Pen Pal Chat Between Me and @ReservedOwl321
@ReservedOwl321 Let's chat leisurely, casually, and without expectations of speed as discussed in the other thread I made (so long as you're still down). So, I'll introduce myself more.
I am in my 20s and in college, enjoying the field of accounting. I am also not working at the moment, partially due to mental health and partially due to the malarky of the job market. I'm currently in individual and group therapy, and I really love writing, it's a special interest of mine. Current hobbies include writing, reading sometimes, crochet, sewing, and video games. I enjoy the Halo franchise but have yet to play Halo 5 or Infinite. We can talk about autism, being neurodivergent, or about anything listed previously... but if you cannot think about anything to talk about, here's a conversation topic: thoughts on the Enron scandal?
@Lemurian51611
Hi, I'm glad we are going to be pen pals and chat every once in a while. :) What type of accounting are you interested in? It is a good field, but I have heard it is not very popular these days. I am also hearing the job market is better for accountants than other fields for the most part. I do management accounting for a non-profit right now, so it sounds like we have a common interest.
I can tell you like writing. You seem very good at it. What genres do you like to write about?
I am interested in learning about Autism also. My daughter was diagnosed as a teenager with autism. She is very verbal, but has sensory issues for one. They are telling me she is a few years younger mentally than her actual age. I am trying to learn how to help her.
What would you like to discuss about Enron and why? Are you learning about it in school? I think they have done a lot to make accounting more complex since Enron. My takeaway from the scandal is that you want to choose to work for an honest company when you take a job. It will make your job much easier There are some dishonest people out there and it is just better not to get involved in that type of atmosphere in this profession. I think it was Arthur Anderson that was involved with this back when there were more major accounting firms, and unfortunately everyone in the company lost their jobs as a result guilty or not. They all went down as a result. I know a little about Enron, but if you are studying it you probably know a lot more than I do.
I wanted to say hello before your message got buried, but I have to get back to work now. I hope you have a great day, and I will talk to you later.
@reservedOwl321 Thank you.
My interests lie in bookkeeping and payroll for the most part. Some may say they are not part of accounting, but having accounting knowledge is definitely helpful for those positions. I also aspire to do accounting work for a non-profit in the future, so how is it?
As for writing, I really like to write practically anything, but I am more drawn to fantasy and science fiction nowadays. And I might be able to provide some insight on the autistic experience (I am Level 1/2, which generally means lower support needs), but I'm unsure. Feel free to ask any questions if you want to learn about something because I really enjoy talking about autism.
As for Enron... well, I haven't learned a lot about it in recent times, but it's used as an example in so many classes. A law class I had stated why there are more regulations in the accounting field, and it was mainly due to the Enron scandal. Another accounting class I took mentioned Enron as a reason why segregation of duties is so important in accounting systems. What I don't hear a lot of people talking about is the connection between Arthur Andersen (the company) and Accenture, and the fact that they shredded documents related to their audit of Enron, which is definitely a no-no in the accounting world.
Thank you for your response!
@Lemurian51611
I like what I do. It is flexible and works with my personality pretty well. As long as I get my work done they are happy. It is a little boring, but I am ok with that. I get to exercise my brain and keep busy while still being able to enjoy life. The downside is that my schedule has to revolve around the business cycles with month-end processing and quarter-end processing. I tend to plan any personal priorities around the natural schedule. It is predictable, but not very consistent from week to week. It is a good job if you want to work remotely as it is very conducive to remote work, but I feel locked into this job because of the flexibility which works with my family schedule and I am considering finding work that will allow me to work in person at least some of the time. I'm very torn whether that is even a good idea because I am pretty fortunate to have this flexibility and have a good employer. But another good thing about the career field is that you are always in demand. Every business needs to keep its books in order. If you want to get experience there are volunteer jobs for non-profits you might be able to find on VolunteerMatch.
I don't know what my questions about neurodivergence are really. My daughter is also a level 1 but sometimes higher if she is agitated or in crisis. We are learning so much since she was just diagnosed. I want to treat her like she is fine and can function just like any other kid, but at school they have accomodations and treat her differently. Is your therapy helping? Have you done ABA therapy and how was it? How long have you known about having ASD and how did you find out?
I don't know much about the shredding other than that it happened. It sounds like auditors weren't giving an independent opinion because they were paid to do consulting and other work or might be promised a job at the companies later. So instead of looking at the books critically, everyone passed audits which made numbers unreliable. It might be good for the managers and for the company on the inside, but the stockholders who relied on the financial statements being correct were being misled and as a result may have made bad investments based on fraudulent information. As for me I keep really good records and go out of my way to cooperate with the auditors. Speaking of which we will have an audit next month, so I expect to be even more busy than usual. AAA I have to get to work now.
Another question, What are you reading now and what were your favorite books?
