Humans are visual creatures

There is no getting around this – your PowerPoint presentation background matters. One of the most overlooked factors in PowerPoint presentation is slide background design. I mean, the default background color is white. If you want a boring white background, then it would suffice. But, if you want to impress your audience, you must think creatively. Think outside the box, they say. 

6.4 Designing Slides (6.4.3 - Slide design facts) has shown me how to do just that. When designing slides in PowerPoint, background transparency can be a powerful tool to add visual interest and depth to your presentation. But wait, just be aware of the overall tone and purpose of the presentation when choosing a transparent background. Make sure the overall design does not cause poor readability of your content. It is important to keep in mind that a transparent background can make text and other content more difficult to read. To avoid this issue, consider using a solid color or a subtle pattern for the background, and keep text and other content in contrasting colors that are easy to read. 

Think about it-will you pay more attention to an outdated and lousy slideshow or a well-designed one? I bet you would pick the latter. Your eyes just automatically gravitate to the attractive slide show. 

Humans are visual creatures. Our eyes are automatically drawn to beautiful imagery. It lingers on colorful and beautiful scenes on photos, videos, and many other places, including PowerPoint slides.

The Agony and Ecstasy of Income Tax: A Procrastinator's guide to surviving Tax season

Ah, tax season. That time of the year when we're all reminded that the only two things in life that are certain are death and taxes. And if you're like me, you're probably scrambling to get your income tax done before the deadline.

Yes, I know I should have done it earlier, but let's be real here - who actually wants to sit down and sift through piles of receipts and paperwork? Not me, that's for sure. I'd rather be binge-watching all the excel LabSim videos so I could fully prepare for my MOS-200 exam.

But alas, the deadline is looming, and I can't ignore it any longer. So, I do what any procrastinator would do - I start frantically gathering all my documents and praying that I have everything I need.

And of course, nothing is ever easy when it comes to taxes. I mean, who came up with all the complicated rules and regulations anyway? It's like they're purposely trying to make our lives difficult.

As I start filling out the forms, I realize that I have no idea what half of the questions even mean. "Is this a business expense or a personal expense?" Um, can't it be both? "How much did you earn from your freelance (they meant Hustle) work?" Uh, does it matter if I don't actually remember?

As I try to figure it all out, I can feel my stress levels rising by the minute. I start to wonder if it's too late to fake my own death and run away to a tropical island somewhere.

But the, just when I'm about to give up, I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I finish filling out all the forms, double-check everything, and hit submit.

And just like that, it's over. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief and go back to my regularly scheduled programming. Until next year, that is.

So, If you're like me and you've been putting off your income tax, don't worry - you're not alone. Just take a deep breath, grab a cup of coffee (or a glass of wine), and get to work. And who knows, maybe next year we'll both be more organized and get it done before the deadline. Or maybe not. After all, where's the fun in that?