No Surrendo

I made this video!!

2009-10-10T12:42:00.000-07:00

Accounting Success

2009-10-10T12:32:00.000-07:00

Dear many readers of my blog, as you may have remembered I have been going to school for accounting for the last 3 years or so. Sure, it was part time and not the hardest thing in the world. However, it was pretty hard for me and not fun. In fact, it was terribly boring! And taxes? Horrible! Who wants to have that in their brain! Anyway, I wanted to tell you all that it all worked out. I finished school and I am an accountant now. So, if any of you were wondering if you should go to school to become an accountant the answer is: yes.

In other news, it is snowing here and it is only October 10th. What do you think of that!!! (Kevin says it sucks). I say, why not? Maybe the gods are playing a powdery white game up in heaven. Well...the gods are oft want to misbehave.

There is also a great interview on Bill Moyers worth watching. You want a link? http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/10092009/watch.html

Well, it is Saturday and it is cold in the house again. I have no plans, and I went out to dinner last night so maybe we wont go tonight. What should we do? Tomorrow I want to go hiking but today maybe we will snuggle in and enjoy the fruits of our labor (AKA I don't know, eat dinner?).

Love you all,
Best
K

Super movie with great music: Time of the Gypsies

2009-09-20T18:54:00.000-07:00

Did anything worth writing about happen to us today?

2009-09-20T18:40:00.000-07:00

ok, here is a good blog entry:
today we biked to dinner and there was very nice sunlight. Also, you know that sign for the THREE BEE'Z RESTAURANT when you exit the Greenway at Nicollet? Why the heck is it spelled "'Z" ? No good reason, I think.

Does anyone remember when this was actually a restaurant? Help me out, No Surrenderers!

p.s.
What does it mean if you put a sign in your businesses window that says "no cards for a time"?

thanks and goodnight.

blip blop

2009-06-07T16:06:00.002-07:00

I ordered some weird grandma glasses, the really huge kind. Huge and round made of clear pink and blue plastic. They will come in a week, I think I might regret it. I got some regular glasses too, brown ones. I might wear those more. But, I might really dig the big glasses! I am excited.

What if you were able to recall emotions and feel them again? Like you are walking down the street and have a feeling, like hey this is just how I felt that one day 5 years ago? That is how I am feeling today, that I can recall how I felt at different points. What does it mean? I can't control it. I don't know if that makes sense.

I have spent too much time on the internet today looking at hairstyles of Scandinavian people. I just want to find something to do with my hair. Why does one care so much about such things? Ohhhh, such is my life.

The Hamada Equation

2009-03-06T17:21:00.000-08:00

A big deal for companies is to decide whether to finance their company with debt (loans) or equity (stock). Too much debt can cause risk to the shareholders, but it offers tax advantages. Its complicated stuff, but there are equations to help.

Robert Hamada, in 1969 wrote a paper called "Portfolio Analysis, Market Equilibrium, and Corporation Finance" in which he came up with the Hamada Equation! This is exciting stuff.
First, you should know what a "Beta" is. According to "Wall Street Words" a Beta is:

A mathematical measure of the sensitivity of rates of return on a portfolio or a given stock compared with rates of return on the market as a whole. A high beta (greater than 1.0) indicates moderate or high price volatility. A beta of 1.5 forecasts a 1.5% change in the return on an asset for every 1% change in the return on the market. High-beta stocks are best to own in a strong bull market but are worst to own in a bear market.

Now, the Hamada equation formulated a way to show that the beta increases with financial leverage (debt financing rather than equity financing).
It is:
Bl=Bu [1+(1-t)(d/e)
where:
Bl=current beta
Bu=unleveraged beta (what would the beta be without the debt)
D/E debt to equity ratio

You can insert the unlevered beta into other equations to find out what the betas would be for different debt levels. You can use this to help you decide if you should use debt or equity to finance your business.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Beta_uc_lc.svg/800px-Beta_uc_lc.svg.png

Financial Woes!

