First off, 2010 was a success. I’m still alive. 28-0: Me. I finished the CPA schooling and exam back in March. It did end up taking me the better part of six months to find that first accounting job. I bridged the gap between March and September with flight instructing gigs which paid me a little bit of lunch money and gave me a mission through the otherwise idle days. From September 7th onward, I worked (still do going into this new year) as a staff accountant at a local administrative solutions firm. The people are nice, the pay is reasonable, and I’ve gotten used to the daily happenings around there. The firm is slowly relocating to a new building that resides just beside the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport. As a pilot, I am hopeful that this move will allow me to be closer to the airport environment, give me some nice scenery to eat lunch to, etc.

I flew 268 hours during 2010, up from 126 hours during 2009. Thus, since I left the airline flying world, I’ve logged just about 400 flight hours. I don’t expect nearly that many during 2011. This year is going to be about earning money, finishing the CPA work experience requirement, and finally closing this chapter of my life (the pursuit of the CPA, that is). I honestly believe that the next big thing for me in aviation is going to be either another attempt at a professional gig or the purchase of my own aircraft should I decide to stay in accounting long term. I’d love to have my own airplane to fly – it has always been a dream of mine. Frankly, its not entirely outside my earning ability right now, just not quite comfortable with the prospect of it yet for several reasons.

During 2010, something huge came to light regarding the CPA that I wasn’t previously aware of. Apparently, my previous experience in public accounting doesn’t count towards the statutory work experience requirements needed for the license. As such, my runway was extended by over a year in finally wrapping up this CPA license. Finishing this thing was a goal for 2010 and in light of this extension is now rolled forward to 2011. The requirement dictates 1 year of work experience commencing after such time exam eligibility is attained. Long story short, that 1 year period began this last Sept 7th and assuming I am not laid off or otherwise ousted from my current position (frankly, this firm seems like a loaded gun at times), will end 8 months and 4 days from this moment as I type this post. From this vantage point, that seems like a long time away. However, I’ve been on this Earth for a while and know that it will come very quickly. At that time, I will receive a signed affidavit from my CPA superior which I will send into the state. Barring no additional holdups, I will finally attain this somewhat elusive goal of a CPA cert hanging on the wall with my name on it. At that moment, I will be free to decide where I want to go professionally. To stay on a similar path, try another go at professional aviation, or perhaps find a way to blend both disciplines – these are decisions that will need to be made in due time. As I’ve said many times before, accounting and aviation both offer some amazing pros and some not so amazing cons. And both professions (as do most) have significant dues paying involved right outside the entry gates. No matter which profession I ultimately choose to pursue, there will be a period of time where it just SUCKS until it begins to get better and better down the road. Ask similarly of the left seat guys at Southwest Airlines, UPS, etc and the owners of successful accounting firms which trenches they trudged through to get where they are and the answers will be more similar than they are dissimilar. The ultimate question then is a personal one – who am I really? And who do I want to be in 10, 15, or 20 years?

I hit it out of ballpark with the working out goal. I can honestly say I never skipped a workout through the entirety of 2010. I did skip some cardio workouts here and there and occasionally did 3 weight training workouts instead of 4, but I never slipped below that threshold. Looking back, I reached my goal for 2010 which was to prove to myself that I could stick to a workout plan for an entire year and not go the way of most resolutioners. Did I get results? Yes – but honestly, not quite like I thought I would. Am I disappointed? Perhaps a little. However, I believe reality is slower than dreams when it comes to the fitness world. It takes a LOOOOONNNNNGGGG time to get a solid physique. Some could argue the ROI just isn’t worth it. Results per unit of work are quite low. However, smarter eating and smarter training can improve the ROI, but even this takes time to learn and tweak and to discover what works and what doesn’t for each particular person (i.e. me). I am smarter than I was a year ago and as such, I am expecting better results during 2011 and look forward to another successful year in this department.

I did cause or perhaps just uncover a minor back problem during the year. My back doesn’t much like deadlifts or squats or any other back flexion type of movement. If my form isn’t PERFECT (and even if it is sometimes), it’ll set off some lower back pain for a couple days, which always goes away. As to how to handle it going forward, this is something I’ll need to confront during the year. However, the vast majority of exercises (upper body mainly) work great and cause me no problems. Regarding lower body, there are more benign movements available that still yield great results – one legged presses, split squats, lunges, etc that do not hurt the back at all. Perhaps, I’ll need to move into these other movements before long.

