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Thursday, January 2, 2020

Creme stix restraint

I will confess I ate two creme sticks on Tuesday, when I bought them, and was simultaneously distraught by the unexpected, by me, blast of winter. Apparently those with talking heads on TV's were aware, and those of us who rely on little mute snowflakes on our weather app were in wait and see mode. If we even noticed the little snowflake.

On the second creme stick I discovered the great nine second rule. At the end of that little delight I told myself I remained annoyed enough to eat the remaining two on the spot, or at least by bed time, but a nine second creme stick deserved more respect.


And so, yesterday there were two in the box, and today there was one left for my excellent lunch. During the nine second wait I even looked on the bottom of the container, saw it was recyclable plastic and put it in the appropriate container. I don't always do that with plastic, because we have single stream recycle. I don't understand it, though I was personally responsible for getting it on board.


After lunch I even took a picture of it's nine second self. I'm confident merely devouring them would have left not a trace. Except you know....

I have gone to my knees begging my computer guru to get into the guts of my computer and deal with the malware hitch on a blogger's site. He promised to do it Tuesday. Sigh. I just sent another email.

With my accountant's encouragement, I returned to rudimentary bookkeeping. She may shed tears laughing when I turn in my books later this month. I bought a black, three column, hard bound book. I poised my pen to head two columns, one Dr and one Cr.  Then I said Fuck No, and wrote $In and $Out. That really is all it's about!

Starting with the Open Gallery last May, I have faithfully recorded $In and $Out. I've tallied each page and carried the balance forward. At the end of the year (and I hope you notice that was barely a day away), I began tossing all those $Out into appropriate baskets. 

I don't have many. CGS, Office Cost, Postage Out, Freight In, Bank card, Sales Tax. And I'm off $20.68, at the end of the year. I opened the book last night, for another go. But all those $Out items are neatly ticked off now. In the very olden days, when I had to keep a very similar General Ledger, I'd use a dot the second time through. But back then I also had a printing calculator. 

So, I ordered a printing calculator. A small one, and two extra rolls of 2 1/4 inch tape.  It will not arrive until Friday. So I read blogs and went to bed. Today I wove all morning (actually less than two hours), until lunch and blog writing.  Now it's 2:15 in the P. I am off to weave until supper and some more Bill Bryson. I'd mention where I have laughed my way to, except maybe some have not read it, and those of you who have did not spoil it for me.

If I get tired of weaving, I have another apple pie to bake. Or, mac and cheese. Cards on Monday, and Cathy and I are off to see Just Mercy soon. 

So remember, nine seconds on those creme stix. 


43 comments:

  1. I think we call those eclairs if they are the same thing. :)

    If you can manage a spreadsheet it would be easier on you but I know personal preference is important and you may like the saucy calculator and tapes better :)

    XO
    WWW

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    1. I should have done it that way, except my desk is not big enough for fourteen columns. I see now I would only need six, but still my desk is not big enough. I became the controller of a subsidiary of a division of Maytag back on the cusp of computer accounting. I spent about five years posting all my employees work (A/P, A/R, Payroll, etc.) on 14 column paper and then the big General Ledger.

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  2. You were busy. And productive. Which is what I have come to expect of you.
    I am glad that you find/make time to enjoy Bill Bryson.

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  3. I never buy pastries. I don't need them and my husband thinks he's fat.
    Haha.
    But I like to think about them.
    You're amazing, Joanne. You really are.

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  4. I started with manual bookkeeping and although I've now used computerized systems for over twenty years, I still love the look and feel of a hard-bound columnar book :) There's nothing quite like it.

    Chocolate elairs . . . sigh . . . another chocolatey thing I miss . . .

    You are a force to be reckoned with, Joanne. I wish I had half your drive.

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    1. Remember when we balanced to the penny? And probably still do, but the computers do it. Not the same.

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    2. If it's not balanced the computer won't let it post! (unless you give it special permission, which is like the computer throwing up its hands and saying, not my circus - not my monkeys, lol)

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  5. I'm not sure I could eat a whole one myself. If it was really sugary I wouldn't be able to (at least in one setting), but they do look good! You inspire us in all you do!

    betty

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  6. I like your nine second rule but I'm afraid I can't buy things like creme stixs. I gain weight looking at them, in fact I may have put on a pound reading this post!

    My method of bookkeeping is listing all my bills each month on a page in a note book. It works for me...

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  7. I negotiate with myself when it comes to sweets, but who's kidding who, I have zero self control and know darn well that I'll just eat it. I had been really good about not having anything like that in the house, but then Christmas came along...

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  8. You are nothing if not quirky, Joanne! But you recycled the plastic correctly so we all applaud that act of diligence. I would imagine that your business is pretty simple for your accountant to handle - no depreciation, capital acquisitions etc. He/she might be amused at your Dickensian practices!

