Because ALL Songs Say So Much
(Not just the sad ones...)
DISCLAIMER:
The following ramblings are based on real-life experiences, mishaps, and downright screw-ups. Names (of past, present, and future boyfriends) have been changed or omitted to protect the innocent. And the guilty...
Yep, that's right! I'M BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And the reason I'm back? Well, because I imposed upon myself a blogging and horse-hunting hiatus that could not end until I could address you all as:
Yes, that's right, yours truly is now a Certified Public Accountant AND a Licensed Attorney at Law!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DONE am I with the days of using all of my vacation for studying!
DONE am I with that nagging guilt that plagued me whenever I read a book for fun!
DONE am I with the stress-induced ulcers and splitting headaches! (Well, at least I'm leaving those up to the job now, anyway)
DONE am I with all things academic!
So done, in fact, that I have imposed yet another moratorium upon myself - this one forbidding me to engage in any academic, accreditation-related, or career altering activity for a period of ONE YEAR. I am to do nothing but my current job and take care of myself.
Hours of TV! Tons of literary trash! Afternoons of indulgent naps!
HALLELUJAH, it is FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(More tomorrow, after I come down from my prideful high...)
Yeah - I'm still here. Just been busy/uncreative/unmotivated as of late.
So, I requested my Bar Exam scores. I wish I hadn't done that, as this is what they reflected:
Passing Score: 346
My Score: 342
FOUR POINTS. FOUR MOTHER-EFFING POINTS. 1%. That's it. That's all that stood between me and my law license. FOUR POINTS.
I would've been less frustrated if my score had been more like 250.
But, alas, what can you do?
Well, what I did is beg. The CPA exam allows exam candidates (for a fee, of course. hey - isn't money what this is all about after all??) to have their exams re-scored. The Bar doesn't embrace such a policy - or at least I can find no evidence of one. So I decided to appeal to the humanity of the Executive Director and Chairman. I wrote them a very heartfelt letter in which I pleaded to have my exam re-scored. Seeing as I only have one measly percent to go, it's worth a shot, right?? Sadly, they apparently do not agree with my logic as I have not heard back from anyone at the Board. Sigh.
So, I've applied to take the blasted thing again. Application, and accompanying check for $400, went out today. That basically means $400 and 4 months of studying for FOUR POINTS.
All irritation aside - what this means is that I better damn well knock that piece of shi* out of the park in February, and I want any loyal readers I may still have left to hold me to that. Studying must start now. There will be no 3.5-week cram sessions this time. MONTHS of preparation. I will not take any chances.
Apparently, I am ethical enough to pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (precursor to a law license). Yay! Sounds like it would be a piece of cake or a joke. Not so much. This was actually my second time taking it. It’s quite tricky, and you really do have to prepare. No working off the assumption that you instinctively know right from wrong. I was pretty nervous about it, actually, so I’m glad I did okay. It would be a rather large nuisance for me to have to take it again.
Good news.
Even better news?
I FINALLY PASSED THE MOTHER-EFFING CPA EXAM BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That’s right – you’re now reading the brilliant words of Kristen, CPA (well, once I complete the painstaking licensing process anyway…). I am SO thrilled about this since, as you know, I have been taking this piece of crap exam for the majority of my existence. And I gotta say (in case you weren’t aware), I was pretty damn sick of it.
But now?
NO MORE!! ALL DONE!!! WOO HOO!!!!!!!!
Not only will I no longer have to endure the misery of Regulation, Audit, Financial Reporting, and Business Environment, I’ll probably have twice the disposable income, since I won’t be forking over thousands of dollars a year in test fees. That’s as good of news as the exam results themselves!
So -
In celebration:
The Bad:
Sadly, God generally doesn’t open windows without first closing doors. My closed door? The Bar Exam. Gigantic Sigh. Despite my respectable (albeit futile, last-ditch, and somewhat insane) effort at cramming 3 months of studying into 3 weeks, I was not able to pass this beast. Sucks. A lot. I have gone back and forth on whether I will take it again in February, but I have decided that I will. I am getting my actual scores in the next week or so, so hopefully I can see what I need to work on (and hopefully I wasn’t ridiculously far off…). Then, I will do it all again come the end of February. Hopefully, the March 2011 equivalent of this post will reveal a much brighter future for yours truly…
In the meantime though -
In mourning:
The Ugly:
The Bar wasn’t the only fatality this month. Also out the window went my relationship. After the beach trip from hell, Deac basically dropped off the face of the Earth. Oh, he called, but he made no mention of seeing me for 3 weeks. Since that’s the opposite of what a reasonable person would do if told the things I said to Deac, I decided to cut him loose. Did it through an unnecessarily nice email (since I LOATHE talking about my feelings), and never heard from him again. Hasta la vista, Deac! And good riddance, I guess (as I am taking his lack of effort and response as a personal affront). NOT having any relationship drama or distractions will definitely make preparing for (and passing, damn it!) the Bar much easier this next time…
Nonetheless -
In memoriam:
Alright, that’s all for now! Back to work for me. After my mental quasi-strike, I am über behind. Snap to, Kristen! Chop, chop! Gotta avoid getting fired, at the very least.
