports are usually error free and I can answer a fair number of questions on client calls. The best part about feeling competent is that I have really started to enjoy my job. I look forward to new projects and fast approaching deadlines. It doesn't even bother me that I have to work a lot on weekends lately. I am progressing every day and becoming a better consultant. I know I have a long way to go, but I feel like I am on the right track.

Am sick of getting sick!

2009-02-25T05:12:00.000-08:00

It seems like I feel ill once every two weeks or so. I cannot figure out if I keep catching bugs from my co-workers, who keep catching bugs from their kids.. Or do I keep getting ill because I have been working too much?? Or is it a combination of both? All I know is that I feel sick again today. But I cannot take today off because I have too much work to do. Hopefully the caffeine from my cup of coffee will give me some temporary energy and help improve my outlook on the day.

Weekend, what weekend?

2009-02-22T15:48:00.001-08:00

I billed twenty hours this weekend. Need I say more?

Office Silence

2009-02-18T05:51:00.001-08:00

I am usually the first person from my practice group to arrive at the office in the morning. I love it! The lights are all off on my floor of the building. There is complete silence on the floor. And I am able to finish a lot of my projects before my boss shows up for the day. I know that I probably sound a bit geeky, but I love having the mornings to myself.

Weekend Plans

2009-02-13T15:53:00.000-08:00

Sleep in...Eat breakfast and read the WSJ with the hubby. Play Frisbee and run with the dog...Mindless reading of mindless novels....And...finish up a few work-related projects!

Those darn attorneys....

2009-02-13T15:41:00.000-08:00

For clarification purposes, I did in fact graduate from law school last year. However, I currently work as a business consultant, not as an attorney.

Anyway, now for my story... I have participated on a few client calls lately, where our client corporation has had their outside counsel sit in on the call as well. And the most frustrating part of dealing with outside counsel has been their lack of understanding regarding the business side of transactions. They seem to know the law inside and out, but cannot grasp the business and even corporate governance rationale behind some of the provisions we add to plan documents. And instead of admitting that they do not fully understand these concepts, these attorneys recommend certain courses of action to our client corporations that are not good business or corporate governance practices. I cannot believe some of the bad business advice these attorneys have been doling out to our clients. Everyone on my team at work is not only trained in accounting and tax, but is also an attorney. We get the law side and the business side of transactions. I think it is inexcusable for some of the attorneys we interact with to try to provide advice that they have no basis for providing... I know this rant is vague, but I don't dare disclose the actual details of the story. Suffice it to say, that the recommendations from outside counsel would result in horrible business consequences to our clients. It's crazy to me....

No Sleep...

2009-02-05T04:07:00.001-08:00

When interviewing for my current job last year, I was told that the work-life balance at this company was much better than I would experience at a law firm. Ummm, I do not think it is possible to work more than I currently do. I have worked 13-15 hour days for the last few weeks. And when I am not in the office, I am working at home. I am grateful to have a good job during crappy economic times. However, I would like to get some sleep sometime in the near future....

Busy, as usual

2009-01-27T05:27:00.000-08:00

Work: I have been working long-long hours the last few weeks. Everyone at the firm told me that work slows down in December and January, but so far that has not been the case. The worse the economy gets, the more help our clients seem to need from us. The hard part about advising in this environment is that no professional has dealt with a economic climate like this before. But, despite the uncertainty, we seem to be helping a lot of clients solve important issues.

Life: My husband and I have slowly started moving in to a new town home. I say slowly, because we literally are taking over a few things at a time to the new home. The best part about the new home is that the dog absolutely loves the new place. She sprints up and down the stairs with that stupid, goofy grin on her face.

That is as much as I can write for now. I'd better get back to work.