I am still married. That is a good thing. My wife and I joke that we are in a “stablish” relationship. But in the end, we are still in love with each other. I will not for a moment pretend that what we have is perfect. But it works and honestly, I couldn’t imagine sharing my life with anyone else. I’ve moved in and out of career aspirations, hobbies, and other pursuits, but I’ve managed to stick with her for almost 11 years now and really don’t have any regrets. I’m not sure what the future holds in many aspects of my life, but it does put a smile on my face to know who will be by my side throughout it all.

While 2010 was a good year in many ways, unfortunately, it did end on a sad note for me. The cat that I loved so much from the time I was 15 years old departed this world on New Year’s Eve. When we got him as a kitten – I went with my mom and picked him up – I was not even in high school yet. Marching in the Gaither High School band was still ahead of me and now it feels like ANCIENT history from my present vantage point. When I lived at home, he was my #1 guy. Inevitably, people grow up, as I did, move out of their parent’s homes, etc. When I moved out in 2005, my time with him was limited thereafter. I acquired some dogs that stole my heart as well, but Fritz (the name of my cat) always held a special place in it. Whenever I went to my mom’s house, I’d make a point to hold him and pet him. Within the last year or so, we knew his days were numbered. The vet said he had a heart condition (cardiomyopathy) and said he could go in a month or several months – just no way to tell. There were a couple times I’d get a call from my mom concerned that his final day was near, but he’d just bounce back to his normal (but still old and sluggish) self. Every time I’d get a phone call from my mom out of the blue, I’d wonder if it was to deliver bad news regarding Fritz. I’d even mentioned to the little bugger (though it was more for me than him) a few times over the last year or so that if he wanted to “head out”, he could. I knew his quality of life wasn’t great, he’d lost control of his bowel movements more less and had some serious losses of his ability to be a clean and regal cat – sleeping in this litter box, dragging poop stains on the floor, etc. I received a phone call on December 30th from my mom that turned out to be about the cat. She mentioned he wasn’t doing well at all. I didn’t know what to think because I’d heard this tune before, only to have him perk up again the next day – but in the end I was ready to deal with the ultimate because I’d thought about it coming for so long. The next day (New Year’s Eve), I received another call from my mom that she’d had to take him into the vet because he would barely stand up and looked to be in distress. The vet said he could be given some drugs and stuff to make him more comfortable – he was already in an oxygen chamber at the vet to help his heart get oxygen into his body – but that his time was very near at hand and it would just postpone the inevitable. But, in the end the vet ultimately, for Fritz’s comfort, recommended euthanasia. As such, the decision was made.

I am sad that I couldn’t be there with him in his final moments of life. But, this way did make it easier on me. Fritz was never known for his smarts – in fact he was often referred to as “Fritz the Ditz”. In reality, it probably wouldn’t have mattered anyway. In fact, he’d been put under anesthetics twice before for various reasons and we weren’t with him then. No doubt, this felt the same way to him and he didn’t know what was coming – it was probably a relief to him to leave behind his old dying body. I didn’t know at the time, though knew it could have been, that December 26th 2010 would be my last day with him.

Every animal is an eventual sadness to come. We get them as babies (in many cases) and they enhance our lives until their time is up and we must shed the inevitable tears at their passing. I paid my dues this last New Year’s Eve in the tears department, but I believe that I am over that phase now. The fact is that Fritz was 14 years old, going on 15. He always ate when he wanted to eat, always had water, always had air and heat, and always had love – at least from me whether with him in person or remotely as I got older. But, my mom did her part to take care of him on my behalf and I thank you for that, mom. He was a good kitty and I’m glad he was a part of my life and I will always have fond memories of him. Going forth, I focus on the lovely animals that I have now and just try to love them as much as I can, for their time, like all of ours, is coming some day.

In summary, 2011 will consists of lots of working out, finishing up the CPA license (FINALLY), and getting closer to that ultimate career destination. I want to try to focus on having more fun this year, smiling a little bit more, and not being afraid to relax a little bit. I tend to take life very seriously and I need to knock it off. I just turned 29 yesterday. While I know life goes on for quite sometime, I only have 364 more days that I can say I am in my twenties. There is a saying: “Live, love, laugh, and EAT”. Why not try to do a little bit more of all four?

