If I Had a Business

In the digital age, we all search online to find what we need (I presume that's how you ended up here). Given that I'm still fairly new to downtown Louisville, I'm constantly using Google Maps to "search nearby." It floors me how many addresses aren't necessarily correct. I'm even more surprised by the number of service retailers that don't have websites. I suppose not everyone needs a website, but I find myself shying away from retailers without one.

If I opened a business tomorrow, top items on my list would include simple logistics, such as:

1. Correct address and location on all the map sites
2. Make a website - it can be simple, but must look good. First impressions count.
3. Put myself on the local and national review sites, starting with Yelp.
4. Post hours of operation
5. Post prices to my services, it answers a lot of questions that you or your receptionist doesn't have to

The Bridge

What is it about crossing a bridge that seems to put negative images in my head?

It may be a result of the cold weather as I've been on a HUGE soup kick lately. I made homemade Chicken Noodle Soup two nights ago and had leftovers for two meals yesterday. It was amazing! Right now, I'm craving some sort of seafood soup, though I haven't pinpointed exactly what I want.

I've never made seafood soup and it sounds slightly more complicated than the old fashion chicken noodle. After browsing recipes, I thought I'd glance at local eateries as what better night to go out than Friday. Living right on the edge of the Ohio River, I always have the choice to stay in Louisville or venture to Indiana, which in some respects may be closer at times. More often than not, I find myself avoiding the bridge.

I can't quite figure out why. It could be the preconceived notion that it always takes longer to get over the bridge. This stems from the fact that some of the worst traffic in and around San Francisco is due to the Bay and Golden Gate Bridges. I know the junction coming from Indiana can be backed up at times, but nothing compared to California. Just a random thought during the lunch break as I look out on the Ohio River and its trusty bridge.

One month left in Louisville...

Soapbox

It was a blur. The last two weeks had me in four different cities with two stints in Chicago. Every time I'm in Chicago, I set up the house just a little more. However, not being part of a divorced family, I'm starting to sympathize with those who have had their stuff in two places. I managed to remember I needed a black dress for a bachelorette party in mid-January. Forgetting that with any good black dress and night out in Miami, I should have a pair of cute, likely open-toed, shoes. Ooops. Either I'm going shopping or wearing flats.

It's funny how I return to Louisville and feel less and less like this is home. I'm sick of having a hotel key in my wallet. I returned, thinking I'd have a stack of mail including at least 3 bills. Instead, I had one lonely letter in my mailbox. I panicked as one of my bills was due in 7 days. Thoughts of "what if it never shows up" closed my mind. The next day, I received the rest of my mail, including two packages. USPS holiday backup or Galt House fail? Hmmm.

Two friends visited for New Year's in Chicago. Besides a little rain, NYE was a cloudy 50 degrees. I promised snow, they received warmth in Chicago terms. Maybe they brought it from Houston. My night concluded with me picking up the place and taking this photo:



Incredible view if I do say so myself! This will be the first thing I see every morning, assuming it's not dark outside. I can't wait. It's possible that I'm counting down the days until my move... 34.

Great Moments of 2010

Every year has its ups and downs. I suppose it's just a part of the rollar coaster we call life. While the downs remind us that we're human, it's the ups that make us feel the downs are worth it. The last three years, I've compiled a great moments list. It's incredible to see what I've done and remember that each year has many moments I'd like to remember. Here are my great moments from 2010 (in no particular order):

1. Graduated with my MBA from Darden
2. Received an award for Academic Excellence (Top 10%) on the day of Darden's graduation
3. My amazing day in Stockholm, Sweden including the best blueberries I've ever had and mouth-watering dark hot chocolate
4. Visiting Swedish Lappland
5. Leadership and Theater J Week
6. London
7. Paris
8. Buying my first adult couch (to be delivered Feb 2011)
9. Receiving my Darden 10-K (Yearbook)...very nostalgic
10. Paramore in Cville
11. Duke's MBA Games - specifically the business suit swimming relay race and dizzy bat
12. Bahamas (crashing my friend's honeymoon!)
13. Receiving and accepting a full time job offer
14. Permanent placement = CHICAGO
15. Sushi Mondays!
16. Birthday in Louisville with Mack and Lauren
17. 2nd Annual May Vegas Trip with Schnepp and the man
18. San Francisco Giants win WORLD SERIES!
19. Passing my Life and Health Insurance exam with flying colors
20. Night out in SF with my soccer peeps
21. Weekend of girl time with my mom in Chicago
22. Junior League of Louisville's Second Sunday event (I was in charge of Hula Hooping)
23. Darden dinner and night out in Chicago (Oct 2010)
24. My first Ohio State football game
25. Shooting clays at the Greenbrier (Thanksgiving)
26. Follies - Darden Dancing
27. Becoming an Illinois resident (my first license after California, which I had for 12 years)
28. NYE w/ BVB, Jackie and her man @ The Drake Hotel in Chicago

