Interrogation Room - alexa

[G-Man]

Aw come on, Hawthorne is great!

It was 11th grade and my English teacher was also my German teacher. Even her English class students called her Frau. Her personality may have contributed to my dislike for much of what we covered that year. I'll give Hawthorne another chance sometime, I'm sure.

[Epignosis]

G-Man!

As a fellow accountant, do you mind detailing where your professional career has taken you thus far? Accounting is actually my second attempt at a career, so I haven't made it very far just yet. I graduated with a degree in Digital Communications in 2006 and used my minor in English Comm to land a PR/corporate communications job. In early 2009, I became a victim of the Great Recession. I was laid off because the company I worked for had to make cuts. They actually tried to find a few positions for me so I wouldn't have to get laid off but nothing worked. So, with 2 and 1/2 years of experience, I had too much experience for entry-level jobs and not enough experience for everything else. I worked a few not-for-me jobs before deciding I wasn't going to find another job in my field. (please, somebody ask me what those not-for-me jobs were- please!)

In January of 2011, I went back to my alma mater on a part-time basis (alumni discount + part-time discount = 1/5 the regular tuition ) while working part-time. At that point I was approaching the age of 27, I was married, and my wife and I were about to discover that we were going to have a baby. I did a 2012 tax season internship with a mid-state CPA firm and really enjoyed it but they did not keep me on after the internship ended. I still had another year of school to go, so I figured I would keep in touch with them and intern again the following tax season.

While looking for part-time work to keep the home finances in order, my uncle found out that the small business he used to be co-owner of was in need of a fill-in receptionist while the current one was out on short-term disability. The business was five minutes from my house and it was easy work. I wasn't crazy about answering phones again (please, please ask about why I didn't want to answer phones!) but I sucked up my pride and took the work. Less than a week into the job, the owners called me in for a meeting and said, "You're going to school for an accounting degree, right?"

They're a small, small business- we're talking less than 20 employees- but the woman who was doing their accounting was also doing everything else internal (payroll, HR, billing, bidding, job quotes, etc.). She developed a knack for the bidding a spec work and was well beyond her capacity as an accountant (only an Associate's degree- not bashing, just saying she was past her skills). They were looking to hire someone to take over the accounting so she could expand her bidding work to bring in more and larger projects. I asked for some time and they kept me on to do half of the accounting work after the original receptionist came back.

Come Fall, my college has an Accounting Night where CPA firms, state agencies, and the Hershey Company come to look for accounting recruits. I asked my employers to give me until then to make my decision. I was torn between the CPA world, which I was well-suited for, or the small business world, where I would be the entire accounting department with a lot of freedom and control but also a lot of responsibility. When Accounting Night came, the CPA firm I did the internship with said they were only looking for an intern and they were not planning on hiring anyone after the upcoming tax season. That made my decision easy. Several of my professors tried to talk me out of taking the small business gig. One even told me that, because I was his best student at both my college and his other adjunct teaching gig at Villanova, he could make a call to his old friend at PWC and secure me their summer internship at the regional office if I so desired. I declined.

So now I'm coming up on two years into my role at the small business. For me, it has been great. I was burnt out after going back to school and, while I loved the tax and audit work I did for the internship, part of my decision was also for my family. I missed a fair amount of my daughter's first year and a half of life because I was taking classes, working odd hours, and ignoring the rest of the world to do homework and projects. I didn't want to become Ghost Dad come tax season and I didn't feel I had the energy to take prep courses for the CPA exam.

At work, my title is Controller but I am the entire accounting department. The company had done zero financial analysis for about five years and their books, while free from any fraud-like ickiness, were in rough shape. Expenses to the wrong expense accounts, liabilities being credited into expense accounts, and few if any adjusting journal entries to properly reallocate revenue between the appropriate revenue accounts. It took about a year to set that straight. I also helped them solve some cash flow issues and developed a cash flow report that projects our cash needs a month into the future based on A/P invoices on the books, order we've received, and orders with shipping dates yet to come in. The owners also have two other ventures that I run the books for. One of those two could potentially take off if they can finalize a few final sticking points and ink a three-way contract with a major telecom company and an electronic part manufacturer.

