I was trying to finish this entry with a long ramble before I posted it but forget it, it's been too long and so many things have changed... it's easier to just start a new entry.

Ok, so now the biggest check I've held in my hands (to deposit) is $3.5 million. (It was a life insurance check though).

I've been crying a lot the last two days because Dante is moving and although I know it's good for me, I will miss him a lot... I also realized just how little I mean to him and that gets me depressed because I have given him everything I could, I sacrificed a lot for him and in many ways I ruined my life for him, and he shows his appreciation by treating me like shit and putting everyone else priority over me.

Ok, so who wants a Gmail invitation?? I have 6 to give away... Are they still doing this by invitation only??

Nice to get all that out...

I swear, if I didn't have a job I love so much at an amazing company, I'd have gone postal by now. (do people still use that expression, go postal?)

I'm sure every company is like this but when you were at an awful place like my last job, you appreciate things soooo much more. It's so nice to work around young people!! My last job was all old ladies and cranky partners. I've always said I wanted a work life like Ally McBeal and a friends life like Friends... 1 out of 2 is better than nothing. We don't have that unisex bathroom but do automatic flushing toilets count for anything? :) We've been doing that "going drinking at the bar downstairs after work" thing a lot lately. A bunch of us are planning on going to a male strip club soon - we just have to find one that isn't far from us and is open on Saturday. We do the beach volleyball thing every Thursday, but I think we're gonna change it to bowling now because I don't think we'd have enough time to play a couple games at the beach after work before it gets dark.

It's not just the people at work, I love what I do and I love the clients we have. I love joking about these people too - how some of them can't do anything on their own except charge on their credit cards... Sometimes when I'm explaining to people what I do, they ask, "they pay people to do that?" (pay bills, etc) and I say back, "if you're rich enough, you can pay anyone to do anything." One of the clients I work on pays someone to come in once a week and CHANGE LIGHTBULBS!! Can you believe that? :) One of my favorite parts from Ocean's Eleven was in the beginning when Topher Grace was talking about how his business manager wants him to write checks to Brad Pitt because he can take it as a "research" deduction and checks are receipts. Thats what we do! Whoo, shout out.

A bunch of us were in the kitchen at lunch today talking about reality shows and we got into that show - "Fabulous Life of..." and some people were saying it makes them depressed watching that show. Lorena and I were like, "that makes you depressed but working on our client accounts doesn't??" Lorena said she has held a $30 million check in her hands... I think the most I've had is that $540,000 from earlier this week, but I've only been at this job 2 months :).

How many times do you have to tell someone something before you have a right to be pissed off?? "GIVE ME SOME ROOM WHEN YOU PARK IN THE FUCKING DRIVEWAY!!" Aargh!! I'm sure I've ranted about this a million times but we have tandem parking here, they gave us a long driveway and my roommate parks where no one else can get behind her. We fit 3 freakin cars in the driveway all the time and she has to take up the whole space?? If she can't fit in the first spot like she insists (which is impossible because I park my car in there all the time, Dante zips into the spot in his Mustang, my ex roomies have fit a 4-Runner and a big ass Mitsubishi Montero in there), then she should be parking her crappy ass dented/scratched up GEO PRIZM in the street instead of me trying to find street parking all the time for my newly repaired Audi A4. It's not like parking is so easy to find around here. She doesnt even have to fit her car in the first spot, just pull in a little bit... but the bitch doesn't even try. I've told her a million times to park her car right. A couple weeks ago, I just told her straight out, I just spent $2300 fixing my car, I don't want to park that shit on the street. She was good for a day! Whoo, I think that was too much to ask. I came home late one night last week and I couldn't find any street parking, so I called her to move her car up. She wasn't even home!! I ended up parking WAYYYYYYY down the street and she knew I was so pissed off because she kept calling me apologizing... that didn't teach her though. She did it again tonight!! I couldn't find parking tonight, I drive by MY SPOT and there's her car taking up the entire driveway again. I came up and asked her AGAIN if she can park right. She said, "I'm leaving in a couple minutes" and 30 mins later, she's still here! I told her tonight, "I don't care if you're leaving soon, I'll move my freakin car when you need to leave, I just don't want to have to walk down the block after dealing with traffic on the way home from work." We'll see if that gets into her dumbass head.

