I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to tell YOU that I hate you...

I came across this post from Ta-Nehisi Coates. There really isn't much for me to say, since I'm not at all surprised by such news anymore. So I guess this post serves merely as a PSA to those who are unaware/forgot:

We are but A GENERATION removed from when this kind of foolishness was a part of legislation. No one woke up after the bill was passed as said "Good heavens, what was I thinking? Colored folks are alright!" That is all

Oh Em Gee & Gee Wizzes Abound

NO ONE thought it appropriate to hold an intervention when I decided to be an Accountant, let alone a CPA??!!

My absence has been due to the OBSCENE amount of work and self-study hours I've been logging in each day. I'm in a 6 week intensive study course and I should've known when the course outline made a note saying "students are strongly encouraged NOT to work full-time/part-time during the course" (read, "when possible eating, sleeping, and bathroom breaks should also be avoided"). However, this is what I must endure to get what I want...so be it.

The pressure is on:
This CPA "Bootcamp", so to speak, is being taught by Becker. However, its partnership with Howard University's School of Business and Center for Accounting Education is very new. One of the Universities professors really campaigned to get a CPA training course onto Howard's campus. In effect, I and the other 23 or 24 students enrolled are actually a part of a pilot program. So passing will not only be a reflection of my performance, but on my alma mater and its subsequent dealings with future partnerships. Yikes. But I've been a clutch player before. My degree says that I held that down pretty well.

Sidebar:
Although a lot of the CPA students are familiar faces from undergrad, its interesting to see how diverse a route some of us have taken or are taking pre- and post- CPA. I was glad to meet a guy who, like me, decided to dabble in the precise opposite of accounting and go into media/design. Talking to him, I discovered that he has a brilliant idea entrepreneurial venture in the works, that when implemented and launched correctly will surely have a great impact on technology, social media, and education. Now if only I weren't going to be broke from this expensive behind exam, I'd definitely invest. (hmmmm)

I digress...my point is, we are ALL multi-faceted and multi-talented. Lately, I've seen an uptick in the thinking that Corporate America is more of a "Start" square on the game board of life, not the the "Win". Most of us are taking the CPA exam because a) we've been signed to a firm and they are footing the bill, b) We are making ourselves more marketable to firm, by lessening the expense in our training, c) Its becoming more necessary to be licensed to move up in responsibility and pay grade, d) we possess a certain degree of insanity, so we do this for fun. But there is a collective sense amongst most of us that we won't be pigeonholed into an industry/line of service. We are more than number crunching, account balancing, spreadsheet sorcerers. Ultimately, I see a host of entrepreneurial movers and shakers amongst my peers....and it makes me proud.

Upgrade (in the non-Beyonce sorta way)

I know what you're thinking. Chick needs an upgrade. I originally started the blog out as a way to test the waters of me pulling my thoughts out of my head and turning them into something tangible. No expectations of actually having readers or something coming of it other than freeing up mind space.

But as of late, I've decided to turn my never ending random thoughts into an opportunity to get creative and start dialoguing with the rest of the world (as least the ones who care). I want to get all documentary-esque, meets think tank, meets social lounge with it. Naturally, I will want to get my own personal domain/site for this venture. I want to be able to vlog, blog, interact, and all that good stuff.

Unfortunately, time to accomplish such goals is not on my side right now. But I want to get some ideas together so that I can get it going once I'm done with my current commitments.

Soooooo....calling all YA'LL. I'm recruiting ideas. What blogging platform should I be using (is Blogger still what's hot? Wordpress maybe?) Would you read it? How should I get the word out when its up (you know I got the tweets covered *wink*)?

Let me know...feel free to Tweet me too @ShaylaBColeman

You Knew What This Was When...

I'm no stranger to court shows. As a matter of fact my mom has just about every one imaginable DVR'd and ready for playback so she can catch up on what she missed while at work. Needless to say this is our family time most days. I'm well acquainted with Judge Joe Brown, Mathis, Karen, Penny, Hatchett, David Young, Alex, Milian, and Toler (see...way too much).

Yet, during a recent episode of Divorce Court (Judge Toler), a particular "defense/reasoning" (better...lack thereof) made me stop and shake my head.

"Your honor, she knew I was this way before we got together. If she wanted a nice guy or someone better, then why is she calling me?"

*sigh* This has been a recurring theme not only on Divorce Court, but every other show with a case involving 2 partners whose relationship has soured and somehow one party ends owing the other some money. And the brutally honest defendants (because 9x out of 10, thats the side of the bench their on) seem just as proud of themselves for at least being honest about THAT.

Which leads to my inquiry. Where did this 2.0 interpretation of "up front and honest" come from? And why is this version being accepted by some? I'm all about truth, honesty, and being up front about yourself when it comes to relationships (all kinds). But I'm pretty sure when the ideals of "honesty is the best policy" and "being open and honest with your mate" where championed, they weren't taking the TRIFLING into consideration. Recognizing your flaws is one thing....being the epitome of all things backwards and having no intentions to fix them is quite another. Further still, many times there's an expectation of praise for keeping it real and at least being that self aware.

I've had plenty of times and known plenty of people who've gone through a situation that was probably of our own making and knew that something had to change, if not what exactly. And many times we know what we need to do, we just refuse to do it for whatever reason. But I've come to learn an important concept that helps me never to fall into the trap of being a repeat offender.

Its one thing to recognize the crazy, actually fixing it is completely different.

So you KNOW you're not the most faithful person in the world, you KNOW you procrastinate, you KNOW your never on time, you KNOW your hang ups. Congrats to you. But thats not cause for award. Now...FIX IT. As for those who put up with it...thats a whole new story...

So what do you think about the "You Knew What This Was" defense?

Who Wants to Grow Up When You Could Get Away With This and It Still Be Cute?

Like the fashion or not, this kid gets applause for not being afraid of standing out (especially at his young age). BOLDness at its finest is when its too young to start rationalizing, young enough to still be cute, and still able to avert from the the pressures to fit in that come at just about "that" age.

Catch the article and a slideshow of his "fashion homage" here.

I truly hope he holds on to his flair for the creative. Hone those skills and keep that confidence and who knows. I fully support his clothing line when he gets outta college. LOL

Two Times for Fallon & The Roots

Oh how this made me smile...

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Soo Ummm...

Yeah I know I was supposed to follow up with the Oscar thoughts and what not, but its been too long to still care. I've been increasingly busy with some major projects. So far, I'm managing to stick to a lovely time managed system that allows me to get my work done without losing sleep, my sanity, or quality. So if things like blogging, tweeting, facebooking, and downloading have to take a back seat. C'est la vie!