Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in phyl_8_menow's LiveJournal:

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Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
7:21 am	A couple of odd days…. Rolling out of last weekend and into a brand new week, the past two days have been somewhat pushed to an extreme side of the bell curve. Monday I was expecting a high pressure day in the office, but that did not materialize. Based on shifting objectives and variables changing minute to minute, the day actually slowed down a bit! How odd, usually those shifting objectives and variables DO NOT work in my favor! Anyhow, during a down moment, the opportunity appeared to take a drive in my Boss’s Maserati GrandTurismo! It was an awesome ride! The manufacturer’s specs rate the top speed at 178 MPH. Although I didn’t get it quite that high on the freeway, it was a very nice ride. The engine just kind of growls the whole time… Bitchin’ ride! And of course, yesterday… Obama in office... Love him or hate him, you have to admit, that guy can deliver one hell of a good speech! I forgot how nice it was to listen to a thoughtful, intelligent leader deliver a speech. I have just gotten into the habit of hanging my head in shame and weeping for the future every time GW spoke. I am just glad that I didn’t have to endure the shame of being in an international setting during one of his speeches. Holy cow, that must be awful to try to hide your embarrassment in front of a bunch of Brits or Germans. Oh yeah, there was one international situation that I had to deal with because of Bush….a year in Iraq! Oh, that’s right…I almost forgot… Odd that we would let a person who deserted from the United States Military during the Vietnam War become the Commander in Chief of US Military Forces. Of course the fact that he blatantly disregarded his oath before God to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America when he accepted his Commission as a United States Military Officer should have been a clue that he would disregard it when he became President. Not only did he NOT protect and defend the constitution as President, he seemed to treat it as a doormat. GW Bush Jr. is truly a disgraceful human being… Anyhow.. The other oddity of yesterday was the fact that we got 7 inches of snow here in Raleigh, NC! Very strange… Anita and I went for a walk in the snow, and I took my Forbafor out for a bit. A lot more ice content in the Winter weather here than in New England. I had my truck in 4W and I was still sliding all over the place. Looking forward to getting back onto my Harley…… Ciao!!!! M. (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, December 25th, 2008
10:41 am	Merry Christmas!!!! Merry Christmas!!! I was standing outside my work yesterday chatting with some Co-workers discussing the upcoming holiday, when one of them asked the question: “What are you hoping to get for a gift this year?” My answer was off the top of my head and it still makes me smile when I recall what I said: “It doesn’t matter what I get, I already have everything I want.” I have my lovely Lady, my Snoggle-Dogs, my house (which is definitely a home), my Brothers in the club, my Harley-Davidson, my Forbafor, my health, and my brain. Anything else that I receive is merely gravy on top!! I wish everyone a Happy Holiday Season and a safe and prosperous 2009! Peace out, M. (Comment on this)
Friday, November 14th, 2008
7:29 am	THE TWO BEST TIMES OF THE DAY Morning: Another beautiful morning here in North Carolina! Autumn is creeping in and the leaves have turned. I have my coffee ritual in the morning out on the front porch or in my sun-room out back. My house is surrounded by trees and it is a great opportunity to enjoy nature’s fireworks celebration performed by the leaves of her deciduous denizens. The times when Anita is here for this are particularly enjoyable, but even alone with my dogs, it is amazing to just sit and enjoy the show, sometimes even studying individual leaves to admire their beauty. I wake up earlier than I have to in order to have this time before the busy day begins. Evening: At the end of a long day, I grab my hounds and we pile into my king size bed to watch the Daily Show and /or the Colbert Report. These are the only two shows that I Tivo religiously. The hounds chew their bones with their tails wagging as I enjoy the hour of comedy before we drift off into slumber. I wouldn’t trade these times for anything. Peace, out. (Comment on this)
Friday, June 20th, 2008
6:09 am	ROBIN’S NEST UPDATE Several days ago, Anita went to check out the progress the eggs were making and discovered a nest full of little babies! You can check out the photos at www.myspace.com/mjcpa. Yesterday she went to peek in again and the babies all flew by her trying to escape. They must have been coming and going for a few days learning how to fly. Since then they have all left the nest! Ahhhh, how quickly they grow:-) It was a very cool experience to have the nest in my plant. Hopefully, more birds will choose to stay there in the future! Peace out! (Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 27th, 2008
