The view from here

3 weeks to go til the end of term 2! We've just finished the most hellacious week (everytime you think it can't possibly get worse, it does). Thankfully, only two days of class next week, and three glorious days off (during which I will be...doing work. But not anywhere in the vicinity of Fuqua, which is enough of a change for me).

To give you a sense: I was in Philly for a few days last week/end for the totally useless Net Impact conference (conference for MBA Do-Gooders). It was a total letdown, and did not live up to my expectations in any way whatsoever. The only positive was hanging out with my friend O from college for a few days. It cost a shitload of money, so I am still annoyed. So when I got home Sunday at noon, I was already 3 1/2 days behind.

Writing this out will never do the rest of the week justice, but for my own sake I'll try. Monday, Marketing Midterm. Tuesday, we had an industry analysis paper (team project) due for Strategy. This might not be so bad except my team picked INVESTMENT BANKING as our industry (note to self: when faced with a project choice, never, ever, ever say "I don't care, just pick something"). It was also intricately connected to our Management Comm class, where we had to give a 45 minute presentation on said industry today. Add in the bloodbath of a Finance midterm ("here's some sample past finals to make you feel confident. Don't worry, the exam will look NOTHING WHATSOEVER like the samples." Prof didn't actually say that. But it would have upped the credibility quotient quite a bit if he had), plus a few recruiting events, my first Global Consulting Project class, and a total shitshow for the Career Reps (of which I am one) organizing Mock Interview Week with 20 companies for two weeks from now and having every line of communication break down....plus all the REGULAR work for the other classes....and, well, you know. This explains why my apt looks like a hurricane hit, I haven't done dishes in a week, and I wore the same pair of jeans three days in a row. Somebody get me a maid!

I have been sick with bronchitis (3rd time this year, Feb, June and Nov!) since Election Day, and am getting pretty tired of hacking up a lung whenever I try to breathe. I've made it to the gym three times in two and a half weeks (25 min max each time), which means I will probably be wearing sweatpants for all of the job interviews in January that I have yet to secure.

But it snowed! Twice! It didn't stick, but it was cool to watch. It was cooler to watch the classmates from India who had never seen snow before. Now it is just freaking cold.

For Thanksgiving I am heading to Cape Hatteras, for the first time in 10 years. I can't wait. It only takes four hours to drive to my parents' in VA but 5 hours to drive to the OBX in the same state...go figure. I have a ton of job cover letters due on Dec 1, so that's what I'll be doing over "break." But classes end Dec 12 and finals are DONE Dec 17 so the end is in sight!!!!!!!!!

And congratulations to RyRy on Baby Girl Looney! If you are reading this already you are even crazier than I thought! And I think giving birth means you probably had a harder week than I did.

Maybe Durham isn't so unlike SF after all

This is what I saw when I drove to school yesterday morning:

It was pouring rain. He stood there for six hours. And please note: THE DONKEY IS REAL.

Proud to be one of the 13,746 North Carolinians who helped put Obama 0.4% over the top!

1/8 done!

I finished my last final for term 1 today (Statistics. It was sort of a bloodbath, which none of us were expecting. Ironically, I feel the best about Accounting, which was yesterday. But as long as I pass, that's all I care about. P = MBA!).

Now we have a week "break" and next Thursday classes begin again. Finance, Strategy, Marketing and Management Comm. (oh, how I love thee, Management Comm...one class where I can feel good about myself!).

But really, this post is to say: The Durham Post Office sucks, and my branch is no longer open til 7 pm. Thus, one off the list of things I love about living in Cackalacky.

And also, my local public library is closing its branch on November 1 until June 2010 ("for renovations")! This does not help me whatsoever! However, they promise a Bookmobile, which I could be sort of into.

The best thing about "break" -- I ran for 45 entire minutes! I unpacked some boxes! I realized my refrigerator contains only Diet Coke and eggs! Tomorrow at the crack ass o' dawn, I'm flying to NY to schmooze with some companies. Fortunately, I found one suit that still fits.

Irony

Yesterday morning Cynthia called me, and told me that her dear old doggie Aslan died on Friday. He was 10 1/2. I met him on the first day she brought him home in 1998, and lived with him for three 1/2 years when C and I were roommates in Colorado. He was much, much more than a doggie and got us both through some of the darkest days of our lives.

The irony? Aslan had leukemia. No cure for humans, and certainly no cure for doggies.

Gonna miss you, big buddy.

Concerned Blogger Friends (all 4 of you)

I am still here. But, how to explain the past six weeks, which made up Term 1? (or really, the past three weeks, since my failed Econ midterm? And lest you think I am exaggerating, let me note...I really did fail! It was only (haha, "only") 35% of my grade...so hopefully I can still pass if I do well on the final. Sadly it is not cumulative - sadly, since I finally understand the first part. Deadweight loss, anyone? Consumer surplus? Thankfully, however, I am not moving this weekend, so I can actually study appropriately. I think. I don't have any more episodes of Gossip Girl to watch, anyway.

Here is what I did today. Multiply times 21 and you will understand (maybe) why I am not blogging. And this was a Friday, which is fun. I am running an average of 1:30 (TOTAL) a week, and sleeping appx 5-6 hrs a night. If I go to bed before midnight that is now considered "early."

Finals are Mon-Weds (three finals, three hour exams), and Thurs morning, ass-early, I fly to NYC for a week of schmoozing as I try to get a summer internship. Which, yes, we are already working on.