Plugged In

It's the age of 24/7 connection. These days, my phone can do just about everything that I do on my personal computer. We omit personal phone calls in exchange for text messages. The virtual world now allows hundreds of thousands of people to choose where they want to live without worrying about where they work. Technology is moving faster and everything seems instantaneously obsolete, yet there are moments when I wonder if we're moving forward or backward.

Sometimes I wonder what human interaction will look like when I have kids. My mom used to believe that when she drove my brother and I to school, that was her time to interact and teach us values. We couldn't jump out of the car, so she had a captive audience. These days, mom is on the phone and baby has a TV to keep entertained. What happened?

I found myself contemplating the virtual landscape the other day at work. Technology has helped companies that are spread across the states and world interact. However, has "efficient" technology led to its own inefficiencies? An email exchange that could be solved with a 60 second phone call will go on for days because no one wants to pick up the phone. E-learning activities are the fancy word for go 'learn'. Yet some people learn from reading, writing or a mixture of both. Retention of information is often not easy unless you apply it. Answering 20 questions at the end of an e-learning course does not prove that you learned the material, simply that your short term memory is good enough to recall it.

Webinars, while undoubtedly helpful, will never beat a live meeting. I think I fade faster in the virtual world than I do in a live presentation. It's hard to read your audience in the virtual world and thus it becomes so much more important that people speak up. Further, I think conversations need to be stronger in the virtual world as to not duplicate work. What are your assumptions? What EXACTLY is your end goal or desire? Sometimes, I don't think the asker even knows. In face to face meetings it seems much easier to define. Perhaps that's because for that second, there really is a captitive audience. And in today's plugged in world, everyone always seems to be multi-tasking, which, in my opinion, is an oxymoron. You're simply saying that not one item or person is getting your undivided attention. Just a different way to look at it.

The Waiting Game

In the middle of June, six of my coworkers in the Commercial Sales training program received word of their soon-to-be new homes. My finance counterpart and I sat back as they received relocation checks, locked in housing, packed their things and said goodbye to Louisville! This was their time to make a new home!

RS and I always knew that the waiting game for us would be longer. At first, we were told November, which in June seemed so far away that it wasn't worth worrying. In July, we were told October, but still three months can seem like a lifetime after business school. I lived in Atlanta and Stockholm for three months each. Just enough time to settle in to a routine, yet not long enough for it to feel like home. Since starting our finance assimilation, every time we meet a new person, they ask where we are moving. The answer of TBD is getting old.

This past Monday, the October deadline was reiterated. So now, I sit and wonder. Will I make it to Chicago where my better half resides? Or will this be the start of a series of tough decisions to come in the future?

The waiting game, while exciting at times, has gotten the best of me over the last three years. You wait to hear from business schools, and then you wait to start once you accept. Next, you start interview season, only to wait to hear if you're on the interview list, whether you make it to second round or finally receive an internship offer. At the end of an internship, some people even have to wait to see if they are extended a full-time offer. Even if they are, many still recruit, repeating the interview process. While I wouldn't trade any of these experiences for the world, I'm ready to plan my next move, which is hopefully to a place I can truly make home.

I suppose the good news I've become very patient and with all this moving, I have become the opposite of a pack-rat, constantly purging the items I own.

Putting It Delicately

Three Fridays ago I officially "graduated" from the first part of my rotational program. Six of coworkers had received their location assignments and took off to their new homes. Learning about the commercial sales organization is something most people in the corporate office likely fail to do. They forget that it is the sales organization that continues to keep a steady flow of revenue coming into the business, supporting the need for their jobs.

The next week, I attended the commercial finance conference. My first real interaction with many of the finance leaders at corporate as well as in the market offices. Great people and great information, though not as "fun" as those traditionally gregarious and outgoing sales people. The end of the week was light prior to my paid week off!