9:08 pm	AN AWESOME FIND Tuesday, May 27, 2008 After work today I had nothing I was planned for the evening (which is a rare occasion these days) so I let my doggies out on the run in the front yard to enjoy the afternoon. It has been consistently colder this Spring as opposed to last year at this time, so it was refreshing to see the temperature at 89 degrees as I left work. I grabbed a beer and sat on my front porch swing. The hook in the roof of my front porch that holds the doggie – run had been occupied by a plant that Anita had brought over. Therefore, I had to move the plant to a different hook in order to get the doggies ready. When I placed the plant on the porch, I discovered that a tine nest had been built in the top and there were 5 or 6 light blue Robin’s eggs nestled therein! It was so cool! I took a few photos (see the folder entitled “Robin’s Eggs” for a pic of the plant hanging on the porch and then one of the nest. There didn’t seem to be a disgruntled Mama bird chirping at me so I let the doggies run around for a while. I will let the plant hang on the new hook (just a foot or so away from its original location) and monitor to make sure that it is not disturbed. Awesome!! Ciao all! (Comment on this)
Monday, May 26th, 2008
9:04 pm	BACK ON THE LAKE Sunday, May 26, 2008 Not too far away from my home here is a body of water called Jordan Lake. Anita lives near there and has a 20’ motor boat with which she frequents the area. Anita and I spent several days on the lake together last Summer during the early days of our courtship. Towards the end of the Summer the water diminished greatly as a result of the drought that was plaguing this region. At that time, we spent a lot more time riding my motorcycle (first the Honda and then the Harley) due to our inability to safely negotiate the diminished depths of the lake. Throughout this past Winter and Spring, the rainfall has replenished the lake and so we were able to open the Summer boating season confidently this past weekend. Anita made it out on the lake on Saturday, but due to my Motorcycle Club commitments, I was not able to join her until Sunday. What a glorious day it was though! We went out with Anita’s children (Derek, 17, and Jessica, 19). Derek did some tubing and Anita did some water-skiing. After a couple of hours, the kids got anxious to move on to other activities and we dropped them off at the boat landing. Anita and I headed back out for another two hours and had a great time enjoying both nature and each other’s company. There is still quite a bit of wildlife down here and it is quite common to see Hawks flying around sometimes in twos and threes. However, as Anita started her skiing, a large Bald Eagle started to parallel the tree line over the water and followed us for about three minutes! It was breathtaking! The bird moved so gracefully and yet with so much power that I was transfixed. Later, we snuggled on the back of the boat as the sun was beginning its evening descent. The sky was blue and it was just perfect. I am looking forward to an active Summer of boating on Lake Jordan with my sweetie. (Comment on this)
Thursday, May 15th, 2008
9:01 pm	MYRTLE BEACH BIKE WEEK May 15 – 18, 2008 A great time was had by all! Anita and I had planned a few months ago to hit this East Coast attraction. The trip combined several elements of things that we both enjoy doing: Camping, riding, and bar-hopping with fellow bikers. Though we had planned the trip prior to my link-up with the Motorcycle Club, the Club makes an annual pilgrimage there as well and had already reserved a few houses and a few campsites. Myrtle Beach is about 3.5 hours away from Raleigh and so that we could better travel and supply ourselves logistically, we had planned to trailer my bike with the Forbafor. I had found a relatively inexpensive trailer on Craigslist and I have the tow package on my truck, so it seemed an logical fit. However, due to the logistical needs of the Club, there were two bikes that needed to be towed. We used my truck but another guy’s trailer so we could tow two bikes at the same time. Virtually thousands of motorcycles descend on Myrtle Beach for bike week every Spring. For better or worse, there are no helmet laws in South Carolina, so I got a chance to ride unencumbered by this uncomfortable piece of equipment. Conversely, North Carolina does require helmets, a law about which I have mixed feelings. On one hand, I feel that helmet laws should be abolished because there is no enhancement to societal