Example, today:
630 am - awake, email, shower, pack mule for day (I need a mule to carry all my books/assignments)
730 am - leave house
745 am - arrive school, pick up pre-assignment packs for term 2 (all 1" thick, awesome. To be done on "break")
8-9 am - career cabinet meeting (I am rep for my section to career center); miss team meeting for this meeting
9-10 am - section cabinet meeting
10-1020 am - still section cabinet meeting, since section rep does not know how to run a freaking meeting. He is 27, what do you expect. Highly agitated.
1030-1245 - management communication, last class
1245-145 - lunch on nonprofit consulting w/ '08 grad
130-345 - microeconomics, last class. Fall asleep, but so does most of section. But I sit in front row, where it is more noticeable. Take turns hitting my neighbor to wake one another up.
345-415 - section meeting. Leave immediately after my part so I can make it to my "commitment" at 4 pm.
415-444 - run. I skip weekly Job Search Meeting so I can be sure to run at least once, and this is run w/ running club
500-530 - shower and dress, again
530-630 - highly entertaining and super interesting speech by Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan. Packed.
630-830 - volunteer for Taste of the Triangle, a fundraiser for MBA Games (special olympics) and part of Fuqua Friday. Serve food to classmates. Eat passable burrito and drink water, diet coke and beer while volunteering
830-930 - end of term FuquaVision (sketch comedy).
1000 - half of Fuqua goes out, the other half goes home. I went home. It is freezing cold and pouring rain.
1015 - eat 17 cookies.
1030 - feel ill.

Tomorrow and Sunday will be....all study, all day. Econ, Stats and Accounting.... whoa.

Julie, Diana, and Min: have an awesome run at Nike. I will be thinking of you all and I wish (wish wish wish!) I were there. Though at this point I'd likely run a 5 hour half, so it's probably just as well.

Dear Dean,

Whose name I can't even remember right now,

I would like to be a yoga instructor instead.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

PS - May I please have my money back? It will cost you more in tutoring hours for me to stay than to simply return it to me.

PPS - To the idiots who build cheap student housing: I hope you all rot.

Campout, survived

Duke has this lovely tradition for grad students called "Campout." It's the ONLY way to get season tickets for basketball. Campout means you sit outside in a parking lot for 36 hours, drinking beer, eating crappy food, playing games, not studying, and waiting for the awful sound of the air raid siren. When the siren rings, you must run to a check-in tent, and show your checker your id, all within 10 minutes. If you don't make it (either don't hear it, or don't make it in 10 minutes), you're out. If you do make it through, you're entered into the lottery for basketball tickets, and have a 40% chance of winning.

Seems not too bad, right?

Think again.

These shenanigans are run by other grad students - who automatically get tickets - which means they like to inflict all kinds of pain on the 2,000 others who are camping out. We had over 28 checks in 36 hours, with the majority of them between midnight and 4 a.m. both nights (sometimes multiples per hour!). This ensured no one really got any sleep. We had an RV, and thankfully the weather has turned, so it wasn't too oppresive. But after 36 hours with about 6 combined hours of sleep - this on top of a not-so-good sleep schedule last week - and I was completely wrecked. As was everyone else.

The upside: 5 people in my group of 9 got tickets, so we'll share them for the season. Coach K came to talk to us for an hour on Saturday night, which was really pretty cool. He showed us a video from the summer Olympics, and talked about how awesome it will be to win a gold medal AND a national championship within a year. Duke is going all the way! He is also a complete cheeseball, and hearts Beyonce, but hell, he's Coach K so he can pretty much do whatever he wants and we'd think it was great. The t-shirts for the weekend even had a line that said "Land of the free and home of the K." Oh yeah.

Meanwhile, I am still not sure how I will catch up, since the Fuqua express waits for no one. But I'm better off than my section-mates who spent 36 hours playing beer pong, and were still hungover yesterday!

hahaha, "deodorant"

The best part about the JLo article (now you'll need to read it!!!) is the commentary on Matthew McConaughey, who also did the race. The author notes that "fitness buff" McConaughey is ""even had a friend rub deodorant on his neck to cut down on his friction from his (wet)suit."

Um, morons.

THAT IS BODY GLIDE!

Ah, to be a serious journalist at People.....

JLo does a triathlon!

JLo did the Nautica Triathlon! Once upon a time I looked better than this in a wetsuit (probably not now. And I'm not going to find out!). However, JL0 had twins in February, and I most decidedly did not.... so, good for her. Way to kick some butt!

I spent appx 12 hrs a day at school every day for the past week (high of 14 and low of 9 today). This includes my "day off" on Wednesday, as well as the weekend. Good times! Oh wait. Yesterday I slept til 11. Never mind. Well, 6 out of 7 days is still a lot. School is...hmm, how shall I say... hard.

I did manage to keep up with the "30 Minutes (and not a second more) of Exercise, Every Other Day is Better than Nothing" plan, which is good. However, the most fun came on Friday, with my first-ever Hash House Harriers run. HHH is international, but the 'chapter' at Fuqua does it just once a term. Loosely, it's a "drinking club with a running problem." About 50 people showed up, the vast majority of them Second Years (and about 6 first years). It was AWESOME. We only ran about 25 minutes total, but that included through the Law School and chemsitry buildings, by the greenhouses, through the university student center and parking garage, by the sports center, etc. Every 10 minutes or so there was a "Beer Stop." Running with beer stops....whoa. I have enough problems drinking when I am at a standstill! By way of coronation, all of the newbies had to chug a beer at the end. If you couldn't finish chugging it, you had to pour it on your head.

Who do you think was the only one out of 30 newbies who had to pour beer on her head? Yup. Ah well, it is a lovely conditioner and my hair had a lot of bounce yesterday!

My first day of school, part 4

First, I had my first day of Math Camp (July 20). Then my first day of Orientation (Aug 1), then my first day of the Global Institute (August 5). After six weeks, and four classes, I am finally enrolled in the Fall Term!

We began class today at 8, with Accounting. Thankfully the professor seems cool (any man who can dance around a lecture room at 8:15 while discussing Accounting seems good to me). Then I had Statistics, where I was informed in a very nice, gentle, Italian voice, that this class "would be very hard. People do fail." Excellent, thanks for the vote of confidence (I already have a tutor). I didn't leave school tonight til 8 pm, because after class I had a team meeting, a library training, and two club info meetings.