When I first heard of the vacation time, I struggled with the decision as to where to go. Free weeks aren't as plenty as business school, so I understand I need to take advantage of them. However, after ruling out a handful of exotic destinations, I decided home is always a good option, as is Chicago to see the boyfriend. While home I hung out with a handful of soccer friends. I'm not sure why it surprises me that I have such great friends in the Bay Area. I've always known that, but I suppose I have almost forgotten with the amount of moving I've done lately. Further, I hosted a handful of Darden 2010 alumni at my parents' house for a BBQ. It was incredibly good to see everyone and almost made me ask myself, why did I leave or specifically, why didn't I go back? Further, I keep finding people I missed as I didn't realize they had moved West. The contingent keeps growing. Chicago was also fun with more Darden reunions including a home-cooked meal by a Darden husband and BBQing on the 10th floor of a friend's downtown building. Very cool! I suppose it makes me realize how much I miss even having one person around with whom I've spent more time than the last three months.

I arrived in Louisville late last night and after fighting with my work computer for over an hour, finally, was able to access my email. This week started off promising, until I got to work. There's a lot of "catch up" time baked into my training schedule and while I appreciate the consideration, Darden never taught me the slow pace I've been going. It's not good or bad, just different, but I'm starting to want more.

A Different Type of Celebration

Classes finished on Thursday and I capped off my Second Year by attending the Leadership and Theater performance of "Morning After." This is the same course I took as a 5-day J-week where by the end, the group writes, casts, directs and performs an original play. It was quite amusing and fun to watch my classmates (and boyfriend ) perform. Unfortunately, instead of going out that night as many of my classmates did with the intention of getting heavily intoxicated and streaking the lawn (which is an old UVa tradition), I headed home and hit the pillow early. I needed to be alert to take my DAO final.

This weekend was also Darden Days, which is Darden's admitted students weekend. The temperature has hovered around 90 degrees and I've been stuck inside. My early start date and choice of galavanting prior to graduation means I'm packing this weekend. I'm not quite ready for reality and I'll admit I'm a bit bummed I've missed out on all the weekend's festivities. I recognize that this is mostly by choice as I have chosen to go spend a week in San Francisco (home) before the Second Year class invades the Outer Banks (in North Carolina) for beach week. But at the same time, I never imagined this is what it would be/ feel like.

Last night was LASA's legendary end of the year party. I was stuck in my closet folding suits, boxing dresses and generally removing all memory of my stint in Huntington Village. I suppose the celebration will have to come at a later time. Maybe once I finish packing and my 2000 word essay on Thomas Jefferson is completed.

Chi-Town and the 2 Week Countdown!

I spent this past weekend in Chicago, which is where my significant other is moving post-MBA. We thought that investigating where he wants to live before moving there would be a great idea. Needless to say, we've narrowed down the neighborhoods to two. We walked practically the entire city from Lincoln Park to South Loop and back again. We had amazing meals at the most random restaurants, browsed through a couple shops without purchasing anything and generally had an absolutely perfect weekend! Before we left for the trip, I felt a little bad that I was missing the second to last weekend of fun in Charlottesville. From two birthday parties to the Japan/Korean party, we missed a lot of festivities. Yet, I can say it was well worth it.

Now that I am back, my head has turned to the homestretch. We have 9 days left of classes! I sold my desk today, which was both an exciting and sad feeling. (Oddly enough, to yet another person who knew my step-cousin when he was in Hawaii with the Navy!) I aimlessly look around my apartment trying to decide what should stay and what should go. In my head, I think I have planned out my timeline of packing, moving and traveling before I start work and somehow I still feel unsure about it all. It's exciting, nerve-wrecking, happy, sad and basically a ball full of crazy - contradicting emotions.

I suppose the largest difference between my classmates and I is that they see the end as the beginning of a vacation, whereas I see the end as having to grow up, for good this time. Most people that have jobs start in July or later. I've heard dates as late as january 2010! I on the other hand, start May 25th - day two after graduation. It is hard to complain as I am fortunate to have a job with a well-established company. At the same time, while many people are planning their summer trips to Africa, Asia and the Middle East, I'm planning my move just short of 500 miles from Charlottesville.