@reservedOwl321
Searching up VolunteerMatch right now. There used to be a local website near me, but I think it got shut down because it redirects endlessly... so, I'm very happy to find new stuff that isn't only on my school's job board or on volunteers' pages. As for seeking out another job that allows in-person work, not sure what to say to that as I've only ever worked in-person. I'm also hesitant to provide advice on how to make it feel more "in-person" because we've heard a lot of that advice thoughout the pandemic.
As for autism, I'm going to split them up because it makes things easier to organize.
About Accommodations:
Accommodations are awesome. I can 100% understand you wanting to treat your daughter like she is fine and can function as everyone else, though. I did that for a year in college, mainly because I didn't have the paperwork I needed nor a family doctor. And well, I suffered. I was doing schoolwork and studying nearly non-stop because I couldn't ask for extensions, and my stress and sensory processing during tests would make my results worse.
She may never need them, but she'll certainly benefit from having them in the case that she will. As for your concerns, you can discuss them with her daughter, ask how it makes her feel, and provide input during an IEP or a 504 meeting.
My Therapy:
I would say my therapy is definitely helping. As much as you can rely on online resources for coping, the connection between a patient and a therapist is pretty darn important as well. They can help you make specialized decisions related to your situation.
To elaborate, I don't go to therapy specifically for my autism, but it does help my autism in certain ways. I go to individual therapy(it's counselling) mostly for my anxiety, and I go to group therapy(CBT at the moment) for my depression, anxiety, and OCD. Mostly, it has helped me do "exposure therapy" for trying new foods, trying new things, and gaining independence. Some of the stuff I've learned in counselling has helped me tolerate unpleasant sensory environments better, but it doesn't work for everyone.
ABA Therapy:
I have not done ABA myself. Some say it's good, some say it's bad because it tries to fix natural differences such as stimming, and some say it's bad because it's behaviourism (i.e. positive and negative reinforcement). I even met an autistic ABA therapist in a comment section once. Thankfully, this often depends on the therapist. I'd suggest you look into what your daughter needs help with in particular, as speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists can do similar things depending on needs.
How Long I've Known / How I Found Out:
I got diagnosed in January of this year, but I've been trying to get tested for a while. I've known I should get tested for it since 2018, though, but waitlists are very long, and then the pandemic happened, and then I became an adult.
I found this out by doing research on the topic because I wanted to write more diverse characters, such as ones who have autism, ADHD, dyslexia, etc. Then I started reading the actual criteria and thinking, "This does sound a lot like me." So while waiting, I did A LOT of personal reflection and watched a lot of videos from people who can differentiate between autism and my other stuff, and determined it would be valuable to get tested.
As for books… I'm in the middle of not reading any books at the moment. This is rare. But, I will get back to you once I find the last book I read and remember the name.
@Lemurian51611 Okay. So I found the book. It's called "Hopepunk" by Preston Norton. It's good contemporary fiction if you're interested in the punk subculture and how it appears in the age of social media, as well as the intersection between religion and gay rights. It gets... corny and questionable at times, but I liked reading it.
@Lemurian51611
Hi there. I have had a busy few days, but I’m still here. I am anxious because I expect to have a ton of work to do in the next two weeks for work, but there will be a holiday so that will be nice. I look forward to resting. Do you have plans for Independence Day?
I like how you formatted your response. It looks very professional! As far as Volunteer Match is concerned, I have had the same issue finding local jobs, but the remote ones seem promising. I just am not sure I can carve out even 6-10 hours on a lot of the weeks, but I would like to volunteer in the future in some form. They seem to have a lot of opportunities though if you are interested in gaining experience and volunteering. What type of work have you done?
I just started a new therapy. I agree that it is important and so far is helping me also. I seem to have developed anxiety over the years, but have never learned about it or dealt with it, so it is time to face this. For my daughter I haven’t looked into ABA a whole lot, but her regular therapist gave us recommendations for “humane” ABA therapy providers and we are going to try it. It is a last resort before she may end up in residential.
When I say treat her like a regular kid I don’t mean no accommodations, but unfortunately a lot of the “accommodations” have enabled her to just get by and not apply herself. She doesn’t even have to take written tests and she’s going into high school and would like to go to college. They are ok with oral tests at this point. Don’t ask about reading and writing. Unfortunately the school doesn’t really know how to handle her and teach her as well. She is good at math, but on the standardized tests they say she does so good and is smart, however she takes 3 times as long as is allowed on the test. I know she has serious limitations making the time factor on tests difficult for her, we just don’t want her to think she doesn’t have to apply herself and can still pass and get by. She also seems to feel sometimes that she can do whatever she wants and tries to get away with not following rules. It can be hard for me to tell what part of it is being a teenager and what part is related to ASD especially since I am not very familiar with ASD. I need to read and learn more about it. Did you find any material useful when you were researching?
