Welcome! If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed so you won't miss the Blarties (=blog+party) on the weekends. To find out more about our Blarties check out this post, too. Looking forward to seeing you on the weekends!

Ahhhhh, yes, I was awakened this morning, gently fortunately, by Twitter notifications coming from my Blackberry which was on my nightstand. I’m new to using Twitter so I really haven’t formed a full opinion yet. However, I must say it was rather nice to be awakened by a gentle sound alerting me to the many “Good mornings!” popping up on Twitter from across the country.

I signed up for Twitter months ago, but couldn’t quite figure out just what all the hullabaloo was about until I discovered a bunch of my cyber friends and acquaintances were also on Twitter. Now I can see how useful this little tool can be and fun at the same time. After Twittering over the weekend I see Twitter can be a useful tool when you want to make an business or personal announcement, have a question, or simply need to know you’re not alone in the world while in your home office or tethered to some mobile device.

How else is Twitter useful? Got any suggestions? What do you like most about Twitter?

***Update*** Seems Twitter is a really useful tool in times of an emergency such as the LA earthquake that hit a bit ago. Lots of Twitters relaying their experience and notifying family & friends of their well-being.

Popularity: 2% [?]

I just completed my website/blog for my bookkeeping services. You can see it at Betts Best Bookkeeping. I’ve worked in the accounting/bookkeeping field for 20 years and took a bit of a hiatus. Not what I would call a retirement or even a semi-retirement. Just a break.

Once called upon by a former co-worker that needed assistance with the bookkeeping for his new business, I decided to jump back in. It’s been good. I didn’t realize how much I missed crunching numbers. I have this thing about crunching numbers and organizing facts. I get a lot of satisfaction when a report balances to the penny.

If you or anybody you know needs assistance with bookkeeping or Quickbooks® software setup and/or training, contact me to discuss the possibility of my services. Other contact information is provided at Betts Best Bookkeeping.

Popularity: 4% [?]

And that’s why there wasn’t a post yesterday. Why have I been celebrating? Because it’s been a LONG time since I’ve taken any exams for any reason, and I voluntarily did so on the spur of the moment this past weekend and passed it with a high grade.

I took the exam without spending any time studying and preparing for it in advance. I originally intended to study and prepare, but discovered I wouldn’t be able to take this particular exam until sometime in November if I didn’t do so before the 8th of October.

I have a long to-do list this week and will be out of town over the upcoming weekend so I had to decide whether or not to jump in and just do it this past weekend or wait until the exam is accessible again later. I decided to go ahead and take the plunge. I’m glad I did, too.

It’s an exam you can retake if you don’t pass the first time, so I reasoned that I would at least pin down my weaknesses and have a better idea of which areas I needed to focus more study and preparation. I passed the exam and was pleased to discover just how knowledgeable I am already in this particular subject. WHAT a GREAT feeling!

So, it’s official. I am now a Certified Quickbooks ProAdvisor. My recently acquired bookkeeping clients can rest assured knowing that I am providing them a distinguishable level of knowledge. Although I passed the exam with a high grade, I still discovered one area in which I need to study further and become even more knowledgeable before taking the exam for the next version.

Once I return from my weekend trip, I’m ready to dig in and prepare for a grade of 100% on the next exam. Now that I’ve completed and passed the first exam, the idea of taking the next one isn’t nearly as intimidating.

In the meantime, I need to get back to chipping away at my to-do list before the weekend sneaks up on me too fast.

Popularity: 21% [?]