Winding Down

It's shortly after 1a and I'm just returning from a 15 hour group meeting. During those 15 hours, my group changed locations three times. We stopped for lunch, which means everyone simply brought take-out to home base. Between our first and second move, we grabbed snacks (fika). Subsequently, I skipped dinner and have since realized that I have VERY little food left. Two handfuls of Cheerios killed the box. Now I've moved on to carrots and spinach. While I'm sure your interest doesn't lie in my late night dietary habits, I'm a bit spent!

This quarter abroad is truly winding down. My flight to the US is within grasp - 4 more days! I turned in my Psychology of Financial Markets study today. My Leadership (today's group) is complete by my standards. Now I have one more leadership project to prep, which actually isn't due until March 19th, though I'd prefer to leave all SSE schoolwork in Stockholm rather than trying to manage SSE work and Darden work concurrently. Besides that, my final presentation for Psych. is on Monday and by the end of that day, my bags will be packed for greener pastures (literally).

While 15 hours straight and multiple project days is never fun, I've learned a lot about my Swedish/German classmates in the last week. To a certain extent, I could almost say I've had fun. Further, now having completed two theoretical papers/studies, I do have an appreciation for all the theory I claimed to despise (I think that was two days ago!). Don't anticipate this as me saying I like it, but more that I have an understanding of it. Additionally, today's editing task was a test of my ability to write clear, concise sentences. The things we do for word count! I had flashbacks of business school essays and remembering that it's much easier to cut than add.

I think at this point my tea has cooled, my bed is calling and tomorrow will bring more activities to wind down my days in Sweden. Just a couple more days left in this chapter.

Trade Offs

Life is about trade offs. Business school is about trade offs. Every decision or inaction is about trade offs. I chose to spend Q3 in Stockholm instead of Charlottesville. I signed for a job I wanted fully knowing I would be in a different city than my boyfriend after business school and that I would start within days of graduation, instead of August 2010 like most my classmates.

My most recent trade off is attending a close friend's wedding instead of a soccer tournament in Vegas. While I'm sure those don't seem equal to most, the Vegas tournament has been one of the highlights of the last two years. And as silly as this sounds, not being in SF makes it harder to go, so I don't want to fall off the invite list completely. But of course, it's not fun to disappoint friends and thus, I will be there to congratulate one of my close friends for the last 12 years on his wedding day. Did I mention his bride-to-be doesn't like me? Though I'm hoping after 9 years, we can try first impressions once again.

The Grocery Store Challenge

Living in the heart of Stockholm has its perks. One is that everything seems to be within walking distance including grocery stores, which these days, I seem to visit more and more often. My fridge is the size of a fridge in a traditional US college dorm. And now that I think about, it may be even smaller than my fridge at Colorado. Regardless, it's small and I share it with another person, complicating the fact that very little fits in it. Thankfully, some items are smaller here. Milk is purchased in liters instead of gallons. Eggs can be bought in packs of six (I know this is similar to the US). And I seem to live on small Dole packs of spinach and carrots.

Luckily, I live very close to four grocery stores. Lidl is literally next door to my building. Coop Konsum is a block and half away. ICA is 3-4 blocks in the opposite direction and Hemkop is roughly a mile away. Lidl is known to be CHEAP - and what comes with cheap is slightly defunct produce and a need for a high level of patience. Coop Konsum, while much nicer in appearance and products is not as nice in price. I still haven't been to ICA though it seems like the middle ground between the other two. Further, the store supposedly has NONFAT milk (all others carry 0.5% fat). Hemkop is a store that supposedly has anything you would want, though I've been in, I've never purchased anything - likely do its distance from my house.

Given that markets here have a very limited selection of items compared to supermarkets in the US, I find myself more and more wanting to go to TWO grocery stores. Sometimes the reason is price, while other times I simply like different products at different stores. This is such a new phenomenon for me as I typically go to ONE store for a week's worth of food versus multiple stores every 2-3 days because I don't have room for much. RetailRelay, a grocery delivery service in Charlottesville, has one of its value propositions as the fact that they'll go to multiple specialty shops so that you don't have to. I never quite understood that... until now.

One other item I'd like to draw attention to is cereal. I LOVE cereal. Some days, out of choice, I'll have cereal for multiple meals. In the states, I've gotten good at pinpointing cereals with high fiber and relatively low sugar. This is in contrast to Sweden, where I've pretty much decided almost all cereals have lots of sugar. I can't quite figure out if part of that is because the measuring system is different (servings tend to be noted per 100g instead of cups) or they simply like more sugar. Even my relatively "healthy" cheerios are sweeter here. It's a bit odd.