safety through their existence, and I don’t feel it should be the job of government to override my opinions on personal safety. Proponents of seat belt laws for automobiles can site statistics showing instances where unrestrained drivers have wrecked and flown through the windshield injuring innocent bystanders. OK, fine – hence seat belt laws. However, until somebody can show me how my personal choice to wear a helmet or not will injure innocent people, I am not on board with it. That being said, I know that if there were no helmet laws in NC, that I probably wouldn’t wear a helmet, and I might suffer a worse injury if I wrecked my bike. Either way, it should be MY choice. Back to Myrtle: Anita and I had a beautiful spot at Myrtle Beach State Park. The most noteworthy characteristic of the park is the fact that it sits directly on a beautiful stretch of beach, unencumbered by other parts of the city. This location would not be possible in Massachusetts, because long ago the sleazy sorts that hold public office there would have let developers rape the land in order to enrich themselves on the kickbacks that would be offered up. So Anita and I (and the other campers) were able to enjoy this pristine piece of real estate as a tribute to the integrity (thus far) of the legislators that have held office in the South Carolina. We went Thursday through Sunday, and our typical day was such: wake up, enjoy the camp site and the company of each other. Jump on the Harley and find a local breakfast spot. Initiate the daily “three S” plan and then head out. Do some riding, some vending, and some light drinking for the day. Eat dinner somewhere, and then ride back out for the evening. At some point get tired, and head back to the campground. Once we were at the campground we could party with our fellow bikers without having to worry about driving anywhere. It was a great weekend! On Sunday, we trailered back and came home. I have uploaded several photos from our trip on my Myspace site: www.myspace.com/mjcpa in a folder called “Myrtle Beach Spring Rally 2008”. Anita and I are busy planning for the Fall Rally at Myrtle Beach. Peace all! (Comment on this)
Saturday, May 10th, 2008
8:56 pm	KARATE TESTING May 10, 2008 This was my first test at the Karate Dojang where I train. I think more people are familiar with the word “Dojo” for a Karate training center, largely because of movies like “The Karate Kid”, but the both mean the same thing. It is pronounced Dojo in Japanese and Dojang in Korean. The style in which I am training is Tang Soo Do (Korean in origin, as indicated by the word Dojang). It is a close cousin to Tae Kwan Do and is the art that Chuck Norris performed so well. I started off as a brand new white-belt at this Dojang, although I am no stranger to Tang Soo Do. I trained in the style for 2.5 years in the mid-nineties while I was in college. I made it about 70% of the way to Black Belt at that time before life interfered and I drifted away. However, a lot of the moves are still ingrained and I have been able to adapt rather easily. Due to my past experience with the style, my instructor (a Sixth Degree Black Belt and third generation student of the founder of the style) decided to test me for a higher belt. As I noted in an earlier post, one of the reasons that I like my instructor is that his sole purpose seems to be the proliferation of the art. His students either give 100% or they pack their bags. He does not worry about tip-toeing around making corrections regarding performance. While he does not go out of his way to be harsh, the standard WILL be maintained or he will continue to correct the student until it is. The excellence of his Black Belt students is a testament to his persistence and attention to detail. During testing I was on the floor easily as twice as much as any other student. I was completely drained by the time we were done three hours later. I did five (board) breaks during the testing: an elbow strike, a stepping side – kick, a skipping side – kick, a roundhouse kick (with the ball of my foot), and a front punch. I was shredding wood like a goddammed beaver! As a result of the testing I was promoted to purple belt -second stripe (about 30% of the way to Black Belt). I was happy with the result as this was about as much as I could reasonably hope to achieve given my duration away from training. If all goes well, I can have my Black Belt in about two years and my second degree a year later. At that point I intend to open a school somewhere in the area. It should tie in well with my burgeoning tax practice. Tang Soo! (Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 30th, 2008