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    1. I used to run a real weaving business, David, and used QuackBooks, which became the gold standard, so I could download (upload?) a year's transactions to my accountant. I did all the accounting in the beginning, and acquired an accountant when I needed independently audited books in order to obtain a line of credit. The old days.
      I refuse to spend the kind of money required to buy QuackBooks again. Actually I do have capital equipment, inventory and everything. But I will run this little enterprise on a cash basis. So simple.

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  9. Clearly, creme sticks are not safe around you! A woman after my own heart!

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  10. I love sugar and decided we should get a divorce---or at least a separation in 2020--and then I read about your creme sticks.

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  11. Chocolate eclairs. Choux pastry. Full of real cream. Chocolate topping. If you feel guilty about buying too many, just email and I'll jet over there straight away to help you eat them.

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    1. If I dream tonight of being in the bakery and having these warm from the oven, it will be your fault!

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  12. nine seconds, I am not sure that I could do that! You are very disciplined !!

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  13. I don't think we have those here...but...are those thigs as big as they look???

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    1. Oh yes! I'd go measure, but the last one is gone.

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  14. Admirable restraint

    I don't know what 9 second rule is.
    Think for 9? For 9 seconds would cause me enough stress for my subconcious to grab the eclair and have it gone by second 8, maybe 7. I stopped buying them a few years ago.

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    1. Nine seconds in the microwave does not melt the chocolate or the creme, but returns a warm crunch to the sweet bread outside.

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    2. Are they filled with real dairy cream or that artificial "crème"? I only ever get the real cream ones, or sometimes the custard filled ones.

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    3. It's "very good" artificial cream. Not that nasty stuff in HoHo's and Hostess Cupcakes.

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  15. Ah! That's good.
    I think it has been long enough since I bought them. Your 9 seconds is reason enough for me to try it out.☺
    Thank you!

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  16. I would love to see "Just Mercy" and will encourage my Book Club to read the book it's based on. I can have pastries around and resist, but have a weakness for chips of certain types. Salt and vinegar ones in particular!

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  17. When Leo worked on the Stock Exchange the books had to be balanced before anyone went home....when they brought in computers - in his day the sort that lived in glass walled rooms - it all took much longer than doing it by hand...as it still had to be checked!

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    1. Yes, even after we turned it over to computers, we still had to check up on them.

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  18. I do love a chocolate eclair, but think I could only manage one. Okay maybe two!

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  19. When it comes to chocolate eclairs I have NO restraint whatsoever. My solution is to not buy any at all. They come in packs of two, which is not so bad as packs of four, but I still avoid buying them as often as possible.
    I keep track of my $in and $out with a plain old school exercise book. I write the date and how much bank balance I have, then I subtract what I've spent online and write what I spent it on, usually books, dvds, and online utility payments, then if I take cash from an ATM, I write that in as well, the cash is my day-to-day living money for things like eggs, bread, milk etc and the weekend grocery shop.

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  20. I prefer a journal to the computer bookkeeping programs too. I just feel more accurate.

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  21. $In and $Out, indeed! Why complicate things? :D

    I normally only buy a pastry when out (and eat it out). I tend to over-do it, if I bring a passel of them home.

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  22. Just to let you know - my wonderful towels arrived today. I am so pleased with them. Two for me and two for each of my daughters.

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  23. I love eclairs and I know if they were in my house, I would have eaten them both in a day. I can’t resist custard and chocolate so I don’t put temptation in my line of sight. However, now you have me thinking about them.

    My choice of accounting is Quiicken and Quick books.

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  24. I can't wait to see what's in the Fuck No column. :)

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  25. and what is the 9 second rule? oh I see, you answered that above. I too love chocolate eclairs and cream puffs. too bad the baking industry switched to fake cream because they are now ruined. a little bakery/cafe opened here (finally! took forever) and I finally went in. cookies and some pastries and pies. no breads. and I don't think they bake a single thing there. what a disappointment it turned out to be.

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    1. Ann and I went to a neighboring town in WI last summer on rumor of a new bakery. It was the same, trucked in stuff to go with designer coffee.

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  26. Not an eclair person, I'd be happier with just the whipped cream and some plain chocolate. Instant bliss.
    You're sensible to get your book-keeping organised from the beginning, by the sound of it you're going to be a runaway success!

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  27. Your food sounds scrumptious! All comfort morsels!

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  28. Jenny and I are the old-fashioned types who record every transaction in our account book and check it regularly to ensure it tallies with our bank statements. A lot of people seem not only to trust the bank's accuracy but to have no idea how much money they have available at any given time.

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  29. I’m so sorry for that Malware you got. That is truly annoying. I love eclairs but they don’t like me. Sigh....

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  30. I could be trusted not to indulge with those treats.

    Reese peanut butter cups?

    All bets would then be off.

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