Core Knowledge Exam

I have good news to report. I passed the core knowledge exam. That means I get to go to the School of Accountancy this June. If I pass the SOA I get to write the Uniform Final Evaluations in September. If I pass the UFEs, my hell will finally be over. For the time being I am working, and enjoying some much deserved and needed down time.

Chillaxin'

It is so nice to wake up on a Sunday and realize I have nothing to do. From September Through January 4th I had to commit seven days a week to school and study. I'm back at work now. It has been an adjustment, but I much prefer work to school. So what am I doing with all this new found free time? I have taken it upon myself to learn how to play "Linus and Lucy" on the piano. I'm also learning how to play the blues. I'm doing things that I want to do, rather than things that I have to do. Of course my freedom will be interrupted in June when I have to attend the school of accountancy. Then I have to study study study for the uniform final evaluation in September. Basically, I'm not going to have a summer. For the time being I get to enjoy a little down time, and I'm taking full advantage. I passed all my courses, so the degree is officially in the bag. I find out if I passed the CKE on January 20th.

Last Exam

It's been a long haul, but I've finally written the last exam of my university career. Barring any unfortunate mishaps, such as the possibility of failing my auditing class, it is now official; I am the world's most eligible bachelor... bachelor of accounting, that is. You might think I'm going to enjoy the Christmas break before heading back to work in January, but you're wrong. I have to study for yet another exam. I am writing the Core Knowledge Exam (CKE) on January 4th. I basically have to relearn everything I was taught in the past four and a half years within the next two weeks. A monumental task, for a monumental four hour 100 question multiple choice exam. I can't wait for January 4th to be over so I can kick back and relax. In the meantime, I am in hell. Merry Christmas.

Royal Bank of Canada

The very first savings account I ever opened was with the Royal Bank of Canada. It was my primary account until I moved away to school back in 89. That's when I switched to CIBC out of convenience. CIBC had way more instant teller machines around the city than RBC. Anyhow, I always kept a little cash in my RBC account. It was always nice to know I had a small reserve in case I ever found myself in need of a few bucks. I thought there was nothing to worry about. Isn't the idea of a savings account that you can let your money sit there and accumulate interest indefinitely? Admittedly I haven't been actively using the account for many years. In fact, in years past, RBC has sent me notices saying my account had been inactive for a very long time, and if I didn't do anything about it they would close out it out. When ever I got one of those messages I made a point of putting some money in the account to keep it active. This year RBC didn't warn me. They charged me two inactivity fees of 15 dollars apiece, then came up with some lame charge for the remainder. They basically stole 42 dollars from me. Needless to say I've lost my faith in humanity. I think it's fitting that I write this on the day of the Pope's passing. Ultimately I have the last laugh. I am well on my way to attaining my CA designation. There will come a day when I will be reasonably well to do. Royal Bank of Canada, you screwed up. I know your dirty little secret. I will never do business with Royal Bank of Canada ever again.

On-line Shopping

I used to be afraid of ordering things over the internet. Recently, however, I have found the internet to be of tremendous use. Everyone knows I bought pants from JC Penny on-line. Disappointing side-show freak jeans aside, that was a very positive internet purchasing experience. I have recently ordered an upgrade to my digital video editing software, and just last night I ordered a new computer tower on-line. My old clunker doesn't cut the mustarde any more. I admit, my chest becomes a little queasy every time I enter my credit card number, but so far I haven't had any problems. The thing I enjoy most about ordering things on-line is having the merchandise delivered right to my front door. I don't even have to leave my house. It's like magic. There is one caveat to ordering over the net, though. It is always a risk buying things sight unseen. Also, you may have to wait longer than expected for your order to be processed. I just got an e-mail from the vendor, which sold me the computer tower. It seems they are currently out of stock and I'll have to wait an indefinite period of time. They assure me they're doing everything in their power to make things as speedy as possible. If I had physically gone to a computer store I could be working on my new computer right now. I'm willing to wait a week, but no more. Any longer than that and I will cancel the order, and sever my relationship with the vendor.

Pants Conclusion

The pants arrived today. They were delivered right to my door. When I got home for lunch they were sitting on my front porch in the rain. Thankfully they were well protected by the packaging. I was extremely excited by their arrival. I checked out a pair of the jeans, and a pair of the casuals. They looked decent enough. I didn't have time to try them on right away because I had to get back to work. Needless to say the anticipation of trying on my new pants was killing me thisafternoon. The first thing I did when I got home was try on the blue jeans. I don't know what kind of mutant they were designed for, but they're definitely going back. The pants come right up to my belly button, making me look like Ed Grimley of SCTV fame. My confidence dashed, I tried on a pair of the casuals. They look and feel great, and best of all they fit. If anything they may be a bit too long. If they are I'll just get them altered. All in all I'm happy. JC Penny has a good return policy, and makes it very easy. I just drop the unwanted pants back in the mail with a slip that says why I'm returning them.

Links of Note

I have added some links of note on my sidebar. I encourage everyone to click on them and see where they take you.

I'm feeling a little hung-over today. I went to a bar and saw a funk band last night. It was a friend's birthday. A whole bunch of us went out to celebrate, and wouldn't you know it, we all ended up drunk. My head is pounding. My ears are ringing. My heart is stopp