8:08 am	Long time since I have posted - lots going on..... A while back I started riding and hanging out with a few members of a Motorcycle Club down here. As I learned more and more about the MC world, I became more fascinated. It is definitely a sub-culture all its own with very specific rules, customs and traditions. There are the "1%" Clubs, who are rumored to live somewhat of an outlaw lifestyle. The big four (in no particular order) are the Hells Angels, The Outlaws, The Pagans and the Bandidos. In addition, there are other smaller 1% clubs that are rumored to live a similar lifestyle. There are also many MCs that are less extreme than the 1% clubs described above. The people I got to know were members of one of these less extreme clubs (99% clubs??). The phrase "1%" comes from a hearing back in 1947 (I think) with the American Motorcycle Association after a riot involving several bikers. The AMA stated that 99% of all motorcycle enthusiasts were law abiding citizens. After that, the outlaw types started wearing patches that read "1%". Hence the phrase. On of the key differences in the 1% clubs and the 99% clubs is the priorities that Clubs expect the members to have. In the 1% Clubs, it is generally (according to a knowledgeable source): 1) The Club 2) Family & Home 3) Job 4) The Dog 5) The Girlfriend In the 99% clubs: 1) Family & Home 2) Job 3) The Girlfriend 4) The Dog 5) The Club Had I found motorcycles instead of an Army recruiter when I was younger, I may have wound up in one of these 1% clubs in my early twenties, but now having a day-job and a mortgage, a 1% club would not be such a good fit. The name of the Club that I started hanging out with doesn't matter, it is not likely one that anyone has heard of who does not live around here. It is definitely not a 1% club. I would describe it more as a 2% club. There is nothing really "outlaw" about the things that they do, but some of the members are definitely rough types who are a little "edgy". They love to ride hard, drink beer, and talk a little smack from time to time. Not very dissimilar from the people I knew in the Army really. Really fun to hang out with and great parties! One thing led to another as I got to know a few more members of this Club, and I have since started prospecting to join - which is an interesting process on its own. Prospecting for an MC is a process very similar to pledging a fraternity. It is a time when one learns the organization's history, its customs, its members, etc. In addition, there is a certain amount of hazing and testing of one's character that occurs. The prospecting process for this particular Club has a certain amount of time demands (as I imagine most do) which is one of the things that has been keeping me busy. It is very interesting process however. Anywhoo.. more later - time to shove off to work! Ciao!!! M. (Comment on this)
Monday, March 24th, 2008
10:54 pm	AND THE ADVENTURES CONTINUE... It has been several weeks since I have written, so I will try to catch all y'all up the what has been going on with me. Everything has been going great! The job is good - very interesting from a regulatory perspective. Every day is a new adventure in close-combat accounting. The office atmosphere is very loose - four guys in a construction trailer - go figure! I won't go into the gory details, I will just say that it is a welcome break from the overly politically-correct corporate world wherein I once dwelled. The weekdays are usually very busy. I work from 8:30am - 5:00pm and then Monday night is Karate from 6:30 - 8:00pm. Then Anita and I usually go to the gym for an hour of cardio and come back to my place for a bit. Since I am so wound up from the gym I usually don't get to sleep until after midnight. Tuesday is work and then upper body workout and an hour of cardio. Wednesday is work and then lower body and an hour of cardio. Thursday is work and then Karate and then an hour of cardio. Friday is work and then (if I can stay focused enough) upper and lower body workout. Why am I still not hitting my weight goals (I am hovering between 205 and 208 trying to make my way to 190)? Because starting Friday night it is "game on". Anita and I usually jump on the Harley and ride to one of our favorite haunts - seedy biker bars either in Fayetteville or elsewhere. Saturdays usually consist of more riding and bar - hopping all over the place. Hanging out with old friends or making new ones. Any dietary caution is thrown to the wind. Saturday night is usually an adventure somewhere as well. Sunday morning begins with an orgy of biscuits and gravy and blueberry pancakes at a local mom and pop restaurant near here, and then it is off for more adventures. Anita and I are never at a lack of something fun to do. By the end of the weekend I am worn out and extremely happy! Then I go right back into my work week. I don't think that I have ever worked so hard to relax so much! What a wonderful time of life this is! You really can ride a motorcycle all year long down here. I