NFL Draft Tomorrow

Tebow has got to be one of the greatest enigmas the draft has seen in some time...maybe this picture will be a prediction of a future reuniting?  Probably not but it would be sweet...

New Part of the Blog

I'm going to start a new thing with my blog - picture of the week.  I'm going to try and get back into this thing, but maybe start expanding my topics. 

You'll likely see more changes coming...especially when I get my camera fixed up.

Update

Hello all,

I am freshly settled in after a long trip back from Chicago to visit Leslie. It's funny how the trip back can seem to take twice as long as the trip there! I started getting pretty tired by the end of the trip...what's happening to me?

All kidding aside, it was really good to get out there to see Leslie. It's her birthday this Friday and I wanted to be able to see her to celebrate with her. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it out this next weekend because I'm "On Call" for inventory, so I figured celebrating one week early didn't do any harm.

She's just wrapping up her 3rd quarter of schooling, so one more left and then she'll have her clinicals for a year - basically spent between Mankato and Chicago and everywhere in between. I have a feeling the 2nd year will go much faster than the 1st for her.

I'm surviving my first busy season. It's been long, and aside from really not having a lot of free time it hasn't been that bad. I feel like I've gained a lot of experience the last month and a half especially, and I'm slowly becoming more and more comfortable/confident with everything. I'll be halfway done with busy season in a week or so, which is exciting because the weather will (hopefully) be getting warm just when my hours start to go down a bit.

I was pretty nervous about driving on the roads down here with the snow, but it really hasn't been that bad. Obviously, you have to be cautious and on the lookout for people that are being a tad aggressive. For the most part, the city does a good job of keeping the road conditions manageable. Half of the time I don't even have to compete with other drivers (due to later hours).

Was anyone else giddy with 45 seconds left in that Vikings game? I sure was, I texted everyone in my family "Run. Run. Run." just seconds before the Vikings passed. Tough, tough, loss. No way we should have been in a position to win that game with all those turnovers. Unbelievable.

For the record - the Vikes should try to trade McKinnie this offseason. I don't care if it's a 3rd rounder. Get that guy off our team. I consider him the shadiest guy on our team, and I think his absences and subsequent dismissal from the NFC Pro Bowl Roster speaks volumes to that. I used to think it was just his arrogance for being a highly drafted/paid football player, but now I think he's just that big of a thug. How many 340 pound guys need a metal pipe to beat up someone?

I'm really looking forward to seeing how this whole Tim Tebow thing is going to work out for the Draft. In regards to the NFL - he's really an enigma. Whether or not he makes it in the NFL is debatable and will be answered in the coming years, but I don't think I've ever seen an athlete play a sport with as much passion, as much charisma, with as much respect for and from his teammates as Tebow, at least in this stage of his career. Wherever he ends up, I'll be rooting for him.

My cell phone plan is going to end soon - which means I'll be getting a Blackberry. I'll be needing one for work (not so much now, but in another year...and we all know how phone plans can be) so I'll have to start looking at it soon. I guess it'll be alright, but I'm not sure I'll like being so connected to everything. Either way, I'll find out soon.

Here's a list of items I'm most interested in acquiring in the future (in no particular order):

-DSLR Camera
-Motorcycle
-Electric Guitar

I'm not thinking immediate future, but definitely on my mind a bit. The most likely to happen will be the guitar just to mess with. I have an acoustic, but I'd like an electric to play so that I could play a little bit harder without bothering my roommates (I'm still not very good).

Whooof, I'm tired, I think I'm going to call it a night. Thanks for the patience every one. I'll try to make this a little more frequent!

God Bless

January Update

I think I'm going to try and carve out some time this weekend to write a little bit here, as it has been 2 months. I've been working quite a bit the last month as I am now officially in "Busy Season" mode for auditing. I usually think about it a few times a week but unfortunately haven't thought about it when I've actually had the time to do it!

A few quick things-

-My bro is now in Carolina, and I think he can't be any happier to be out of California.

-I am really starting to get ok at guitar. By no means average, but not bad for a guy that's slowly teaching himself!

-I'm sick of bandwagon Viking fans.

-I'm heading out to Chicago this weekend to see Leslie

-I'm really liking my job!

-On the verge of being 24, I think my 10 year window of attending numerous weddings every summer will begin in 2010.

