3-21-11

I am writing this while sitting at the regional AICPA meeting in Atlanta. This has been my first chance to write in a month or so. And yes, by the way, I am listening to the presentation while I write. Since I last wrote, I have made two chapter visits. First, I spoke at the Central Texas Chapter meeting on the Baylor campus in which they invite accounting students from the four colleges in their area. It was well attended by students – yes, they got a free meal – and by professors, including Bill Thomas of Baylor who is the technical editor and a columnist for Today’s CPA magazine.  Meetings with students are important because they are the future of our profession.

The next week, I visited El Paso. After my airline experience noted in my last blog post, I decided to drive. It was a long drive but good roads, which gave me a chance to do a couple of things. On the way, I stopped for lunch at Van Horn. I had heard about a Mexican food place, Chuy's, where John Madden stops when passing through on I10 and where he has his own chair with his name on it. It was book worthy; food was good and was quite the shrine to John Madden with pictures, etc. Then it was on to El Paso where I had quite a treat waiting. Chapter executive director Jennifer Hennessey took me boot shopping and I got a new pair of brown handmade boots. Thanks El Paso Chapter! I spoke the next day at lunch then headed home. After successfully clearing the border patrol checkpoint east of town, I made it to Midland and spent the night with my good friends and TSCPA members Larry and Julie Edgerton. I had a fantastic tenderloin dinner at their house. Then it was back to work the next day and every day since as I'm sure many of you reading this have.