The upside: I am definitely going to avoid increasing my risk of skin cancer, because I will never see the sun anymore.

Baracktoberfest

Dear God I miss San Francisco! Baracktoberfest is at the end of the month. I would so love to be there! I do not think there will be a Baracktoberfest here in Durham. Though thankfully the Triangle seems to be pretty liberal (aforementioned Bravo TV comments notwithstanding), and there are many Obama fans, particularly on campus.

Today we learned all about the career center, and the lovely people who staff it. We also had a famous etiquette lady, Mary Crane, come talk with us about networking and lunch/dinner etiquette. She was a lawyer/lobbyist-turned-chef-turned etiquette coach. It was actually really very interesting. Though now I need to buy some personalized stationary (though she pimped Crane's stationary, she is not related to them. Or so she says!). I'll listen to anyone who made it through living in Poughkeepsie!

Last night I had my first real North Carolina BBQ, at the Q-Shack. I talked with the owner ahead of time, who was working as the cashier. He said they used to cook everything in peanut oil, but now it's all soybean and vegetable. Hooray! Everything was fair game. I had some great chicken bbq, with macaroni, sweet potato fries, and (awesome) hush puppies alongside. Yum.

Seriously?

Today I had yummy brunch with my old, old friend (actually, he is not old, he is younger than me. But I had not seen him since 1996, which makes him old) who is now a professor at UNC. And making the big bucks, he treated me to brunch! Yay for Acme in Carrboro. I had a biscuit, bacon, and eggs, and let me tell you: it was grand.

I was distressed to learn that no cable provider in the Triangle carries Bravo. (I learned this Friday but I've just verified it). The speculation is that because Bravo carries a lot of shows about (shhhh....).gay people, the conservatives at Time Warner must have shut it down. This shocks me. I think the Triangle is pretty liberal but I guess not? I can see no other explanation for it, and after 30 minutes on Google trying to find an answer, this is still the only one I can come up with (and what all the speculation on Google says as well). This may explain why so many people have DirectTv!

How will I watch the Real Housewives of Orange County?! The horror. So I am sticking with my free, out of the plug, basic cable. I shouldn't be watching tv (or blogging, frankly) anyway. I should be studying accounting! Whee!

Well that...sucked

We took two finals for GI and holy shit Batman, they were hard. These being the first finals I have taken since May 1996 made it bad enough of a start. GIE was open-book, open-note. This did not make it any easier. We had three hours allotted for the exam, and when I turned mine in with one minute to go, I was only the THIRD person to turn it in. The proctor called time and everyone came rushing to the front. Everyone walked out into the corridors looking like zombies. It was awful.

And the worst part? It was already mid-evening, Obama was on TV, and you want me to do WHAT? Study for LEO? Um. Ok. I studied for about 2 hours (we had the midterm only 10 days ago), watched Obama, and went to bed. I studied with Jane and Matt this morning for about four hours, and figured that was as good as it was gonna get. With another additional 5 hrs of study I would have thought the LEO test was easy, but as it was I know I missed some. Whatever. P=MBA. We are not supposed to 'shoot for P's' but as long as I get the little diploma at the end of this brouhaha that has my name and the letters "MBA" on it, I do not care so much. No overachieving here. Or at least not yet. (Dear Prospective Employer, should you come across my blog, I am a very dedicated and hard worker and I will overachieve for you every day. Right now I'm just trying to make it through.)

Also odd: I realized not a single person here knows I am "Mo." Suddenly I am like Clark Kent, with two very different personalities attached. Or something! I am certainly not introducing myself as Mo, as many of you know I very much like to keep it separate, and in the scheme of things, business school = career (thus, no Mo). But still. It's weird. I think the weirdest part is no one has even asked if I ever go by Mo.

In celebration of finishing our finals and the Second Years arriving back on campus, a big group went to the Durham Bulls game - last home game of the season. I have no idea who won; however, I spent the better part of the evening explaining how the game of baseball works to a few Chinese students (I have never felt smarter about baseball).

Then I went to pick up Nina, who I am dogsitting for the next six nights. I am so stoked. She is camped out on my couch, wondering when on earth we are going to sleep. Now, baby!

This is Nina. Isn't she cute? (she sort of smells)

$279k for 250 square feet

Sometimes I am glad I left SF. Like when I read this article in SFGate, talking about the "starter condo" for $279k that is 250 SQUARE FEET, and not big enough for a bed, or an oven.

I especially like that if you make under $150k, you are somehow considered "middle class." Um...yeah, that makes me pretty much lower-class then, since I made way less than that! (and I had a really good job...so what about all the people who aren't lucky enough for that?). Still, it's better than McCain's estimation that the "middle class" makes UP TO $5m per year. Whatever!

Totally insane. I don't think so!

I bought a crock pot!

My life is really gonna take off now, I'm telling ya. I also got a haircut for $19. Let's hear it for the Aveda Institute of Chapel Hill, woo. I did have to pay $2 for parking in CH, which I found slightly disturbing.

First midterm since 1996, no crying

Ok, I am not as much as a depressive headcase as I was yesterday. Emails from two separate friends fighting cancer has a way of putting things back into perspective, yes? Thanks, guys.

I took my first midterm today - ironic since finals are next Thursday and Friday (we don't waste no freaking time at Fuqua!). But it went well (I think - we'll see what I think when I get the graded version back!).

Today I went for a run (90% humidity at 7:20 in the morning. Gonna make me tough, or something.) I went to school to study with some friends, took the exam/quiz and sat through 3 hrs of class, then headed to the library to finish the freaking book on the economics of cotton - which got better near the end, thankfully! I went to the gym to lift -- the undergrads are back, and they have a huge sign outside the gym congratulating and welcoming Becca Ward to campus. She's a freshman and won the first US medal in Beijing. Awesome.