Since I'm the highest ranking accounting person at the company, I'll never be able to get my CPA license if I stay with them. But overall, it's a good use of my skills because I get to work on a lot of different little projects while also doing some monotonous data entry. As soon as we get a little bigger though, we'll need another office minion and I'll have more time to spend in my geeky spreadsheets doing financial analysis. I've mastered the art of cash flow analysis and this year my goal is to tackle the profitability of the different 'divisions' of the work that we do (calibration, trouble call service, quoted work).

Maybe once I have five years experience I'll take a look at what else might be out there. My work is broad enough that I have seen every accounting function a small company could have, so I should be able to move up into any number of departments elsewhere. There's an outside chance that I could become co-owner of the company at some point, which could convince me to stay. Otherwise, I know that (as someone who is completely overhead for the company) I have a firm ceiling on what I'll be able to earn if I try to stick around forever. I want to provide for my family, so if that ever becomes an issue, I wouldn't hesitate to play the field.



In terms of the accountant career selection dilemma, what's your opinion: public, industry, or academia? Why? For me, industry was the way to go but my situation was different. If you're young and fresh out of college (for the first time) and you were a B+ or better student in your accounting classes, I see no reason not to go or the CPA. Once you get it, you can rise in the ranks at a CPA firm or take any number of positions at companies larger than mine. Either way, it's worth it to burn yourself out a little pursuing the CPA. Once you have it, you can quit the public accounting world whenever you stop liking it.

I was a little turned off by some of my accounting professors' opinions. I constantly heard "we're training you to become CPA's, not bookkeepers" and one even tried to make me feel guilty about not pursuing the CPA. Maybe I'd consider becoming an adjunct later in life but I don't see any point in entering academia for accounting if you don't have any real experience. Auditing courses were especially frustrating because it was all about theory and why we look for certain things and why we run certain tests but we never actually learned how to audit. All of my professors had at least 15 years in various accounting professions before entering academia.

Students who are not at least averaging a B+ in the accounting courses probably aren't cut out for the CPA world. That's just the surly opinion of a crusty old fart who was appalled by the lack of a work ethic some accounting students possessed when I was in class with them. Who wants a C-level accountant doing their taxes?



Most ridiculous and/or frustrating moment with a client or co-worker? Most rewarding? I get frustrated every time I have to explain nitty-gritty accounting things one of my bosses who thinks there's no difference between being a business owner and a businessman. For instance, he spent two weeks convinced that net income should equal cash and would not let up on me until I agreed with him (I never did). Concepts like deferred revenue and other technical terms that you and I would understand in a heartbeat trip him up. It presents a unique communications barrier for me to overcome. Good thing I was in communications before! We make it work though.

Most rewarding happens every time I finish a project that makes a difference. Our weekly report has really helped the owners understand the business side of the company a lot more. I've also revolutionized how we do pricing for calibration customers, how we track employee productivity (soon going to take that into account when handing out bonuses), and we're doing some simple financial analysis (I called our monthly revenue reports Time Period Summary Reports, or TPS reports for short ).

I know, my questions are lame. :P
Not lame at all. Keep them coming!

Your responses so far have been standard and poor.

[thellama73]

Your responses so far have been standard and poor.

Personally, I've found them a little moody.

[G-Man]

Your responses so far have been standard and poor.

Personally, I've found them a little moody.

My apologies to both of you.

[thellama73]

Your responses so far have been standard and poor.

Personally, I've found them a little moody.

My apologies to both of you.

Never apologize.

[fingersplints]

Least favorite planet in the solar system and why? Uranus doesn't stand out much amongst the gas giants (Jupiter has the Great Red Spot, Saturn has rings, Neptune has the Great Dark Spot) but at least its rotation is retrograde. I'll go with Mercury. Virtually no atmosphere and no unique features. Plus its usually very difficult to spot with the naked eye.

When I was young I used to have this nightmare that I lived on Jupiter, and we had to constantly move around our colony to avoid being killed by the Red Spot hurricane. It was very scary and that spot still freaks me out.

Speaking of, what are you most afraid of?

[fingersplints]

And also what is the weirdest dream you remember having?

[G-Man]

Your responses so far have been standard and poor.

Personally, I've found them a little moody.

My apologies to both of you.

Never apologize.