Aargh, next time this happens again (and I KNOW there's gonna be a next time), I'm just gonna go off... hmmm, maybe I need to delete this post so there's no evidence...

1 episode of Amazing Race left!!! The finale of Big Brother (go Drew!) is also next Tuesday. What am I going to do after next week? The Apprentice just feels weird this season because everyone is a freakin nut.

Lets see what Frank Abagnale Jr. (Catch Me if You Can) has to say about the Bush memos...

CBS, I love you for reasons I can't say on this public online journal, but I'm so disappointed in you. You've been screwed big time twice this year!! Once by my boy, Justin Timberlake and again just now by these memos.

Ooooh - this just in - Newly Unearthed Bush National Guard Memo...

Just a heads up on today's Oprah show... amazing.

All this money flying around lately!! Gets me depressed. A client got a tax refund check for $55,000 last week... this week another client gets a huge huge check for his producing fees on his show - guess how much... naw, you won't guess... this is for 3 episodes of his show - $540,000 and he gets another check for the royalties on that show - the royalties are for more episodes (5) - $90,000. Clients who don't get as much income are getting huge checks this week too!!

I love this job but it just makes me realize what I don't and probably never will have. I finally got off my ass and turned in my application for my CPA exams but even that won't get me to the level these people are at!

Thats part of the reason why I've been depressed lately... I've been going through that quarter life crisis thing again, this time its been more depressing than ever. Nevermind that 2 of my closest friends are getting married and I lost my "back-up".... I make good money here (comparatively) but it's still not enough! Freakin dumbass girl who rear ended me last month wasn't insured!! Her policy lapsed 2 years ago so I have to pay my deductible and the rental car even though I wasn't at fault... her 'insurance' even had the nerve to send me a letter asking me to describe the accident! Every time I think I'll be ok financially "after this paycheck" something comes up beyond my control. I can't live my whole life like this!!

Anyway, I'll get more into all that later - can't blog too much while I'm at work... been so busy but I'm still loving it!

TWoP Forums - Hottest Olympians - this is the BEST message board on the internet! :) After watching Aleksei Nemov and the way he handled the bullshit gymnast judging, I'll add him to my list of hottest guys... I first saw Alexander Popov sooooooo long ago and he's so cute I still remember him. Oh my god, I just googled him and found this... I think I'm gonna faint heehee. Alexander's nickname is the Russian Rocket and I think Aleksei's is Sexy Aleksei... Why hadn't I noticed him before??? He's totally classy.

I haven't had time to read the whole message board to find new meat :) but I'll get to it eventually. This is just too fun.

Sooooooooooooo much shit to talk about - It's been a long time since I wrote in this journal... I'll sit down later tomorrow night (technically, tonight) and just write.

Bush Family Gathers for Wedding in Maine - DAMMIT!! This week just gets worse and worse... George P. Bush is married now. He was such a cutie 4 years ago at the Republican convention. Lucky girl.

I was rear ended on the freeway yesterday when I was trying to get to work after a doctor's appointment. I was 2 exits away, I saw traffic coming up so I slowed down and came to a stop behind the car in front of me... then BAMM! Some car hits me, I hit the car in front of me and she hits the car in front of her. The accident wasn't bad but now my car is running like shit. It sounds like one of those crappy fixed up cars (why the hell do people do that to their cars voluntarily?? All that noise... GEEZ). My car is sooooo sturdy though because the car behind me was scrunched up in the front, my car was only scratched badly (she did dent the trunk though) in the back, and barely scratched in the front. I can say that my brakes are awesome. Argh, it's been like 3 weeks since I got it out of the shop and its going right back in the shop. I'm not mad about the accident (they happen) but I'm mad that I have to go out of my way now to get the shit fixed... and because I don't have a rental car on my policy, I have to go to a body shop and have them say my car is undriveable before I can go rent a car and make the other insurance pay for it... and it's Saturday so NOTHING is open until Monday... that means I'm stuck home for the weekend :(.

