I hope to open up and share ideas and thoughts that occur to me as I begin, work through and hopefully finish my doctoral program in Accounting at Texas A&M. I hope not to be negative or complain all the time. And, I hope you find me to be interesting and a bit unusual
What a year! A year of transition, a year of quasi-new beginnings.
Towards the end of 2010, I made the decision to try my luck applying to graduate schools for accounting Ph.D. programs. Somehow I ended up with two offers, maybe three if the University of Florida had their act together. Anyway, Missouri and Texas A&M accepted me into their program.
Ghetto Announcement Sign
It certainly wasn't an easy decision. Certainly a lot of factors to think about... number of cohort members, compilation of members, location, compensation, faculty. Fairly comparable programs, but the fact that there was only one other student in the cohort at Missouri was a huge factor. In March, I decided Texas A&M was the place to be.
There were two amazing weddings I attended in 2011. The Loebs (in March) and the Gaetanos (in June and in Kansas City). Best memories from the weddings:
Guys standing in the Loeb wedding approaching me right after the ceremony asking if I was sitting on phone books. Apparently, I have a REALLY long torso. Stop makin' fun of me, ROB! What are you, 45?
Finding out the photo booth had an asian inspired hat. This happened:
Friends you can't take anywhere...
3. Singing Meatloaf as loud as possible to Dunja Stefanovic. You're welcome, Dunja.
4. Luke Ernst bringing dice to the reception and rolling a 7 off of Katie Loeb's wedding dress. EPIC!
Gaetano Wedding:
5. Power & Light District. That place is amazing! Wild world of open air drinking with food and bars everywhere. Thanks to Brad Boldt, people started calling me "'The Iceman' Paul Wall".
6. Uncorking a bottle of champagne with a sword. I want to learn how to do this!!!
7. Dancing like a maniac with strangers. Everyone loves a fun reception, especially one where you can act crazy and not care.
June was my last month in Chicago. Certainly, it was difficult to leave Crowe. Great people to work with. In fact, the people kept me there. And, it was VERY difficult to leave Chicago. I managed to establish a great network of friends from all types of circles. DePaul, Crowe, Purdue people, kickball... all great people. No shout outs.. I'll tear up... especially you, Kyle Conforti.
Thankfully, I had a great going away party. Most memorable night of my 8 years in Chicago. All my favorite people in one place for an amazing night. Well, most all my favorite people... some couldn't make it. People traveled up from Texas and from Ohio, and we had over 100 people on a boat on Lake Michigan. Open bar, fireworks, perfect weather, great people. Can't ask for much more than that.
Great and epic party. Going away party part deux in 2012? Stay tuned...
In July, I moved to Texas to start my first semester as a doctoral student. I'll have to say being a college student again comes with it's challenges. I feel old on a campus of 18-22 year olds. Transitioning from not having to do all that much after work to having homework to do isn't fun. But, there are definitely some sweet perks. Like how everything is cheaper in Texas (gas and $3.75 movies.. oh and $6 pitchers of beer), and how there are student discounts everywhere. Student tickets to football games on Saturdays is great. Cheap tickets, first pull... wish TAMU had a better team.
I've been incredibly blessed to have a solid network of friends in Texas before I moved back. It's made the transition a hell of a lot easier. I love the people I've had in my life since high school, even those since 5th grade. If I'm ever bored, I know I have a place to crash in a more fun city. I've been introduced to a lot of great people through these old friends, in particular the Houston people. HoustonHolly, Sarah, Reagan, Kara, Nicole, Joey, Katie, etc... SO AMAZING! Fun and enjoyable people who like to have fun and do fun things. Like... BINGO (attended one time, and was the first in the group to win!) and brunch.
I have to say that I've been incredibly blessed with amazing fortune this year. Great friends all over the country and I'm continuously adding new friends. I've experienced a lot of fun events this year, and great opportunities keep popping up. 2012, you have a lot of work to do to be anywhere as epic as 2011... but I have faith you'll be able to match and surpass 2011's greatness.
Recap: Acceptance into Texas A&M's Accounting PhD program, great weddings, amazing friends, perfect going away party, new people, college life, college football, bingo...
The Future:
2012 is already shaping up to be an amazing year. In August and November of 2011, I found out that my best friends (James and Courtney Burkett) and my sister and brother-in-law, respectively, are expecting. I'll be an "uncle" and a real uncle in the same year. So excited. Courtney and James, if you're reading this... you know I'll make a great "godfather" to Baby Bea!