Hopepunk sounds like an interesting book. I’m interested in the age of social media somewhat. I am currently reading Braiding Sweetgrass for a book group. It is about plants and is more interesting than I expected. I believe it is non-fiction, and she weaves a Native American cultural aspect into the book. I think it is well-written even though I prefer to read more suspense type books. What are your favorite books or movies?
@reservedOwl321 Heyo. Apologies for taking so long to respond as well. I've had quite a social week. Also, I hope the Independence Day holiday was a nice break for you.
As for independence day plans, I don't celebrate 'cause I'm Canadian. I also don't celebrate Canada Day due to the colonial aspect, but this is a personal choice most people don't do. That being said, I played some games with friends which was nice, 'cause everyone was off work for the holiday. I've done some interesting volunteering including beta testing apps/classes and painting props, but I've also done the usual helping out with school events or shovelling/raking people's lawns and driveways.
When you talk about accommodations, I appreciate you clarifying. The current situation does sound troubling, especially if she doesn't have any problems with reading or writing. As for resources, this website has been pretty helpful: https://autismacceptance.com/
You may also want to look into Pathological Demand Avoidance. It's something that commonly happens in folks with ASD: https://reframingautism.org.au/pathological-demand-avoidance-pda-and-autism-guide-for-allies/ this really helped me explain some of my more avoidant behaviours.
I wish I could say much more about current books and movies, but I cannot think about it right now. I'm really sorry, but I'll add another response with my books and movies tomorrow.
@Lemurian51611 Back again to talk about favourite books and movies.
Books:
- Dragonlance Chronicles (I've only read the original trilogy, but I am looking to read more)
- The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy series
- Foundation series (Isaac Asimov)
Movies:
- literally just Ratatouille. I've seen it 10 times.
- Any of the older Alvin and the Chipmunks movies.
So if you couldn't tell, I really like cartoons, sci-fi, and fantasy.
I'm glad you had a good weekend!
I'll be honest, I read your response... Ty! I will look into the PDA. She has mentioned that that might be an issue that her therapist brought up.
I don't have time right now to do a whole lot, and I'm answering on my phone which really frustrates me! But anyway I wanted to let you know. Thank you for your response. I have read it and I will try to give you a more detailed response this weekend. I'm kind of slammed at work right now.
@Lemurian51611
What does your name mean? It sounds like a fantasy or sciFi Character.
Work has been so busy, but like i said I would come back and respond more. I'm sorry if the last message didn't make much sense, I was really tired! My job really tires me out this time each quarter! Independence day was nice, just too short! My birthday is the day after so I always used to like having fireworks when they happened to be on my birthday. It was like there were fireworks for me. We just watched on tv this year though. I didn't really feel like dealing with all of the crowds;
If I can ask, are you in the US? How was everyone off for the 4th if you are in Canada?
Thank you for the resources! I think the Pathological Demand Avoidance is likely right on. It has been mentioned, but I am not yet familiar with it.
I liked Ratatouille too! It is a good one. I don't really have a favorite movie myself. I haven't watched too many recently. I watched Deadpool and Wolverine in the theater with my husband, and it was like culture shock. A guy was stabbing a guy to death and the other movie patrons were laughing hysterically 😲 I am not exactly used to that. It was so over the top, but maybe I'm just too old for this stuff.
I don't know most of the fantasy stuff. The closest I have gotten to fantasy maybe the vampire books. I read some of an older vampire series I cannot remember the name.
How is school going? Do you have plans this weekend? I scheduled a lot of side gig jobs this weekend, so I will be working much of it.
I hope you have a good night Lemurian
@reservedOwl321 Happy very belated birthday! Sorry, I didn't end up looking at this and didn't see it, but I'm here now. TBH I'm happy learning about the PDA helped.
To explain what my name means, there's a species of lizard-reptile-people in a game called Risk Of Rain. That's what I named myself after. But if you google it, you'll either find crystals or lemur people, which I had no idea about before googling. Apparently there's this whole place called Lemuria which is like Atlantis but different.
As to answer your question about whether I live in the US or not: I may have made a whoopsie daisy in my other post. I intended to say everyone was off on Canada Day, not on the US Independence Day. I am still living in Canada.
I think for movies, the Deadpool series is definitely one of the more popular ones. Maybe the other MCU movies are more interesting, although I tried to get into them and wasn't a huge fan. And as for vampire books, that is not something I read a lot either. I did read the whole Twilight series, though. Do you like Marvel movies, or other superhero movies/TV shows?
I'll be going to a gender reveal party, because people keep having children. Hope your weekend work is pleasurable and gentle.
HI 😃 @Lemurian51611
Thank you for the birthday wishes Lemurian! It is just another day really and was rather busy. I'm glad you got to see your friends on the holiday. How was your week? How are classes going?