Then I met my friend Jane to see the Cirque du Soleil movie of the "Delirium" show, which was really cool. I slept through about 20 minutes of it, but that was more a function of drinking wine in the movie theater than it being boring. Then I came home, finished all of the reading for my 8-11 class tomorrow. Now I'm going to pass out.

So goodnight.

Undoing 4 years of Wellesley education

I spent 4 years being hammered on always writing in the present tense (or at least avoiding the passive voice at all costs). (I don't think those are equivalent. Work with me.) Business writing, apparently, is all about the past, passive voice. Jesus H.

And seriously, Durham is a pit. Cheery Mo will now post what she cannot avoid. I hate it and I miss SF more terribly than I can even vocalize. I don't know what the hell I was thinking.

(now I'll really see who reads this damn blog.)

I still hate NC Trader Joe's

Unfortunate, but true. Not nearly the selection as SF (or Boston), and it's just lame. I gave it another go tonight, and I swear I am really trying. But Kroger seems to be doing it for me instead. I'll give TJs a few more tries, especially since Janet was so awesome and gave me a giftcard (though I'm saving it for when my financial aid money runs out).

I did make the highly unfortunate mistake of going NEAR Wal-Mart tonight. (I know, it's the devil. I didn't feel good about it, but I have no money and it's cheap.) Every undergrad in the 60-mile radius was there from Duke, UNC, NC State and NCCU. It looked like a cyclone had hit. I put down my $3 GrapeNuts and walked back out.

And then I went to Kroger, where I found said GrapeNuts on sale for $2.50. Yeah!

Most of my classmates are getting drunk every night and I am blogging about GrapeNuts. (I'm just sayin').

Weirdness. And I climbed a 40-foot wall.

I just went to Kroger and the gas station. I am trying to keep a budget (by this I mean I write it down in a category, I haven't actually done anything with the data) and just noticed the totals for the grocery store and the gas were exactly (*exactly*) the same. $41.83. What are the odds of that? Actually, if I hadn't slept through the probability portion of Math Camp three weeks ago, perhaps I would know!

We are in week 2 of class. For the month of August all the first years are part of the Global Leadership Institute, and we take two classes, three hours at a time. One is "Leadership, Organizations, and Ethics" and the other is "Global Institutions and Environments." If you think that's bad, the professors are teaching the same material for 3 separate 3-hour sessions a day, for two days (Day 1 they teach Sections 1, 2, and 3, and then Day 2 they teach 4-6 while 1-3 take the other course. That makes my head hurt just thinking about it.)

I am loving one class more than the other, though the material for the other is still really interesting (just voluminous). We also participate in the Integrated Leadership Experience, which is a management communications thing that involves a ropes course (last Friday), building a house with Habitat for Humanity (next week - they take us there and don't give us instructions and somehow we build a house anyway. Or something. I mean people will purchase and live in this house so I suspect we get SOME sort of guidance. For their sake I hope so. We actually met the family whose house we're building during Orientation so I'd prefer not to kill them.) The final part is a team charter, which I'm working on with my group now. Basically we write out promises for how we'll deal with things, and what our goals and expectations are for the year, etc. It's all mediated by a guy named Mark Brown, who seems to be awesome.

As for the ropes course. Hmm. I fancy myself sort of a bad-ass. When I was here for Blue Devil weekend I'd heard about the ropes course, and that I would be climbing over some sort of wall. For ten days or so in May or June, I even did push-ups, thinking that would help me prepare (because I am far, far from the IronMo days of yore. RubberMo is more like it.) Um. No. Even if I'd done pushups for 52 weeks I don't think I would have been prepared!

Freaking high wall. I am second from right

First, we drove to the serious middle of nowhere to the Triangle Training Center. Six buses, 144 Fuqua students. Two of the zix buses broke down en route, with our bus circling back to get the stragglers. We did several activities with our teams (my team of 6 partnered with another section's team of 6, so there were 12 of us for the day. Look at that math!), all of them challenged-based, and most of them fairly innocuous. E.g. - small 2x2 platform, everyone had to get on it (no feet on ground) and hold for ten seconds. Pass everyone through a net without touching the rope. Etc. And then. The wall. This wall is 40-feet tall and has rock-climbing things the whole way up. We had to harness in, tether ourselves to another teammate, and then climb. On the ground, two additional teammates held our lives in their hands, as they held the rope.

The first group of four made it look super easy. I went second. Not super easy. I warned my teammates I would likely curse and/or cry, and not to take it personally. But the teamwork thing was great. When I couldn't grab on to the next hold - because I couldn't see it - Rob would yell from the ground and tell me where to place my hand. Trust, trust, and more trust. I finally made it to the top.

I did actually take my hands off the wall and wave. That was just not captured on film!

Then we got to lean waaaay back, legs parallel to the ground, and rappel down. Eons ago I rapelled, when I was a camper at Highland Retreat. Rob and Siwon didn't give me too much rope (they thought I'd be as much of a ninny on the way down as I was on the way up, and I can't fault them), so it took me a while. I finally screamed "for the love of god, pleease give me some more rope!!" and got to bounce down. Once it was all over, it was freaking awesome. I'm so glad we did it.


Then all 144 came back together and in 6:24 passed each other over a 20-foot wall (convoluted rules I could never ever recount, but only 2 people could touch you as you were pushed up and over. I have numerous bruises this week, but no one was hurt).

After all that, they fed us and we drove back to Fuqua. Where we then had to sit in class for three hours, on a Friday afternoon. That poor professor!

Also, Bob Costas should be shot.