Here's to a great 2012! Work hard, be nice, and enjoy the ride.
With the Golden Globes announcing their nominations this week, I have to say that the best actor category is a true "who's who" of Hollywood. I'm always skeptical of the nominations because it seems like awards are too political. Seeing the perennial George Clooney nomination, made me wonder if his new role in The Descendants was any good. I'll have to admit, that I enjoyed the movie very much.
The Descendants is a story about a Hawaiian family that can trace its history back to the last King of Hawaii (hence the title) told in the perspective of the head of the family, George's character. The movie opens with his wife in the hospital after a boating accident. You come to find that she had an affair with some local realtor. And, while his wife is in the hospital, he and his two daughters seek more information about this dude. At the same time, the family, along with a generation of cousins, are practically being forced to sell family property on Kauai... a huge tract of virgin Hawaiian land that would yield a very large sum of money for all family members....
One thing that Clooney's character reminded me of is the idea of cynicism and its place in society. How easy is it to be a cynic? You don't get the promotion you think you deserve... CYNICAL! You're late to work, it's raining, and a car splashes a puddle on you... time to be CYNICAL! You get dumped... why not hate the world and be CYNICAL! (just examples... not a meditation on my current life) It's become the norm to blame other people or at least take out frustration on other people for negative situations we, as people, find ourselves in. Doesn't it suck how the better road is usually the tougher path to take?
So where am I in the world of cynicism? Full disclosure... I love a good rage. The problem with being a person who is expressive with emotions is that sometimes... emotions get the best of me. Both good and bad emotions can come out full throttle. I'd like to say that I turn most of my negative emotions on myself... what could I have done differently, where did I go wrong. You can call bull shit on that, anyone who's reading this.
I'll end this post with this quote... "If you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen." - Conan O'Brien in his farewell speech. Something to work on, something to be cognizant of... and go see The Descendants. It's worth a trip to the theater.
Today, I made a one-day trip into Austin to visit some long time friends and family friends. It's been 3 years since I've been to Austin, but there's still a lot of familiarity to the city. From College Station to Austin takes about 2 hours, driving on all minor roads...
Between Taylor and Hutto is this intersection (not sure what it is really...) called Norman's Crossing. Everyone has heard of the Urban Legend of the spirits of some murdered children pushing cars away from a bridge. Well, in High School I distinctly remember a group of us driving to Norman's Crossing, putting the car into neutral to see if they rolled away from the bridge. The second part of the urban legend is to put baby powder on the rear of your car, in which finger prints appear. Obviously, this is stupid because bridges are usually crowned and the finger prints are your own...
I also drove past the spot where I flipped over my bike and was bleeding everywhere. Luckily, there were no cars around at the time and we were by a hospital. I definitely remember a nurse wrapping my wounds.
It's also bizarre how your car just drives itself in the town you grew up in and how you associate certain places with people. For instance, Yucca Drive... The Burketts. Taking the back way from my house to The Burketts would yield seeing Kelly Tryce's old white station wagon, and a drive by Caroline Fisher's house just to see if she was outside... I'll admit what everyone once knew, I was definitely into Caroline in high school.
Also, Austin wouldn't be Austin without this:
I remember seeing this car and thinking how cool it would be to see this on the road... it never moved.
Someone should put this up on all college campuses. I'd be curious to see the contrast in responses from DePaul and Texas A&M. Student bases are totally different.
Here are a few things on my list:
1) Become certified to skydive solo
1a) Skydive on every continent
2) Have something (Street, Building, School, Gallery, Terminal, etc) named after me. Could you imagine living on Paul Wong Way?
3) Celebrate New Years Eve in multiple time zones.
I've started a routine of listening to music in the shower. Today, my iPod shuffled:
Queen - You're My Best Friend
Queen - Fat Bottom Girls
The Beatles - Hello Goodbye
A fantastic triad of songs. Thanks iPod. I'm pretty sure I was born in the wrong decade, based on my music preferences... although, I'm also pretty sure I'm happy not to live through the whole Cold War/Vietnam time period.
Bonus: I'm borrowing my parent's dog, Jackie, for the week, and the jingle of her collar keeps waking me up. Granted, at 7:30 I should be up already... Anyway, this morning her jingle woke me up and this song popped into my head:
Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse - Valerie... not a bad way to wake up. What a catchy tune.