2009-02-16T17:13:00.000-08:00

Q. What if we have a great depression?

A. We may have to raise rats for meat, in our DRYERS!

I don't know how to skin a rat, what if I make a deal with you: you skin the rats and I let you eat one that I raised

(P.S. this was a terrible nightmare that I had. I am glad to know that if it comes down to it, I will eat a rat though, and not die. Which is not to be take for granted).

r=r*+ip+drp+lp+mrp

2009-01-26T16:20:00.000-08:00

Here is a calculation for interest rates!
r=nominal rate (stated rate)
r*=risk free rate (like the t-bill)
ip=inflation premium
drp=default risk premium
lp=liquidity premium (the risk that it will be hard to liquidate)
mrp=maturity risk premium (the risk that you can't reinvest the money at the same rate as you can now).

r* is easy to calculate, you can peg it to the treasury

Liquidity and MRP are hard to calculate because they to do with the future

Am I posting too many videos now?

2009-01-23T18:29:00.000-08:00

I have never seen this before today! I guess this is what we have to look forward to. Unless Obama saves us. Saaaaaaaaave usssss! Mann, wer haette das gedacht Dass es einmal soweit kommt indeed!

I am supposed to be doing homework now

2009-01-17T19:43:00.000-08:00

51 seconds

virtual kidnapping

2009-01-12T17:32:00.000-08:00

My brother was virtually kidnapped this weekend! Someone called our family claiming to be my bro, it sounded like him but drunk. He said he was arrested and needed 10 grand to get out of Mexican jail! It took us all day to figure out it was a scam. That day sucked.

another movie too sad to see

2009-01-04T14:27:00.001-08:00

I forgot about this movie, Lilya 4-ever. It is about how someone gets trafficked out of the former Soviet Union for prostitution. This is a strange clip, its the part of the movie where this girl's mother leaves her. Its super sad...set to rap! I like it.

Things I loved in 2008

2008-12-31T14:30:00.000-08:00

This is an idea I got from a different blog...but I love it! These are things I loved this past year.

1. The Wire (I am just starting season 2)
2. Eating this: black beans + tomato sauce+ plantain+an assortment of veggies on brown rice. I want to eat it for every meal.
3. Living with someone else! Its much warmer in the winter. The flip side is its much warmer in the summer too, and you know how hot I gets!
4. My new routine at the YWCA. I am going to get a new routine every single year, I am. When someone else tells me what to do I am more likely to do it. You don't want to let anyone down do you!? Maybe that is why it works
5. Going to Mexico, I loved it! I love the ocean and the sun. I wish I was there...I can't go this winter though. Too broke, but maybe sometime I can get to an ocean this year.

the people at the Kiosk at the MOA

2008-12-20T23:52:00.000-08:00

I noticed that all of the workers at the kiosks at the Mall of America are Israeli. I recognized the accent, and the other day I asked one where he was from.

It didn't make sense that these people were working legally in the USA, its really hard to get work visa!

I googled it. Apparently kiosk workers all across America are Israeli. I found this in the Jewish Journal:

"Keren got the job while she was still in Israel. "You go online," she says, "and you go into a chatroom and there are messages. Want to work in the U.S.? Want an awesome job before Christmas? And you click on it and you have an e-mail address and a Web site sometimes, and a contact person. So you call that person and they tell you how great the job is, how much money you're going to make in a short time and they schedule a meeting with you [in Israel].

"And then after the meeting, if you're interested in working for this company, they'll make the connection between you and the head of the area in the United States, whether you want to go the East Coast, West Coast, North, South, all over the place. Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas are really big on this. So is Florida. And New York. The people from the company help you with the flight arrangements and everything."

Keren says that she paid her own way, about $1,000 for a round-trip ticket. When she arrived in New York, "there was an interrogation of 45 minutes. U.S. Customs officials already know that lots of Israelis come to work during the months before Christmas. They know we're not normal tourists, so they treat us differently. It's not easy to get in."

But she did get in, then flew to a Southeastern city, where someone from the company picked her up at the airport.

