Category: MBA

The treadmill analogy feels pretty apt right now

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Whenever I go for a run I crank up the speed and sprint for the last 60 seconds or so before my cooldown, so that my heart rate stays up for longer than if I just held the flat pace. I was too tired to run this morning, but I wound up having the same feeling later on today.

This morning (whilst waiting for my LAN connection to be fixed) I went through the requirements of my final course…25-page paper, a couple of 5-page assignments, weekly analysis on discussion topics and about 1,000 pages of reading. Over the summer, no less. So much for a nice, gentle send-off from the MBA program.

Time to sprint.

[tags]mba[/tags]

No, not that CSI

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There are some things I know about myself. One of them is that I simply cannot survive in a club. The music, the translucent people…all hideous.

Why was I even in a club? Well, let me back up: after finishing the exam today we had a ceremony at our corporate headquarters this evening, the first graduation ceremony of two, and most of us went out to celebrate afterwards. I’d never heard of the Brant House; having seen it I wouldn’t have picked it, but I’m not most people, and most people seemed to like it. Put it this way: any place that offers bottle service, and attracts people who would want bottle service, is outside of my wheelhouse.

I stayed long enough to be respectable (i.e., not a pussy) and then fled to safety of my home where I could guarantee the percentage of real people (my wife = 1/1) and control the music that was played. In this case, “Million Star Hotel” by The Constantines: low enough not to wake my wife, but loud enough to expunge all the disco blather and Def Leppard remixes from my head. I scarfed down some food as soon as I got home (dinner was disappointing; at least my friend Russ gave me half his fries) and now I’m typing this, reveling in the knowledge that I don’t have to go to work tomorrow.

Oh, and I’m now officially a Fellow of the ICB (or CSI, or whatever it’s called now) as well as a silver medalist. Imagine my excitement.

[tags]mba, brant house, icb, constantines[/tags]

80.759%

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

So endeth the classroom portion of our program. Please tune in tomorrow when I write the exam.

Just tidying up a few things before I head over to the bar for the traditional pre-exam pizza order. A some point tonight I suppose I should also review my notes or study or something. I’m not too worried. I was talking to my CEO today and he asked whether the exam would be tough or a slam dunk. It was then that I realized I’m sometimes too honest for my own good.

[tags]mba[/tags]

61.518%

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Caught up on work. Responded to emails. Read news feeds, both work and non. Watched some baseball. Had dinner at Alice Fazooli’s. Cruised past my old Delano office. Had a beer with some friends in the bar. Cleaned up my Blackberry. Read my book. Investigated Twitter clients.

I’d say that I could get used to this, but…s’my last time coming up here.

[tags]mba, delano, alice fazooli’s[/tags]

54.896%

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Easiest course ever. Not that I mind a light workload as my brain is clearly ready to turn out the lights on this whole program, but I kind of feel guilty. Shouldn’t I be learning a little more than this?

Whatever. To the bar!

[tags]mba[/tags]

30.468%

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Clearly, I will not be eating here this week. Lunch was Subway. Dinner tonight it looking to be Hero Burger. I expect this trend to hold up as long as things like “turkey cutlet” are the star attraction.

Today was a rough day for many people. I needed about 4 more hours of sleep than I got, so this morning I had coffee for the first time in fifteen years. It’s as disgusting as I remember, but the caffeine helped. I can tell I’m going to fall asleep around 9:00 tonight though.

At least it’s an easy week so far. Prof isn’t bad, lots of breaks, and so on.

[tags]mba, subway, hero burger[/tags]

13.17%

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Can’t talk. Tipsy.

It’s 1:24 and most of us just went to bed. This is, by far, the most silliness so late into the night we’ve experienced on any course.

There was streaking.

That is all.

[tags]mba[/tags]

Rounding the corner

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Tomorrow I go away for the week, to attend the on-site portion of my second-to-last course. It’ll be my last one at our training facility, which has become something of a second home. With, you know, rather unpleasant food.

I won’t lie, I’m kind of looking forward to this one. Not because of the subject matter (though certain aspects of marketing do interest me…just not what we’ve covered in this course) but because it should be relaxing, and it’ll be shorter than most. And there’re some preliminary celebrations happening, so it should be a pretty light week.

My big worry now is getting sick. So far I’ve managed to avoid any colds or flu while I’m on course, but in the last couple of days Nellie has gotten full-on sick and I’m starting to get the sniffles. Oh, and the city is shutting down the DVP and some other roads I’d normally take out of the city. If I’m sick tomorrow in a cab crawling up Bayview or Don Mills, I might start rethinking my early outlook on the week.

[tags]mba[/tags]

Desperate times

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Well, I fear my Canadiens have had it. They were down almost the entire game, came storming back in the third to tie it up, and then a horrendous call by a referee late in the game (against one of the Canadiens’ best penalty killers, naturally) gave the Flyers a power play, et voila…3 games to 1, Philadelphia. To be honest, I’d be surprised if Montreal can win Saturday night, even on their home ice…something like that must just be so deflating.

If you’re going to call chintzy penalties, call the dozen interference and holding calls you should’ve called on Philadelphia this series. If you’re going to put the whistle away, then keep it away in the FINAL MINUTES OF A TIE PLAYOFF GAME, crapweasels.

.:.

92.11% of the way through the MBA just doesn’t feel like enough right now. I’m past the point of being ambivalent about it; I’m outright annoyed at still having 112 days to go.  I’m away on the second-to-last course next week, and then it’s the home stretch; let’s see if I can stay awake.

[tags]mba, canadiens[/tags]

Today is April 23rd

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

One year ago today we moved into our condo. Nellie has dubbed today condoversary. This does not surprise me. She has dubbed Feb 13 engageversary and Feb 16 cativersary. A little part of me is tempted to start sleeping around to see if I can invoke divorceversary.

Two months from today we will be hiking and sleeping at Lake O’Hara in the Rockies.

Four months from today I will be enjoying my first day of post-MBA freedom.

Today is April 23rd.

Big day.

[tags]april 23, condo, lake o’hara, mba[/tags]