Belatedly, Mo and Bro in NYC

Hard at work at B-School

Actually, I'm 25

My best story so far (for my ego, anyway): On Sunday a friend in my section asked me what year I graduated from Wellesley. I replied "1996." She countered, "no, what year did you graduate from college?" And again I replied...."1996." Her jaw fell to the ground. I finally told her she ought to shut it, lest she catch flies.

Apparently she thought I was the "same age as me!" (which is to say, 25). So, Jane, thank you for making my day!

So maybe I'm not cut out for Wall Street....

I've survived three days of orientation, which included non-stop hours of lectures, team-building, and partying. I got very little sleep (apparently this is a fairly accurate sample of what the next two years will be like).

I'm part of Section 1 (there are 6 sections, but obviously 1 is the best one to be in), and in Team 4. My 5 other teammates are a reflection of the diversity of Fuqua - one other woman, who is a marketer from China; a naval officer from Southern California; a civil engineer from New Jersey, by way of India; a sales guy from South Korea; and (I forget what he does), also from India.

We spent part of Saturday afternoon on a scavenger hunt all over the Durham area, for things like: photo of teammate swimming across Eno River - that was me; Duke Blue mani/pedi; photo of Top of the Hill (Chapel Hill/UNC bar), a shaved male leg, etc. I taught one of my teammates how to shave his legs, and then drove while he painted his nails in my backseat.

Last night we ended things with an 80s party, which for me was just like reliving junior high. Half of these kids were BORN in the 80s. And they wondered why my outfit was so authentic... actually, scarily enough, I bought it all at Target last night. But I had the knowledge to make my hair authentic, which is really what put it over the top! It was a bit like reliving my RA days at CTY, which is to say, it was a lot of fun and I came home sweaty with my ears ringing. The upside of it not being CTY is that I didn't have to break up any teen makeout sessions; downside: I am not getting paid to stay out late dancing.

I'm not cut out for Wall Street because this evening while my laundry was in, I sat down to write my thank you notes to the folks at Morgan Stanley. At which point I realized their business cards were in my shorts pocket (which were of course, by that point, in the dryer). I'd wondered what the paper parts were from when I took the things out of the wash! Sorry, you three nice people at Morgan. I didn't mean to do it!

The Global Institute begins tomorrow at 8 a.m. In what may NOT be a good portent of things to come, it is nearly midnight and I have not yet completed all of the pre-assignments. I'm also supposed to finish a case write-up for my team, so we can review it after class.

Reasons the NC DMV sucks

I changed my license and registration thinking it would be so much CHEAPER in NC than in CA.
Um, not so much.

1) Yesterday I was robbed when I switched my plates. They charge you an automatic $150 if you are out of state, plus the licensing and title fees (total $223, or more than I will spend on food in a month). But I'd already switched my license and my insurance, so I didn't have a choice, and I surrendered the CA plate.

2) Today I got my State Farm bill, and it's $100 more than the quote, or approximately the same amount I was paying in CA. I checked with my agent, and the ticket I got in 2006 (a bogus damn moto-cop who was having a bad day) has now shown up on my record -- it never showed up in CA, but in NC it's counted as a 1-point violation. So until March 2010, I get to pay elevated insurance.

3) On the back of my registration there's a note saying that within 90 days I will be getting a bill for the taxation on my car. (Which I paid when I bought the freaking car last year in CA). So that will be another $500. Which I will be getting from where??????

NC, I am trying very, very hard to like you. But right now I hate you an awful lot.

A trip to NYC

I spent Mon-Weds of this week NYC, where I had the chance to visit Morgan Stanley and learn more about a career in finance (and specifically, private wealth management). It was very interesting, and I met some interesting people. (All of the attendees were women MBAs, and there were four of us out of the 80 who were from Fuqua). After three weeks in the hot and humid South, NYC felt cool by comparison --that's a scary thought!

Monday night my brother took a bus into the city, and we spent several hours walking around (and saw Scarlett Johannsen!). Then he treated me to dinner, which was really awesome. We had a good time and I enjoyed a Hoegaarden while he had a mojito. There is a nice picture, but I can't seem to locate my camera cord (and I've seen it in NC! But without living with Jen, my apartment is a pigsty). Before the long day at MS on Tuesday (8 am to 7 pm), I went for a quick run in Central Park. Then on Wednesday I took the bus back to Laguardia and flew back to Durham, where I'm back in my earthquake-apartment that shakes every 5 minutes. Whee. At LGA they were calling the shuttle for "Viera" and "Curry." (coincidence? probably not!)

It's Official

I have my NC driver's license! I passed the test with 95% (one wrong). Now I have to go somewhere else to do the registration and get my NC plates. I hope I get to keep one of my CA plates for my collection (had to turn in the license). So far I have VA, MA, CO and CA....never did register my car in NY.

True story that occurred after I got the license:
It was almost 2 pm and I hadn't eaten so I walked to the Subway by the DMV. Foot-long for $5! That's two meals (except I just let my friend eat the other half, but it would have been two meals....you know). I asked if I could have "half turkey, half roast beef," like I always do. (As I asked this, the story of the 'ghetto latte' that's been making the rounds popped into my head. I have been making sort-of ghetto misto for years by asking for soy milk. But I digress.)

M: "I'd like a footlong sub with half turkey, and half roast beef."
Subway Lady: "We can't do that."
M: "Why not?"
SL: "We're not allowed to. But you could get a club, which is turkey, ham, and roast beef."
M: "Is it still $5?" (I am on a budget now!!)
SL: "Yes."
M: "Ok, well then can I have the club, but without the ham?"
SL: "Sure, no problem."

Are you serious????? I did not point it out, but chuckled silently in my head.

Marisa and Katie knew my horror from yesterday when I heard a reporter on NBC tv talk about those chips you eat with salsa (and commonly use to hold burritos together) as "TOR-TILL-LAH" chips. And I won't even talk about the lady who thought the "Jay-Lap-a-No" peppers in salsa were "weird" at the Target.