2011 – Prepare to be PWNED!

The airline pursuit was a journey that I needed to take. Whether I ever seek out another professional pilot position in the future remains to be seen. However, at this point, I am honestly not interested. Flying is VERY important to me, don’t misunderstand. However, I believe the secret to happiness in aviation is to keep it as a hobby and keep commercialism in another compartment of life. Unfortunately, aviation isn’t cheap. That said, I need to re-ramp up this CPA career very efficiently, get the certificate experience completed, the cert hanging on the wall, and keep busting it for a good while.

In addition to my recent professional win, my wife just got a large promotion at work. With news of my new position and her promotion (in the same week), our income potential has increased significantly. This timing brings us to similar situations in our yet different careers: we are both embarking upon the next chapter of our professional lives. I’ll be motivated by her professional efforts to, in turn, kick ass in my profession and perhaps I’ll reciprocate the same results in her world. Greener pastures lie ahead for us. We are finally in a position where we can make some serious money, travel abroad, and do the house improvements and the other things we’ve dreamed of for a long time now (shhh….buy an airplane…shhh ) – and of course, SAVE for the future too! Savings make a hell of a insurance policy should the next downturn catch us with our pants down like this one did. Our previous savings saved our financial asses this time, that is for sure.

I am so very grateful for the opportunity in this tough job market. There are no guarantees in life, but I shall do my very best to learn everything I can, be valuable to the company, and begin to prove my worth in this profession again. As to how long I stay with them, time will tell. But, I’ll know much more after I’ve put in a few weeks, met the folks I’ll work with, and otherwise size it up.

I’ll keep you posted as this former professional pilot rejoins the work-a-day world and begins to build a career again – just in a different direction.

When I left the airline business in mid December of 2008, I knew that at that moment, I was burnt out from flying for a living. As a guy who loves flying to a seemingly endless degree, the airline journey was one that I had to take at the time. I certainly had hopes that it would work out long term, that the upgrade time would be as brief as advertised, and that I could settle into (or perhaps become merely numb to) the fairly difficult lifestyle on the road. Sitting in that jet cockpit for the first several months was a dream come true – someone had actually hired little ole’ me as a crew member in piloting this 48,000+lb turbine aircraft around the country with 53 lives aboard. However, as with many things in life, I came to the realization that, “Yeah, OK, I am here and can do this. I finally get what its like to be an airline pilot.” Beyond that realization, it became a job – not a bad one – but just a job with little glory.

Fast forward several months and irregardless of my personal desires to continue or pull out, the company started downsizing and laying folks off and displacing pilots to different bases. Long story short, I tallied up the score and made the decision to resign in late December (would have been furloughed anyway the following March) so that I could hit the timing right for the Spring 2009 semester back at school. The planets had aligned for me to finally bust out my CPA license on a full time basis, dedicate an entire year to it, and give my all to make it count.

I resigned from the airline Dec 15, 2008, enjoyed the holiday season, then began the CPA journey on Jan 5th, 2009. I studied hard, worked hard, and prioritized it all out – fast forward to 2/16/2010, I took the very last section of the CPA exam (the AUD section), effectively wrapping up the journey. But, the fat lady doesn’t sing until she sings, so I had to wait about five weeks for the official final grade to come in. On about 3/24/2010, the official grade came in, slamming this chapter of my life closed. It was now time to roll up my sleeves and get back to work one way or another.

I sent in my application to the state and much to my chagrin, it bounced back as incomplete. Turns out that my previous 18 months of public accounting experience do not count towards the apprenticeship requirement for licensure due to the fact that said experience occurred before I became eligible to sit for the CPA exam. Had I applied to take the exam 6 months earlier, I’d have been a CPA right now. So, the final prize that I had worked so hard to achieve, was now a minimum of another 12 months way. Effectively, I would need to work a “new” 12 months of experience to meet the requirement. So any allusion to getting the CPA, then going back to the airlines was shelved – effectively forcing me into a decision to stick with accounting – at least for the short term so that I could finally finish this pursuit. One doesn’t pass the CPA exam and let it expire.

So, I began flooding the market with resumes…….*crickets*.

I flooded more……*crickets*

You get the point.

