Great Falls National Park Trip

Since my first trip in July, I have attempted two more hiking experiences.  The first one was Gettysburg at the end of August.  This was not a particularly successful hiking trip as I had trouble finding the trail I was attempting to hike, became overheated, and ended up returning to the Visitor Center after a couple of hours of wandering around on the roads.  I hope to attempt this trip again, planning a few days in the area, so I can visit some of the museums in addition to hiking.  The second hiking trip I took a couple weeks ago to Great Falls National Park, where I spent a very pleasant day in the park with my husband.

This trip started out on a much better note than the trip to Shenandoah or Gettysburg.  My husband drove and he has a much better sense of direction than I do.  We arrived on schedule at the right (only one I think) entrance to the park.  I directed us to the Southern parking lot, where we easily found the trailhead for the trip I had mapped out.  We walked Matildaville Trail first.  This is a 1.1 mile trail through the ruins of Matildaville, an old community for workers of the Patowmack Canal Company.  The trail is easy at first, but eventually leads into a rather steep climb up a hill.  Matildaville Trail intersects twice with Old Carriage Road, another 1.5 mile trail in the park.  At the second intersection, my husband and I switched to Old Carriage Road to head back to our starting point.  Old Carriage Road is a very easy walk on a wide level path.  Once back to the parking lot, we headed down to the river so we could take in the spectacular views of the falls for which the park is known.  There are three overlooks to visit, and we went to each one in turn.  At the end, we made a stop in the visitor center to see some of the exhibits and to buy a souvenir.  Then, we headed home about noon, or three-ish hours after we arrived.  Everything went smoothly and on schedule.

This trip was a little different than the first two because I went with my husband.  Hiking with my husband is a different experience than hiking on my own.  In some ways it is nice.  He can be a good conversationalist when he wants to be.  He helped me over a fairly large tree that had fallen across the path.  He took some nice photos of me on the trail.  He did make me feel a little safer than I do on my own, especially in a park like Great Falls that is very popular (Yes, I feel safer on my own when there is no one really around…I am afraid of what people will do to me, not what nature can do).  On the other hand, he creates constant noise which can get in the way of my quiet contemplation of the nature around me.  He walks much faster than me, even up hills, and I got left behind a couple times.  Plus while we both can get side-tracked by things to investigate, they do not tend to be the same things, so there were times where each of us was impatient for the other to get moving.  Over all, I am glad we can do some hiking together, but I definitely want to plan more solo trips in the future too.

My goal has been to plan a hike once each month which so far I have done (three months in a row).  However, I am not sure a hike in October will happen.  We are halfway through the month already, I am working this coming weekend, possibly working the next weekend, and going to a party the final weekend.  While I can obviously take some non-party time on that last one, I need time to recover from all the weekend work hours, time to do some basic cleaning, and hopefully time to work on my front room.  Even if October ends up a no hiking month, I am already scheduled for a getaway at the Wintergreen Resort the first weekend in November.  As long as weather holds reasonably clear, I told my husband I am taking a hike that weekend regardless if anyone else comes along (I am going with him and two friends).  I will be in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the autumn, and there is no reason to pass up a chance to absorb the colorful fall beauty.

Trip Spending Total:  $15.25 – Park entrance fee $10.00, souvenir for me $5.25

See you next week!

Here are some of my favorite photos from this trip.

  

  

  

Finally Some Furniture – Front Room October 2016

We have furniture!  It is only some of the furniture that will eventually go into the room, but it is a start.  I actually did not have most of the furniture when I took my comparison pictures on Sunday (a day late since I was out of town).  On Monday, they called to schedule delivery on a couple more pieces.  Two skinny bookshelves and a lateral file were delivered this morning.  I took a picture to include in this month’s update even though it was technically after the monthly cut-off.  Below are the comparison pictures, September 1^st on the left and October 2^nd on the right.  At the very bottom is the picture I took tonight of the newly delivered items.

Aside from my late delivery of furniture, I do not really have much else to show.  None of the cleanup work from the last update has been done.  My husband still needs to finish the electrical work.  I still need to clean the floor and finish painting the doors and door frame.  My husband and I did clear out some of the computer equipment that had migrated into the room.  Then, I ordered the furniture because I just could not wait any longer.  I have ordered most of the items for the office side of the room.  This includes the two skinny bookshelves, the lateral file, two chairs, and a desk.  The desk will come at a later date, currently estimated at November 4^th, so possibly not even making it for the next update.  The two chairs are here in the big boxes which you will see in the pictures below.  I definitely need some new lighting still, but I do not anticipate buying much more for this side of the room.

