DPS Gone Wild!

I'm listening to the radio this morning (HOT 102.7), and heard something about the Detroit Public School system. Being a student of DPS for 11 of my 13 years of public schooling, I wanted to hear what was going on. I mean, if you know anything about DPS, you'd know that they've been shutting down schools left and right. The drop out rate is 75%... yes, that's the DROP OUT RATE! Which means that the graduation rate is only 25%! How ridiculous!

Anywho, to the point of this blog. So the district has an Emergency Financial Manager, Robert Bob (Bob Bob, eh?) who has been disclosing discrepancies in the DPS budget since he was appointed.


Here are some of the new things that he recently discovered:


The district has been spending money that could have been used to keep some of the schools running. The total amount of unnecessary expenses totals about $2.1 million each year.

• This $2.1 million has been spent on health insurance for ineligible dependents, 160 Blackberry phones, 11 unused motorcycles, 97 two-way phones, inappropriate loans to school officials, and a whopping $1.7 million paid to the City of Detroit for taxes when the district is tax-exempt!

More bad light shone upon the city of Detroit. But my philosophy is 'better now than never'. Robert Bob is doing a great job!

GAB Rant: Over-ordering for Lunch!

GAB Rant is where I'll rant and rave about minor and/or major occurrences that I experience around the office- or near the office, on a day-to-day basis! Enjoy :-)

So today, AH decided to order Potbelly for lunch. You know, the sandwich shoppe. Well, this was my first time having Potbellys, so I went light for lunch (I usually do).

Not the other intern... Not only did he take 10 minutes to go over the menu, but he ordered a sandwich, chips, and a cookie. I know that may not sound like a lot, but it was enough for our supervisor to call him into his office for a 'talk'.

This isn't the first time he's done this. The idea is to go with the flow of the office. You don't make your own rules; you blend with what's already happening. If no one else who came before you is ordering food out of the woohaa, then you're not supposed to.

Bring your own snacks to work! Don't expect your employer to provide for your daily bout of the munchies.

I Suck at Working Out!

There's nothing in this world that makes my head hurt more than the idea of having to work out. I'm a very petite young woman, but I have a crazy sized tummy. I mean, you can tell when I've just had a hearty meal. My stomach tends to look about 2 months pregnant :-(

It kinda sucks since my BF works out almost everyday. I mean, he's always doing something. Running, biking, lifting, benching, curling, squatting, something! So, I guess I'm trying to keep up with him a bit just so we can have something to do together. Plus, I need to do it for myself, and he's my biggest motivation when it comes to working out. I never knew what a real workout was until last week...



Last Monday, my BF-turned-personal trainer had me jump rope 500 times! My legs were soooo tight the next day at work that I could barely rock my heels at work. But it definitely gave my legs the tone that they needed. I jumped rope again on Tuesday, and jogged about 5 blocks on Thursday. It wasn't much, but it definitely made me realize that working out IS a lot of work. I have to give my BF credit because he really does a lot.

Here's a great ab workout that you can in less than 5 minutes!!!

So, aside from attempting to eat healthier, I'm going to devote myself to working out at least once a week. My schedule permits that now, so there's no excuse!

I'll keep you guys updated with how that's going :-) Also, don't be afraid to let me know what works for you. Any exercise routines that you can do at home instead of hitting the gym?! I'd love to hear your stories :-)

Giving my Job the Boot...

If you've been following, which I see 13 of you have :-) you'll know that I recently accepted an offer for an internship this upcoming fall and winter semester. You'd also know that I've been interning for AH since the beginning of June.

I don't mean to toot my own horn, but who else will? So, I'll just say it: I'm an asset to all of my places of employment. My supervisors tend to see that I increase productivity for them, and behind the scenes I help to make the office function more efficiently. I'm a problem solver, and an answer-seeker! Now that you know my work ethic, you can see why after only a month plus some, my current supervisor asked ME to stay for another semester. Here's the problem:

Although I love my current internship (who wouldn't love free lunch everyday?), it's not exactly what I want to do. So, while I was doubting my abilities a few weeks ago (before the interview), I talked up staying at AH with my supervisor. So by now, everyone is expecting for me to stay. And I had all intentions of doing so before my recent interview. Now that I've accepted the position elsewhere (and I can't renig), I'm in a bit of a pickle. I don't exactly know how I am going to tell my current supervisor that I'll no longer be staying for the fall.

They're both great opportunities... where I am now, I get A/P experience. Plus, if I stayed for the fall I'd be paying the bills and doing the books for my own property site :-) However, the other internship allows for me to see both sides of the equation. I'll be doing both A/P and A/R, which is even better. Majority of the other students at my university enjoyed their internship there, and it could lead to a possible full-time position after graduation. So I weighed my options, and that's my decision...

I just don't know how to lay it out for my supervisor, because I highly doubt that through the program that I got the job, they'll find another accounting intern as good as me. They were lucky to find me... TRUE STORY :-)

HELP ME!

What Chasing a Guy/Girl can do to your Long-Term Goals!

HAHAHA!

I thought I'd never touch a topic like this. However, it seems to be a problem in my opinion.

Honestly, as a teen, having a boy/girlfriend isn't necessary at all. It tends to be a fad... "Everyone is doing it"... True enough, but what are they really gaining from the individual they're with?

I once told myself that I would no longer date guys who don't have a strong sense of self, LONG-TERM goals, an education, a platform and a clear view of the life ahead of him. Is that asking too much? Not at all. It's worked out pretty well for me too!

What we tend to do as humans is focus on the short-term; what will look/feel good now? But your ultimate happiness is key! Focusing on the now could put a damper on your future. It could cause you to make decisions that could change your life, FOR THE WORSE!

For example... It's senior year and you've just met this cute guy. He has a car, a job at the local bookstore, and he's pretty much content there. You fall head over heels for this guy, to only find out that in August you'll be leaving for an Ivy-league school, and he'll be promoted to cashier at the bookstore. OH NO! What are you going to do 500 miles away from the guy that you think you're going to spend the rest of your life with??? Your solution... "I'll go to a local college and build my life around someone who clearly doesn't have any plans for his life!!!"

THAT IS THE WRONG ANSWER AND THE WRONG ATTITUDE TO HAVE. DO YOU SEE HOW CHASING THAT GUY HAS SENT YOU ON A DETOUR? LOW AND BEHOLD YOU DON'T GO TO SCHOOL AT ALL AND YOU GUYS BREAK UP. NOW WHAT?

This is truly something to think about considering the Fall semester is approaching and a lot of you guys will face that BIG question: "What will chasing him/her do to my goals?"

My advice is to stay true to yourself and evaluate who you are. Take time out and think about the person you want to be. Think about the person you are with, or wish that you were with, and evaluate them as well. If your goals in life don't match the least bit, RECONSIDER your options and focus on YOU!