Fast forward five months and I am still basically unemployed. The economy is in a slump and jobs are tough to come by – its just the way it is right now. I try not to take it personally. However, I’ve been VERY fortunate to have had fairly steady work in the flight instructing business. I have been making some money, staying busy, etc and that has been a great thing. However, my current student load is slated to come to end during the next month. In other words, I don’t really have any other students on the docket starting mid Sept and beyond. I was going to have to draw a line in the sand at that point and come up with another plan so as not to waste my life away.

Well, last week, on 8/19, I finally get contacted by not one, but TWO, companies within about 15 minutes of each other. I am not going to go into details at this time, but I did a phone interview with company #1 on Friday and it seemed to go well. The HR rep told me in no uncertain terms that I could expect a call for an interview early the following week. I have an interview hard scheduled with company #2 for this Thursday at 2:00pm. Therefore, if company #1 actually calls me for an in person interview and the interview with company #2 remains unchanged, I’ll have 2 interviews this week.

Now, I HATE interviews. The newness of the whole thing, the “be on your best behavior” aspect of it, the uncertainly of the formality of the event, etc, all lead to nervousness. But, as with anything else in life, the only way through is through. That said, I am going to have to endure the nerves and suck it up this week as I trudge through these interviews.

Both companies seem promising and would satisfy my experience needs. One company is slightly more in line with what I thought I’d be doing, while the other is slightly different – but perhaps a great experience unto itself. Best case scenario, I am faced with two job offers. Based on my experience in the interviews, I’ll need to make the best decision from there. Second best is that I get an offer from just one of the companies, in which case, I’ll go there. Worse case scenario, I don’t get an offer from either. You just never know – I have no idea what competition I am up against – it could very well go this way. If this happens, I won’t lie – I’ll be pretty disappointed. However, compared to the status quo, I really have nothing to lose. Life will go on and the next opportunity will come along in due time.

I’ll post something on here towards the end of the week giving a synopsis of how the week went down and what sort of options came out of it. I’m not looking forward to working 40+ hours a week. I’ve been sort of spoiled – though it hasn’t been without its costs – with the comparatively laid back life style I’ve lived over the last many many months. However, I’ve got some fairly strong pent up desires to get back on a professional track, make money again, fix up my house, vacation overseas, and fulfill my lifelong desire to buy my very own aircraft. As nice as the day to day is right now, it has always been unsustainable in the long term. Supposing one of these jobs comes to fruition, I am VERY ready to accept the reduction in free time in order to start working on reaching my long term goals again.

I’ll keep you in the loop. Wish me luck.

I am talking to a local recruiter and have been advised that hiring should pick up in the fall. My financial ducks are all in a row, so there is no immediate pressure. However, my next big life step is to get a job so that I can chip away at the one year of work experience I need to wrap up official CPA licensure. BTW, I found out about 5 weeks ago that my previous 18 months of public accounting employment will not satisfy the work experience requirement required by the state of Florida because it occurred BEFORE such time as I became eligible to sit for the CPA exam. The experience must occur AFTER eligibility is established. After an afternoon down in the dumps about this extra runway extension, I realized the only way through is through – no sense in being upset about it. That being said, until I begin day #1 of the 12 month period of this work experience, I am basically wasting time. Luckily, I have until 2013 to get the 1 year of experience. However, every month that I spend doing SOMETHING ELSE, is just more and more delay in getting this CPA journey DONE and into the history books.

All that being said, I feel a bit off course at times. Sometimes I wake up in the morning with my wife at work and feel very sub par as a husband. I am supposed to be the bread winner around here. Being a man has certain roles associated with it. However, this job market is definitely a tough one right now. I am well qualified in two different fields and am struggling to find a job in either. However, this is a game of patience and perseverance. Something will come along soon and I’ll be back on track professionally before too long. This airline flying diversion was a journey I needed to take, but was not without its costs. I still don’t regret a second of it. Life is a journey and I am doing my best to enjoy the ride.

I am fortunate to be making some money as a flight instructor. I’m making a few bills per week doing it and it is giving me something to do, giving me some sense of accomplishment at the end of the day, and otherwise gives my day some purpose during this interim period. I feel pretty confident that I can stay fairly busy with it and bring in some Benjamins doing it until the late summer. Beyond that – well, I’m hoping for a segway into something better by then. I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.