I've known James since I was 10. Grew up together, went to church, middle school and high school together. And even though I went to college 1000 miles away, no distance could put a damper on our friendship. I'm so happy for James and Courtney. They're going to be amazing parents.
It was a great weekend, with the exception of the pointless communications seminar I had to go to Saturday morning. It prohibited me from being at the actual reveal. HOWEVER, I got to have a private celebration at the Burkett's. AND, my girl guess put the guess tally at 14-13 girls. You can call me a winner.
The high school crew was back together for one night. Hasn't happened in a while, but it was fantastic. We went to dinner at a restaurant that transforms into a club. Cougars were certainly on the prowl. If you're cougar hunting, you want to go to Plano, Texas and spend time in the Shops at Legacy area. They're everywhere! And, they're dangerous.
It's fun to be around them again. It's like nothing has changed and we can all joke around like fools. I consider myself extremely lucky to have such great friends and a solid group of buddies in Texas for my first year back.
How I Met Your Mother was hiliarious this week. Below is a short clip, but if you fast forward to 3:35 you'll get to my favorite part. Listen closely to the yelp during the second slap.
Excluding people, here are some of the things I miss about Chicago:
SoupBox - it's Fall now. That means there's a chill in the air. What better way to warm up than with a delicious and hearty soup? Please excuse Rachel Ray on the website. I hate her! But in lieu of her recommendation, I still love this place.
Halloween Trolly - For the past two years, the friends have rented a trolly and took it around Chicago with our costumes on. Somehow we'd always get kicked off the trolly before our time was up. Year 1: I think it was the slap the bag. "Why is my shirt purple?" Year 2: stupid delicious apple pie shots in jugs.
Apparently Year 3 went off without a hitch. Glad the tradition continues.
(Luke, Adam, Matt, Pat)
The convenience store on the first floor of my old building - The word "convenience" cannot be stressed enough. Need a beverage? Go downstairs. Need toilet paper? Go downstairs. Need a random food or apartment supply? Go downstairs. Just so easy!
Cheap taxis - I know I complained with the $1 fuel surcharge for each cab ride, but it's still way cheaper than College Station cabs. $15 to go to the airport that's a few miles away? Seems unreasonable.
The Landmark Theatre - Great movie theatre, close to my old apartment, and showed great indie films. Rainy day? Just take a walk down the street and sit in an almost empty theatre. Basically a private showing.
Reading academic journal papers is like running... it's not fun (i.e.: it's not Harry Potter literature) and it takes time, but you just have to tuck in and get it done.
Distraction!!!
If only I went to that hip hop dance factory as a kid...
I think I've always known this about myself, but this fact has recently hit me square in the face. I hate waiting. Convenience is more satisfying and the end result is way more exciting than working out the details. I'll give you an example. Recently, the PhD program has felt overwhelming to me. The number of courses, the order of courses to take, the research projects... accumulated, the intermediate steps seem so huge that the final result appears unattainable. It's a wonder how anyone gets through the program... then, I take a step back and realize, I'm 9 weeks into a four year program. It's not that I can't do the work because I can, and I will. It's the logistics of getting things done efficiently and effectively on the first try.
This is The Smiths' "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want". I have a strange connection to this song, not to mention it's the first song that came to mind when I woke up this morning. I think it goes to say that I'm awfully greedy. As if I haven't had my fair share of fortune and good times, I always just want a little more... please (I'll say please 3 times if it'll help me)?
Sorry for the lack of posts. It's been really busy. Couple of tests, a presentation and loads of papers to read. I'll have to admit, being in school again is awesome. I'd say I'm 95% accustomed to being a student again. It's still had to get used to the level of income and the fact that I have to do work when I get home almost every night. But it's worth it. Especially, since I've had some great weekends and have great weekends to come. Dallas, Houston, and next week Chicago. Seeing most of the people I care most about in three consecutive weekends.
My best friends James and Courtney announced recently they are expecting a baby. I'm lobbying hard for James to pull off this Modern Family moment. Congrats James and Courtney. I can't wait to be the unconventional"uncle" that confuses your child because I don't look like his/her parents (my bet is on a girl).
I've been watching quite a few YouTube clips of The Community. This gem was in my queue of recommendations. ENJOY! I particularly like the cartoon clip.