-I miss my favorite dog in the world, Boca.

Blog Update

So many things have changed for me in the last 2 months, I don't think I could do it a justice trying to capture it in one blog post. I've now been working full-time with EY and I'm starting to feel myself making the adjustment from college life/study mode to career mode.

Sleeping- While I still am not getting up as early as I'd like (to workout and have time to eat a decent breakfast), the overall switch to waking up around 6:30 wasn't much of a problem. Sure there are days that I don't want to get up, but I think everyone has that sometimes. I'm usually able to get out of the apartment within a half hour or 45 minutes to hit the road. I'd really like to start getting up between 5:00 and 5:15 so I can workout in the morning. It's something I'm trying to do, but as Yoda would say - there is no try. Eventually, I think I'll be able to get to bed a little earlier and work out consistently.

Driving - The drive in the morning really hasn't been bad. I was able to get used to it last summer (I definitely was terrified a few times last year), but I've become pretty comfortable and familiar with the roads in the cities. Honestly, I feel like the best way to learn is through error (and not trusting a sometimes incorrect GPS). I always make sure I know where I'm going when I'm working, but at night I like to try different routes to see if I can get myself home.

Work -Although jumping into things was certainly stressful, I feel like my overall transition with my work has gone pretty well. It's amazing how much clearer everything is to me the second time around. I think I had a difficult time as an intern seeing the entire audit engagement as a whole while I was working. I was able to do what they asked me to do, but I didn't really understand what and more importantly why I was doing some of the things I was doing. However, now with an opportunity to recall moments of my internship and actually taking an auditing course in school (along with passing Audit for the exam!) has really helped me see the big picture. While by no means a master, I feel so much more comfortable with what I'm doing and I think my performance thusfar reflects that.

Food-Ooof, I need some help here! Honestly, I have a hard time being able to commit myself to some grand meal. If Leslie is visiting, I'll usually try to make pasta, but this is about as far as my cooking abilities go. I do want to learn how to cook, but right now I'm satisfied with what I'm able to create. So, you may be wondering what my daily lunch looks like (or maybe not). To tell you the truth, it's about the same thing every day. I'll have a yogurt, bring multiple Nutrigrain bars/Nature Valley bars to snack on if I get hungry. I always make two identical sandwiches - usually turkey or roast beef with mustard. I try to get a banana in there too. It's not much, and I'm usually really hungry when I get back, but until I get into that early morning workout schedule, it's tough to justify eating a whole lot more! :)

Time - By far the biggest adjustment I've had to make. The weeks are flying by and it seems like I'm constantly trying to stay caught up with all the things on my plate. Admin/HR stuff with work, bills, reading, trying to improve my ironing, getting food, and taking care of all those little things you just gotta do. It seems like my weekends just vanish because I've got so many things I'd like to get done. I'm sure this is kind of how it is. I've just got to improve how I prioritize.

Student Loans - Blech.

I'm glad I was able to take some time to give this blog an update (part of that whole prioritizing thing). I'll make sure to do a better job from now on.

Rock on.

Dan

Been a Long Time

Hi everyone,

Wow, things have been kind of a whirlwind since I started working and I've been a little bogged down as of late. I apologize to any of my very dedicated followers looking for some updates from my life! Just so everyone knows, I did pass all 4 parts of the CPA exam! I look at my bulletin board everyday and just smile - I know I'll never have to do that ever again. I can't believe I won't have to, but at the same time I can't imagine having to go through any of that again, even for one test, with work.

I'll try to get to this more often than I have been, I feel like I'm trying to make all these adjustments in my life/schedule to do things that I normally had no proble taking care of within a reasonable amount of time. As time goes on, I'll be able to settle into my routine just as I always have.

Until then, be patient!!!

:)

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - Weeks 1 through 3 - Collegeville MMIX

Collegeville MMIX Fantasy Football League

Cardinal Division

Standings
Valley W.A.S.P.S 2-1
Vanilla Shakes 2-1
Graham Avenue Gravediggers 1-2
London Silly Nannies 1-2

The Good
Arguably the toughest division entering the season, the Cardinal Division got off to a fast start going 3 and 1 during opening week. The division sports the league’s most consistent team in the Valley WASPS (87, 85, and 90 points in the first three weeks). The division is a respectable 6-6 after the first three weeks. The Cardinal Division also sports the #3 and #6 scoring teams in the W.A.S.Ps and Shakes, so look for these two teams to start to separate from the others in the coming weeks. Questions emerged early about the Vanilla Shakes’ draft – but so far their owner appears to have another solid squad even without McNabb and Welker.

