So with all the rain in the northeast this weekend, sadly there was no golfing for me… which means a little more excel and some baking!! That’s right, in addition to some Tips, Tricks and Small Biz lovin’ you’ll def want to try the recipe for bacon chocolate chip cookies that I made this weekend. So worth it!!

Now, check out what I found for all those PCers out there…
So you’ve finally been upgraded to the 2007 version of Excel… and while this little gem has you feeling slightly pimped out (in the cubical sense), it has also left you slightly frustrated and feeleing a bit behind the curve.
Well my friend, let me offer you a few comforting words…

First, you are not alone. The large scale changes from Excel 2003 to 2007 has left many folks feeling like the spreadsheet has been pulled out from under them, wondering, “Where the F is the Edit menu?!?

Second, you have the Excel Rain Man Video Tutorials there for you when a quick fix is needed, OR your boss can always pony up, so the whole office can have a class with the Excel Rain Team.

Finally, if you still find yourself longing for the 2003 version of Excel because you can’t quite figure out where the commands are in 2007, you may want to check out Microsoft’s Interactive: Excel 2003 to Excel 2007 command reference guide. Microsoft developed an interactive reference guide that allows you to rest the mouse pointer over an Excel 2003 menu or button to learn its new location in Excel 2007. To see an animation of the location of the command or button in Excel 2007, just click it. Trust me… it’s pretty sweet.

Do you have some pretty sweet shortcuts or spreadsheet tricks up your sleeve that you want to share? Just respond to this newsletter or post them on our facebook page so we can spreadsheet the knowledge with others!

Small Biz Spotlight
As a post-college renter, I used to feel that there was no reason to fork over the extra dough (or lack thereof) to make my sub-400 sq ft studio feel more like home…. “Eventually I am going to ditch this pad and move to a bigger and better place… so why waste the time and money??”

Fast forward a few years… I am still living in a tiny rental in NYC, which happens to be Excel Rain Man’s headquarters, and our economy/real estate market is making me ponder whether being a homeowner is overrated altogether (thank you Mike Iannacone)… And even though this Diva had successfully grown out of Ramen Noodles and Sothern Comfort, my rental apartment was still in need of a serious makeover.

Fortunately, I happened upon Taylor Spellman (great name) this fall, founder of Agust Black, an interior design firm that was originally created to cater to single Men in NYC whose apartments needed more than a little Rogaine. Spellman and her team began by serving the untapped market of young bachelors with apartments that never made it out of the dorm. Spellman earned her chops by helping rising Wall Street-ers, Hedge Fund-ers and the occasional Lawyer-er with apartment design upgrades.

Spellman’s discerning vision can do wonders with any size apartment, focusing on the balance between masculinity and tranquility while incorporating the gents’ personality and preferences throughout. And August Black’s service doesn’t end with décor… they can also hook it up with handyman duties as well.

Let’s face it men, your “tastefully framed” Godfather III Poster and tapestry wall-hanging should have been forgotten many many moons ago and it just might be time to use that dining room for more than the occasional beer pong pre-game (not that there’s anything wrong with that). It’s time to let August Black bring your home up to speed with the rest of your life.

These days, due to overwhelming demand, August Black has expanded to the DC and LA areas and is now also catering to high powered Divas!

For a consultation call 646-249-6690 or you can email Taylor directly at Taylor@august-black.com.

Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies
This candied bacon chocolate chip cookie recipe is courtesy of the Girl Who Ate Everything. Thanks Christy!

Ingredients
For the candied bacon:
8 slices center cut thick bacon
1/2 cup brown sugar

For the cookies:
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place bacon in a single layer on a foil lined sheet.
3. Sprinkle brown sugar on top of bacon strips. Bake for 18-25 minutes or until crispy, making sure to turn bacon over after 10 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack for cooling. Once bacon has cooled chop it finely.
5. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
6. Sift flour and baking soda.
7. In a medium bowl, cream butter with the white and brown sugar.
8. Add vanilla, egg, and egg yolk to the bowl and beat until light and creamy.
9. Add flour mixture and mix well.
10. Add diced candied bacon and chocolate chips and stir until just combined.
11. Place golf ball (Pro V1 of course) sized balls of dough on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 13-15 minutes or until edges are brown. Remove from oven and let cookies sit on the pan for a couple of minutes before placing on a wire rack.

That’s it for now folks. Enjoy the rest of your week and hopefully there will be some sunshine this weekend!

As always, if you want Excel Rain Man to simply do your work for you… Submit a Request and we will take that drab Excel work off your desk!

Don’t forget to become a fan of Excel Rain Man on facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Until next time,
Jen Portland

The Excel Rain Diva 🙂