don't think that there were many weeks when I didn't ride the scoot at some point. Now that Summer is fast upon us, Anita will be putting her boat back in the water and the weekends will be all about boating by day and riding the Harley in the late afternoon and evenings. This past weekend Anita and I went "way up North" to Washington D.C. to meet up with friends. The initial plan had been to link up and tour the city together, but we wound up going out to Dinner and just enjoying each others company. No great loss on the tourism front as all of us have been to D.C. before. We drove up Saturday afternoon (after a wild Friday evening in Fayetteville) and stayed the night. We drove back South on Sunday. Great time:-) Anywhoo...that's the news in my life right now:-) Take care all! (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, February 17th, 2008
1:49 pm	Mid-life Crisis..... Interesting...someone who had been on my Myspace site and was familiar with the events transpiring in my life accused me of something that others might have about me with regard to my decisions and experiences over the past year: Mark is going through a mid-life crisis! It was mentioned casually and not in an insulting fashion at all. Yet, it was mentioned. I thought about that for quite a while and I came up with the following analysis: I am going through a very distinct period of my life, but the thought of a mid-life crisis never came to mind. It actually feels more like I am re-living the good elements of my twenties. I say good elements, because I remember a variety of different emotions and feelings during my twenties. I remember the good elements: the incredible freedom that I felt because my whole life was ahead of me and I felt that my options were limitless. I could go on to do or be anything I wanted. In addition, I was in good shape physically, I had a good head on my shoulders, and I was reasonably attractive to the eye. I felt young and full of vitality - I remember the enormous amount of energy that I had which was reflected in my every action. I also remember the more difficult elements: the confusion about figuring out "who I really was". Being unsure about how to react to certain social situations; worrying about whether I would be accepted in some social circles; being unsure of certain aspects of sexuality and dealing with relationships. Also, there was the other half of the "whole future ahead of me" double edged sword: the fear of the unknown. What if I didn't get where I really wanted to be? What if some tragic event occurred throwing me into a depressing, abysmal path of life. What if... Currently however, I am re-living only the good elements of my twenties: I am in pretty good physical shape, I still have a good head on my shoulders, and I am still reasonably attractive to the eye. In addition, I am financially secure (no periods of eating just rice for weeks on end), and I am socially confident in every regard. Also, I have the wisdom and experience required not to make any crucially stupid decisions with regard to everyday life management. I also still feel energetic and vital enough to enjoy fully whatever activity I undertake. What a great time of life - I am 21 all over again! If this is actually what some people might refer to (and have referred to) as a mid-life crisis, I say: bring it on! I don't see the crisis! PS - I posted photos of my forbafor on Myspace in a folder called "Forbafor":-) Peace, out! (Comment on this)
Friday, February 1st, 2008
10:40 pm	Long, long week..... Long, long week. I have a project that I have been working on that I am trying to get wrapped up. Therefore, I have been getting up at all hours of the morning to work on it: 3:00am, 4:00am, etc.. since I still have to go to my regular job and I often have some sort of commitment in the evenings: karate, etc.. So, Thursday morning I got up at around 3:30am. I was going to go to Karate that evening and then get a good night's sleep and sleep in till around 6:30am on Friday. Therefore, I would be ready to finish the week at work and have some energy for my sweetie on Friday night. However, I ate a 6" sub from Subway for lunch on Thursday. About 2 hours later, I started getting really bad cramps in my abdomen and all around my torso. The bastards tried to poison me! I went home from work at around 5:00pm and ate about 4 Tums. It really sucked!! Needless to say, I didn't make it to Karate. In order to sleep, I took two Benadryl and hit the rack around 9:30 or so. It helped to fall asleep but I woke up at around 1:15am still in quite a bit of pain. I was wide awake so I got up and started working. At 8:00am I went to work at the office and did a full day there. As I write this it is just about 10:30pm on Friday and I am exhausted! Anita is on her way over so I wanted to stay up to see her before I