The Bad
While the division has held its own thus far, much could be made of the fact that it has actually been outscored in total by their opponents (895 to 899). In fact, the division’s bottom feeder is actually the only team to have a positive difference (at +10). If this division wants to grab a hold of one of the wild cards for the playoffs, this trend will have to reverse.

As strong as the team is, the W.A.S.P.S don’t escape unscathed. They’re one of two teams to pick up a player they previously dropped (Earl Bennett).

The Ugly
What looked to be a promising squad entering the season, the London Silly Nannies have actually lived up to their team name. While I’m not a firm believer in changing a team name in order to try and mix things up, this is actually a situation where it might be wise. Although 1-2, the stats show the Nannies are frolicking down a dangerous path. Their only win is against a 0-3 team, and they’ve only scored 192 points (good for 11th in the league), and are second in the league in points given up (182). The Defensive Specialist award is one of the least coveted, but these co-owners are making a serious run at it. It's not that you don't want your opponents to have low scores, but you don't want them to have scores so low they take away from your victories. The season isn’t lost yet and they have talent, but they can’t expect their opponents to average 60.7 points a game for the rest of the season if they want to make the playoffs.

-

Hold your chuckling Gravediggers, you’re not far behind (8th in points scored) and in another 3 weeks, you might be digging your own grave.

Team Theme Songs:
Valley W.A.S.P.S – Still Fly –Big Tymers
Vanilla Shakes – Pretty Fly for a White Guy – The Offspring
Graham Avenue Gravediggers – Something’s Missing – John Mayer
London Silly Nannies - That Don’t Impress Me Much – Shania Twain

White Division

Standings
Chapel Hill Salsa 2-1
Worthington Wolverines 2-1
Alabama Mud Sliders 2-1
Mississippi Mad Squabbles 1-2

The Good
Hands down, this is the strongest division in the league. With 3 teams at 2-1, the White Division has the top 2 scoring teams in the Salsa and Wolverines (304 and 271) and the only team to average over 100 points per week (Salsa). In fact, this early in the season there have five instances where a team has scored over 100 points in a week. Four of those scores have occurred in the White Division (Salsa 2, Wolverines 1, Mud Squabbles 1). It says something about your division when the team with worse record is the 4th highest scoring team in the league. The only thing stopping this division from having the number one team going into the post season might be the division play amongst themselves.

The Bad
The Mad Squabbles just completed a trade with the Mud Sliders (Bowe for Hester and Harvin) to try and revamp their WR corps. However, they now find themselves in a dangerous situation with no clear-cut #1 WR. With two studs at QB and nothing behind DeAngelo Willams in terms of RB, the Mad Squabbles might find themselves forced to deal in order to balance their team out. With the Salsa starting to emerge as the team to beat, look for increasing trade requests from this 1-2 team in near future.

Although not as troubling, but certainly noteworthy, is the Wolverines startling decline in points scored since their 125 outburst in Week 1 (81 in Week 2, 65 in Week 3). This trend isn’t expected to continue, but it does show that owner Darren Larsen might sport another streaky team this year. While it’s always good to have that potential, I think most people would rather have the consistency of the Valley W.A.S.P.S (at 87 pts per week) than the Wolverines boom or bust potential (90 pts per week).