Oh yeah - hopefully I’ll have some Random Thoughts for you tomorrow. It’s been a long time since my mental anarchy has graced you. They’re definitely flying around my head right now, too, just dying to get out…
It's been a rough few weeks. It's also been a very long time since I've told a story with songs. (Check out my first AND last attempt: http://stolensentiments.blogspot.com/2010/02/somebody-to-love.html). So, instead of boring you with the details, I'll do what I do best and steal someone else's words to tell you (in no particular order) what's happened lately with relationships, exam results, work, and life in general. Enjoy! (If you don't listen to anything else, PLEASE watch the Disgruntled Employee Song. Priceless...)
Yep, that's right! I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaacccccccccccckkkkkkkk!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know you guys missed me terribly, and please know how much I've missed you! Some of you (well, some of those of you who might actually still follow my lonely little blog after my month-long hiatus, that is) may remember that I just undertook the miserable feat of sitting for the DREADED...
...wait for it...
Can't promise anyone that I passed (especially in light of my prior academic glory - see: Trash Talk Tuesday), but, I DID survive. That's something, right?
I have the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam this Friday, and then I'm done with this crap - hopefully forever. I will find out the results of the bar, the MPRE, and the last section of the CPA exam on roughly the same day (somewhere around August 28). So, stay tuned - at least for the end of the month. It will either be an AMAZING day, or an incredibly shitty one...
In the meantime, I'm starting a new project. For the next 12 months I present to you an incredibly exciting (though unoriginal) self-improvement project - the Happiness Project (stolen from the book of the same name). Much like the author of this charming memoir, Gretchen Rubin, I will focus on a different shortcoming or goal each month and strive to improve my life, and thereby increase my happiness, by making changes in that particular area. A sneak preview - August, Month 1, will center on energy. More details to come... Alright happy people, I am off to bed. Back to work tomorrow after my 30-day unpaid leave of absence/Studying Extravaganza. Ugh...
But, before I go, a salute to all the people and things that got me through one HELLUVAN exam:
The fine folks at MicroMash and Bar in a Flash. Love those guys!
Microsoft OneNote
My dear friend Senor P - for sneaking me those PMBR lectures. They saved my butt!
The nut jobs that dreamed up this gem:
Law & Order SVU and the Closer. (Win the Emmy, Kyra!!)
My now ex-Roomie - the Intern.
Deac, especially for my delicious celebratory dinner last night.
AC/DC
This song:
This cereal:
My wrist-brace, Bengay, and BioFreeze.
My laptop, which functioned ALL the way through the race that is the state essay portion.
My dear friend Professor E.
A lot of prayers from all around.
The spacious suite at my ghetto hotel at the test-site, and the delicious salad at the restaurant next door.
The view of the horse park that made me want a pony.
Coffee and Adderall.
This cat:
My bed.
And last - but absolutely not least since I'd probably be dead or in a padded cell right now without them - everyone out there who believed in me. You know who you are.
All of my love and devotion to all of the above. You truly are my Sunshine.
So, I've been on hold with the Georgia Department of Motor Vehicles for 45 minutes. I need a copy of my driving record. This is my fault, as I totally glossed over the requirement to send in my driving records with my Bar Exam Application. As you know, the application is due tomorrow. It's a BEAST. I still have to enter all of my jobs from my 18th birthday to now (there are eleven, as I worked 3 jobs at a time for a while there), and enter in my 8 references, and all of my student loans. That, combined with my to-do list for work and the barrage of related emails, is causing me to hyperventilate. I have the GA DMV on hold on two different phones right now. If I could...OH WAIT! Someone is answering!!!
Lovely. GA will not do ANYTHING over the phone. Fan-frickin'-tastic. I have to mail in a request. Let's see if the Bar will allow me to send my records later...
YES! Success! Apparently, the Bar is used to dealing with moronic DMVs. My application will still be complete if I send it sans driving records. Hooray!!
So, that's done. And I got my student loan balances. Now, I just need to get to my actual work! So, back to it. Let's just hope my heart palpitations cease and desist...