First item of business when I return to the US - COSTCO! Simply because I can. ;)

Left Brain/ Right Brain

Naturally, I'm left handed. Though my boyfriend likes to call me a broken left handed person as I throw and hit right handed. I eat, write and play pool left handed. I've never swung a golf club (to be changed in April 2010), but can only assume I'll be more comfortable doing that right handed. Urban legend says left handed people are more creative, though honestly I'm not sure if that is correct and if it is, what that means for strange people like me.

The real story here isn’t what hand I write with, but is what side of the brain we use most often as MBAs. We had a fascinating talk about creative leadership on Tuesday with anecdotes about creative right brain thinkers versus analytical left brain thinkers. The world we live in is very structured and linear - made for the left brain. Though there's something to be said for being creative and drawing boundaries differently - right brain thinking. Isn't that what innovation is anyhow?

Our professor posed a question to us. Often it is assumed that business school students leave business school left brain heavy, so do we think business schools do enough to make us balanced? I can't say a lot for SSE though I can note that classmates had mixed opinions. What I can say is about Darden. Darden allows each individual to design their own structure during second year. Are there opportunities to do right brain activities? Definitely. Are we forced to take advantage? No. I think about my "design" or you could call it "accidental design" and I couldn't be happier. I've written, directed and acted in play. Essentially, I participated in a 6 week book club, reading a book a week and then meeting classmates to discuss it. Tactical Leadership was one of those classes that forced an individual to be creative during role playing. And System Design and Business Dynamics was about visually modeling systems and then initiating changes to make a new system. My point is that we often laugh about the "fluffy" courses at business schools. But some of these courses are where we learn the most or at least, where we balance ourselves out the most. A classmate of mine recently write this post discussing a lot of what I'm talking about here, though in a different context.

Here's a list of which side controls what:

LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS

uses logic
detail oriented
facts rule
words and language
present and past
math and science
can comprehend
knowing
acknowledges
order/pattern perception
knows object name
reality based
forms strategies
practical
safe

RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS

uses feeling
"big picture" oriented
imagination rules
symbols and images
present and future
philosophy & religion
can "get it" (i.e. meaning)
believes
appreciates
spatial perception
knows object function
fantasy based
presents possibilities
impetuous
risk taking

Don't Get Too Excited!!

I suppose I should start by announcing that I have accepted a full time position!! While this is very exciting news, it also means that I start work May 24th, which is the day after I graduate. I had dreams about attending the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and traveling the world for the two months prior to joining some unknown firm. Unfortunately, none of these trips will be taken, and I'll settle for a week on the west coast, some time moving and then of course, the silver lining to second year, BEACH WEEK! The good news is, I'm excited about the position and the thought of making $$$ again!!

If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a planner. Though I'm a planner only in how it relates to plane flights, hotel rooms and transportation to and from the airport. Most trips, I show up and will figure out what I'm doing doing/ seeing when I get there. So here I am planning again. The official communication about beach week reached our inbox today. I'm already trying to figure out how to get to California, move, attend beach week, then graduation and hopefully arrive in my new home in time for Day 1. Plus, maybe a trip to Vegas for Memorial Day Weekend! When I think about the fact that graduation is almost exactly 4 months from today, it seems silly that I'm trying to be so prepared. It's as if I'm ready to return to the states for Q4 and graduate, stepping forward to the next chapter. I can't help but remind myself to not get too excited. I mean this is it, right? No more school. No more living across the street from these friends. No more instant parties with 50 of your closest business school buddies. No more TNDC, first coffee, HBS cases, HBR articles, insanely smart peers, tormenting first years with new Darden cases, and no more stressing about finals and feeling the joy when they're over. It's crazy to think.

So in the meantime, I try to take a breath and keep my feet on the ground, while I contemplate venturing to Rome next weekend with my classmates who are on exchange. Maybe that will remind me that I have quite a few adventures left in this chapter.

The Next Adventure

Every so often I start posts and never finish them. They typically end up as one or two lines as a draft to only be revisited and never finished. I'm cleaning out my draft box and I found this:

"Right now, I honestly wish the suitcase would just pack itself!! I seem to fill one suitcase, meander around for a while and then I start removing items from the suitcase. I'm still not convinced I'm packing the right items for a quarter in Sweden. I grabbed every thick sweater I own. I think I have 2 t-shirts that can double as bedtime shirts, but beyond that, all sleeves are at least 3/4 length and most have a turtleneck companion. There is a lot of excitement buried behind this angst of packing."