I've had a couple of crappy weeks lately. At least I'm tan now... I've been at the beach every Saturday with Amy the past 3 weeks and I've finally started to tan!! Thank you SPF 15.

Oh - by the way, there's a party at the Santa Monica beach (by the Jonathan Club) tonight at 8pm... some cute lifeguard invited us but Amy had to go home and I'm not going to that by myself. Lifeguard party :) closest thing to heaven in Santa Monica.

FOXSports.com - Lakers trade Payton, Fox to Celtics -WTF WTF WTF WTF... Alright, thats it for me. I might still watch but only if there is absolutely nothing to do.

I found something at American Eagle I HAVE to have!! Boy Briefs - I want the pink ones... check out what it says on the back of that one :)...

The sun completely hates me... I've been out at the beach so much this summer and I'm only semi-tan, if tan at all... My barometer for "tanness" is if my mom yells at me. She hasn't yet :(. Amy and I go lay out at the beach for 4 hours every Saturday and I've been playing volleyball there Thursdays after work... I think my sunblock works too well. I bought that new Coppertone Ultrasheer Sunscreen and I love that thing!! It makes your skin so soft, it doesn't feel like you have sunscreen on because it's not oily and sand doesn't stick to you. I need to go get the SPF 15 instead of the 30 though. Last time I went to Target, they were sold out of all the Ultrasheer Sunscreen.

Red Bull is amazing. It keeps me awake in class so you know thats powerful shit. You know what's better than Red Bull? FREE Red Bull! They moved their headquarters to a building across the street from us and they've been giving us a free carton every week. Last week, I took one on my way to class just in case the one I drank before I left for class wasn't enough... turns out it was enough, so I put it in my fridge for later, just in case I felt like working out. Dante took it before I got a chance - he loved it and told me to get more... they're freakin expensive if you buy it anywhere! Everyone in our office is addicted to it so it's hard for me to have more than 1 or 2 a week, so I went to Costco to get some - $31.95 for 24 cans!! Can you believe that? I also saw them on sale at Ralphs this week - $6.99 for 4. That's no sale!!

Speaking of Ralphs, I was there last Sunday and I must've not had any Red Bull in me because I wasn't thinking straight. There's a ghetto Ralphs I go to sometimes because it's close - everytime I go, this one guy always starts flirting with me, etc. He looks EXACTLY like Erik from O-Town (shoot me for knowing that) and I thought he was kinda cute so when he asked me for my #, I gave it to him... Afterwards, I was thinking, 'the guy freakin works at Ralphs! What did I do that for?? I'm supposed to talk to guys on my level.' but it was too late. So this guy calls me later that night at like 11:30p and wants to "hang out". Yeah, I wasn't born yesterday... plus I dated a player so I know... "hang out"?? pfft. He calls the next night at 11:00p... I tell him I'm tired. He calls 2 nights later at 10:00p, I'm busy. The next night at 10:00p, I was taking a nap cause I was so tired from volleyball. I know I told the guy I had an on/off boyfriend but I don't remember if I told him I lived with the guy... I'll do that next time he calls. I've just been avoiding his calls the last couple days. Maria and I figured out what our problems were - we aren't going to give anyone a chance until Bruce tells Maria he met someone or Dante tells me it's OVER over. (It's been over for a while, but not OVER over)... I think Bruce is waiting for Maria to tell him she met someone, so that one is gonna take a while too.

Brandy's Sneaky Marriage Secret - haaaaaa... I hate Brandy.

So-so day today - one of our big clients died last night and another big client got his job back after begging and begging (and for that job, I'd beg too)... Oh, and the Daily Variety is reporting that Will Ferrell is in talks to star in a movie another client wrote... even if the movie script sucked (which I hope it doesn't, because our clients are better than that!), Will can make it funny and make it huge.