However, I am kicking ass in an area that has become very important to me lately. That area is weight training and physical fitness. I came into contact with a guy – long story short – who later turned into a flight student for me, but also is a personal trainer. He’s been working with me for the last six months giving me guidance and motivation along this journey while he receives flight training (from me) here in the states. During the first four months, his guidance was in the form of e-mails, skype calls, and critiques of my workouts over the internet. My workouts were at home using personally owned dumbbells and barbells. However, the last two months while we’ve been flight training, I’ve had the pleasure to have his personal one on one instruction in the gym – with ALL the right equipment. He is scheduled to head back home in the latter part of October, so I’ve got another four months to benefit from his personal training. Beyond that, it’ll revert back to e-mails and internet based help again. However, the benefit of these last two months and the four to come will undoubtedly prove to be the foundation upon which I continue to build towards my goals long after I’m on my own again.

I’ve gone six months now and haven’t skipped a single workout. I’ve done a minimum of 3 per week since December and have recently increased to 4 per week along with some minor at home bodyweight training and running. I’m eating like a horse and have seen definite increase in muscle. I’m currently at the heaviest weight I’ve ever been at, about 223lb, but about the lowest fat percentage I’ve been at in a long time. I’m gaining about a pound a month in muscle mass it seems – perhaps slightly under that figure.

Its been said that the pyramids weren’t built in a day. One stone at a time, over lots of time, will result in the final product. I’m enjoying the journey so far, am motivated by good results, and find that my overall happiness level has increased.

More than anything, though, reaching a level of muscular development worthy of satisfaction (perhaps a moving target) requires an incredible degree of internal motivation. It extends much further than the exit door of the local gym. Its nearly a 24 hour endeavor – from eating the right foods at the the right volume, the exercising itself, to achieving proper rest, meal planning (packing enough healthy snacks when on the go, etc), proper hydration, and more. It takes significantly more than a dilettante effort, and I have come to appreciate this to a greater degree these last several months.

The human body can be a beautiful thing. My point is not to become so vein that my physical appearance rules the majority of my attention and I’m not even saying that I can ever be a “10″. However, everyone appreciates a good looking body and I’ve committed to a lifelong goal to continue to reach towards this asymptotic goal of physical fitness. Its a game as worthy as any other. So, I’ll log this down as yet another one of my many life goals and games.

Its been said that the greatest purpose out there is the creation of an effect. The eventual satisfaction in sitting back and gloating, “Yeah, I did that” is perhaps our greatest motivation as beings. Mix in some weight training with this concept you can see the effect unfold slowly before your eyes.

My trainer and I have become good friends. He knows all about my situation with flying and accounting and job hunting, etc. We have a little joke between us that when all hell breaks loose, you fail at something, or otherwise fall short of a goal – “at least you looked good doing it!”

I avoided posting anything about this goal until now. Any given resolutioner can sit down at the computer and commit to a new lifestyle on day #1. However, I’ve got six months of credibility behind me now and my resolve is stronger now than it was on day #1. I am 100% confident that I can make one hell of a positive effect on this body.

Here are a few pics of my RC area at home.

Under the tables are full of stuff too! That long box on the left is my next project. It is an older Carl Goldberg Chipmunk kit that a friend of mine gave me many years ago. It is designed for a gas motor, but I am going to build it to be electric.

This airplane has turned into my favorite of the three. It is electric powered, which makes operating and cleaning up a breeze!

I just finished building this Piper Cub. This airplane is CURSED! I’ve never worked with a more frustrating airplane before. I should name it “Murphy”. I was going to maiden it (fly its first flight) yesterday, but it was too windy. I hope it flies well. If not, it was a success in having just triumphed over its difficulty. You can see it has no cowling. Its a long story.

The red airplane in the back was my first. It’s still my primary airplane, although I am gravitating towards the blue one on the wall these days. I built it from a kit, covered it, etc. To date, it has about 30-35 flights on it and runs great. The wing (not pictured) is 6 feet tall when standing on a wing tip. It flies like a dream and will climb like a homesick angel. I think it’ll out climb most single engine full size general aviation airplanes in terms of altitude gain per foot of ground distance. Its pretty insane how fast it’ll climb. And yes, its got more power than the book called for. That is just how I roll.

So there you go, one of my many hobbies.

I’ve done everything I can do to prepare for this last section. I have applied the exact methods that have worked for the previous three sections. My weighted average on everything throughout my preparation for this section is roughly an 85. Based on empirical evidence taken from the previous three sections, in comparing my prep scores to the official posted scores, I am fairly confident that my official grade on this section will fall between an 87 and a 99. All I need is a 75 to pass.