One of my favorite things to read is a solid autobiography of a comedian. Although it's clear some comedians have help writing the book, comedians have a great way of telling a story. They have to! A solid story makes for a great joke. Comedians come from a wide range of backgrounds, and it's interesting to see how they grew up and where their creative inspiration comes from. It's also nice to see that they're human, that they aren't always human, and that they've had some difficulty in life. I haven't purchased one lately, and I'm looking to get back on the horse. If there's any one out there who has any suggestions, I'd take them with open arms!
Here's a few that I've read that I've loved and recommend strongly:
Conan should definitely come out with an autobiography. So many interesting experiences... The Simpsons, SNL, Late Night, Tonight Show, not on the Tonight Show, TBS... Until he comes out with a book, I suggest watching Conan O'Brien Can't Stop. Inside look on his post-Tonight Show tour.
I have this weird and rather morbid obsession with building a playlist for my funeral, which will hopefully not be for a long long time from now. This idea comes from a few places:
In High Fidelity, John Cusack's character poses a question of top songs to play at a funeral,
Typical funeral music is slow and boring. A funeral is already sad, why have the music make you more sad?
Every event should have a theme, right?
Anyway, I used to have a long list, and... sadly, I've misplaced it. I do, however, have a couple songs in mind...
1) How Could I Say Goodbye to Yesterday - Boyz II Men. I mean, obviously...
2) Hate It Here - Wilco. I kinda wish someone would want to use this song as an expression of their sadness that I've passed.
That was pretty heavy... And to balance it out, here are puppies and football!
I was having a conversation last night with a friend of mine, Holly, who had worked at a pool with a lazy river. I, of course, asked the off the wall question: did you ever have rubber duck races in the lazy river? The answer was no... but it did give me the idea of an amazing charity idea. Sell a rubber duck for $10 for a race in the Schlitterbahn wave pool at the end of the summer. People who buy in would be given a number, if your duck finishes the wave pool lap first, you get a free trip somewhere or some money. Proceeds would go to some amazing charity. Schlitterbahn would win because it'd get people in the door and great press. It'd also be hilarious.
I have to tell this story about my friend Marilena (see older blog post), her brother, Dave; and his friend from forever ago, Mark, because it still makes me laugh thinking about it...
The boys were visiting Marilena for the weekend I think during Marilena and my third year at DePaul, and we decided to take advantage of Second City's free improv session one of the nights they were in town. For those who are not familiar with Second City, they do improv after the last show each night, with the exception of Fridays... or Saturdays... one of the two. They do basic improv games or pilot material for future revues using keywords, phrases, scenarios, etc. given by the audience. For some reason Dave and Mark were going on and on and on about Taye Diggs all night. I mean ALL night. Everything somehow related to Taye Diggs to them. I couldn't even tell you why Taye Diggs, but they were cracking each other up with references, and it was really funny...
When it came time for audience participation at Second City, the cast member asked, "Name something you got for Christmas that you couldn't return".
Dave and Mark scream, "TAYE DIGGS!"
The cast member laughs, and says, "Well alright, Taye Diggs".
When Dave and Mark are together they are two of the most hilarious people I've ever been around. Which is one of the reasons why they do well musically. Together they form The Plum Pluckers, follow them on Facebook. Here's a recording of the two at work.
I've known Dave for a good number of years. Brilliant. The adjective coincides with the last name Van Haren. Dave is a classic case of developing skill through passion and hard work. This is my favorite drumming video of him covering Come On! Feel the Illinoise! So many moving parts on what seems to be a fairly complicated beat... amazing.
In the mornings when I arrive in the office, after catching up with my fellow students, I like to settle in to some music to play while I read. This morning on Pandora, my second song was Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap. I'm a fan of this song, partially because of it's appearance on the (500) Days of Summer soundtrack, and I can get behind anything that has to do with Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Leavitt... But, it's also a good song.
Research reading: "What Makes Conference Calls Useful? The Information Content of Managers' Presentations and Analysts' Discussion Sessions". Sounds interesting, right? WELL IT IS!!!
A much necessary break day. No significant work done today, no workout either. I did get to see Our Idiot Brother and take my plastic and glass bottles to the recycling drop off.
Our Idiot Brother was an interesting dissection of one simple person living in a busy world. Dynamic characters. Paul Rudd did an excellent job as the central character surrounded by basically only women. Zooey Deschanel, is there anyone who comes off as awesome and someone you want to hang out with as Zooey Deschanel?