This coming month will most likely be rough because it is the quarter.  On top of that, I am trying to get back on track for studying for the CPA exam.  This is probably not going to leave me much time or motivation to work on the room.  If I can find some spark of energy in me, I should focus on cleaning the floor first.  Hopefully, I can convince my husband to do the remaining outlets and light switches too.  Other than that, I will work on unpacking some boxes now that I have some places available to put things.  I am also starting to think about what I want on the other side of the room.  I cannot order furniture for that side until I clear out some of the boxes and other stuff.  However, I did measure the room and map it out on some graph paper so I can start playing around with furniture ideas in the space.  I am really excited now that I have some furniture in here, and I like it as much in reality as I did on the website.  Maybe I can do this after all, and I will end up with a room that looks good.

I think that about covers everything.  See you next week!

  

  

  

  

Quick Hits – September 2016

First, I apologize this is going up a day late.  I traveled from Virginia to Pennsylvania for a reunion with school friends yesterday.  I had originally planned to put the blog up between when I arrived at the hotel and when I met my first friend for dinner.  However, I had a rather tough trip involving rain, an accident (not mine thankfully), and a stupidly missed exit, all of which combined to make a 5½ hour trip into a 7½ hour trip.  Then, I got caught up in having fun with my friend and got back too late to have the mental capacity needed to put the finishing touches on the blog.  No worries though, I put it on my morning task list before heading off to see more friends and have more fun.

I have not been watching much TV in the past few months, but I made up for it this month.  This is somewhat helped by the series I chose, two of which had shorter season that the normal 20+ episodes.  In addition, I watched a couple movies and read a couple books.  I chose to forego one movie review and add in a third TV series.  This was mostly because I wrote the first two reviews prior to watching the third show, but I was just so excited about Daredevil that I could not skip talking about it.  Enjoy.

Warning:  Although I tried not to delve into plots too deeply, there are potential spoilers in the reviews below.  Read at your own risk.

TV Series:  Psych:  Season 8 (2014)

After a long hiatus, my husband and I finally made it back to Psych to watch the final season.  It was a short season, only ten episodes, to wind down the series.  Overall, I have really enjoyed the whole series.  It is a crime procedural, done comedy style.  Shawn and Gus help the Santa Barbara Police Department solve crime using Shawn’s amazing observational and memory skills to see things that others miss.  Along the way they normally get themselves into trouble because they do not take things seriously and try to have as much fun in the process of crime-solving as possible.  It is a show that does that does not hesitate to make fun of itself, and it has provided a lot of fun episodes because of it.  The last season has some pretty great episodes, but it also has the absolute worst episode I have ever seen.  Check out episodes Lock, Stock, Some Smoking Barrels, and Burton Guster’s Goblet of Fire for an interesting resolution to one of their recurring villains and The Break-Up for a solid and amusing series finale.  Just skip A Nightmare on State Street, which is a confusing hour long waste of time that does nothing to entertain or move along the series.

TV Series:  One Tree Hill:  Season 5 (2008)

Season 5 starts some four and a half years after season 4 ended.  The series creators decided to take the unusual move of jumping the cast forward to after college completion.  I think this was a brilliant decision.  For one, it allows us to spread the characters out and then converge them back into Tree Hill again without the very false-feeling storyline of everyone going to the same college.  Second, it provides the viewer with mystery and wonder as they try to piece together what happened to each character during the four years.  The catch up was done very well with flashbacks and explanations sprinkled into current events, so after a few episodes the fans did not even feel like they had missed four years.  As per my review of Seasons 1-4, season 5 still has the hallmarks of a great show that takes the drama just a little too far.  I really like the progression they did with all the major characters.  Each arc seems believable and true to character.  As the season continues though, a couple of the storylines just go a little too far.  For example, Peyton destroys Luke’s relationship with his editor Lindsey, just as she has destroyed every other relationship he has tried to have.  I know Peyton and Luke together are supposed to be central to the show, but I hate it.  Either Peyton needs to get fully on board, or she needs to leave him alone (personally I vote for the latter).  Only wanting him when he moves on to someone else is getting repetitive and annoying.  Then, the psycho Nanny Carrie storyline was too much.  Having a nanny come in between Nathan and Haley was believable, but having the nanny go all crazy and try to steal Jamie just seemed forced.  Complaints aside, I will continue to watch, because it is just too much fun in between the craziness.  Plus (spoiler alert), I know they eventually write Lucas and Peyton out, and that might just make it a better show.