I learned a few new things from your message. I love learning new things! I looked up Risk of Rain. It looks intense. Do you feel similar to a "lemurian" in the game?
I am embarassed to say I had never heard of Canada Day before you mentioned it. I know, typical since I'm from the US. I have been to Canada once. We went to the Buchart Gardens, but that was many years ago. Have you traveled outside of Canada?
I read Twilight too. It has been so long I don't remember it well, but I liked it. I think that is about the only vampire series I have read. I can't say I am into superhero movies. I watched the Incredibles because I have kids. I liked it. I haven't seen the How to train your dragon all the way through, but would like to watch that. Honestly I just cannot sit through a movie. I am not the best at sitting down most of the time, but if I do watch a movie I don't usually get through the whole thing. But when I do watch movies I prefer romantic movies. The series I have been watching lately is called Younger on Netflix. I find it very funny, but it also has romance.
Was it a boy or a girl or something else? My husband had some wierd names picked out for our kids, so I told him that if it is a boy or a girl I'll name them and if it is anything else he can name it. 18 years later and one of them already wants to change her name though. I wonder how she would have felt about being named Caradacus. We cannot even remember the other names. Anyway how was the party?
I worked this weekend, and I enjoyed it, but am tired now. My side gig is in retail and it is a nice contrast to my day job, and raising the lovely teenager. Other than that and my book club I haven't done much lately. I didn't even finish the book for the book club, but it was nice to see some new faces. Well this is getting long. Thanks for writing me back. I love hearing from you! Talk soon :)
@reservedOwl321 Risk of Rain indeed is an intense sort of game. It's part of the "rogue-like" genre where you only have one life(i.e. you permanently die), and the levels change a little bit every time. I won't necessarily say I feel like a lemurian, but I do feel like I connect deeply with lizard-like species in literally every game that has them. Not sure why though, because my faovurite animals are giraffes, cats, and dragons.
As for classes, I think I forgot to mention that I'm done with them now. I'll be starting them back up in September, so I have a lot of free time right now. Also, apologies for responding late again, I simply forgot to do so after reading the message.
Also: I have never traveled outside of Canada (family doesn't really travel much). And I also don't blame you for not knowing about Canada Day. It seems a lot more chill than the US' Independence Day, but we sometimes have fireworks, BBQs, concerts, etc. it's also really popular to see it as a day of mourning, or a day of reconciliation, because of what the British people did to Indigenous populations upon arriving. Fun fact: it is also not the day Canada became independent from Britain, but is instead the day we became a dominion to Britain.
The gender of the child was revealed to be a girl: they did this by spraying coloured smoke, and it turned out to be pink. I do wonder what the process of picking out names is, but I know the grandparents have a big book of baby names.
it's really nice to hear that you're enjoying the retail environment and your book club, even without reading the books. Sometimes it's nice to see people's faces, both old and new, even if things don't get done. I feel like this a lot of the time with my one writing group I have.
Thank you so much for your interest! I really enjoy having a pen pal.
@Lemurian51611
I am sorry I hadn't responded until now. I am here still and wanted to check in. I have been super busy, we were on vacation at the end of the month, and I just found this message. It's summer with the kiddos and I have been trying to get work done too! I have enjoyed chatting with you. September and school will be here soon. Are you keeping busy in the meantime?
I am going to keep it short this time. I am tired and need to get to bed! Have a great weekend!
@reservedOwl321 I'm also sorry it's been nearly a week since I've really checked 7Cups. I can imagine you're quite busy with the summertime especially when having kids who are off from school, plus the typical end-of-the-month hijinks.
I really don't know what else to say other than yes, I've definitely been staying busy. How was your vacation? Be as vague or descriptive as you wish, I don't want to make you uncomfortable.
@Lemurian51611
Hi Lemurian51611. I haven't checked the site in a while either, I did see your post but didn't have time to respond. It took me a while to find this again, but I'm glad I did, and I am glad you messaged me! Always good to hear from you :)
My vacation was good, but I came back and was sick for a while. I am finally feeling better though. I have been really concerned about my health lately, so making sure I get doctor appointments and seeing the dr. has been my primary concern. I don't want to bore you with the details. I know so little about medicine unfortunately so I seem to be having communication barriers with medical professionals and it gets frustrating to say the least! They do say to put your mask on first though, and as a mom that is what I am trying to do.
As for my vacation, we kept extremely busy. We visited family and I worked while there. I saw my 23 year old son while there and his fiance. We did a drone show, went to an amusement park, went to a play (Cinderella) we visited a national park on the way back. I collect National Park stamps as my hobby, so I enjoyed that beautiful side trip. It was busy and fun, but I am taking a break from vacationing for a while so I can focus on my health (and getting doctor appointments... aah)
How is school going? What does your schedule look like this term? How are you feeling these days?