Grand entrance for Shaq in Miami - they're having so much fun in Miami I'm jealous. It just feels like the party ended and its starting somewhere else but you're not invited :(. Are we supposed to be excited we got Mr. Flopper?? There are rumors Karl Malone is going to Miami too... geez, I remember 1 year ago when I hated Karl Malone and now I actually like the guy. Maybe these Lakers can change my opinion like that because I'm not looking forward to this season at all. I might have to jump ship. I talked to my friend Maria for the first time in years (we used to go to Laker games together with binoculars trained on Derek Fisher and Rick Fox and 'the cute guy in the brown suit in the front row') yesterday and she told me she jumped ship already. "Where ever Derek goes, I go. Sorry, I gotta support my man."

You gotta love a work environment where someone asks a partner about his new baby (born last week, Adriana (the girl I work together with in our little teams - she's the bookkeeper, I'm her assistant) won the "Bacon Bowl" - a little pool we had going around the office on when the baby would be born. The partner's last name is Bacon, hence, Bacon Bowl... we had fun suggesting baby names to him) and he replies that last night the baby ate at 11, woke up for feeding time at 3 and woke up again at 6 and "those are my feeding hours anyway so I didn't mind". When he said that, a couple people started cracking up (with our dirty minds) and he finally realizes what he said and he was mad that he didn't think of that in the first place. "I'm usually the first one to think of that!!" How many bosses (another partner, not Bacon) would be cool with his assistant sending out an e-mail to everyone in the office (to let us know when he won't be in to sign checks) and ending the e-mail with a WHOO-HOO!.

I think I've been spending way too much time with people at work because I had a dream I was making out with one of my co-workers. We spend all day at work together in the same office and every Thursday, we go to the beach to play volleyball (they started doing that at our office - we can leave at 5:30 and carpool to the beach to get in a couple games.) He's an awesome guy, great volleyball player, etc... I'm just not sure of his preferences... It was weird for me on Friday because I kept getting embarassed thinking about my dream.

Oh my gosh, how addicting is the Amazing Race?? So addicting I had a dream last night about Dante and I being on that show! That is the first time I watched it (because of Allison from Big Brother) and I am hooked. I don't have any favorites though because Allison was eliminated already (hated her but felt sorry for Donnie) but Brandon might be taking over Justin Guarini's role as Sideshow Bob (especially now that Justin cut his hair). I've also been watching Big Brother - rooting for Drew - he's the major eye candy and they're usually my favorites.

Wow, so much to cover but also, so much work to do... I leave you with this rumor - again, it's just another rumor and I refuse to believe it until JT is waking up next to me. Heehee.

I'm alive, I'm alive!  Sorry, I've been just wayyyyyyyyy too busy to post lately.  The Blogger "create posts" page even looks different now.  I worked on a post last week but I never got a chance to finish it so I'll do that later. 
 
The property company that owns my apartment building is repiping the place this week so I don't know when I'll be able to set my computer up at home... by Thursday at the latest but I hope they finish sooner.  I love my TiVo but I need my computer access at home too.  I'll probably be bored and go to Target 4 times this week instead of my usual 2... :)
 
Can't believe Shaq is gone and all we got is 3 mediocre players... I woulda wanted a superstar in return for Shaq - a Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, et.al or a young up and comer stud or BARON DAVIS, but naw, we get Lamar Odom (I don't care how "good" he is, he's tainted by the Clippers uniform), Brian Grant (was he the one who couldn't guard Shaq in the playoffs?  oh wait, that was everyone.) and Caron Butler (WHO??).  The appeal is gone.  Derek Fisher is leaving too and I doubt Rick Fox will be back. I'll still be a Lakers fan, but I'll start watching more Miami and New Orleans (love me some Baron) games now.
 
Which freakin girlie men are offended by Arnold Schwarzenegger's comment??  Get a sense of humor, ladies.
 
Post more when I get a chance - I gotta get ready to leave for class...

FOXSports.com - Coach K in 'serious discussions' with Lakers - finally, one good thing I've heard about the Lakers this off-season.

Did you guys hear that tabloid rumor about Rick Fox cheating on Vanessa Williams and Vanessa is filing for divorce?? Dammit, Rick, you were my last hope in "real" men! Although the tabloids have been right a lot lately (Britney and her boy, J.Lo getting married, etc), some rumors still turn out to be false (Justin and Cameron breaking up), so lets hope its not true.

