Have you taken a GOOD look at yours lately?

Personally, I’m dreading the thought of REALLY looking at my budget. I know I spent a lot more than I should have this year. Add the upgraded lifestyle and more bills - that’s already a recipe for disaster. Mix in a depressed economy and bad job marketing… well, I work with the “Financial Guru” here and I’ve already made all the mistakes he warns everyone about.

I didn’t look at my budget closely enough with all the good things going on in my life… buying a house, getting married, etc. - life happened and my budget went out the window. Now, life happens. Rather than letting that get to me, I’ve decided to work closely with Finance Guy on my budget… and keep everyone in the loop on all my setbacks - and all my accomplishments.

Finance Guy will be adding his quick and easy step-by-step budgeting guide through Friday to help you start on the right financial path BEFORE the first official week of the New Year starts!

Well, I’M BUYING A HOUSE! That’s my biggest news. Other than that, it’s just been work at NextStudent, various weddings, visiting family, and normal stuff like that.

The house obviously is the exciting news - I’ve been working with Finance Guy to make sure I can afford it and everything is in order.

He started on this path when he was just 13 – and went through all levels of the juvenile program, until he ended up being tried as an adult because he committed one to many crimes and got into very big trouble.

According to the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections, about 74,000 kids enter the juvenile system each year (in the state of Arizona). A child’s sheet starts when they turn 8 – and yes, this does happen. Of the 74,000, less than 900 are sent to ADJC – those who have not changed their ways/behavior after repeated convictions.

For the most part, Arizona tries to rehabilitate their juvenile offenders – often offering sentences of mandatory counseling, residential treatment centers, and probation. More serious offenders can be sentenced to JIPS (Juvenile Intensive Probation Services) – similar to house arrest or are referred to ADJC for incarceration. My friend passed through all of these levels before he was ever tried as an adult.

Usually, the juvenile spends a short time, if any, in custody. After being convicted of a crime a juvenile is usually sentenced to counseling and probation. It takes at least 4 referrals for a court to refer them to ADJC.

Currently, the AZ juvenile program has about a 50% repeat offender rate. So – what do you think? Does rehabilitation work or does it just give an easier sentence for people who will end up committing another crime again?

I found a book trailer (see: The Paragon Hotel) online for the first time on Micheal’s Scribblings. I’ve not seen one online before, though I’m sure they’ve been around for a while. I know they experimented with commercials for books before, but an online trailer?

What do you think of the concept? I’m not so much of a fan… then again, I choose books in a completely different fashion than most find prudent. A book should capture your attention right? These definitely do – as long as you know where to look.

A friend (who reads my blog but only comments through email) recently asked me how I find new books…

So in looking for a new book, the first thing that will grab it is the cover. It can be very simple or ornate… but in the end, if it doesn’t catch your attention it has failed in it’s duty. Yes, a book cover is there to keep the book together and protect the pages, but it is also the book’s biggest advertisement – so really, you CAN judge a book by it’s cover and in fact you should. It’s just another product to buy after all.

After a book has actually caught my eye, it’s the title’s turn. If a book doesn’t have a particularly intriguing title how can you assume that the rest of the book is interesting? It’s up to the writer (or publisher, editor, etc.) to come up with a title that continues to hold your interest, gives a basic idea of the book’s contents, and gets you to buy the book.

Now, if I already know the author and like their work, I’ll buy the book no matter what. I have a habit of finding authors I enjoy and buying every single book an author has written – even if the following books aren’t as good. I tend to be an optimist and think they’ll magically get better. I usually stop after about 5 mediocre – bad books.

There are, of course, normal and more popular methods of choosing a book – asking for recommendations, borrowing favorites from friends, and such. But, to find a new author, you sometimes have to step out of the box. You can also try reading the back/inside cover to get a quick summary of the story rather than judge on a quick five second glance through. I have found most books, once you’ve read them all the way through, tend to not follow the summary on the back.

One of my favorite books (well, three of my favorite), the Black Jewels Trilogy, by Anne Bishop, does this. The summary of the story sounds great – and the books are fantastic. It’s just, after you’ve read the story there is so much more than can be packed into the summary… and the “bigger story” can get lost in the actual telling of the tale – and in the case of this trilogy, made it even better. In my opinion, in these books you get pulled so far into the story, you can forget you’re reading. But then again, I have a very active imagination.

