Sunday, July 15, 2012

Budget Variance Analysis can suck it.

Upward and onward.

My NTS got all messed up, by me.  I don't know why I assumed that NASBA would get my transcripts for me - that makes no sense.  Also, it shows I'm not really good at reading directions of things like applications - which is just perfect for planning a career in tax compliance.

Anyway - it's done and done.  I had my NTS within a week of having transcripts sent, and BEC is ON for this Thursday.

Did some cramming Friday and Saturday - and I tell you I'm a little worried.  My first Becker practice exam scored 79,75,75 per MCQ testlet, and I believe I rocked the written, actually.  It was partially the questions, and partially having extra time from flying through MCQ's.

Oh, budget variance analysis.  I was just about punching my computer screen when those questions came up, so today was spent making lasagna (in a crock pot, as if I would turn an oven on in this heat) and switching from Becker to Gleim for more practice questions.  And I finally got it.  This is the one area of BEC that Becker did a pretty lousy job - two pages in my Gleim book explained and summarized it better than Becker's lecture and book.

With some help from Flashcard Machine - I got it down cold.  Finally.  Just rocked all the Becker questions at 100%, the same ones that had me in tears earlier this weekend.

So I need to keep reviewing Monday and Tuesday, but I know how to do everything, working those mnemonics and ready to have BEC out of my life.

This Port St. Willow album is AMAZING.  Discovered via Pitchfork's app on Spotify, I can't stop listening to it.


Monday, July 2, 2012

Codeine

I'll be done with all my BEC work for Becker tomorrow (because I am lazy). That leaves about a week of just drill, drill and drill. I still don't have my NTS, but checked the Prometrics website and it looks like I should have no problem getting a last minute seat if needed.

So last Saturday night was the big Slowcore show in Boston. Codeine played a reunion gig and Thalia Zadek of Come opened. Thalia was pretty good - I hated Come (long story), and was not looking forward to this at all, but she almost won me over. The 100% consensus between Rob and I is that it would have been an A+ opening set...if only someone else sang. I believe she's kind of aware that she doesn't sing so much as caterwaul, and it's OK at first, but gets to be a bit much by the end.

Oh Codeine. If I had a nickel for every time I listened to Frigid Stars or White Birch crying in a fetal position, I'd have at least a dollar. But that was the 90's for me. This show just felt very "you can't go home again" to me. Self pity just lost its appeal to me about 10 years ago, so they sounded great, and played great, but it's not you Codeine, it's me. My heart just wasn't in it anymore. 30 minutes into the set I felt like "Glad I saw it - can I go home now?" And lucky for me (but I'm sure disappointing to many) was including encore they barely played for 70 minutes. The show was sadly under attended - but again, I'm not complaining. Gave me room to breathe. I'm glad I saw it and hey, we'll always have 1994.