Random Dreams

2008-12-30T05:09:00.001-08:00

For some reason I have been dreaming a lot about pole vaulting. The dreams are always the same....I return to my college track team and step in for an injured teammate and compete. It is a very stressful dream because I think about how unprepared I am for the competition. I haven't trained or practiced for years, and yet I am thrown in to an important competition....Hmm, sounds a lot like graduating from law school and being thrown back in to the corporate world... :)

Billing

2008-12-30T04:57:00.000-08:00

One of the higher ups at work decided to teach me and the other new associates how to do the billing for our corporate clients. Luckily, I am only in charge of 5 client accounts. The process is crazy. Coordinating between our corporate headquarters and our world wide locations for any hours worked on behalf of my clients is so time consuming. I know the process only occurs once a month, but it takes approximately 10 hours to complete all of the paperwork. Somehow I need to find the time this week to finish my billing, my 4 open client projects, a marketing project, and study for the bar exam. If it wasn't for coffee, I am not sure that I would be able to get anything done!

Travel Nightmares

2008-12-24T05:13:00.001-08:00

Last Friday I flew out to SLC, so I could drive back to Chicago with my husband. The interesting story is not that I flew out to SLC, but the adventure of getting to the airport, and eventually getting to SLC.

So, I arranged to be picked up by a shuttle service to get to the airport at a reasonable time. I am still new to the Chicago area and driving to the airport and leaving my car makes me nervous. The driver was supposed to be at my place at 6 am. Of course, I get a phone call at 6:15 am from my lost driver. I spent the next 15 minutes standing in the freezing blizzard falling around me, giving directions to the driver. After finally spotting my driver, I turn around to go back in to the apartment building to grab my luggage. Unfortunately, I realized I had locked myself out and was staring at all of my luggage from outside. So, I had to buzz one of my sleeping neighbors to let me in.

I finally get in the car, freezing and soaking wet from standing in the snow fall. We make it about a half mile down the road and my driver drives us in to a ditch. Yup, in to a freakin ditch. So, he asks me to get out and push, haha. Did I complain? Nope. I got out and tried to push us out of a ditch. I was not able to push us out of the ditch, and basically just made my clothes dirty. After my unsuccessful attempt to get us out of the ditch, I thought the driver would call his boss or someone to get us out of there. Instead he just sat there. It was ridiculous! Please note that I could not really get mad at this guy, he was really old, and just working to make enough to support himself and his wife. So, I called a tow truck. Seventy-five dollars later we were pulled out of the ditch and on the way to the airport.

It was the worst ride ever! We got stuck 4 more times on the way to the airport. And every time we were stuck, I had to get out and push us, haha. But 3.5 hours later, I made it to the airport.

I headed over to my gate only to see the word "delayed" behind every posted flight. My flight was delayed for 2.5 hours. But lucky for me, at least my flight was not cancelled. The flight itself was not too bad, except that the lady behind me did not change her baby's diaper until the end of the flight. I basically had dirty diaper smell permeating the area for a four hour flight! Yup, the 3.5 hour flight took a little longer than normal too, because of a nasty headwind. And SLC was in the middle of a huge snow storm, so my plane had to circle and wait its turn to use the one open runway!

But eventually I made it to SLC! That is just my flight story...The drive story was semi-crazy as well.. However, I think I am done posting about my travel nightmares!

Glad I Don't Live in NY!

2008-12-17T05:09:00.000-08:00

The NY Governor is proposing to tax everything. You can read about it here.

Zombie

2008-12-16T05:25:00.000-08:00

I'll start the post with another pic of Lobo smiling..

Work and Bar Exam

I am a walking zombie now adays. I get to work early and study for the February bar exam for a few hours. After listening to one of the IPOD bar lectures I start my work projects for the day. I work and study all day long. It isn't really anything new to me, considering I worked and attended law school at the same time. However, it feels like I am more tired now than I used to be in law school. It is truly strange to come in to work when it is dark outside, and to leave for home when it is also dark outside..It as if I don't have any days, only nights for Mondays-Fridays.

Christmas

I am excited for Christmas. I had a lot of fun gift shopping over the past weekend. Now I just need to get myself to the post office to mail off my gifts! And I have been watching a lot of Christmas movies on tv lately. I have watched "White Christmas" and "Its a Wonderful Life" over the past few weeks. Both of them are truly great movies. It is funny to watch them and realize how little you understand about the plots of movies when you are a child. Watching these movies as an adult is a truly moving experience, mostly because how sentimental you become as you get older. I'll stop being cheesy now.