Maybe I should have written my apology in sarcastic orange? I got your reference, Epi. It was too late at night for me to get Llama's though.

Speaking of, what are you most afraid of?

Ever since I became a father, I've had this nagging fear of death. Nothing like have children to provide for to make you ever-aware of your own mortality. Losing my wife or daughter would be pretty devastating.

And also what is the weirdest dream you remember having?

My weirdest dreams probably aren't even appropriate for this forum. I have experienced a number of dreams that some might classify as precognitive. I didn't dream about a significant event happening or anything but I have had at least a dozen or so dreams where I am in a certain place, with certain people and objects, and certain things are said. I don't recall those dreams until I am in those places, with those people and objects, and after certain things are said. It's weird and probably nothing more than coincidence or perceived precognition based on selection bias of a few choice elements of the dream. It sure feels spot on though when it happens.

Two of the worst dreams I've ever had are as follows: 1) I'm either in a major car accident and hold my daughter, trying to assure her everything is going to be okay as she dies in my arms, or my car goes into water and I have to choose between saving my wife or daughter. 2) I dream that I die and experience a horrifying sense of darkness, emptiness, and nothingness. As a religious person, that second dream terrifies me to the core.

[Elohcin]

HI G-Man! It's good to have you here on the site.

1.How old is your daughter? Are you hoping for a boy next? (I don't know about you, but one girl is enough for me We have a sassy little thing named Abigail.)
2.Has your wife ever tried playing Mafia?
3.What is your location?
4.Do you prefer vacationing at the beach or in the mountains?
5.Do you like adventurous activities?
6.What are your favorite tv shows?
7.What other things do you like to do in your free time besides Mafia?
8.Do you have a picture of yourself and your family that you would like to share?

[thellama73]

1.How old is your daughter?

Why, do you want to ask her out? Creepy.

[Epignosis]

1.How old is your daughter?

Why, do you want to ask her out? Creepy.

She was asking for me.

[Elohcin]

y'all are both sick.

[G-Man]

HI G-Man! It's good to have you here on the site.

1.How old is your daughter? Are you hoping for a boy next? (I don't know about you, but one girl is enough for me We have a sassy little thing named Abigail.)
Chloe is now three and a half years old. She's a very spirited child, we'll say. Very loving, very imaginative, but boy can she duke it out when she wants her way! I really have no preference either way if we have a second child. It might be nice having one of each but I would probably put a lot of pressure on myself in raising a son. If a child turns out poorly, it reflects poorly on the parents to a point. For some reason I feel that applies doubly so for father to son.

2.Has your wife ever tried playing Mafia?
No. I have a hard time seeing her giving it a try too. She's just not wired that way.

3.What is your location?
Dillsburg, Pennsylvania- but we don't live in the borough

4.Do you prefer vacationing at the beach or in the mountains?
I prefer the mountains. The beach is nice (and I love playing boardwalk games) but I feel more awestruck by the mountains. My grandparents took me camping a lot during the summer when I was a kid. lots of good memories and I find peace in the calm of nature.

5.Do you like adventurous activities?
I like them, yes. I just haven't gotten around to doing many of them. I went white water rafting on the Lehigh River once but it was a pretty tame, beginner-safe stretch.

6.What are your favorite tv shows?
I actually don't watch much TV at all these days. I was obsessed with Lost when it was on. My wife and I were also big fans of The Office and Friday Night Lights. Lately we've gotten into watching 24- our local library systems have all the seasons on DVD. Every now and again I'll pop in an episode of MacGyver too. My focus lately really has been reading.

7.What other things do you like to do in your free time besides Mafia?
I have two ongoing projects. First, ever since my freshman year of college, I have been watching and rating movies. I took a special comp & speech course where all we did was watch movies and write papers about them. Our class developed its own rating scale and I've kept it going since. I'm in the process of updating my blog/site and I'm playing catchup. I'm almost done posting reviews for the movies I watched in 2013.

Second, I'm also in the process of reading all the books my wife and I have in our house. I started last year and I'm still stuck on my first book. By the time I'm 40, I want to start the process of writing and trying to get published. Reading seems like a natural place to start. Once I've observed enough good writing, I will cut loose my skills again. Until then, writing reviews and hosting mafia should keep my skills somewhat sharp.