I’ll know more tomorrow evening after I’ve actually taken the test. Historical information seems to indicate the official grades will post about the 20th of March or so, at which point, assuming a pass, I’ll just have an application packet to fill out and send into the state. I am hoping by mid summer to have an official certificate to hang on the wall.

Life is about to change gears. I’ve got a few things lined up I need to get done while I still have the advantage of not working full time. However, in the next several weeks, I will be jumping back onto the job market for the first time in a while. Needless to say, as cool as it has been to be able to experience the college life again, I’m done with it now and ready to make some coin again. Although finances are in pretty good shape considering I haven’t worked in 13 months, I do feel that I have some financial catching up to do.

Taking advantage of my airline job furlough to get this CPA done was the best decision that could have been made in the face of otherwise bad news. My wife and I are still pre-kids, she is gainfully employed, I lost my job (I likely wouldn’t have quit a good job to do this full time), the timing was good, and it all made sense.

We’ll see what the future holds for me going forth. But, one thing is for sure: It’s time to start DOING, instead of just preparing. I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and start playing a new game, because I’ve pretty much worn this one down to the nub.

Wish me luck! Catch you when I am a CPA (well, except for the requisite paperwork).

I eventually decided to set up an account, downloaded Tweetdeck and began tweeting every so often. As a guy who has spent the last thirteen months of his life in full time pursuit of the CPA license, I’ve spent a lot of time at my desk, buried in books. It soon became standard operating procedure to run Tweetdeck in the background, watching various topics of interest, mainly just to keep connected with the world while I studied the day away in my 12×12 office.

A few weeks ago, I saw a tweet about the opportunity to register for a Tweetup happening at the Goddard Space Flight Center in MD. Honestly, I thought my chances were slim, but I went ahead and registered anyway. In the end, I got selected to go to the Kennedy Space Center instead and to observe the launch of the Solar Dynamics Observatory. Since I only live roughly two hours from the space center, this option was the easiest to accommodate.

I did have to move my latest CPA exam to make this work. In fact, had I not gone to this event, I’d be DONE right now. However, I am very glad that I went and regard the experience as one of the most unique experiences I’ve ever participated in.

I choose the word “unique” very carefully. I’ve done A LOT of cool things in my 28 years of life. I’ve witnessed some of the most breathtaking views you can imagine, many of them from airliner cockpits 37,000 feet above the Earth. I’ve done a good bit of traveling, having been to 47 of the contiguous 48 states – I’m still working on WA, HI, AK. Living in Florida, the launching of space missions has always been sort of a backyard activity. On any given launch day, I can merely walk out on my porch while streaming NASA TV on the laptop and see the launches with my own eyes. However, this opportunity provided something else…..the personal side.

Meeting so many of the people that had worked on this satellite for the last eight years, experiencing delay after delay, it was interesting to listen to their accounts of what it was like getting to this elusive launch day. “I cannot believe this day is finally here”, is a phrase I heard on many occasions. From my viewpoint, at least up until this augmentation of my appreciation for what goes into these missions, its just a rocket launch. However at T-0, I did see some tears on the faces of some of those around me as the Atlas V roared into the sky carrying their blood, sweat, and tears firmly secured in the nose. A similar feeling that I have personally experienced is the maiden flight of my first radio controlled airplane, that I personally built from a pile of sticks. After having invested blood, sweat, and tears and over 200 hours of manual work along with every novice frustration you can imagine, I did feel like a proud father when it lifted off the ground and flew for the first time.

The fact that technology has advanced to a point where a simple tweet can bring together twenty random people, who from the first minute act and feel like they’ve known each other for years is amazing. Its the human element of this experience that I will take away. A rocket launch is pretty cool, but its just a rocket launch – gone in a minute. However, the memories of the folks there, the common bonds that hold us together – love of technology, love of science, love of space, love of good times, and of course, Twitter – is the greatest take away.

When I was an airline pilot, I began my initial training class with thirty strangers, who eventually turned into friends. Those bonds lasted, some merely on an acquaintance level, for the entire duration of my time there. Since the job was based in St. Louis, my eventual return back home led to the inevitable disconnection, save for the occasional facebook comment. As the tides shifted for me and eventually saw me back in school and buried in books again, I’ve honestly had very little social interaction over the last thirteen months. My best friends, lately, have been my wife and dogs. Though life is about to kick up again now that I’m all but through this tunnel, this Tweetup rekindled my appreciation of just how awesome it is to have friends that you care about and common interests to share.