sleep the sleep of the dead. My stomach is feeling better although it is still a little tender. Fuck Subway. In other news, my friend Todd just got back to the States after a year in Afghanistan. We were stationed at Ft. Drum together (gasp) almost twenty years ago!! Holy crap! How time flies... Anywhoo... His unit went to Ft. Riley, Kansas to de-mobilize. That is the 7 - 10 day period of decompression and administrative time before soldiers are allowed to re-join civilization. In typical National Guard fashion, HQ screwed up his orders and so, while his unit went home today to re-join their families, he will be stuck in Kansas for another week until they un-f*ck his paperwork. Let's see....also, I posted some more photos from our Xmas cruise in my Myspace photos... Anita just got here, we got to see each other, and now I am going to sleep! Peace Y'all! (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 29th, 2008
6:19 am	Another amazing weekend with Anita! We laid low on Friday night as we were both pretty wiped from the week. We hung out at my place and watched "My Cousin Vinny" which she had never seen before. For me, that is one of those movies that never gets old - I could watch it 100 times. Anita has historically never spent a lot of time watching movies and so there are many of my favorites that she has never seen. It makes for some nice easy entertainment on the rare rainy day. Saturday she helped me with some stuff around the house and we had some Chinese take out for dinner. This was the first time that I had Chinese in my neighborhood (despite the fact that I have been living here for 7 months now!) because I have always been very diet minded. Nothing fatty about rice and vegetables, but the stuff I like: Crab Rangoon, General Goa's chicken, is definitely high calorie, high fat. The food was good though. There are two different Chinese restaurants within .25 miles of my house, so I will have to check out the other one. Saturday night we made Martinis. We have been checking out different recipes for Martinis and this weekend we made Apple and Blueberry flavored Martinis. We played cards and listened to music together, and just enjoyed being with each other. Sunday morning we got up and went to our usual breakfast hang-out: Biscuits and sausage gravy and share two blueberry pancakes. We go to a place down the road here every Sunday that makes amazing sausage gravy. Nummy nummy. We went back to the house and got on the Harley. The high was about 55 degrees here so it was ridable, although a bit chilly. We checked out a new biker bar that we hadn't been to yet. Had a few beers and played some pool. On the way back to my house we stopped by the place on 42. It was a great ride:-) Sunday evening we had dinner at Anita's house ad then I came home and hit the sack. I spent an hour watching Tivo'd Stewart/Colbert with the dogs before we all drifted off... What a great weekend! (Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008
7:24 am	Weekend and Forbafor........ 01/21/08 Good weekend! It was rainy all weekend and actually snowed on Saturday! I don't miss that white shit at all! Fortunately, I have my new forbafor to get me wherever I need to go! Hilarious! Ob Friday, they had predicted snow and so there were school closings on Friday morning and all sorts of weather delays. The funny part is, that the snow never came, and so all the closings and delays were because it was 36 degrees and raining. LOL!! That is regular late Autumn weather in Boston. Just another reason to love North Carolina! Since it was raining, Anita and I did some fix up tasks around my place and then had some Martinis. Yummy! On Sunday we watched the playoff games at our favorite local biker bar hangout - Go Pats! A good weekend and then Monday night had my Tang Soo Do (Karate) lesson. My new instructor is awesome. He really stresses the basics and his advanced students are excellent martial artists. I am still trying to get the knots worked out of my muscles and I ma working on getting back to my old range of motion. I am surprised by how much I still remember since it has been almost 10 years since I last trained in that style. I love my forbabfor! (Comment on this)
Friday, January 18th, 2008
7:36 am	The First Year In Raleigh.... Well, it was one year ago today that I drove into Raleigh for the first time! It is amazing that it has gone so quickly. I was musing over the things that have happened in the past year: Bought a house Got my motorcycle license Bought two different motorcycles (traded in the Honda for the Harley) Met and fell in love with a beautiful, fun, sexy, and intelligent lady Got my Tattoo Got my CPA license switched over to North Carolina Started my Accounting Practice Got my commission as a Notary Public Bought my pistol (a .45 caliber M1911 - old school military style!) Bought a pick-up truck Got divorced Went on a cruise Did improvisational theater Did a lot of volunteer time with the VFW Got back into Karate Lets see what this year brings. I have a few objectives in mind - it will be interesting if I can bring them to fruition. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
