BP MS 150

I participated in the BP MS 150 this past weekend, from Houston to Austin.  I will admit, that my reasons for joining the group, were selfish, and not solely for supporting the research of MS, of course it is a much added bonus. I have always wanted to participate in a group race of some sort, and when a friend of mine asked if I wanted to join BP’s group, I was all in. I wanted an excuse to get back in shape after having my second baby, and I thought the fear of an impending two day bike ride would whip me into shape. My husband didn’t initially want me to participate, because he didn’t want me to leave our two girls alone with him for extended bike rides, but his push-back strengthened my resolve even more. Initially the excitement of the looming date, did the trick, however; as time went on, my drive to train waned a little, and I mostly did shorter rides lugging my girls in a trailer. This turned out to be great practice for climbing hills, since as the wind blows, it acts more like a kite than a vehicle.

Training definitely helps you prepare, but what i wasn’t prepared for was the severe leg cramping, and soreness in my hands and feet from holding the handlebars and shoes rubbing against my feet. Surprisingly my muscles were hardly sore or stiff the next day, but it felt more like my body was going to fall apart, as if it had aged 40 years in one night. I chickened out on the second day, because of the rainstorm and subsequent relentless frigid wind trying to blow everyone off course. I did however enjoy a lovely day at Zilker Park in Austin, TX. It was not a great day to ride a bike, however it was a great one for flying a kite. Everyone’s question after the ride is, would you do it again?  The answer? Hell Yes!,  because you cant beat the beautiful Texas hill country from the vantage of a bicycle, and supporting such a worthy cause as the National MS Society, is definitely worth it.

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WILL GO TO MY PC OR LOG ME IN WORK FOR MY NEEDS? CITRIX HOSTING IS YOUR BEST SOLUTION

Because of location flexibility in our market demands, many of us have gotten pretty creative sharing our data. We have seen Dropbox, Go to My PC, Log Me In and files emailed between team members.

The problem with that, is that many times these types of sharing lead to data corruption, data theft, out of date versions of files and a myriad of other issues, along with the hassle that they cause.

But, alas, we have a solution for that. Our virtual desktop is powered by Citrix and allows all team members to share all their data, safely, like they are sitting in the same room, even if they are miles apart.

Call (866)710-4228 or send an email for more information, or to get started.

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APRIL 18 TAX FILING DEADLINE – HOW TO CREATE END OF YEAR REPORTS AND ACCOUNTANTS COPY IN QUICKBOOKS

The tax deadline is fast approaching.  Here are instructions on how to get your small business ready to file your taxes using Intuit QuickBooks.

Prepare End of Year Reports

1. Open QuickBooks App. Click “Reports,” “Profit & Loss Standard” and then “Company & Financials.” Select “Last Fiscal Year” in the “Transaction Date” drop-down list, and then click “Run Report.” After viewing the report, Print, so that you can use it easily while preparing your tax return.

2. Click “Reports” on the toolbar, and then select “Accountant & Taxes.” Choose “Last Tax Year” in the “Transaction Date” drop-down list and click “Run Report.” Print if you need.

3. Click “Reports,” select “Vendors & Payables” and then click “1099 Summary.” Then Print your “1099 Summary.”

Creating an Accountants Copy 

1. Open QuickBooks, and then click “File” on the menu bar. Select “Accounts Copy,” and then click “Save File.”

2. Select the “Accountants Copy” option, and then click “Next.” Select the last day of the tax year in the “Dividing Date” control box and click “Next.”

3. Click the “Save In” drop-down list, and then navigate to the folder where you want to save the accountant copy of the QuickBooks backup. Type a descriptive file name for the QuickBooks file in the “File Name” field. Click the “Save” button to save the accountant’s copy of the file.

4. Copy the accountant’s copy of the your company QuickBooks data file to an external hard drive or flash drive, and then give the device to your accountant or bookkeeper. Or email the accountant’s copy of the file.

QuickBooks Hosting – Access your QuickBooks Anywhere

If you would like for your accountant to access your company files remotely and easily, you may want to look into having your QuickBooks Application hosted so that anyone that needs access can do so easily from any internet connected device.

Call (866)710-4228, or send an email for more information, or to get started.

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DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME FACT AND MYTH – WHY DO WE DO THIS AGAIN?

Our office is re-enacting the annual, “so why do we have daylight saving time again?” story-line.

I jokingly stated that, whoever came up with the idea of DST, obviously didn’t have kids. My boss retorted that it was instated to keep kids from having to take the bus in the dark. Of course I added the common misconception, that it was the farmers that wanted DST so that they could increase their hours of working in the fields, way before buses were even imagined. Apparently I was wrong, and farmers were actually deeply opposed to the time change.

Another fallacy about the origin of DST is that it was brought about by Benjamin Franklin. He was an incredible man and inventor, but also witty, which was his intent when writing his satirical essay about changing sleep schedules so that Parisians could save money by waking at dawn and utilizing sunshine, rather than staying up late burning through candles.

Like much of our ingenuity, DST was actually brought about to conserve electricity because of wartime measures during WWI. We have continued to implement the time change so that children do not have to go to school in the dark, and of course walk uphill both ways.

So it turns out that we all had pieces of the story correct, but not the whole picture. Unfortunately this is ubiquitous for much of history, and society needs to do a much better job of remembering, so that we don’t repeat past mistakes, even if it is just not repeating the same discussion you had before.

My Sources

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HOUSTON LIVESTOCK SHOW AND RODEO – LINKS TO YOUR FAVORITE EVENTS

There is a buzzing and delicious smell in the air, you know what that means for Houston, TX,  The largest Rodeo in the world is here and in full swing!

I am not sure that I can choose between my favorite aspects, the delicious Barbecue which is definitely a front runner, I can just taste the smoked sausage, brisket and delicious grilled corn.

Muttin Bustin’  is probably my favorite Rodeo attraction.  The Livestock Show has pretty much something for everyone,and they have my the best petting zoo. There is a wide variety of animals (not just goats), that are all well taken care of, and not obese from over feeding.

Definitely grab your tickets for your favorite, artist or just the carnival, we welcome all y’all to come visit and enjoy the show!

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