The world can be a lonely place at times, but friends make it worthwhile. I can honestly say that I made some good friends during this event and will admit a feeling of sweet sorrow as I had to drive back to my life three days after it all started.

The upside is that Twitter will continue the connection and the future might bring another opportunity to meet up. However, potential friends are all around us, every day. The fact that twenty random people can start out in a room on day #1 and end up with memories of one of the coolest experiences and with people that are truly friends at the end, is a testament to the potential for relationships out there in the world. The world is full of people and all it takes is the right ingredients at the right time to create something that, by most accounts, is one of the greatest things that this life can offer – friendship.

I am grateful for the opportunity to have been able to participate. I’ll hold the experience in a special place for a long time and look forward to the next opportunity to do a space Tweetup.

I’ll leave you with this. If you don’t get it, you weren’t there. For those who were, this is the the funniest thing EVER!!

I achieved #1. In fact, I finished three CPA exam sections instead of the two I had postulated. Additionally, all academic requirements are completed. Check.

I also achieved #2. I flew a total of 126 hours during 2009, which is quite satisfying considering my part time freelance CFI status, coupled with the slow economy.

I did fairly well with #3, though I did lay off the music aspect about the end of July. However, my priorities had realigned and even now I am not sure how much time I will have available towards this end. Music, as it stands, its not a particular goal for 2010 – though I intend to continue to play when I want to.

#4, not so much. However, I have been doing some serious running over the last several months and have been hitting the weights as well. So, as it stands, I am not horribly disappointed, but do have some more serious fitness goals for 2010 – keep reading.

In review, 2009 was a kickin’ year in terms of moving the football down the field. The greatest accomplishment BY FAR was the attainment of nearly 90% of my CPA credential. I am left with one last test to pass before I can apply for the license and move on with my life.

Enter 2010:

My goals for 2010 are as follows:

1. Study for and pass the AUD section of the CPA exam by 2/11/10, at which point this journey will come to a close after 13 months of a full time effort. Handle the appropriate paperwork to get my license and certificate hanging the wall. Add designation behind name.

2. I have a few goals regarding things I want to do within my church. I haven’t been as involved as I’d like to be lately and have three objective targets that I want to reach this year.

3. Find a good job again. I haven’t made significant money since I resigned from the airline at the end of 2008. All my effort was aimed at earning the CPA, which will be able to provide me greater income potential when the time is right. I believe that time is nearly upon me. My goal in accounting as it stands is to join up with a firm that is not only enjoyable to work with, but which will challenge me to advance professionally during the next several years. I need to blow some major dust off my existing practical knowledge and take up where I left off with getting a strong foothold into this field. This year will hopefully mark the beginning of a renewed professional journey that will pay dividends for many many years.

In the short term, I am excited about getting “largish” paychecks again. I’ve got a small student loan to pay off, bank accounts to replenish, and other things on the horizon that are going to require lots of money. I hope to make 2010 the foundation for a lucrative career to come.

4. The above items are the types of goals that will happen so long as I do what I am supposed to do and exercise reasonable discipline. However, this fourth goal is likely going to require the greatest conscious push in terms of doing something uncomfortable. It is going to require that I take the hard road out almost every time. It is going to come at the end of LOTS of sweat and emotional ups and downs.

This goal, simply stated, is an intermediate “bite size” goal by its very nature and that is to stick to a “rigorous” exercise routine for a period of 12 months, consisting of weight lifting, running, etc. As to exactly what I do, it will evolve and change over time as I learn and try new things. Suffice it to say that I have done much research lately and do have an objective plan that I am going to follow. However, that plan will evolve with knowledge gained.

I just turned 28 years old yesterday and figure that if I am going to get into the best shape of my life – not only for myself, but also to be a role model for my kids when they come (I hope to promote fitness and be a good example for them to make good choices in their lives) – and still be young enough to enjoy the fruits of my labor for a good period of time, I’d better get busy now.