7:25 am	The New Year Thus Far...... It has been pretty good thus far I must say! Anita and I spent a quiet evening together on New Year's Eve - still recovering from the cruise. We had some Champagne at midnight and crashed shortly thereafter. A couple of days later, a friend of mine from Massachusetts came to visit. She is thinking of moving South and Raleigh is a possible location. I showed her around for a couple of days to give her a feel for the place. She is a motorcyclist as well, and on January 7th, it was about 70 degrees here so we were able to go riding on the Harley. I took her to the Bentonville Battlefield near here and we walked around for a bit. Also got back in my own hot tub for the first time since finishing my tattoo!! BTW - There is a photo of the finished product on Myspace... On the weekend of Jan 12 - 13 Anita and I went riding to Fayetteville. We went to our usual North Fayetteville haunts, and met some very interesting people. Both Anita and I love people watching:-) January 14th - Divorce final!! Yeeha! Enough said. More importantly, I bought a pick-up truck! It is a Gold 2006 Toyota Tacoma 4X4 with a crew cab and a tow package. It has 28K miles on it and it was owned by a single person (a firefighter) just South of here. It is in immaculate condition and I got a really good deal on it price-wise. I will post photos soon. I will be able to haul Anita's boat or a motorcycle trailer (when I get one). I LOVE the truck! The only thing that is not exactly what I wanted was the color. I wanted black but the price on this one was too good to pass up. This has left me somewhat "over-vehicled" if you will. I have the truck, the Mercedes, and the Harley. I may wind up selling the Benz - but I am not mentally ready to commit to that quite yet. That car and I have been through a lot together!! Karate is going well. It feels good to get back into it. My muscles have really tightened up over the past several years (particularly my hip muscles). The kicks, when properly executed, really hurt! Therefore, I think that the destiny of the solarium on the back of my house is to be a Karate Dojang! It is big enough to do forms and still have room for a heavy bag. It will need to A/C it in the Summer, but that will be easy enough. The Instructor and the other Black Belts at the school are really good and patient. They definitely care about the preservation of the art. They are clear in their instruction, and they demand proper execution - no slop allowed! Anita seems to enjoy it as much as I do - so we are having a good time with it. Anita has trained in Karate in the past before as well, so we can both appreciate the finer aspects of the school. Ramping up for tax time. I have my sign up in the office window and I hope to be able to build up my practice in the next few years... what a good feeling! (Comment on this)
6:29 am	Holiday Season 2007 Anita and I did a seven day cruise that left from Miami. We spent one night in Ft. Lauderdale and got to visit with my Sister and her Boyfriend. It was really nice because she has a great sense of humor and I only get to see her every couple of years. When we sailed, we had 2 days at sea and then Belize City, where we visited some Mayan ruins and did a 90 minute "nature cruise" down a river. Saw a monkey, some parrots, and two crocodiles. The next day was Roatan Island, Honduras where we swam with dolphins at a Nature Preserve and spent a few hours on the beach. The next day was Grand Cayman where we visited a Sea Turtle Hatchery and then went out to a sandbar off the coast where we swam with stingrays. It was very cool! We had another day at sea and then arrived back in Miami Sunday morning. This was my first cruise but definitely won't be the last. Dollar for dollar, it was the best thing I have seen. All you can eat of really good food, amazing service, and great adventures. I will be posting photos on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/mjcpa (Comment on this)
Saturday, December 15th, 2007