I find it a bit comical as I am six days away from my next packing. While last time it was to come to Sweden, this time, it is to head home. It's bittersweet as I think about loading up my suitcase next Monday. I'm crossing my fingers that I don't need to do laundry before then. A number of my exchange classmates are out of town this weekend and thus I'm not sure what to think about last weekend in Stockholm festivities. In addition, a number of first years and one second year from Darden are in Stockholm this week on a GBE. Ideally, I'd kick off tomorrow night with the Darden dinner followed by a night at Cafe Opera, which is a hot club that I've never actually attended. Since my leadership project group has already chosen that we must meet on Thursday, I'm not sure if clubbing on Wednesday will happen. It seems I have a lot to do and little time these days.

I guess at this point, the next adventure is Q4 at Darden with the working world looming shortly behind. I'm trying to balance my last quarter in Charlottesville with few trips - though with two planned already, I'm not sure I'm doing a good job. A group of Darden students are heading to the Duke MBA games and I'm traveling with my boyfriend to Chicago to look at places to live. It amazes me how fast time flies and I know it will feel even faster when I return to the US.

The Decision

With torn emotions I announce that I have received a job offer. Prestigious firm. Fortune 100 company. Interesting opportunity. Training and development program. Doable start date (likely a tidbit earlier than preferred). Good numbers.

Then there's the but. Likely the only reason I sit here still contemplating yes or no. It's in a different city than my significant other. The city difference has the potential not to be permanent, though that potential is not guaranteed either way.

It's interesting. Many people arrive at business school with significant others, husbands, or wives. Some of these significant others or spouses live in the city in which the student attends business school. Others stay at home, bringing home the bacon while the student furthers their education in a land far away. I've seen it work. I've seen it not work. Relationships in business school blossom and others faint away. Sometimes I think the level of intensity in business school fast forwards relationships that start here. And perhaps, it also fast forwards relationships brought here. There's a lot of stress on both individuals, whether one or both are attending business school. So what does the relationship have to do with the post business school job?

On one hand, I'd love to hold out for a chance to move to Chicago. On the other hand, I believe that after business school each individual needs to take the best opportunity that they can for their career. We didn't pay enormous amounts of cash or acquire substantial debt for an MBA for no reason. So I suppose the end question is, at what point is it appropriate to be a little selfish? And can that selfishness be balanced with not destroying one's personal life? While my significant other is incredibly supportive of me, my opportunities and my future, I can't help but wonder what happens if I take the path to which I'm leaning versus the alternative.

To be continued...

Great Moments of 2009!

Over the last couple of years, I've compiled a best of list. For me, it's fun to look back on these lists and remember what I did and what impacted me.

So here it goes, my great moments for 2009 (no order):

1. Andrea's Wedding in SF
2. Valentine's Day Party with the Girls
3. Darden Outdoors Club's Snowshoe Ski Trip (Girls beat Guys in Flip Cup approx. 7 consecutive times)
4. Spring Break in Spain (Barcelona and Madrid)
5. Darden Follies and Carnival
6. KY Derby and My AWESOME Hat
7. Blogger Dinner at Dean Bruner's House (he barbecued burgers...yummy!)
8. Soccer Tournament in Vegas (and making playoffs!)
9. Landing an Internship at a Fortune 100 Company
10. Memorial Day Weekend in Atlanta, Nat came to visit (my first ATL weekend)
11. Fourth of July at Surfside Beach (South Carolina)
12. Pre-birthday celebration at XS in Vegas
13. Birthday festivities in Washington DC with cousin and classmates (plus a DC United game)
14. Road Trip in California
15. Brandi's Wedding in Vegas
16. Receiving Second Round Interview Invites
17. Darden Oktoberfest
18. Dinner at an alums' and Reaching Out Target Party (ROMBA Conference in Atlanta)
19. Halloween in SF (Surprised a number of friends)
20. Impromptu Ladies Night...leading to Tequila shots
21. Darden Holiday Ball
22. India!!
23. Taj Mahal
24. Interview from India...4p EST, 2:30a India time
25. Riding a Camel in India
26. The births of Jenna, Jackson and Ari
27. Having the same NYE kiss 2 years in a row