Oh, my. I grew up in a rural area but I guess having parents from the Northeast meant I knew how to pronounce these 'exotic' words at a young age.

I think I might be blogging a lot because it's great avoidance...and a lot easier than finding the z-score for the value 8%! (actually, that one is easy. I think.).

The XC pics, revealed

Finally organized....the 7 day trip from SF to Durham is unveiled! It's the Grand Canyon to Graceland and more, oh my! To see it, please visit http://ironmo.shutterfly.com (Be sure to choose the “caption” option for the slideshow or it will not be very funny). The password is 'durham.' There are about 30 pictures of the sunrise at the GC, because if you got up at 3:45 a.m., you'd take a lot of pics, too.

Why am I utterly unable to go to bed before midnight?? Why?

I don't yet have pictures of my new apartment because 1) it's a mess and 2) I don't yet know if I am moving to a different (third floor) apartment. The little earthquakes from above are sort of growing on me.

And hey, Robine? Happy Birthday!

The Heat Index

Today I went running in NC for the second time (first time on my own). I got out of bed at 7:30, but didn't make it out the door til after 9:15 (reasoning, "I'll wait til Hez is out of the water!" Well, she was out of the water before 8:30 but it wasn't posted online). Long story short: I waited too long. I tried to run; I had to walk. I tried to run 5 minutes, walk 2; I ran 3:30-4 and walked 3. I stayed out for 35 minutes and when I got home I looked up this:

Um, yeah. So I was running in the yellow-turning-orange part, and it was only 9:15. No more running in the heat!!!!!

Go Hez Go!

Tomorrow morning (well, ok, it will be all freaking day) my friend Hez will be doing Ironman USA. I am so excited for her! It's her first Ironman and she's going to have an awesome day.

I drove back from VA today, first stopping by to see my friends Ryan, Jack, and baby Max. Max has gotten so much bigger than when I last saw him in December. He was full of words, and was adorable, showing off all his trucks and toys to me. Ryan is adorably pregnant. Best news (ahem, ahem) - it was only 3 hours from their house to mine!

My head is screwed on a little more straight than early last week -- good time at home with my parents, and several long bike rides with my mom; I've also gotten through all of the the math review and some of the reading. Monday I officially begin Math Camp! Tomorrow I need to figure out a desk and set up my new computer and printer.

In the meantime....gooooooo Heather!

What I need to do before August 1:
-Global Institutions & Environments Articles (3 total)
-Global Institutions & Environments Case Study (Botswana)
-Global Institutions & Environments Case Study Write-up (due 1st class)
-Global Institutions & Environments "Travels of a T-Shirt" book
-Leadership, Ethics, and Organizations (LEO) Surveys
-Leadership, Ethics, and Organizations (LEO) Readings (3 total)
-Business Computer Applications (DEC383)
-Pre- Course Requirements Financial Accounting 340 Software/CD
-Financial Accounting Readings (Ch 1-3 and Specified Problem Sets)
-Math Review Course
-2-day trip to NYC for Morgan Stanley's Women MBA forum

Oh, and pass NC driver's license exam (apparently harder than most of the above!) and get NC plates and vehicle inspection (three separate places for this). Ryan helpfully noted that NC LOVES ITS NASCAR which is why it's so car-heavy. Indeed!

Um. Crap. Maybe I shoulda left my job in April!

Sights Seen on Way to Virginia

Because I just missed the interior of my car SO much, I drove 200+ miles to my parents' in Virginia. It's all on back roads (no direct route) so it took almost 4 hours. Boy did I miss having my mama as a co-pilot!

Here's what I saw along the way.
1) Confederate Flag (1)
2) "Inmates Working" signs (1); inmate hacking weeds (1)
3) Prison guard with AK-47 watching inmate (1)
4) Out-of-state plates (5 total - 1 AZ, 1 WV, 1 PA and 2 FL). With CA plates I may as well have a giant "stop me" sign on the side of the car!
5) Cops (3)
6) $3.87/gal gas (1)
7) Rednecks (7,546)

I ran last night with some people in a running group I found online. We ran about 5.5 miles, and they were very nice. I wish the runs were early in the morning (say, 6 or 7 a.m. instead of 5:30 p.m., when it is ultra-steamy and sauna-like outside), but it was great to have some company and to actually get moving again.

The bad news - apparently "it's not hot yet." Excuse me? These nice people said it doesn't "really get hot" til August and September. Fuqua did NOT put this in the freaking brochures. Guess it's time to find my swimsuit. Northern California has definitely made this gal a big softy (though the runners did complement me for hanging in there - maybe there is some Virginian left in my blood after all!).

Though for the record, it's about 20% LESS humidity in VA right now than it was in Durham this morning!!! The A/C isn't even turned on in the house!

What I have learned so far (likes and dislikes)

Dislikes:
1) Living in the Triangle is like LIVING ON THE SUN. It is so freaking hot I cannot even explain. I have not run since the day I left San Francisco. Maybe sometime in October I'll be able to resume.
2) Cheap, mass-produced housing mean the walls shake, like mini-earthquakes, whenever my neighbors breathe (or walk, or run their washing machine, garbage disposal, or dishwasher).
3) No sidewalks. Zero. How the hell am I supposed to walk anywhere? You want me to drive to Starbucks? No wonder 60% of America is obese!
4) Lots of things are closed on Sunday (Go God!). I was going to check out Carrburrito tomorrow, but I had the good sense to look it up. Closed. Maybe I should check out God instead (maybe the churches serve burritos!)
5) Not being in the same time zone as many of my friends.