9:30 am	December 14, 2007 www.myspace.com/mjcpa Couple of (busy) weeks since I last posted... It has been extremely busy between work and my VFW stuff. Here are the highlights: I found a great Karate studio, and I am going to start training again. My problem with most studios is that the focus seems to be more centered on making money than on teaching the art. People (both kids and adults) go in and give a half hearted effort and their techniques are sloppy and in-effective. Unfortunately, this allows a sick cycle of self gratification: 1) The Student: Makes a half-hearted effort and yet receives praise from the teacher. The student is gratified because they are following through on their self-commitment to take Karate lessons. 2) The teacher: Gives praise for the half-hearted effort of the student because if he doesn't, the student may go somewhere else and the teacher would lose the money. In the event of the student being a child: 3) The Parent: Gets the satisfaction of self gratification because they are being a good parent by putting their kids in Karate (they will learn discipline there), so they gladly pay the fees to the teacher. The worse part about all of this is that the student may actually think that they will be capable of defending themselves in a fight. (After all, they take Karate!) I visited a few different studios and finally found a 5th Dan in Tang Soo Do (which I spent 2.5 years in) that is a keeper. He trains his students in his garage, which is a makeshift studio. His students execute the moves with passion and fire, or he lets them know about it. He only charges a nominal fee (about half of what everyone else is charging) and he seems genuinely interested in teaching the art. He will not allow his students to buy a uniform for the first month, because if they are not aggressive about learning, he will not continue to teach them after the first month. I am very excited about training again.... My accounting business is beginning... I found a storefront in a real estate office here in Garner. I can hang a sign and work from there. The receptionist will welcome my clients and pass on any tax documents that they might leave. The rent is very inexpensive and I am looking forward to the venture. I will have a website up shortly... Anita and I went riding and she took some good photos. Please see the folder titled "Ride 12/09/07". For those who don't know, there is a huge drought going on down here. It has only rained a handful of time this year. The photos of Jordan Lake show how really bad it is. Normally, there is a lake there instead of just a stream.. Only a week until we leave for our cruise - yeah baby!! Peace Y'all... (Comment on this)
Saturday, December 1st, 2007
9:21 pm	Thanksgiving Trip 2007 On the road! Anita invited me to her family’s home in Indiana for T-Day. This is the second time that Anita and I have traveled together. As it turns out, we are very "travel compatible":-) Our route took us through Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky (stopping only for White Castle Hamburgers)and then finally into Indiana. We spent Thanksgiving day with Anita's extended family on the farm where Anita grew up. It was definitely "Rural for your ass" as some might say. On Friday, we cut some firewood for Anita's parents. Oddly enough, I had never used a chainsaw previously, so Anita's Father gave me "Chainsaw 101". Now if I ever decide to make a facemask out of human flesh and stalk the countryside with a chainsaw looking for victims, I'll be ready. Another cool toy that Anita's Father had was a hydraulic log splitter. That simplified things greatly with the denser woods that we were splitting. I also got to swing a maul for the softer woods. It was sunny and a frigid 32 degrees, so it was nice to stay moving. On Friday evening we hung out in the Kitchen with Anita's Father (Korean War Vet) and Anita's Nephew, who just got back from Iraq a few months ago. Anita's Nephew (Jason) and I shared war stories at length with some input from Anita's Dad. It was a very cool experience. We finally called it quits around midnight. On Saturday, we drove around and visited some of Anita's old haunts as well as going on a photo safari. I have discovered that I really have a fetish for old deserted buildings and barns. I see tons of them here in NC when we are riding around on the Harley. I decided to shoot a few of them there (and I will be shooting them here going forward.) I will post a few in my pics on Myspace. Saturday evening Anita and I had dinner at the VFW in Terra Haute. It was much nicer than the one we have in Garner. Had a couple of drinks and called it an evening. Sunday we drove back. Got back reasonably late and crashed. What an excellent weekend though! I love traveling with my sweetie. Our next excursion will be a Western Caribbean cruise over Christmas. Peace out.... (Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 28th, 2007
5:14 am	Monday, November 19, 2007. Back to work today. Dammit. The North Carolina Board of CPA Examiners approved my application for reciprocal licensing today. After jumping through a few admin hoops (due to my slightly checkered past), they finally granted me the license. I will let my Massachusetts license expire at the end of its term. Nice timing though, what with settling in with the new home:-) (Comment on this)