/Q2

And that's a wrap! Today was the last day of Q2 class for Second Years. I'm five finals away from having one more semester left at Darden, half of which will be spent somewhere very foreign to me. I sat down with an SSE exchange student today to ask what may seem like silly questions. I wanted to know how students dressed for class. If they use computers as much as we do at Darden (as this determines whether I purchase a new battery). I asked how people dress to go out on the weekends and what time nightlife shuts down. I learned that she has a significant other at home, so I inquired as to if she used Skype or another service to keep in contact. Her advice was to purchase a webcam as it changes the dynamics of just talking to each other (and it's MUCH cheaper in the US). I also wanted to know if she purchased a cell phone while here. Overall, the conversation was informative and has me very excited for the experience to come.

Of course, between that experience and me is a trip to India, New Years in New York, five finals and a trip to Louisville, KY for a second, second round interview. Yesterday, I had a phone interview, that went quite well. By the end, I was being asked my availability to fly out for another round of in person interviews. Unfortunately, my travel schedule does not allow much flexibility, so I fly out on Monday night and return Tuesday afternoon. Though we have finals, I'm thankful and lucky they are all take home. The company was nice enough to show concern, except I told them that I would worry about finals and all they needed to worry about was travel arrangements. I thought that was fair.

"Darden Prom" is this Friday. Though you don't need a date, many people are under the misconception that "Darden Prom" mirrors high school prom. While I'm sure all the girls will spend just as much on dresses and hair, I think Darden prom is one of the best events of the year. It's a time to relax and enjoy some holiday cheer with friends before everyone parts for winter break. Further, the event raises money for BGiA through a live auction. Just like any other charity event, the more they drink, the loser they are with their pocket books.

So much is going on these days, that I should be focused on finals. Instead, I'm writing this blog post and contemplating one of my few TNDC attendances this year.

India Planning

There are a number of us venturing to India this December and for some reason, we can't nail down anything from travel dates within the country to cities. Obviously, there are a number of great places to visit and even imagining that we could fit them all into three weeks is preposterous. Our gracious host, one of the reasons many of us considered India, invited all the travelers to her house tonight for dinner and discussion. Unfortunately, dinner happened, discussion did not. In some ways though, I'm happier because of it.

I sat around with a number of my classmates discussing study abroad programs. One classmate is going to India, two are headed for Mexico and of course, my plan includes Sweden. It was fun to talk about experiences and expectations. As I sat at the dinner table, I admired the diversity. A few of us are US citizens, two are Indian and another, French. I wonder if I will get to interact with a group like this again as I do at Darden. Incredible experiences from all over the world melted into one pot for two years. It's absolutely amazing!! And apparently has led us to require another group meeting regarding our trip to India.

Are we censored?

Who censors the Darden Student Bloggers? Today, in one of the SY classes, it was discussed that Darden marketing censors the Darden Student Bloggers. As I heard this, I thought funny, I never knew that. I would love to ask how many of those people who believe we are censored by someone other than ourselves have actually read our blogs. This blog was about me long before it was ever about Darden. In fact, Darden will likely be a blip by the time this blog retires.

I suppose I bring this up more as an understanding than to refute anyone's preconceived notions. My posts are my own and the university has no weighting on my opinion or the slant at which I write my posts. If they seem overly positive, that's because I'm an overly positive person. If I choose not to write about all my hardships, that's a personal choice. It's weird enough having people mention posts I've written out of context, I share a lot of myself with as much transparency as I can bare.

Another aspect that readers need to understand is that due to the wide reach of the internet, this blog doesn't simply represent the Darden brand. It's more than that, it's my personal brand. How do I want to viewed by the outside? It's become easier to find information on people, just ask Google and this portal is a very easy one to find. I would hate my personal brand to be a detriment of something I wrote tastelessly. Today, I'm a representative of myself, Darden and my undergraduate institution. Tomorrow, I'm also a representative of company.

While life is not always rosey, my glass is often half-full. If that slant does not suit the interest of my classmates, they are entitled to their own opinions. Know that everything I write is with honesty and thought. I'm not here under false pretences and by no means do my views reflect the views, opinions, or positions of the University of Virginia, Darden, or any faculty, staff, or other students. The only censor between this blog and myself is at best, one imposed by me.