"He took me right to the apartment," Keren says. "There were four of us, all young Israeli women, living in a two-bedroom apartment and each girl paid $500 per month rent to the people that hired us. I arrived, they introduced me to everybody. You get to know everyone at the mall, and it turns out to be a little Israeli community; everybody knows everybody, becoming good friends with them.

Each apartment gets a car. So even though you go on your own, soon you're part of a community and somebody's protecting you all the time. They make sure you have food, you have gas, you have everything you need."

Usually, the companies that employ Israelis sell "either those small pillows that you can heat in the microwave and they're like a massage when you put them on your neck. Or they sell Dead Sea products, the mud, stuff like that.

"The people you work for, they teach you what to do, how to sell the products. You have a set pitch. You memorize it word by word. Even if you know nothing at all about the product, if you do the pitch word by word, people will buy it. The products you sell, you can buy them in Israel for $10. Here in the U.S. people pay $60, $70."

When Keren says this, there's an undertone of condescension toward the naive American shopper, who's willing to fork over big bucks to buy mud and salt from the Dead Sea.

Keren says she made good money. "Sometimes as much as $800 in a day. My friend worked three months, then went back to Israel and paid for four years of college, a car and an apartment. The kind of money you could never make in Israel."

But there's tension all the time. "When you're working at a kiosk, every person who sits nearby for more than a few minutes, you suspect they might be immigration. So you walk away without attracting attention. Any time you see a police car in the loading area, you get nervous. You think there's going to be a raid. Sometimes you get advance warning. Every one of these kiosks has one or two legal employees. They're the ones that remain when they think a raid is about to take place. Every time we were driving and someone was following our car for more than three blocks, we'd get scared."

So, there you go. Kind of what I guessed.

Favorite sounds

2008-12-13T14:03:00.000-08:00

Here is a list of some of my favorite sounds

shaking a box of matches
breaking ice on a puddle
that swoosh sounds at the start of HBO shows
the heater kicking in

Russian Culture

2008-11-18T13:37:00.000-08:00

I predict that Russia will be the next hot new thing!

dance and eat ice cream!

2008-11-18T13:24:00.000-08:00

There was an Italian band called Baby's Gang....this song is called Happy Song!

clogged drain?

2008-11-03T15:38:00.000-08:00

If you have a clogged drain, don't buy that chemical stuff like Draino. ....

Buy an aerosol can of air! It comes with a plastic seal thing to get it in the drain tight. They sell it by the Draino, but it works A LOT Better! This is my advice for the day.

thinking about thoughts...

2008-10-25T13:04:00.001-07:00

Say, why does my throat hurt all the time?
Where can I get a fake beard?
Would I look good in an asymmetrical hair cut? Well, or maybe the question is, is that my style?
What ARE the neighbors doing? Clearing out the attic of a lot of dirt? Why is their attic filled with dirt?

http://www.cnnbcvideo.com/taf.html?hp=1
Here is a link to a video you can make and send to your friends who might not vote, its a scary view about what might happen if McCain wins by one vote...theirs!!

G-d bless.

don't take drugs! and don't let your ma do drugs!

2008-10-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

Thanks Amy for your saddest movie suggestion! (warning: this video is for adults only! even then you might not want to watch it. Saddest movies ever here!)

just to sad for words!

2008-10-17T13:56:00.000-07:00

Look at this trailer, it looks like a nice movie! ITS NOT!

I have had a theory that some movies are just TOO sad to watch. You should not watch them, the world is bad enough. They are brilliant movies, though they can ruin your day, heck your week! I have a new entry in to that list...Romulus My Father. UGG! Here is a partial list:

1. Romulus My Father
2. Turtles Can Fly
3. Dancer in the Dark

Which others?

thanks fo reminding that shaytan is always around

2008-10-13T20:19:00.000-07:00

I love these warning videos on youtube. They are really well-made too!

I don't know your life!

2008-10-11T19:11:00.000-07:00

Awww man I do not update this thing or make any new blog entries! Its prolly cus no one reads this! Ok, what should I write about? writie writie typiddy type type.