Perfumed...

2008-12-09T06:20:00.001-08:00

A co-worker of mine has recently begun wearing a noticeably strong perfume. It is giving me a headache every time I have to work with her. Everybody has noticed and agreed her perfume is horrible. So, yesterday I knocked on her door to ask her a question about a project. As soon as I opened the door I wanted to gag and run out of her office. She apparently does not put the perfume on only at home, but in the office as well. The smell is totally permeating her office. It is horrible.....That is my office rant for the day.

Life after law school.....

2008-11-15T09:15:00.000-08:00

Work is going well. This week was less busy for me, so I spent a lot of it helping other co-workers with their client files. And on Friday I found out that I am going to start training in a speciality area that I am extremely interested in. I am very excited for the opportunity to train in this area. The great part about it, is that 5 other consultants were competing against me for this training opportunity and I apparently won. I feel cool because I am the youngest and newest associate and I beat out a bunch of experienced people for this slot.

Generally, life is going well. I work a lot of hours, but somehow I still manage to have some fun. Life after law school is a lot more enjoyable than life during law school. I am busier than I was during law school, but actually working and applying the law and receiving a paycheck, makes the work worthwhile. The best part of life after law school, is the time I spend reading fun books. I have re-read a lot of my favorite philosophy books over the last few weeks. Additionally, I have been able to keep up with the new Dune series books. I have also been able to read the morning paper, which has been my favorite morning ritual.

I have also been able to have more non-law related discussions with friends and my husband. I have enjoyed discussing politics over the last few weeks with non-law student types (no comment on why I find this enjoyable).

Additionally, I have started playing guitar again. It is very relaxing to come home and play an instrument after a long, hard day of work. The next hobby I went to resume is attending star parties. My husband and I are both major astronomy geeks. I cannot wait to star gaze again.

Ok, I will stop listing the details of my life. Have a great weekend!

p.s......CONGRATS to my little sis, who has decided to attend the Air Force Academy next year. She has been in the hard place of deciding whether to attend West Point or the Air Force Academy.

Random Updates

2008-11-04T04:53:00.001-08:00

I am nervous for the election results tonight. Of course I will be up as late as necessary, watching the results pour in. I voted a few weeks ago and so today I will just be a passive observer.

In addition to obsessing over the election results, I will be busy all day at work. I have six open projects, all with due dates of a week or less. I am going to have to move at incredible speeds to make a proper dent in those files today. But, I will admit that I wll be extremely distracted by news reports of the election.

On a random side note, my dog is an escape artist. She has learned how to open the sliding glass door to my porch. So, as I pull up to the apartment after work I often see my dog sitting on the porch, with my comforter and whatever else she has decided to bring out there with her! I have tried putting a rod in the door frame, so she cannot open the door. But, somhow she moves the rod and still opens the door. Today I moved a box of weights over to the door frame area, which she should not be able to move. I hope that I do not come home to my dog and my comforter sitting on the porch today. :(

Palin and Troopergate

2008-11-04T04:50:00.000-08:00

Sarah Palin was vindicated on the Troopergate allegations late last night. Of course the front page stories on most media websites are not related to the Troopergate investigation, but that Palin's health is excellent. Nice, the media smears her for weeks on this Troopergate issue, and then doesn't cover the story when it is positive for her.....

Go Packers!!!!!!!!!

2008-11-02T06:54:00.001-08:00

I am heading to the sports bar in a few hours to watch the Packers-Titans game. Hopefully the Packers upset the undefeated Titans.

GO PACKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Halloween..

2008-11-01T08:40:00.000-07:00

I spent all Halloween night with a bucket of candy on my lap, waiting for little ones to come by. And not one child came by! So, I am left with a bucket of candy, that I apparently will have to eat all by myself! I am hoping that I will be able to bring it in to work on Wednesday morning, as a post-election party favor.

