Updating the Address Book

It was so easy to keep track of classmates while in business school. We all had Darden email addresses that followed the same naming convention. Not to mention, many of us lived a stones throw from Darden grounds. Today, it never ceases to amaze me where people ended up.

I sat down after business school and tried to compile people's information on Facebook and LinkedIn into my gmail address book. Trying to formulate one source of the truth - post Darden email, phone, birthday, and location. What I've often found is not everyone updates these sources as religiously as I do. Even in business school, my classmates' locations would often differ from Charlottesville.

About two weeks ago, it was finally time to update my address to the world! Chicago - my new home! (At least until the next promotion or something like that.) I spammed my entire address book. Surprisingly, this was brilliant as I immediately knew which emails simply no longer work. (Also, if you decide to do this, BCC is your very best friend!). It's amazing the number of responses I received. However, it's also annoying given that many included little notes to which I feel the need to respond. Plus, I've also realized that once I receive a response, I then have to update the address book. That takes time! I think I have just shy of 100 left to update! Welcome to my Friday. :)

Next up, I'm hoping to use some of these newly found addresses to drop handwritten notes. We'll see how that goes.

Somber Goodbye

I was so excited to leave that I never thought I'd be sad to say goodbye. One thing many people don't know is that I have family in Louisville. We often have family dinners with Monday night sushi being my favorite. When everyone's there, it's chaos. Three kids just under 10, as well as another two sisters, one 12 and one 16. A total of five kids, each in their own world, fighting for attention. Although technically adults, my two cousins can still bicker with the best of them. It's family.

Plus, you can't forget the wonderful owners of my little sushi place. Jessica knows part of my order without me ever having to ask. Roy makes the best sushi in town. And as my uncle says, it's hard to jump around to different sushi restaurants. You get comfortable and used to one, it becomes your favorite. I'd very much agree as these days I  feel like a regular, barely looking at the menu when I order.

I'm two days out from my big move  north and it just hit me how much I'm going to miss this place. The next adventure is on the horizon and I thank my family for making the current one so much fun. Jessica gave me a mug for the days when I miss Tokyo. My uncle and aunt passed along a housewarming gift. By Wednesday night, I'll be in Chicago and on Thursday, I'm headed to Vegas to see my immediate family. Time flies.

Well Being, Not Immortal

I ventured to the gym last week, thinking it was time to "get in shape" before my next season of indoor soccer. The next morning, I woke with a tickle in my throat and quickly halted my workout routine. Some people say you can sweat out the sickness, but I don't buy it.

Today, a dear friend of mine sent me this article. It discusses that while exercise won't make you immortal, it does improve life. One of the people mentioned in this article is my friend's father. He was a miraculous man, always full of energy. Yet with all his good habits, cancer was his fatal end.

The article makes an interesting point about exercise not making you immortal, but helping your overall well being. While I hate 5:30a workouts, I feel amazing after them. The time I spend in the gym over the course of the week vastly improves my performance on the soccer field. When I'm in shape, I simply feel better all around. So why is it a couple weeks on the couch can make me forget how much I love the feeling of being active? We, including myself, all make excuses as to why that 30 minutes can't be spent at the gym. Today, I'm going to try not to make the excuse.