TV Series:  Daredevil:  Season 1 (2015)

This was the next pick for my husband & I to watch together after Psych ended.  I was a little nervous going into it, because I could tell from the trailer that this would be a bit grittier than the normal Marvel output.  I ended up loving this series, and I cannot wait to watch Season 2.  Right from the beginning, I found things that I motivated me to keep going.  I love the artistic stylized opening credits, which were beautiful, but also accurately portrayed how this show would be different, more serious, than the blockbuster films.  I have always been a fan of Elden Henson who shows up as Foggy Nelson, best friend to Daredevil himself (even if he does not realize it is him in the beginning).  The main villain, Wilson Fisk (aka Kingpin according to my husband though I do not think they refer to him as that in the series), is played by Vincent D’Onofrio of Law & Order fame.  His turn as the villain was impeccable; his way of portraying meticulous, intense, and insane has no equal.  I could truly believe that Wilson Fisk thought he was bettering Hell’s Kitchen despite the obvious destruction all around him.  The show is rounded out by the rest of the great cast, playing characters that were fun to get to know.  Each episode was dark, intense, emotional, yet with just enough humor infused to no make it depressing to watch.  My only complaint is that visually the series is very darkly filmed, making it quite hard to see some of the action on the screen.  While I understand that this was to emphasize the fact that Daredevil is blind, I am not and I do not have his superior auditory and perception skills to supplement my sight.  Overall, I am highly impressed with this series.  Well done Netflix and Marvel!

Movie:  People, Places, Things (2015)

This was a charming film about a man whose relationship fell apart.  On his twin daughters’ birthday, his wife tells him she has been having an affair and she wants him to leave.  Over the next year, he navigates being apart from the woman he loved, being apart from his daughters, dealing with co-parenting, dating someone new, and in general continuing on with life.  The movie is definitely from the man’s point of view.  He is depicted as clueless about what happened, while she is portrayed as a bit selfish and shrewish.  It stops short of being a man’s tantrum about women though, because he still sees the qualities in her that made him want to be with her, defends some of her actions to others, and acknowledges the differences between their worldviews.  I think it is realistic to life, when often we are all just viewing one side of it and a little clueless about why others make the decisions they do.  The main character is played by Jemaine Clement who does a fantastic job of being a depressed, clueless, but still likable dude. The film integrates artwork into the narrative using the characters job as a graphic novelist to visually supply some of what is going through his head.  It was a nice way to break up the action in the film and provide some background to scenes without getting too dependent on dialogue.  I really enjoyed this film, and I would definitely recommend it.

Book:  Sudden Death by Álvaro Enrigue (2013)

This has been one of the most unique books I have read in a long time.  Honestly, I am unsure what I think of it yet.  I received it in my Muse Monthly subscription box a few months ago, and I put off reading it because the description for it was so odd.  The book is somewhat about a duel being played out on a tennis court between the Italian painter Caravaggio and the Spanish poet Francisco de Quevedo.  Surrounding those tennis games are chapters dealing with the history of tennis, the execution of Anne Boleyn, Cortés’ conquest of the Aztecs, the events leading up to the duel, and the author’s own work.  It is definitely fiction, but pieces of it have some basis in history.  Without a lot of research, it is impossible to separate fact from fantasy, but that may be part of the book’s charm.  The book is scattered and confusing, but somehow I could not stop reading once I had started.  It is a modern example of Latin surrealism, a little liquid, a little mindbendy, a little freaky.  It is either brilliant or utter nonsense.  I think you will just have to read it and decide for yourself.  Personally, I intend to throw it back in the to-be-read pile and give it another go in a few months.