I didn't even realize until someone told me yesterday it is a holiday weekend this weekend. Do you also celebrate Labor Day or is that just in the US? Anyhow have a great weekend either way!
@reservedOwl321 Hey! I'm happy to hear back from you. I'm also glad you're feeling better after feeling sick. I can understand the whole doctor's appointments thing, i.e. booking them, going to them, being stressed before and after them 'cause you don't know what will happen, etc. It can be quite hard to explain how you're feeling to doctors, particularly if some of them are not familiar with your set of symptoms.
As for your vacation, that sounds enjoyable. How did you get into collecting National Park Stamps? And when you say stamps, do you mean the ones you put on mail or those ones you dip in ink?
When it comes to my school schedule, it's quite good actually. I have a reduced courseload, but even before I dropped the classes, my schedule looked really good. All my classes start at 9 and end at either 11 or 12 (they're all asynchronous and no labs). If I had the full courseload, I'd also have some classes right afterward in the afternoon, so I'm excited for literally all my classmates. As for how I'm feeling: ups and downs, but mostly neutral. This is good.
As for Labour day: Yes! We have it here as well. Honestly, it does tend to be hard to remember when most minor holidays are. In Canada, for example, we have a day called "Civic Holiday" in August, and this is especially hard to remember because while government offices are closed, stores are open. Hope your labour day goes well and is refreshing.
Random question: do you ever see September as a new start? I see it as a new start because of that's when the new school year starts.
@Lemurian51611
I'm glad you have a good schedule and a reduced course load. And a fresh start. I love creating my goals for the new year. I just got a new calendar to record the holidays and plan for the upcomng school year, so I do see it as kind of a fresh start. I recently read a book called the 12-week year. It was a great book and a great idea. The author looks at goal setting as a 12-week block rather than setting goals for the year, and I have been trying to follow this so far for 2 of the 12-week years. I really like the concept, and his book. I am about to start my next 12-week year this week.
I didn't do a lot for Labor Day weekend. I spent time with my family and started a QuickBooks Online training. My 18-year-old got her driver's license! We were very proud of her and took her out to Korean BBQ at her request. She enjoyed it.
I have decided to make a spreadsheet of my medical symptoms and appointments. It has come in handy. My brain is not as sharp as it used to but maybe I can improve upon that, or at least support my shortfalls with modern technology. Thankfully, I am feeling much better with new asthma and allergy meds for now.
The National parks here have stamp pads and stamps you stamp in their national park book with the date you visited. According to google many Canadian parks also have these stamps, but also have actual stamps, so I see why you asked. The book is separated by region. There is a following of people who go there mainly for the stamp. Then you never know what you will find there. We stumbled across the program when visiting the shop in a national park and I love going to the parks. It is an affordable, fun adventure on our road trips. I think I started in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island.
I read back through our original posts, and I think I missed that you crochet and sew. Have you done any of this lately? I used to crochet. I like to crochet amigurumi animals and am considering doing this again to help me be calm and sit still/relax. There are so many cute things to make. What kinds of things do you like to make?
I will try to respond sooner in the future. I have been so busy with it being the beginning of the month. I am super busy at work, of course, but also have my book club. The books have been not so good lately, and I have been getting disenchanted with it. Right now I want to read the productivity book called Deep Work, and books like The 12-week year, but they are reading about octopuses. Life should calm down now and school has started for my daughter 😄. It definitely seems like another new chapter.
Have a great weekend!
@reservedOwl321 Hey! I hope your weekend was good and relaxing. When you mentioned The 12 Week Year, I got excited. While I didn't read the original version, I did read The 12 Week Year For Writers. While I don't necessarily use the method(I keep quarterly goals instead w/o a particular completion schedule), it was insightful for my goal-setting.
Very happy to hear your daughter got her driver's license. Learning to drive is very nerve-wrecking at first, but as much as I can't drive on my own, it's a vital and helpful skill. As for the spreadsheet, surprisingly effective way of keeping track of things, even menstrual cycles. I've been working on tracking the food I eat to see what upsets my stomach. it may literally just be a specific brand of ice cream.
As for crocheting, I admittedly haven't been doing a lot of that recently. However, I am a huge fan of crocheting amigurumi, especially because they're a lot quicker than other crochet projects and often take simple or versatile stitches. My next project will be an axolotl, or a 20-sided dice. Depends on whichever one I decide to start first (they're both Christmas gifts).
I can understand the busy nature of things, and also the disenchantment with books. I'm not super interested in books with certain themes, and sometimes there will be a book that just won't be interesting to me. I've also read Deep Work: highly recommend it.
Well, I will hear from you later, whenever that may be!