I used to play soccer and volleyball but now I just run around the back yard with my daughter.

8.Do you have a picture of yourself and your family that you would like to share?
I'll post a few over the weekend. I actually have to download a couple months worth of pictures off my camera card. Stay tuned!

[G-Man]

Oh! Another free time activity of mine is watching NHL hockey. I'm a Montreal Canadiens fan and, as the current regular season winds down, I've been on pins and needles waiting to see how the playoff matches are stacking up.

[fingersplints]

I meant to ask if you are still doing your movie reviews

Yay playoffs soon

[Roxy]

Hi Gman

What is your favorite "G" word?
When you eat frosted flakes do you find yourself thinking "They're great!"?
What is your favorite song that has the word "Man" in the title?
It's Friday, what are your weekend plans?

[G-Man]

Hi Gman

What is your favorite "G" word?
Hmm, I've never really thought of that before. My first name is pretty unique but would it be selfish/narcissistic to pick my own name? I don't really have a favorite G-word. A few interesting or important ones would be: Grace, gallimimus, genealogy, and genetics.

When you eat frosted flakes do you find yourself thinking "They're great!"?
Nope. I usually find myself wishing I had some strawberries or raspberries to put in them.

What is your favorite song that has the word "Man" in the title?
Wow, good one. I probably know dozens of songs with "Man" in the title but my mind is drawing a blank. We'll go with two:
"When the Man Comes Around" by Johnny Cash
"Man of the Hour" by Pearl Jam

It's Friday, what are your weekend plans?
Tomorrow we're going to Cornwall for my wife's grandmother's birthday. We're also using this big family get-together to make a big announcement of our own. Sunday we have no plans, so I will probably do some reading, some yard work (time to mow the lawn again!), and go for a walk/play with Chloe.

[Elohcin]

So you are going to keep us in suspense? What is your big announcement?

[fingersplints]

I second Elo's questions! We need to know!

[S~V~S]

Face it, you have no secrets. We're voracious.

[G-Man]

As promised, here are some pics:

Proposing to my wife on the Hershey's Chocolate World ride (she wanted a story- I gave her a picture!)


My wife & I pre-Chloe, when I was winning speech contests in Toastmasters


Walking in the woods with Chloe last Fall


Family Portrait :P


6' Snowman from january


Chloe's hair always goes crazy on our couch


Chloe at Chocolate World in March

[S~V~S]

You photograph so consistently! So many people don't.

She is adorable <3 (well, both of them are adorable, but I meant Chloe).

[fingersplints]

Awesome pics G-man. That's a fun looking trophy to have. and yes Chloe is so cute!

[Elohcin]

Love the pictures It is always nice to put a face with a name.

Awesome snowman. Are those pipe cleaners for eyes?

[Elohcin]

Oh, and all this talk about your first name starting with a G. You look like a George. Is your name George?

[Epignosis]

Oh, and all this talk about your first name starting with a G. You look like a George. Is your name George?

His name is Gomez.

[G-Man]

Awesome snowman. Are those pipe cleaners for eyes?

Nope. They're tablecloth holders.

Oh, and all this talk about your first name starting with a G. You look like a George. Is your name George?

Nope.

[Elohcin]

Epi - Funny, he reminds me of Fred Anthony a bit and I think that is why I was thinking George. It wasn't til just now as I was about to type this that I remembered it was Anthony's LAST name that was George. Haha. Ah well. Its late and I need sleep. I'm a little out of it.

[Epignosis]

Epi - Funny, he reminds me of Fred Anthony a bit and I think that is why I was thinking George. It wasn't til just now as I was about to type this that I remembered it was Anthony's LAST name that was George. Haha. Ah well. Its late and I need sleep. I'm a little out of it.

Nope. It's Gomez.

[G-Man]

No, my name is not Gomez. :P

[Elohcin]

I thought he was messin' with me.

[Epignosis]

No, my name is not Gomez. :P

That's too bad.

[G-Man]

Would you like to know what it is?

[Elohcin]

How about Gilbert? Gabe? Garrett? Gerald? Grant?

And...will you ever tell us your big news?

Am I being too nosey? If so you can tell me to hush

linki...YES

[Epignosis]

Would you like to know what it is?

It's Gomes. Sorry I misspelled your named.