Well, something must happen when all SORTS of stuff happens, and then you don't want to write about any of it. You just want to ignore it and float around like a kitten in a bubble.

Remember when that war in Georgia was big news? Then boom! my city is a police state! Boom! the economy is collapsing! my house is robbed!

All I want to do is eat stuff, and snooze.

I'll play a writing game where I just say briefly little snippits from my thoughts and life!

A bulldog named Papa, a good or bad idea to get?
why so many zits today? Was it the chocolate?
should I take vitamin d suppliments
so many mice in the house, does it really matter? they wont die!
I hate accounting, I kind of really do. why did I chose that, am I a nut or what!
Why is my Norwegian teacher so serious? Its just for fun.
Egg coffee, should we try it?

Ok, this has been good. Its good to just come out and say it! I am no good at blogging!
I'll still do it, or try to atleast.

Now they have war on the internet!

2008-08-16T16:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I think the end has started. Russia invades Georgia because Georgia is attacking Russian citizens within its borders, but Russia just made them citizens because they wanted to take back South Osseita...OR...something like that. It think no one is acting well, as often is the case with these things! The issue though is that this suuuuuuure seems like a chilly little conflict I remember from my childhood. One that almost could have gone another way, in no small part due to clashing spheres of influence in the Middle East.

Though US-Russian relations have significantly improved, and the Russians seem to be as capitalist as the best of 'em, the Arab-Israeli conflict has never been settled! There isn't a war there now per say.... other than the Intifada (which some would argue is a war that represents the all the Arabs, the Palestinians are a "thorn" left in the "little Satan") but no one ever made up, well, except for Israel and Egypt but thats just because the US pays them both to act nice.

The US has been backing Israel for ages, and the Soviet Union was basically down for the other guys in the Middle East during the cold war. Now again, the Soviet Union and Iran have relations, and we still love Israel. But do you know who doesn't love each other? Israel and Iran!

Hell no, they hate each others guts. Not all the citizenry I mean, the crazy government folks that get in power in these countries. And, maybe they both have nuclear bombs. We all know Israel does, its like a big secret that everyone knows. Iran may or may not have da bombs but we don't want those two going at it is the point We are all, listen Israel I don't care if she stole your holy land AND your man, don't you go over there tonight! And she's all, the hell I wont! And plus you've got my back, right America? And we're all, ehhhhhh...well, we DID have your back till Russia got all pissed at us....I gotta go see my cousin....and then Israel goes nuts cus no ones stopping it!

Anyway, you get it. Cold war, Middle East, it all sounds too familiar.

the tyranny of health

2008-07-13T23:44:00.000-07:00

Due to the prices of food increasing I have become broke. I realized that I spend aprox 60% of my money on FOOD (including restaurants). If that 60% goes up at all its really cutting in to my other costs. ( BTW I make next to nothing). I also am obsessed with buying healthy food organic food. Local...crazy expensive berries...first cold pressed oils...I need it all! I have no insurance, my paint is peeling off the walls, I can't fix my car, and I go to "student dentists" (ohh! I should blog about that next), but damn if I don't eat like a king.

Anyway, the last time I went to the grocery store (uggg, not the co-op!) I tried to save some money. I bought 99 cent shrimp. I bought 99 cent cottage cheese. I tasted like ROT. Some things I suspect you can compromise on for savings, and some you can't. Raisins and oats, and pickles maybe it doesn't matter. Any sort of produce or dairy should be high quality. This is all so new to me, I hate it really. What about the politics of consumerism? I am being forced out of ethical choices! I don't want to buy regular anything, I know its all weird chemicals and labor and all that...but what can you do.

I hate you accounting

2008-06-26T15:16:00.000-07:00

Accounting school is pretty damn boring. I can't really imagine anything more boring than that, there is never any smidgen of human interest involved. Maybe sometimes you learn about a company that broke an accounting rule though! Gahhh! Shoot me!