The Ugly
The Mud Sliders are 2-1, but don’t let this record fool you into thinking that this team is ready to make a move to the top yet. Both wins have come against teams with a combined 1-5 record (see Malpractice, Gravediggers) and they are currently averaging just 69.3 points per game (a full 12 points behind the divisions current Cellar Dweller). There’s a chance Marshawn Lynch might help to right the ship, but we know Salsa owner MVB isn’t hoping for that. It should also be noted that the Mad Squabbles currently hold the 3rd highest negative point spread at -26. It’s ugly, but it’s certainly not the ugliest in the league…

Team Theme Songs
Chapel Salsa – Weapon of Choice – Fatboy Slim
Worthington Wolverines – Rollin’ – Limp Bizkit
Alabama Mud Sliders – The Pretender – The Foo Fighters
Mississippi Mad Squabbles – The Boxer – Waylon Jennings

The Blue Division

Standings
Abdul’s Number Crunch – 3-0
Juarez Cholos 2-1
Minnesota Malpractice 0-3
Garfield Thundercats 0-3

The Good
Hard to look much further than Abdul’s Number Crunch to find The Good in this division. Owner Andrew Stevens finds himself with the only undefeated team in the league entering Week 4. The Number Crunch have benefited from a potent squad and registered 108 points in Week 2. Had he started Frank Gore that week, he would have registered one of the highest weekly point totals in the history of the League. He currently finds himself in 5th for total points (just 28 points out of 2nd place), and right now all signs point to him having a 32.3% (repeating of course) chance of being a top 2 seed going into the playoffs. However, the percentage of the owner actually keeping this team name the whole season is much lower.

Although the owner took a lot of flak for auto-drafting after round 2, the Juarez Cholos are quietly enjoying a productive season, highlighted by a strong showing against the streaky Wolverines last week. I hate to say it as much as the next person, but the Cholos might actually prove to be a force to reckoned with as the season progresses.

The Bad
Ugh, where to start? The Blue Division has more headaches than the other 2 divisions combined. The Thundercats might have celebrated too early when the divisions were drawn early this summer, for they now find themselves part of an ugly two-headed 0-3 division monster. At first glance, Abdul’s league leading +77 point spread looks great, but digging deep you find he’s only given up 166 points (or a 55.3 pt per week avg) for the year. Maybe there is hope for the Silly Nannies after all. Collectively, the Blue Division sports a -63 point spread, which is worrisome for any division, but when your leader is +77 this becomes even more troubling.

South of the border, the Cholos are cheering. Had it not been for a mid-week trade with the Thundercats, the Cholos top 2 WR were not only from the same team (A. Johnson/Kevin Walter), but one had a bad hammy.

The Ugly
It’s very likely that the Thundercats and the Malpractice could have fielded better teams by lining up all NFL players at the bottom of a huge Plinko board and watch those crazy discs fall. The Malpractice are off to their second disappointing start in as many years and of all the teams in the league, they’ve played the teams with the combined 4 - 5 (Nannies, Mud Sliders, Mad Squabbles), which means those teams are 1-5 when they aren’t playing the Malpractice. Owner Adam Skemp tried to shake up his team with a trade to roommate and W.A.S.P.S owner Chris Erichsen, but unless things change soon the Malpractice could be looking at another long season.

If there was an award for the most beloved team in the league, the Thundercats would probably walk away with it. But that award doesn’t exist, and for the T-Cats, neither does a win. It doesn’t help losing 2 of their top 6 picks to injuries to start the season, but neither of those injuries excuse the pathetic 165 points (55.0 per week…9 points lower than the 11th team in the league!!!) through the first three weeks (although Braylon Edwards might). The -60 point spread isn’t attractive, and neither was their high of 77 points in week 2. So far, 2 of the 4 lowest scores have come from this squad (36 and 52), and if they want to make the playoffs, it’s going to take luck, luck, and then some more luck. The Thundercats made an all-or-nothing move for Tom Brady earlier in the week, and there may be more moves in the coming weeks. Let’s face it, if the Thundercats can bring themselves to trade Braylon Edwards – no player on that roster is safe from that phone call.

-

Perhaps ugliest of all – it will be at least 2 weeks before all the teams in the league have a win. The Thundercats and the Malpractice face-off this weekend. Things will likely be tense in Apartment 325 through Monday.

Team Theme Songs
Abdul’s Number Crunch – Joyride – The Killers
Juarez Cholo’s – Lean Like a Cholo – Down AKA Kilo (What did you expect?)
Minnesota Malpractice – Square One – Coldplay
Garfield Thundercats – Everybody Hurts – R.E.M.

And finally…

The Noack (award for the ugliest stat of the first 3 weeks)

In week 3, the Chapel Hill Salsa’s bench had 88 points. In weeks 1 and 3 combined, The Garfield Thundercats starting lineup had 88 points…. Ouch.

Update