I did do my social responsibility to recycle and took a bunch of empty bottles to a recycling center. Mama Wong taught us kids a valuable lesson when we were young. I'm pretty sure my parents were bribing experts. My mom would hoard cardboard, cans, bottles and random plastic, and she'd convince us to take it downtown with her in exchange for getting Jim Jim's Water Ice. Thanks Mom! Now someone get me a medium watermelon/strawberry water ice!!!
I started my first REAL semester of my Ph.D. program this week. Hard and not as hard courses mixed in with one another. Things I've learned on my first two days:
There are a ton of people at Texas A&M and they all park in my parking lot. I love my convenience, and I shake my fist at myself for not signing up for a parking spot earlier.
Economics has been erased from my memory, especially the micro side of it. That class is going to be interesting because it's not only economics but it's also a bunch of mathematical proofs, something that has not been my forte.
Research is a whole different animal. It'll definitely require baby steps in understanding the concepts presented and baby steps in analyzing the papers constructively to gain some new ideas. Such an amateur...
College Station water is naturally salty, which apparently can cause high blood pressure. It's like drinking solely from a septic tank. Filtering doesn't help... only reverse-osmosis treatment will take care of the salt. Here's to bottled water and recycling plastic for the next 4 years.
For anyone old enough to remember pop music in the 90s... here is one that I saw at the gym this morning... first song of the day!
I remember this song because it was on an album that my 6th grade girlfriend, Sarah Butler, gave me for my birthday. How can you not enjoy the sounds of Jakob Dylan?
Literally right before my alarm went off this morning, I had a dream that me and my two sisters went fishing in this shallow bay. My little sister, Meredith, got bored and found a jet ski, and started motoring around. This mutated orca with no tail, no dorsal fin, and very few white spots was following her around the bay and kept bumping her off the jet ski in a playful manner. She was having the time of her life.
Is there a better summer time treat than a good ole fashion ice cream soda? I really only have Sonic to blame for my current fixation on the tasty treat. The combination of a cold coca cola and blue bell homemade vanilla ice cream....... perfection. Also, am I the only one who enjoys eating the foam? Seriously, every part of an ice cream soda is delicious. Added bonus: the cold feeling you get that requires the warmth of a hoodie.
I just had a dream I was having dinner with Barry Switzer, former Cowboys head coach, and this random kid from high school, jorel borel. Also in the dream, my DePaul orientation leader, patty, who I bumped into walking around on the streets, and a woman in an ape costume using a snow blower on a dusting of snow.... She was in an ape costume because she didn't want to change out of her granny panties? Last part is weird, but it's how my dream justified it, even thougg it doesn't make sense at all.
The world of academics is an arena where you have to provide tangible contribution in order to survive. It's okay to derive material from others, but something new has to be included to be published....
I liken it to the world of comedy. No one likes an unoriginal comedian. Case in point: where is Carlos Mencia these days? ALL OF HIS STUFF WAS DERIVATIVE, and now he's gone. But then you have Eddie Murphy, who handed the baton to Chris Rock, then to Tracy Morgan and now the talented but young Don Glover is coming through... each adding something new, each remaining relevant.
The similarities continue when you think about how much material has already been produced. It's conceptually improbable to be completely original, at least from the current untrained eye. That's the goal in the next four years... learn how to be original... and maybe figure out how to be funny as well.
Here's some Don Glover Crying for you... soo good.
One of the perks of living in Texas, is the glorious pre-first day of school weekend shop-a-thon they call Tax Free Weekend!!! Illinois is too broke to allow for a tax free weekend. I remember as a kid, being dropped off at the mall and allowed to purchase new school clothes. The one item I recall purchasing were Doc Martin sandals that were sooooooo heavy for my tiny sappling legs. They also put a nice blister on the back of my foot. Why were we all wearing Doc Martins?
Do I plan on taking advantage of the weekend? Absolutely. Too bad I'm not in a bigger city where they sell real clothes. Instead, I'll stock up on Texas A&M gear and shoes, maybe.
I'm thoroughly enjoying Mumford & Sons today. A friend of mine emailed me access to Spotify, an AMAZING music resource. I've always liked with I've heard from Mumford & Sons, but never really took the time to absorb their music. Coding is going to provide the perfect time listen to new tunes. I'm always interested in finding new artists, so please send some my way.