I haven't been blogging lately because I have nothing to complain about... And you guys don't want to hear about how wonderful my job is, etc. This is a complete 180 from a month ago when I hated my job like I've never hated anything before. I'm trying to figure out if I like my new job so much because I went in with a positive attitude or if my company is just that awesome. When people are trying to sell you on a job, they'll tell you anything but it's not until you're in that you realize what the company is like. On one of the interviews with one of the partners, he told me that this company is different from most companies because it's run like a family operation. That partner is the son of the main partner and another main partner is a family friend. We're starting this new thing next week where we can leave a little early on Thursdays and meet up at the beach for volleyball. Last week one of the partners had a party at his house and he sent out an e-mail inviting all of us.

I was talking to the receptionist earlier today and we were talking about how nice the partners were, how pleasant the work environment was. People don't walk around with scowls on their faces - what a concept! I feel lucky just to even work at this place. The turnover rate at this co. in the last 2 years is 1 person... (Daniel and I figured I was #18 to leave at my old job in 2.5 years).

I bought a thank you card to send to my head hunter but I can't find it! I guess the best thank you I can give her is to tell all of you, if you're looking for a new job (accounting), e-mail your resume to Linda Laufer, Interface Financial Recruiters, linda@interfacerecruiters.com. She'll meet you once at a place convenient for you and then she'll call you up whenever there is something available for you, she'll give you interview tips and what those companies like to hear (she knows most of the companies she sends you to well). She is amazing - I just sat back and she gave me more interviews than I could ever imagine and with good companies too! She negotiated for me too - I'm such a pushover I need someone to fight for me. I've learned from experience, if a company is willing to pay a referral fee to a head hunter, they're not going to be cheap on everything. I remember talking to my friend Debbie (she lovvvvvvvvvvvvvvvves her job too) a year ago and Debbie told me that if I'm looking for a new accounting job, go through a head hunter. I ran into Maria's sister at the mall the other day (I haven't talked to Maria in a year!) and she told me Maria quit Deloitte and she's working at DirecTV now and she's so much happier. I think we all just need a change of environment. I know Dante is happy with his fairly new job and my roomie's gf is happy with her new job at Sony. Join the club! Get a new job! :)

I'm still alive... been soooooooo busy!

I've had 2 CPA review classes a week the last 2 weeks and it's exhausting!! Tomorrow Jennifer and I are taking this interior design class with the Learning Annex. I can't go shopping because I don't get home until 10pm most nights. Last night my roommate and I went to Costco because that was the only time I was going to be home after work this week.

Bare with me while I complain about how crappy my last job was and how much better this new job is. I promise I'll try to make this the only time I complain!

I don't blog at work because I have a million checks to cut and the first round of bills is always the hardest because you have to figure out which ones are personal charges and which ones are business expenses. Credit cards are hell too because you have to code all the charges and these clients have 3-4 pages of charges per credit card! These clients are big big big time clients, people you guys have actually heard of :). Like I was telling Dante last week, our broke-est client right now is richer than Stan's richest clients. I've already deposited two huge residual checks - $107,000 and $238,000. I was telling my mom yesterday about one of our firm's clients - he made $40 mil last year (just off fresh work, not including residuals) and she didn't believe anyone can make that much! This is the difference between my old job and my new job... Stan was trying to convince his main client (a TV actress, series regular on a drama) to get a Hyundai as her new car to drive around in. She gave her Benz SUV to her daughter because she needed a car to drive. First of all, a working actress in a Hyundai?? That's freakin embarassing! At this new job, they just told a client to extend his lease on his 2001 Porsche for another 6 months... so he can get the 2005 ones when they come out! I was wondering why his wife was driving the 2004 Porsche and he was just in a 2001 one until they explained it to me. Usually its the wife that drives the older car while the big shot husband shows off in his better car.