Likes:
1) Everyone is so freaking nice. Everyone, from the checkout ladies at Target to the Goodwill attendants (all I have been doing is shopping for my apt.) My mailman already knows me, and asked after my parents - whom he also already knows.
2) The ability to HAVE a washing machine, garbage disposal, and dishwasher in my apartment (see #2, above).
3) You don't have to pay for parking! Anywhere! There are huge, giant parking lots just waiting for cars to sit in them.
4) Yuengling beer. You can't get that on the West Coast.
5) My new Costco membership. You have no idea.
6) Being in the same time zone as my parents, and many of my friends. (I'm still calculating the time difference each time I talk to my mom, only to realize...it's the same time.)

6-5. Not bad for week 1.

Math review ain't that bad

Second day "on my own" and though it's 2 pm and I haven't changed out of my pjs, I did finally start on the Math Review (I've had it since January and am supposed to have most of it done before Math Camp begins on the 21st). It's not as bad as I feared! The lady teaching online goes very slowly and it makes sense to me. Woo, that is a relief. She will also be the professor at Math Camp.

I did two of the four chapters of module 1, so now I'm off to buy printer paper and cds, so I can finally set up my new computer. It came with Vista (but the option to downgrade to XP), so I'm downgrading to start, and need cds for some reason.

Yesterday I found out that my sweet dog friend Minnie, who I'd been walking for over two months, had been adopted. I'm so glad! See how happy she looks here. After a shower and my errands I'm off to Raleigh to see my friend Whitney and her beautiful baby for the evening. Contact with a real person - I can't wait!

I'll probably get kicked out of Duke for this...

But the FIRE TRUCKS in Chapel Hill are Carolina Blue! How crazy is that?

And on the fourth day, there was no power

The power has gone out three times since I moved in. Apparently this is "common" in NC, from summer storms/hurricanes/tornadoes (who knew!). Last night it went out for over two hours (this means NO A/C!!!). My parents are staying in a hotel less than a mile away, where there was power. We came back to my apt around 10:30 pm to check the status, and despite the power still being off, I decided to stay in my own bed anyway. It came back on about a half an hour later.

My parents are going back to Virginia this afternoon, which means reality check is about to occur!

Am here, Am Tired, and Trader Joe's Sucks

I moved in to my apartment yesterday. At 10 a.m. the mover called me to say he was here. I was still at Wachovia, trying to set up an account and to get a money order so I could pay said mover. My poor mother ran around all over Durham trying to find a branch of her bank that was 1) open and 2) able to give her a money order. Not as easy as you might think. The movers (John the driver and two nice guys from Trosa, the Durham equivalent of Delancey Street) were done by 12:15.

We are drowning in a sea of boxes, newspapers, and crap, but will find the way out sooner or later. In the meantime, it has poured every afternoon (thunder and lightening) and it is hotter than hell. Why on earth people love it here so much is - at the moment - beyond me.

We found our way to the TJ's in Chapel Hill sometime in the afternoon. For someone who is going to spend a week at "MBA Math Camp," I have a really good memory for numbers. So believe me when I say that the TJ's in CH was A TON MORE EXPENSIVE than the TJ's in San Francisco! For everything! Two buck Chuck is $2.99, and branded as "Three Buck Chuck." Cereal, cheese, oil...and don't get me started on the produce. Horrifying.

Almost in NC

Today we spent most of the day lolling about Memphis, visiting the National Civil Rights Museum (which is in the former Lorraine Motel, where MLK, Jr. was shot). watching the famous Peabody Ducks run down the red carpet and into their fountain, walking Beale Street, and yes...visiting Graceland. Holy freaking tacky! And what a crazy cash cow scam that place is. After forking over $50 for two tickets ahead of time (and these were the cheap tickets), we still had to pay for parking ($10), and they lulled us with Alcatraz-like pics that were ready when we were done with the tour ($22). Times the 250 or so people PER HOUR who pass through there, and you've got an estimated average of $100k per day take-in, easy.

THEN we drove 300 miles.

We passed through Nashville, stopping for an awesome dinner (no sightings of Sheryl, Keith, or Nicole) and then headed onward. Tomorrow we will cross the last time zone (losing an hour), drive through Ashville, and by early evening, arrive in Durham.

Good thing, as I (finally) talked to my movers today - who SUCK - and the driver is planning on arriving Saturday! (Clarification: John the nice man driving the truck does not suck. The very uncommunicative people in the office who still had not called to tell me how much this costs suck. However, they are taking 300# off for my "trouble" with the loading last week, and I appreciate the gesture. But I also think the weight is high. Whatever.)

Day 5 (I think...) - leaving Brad Pitt's birthplace!

Today we're driving from Shawnee, OK (birthplace of Brad Pitt...though there wasn't a sign anywhere to commemorate that) to Memphis. Stopping off in Little Rock to visit the Clinton Presidential Museum. Over 1800 miles down, 1100 to go! And my car busted out 42 miles per gallon yesterday, yeah!

Day 3....up like an Ironman

We got up at 3:45 (!!!) to watch the sun rise over the Grand Canyon (I can't find my camera cord, so you can't see a picture of it now). The only time I've gotten up that early was for Ironman, and I swear it is more exhausting to drive 535 miles than it was to do that. After the sun was fully up at 5:15, we went on a hike, saw the mules being loaded for their daily trip, got coffee, and began the loooong slog to Santa Rosa, NM. We stopped a ton, including Flagstaff for more drinks, and the coolest pueblo ever, Acomita Sky City Pueblo, which may explain why we got to our hotel at 10 pm.

Oh, and we lost an hour since NM is on Mountain time. So currently reworking rest of itinerary as we are both complete headcases.

Day 1 - Haven't killed each other yet

424 miles from SF to Barstow (temp at 7 pm: 103 degrees). Four (count 'em, FOUR) separate people have emailed me reminding me to "be nice to your mom!" We have not fought once. Woo!

Goodbye, San Francisco

Next week I'm shipping out to Durham. To get me ready, SF has had unseasonably warm (read: hot) weather. In Palo Alto on Friday, it was 104! Today Crissy Field was packed with people; by mid-afternoon it looked more like Hermosa Beach than San Francisco (the photo at right is of the bridge, duh, not of the "people" - they weren't there yet).