I’ve been thinking lately about writing a blog post about what the CPA exam has taught me about “sticking to it”. Actually, there are several parallels between the CPA exam and attaining fitness goals. Both are long term efforts, large enough that any given day of accomplishment is merely a single grain of sand on the pile. Both take considerable discipline – I turned down multiple family events and other fun functions during the year in order to do the right thing and study. Both subjects are full of true and false data all over the internet that must be sifted through to find something that works. Both are full of companies that sell an intolerable picture of the subject matter only to state that their method will make it bearable and achieve results. Both are quite attainable after choosing a smart path based on sound logic and pressing through the noise (both internal and external) towards the end result.

There are other similarities as well, but these are the most pertinent. Any goal that is tough to achieve will have similarities to both of these things. As a soon to be CPA, I am going to have to fight to stay in good shape. Many CPAs are heavy and out of shape from the inherent sedentary nature of the job. I need to escape from that now and embark upon a different road while my body is still young and vibrant and quick to react to whatever I choose to do with it. Like attaining the CPA or any other goal, a solid lifestyle change in the direction of achieving better health will pay dividends for years to come. I will let go of this body (aka die) someday. However, I’ve just got too much I want to do before then. A little bit of time each week dedicated to the goal of increased health will afford me a high chance of being around for a good time to come.

5. Continue to fly. My flying goals are going to be largely a “rinse and repeat” type of thing. I just need to continue to network and provide good service. Peaks and lulls in the flying load are bound to happen, but I will continue to do my best to continue what I did in 2009.

6. I want to fly R/C airplanes more. And I want to try to finish that Chipmunk airplane that currently lies still in kit form in a box. This goal is simple enough.

7. I need to up my game as a husband. More on this topic is going to remain private.

Tomorrow is Monday, Jan 4th – the first day of the business year. Lots to do. Lets get started!!!

This blog is full of posts about what series of events transpired to bring me to where I am today – which consists of both positive and negative points. However, the situation was that I entered 2009 unemployed with the objective of utilizing this opportunity to get the CPA certificate under my belt. The ominous task of re enrolling in school to then endure 30 credit hours of classes, several of them being grad level accounting courses, preparing for the difficult and lengthy CPA exam study process and ultimately passing it seemed a tough brick to swallow a year ago. However, through no fault of my own, I ended up without a job in a bleak economy which brought to light the ability to push “Pause” for a little bit and get this whole process completed before pushing “Play” again. I would have had to juggle multiple pins doing this any other way. However, the tunnel vision inherent in this approach was worth the opportunity cost of trying to do it another way.

Fast forward nearly 12 months, I have completed ALL classes required by the state for CPA certification and have scored A’s in every last one of them. Yes, I attained the Dean’s List for every semester this year.

Furthermore, I have triumphed over 3 of the toughest sections of the Uniform CPA Examination with scores of 97,97, and 90.

At this point, I am closing out calendar year 2009 in full sprint trying to cover as much ground as I can towards the goal of preparing for this last exam section (AUD) the first week of Feb.

After that, I will have reached my goal and will have done it in a way that will bring me pride in my performance. I didn’t just barely earn the credential – I made it my bitch, figuratively speaking.

I’m not one to celebrate until the fat lady sings, but I can assure you even now that the last section will come in with a similar score to these other three. I’ve learned enough about how this test works and how to prepare at this point, that I will work to ensure the result is on par.

I’ve attained some other great goals during the year, but I will save discussion of these points for a later post. I’ve got great things scheduled for 2010 and can’t wait to get started.

But, one more test remains for now….

I am about to go out of town for a short vacation to New York City and Maine to recharge my batteries and rediscover the meaning of life.

When I get back, my grade for the final I am about to take this evening should be posted, along with the the most recent CPA exam section I took. Assuming good news on both fronts, I’ll have one single test remaining to pass (AUD) before I am done with the CPA pursuit.

I’ve got a couple other personal goals to achieve immediately after the last test before I start holding out for a full time job again.

Money is surprisingly in good shape after not having worked for a year now. I am not collecting unemployment either. Revenue hasn’t been any higher than planned, I guess the real work has come from the expense side of the ledger – but we still haven’t noticed a marked drop of quality of life. We still eat out occasionally, vacation occasionally, don’t stress about gas consumption, etc.

I’m mentally done with this particular game of achieving this CPA. When I complete the final tonight, I’ll be happy the 5th year school work is done. One more push is required to wrap up this last CPA section, then I get to move on with my life plans – which is exciting. 2010 is going to be a pretty powerful year for me and I am stoked about making good things happen.