@Lemurian51611
Hello again. I’m so sorry it takes me so long to respond. I should be better about responding in the next few weeks because I am not as busy at work (yay!) But October will be a different story! This site is supposed to help people who struggle, but it is honestly overwhelming, and I get sidetracked so easily on here. I was scrolling through all the pen pal chats to find this in the past, but I bookmarked it, so hopefully I can find it more easily in the future. Anyway I appreciate you hanging in there with me and I’ll work on being a little faster.
I answered in Bold below…
@reservedOwl321 Hey! I hope your weekend was good and relaxing. When you mentioned The 12 Week Year, I got excited. While I didn't read the original version, I did read The 12 Week Year For Writers. While I don't necessarily use the method(I keep quarterly goals instead w/o a particular completion schedule), it was insightful for my goal-setting.
That is cool. What are you writing now?
Very happy to hear your daughter got her driver's license. Learning to drive is very nerve-wrecking at first, but as much as I can't drive on my own, it's a vital and helpful skill. As for the spreadsheet, surprisingly effective way of keeping track of things, even menstrual cycles. I've been working on tracking the food I eat to see what upsets my stomach. it may literally just be a specific brand of ice cream.
Great that you are using that as a tool. Many young people I hear don’t know how to use spreadsheets, but I agree they are great, and I wish I had considered using it for my medical stuff earlier.
As for crocheting, I admittedly haven't been doing a lot of that recently. However, I am a huge fan of crocheting amigurumi, especially because they're a lot quicker than other crochet projects and often take simple or versatile stitches. My next project will be an axolotl, or a 20-sided dice. Depends on whichever one I decide to start first (they're both Christmas gifts).
I had to look up axlotl. Those sound like fun projects. Christmas will be here before you know it…
I can understand the busy nature of things, and also the disenchantment with books. I'm not super interested in books with certain themes, and sometimes there will be a book that just won't be interesting to me. I've also read Deep Work: highly recommend it.
Well, I will hear from you later, whenever that may be!
How is bookkeeping coming along for you? I am working on starting a QuickBooks bookkeeping business myself and am almost finished with the QuickBooks Online certification. I guess we’ll see if there is a market for it in my area.
@reservedOwl321 TBH, I agree with the format of the website being overwhelming at times. I haven't been visiting it in recent times, mainly because of being busy, but also because I'm learning to make my own coping skills toolbox (for lack of a better word) in an app called Notion. It's a note-taking app but fancier, pretty much. The key word is "trying." It's a process.
Since you may be better at responding since it's less busy right now, I'll make sure to check this website more often. As for what I'm writing, I'd say I'm not really writing anything in particular right now. But, I do have a few projects. One is set 100 years in the future with people who can do magic, the other is about robots who were made for religious reasons.
As for bookkeeping, it's good. Tax class is annoying but that's okay. I heard starting up your own business is a challenge, certainly a healthy one, so good on you for taking that step. It takes a lot of skill, and sometimes risk, to do so. Starting a business for Quickbooks seems like a good idea, as it's nice to be able to look at your ledger from your phone if needed, plus being able to sync with *** and the like. I took a whole class on accounting software and it was mostly Sage 50, but we used Quickbooks Online as well.
Hope to hear from you again soon.
@Lemurian51611
I looked into Notion since you mentioned it. I have heard of it but never used it. Is it hard to get used to? Have you tried using Claude? I really like using that AI tool, but you only can use it so much before it makes you pause usage on the free plan. I have been having fun with it.
I'm really glad to hear you have found some coping strategies however you use them. I saw your post about going to the movie by yourself, and it was inspiring. I have had more anxiety lately than in the past, and I need to get myself out more too. I also could do better at figuring out the anxiety. Was the movie good by the way? What other strategies have you been using?
I understand that you might not want to write too much right now since it sounds like school and life is keeping you pretty busy as it is. Your writing topics sound interesting. You are such a good writer I'm sure you will create really interesting stories.
I hear you on tax. I would prefer not to do tax if I don't have to. I especially don't care for a schedule that is only a few months a year at least that is what it is here.
You are right it is a challenge to start the business. I imagine it might be even more difficult in CA. I have a lot of admin tasks I need to complete. It seems like it never ends! I don't know Sage very well, but I was able to get QBO certified. One YouTuber I watch on bookkeeping businesses said that the QBO Certification is about 10 percent of the things you need to do to start, and I get that now. I'm hoping I can find only a few small clients for a little extra money. We'll see if I want to do more later.
Life has been really up and down for me lately. Politics in this country and the society in general due to politics is really saddening. I try to stay out of it, and I try to understand other points of view, but sometimes it is just so difficult. If you don't feel comfortable with this subject I'm sorry to bring it up, I am happy to talk about something else.
I have a training to attend this evening, so I better go. I think it is called what your boss wants you to know about AI. Have a great evening!