As promised, I'm doing the two other "fifty people, one question" videos today. The last two ask: If you could wake up anywhere, where would you wake up tomorrow?
Although the idea of saying "home" would be nice... home, is a concept that's hard to grasp when you haven't had time to get your roots deep into the soil. Chicago was nice for 8 years, but time flew by and so many transitions seemed to occur that nothing quite felt like home. When I say transitions, I mean moving away from family and friends, starting completely new, going to college, then starting work. A lot of big things happened in the last 8 years... I digress.
My answer to the question is more luxurious than home (I'm a poor student in College Station, there's hardly anything in College Station that you could call "luxurious"). Where I'd really like to wake up is in the nets of a luxury catamaran (like this one http://www.gunboat.com/90-gallery.php#), anchored off of a remote island off the cost of Belize or Costa Rica with 25 of my closest friends (one of which being someone who knows how to sail and navigate, preferably not by using the stars, the open seas) to the smell of something tasty on the grill. Of course there are more desires, like no mosquitoes biting or birds bothering us... but that's within the second tier of requirements.
My answer stems from 2 places: 1) a high school friend of mine did this, and I've been jealous ever since. 2) I went on a sail boat this weekend, and it was a blast. I've always wanted to learn how to work a sail boat, and I love the open water. And, who doesn't want to party on a private luxury catamaran?
Chicago Skyline from Lake Michigan
Who wants to come with? Where you would want to wake up tomorrow?
When I was younger, I was little... very little. So little, in fact that when we were lined up in order of height for a full middle school panoramic photo, I was the second shortest kid in 6th grade, girls included. I think in 7th grade I was bumped up to 5th shortest. I was always itty bitty. Here's a photo of me and my sisters. I was probably somewhere between 6 and 8.
Needless to say, short has been my thing... always on the cusp of being below average in height. I'm okay with it now, it fine... it's fine...
If the videos in the previous post were published when I was younger, I would have said to be taller. Not 6 feet tall, just a few inches. It was always a wish of a few inches, never greedy. And when the song "I Wish" by Skee-Lo came out... that made me wish harder. As a matter of fact, I used to pray to be taller... thinking that I'd be granted my prayer because it couldn't have been too hard to for God to be like, fine... bang! three inches over night. For some reason, I have the picture of me under my dinosaur comforter within my bunk beds, praying with my eyes tightly shut. It's a little embarrassing looking back at it now... but I'm sure there were many embarrassing prayers that God had to listen to. Hope I entertained you, God.
A few years ago, I found these videos where they recorded 50 people answering a question. Today and tomorrow, I'll answer the two questions they asked in the 4 videos they produced.
The first two videos they produced asked the question: By the end of today, what would I wish would happen.
What I wish to happen by the end of the day is to make a memory. How many days go by with such insignificance? They're just a day checked off the list, a day older, but nothing "real" or substantial happens? How great are the days something sticks with you for a while? It's like the perfect meal capped off with the perfect fat kid snack dessert that you can have only once in your life, but you don't know you're having the best meal of your life until you're actually experiencing it. Then, after it's over... the taste lingers and the cravings begin.
What would you wish to happen by the end of today?
My best college friend is named Marilena. She's the greatest, most loyal and sweetest person you'll ever meet, and she was such an extremely great friend to me during the four years at DePaul (still is one of my best and most trusted friends). Here's a picture of her and me in our Halloween 2006 costumes.
She decided to move away to Los Angeles in 2007, after we graduated. To this day, I have a biased hatred towards the city for causing such a great physical barrier between us... that and it's a huge city that is impossible to maneuver around. What it does have going for it is an abundance of absolutely fantastic artists who portray the city in a magnificent way. I stumbled across this video on Vimeo:
I wouldn't be where I'm at professionally without a little help from the people at Crowe Horwath. The valuable work experience was a great start. Thanks everyone at Crowe!
A friend of mine, Julie, and I were talking about blogs this weekend because she's taking a magnificent open ended around the world trip... like Magellan but without the potential of scurvy or impending death by locals... and I'm hoping she publishes and shares her adventures in a blog.
As for me, I've decided to start a blog because I, too, am starting a new journey in life (though most people might not think it's as glamorous) as a PhD student at Texas A&M University's accounting program. It's likely that I'll write about anything... things I've learned, observations, thoughts, experiences or cool things I've found.
I hope to develop a hook to keep you entertained and reading, but if I'm flying solo in this journey... at least it's documented!