I set up shop at 9:30 a.m. (too late to grab a table - apparently had to get there at 5 a.m. for that) and waited with my staked space for about 3 hours until my friends began to arrive. We had a lovely day bbq-ing on an aging weber, drinking beer and wine and soaking up the sun. I am one lucky gal and I can't believe I am leaving them all behind!

A quick primer to answer everyone's questions:
1) Are you excited? Yes, I am excited. But I am also in denial (a very powerful defense mechanism, thank you!). It is a huge change to be leaving a city and job and friends that I love and moving 3,000 miles away. The last time I moved cross-country was 10 years ago as I moved from Boston to Denver; I was 24, and in some significant emotional trauma. I am older, wiser, and blessedly, trauma-free. I'll be excited once I am in NC and settled. I think this may also be when I'll freak out.
2) Are you flying or driving? I am a masochist! I'm driving! My mom flies out on Friday, and we're taking 7 days to drive my little car xc. Fortunately she gets killer gas mileage (the car, not my mom). We're stopping at many sights along the way, from the Grand Canyon to Graceland and more.
3) What will you do with your summer? I don't get a summer! My summer will be driving from CA to NC. On July 21, I start "Math Camp" for MBA students. It was not required for me, but I think it should have been, so I'm choosing to take it. We have a Global Leadership Class for the month of August, and the Core Courses (this is where I cry) begin in September.
4) Are you pulling a U-Haul? I may be a masochist, but I am not stupid. If I'm going to be $150k+ in debt when these shenanigans are complete, I'm going to spring for the extra $3k for movers. The nice men at Moovers, Inc will be moving my things for me.
5) Where will you live? I have an apartment near campus. The cost of living is nothing compared to the Bay Area, so it will feel like a palace. 940 sq ft! Woo! I don't know what that means but it sounds big. There is a DISHWASHER and a WASHER/DRYER hookup!
6) Will you have a roommate? Again. The cost of NOT having a roommate adds an additional $3-5k to two years. I've had roommates almost the entire time in SF and I've been fortunate to get along with all of them (shout outs to Krista, Ray, Mindy, Michelle, and Jen). But I'm going to pay less for a 2-bd in Durham than I do for my HALF of a 2-bd here.
7) What will you do when you're done? No Idea. Well, some ideas. But we'll see how they pan out.

The Boston Marathon, two months later...

Because why pack when you can blog?! For all you who asked about the Boston Marathon at the BBQ today, this is all you really need to know. (Damn you, Kate Hudson. Why am I not a small tiny blond lady?). And no, this is not Photoshop!

I was injured going in, and running a marathon certainly didn't help. I've only run 4x in the two months since the race, and only twice without pain (yesterday and the day before). I'm already qualified for 2009, so hopefully one of these days I will get to the starting line without pain. My cousins have promised to train and run from Wellesley to the end with me next year, so I'm going to hold them to it.

Idiots on Craigslist....omm

Despite two yoga classes today (three hours, baby) I just went ballistic on some dude buying my crappy printer off Craigslist. Because I'm sorry, if you say you'll be there in 30 minutes, be there in 30 minutes. Not an HOUR AND A HALF after 30 minutes, when it's 10 pm and you really want to go to sleep. But I went additionally ballistic because I thought I was charging him $15, and apparently I posted it for $10. Oops. I ended up with only $10 (since conveniently, that is all he had).

So basically I just ruined my 180 minutes of nirvana. Whoops. Better luck tomorrow.

But at least I got rid of the crappy printer!

Unemployed!!!!

As of 5:21 today, I am officially unemployed. The gravy train is now in the station; the trip is done! My lovely friend Lauren sacrificed her commute and picked me and my three boxes of crap up. (Box 1: swim gear, Box 2: food items and run gear, Box 3: a few files. Guess which box was smallest? Also, yoga mat and two posters mounted on foamcore. A lot of junk, basically.)

My lovely coworkers gave me a wonderful sendoff, but I'm living in such a state of denial that I still haven't brought myself to read their kind card.

The next few days will feel like vacation, but amidst it all, I need to resume packing up my apartment. I hope SF is freezing and gross, so I won't feel sad about leaving.

But really, Denial is a fine place to live. I sort of like it here.

Killing wildlife, part 2

Yeah, yeah, I haven't written in months. I was otherwise occupied with applying to b-school; getting into (Duke, Georgetown), waitlisted (Dartmouth) and rejected from (Haas) various b-schools; applying for financial aid; oh yeah, WORKING; flying 36,000 miles to raise money and visit alums; and other assorted things.

But as I drove to work today, I killed another seagull in the Tenderloin, and was inspired to post. This one hit the grille on the front of the car. As you might remember, last year I killed one when it flew into my bike rack. My theory - the seagulls in the Tenderloin are probably strung out on crack, or a combination of any other drugs they find lying around in the street. It's not their fault they get high. But really. this is ridiculous. No feathers in the front grille, so all was well. However, I could have done without the audible smack as the little bird body hit the car. This is too much to handle before 7 am on a weekday!

So when I'm AT Duke....

I am so totally doing this race: Krispy Kreme Challenge

Watch out, challengers....I am gonna win!

I am so not getting into Duke

I just know it. I am re-reading parts of my app (turned in so many months ago) as I try to finish the last one, due Weds. It S.U.C.K.S. What the hell was I saying? Not that what I am writing now is any better, I don't think it is.

But holy cow. These poor readers. I am so sorry.

Never, ever getting in.

Know what else I learned?

Who gives a crap about polenta when you got Obama!

YEAH, Iowa!

Tonight I learned...

that cornmeal and polenta are NOT interchangeable. As in, don't try to make cornbread with your polenta. Just don't.