Book:  The 100 Year Miracle by Ashley Ream (2016)

This must be a Muse Monthly month, because this is also a book I received in a Muse box.  This book takes place on a small island off the Washington coast.  Every 100 years, a small arthropod called Artemia lucis emerges in the bay to glow with a green light for a six day period.  Mythology tells of its amazing hallucinogenic and healing properties, but no one today knows quite what to expect from it.  A team of scientists descend on the island to study the rare phenomena.  Meanwhile, a scattered island family reconvenes on the island during the same time to deal with their past history and current conditions.  The scientists and the family come together over the course of novel.  In the end, all of them are changed by the Artemia lucis in ways they could not have anticipated.  The climax was visible from the prologue, but it was fascinating to watch the progression of the situation.  None of the characters were particularly likable, so it was hard to feel sympathy or anticipation toward their eventual fates.  Underscoring the current events are two past horrific accidents that have greatly shaped who the characters had become in the present.  I think this underlying narrative is the most interesting aspect of the book; a study of how pain shapes each one of us.  While this will not be my favorite book of the year, I did enjoy myself while reading it.

Overflow:

Movie:  The NeverEnding Story (1984) – Yes

Movie:  Ricki and The Flash (2015) – Yes

Movie:  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) – Yes

Book:  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (1999) – Yes

Warning, I may end up having to shorten the entertainment blog.  If I get back on course and keep studying for the CPA exam, this will limit my ability to consume content for the next year or so.  I will adapt this feature accordingly depending how the new schedule actually shakes out.

See you next week! 

I Started Studying for the CPA Exam?!

About a month ago, I started studying for the Certified Public Accountants (CPA) exam.  This will be the second time I have attempted to prepare for it.  When I graduated from college back in 2004, I immediately began to study for the exam.  I did a CPA exam review course in the final semester of my bachelor’s degree.  I took the books from that course along with a computer software review program I bought and started studying nightly.  I eventually gave up for several reasons:  1) I found studying every night to be difficult, especially as I did not feel like I was making much progress in learning the information, 2) I hated my job and was unsure if I wanted to remain in accounting, and 3) Pennsylvania at that time had an attestation requirement that I would not be able to meet with my then employer.  Overall, I became discouraged about my ability to obtain a license and stopped studying without ever attempting to take the exam.  Since then, I have gained over ten years of accounting experience, a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA), and confidence in my ability to understand the material needed to pass the exam.  I bought a new round of study books, and I have once again embarked on a study program.

Since that first attempt, I have made a number of progressions in my career as an accountant.  I left that first job that I hated so much.  I switched career paths from taxes and small business financials to corporate accounting.  Employed as a staff accountant, senior staff accountant, and senior accountant, I have worked my way through various aspects of general ledger accounting, financial reporting, and management reporting.  Now as an accounting supervisor, I manage a team of three completing the things that I have been doing for the past ten years.  I still have another thirty-some years ahead of me before retirement, so lately I have been doing a lot of thinking about what direction I want to take my career.  I am not particularly satisfied with my experiences in management.  I like the scheduling and training aspects of my job, but I am not so thrilled with the interdepartmental and upward management parts.  Looking at all my bosses’ jobs, I know I do not want to go that direction and have started to vocalize my desire to not be put in the company’s succession plans.  This leaves me in a position of trying to decide what I want to do instead.

An accounting background provides me a range of opportunities that I can always explore, however I currently am considering three tracks.  I could look into remaining as a low-level supervisor or even going back to a senior accountant’s position in corporate accounting.  This is where my experience lies, and I could continue to expand myself by changing companies or positions to be exposed to different industries and specializations.  Or, I could move into a consulting role to do more analysis and project accounting.  Projects or varied assignments would help defend against the repetitive nature of accounting without me having to necessarily change jobs every few years.  Or, I could go into teaching accounting.  I had considered teaching history at a secondary level when initially choosing a career path out of high school.  While I do not feel it prudent to go back to history after so many years, teaching accounting in a secondary or post-secondary setting is definitely an option.  It would further the training aspects of my current job that I like, and remove the corporate management piece that I do not.

