BoB Award!

My trainee is diligently reading the How To on billing, so I thought I might sneak back into the blogosphere. WOW, I wasn't exactly expecting such an honor today! It seems I was voted number one for Best of Blogging for MBA applicants this year by Clear Admit, the honorary judges and my fellow bloggers, check out the results post here.

THANK YOU TO ALL!!! I can't explain what a great community this has been to not only lend me a hand when I'm overwhelmed, but also to share our experiences, our lives and a bit of ourselves. I constantly send Hella's List to every applicant I meet. Not because I want them to read my blog, but because all the blogs listed, both aspirants and current students, help give insight about what it is to tackle an MBA from the cradle.

CONGRATS to all those who made the list and even those that didn't - we're all in this together. Thanks to my active and passive readers, though I write more as an outlet, I do appreciate the encouragement and hope that I lend support to others in this community. My my, I'm getting sappy...

Thanks again! I post this with pride:

The Circus, I Now Call Work

Wow... it's been almost a week and I don't think I've read one blogpost. I actually had to type in the full URL of my blog to get to the blogger's list today. I don't think I've actually worked this hard since I started my job a couple months short of 4 years ago. Last week the new employee started, but not before he called in sick 3 days in a row! Yep, you read that right and I almost thought he wasn't going to start at all. I was surprised to see him there on Thursday morning, but also a bit relieved, as I don't need to push my end date out anymore than I already have.

I've never trained anyone before, so it's been quite an adventure. Everything I do builds on something else and it seems every something else stems from another process. How do you explain it all logically without confusing the bejesus out of someone? It seems I'm doing an ok job because he is SLOWLY getting it. What's also strange is that I've stopped messing around on the internet - cold turkey. I'm trying to set a good example and though my bosses don't care, there's a lot to teach this poor fellow. On top of which, he should develop bad habits on his own and not because I taught him.

The other new guy starts tomorrow... the 3 men, 1 woman firm is about to become a frat house of sorts.. when I leave, it's 5 guys! I still think someone messed up on the math. Not that I believe it truly matters, as I tend to be mom tomboy than girlie-girl, but I still believe the female balances the group. Guess we'll see.

I'm a Wee Bit Late

Just wanted to say THANKS to ClearAdmit and the gang for nominating me for Best of Blogging 2008! I had seen the images on some current student posts, but never thought I'd be in for the running! THANKS! :)

Also, if you haven't used ClearAdmit's blog or Wiki, you're missing out as both have incredibly valuable information.

The Numbers Are In

Even before the event on Saturday night, R.O.C.K. had raised $19,998, which is a couple dollars shy of their $20,000 goal. This does not include money from raffle tickets and the silent auction. Additionally on Saturday night, they crowned the "Master of the Funk" - the person who raised the most money in combined ticket sales and donations. Needless to say, with the help of friends and family, I won, bringing in just over $4,500. I wish I could say I enjoyed the crown and cloak more, but after 90 min of play in the sun and my grandmother's birthday dinner, I was beat. I took the goodies graciously and headed home to bed.

SF Darden Happy Hour

Last night we had a SF Darden Happy Hour that was quite successful even though we definitely chose the wrong place for the happy hour given the Giants' game. However, we did find real estate in the back of District where we could all sit and talk, so I suppose it could have been worse on a Thursday. There are a handful of applicants in the Bay Area and we didn't give enough notice to all of them. An original email was sent and when I did the follow up email I checked the DardenPortal for ANYONE who lives in the Bay Area. Needless to say, we missed a couple who would have been interested in joining us. Maybe we'll have to plan another event.

I felt like the lone duck as a Bay Area native. Two people from the UK, two from India and me. Though one of the Indians did grow up in Ohio. It amazes me what sort of diversity there is in business school and specifically, at Darden. As I keep telling people, I'm collecting couches. All and all the future classmates are quite nice. I think SV was a bit scared in the beginning when it was just him and 3 girls. We briefly discussed jobs, but quickly moved on to the little things in life - cats, moving, relationships etc... A great time, but I'm not feeling under the weather. No bueno as this weekend is slammed with stuff to do. And I'm hoping to be crowned Master of the Funk! I find out Saturday night.

The Undercover Reader

It's amazing to me what reach this blogging community has. Just by being a part of Hella's list, a slew of "strangers" have read my blog. A handful of the active bloggers in the community will comment on my posts and give me their own thoughts and inspirations. Then there are the undercover readers. Those people who browse the articles, if you could call them that, leave anonymous comments or don't say anything at all. In this small world, I met one of those people yesterday.

As you know, I don't just write about my journey to an MBA because this blog was never started for that purpose. I often discuss random thoughts, fun activities, soccer, Spinsters and anything else under the sun that I feel the need express. Last night at a potential new member happy hour, I was introduced to a girl who was talking to one of our membership chairs. The membership chair said she's always curious how people find out about Spinsters and this girl noted an MBA blog, though she couldn't remember whose. From there we discussed Hella's list, which is where she found that blog and as I read every post on the list as well, I know I'm the only person who has mentioned and is a part of Spinsters. We concluded it was my blog! WOW! I always say that you never know who you are going to impact one way or another by your decisions and here I am just babbling random thoughts of my life and thus, someone found themselves amongst a group of fantastic women. Even with our words - we make an impact. Feels good.

Wavering Plans

And the details start to get in my way...

Original quit date: April 30th, which is an entire 27 days away. It seems that is now pushed to May 9th, with a possibility of May 16th. Though I'm told I'll get paid through the latter week either way, so I suppose it's another paycheck.

Original Europe vacation trip length: 6 weeks. As the dollar fluctuates and people return from Europe, the only thing I hear is, WOW, it's expensive! Granted I know THIS time will never come again, but due to various factors, I'm debating cutting my trip short - maybe 3 weeks of which 2 weeks will be a cruise to Italy, Turkey and Greece. Now do I travel before the cruise or stay the week after and more importantly, WHERE do I want to go. I was set on Croatia, but getting there isn't simple, so I've thought about London/Dublin or Paris or Amsterdam (all places where I know people). Decisions.

Original move-in date: July 27th, but my roomie wants to move to C'ville in July, so our new move-in date is June 21st. I planned on moving after my bachlorette party in Vegas at the end of July, but now I'm contemplating driving across the country at the beginning on July, making a trip out of it and then flying back home to "visit" for a few weeks. I have access to an extra car, which is nice, so the logistics are simply, when do I want to move??

Indeed, many of these decisions don't need to be made today, but plane tickets need to be purchased and trips need to be planned. The longer I wait, the more expensive it becomes.