I love my new job - the company treats us all so well... so good that I felt like I was a neglected kid who finally found a loving family who adopted me. I'm so appreciative of every little morsel I get! It's the little things that make a difference. At my old job, they had the cheap Bic pens, they wouldn't buy us Post-its or white-out so if you wanted that, you'd have to bring it in yourself. At this new job, the supply closet is stocked with Liquid Expresso pens, tons of Post-its in every size and 2 different kinds of white-out (the liquid ones and the correction tape ones. I used to call my old firm a "Third World firm" on AIM with Steph but now I realize how right I was. At this new job, everyone (down to the receptionist) has business cards, at my old job, I was a business manager who the clients contacted whenever they needed something, but I didn't have any business cards.

I used to message everyone to "kill me now, take me out of my misery" at work... now when people complain to me, I can't say anything. :) Dante tells me I love that job because it's new, it won't last long, but my first week, these co-workers took me out to lunch and this girl was telling me, "there's not much to complain about here, I just complain because that's what I do." The work environment is just so much more positive at this firm - people are actually friendly and they have lives!! Whoo, families to go home to, etc. At my old job, people were at the office allllllll the time, til 8-9pm because they have no lives. Stan was in the office Monday through Sunday.

Stan has been calling me up lately asking me if I could go in to work "AS A COURTESY"... am I right in assuming "AS A COURTESY" means, no pay?? Even if he paid me for the hours I went in, I wouldn't because money doesn't mean THAT much to me to have to put up with all the dumb crazy shit I left. I have been so busy lately, why would I waste time going in for free? I have classes, studying, and friends! The main thing that got me off my ass to find a new job was because I got pissed off when Stan had a talk with me a couple months ago - I basically got the feeling during that "talk" that Stan didn't want me to get my CPA, etc. and who wants to work for an unsupportive asshole? I'm sorry Stan, I should put this low paying, high stress job priority over studying for my future. Let me work my ass off so I can make the little little amount I got paid from you guys for the rest of my life. Yeah. Stan used to give me shit all the time about leaving early to go to my CPA review class... at this new job, they tell me, just leave whenever you need to, just make it up later. They take in consideration when you come in early, when you leave late - just put in your 8 hours. There were so many times in my 2.5 years I went in at 7:30/8am because Dante had to use my car - they would still give me shit if I tried to leave a little before 6pm.

So anyway, I got a new cell phone (Verizon!) and I'll be cancelling my old one next month, so I won't have to deal with the dumbass calling me and leaving me 5 minute messages of just crap. If I haven't given you the new number, let me know. I tried to email everyone to let them know but I might have missed some people.

ARGH, if Dante would get off the damn computer at a decent hour, I can write about how much I loooooooooooooooove my new job. As it is, I'm so tired right now I gotta go to bed. I actually care about being on time to work, about looking nice, etc now.

It's been a long week - new job, class Monday and Wednesday and I have my stupid ex-boss calling me every day asking if I can go into work "AS A COURTESY" (Translation: NO Pay) Yeah, right. "As a courtesy", please stop calling me - I don't freakin work for you anymore!

kiss my bitter ass - I just spent the last hour reading this site - it's sorta like punk'd - you sorta see what celebs are like in real life... Jennifer Lopez, Brandy and Julia Roberts show up here a couple times for being 'difficult' and not tipping well (if they tip at all).

First day tomorrow! I'm excited and nervous but I know I'll be so much happier.

WHOOOOOHOOOOOO!! Last day... will post later cause I have a bunch of shit to do.

Writing memos for all the stuff I do for all my clients because, BIG SHOCKER, they didn't hire anyone yet. Also doing time sheets - hate these things! Hate them so much I'm thinking I should have taken that production company job instead. Jay had the right idea - all clients are on 5% income... I heard that Steven Spielberg's business manager is on 5% with him and it came out to a couple million a year and the business manager asked him if he wanted to have a different arrangement instead (have a limit to what the business manager gets per month/year) but Spielberg said it was cool.

Counting down to my last day of my 2.5 year sentence... and these two weeks have been the longest of my life. I just want to get out of here and everything that bugged me before about this job is still here, some things are even worse than before.