@reservedOwl321 Thank you for all the compliments :))) especially about the writing. As for using Notion, I wouldn't say it's hard to get used to, but it's hard to use effectively. Using basic templates is easy enough, and it was a lot simpler when I started back in 2020. But, now there's a lot more options for what you can do, plus a calendar app, plus an AI assistant that may or may not be free.
As for Claude, I've never used him, but I've used Copilot a few times. Surprisingly effective at giving you definitions of words, and helping format vocabulary in a way that's readable.
When it comes to the movie... I'm glad you read the post about it! It was a movie called Elio, made by Disney Pixar, and it's about this 11-year old boy who really, really, really wants to meet aliens. And he does, and gets mistaken to be Earth's ambassador. I liked it, and at the same time, thought the concept was lackluster. As for the coping skills, I tend to focus on the concept at hand, focus on the chair in front of me, focus on the advertisements/trailers, and remind myself I'm here to enjoy myself in the present moment. Other than that, I've been using an app called Bear Room. It's basically a mini coping skills toolbox that I've been using while I get the Notion coping skills ready. The free plan gives limited access to activities, but there are some that are always free.
As for the political side, I'm willing to talk about it if you're willing to talk about it. I think a lot of people get really divided when they talk about this sort of topic, especially when it comes to situations involving someone who was on the far-left, or someone who was on the far-right. I can talk about this at-length, but won't do so unless I'm given permission. And tax-wise, it's pretty much 3 to 4 months, unless you're a small business, then it's 5 months.
Now that you've attended that training, how was it? Also, what are your general thoughts on AI knowing that you've been using it in your day-to-day life?
I'm so glad to hear back from you. Just wanted to let you know I saw your message and I want to take a little extra time write back. I'm on my phone now not my computer, but I will make it a priority to respond!
@Lemurian51611
Thank you for all the compliments :))) especially about the writing.
You’re welcome. I mean it.
As for using Notion, I wouldn't say it's hard to get used to, but it's hard to use effectively. Using basic templates is easy enough, and it was a lot simpler when I started back in 2020. But, now there's a lot more options for what you can do, plus a calendar app, plus an AI assistant that may or may not be free.
I tried notion and it didn’t exactly click quickly for me.
As for Claude, I've never used him, but I've used Copilot a few times. Surprisingly effective at giving you definitions of words, and helping format vocabulary in a way that's readable.
I love using Claude!
When it comes to the movie... I'm glad you read the post about it! It was a movie called Elio, made by Disney Pixar, and it's about this 11-year old boy who really, really, really wants to meet aliens. And he does, and gets mistaken to be Earth's ambassador. I liked it, and at the same time, thought the concept was lackluster. As for the coping skills, I tend to focus on the concept at hand, focus on the chair in front of me, focus on the advertisements/trailers, and remind myself I'm here to enjoy myself in the present moment. Other than that, I've been using an app called Bear Room. It's basically a mini coping skills toolbox that I've been using while I get the Notion coping skills ready. The free plan gives limited access to activities, but there are some that are always free.
As for the political side, I'm willing to talk about it if you're willing to talk about it. I think a lot of people get really divided when they talk about this sort of topic, especially when it comes to situations involving someone who was on the far-left, or someone who was on the far-right. I can talk about this at-length, but won't do so unless I'm given permission. And tax-wise, it's pretty much 3 to 4 months, unless you're a small business, then it's 5 months.
Eh. I shouldn’t have brought it up, but I like that you feel so confident that you can talk about it at length, and I’m sure you can. It is probably also against the site policy. A lot of people are very divided, I agree. Is this the case in CA as well? Pre social media this was not as much of the case. Do you think this will ever get better? Do you have trouble with people you know that don’t share your political views? I can tell you I don’t really want to discuss it at length as I want to protect my mental health and am concerned about you also, but am curious why you are interested in politics?
Now that you've attended that training, how was it? Also, what are your general thoughts on AI knowing that you've been using it in your day-to-day life?
The training through Intuit did not have the best user experience to tell the truth, but I muscled through it. The full screens wouldn’t show up on my screen without scrolling up and down. I also took bookkeeping class and the test was so wierd. Somehow I passed that. The test was better on the QBO1 training. I took a lot of notes.
I wouldn’t use AI for financial advice or anything too personal or that requires accuracy. It can be and often is wrong, but AI is great for what I’m using it for, for helping me plan my schedule. I have been planning my day and reviewing how my day was. Sometimes I forget what I did, but Claude doesn’t. I have been asking for positive quotes or inspiration as well lately and he does a good job with that. Here are some of my latest quotes that spoke to me…
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill
"Today is the first day of the rest of your life" ~unknown
"Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most." — Buddha
"Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself." Eleanor Roosevelt. Do you have any favorite quotes?
@reservedOwl321 I apologize for not responding to this for such a long time, especially when you mentioned wanting to respond more often and more frequently. All I can say was I was overwhelmed, and I really am sorry.