Everyday after work, accounting work mind you, I have been coming home to do accounting HOME work. I know exactly why I went in to this, it was because it promises pretty ok money, fine hours, and independence which I like. There isn't much interacting with customers or people too much, which I also like. It was never meant to be interesting. I have to remember that. The fact is, I don't know what IS interesting, that is also a job. For me, nothing. Maybe I'd like to teach Middle Eastern history, some day, but for now that sounds kinda sucky. I mean, too many people involved. Students with problems....plus, public speaking? Ohhhh no. Accounting though. I can do that.

Then, I need to get a good job and not be poor! I can't even really imagine what it might be like not to be poor. For real, insurance would be great. I would like someday to not live with a bunch of people, its nice now but I can't be doing that when I am old! And fix up my gross old house! Maybe travel to Central Asia! Some fine day, yes.

Ok, this was a pep talk for myself. I need to now take "Intermediate Accounting" down to the coffee shop and work on that for the next 5 or so hours......deferred tax assets! taxable verses book income! bond interest amortization! lets do this!

Not so nice

2008-06-16T18:05:00.000-07:00

Bladder infections or urinary tract infections are the scourge of both women and cats, from what I've googled. (By the way, its saying that is misspelled.....wha? The internet doesn't recognize itself...what is this, the year 2000?). Anyhoosie, I've got one. It came in like a lion....you wake up in the middle of the night and go to the bathroom...and you still feel that you have to go to the bathroom! You have some water and hope for the best, but when you wake up in the morning its RAGING! You've never had to go to the bathroom so badly, and not only does peeing not help but it feels like FIRE coming out of a place that fire never should be. Unless thats your thing. For me, It is NOT.
If its so bad like this, you should go to the doctor. Or, if you are also like me and have no insurance you could go to the community clinic or the Minute Clinic. It costs 69 bucks plus 20 for the medicine. You have to ask special for the pain-killing pills that turn your pee orange, which is just a little bit of fun that the pharmacy came up with to make you smile. Or, something like that.

If however, its not THAT bad, or you just want to prevent one here are some tips, and I'll try not to be so humiliating as to suggest as so many doctors do, that you wipe from front to back. WHO would wipe from back to front? Poop all up in your business? No one does that! Come on.

Useful tips are to drink cranberry juice, but only the unsweetened kind that costs like...8$ from the Co-op or natural food store. You can also get cranberry pills but I feel like they don't work quite as well. In combination though it seems better. Also you can't drink that juice straight, its more like 1 part out of 4 is juice, the rest is water. That shit is NASTY.

The reason cranberry juice works well is that there is a substance in it, D-Mannnose, which binds to the bacteria and prevents it from adhering to the urinary tract. And easier for your immune system to attack! ATTACK!

You can buy these pills straight. They are just called D-Mannose. They cost 22$ maybe.

Garlic, aka Russian Penicillin works wonders. It hurts my stomach but if I could handle it I'd be scarfing that stinky stuff down.

Drink tons of water, eat healthy food, stay home in bed, and do all the stuff you do when you are sick and want to boost the immune system...vitamin C. All that is good. Good luck!

If you can't stand the heat....

2008-06-15T14:02:00.001-07:00

I hate the summer. As soon as that first spring day that I'm not too cold comes around...a darkness comes upon me. I remember what comes next, the heat. A three-month-long fever.

Luckily, I live in Minnesota and this too shall pass, soon enough actually. I just need to deal with it! Here are some tips. First of all, I don't have AC. I wont get in to the reasons, but lets just say that sleeping becomes like torture. Unless you can stay cool!

To do this you need 2 fans, one of them in the window, and one under the window pointing at your bed. Now, go in the bathroom and put your head under the cold water, AND maybe put your feet under the tap too. If you are flexible. Then go to bed quick while it dries and you feel cool. If you are lucky you'll fall sleep and stay asleep till morning. If not, just repeat the cold water thing.

Another alternative is sleeping outside but you need the right living situation for that....Bears might get ya!