I do not have any answers on what I want to do with my career at this moment, but I do think having my CPA license would be beneficial in any of those three scenarios.  At my level, the CPA license is often preferred if not required for new jobs.  This brings me to my current project of studying for the exam.  On some level, I think I am in a better position to pass it this time around.  Even though I definitely do not know enough to take the exam at this point, I feel more confident that I have basic familiarity with many of the concepts I have run across so far.  It does not feel like I am starting from a place of nothing to try to learn the massive amount of material tested.  On the other hand, life is much more complicated now than it was then.  It is so much harder to find study time when I have a demanding job, a husband, and other personal obligations.  I started trying to get in 20 hours of studying each week which is what I remember my professor telling us to budget way back in college.  I just cannot seem to do this.  While I can usually carve that amount of time physically into my schedule, mentally I am not up to the challenge.  So I am cutting it back to 10 hours and trying to decide how to accommodate the reduced hours.  Once I pass the first section, I will need to pass the remaining three in an eighteen month period.  So I need to make sure I feel ready to keep going prior to taking that first big step, even if I need to delay the beginning for a while.  Maybe, I can slowly increase the number of hours without it feeling so overwhelming.  I know I have the option of taking actual classes for it, but I am just not ready to commit to a program requiring attendance.  I guess for now, I just see how I do with my revised schedule and go from there.

Who out there is working to pass the exam too?  Or has already done it?  If you have any tips on how to make that much studying seem remotely possible, let me know.  I really want to keep going this time, but sometimes it seems so hopeless when other parts of my life spin out of control eating away at the hours I told myself to study.

See you next week!

Top Ten – Conference Edition

I just survived my very first professional conference.  For the past three days I have been attending the ELFA 2016 Lease and Finance Accountants Conference in Baltimore, MD.  Some parts I enjoyed, some parts not so much.  Here are the top ten things I discovered at the conference.

10) I love the white noise machine provided by the hotel.  I want one of my own.

9) Eleven hours a day is too long to hold conference presentations.

8) My boss talks a lot, including during other people’s presentations.

7) Some of the conference presenters are really good and some are not.  My favorite was Tim Kolber of Deloitte due to his visible excitement to be presenting and discussing the topic Identifying a Lease Under ASC 842.

6) A few months after the release of ASC 842, none of the key players even agree on what the standard says, let alone know how to apply it.

5) Direct Finance Leases are now called Sales Type Leases.  Sales Type Leases are still called Sales Type Leases, except for a very particular type of Sales Type Lease which is now called a Direct Finance Lease.  How confusing can you get?

4) I now know two restaurants to enjoy in Baltimore, Dalesio’s of Little Italy and Sobo Café.

3) I found learning the nuances of the standard really interesting.  Maybe I should look into a job that is more policy analysis, less general ledger and reporting.

2) Kevin Kallaugher (cartoonist for The Economist and The Baltimore Sun) is a wonderful keynote speaker.  He made everyone laugh with his quirky representations of our current political players.

1) Although I am rather pleased with how my Donald Trump cartoon turned out, I definitely should not give up my day job to become a cartoonist.

Now it is time to get ready for next year’s conference.  I am really looking forward to enjoying Charlotte, NC.  It should be more lease accounting fun, but in a better location.

See you next week!

Yummy Picnic Picks

I have always loved the summer picnic holidays the most.  They provide the perfect opportunities to get together with your family and friends without the drama that seems to be attached to the winter holidays.  You can have fun together without people getting all bent out of shape if traditions are not followed exactly.  There is no gift giving involved to hurt people’s feelings.  You still get a day off work.  Although rain can throw a wrench into some plans, usually weather is nowhere near severe enough to cancel activities completely.  Everyone just relaxes and has a good time.

The best part though is all of the yummy food that people bring to these barbeques.  I love food.  I love to make it, and I love to eat it.  I wanted to share some of my favorite summer party contributions.  Here are four things that I routinely make to take with me to summer picnics.  Each of them has been well reviewed by others, and I commonly receive inquiries into the recipes.

Salsa Rollups

8 flour tortillas

8 oz cream cheese

Salsa

Mix softened cream cheese with salsa until consistency is smooth enough to spread (the more liquid the salsa, the less you will need).  Spread a ¼ inch layer on each tortilla.  Roll up tortillas.  Refrigerate for an hour.  Cut into 1 inch slices.  Serve with salsa to dip.

Notes:  1) This recipe was created by my cousin Joe when he was in elementary school.  I have since seen variations of it many places, but he still gets the credit for my version of it.  2) This recipe can be easily modified to fit unique tastes.  Feel free to add ingredients to the cream cheese mixture or to experiment with dipping options.