Politics-wise, here are my answers:
- People seem less divided as they appear in the US. Most people around me dislike what's going on in the US, though.
- Will it get better? I think it'll get worse because there will be more news sources.
- My interest in politics comes from an interest in identity politics first and foremost, and then becoming interested in democratic socialism.
As for your training, I can understand that it's been difficult especially when there are technical difficulties on your side of things. If I ever end up doing any sort of training through Intuit (since they own Quickbooks, TurboTax, and ProFile, that might be likely), I'll keep that in mind.
I really like your insights on AI, particularly Claude. It feels like people are divided on the topic of artificial intelligence as well, but I digress. There are some really great things AI has done such as helping people stay organized, helping people with intellectual disabilities write out their thoughts with more cohesion, and also encourage people to learn new things, even if what it says is incorrect. I think that's a lot of people's thoughts on AI, is that it's good for helping people but not replacing them.
As for favourite quotes, I have a bunch on writing that I really like. I think they also apply to different areas of life. This one's from Isaac Asimov: “Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers.”
And now, as for what I'm busy with: interesting, sometimes draining schoolwork, volunteering by tutoring kids in math, feeling tired due to the changing of the season, and procrastination. That's all. How have you been, and do you find the seasons changing to be challenging?
@Lemurian51611
@Lemurian51611
I'm taking a long time to respond now. I am so sorry! I have been busy again with the quarter ending and I had to quickly wrap it up. I have done that and presented it, so I should have a little more free time now.
I'm sorry you are feeling overwhelmed :( What has been overwhelminng you?
Are you learning about identity politics in school? I hadn't really heard too much about it being described that way until you mentioned it, but I can see this happening a lot here. I was raised where we were encouraged to think for ourselves, and I feel I still do, so this is concerning. Reminds me of "group think" where you might not really agree with the group, but you go along to get along even if what the group is doing is really stupid and makes no sense. They talk about this happening in companies as well where a person who has great insights and ideas may be afraid to speak up out of fear for whatever reason.
You mentioned that people seem less divided than they appear in the US, I'm not sure what you meant. Did you mean CA vs the US? I think people here are crazy, sorry. I really just try to stay out of it.
I have had to try to put the bookkeeping business on hold, not only because I've been busy, but also because I have surgeries scheduled at the end of the year in November and December. I need to try to get a few tasks done so I am prepared around tax time in Jan-April to accept bookkeeping clients.
I don't know that I have a lot of insight on AI. For my certification I take classes that delve into work related use cases for AI to aid us in work. I find them interesting for the most part. It is changing so quickly! I worry about overuse and overdependence on AI for school though as I feel the young people need to learn basic skills or they may be shortchanging themelves by letting AI do so much of their work. In school is AI more off limits, or have the administrators embraced certain uses of it? I have heard NotebookLM is amazing to help add your infomormation for research and ask questions about only the sources you enter and tell it to reference. I don't have a use for that myself that I can think of though. I use AI very little myself. I am too skeptical I guess, and using it for my schedule does overwhelm me, so I have had to step back. They also say not to ever give AI confidential information for instance for a company you work for without permission as that can be dangerous. Its cool, but kind of scary.
I like your quote: Isaac Asimov: “Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers.” This is a good one!
You are in the hard part of the school year I think. I'm sure assignments are piling up on you. I can't remember did you say you are on a semester system or something shorter?
Do you celebrate Halloween and what will you be for Halloween if you do? Our work does a Halloween zoom. I'm going to be a Mama bear and my daughter will have a little bear costume if it comes in time. I also ordered a witch just in case for her since I ordered online somewhat late.
I have been pretty busy. I had to go out of town to see family and then again for work. It takes me a while to get back into a routine at home, but I am back now. Where I'm at the weather is just starting to change. I like going to see the changing fall colors, but I love summer, so I'm not so sure how I feel about it starting to get colder. I just thrifted a nice warm coat which made me feel better. Honestly, I am afraid I will get sick due to the weather, then when I get sick, I cough for literally months, so I am doing everything I can to avoid getting sick AGAIN! (I have been sick pretty much all of the beginning of the year this year... Yuck!) But so far so good (knock on wood!)
What is the weather like where you are at, and how do you feel about it? And what are your most reliable coping skills?
If you get this relatively soon, I expect to have more time until around the end of November and will be checking and answering more often, but after that I will be down for a couple of surgeries and work is usually very busy in January, so i don't know that I will be online much. Sorry this is getting so long. I look forward to your response, and thanks for continuing to engage in this chat with me! I really enjoy it. Stay warm and no pressure to respond quickly, I know I talked about a lot. Have a great day!
Hi @lemurian51611. I haven't seen you for a while. How have you been? If you don't feel like chatting any longer that's fine, but I'd love to try to keep our chat going if you would still like to talk. I hope you are doing well ❤️🩹