The weather has been nice the last few days, with temperatures hovering around 70 degrees. But judging by the chilly air this morning, those warm temperatures are probably going away for awhile. I used the impending winter chill as a justification to spend some money on new sweaters. And my husband actually bought my argument and agreed that I was justified in purchasing a bunch of new sweaters.... Cool. :)I will admit that I am nervous about my first winter in Chicago. Everyone here says winters can be pretty brutal in Chicago. It is a good thing I have a gas guzzling Jeep to help me make it to work in the mornings.

I'll end with a cool quote of the day. This is for my co-workers and friends who cannot believe some of the books and articles I read on a daily basis. "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."-Aristotle

Interesting Election

2008-11-01T08:37:00.001-07:00

It may be an interesting election night. Here is the latest from Zogby:

"ZOGBY SATURDAY: Republican John McCain has pulled back within the margin of error... The three-day average holds steady, but McCain outpolled Obama 48% to 47% in Friday, one day, polling. He is beginning to cut into Obama's lead among independents, is now leading among blue collar voters, has strengthened his lead among investors and among men, and is walloping Obama among NASCAR voters. Joe the Plumber may get his license after all... "

Additionally, here is the latest from Slate.com:

"Of 20 new statewide polls, 15 show a shift in McCain's direction. The biggest comes from a SurveyUSA poll in Kansas, where McCain leads 58-37; he led 53-41 in the same poll a week earlier. CNN/Time/Opinion Research Corp. and Quinnipiac polls in Florida showed shifts toward McCain of one and three points, respectively, though both polls still show Obama ahead. The same CNN/Time poll in Missouri shows a one-point shift—within the margin of error—to McCain, who leads 50-48. The largest shift to Obama was in a SurveyUSA poll in Delaware, where he increased his lead from nine points to 30 points. The previous survey was conducted in February. The CNN/Time poll in Georgia shows a three-point shift toward Obama. McCain is still ahead in the state 52-47.—Abby Callard"

Here is agood article about McCain's Character. An excerpt from the interview:

"If the 2008 election were solely about character and experience, Mr. McCain would be winning in a walk. Few Presidential nominees have been better known or more admired. A McCain Presidency would have its surprises, but they would not be from personal vice or political scandal. His courage has been tested far more than most -- both in a personal sense in Vietnam, and in a political sense during the Iraq war."

Here is a good, recent interview with Sarah Palin. An excerpt from the interview:

"She is equally blunt in her retort to those who say she's not up to the job. "I'll tell you, some within the party who have criticized me -- or John McCain's pick of me -- I think some of this underlying criticism is again coming from the hierarchy. It is because I haven't always just toed the line in the party. I'm not wired to do that. I want reform of our party, I want to be able to prove that our party is worthy of leading this country. And I'm not going to just go along to get along. I've never been able to do that. It bodes well for someone's character, I believe, and is a strength."

TGIF Again...And Job Hunting Thoughts.

2008-10-31T05:41:00.001-07:00

I am very thankful it is Friday. I cannot wait to sleep in tomorrow and relax a little bit. I am pretty worn out by Thursday every week. In fact, I can barely keep my eyes open for an entire episode of Grey's Anatomy (and its not because its a boring show).

But despite being constantly tired and worn out, I am grateful for my job. I have great bosses and co-workers. The building I work in is pretty cool, and has a nice cafeteria that serves breakfast and lunch. And the work itself is interesting to me. I know that the job market is tough for a lot of students right now, and I feel bad for everyone. But a lot of friends have recently said that I was "lucky" to get this job. So for all of you who think this job landed on my lap, let me tell you exactly how I got this job!

I had fully planned on going on to get an LLM in Tax Law following graduation last May. I had applied to about 10 different schools and was accepted by every one of them. I also planned on going back to Utah, to work in estate planning. But being the OCD person I am, I made sure I had other options. I was a little worried about taking on the extra debt of an LLM. Don't get me wrong, an LLM in tax law is a very good investment. But I wanted to see if anyone would consider giving me a job right away. I started looking for jobs like crazy in September of my 3L year.