Going back on topic, I’ve probably picked out over 100 bad books due to this method, but have found so many more good/great books I never would have thought to try otherwise. I actually found quite a few of my favorite authors due to this method.

One thing I did figure out along the way - you may want to try actually reading the first few pages of a book, just to make sure you like the writing style. I’m very picky when it comes to how the author writes, and have found as I read more, the pickier I become. Make sure you can stick with the book even if the author’s writing style is not what you prefer.

It’s a smart-ass guy (or gal) who is looking to answer all the big questions about life:

• Why we exist
• What’s the meaning of life
• How did we get here
• …and more. Check it out!

He brings up some very good points - particularly when he/she starts discussing how what we know about him affects how we start thinking about his site.

Take a look, let me know what you think…

Take a look at our floorplan - we like it.

I still have some clothes in my car (and misc. dvds) but, other than that, there is nothing left to be moved into the apartment.

In the apartment we only have FIVE boxes left - granted, these are the hard boxes, the ones with all the stuff you don’t know what to do with but you really don’t want to give/throw away. Anyone have any ideas on what to do with that stuff?

I’m hoping that tonight will be the last night of unpacking… and then everything except my desk will be done.

It’s not. And it’s 7 a.m. on a Saturday and I’m up and planning what I’m taking down next.

Well, I’m moving this week and will not be doing any reading. Here are some tips I had to remember when moving…

1. Call the electric, cable, water, etc. companies at least two weeks prior to your move. Make sure you check with the rental as well so you can verify everything is set. If you’re just switching addresses there are some awesome companies like APS who let you do EVERYTHING online. If you have a sucky company (like my cable company), you may want to call even more ahead to make sure they do everything correctly. Don’t forget to follow up a few days before so that you have everything ready to be turned on.
2. Turn on the main breaker (or have your apartment complex turn it on). Many electric companies forget to mention that you need to have your apartment complex switch the main breaker on (and those places seem to forget they need to do that).
3. Do a walk-through with your landlord – make sure to mention even the smallest thing wrong. You may end up paying for something the previous person did.
4. Verify that you actually want to move everything that you’re packing. Are you sure you need all those decorations and half burned candles? If you can’t envision where it will go in your new apartment or can see life being just the same without it, it may not be worth packing (and then unpacking).
5. Make sure you have enough people to help you move the heavy stuff – it’s not worth hurting yourself. It may be easier to hire someone to move the furniture – do you really want to do it yourself?
6. Make sure you remember when you’re supposed to move – I kept thinking it was two weeks away – until I realized it was THIS week.
7. Don’t pack your books and papers into big boxes – it seems easier until someone actually tries to move it. Make sure all boxes are easy-enough to carry.
8. Provide plenty of food and drinks (of whatever type your helpers enjoy).
9. Don’t pack your hanging clothes. It seems like an easy thing to do but it’s even easier if you just leave everything on the hanger - it may take up extra room in your car but it’s worth it when you don’t have to re-hang your clothes.
10. Clean up your apartment afterward (if you’re renting) – don’t rack up the cleaning fees if you don’t have to. If you need to clean the shower and have stuff that won’t come off, most apartment maintenance people suggest oven cleaner. Don’t forget to clean the drip pans for the stove, the oven, and in some places, the windowsill. Fill in any nail holes that are very visible and make sure that overall it will pass the standard look-over.
11. Unpack everything as soon as you can – the longer you can do without items the less you need them. After about six months go through boxes you haven’t unpacked (as long as these weren’t “keepsake” boxes). If you haven’t even thought about the stuff and it isn’t for memories, give it (or throw it) away.

Moore’s quest is to find his daughter’s murderer – and while everything in the book focuses on this, you are brought through many storylines as the story progresses.

Initially the book makes it seem as though your personality and character are predetermined, no matter how you live, you’ll end up the same (like identical twins that grow up separately). By the end of the book it poses a few more questions, based on reality as you see it (not as it really is).

There are a few storylines to keep in mind as you read:

1. Who is the daughter’s killer?
2. What is the role of the HoG’s (Hands of God) servant?
3. Is the clone going to become a murderer because of genetics?
4. Will he become a murderer because everyone expects him to become one?

If you read the book – let me know what you thought. J