[G-Man]

How about Gilbert? Gabe? Garrett? Gerald? Grant?
No. No. No. No. No.

And...will you ever tell us your big news?
I'm sworn to secrecy yet but I might break since I'm not friends with anyone here on Facebook.

Am I being too nosey? If so you can tell me to hush
No, you're not being nosey.

linki...YES

Ah ah ah... You didn't say the magic word!


Or, rather, you haven't asked me yet. Rules are rules.

[G-Man]

Would you like to know what it is?

It's Gomes. Sorry I misspelled your named.

It's not Gomes either.

[Epignosis]

IT'S THAT GUY FROM THE THING WITH THE DINOSAURS MY NEPHEW WAS SCREAMING ABOUT TO ME TONIGHT!

[Elohcin]

Oh my

You know...all my kids are asleep (age 7, 5, and less than a month away from 3) and I am sitting up in my bed waiting to hear what your name is. I must be insane.

Oh mighty G-man, what is your first name, please?

[G-Man]

Oh my

You know...all my kids are asleep (age 7, 5, and less than a month away from 3) and I am sitting up in my bed waiting to hear what your name is. I must be insane.

Oh mighty G-man, what is your first name, please?

Sorry to be such a tease. My first name is Galen.

[Epignosis]

Oh my

You know...all my kids are asleep (age 7, 5, and less than a month away from 3) and I am sitting up in my bed waiting to hear what your name is. I must be insane.

Oh mighty G-man, what is your first name, please?

Sorry to be such a tease. My first name is Galen.

Now I'm going to look up all the naughty things you've said on the Internet.

[Elohcin]

I like it. Nice to meet you Galen, I am Tasha.

Now I can sleep.

linki: Epi, how about you come to bed instead.

[G-Man]

I like it. Nice to meet you Galen, I am Tasha.

Now I can sleep.

linki: Epi, how about you come to bed instead.

Hope it was worth the wait! The story behind my name probably isn't worth staying up for though. Nice to meet you too.

[Epignosis]

I like it. Nice to meet you Galen, I am Tasha.

What? You are Morticia. Silly woman. Trying to trick me into coming into bed with someone who is not Morticia.

[G-Man]

Since my time is just about up in the Interrogation Room, I will come clean with the big announcement. We spent most of last weekend and this weekend running around to tell family members that...

My wife and I are having another baby!

[Epignosis]

Since my time is just about up in the Interrogation Room, I will come clean with the big announcement. We spent most of last weekend and this weekend running around to tell family members that...

My wife and I are having another baby!

Name him Gomez.

[fingersplints]

I had a feeling that was going to be the news Congratulations!

[G-Man]

I had a feeling that was going to be the news Congratulations!

Thanks. We're happy. I actually gave my wife a deadline for conceiving by my birthday. As that deadline approached, I was going to tell my wife that I would give us to the end of the year. Turns out, the original deadline was all we needed.

Since my time is just about up in the Interrogation Room, I will come clean with the big announcement. We spent most of last weekend and this weekend running around to tell family members that...

My wife and I are having another baby!

Name him Gomez.

And if it is a girl?

[Epignosis]

I had a feeling that was going to be the news Congratulations!

Thanks. We're happy. I actually gave my wife a deadline for conceiving by my birthday. As that deadline approached, I was going to tell my wife that I would give us to the end of the year. Turns out, the original deadline was all we needed.

Since my time is just about up in the Interrogation Room, I will come clean with the big announcement. We spent most of last weekend and this weekend running around to tell family members that...

My wife and I are having another baby!

Name him Gomez.

And if it is a girl?

There's a very famous girl named Gomez.

[G-Man]

I had a feeling that was going to be the news Congratulations!

Thanks. We're happy. I actually gave my wife a deadline for conceiving by my birthday. As that deadline approached, I was going to tell my wife that I would give us to the end of the year. Turns out, the original deadline was all we needed.

Since my time is just about up in the Interrogation Room, I will come clean with the big announcement. We spent most of last weekend and this weekend running around to tell family members that...

My wife and I are having another baby!

Name him Gomez.

And if it is a girl?

There's a very famous girl named Gomez.

And she's a ho-bag who dated Biebs. Yeah, I'm really going to name a kid after that!