So I applied to every tax law job and even business law job that popped up on the career services website. That was a bust for me. No replies for any of those positions. While I had done well in my tax law and business law classes, I had not done well in other classes and that hurt my overall GPA.

I went to Craigslist and poured through the legal and accounting/finance job postings. This approach provided me with a few responses, but nothing ever panned out.

I went to Monster and posted my resume. I received a few interested inquiries from some tax consulting firms. That was actually a good tactic. If anyone is interested in tax law, I recommend posting on Monster, and indicating you are willing to work in any location. I received calls from Chicago and New York for tax positions. But, I will warn you that you will also get a ton of stupid emails from insurance companies trying to hire you.

Another good tax jobs website I tried was Taxtalent.com. However, unless you have a decent amount of experience it is hard to get a job from this site.

The last and most successful tactic I used, was going through the Intercollegiate Job Bank. I would highly recommend asking career services about it. It provides the job postings from schools in every single state. I poured through postings from schools everywhere, and applied to jobs everywhere. This was by far the best place for me to get interviews. I found my current job in a posting at a law school in Georgia. The Intercollegiate Job Bank literally has thousands of jobs posted.

In the end, I applied to thousands of positions. I am not exaggerating. Anything business, tax, estate planning related, I applied to it. I was flexible in terms of location and it paid off. Out of all of the emails I sent, I only received 3-4 interviews. But it only takes one offer to have a job. I guess my point is that I was not lucky in getting my current job. I spent all of September and much of October of my 3L year sending out applications. I wasn't too disheartened by the rejection letters than came in the mail daily, because I made sure I had a back-up plan (LLM school).

That is my job hunting story..Good luck to all of you.. Trust me though, use the Intercollegiate Job Bank!

My morning..

2008-10-30T05:51:00.000-07:00

I woke up early this morning and biked for a half hour before getting ready for work. I could barely keep my eyes open for the first ten minutes of biking. It brought back memories of my morning training runs back in college. I hated/liked those morning runs. I hated about the first ten minutes of the run, when all the girls on the team were silently dragging their feet around the town with me. The last part of the run always ended up being fun. We would all wake up a little bit and talk the last part of the run away. Ok, boring story..I know... Just funny how memories get triggered.

So after getting ready this morning, I decided to take Lobo to doggy daycare. She has been so bored the last few weeks, with me staying late at work almost everyday. I love that when I tell her that she is going to daycare that she runs wildly around the house for a few minutes. It is hard not to be happy when watching my dog act like such a dork!

And now I am the first one at the office, as usual. I am caught up on all of my projects and am anxiously awaiting the next client file. In the mean time, I'll probably pull out one of my barbri books and start reading. Yuck...

Weird Interview

2008-10-26T06:36:00.001-07:00

The Obama camp punished a Florida TV station for asking so-called hardball questions. The last time I checked this was America, not Iran or Russia. You can watch the video on the second link. What a strange reaction to semi-hardball questions.

Updates

2008-10-19T05:43:00.000-07:00

I am still very busy at work. I have a list of projects on the whiteboard in my office. Every day I knock one off the list, only to have another one added to it. It is overwhelming, but also exciting at the same time. I am used to feeling overwhelmed, because that is what I felt like in law school 24 x 7. The exciting portion of my job is that I get to work with a lot of very interesting clients and complex transactions. And better yet, I feel half way competent at work. So, work is going well.

The busy season at work supposedly ends around early December. The timing is perfect because I will be cramming for the February bar exam at that time. Yup, you read that correctly. I have not taken the bar exam yet. I started work right after law school and have been working as a consultant. So, wish me luck!

Voter Fraud

2008-10-13T05:36:00.000-07:00

Is anyone surprised about all of the voter fraud going on in swing states? Felons, children, and even dead people are being registered to vote. I guess the acorn doesn't really fall far from the tree, does it?

Acorn registers Mickey Mouse

Acorn pays to sign up teenager 73 times

Ohio catches bogus Acorn registrant casting vote