Cucumber Salad

3-4 cucumbers

1 large tomato

1 small onion

Salt

½ cup vinegar

1 cup sugar

Dill

Slice cucumbers into a bowl.  Coat them with salt.  Allow to sit for two hours.  Slice onion and add to bowl.  Dice tomatoes and add to bowl.  Dissolve sugar into the vinegar and pour over vegetables.  Add dill to taste.  Cover and refrigerate for several hours (or overnight).   Mix well and serve.

Notes:  1) Again I have seen many variations to this recipe, but I base mine off a recipe included in a church newsletter I received many, many years ago.  2) This is also a very flexible recipe.  You can add or subtract any vegetable except the cucumber.  Use Italian seasoning, or basil, or whatever you like instead of the dill.

Bistro Pasta Salad

1 box cooked penne pasta

1 container cherry tomatoes – halved

1 small onion – diced

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not oil packed) – I normally halve or quarter the bigger pieces

6 oz crumbled feta cheese

Basil

Good Seasons Italian salad dressing (prepared per package directions – vinegar, water, oil, packet)

Toss pasta, tomatoes, onion, sun-dried tomatoes, and feta in large bowl.  Shake on dried basil to taste (I use a lot!).  Pour entire bottle of prepared Good Seasons Italian dressing.  Mix well.  Refrigerate overnight.  Mix well and serve.

Notes:  1) This recipe has been passed around my family for ages, but I think it was originally found in a cookbook my Grandmother owned.  Unfortunately, I have no ideas on what it was or who wrote it.  2) If you want some protein to make this a complete meal, slice grilled chicken breasts and add to pasta salad.

Take Over the World Bars

1 18 oz roll Pillsbury Refrigerated Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 cups powdered sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons butter, softened

¼ cup water

1 cup milk chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  In a 9 X 13 glass pan, smoosh Pillsbury cookie dough until it covers bottom of pan.  Bake 16 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Allow to cool.

In medium bowl, mix powdered sugar, peanut butter, butter, and water until smooth.  You can add a little more water (tablespoon at a time) if needed to get a creamy peanut butter fudge consistency.  Spread across the top of the chocolate chip cookie.

Melt chocolate chips.  Spread across top of peanut butter fudge.  Allow chocolate to set.  Cut into bars.

Notes:  1) This recipe is actually called Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cookie Bars and it is from a Pillsbury cookbook I bought more than a decade ago.  I started calling them Take Over the World Bars when the reaction I received every time I brought them was so strong that I started joking I could use them to brainwash the world and make everyone do my bidding.

These are a few of my favorite summer holiday recipes.  What are yours?  I am always looking to try something tasty.

See you next week!

Painting, Painting, Painting – Front Room September 2016

This week has been hectic, so I do not have much time to write a blog.  Luckily it is time for my monthly feature, and I already know what needs to go into it.  Here is a brief update on where things stand with the front room.  The comparison pictures are below, August 1^st on the left and September 1^st on the right.

We are almost done painting!  I feel like I owe my husband an apology.  I was getting so frustrated that he was not making faster progress.  I still believe he has pushed work off for longer than I would have preferred.  Now that I have done some painting though, I understand why it seems like he makes so little progress each weekend that he does work on it (it is hard work!).  We have put in two good weekends of working on the room.  The first weekend, we both were painting.  Together we completed all the blue paint on the walls including all the quirky little corners and out of the way places.  We also did the ceilings and most of the baseboard.  The following weekend, I completed the remainder of the baseboard and painted the front door.  We still need to paint the closet door and put a second coat on the front door (it was a new door with raw primer and it just does not look good with one coat of paint).  Hopefully, I will be able to get this done soon, but at least it does not keep me from ordering furniture and moving forward on the office space.

September is all about furniture shopping.  Prior to furniture, my husband needs to finish replacing light switches and outlets.  I also need to clean the floors really well.  We have some junk to move out of the room as well (you will notice in the pictures that we have desks and computers in the room, thanks to my husband throwing a LAN party while I was out of town).  Once all that is done though, I think I am free to start decorating.  I am nervous about purchasing furniture.  I do not trust my interior decorating instincts much, and I am a little afraid to spend so much money on something that might not work out.  I just have to do it though, because I really, really want a space that is mine and I think it needs furniture.

I think that about covers everything.  See you next week!