Where's Nate?

living large in the four-oh-eight. wicked large.

9.28.2005

homesick.

Things I miss:
• taking Fenway out for midnight walks.
• dinner conversations with Paige over turkey burgers or grilled pizza.
• a state where it doesn't rain every ten minutes.
• TiVo.
• driving to a Giants game after work.
• hours of the day that aren't devoted to homework.
• mowing our lawn and picking our lemons and oranges.
• a steady paycheck.

It's worth it, though. Thank you Paige and Fenway for making this all possible.

in my inbox.

This one arrived yesterday in my email account:

JELLO SHOT PARTY - Mixer w/ Med school
Many of you have expressed interest in meeting students from other schools.
Here's your chance to meet students from the med school, SNRE, and other
graduate schools at Michigan.
PS: They plan to have 3000 Jello shots.....


No explanation necessary. Those crazy med students.

9.26.2005

adverbalicious.

My good friend, Wendy, is trying her damndest to avoid finishing up her degree at St. Mary's. So she sent me the following entry. Fresh content from fresh voices. Love it!

Have you noticed lately, how many people say stuff like:

"We're doing wonderful". For proof of this, look at Britney Spears press release statement re: baby Preston Sean Spears Federline.

Or how about "He's thinking very positive."

Are we not teaching the proper use of adverbs anymore?? Are 7th grade teachers everywhere falling down on the job? This may not seem like a big deal, but now that you are aware of it, see how many times you hear the all-to-often incorrect use of adverbs over the next month.

People, listen up. If you've forgotten how to use an adverb, or even what one is, read this.

We all need to get on this adverb band wagon expeditiously.

9.25.2005

rock on.

Saw Interpol tonight at the Michigan Theater. And considering I only know two of their songs, it was a very solid performance. There's something about live music in a college town that's even more intoxicating than your favorite beer. It has to do with the energy of the crowd, the smoke hanging like a fog bank above the stage, and the radiant heat thrown off by hundreds of indie rock fans. Never mind that the group of MBA1s I went with were a bit outside (read: "OLD") of the target demographic.

interpol
(it looks like the final scene from "close encounters", eh?)

So if you find yourself within thirty minutes of a live Interpol show, get after it. You won't be disappointed.

9.24.2005

ouch.

The consensus was that the Econ midterm was harder than Section 5ers had anticipated. Much harder. Of course, that means folks will probably average 85% instead of 95%. As long as I stay within one standard devation of the mean, I'm satisfied. (Stats has clearly gone to my head.)

So for the first time in a couple of weeks, we actually have a (gasp) light academic week. In anticipation of that hall pass, folks seem to really be tearing it up this weekend. Good stuff.

9.21.2005

study break.

So we have an Econ midterm on Friday. As a liberal arts kid, I've never taken Econ (or anything quantitative before). So why should I start studying now?

brownjug
(what's the demand curve for miller lite?)

Here's to Section 5, rallying for a late night beer run at the Brown Jug. Grades don't matter, right?

9.20.2005

we're #2.

Dropping slightly from our first place ranking last year, RSB was ranked the #2 MBA program in the country by the Wall Street Journal. This is a big honor for the folks in Ann Arbor and proves that Michigan continues to produce strong, socially conscious business leaders. Our friends at Harvard and Stanford aren't even in the Baker's Dozen.

wsj
(anybody home in cambridge?)

What else can we be proud of? We're #4 in Top Schools for Recruiting Women and #1 in Top Schools for Recruiting Minorities. Go Blue, indeed.

Now, our detractors will question the methodology of the rankings, which survey recruiters to determine where they find the best talent. And others will point to US News and BusinessWeek, where Michigan rounds out the top ten. Who cares? It's all about the marketing, baby. And having Kellogg, Wharton, and HBS in the rearview mirror is oh so sweet.

It almost makes me forget about that ding from Stanford last April. Almost.

9.19.2005

the magic of recruiting.

I attended my first CPG corporate presentation this evening to learn more about how I could do brand management for the rest of my life. On-campus recruiting at Ross is a very structured process, akin to a dance. You have to tuck in your shirt, sign in to prove that you didn't miss the presentation, press the flesh with company representatives, and ask intelligent questions.

Then you get free stuff. Tonight I walked off with a bag from the unnamed CPG company and filled it with containers of soup and countless packets of tuna. I guess I know what I'll be eating for lunch. For the next few weeks.

I'm coming to realize that the on-campus job search might not be for me. The companies I am interested in learning more about don't typically make the trek to Ann Arbor. I guess it's hard for small to medium size tech companies to justify a costly trip in search of a tiny number of MBA Interns at a school known primarily for Marketing, Finance, and General Management.

This is not to say I won't be able to find a job. Rather, it's clear that a job won't find me.

9.18.2005

a month is a long time.

Paige was in Ann Arbor this weekend and we had a blast hanging out with friends from Grand Rapids, Ross, and at the football game. But, most of all, we had fun together (for the first time in a month). And after a long week of classes and assorted responsibilities, I needed a break from the B-school norm.

Highlights of the weekend included two dinners on Friday night (Zingerman's at 5:00p and Grizzly Peak at 9:30p), a Hurricane Katrina benefit at Leopold's, a UM romp over Eastern Michigan (see below), and a romantic dinner at a local Italian joint.

pnbighouse
(we win. 55-0.)

I'm so lucky to have such a supportive better half. And I'm counting the days until I get back to the Bay Area.

poor farm.

Tuition is due in ten days. Holy crap. Good thing I've grown quite fond of Miller Light and $1 pizza slices at The Backroom.

9.15.2005

google.edu

Google continues a steady march toward world domination with the recent launch of this. It doesn't appear that the Googloos have developed any new killer apps for college kids, but targeting the segment is an interesting move. (Thanks to Reed for picking up on this one.)

9.14.2005

searching for dubya.

You've probably already seen this, but go to Google and search for "failure". Given the ongoing bumble-fest in the Middle East and the recent immobilization to respond to Katrina, I couldn't agree more.

9.10.2005

rudy sucks.

So we lost to Notre Dame today. An ugly game. Big time U-G-L-Y in the Big House. Michigan had too many opportunities to score, and failed on almost all of them. But it was a beautiful day at the stadium and my fellow MBA1s were enjoying the company, free beer, and general wackiness associated with game day in Ann Arbor.
bus
(drinking beer at 9:00a. before we got our ass kicked by rudy.)

Better luck next time!

9.09.2005

pink shirts.

Friday was the annual MBA Games, which pits every section against each other in traditional (football, softball, v-ball) and not-so-traditional (kickball, dodgeball, briefcase-tossing) athletic endeavors. Basically, it's a chance for MBA1s to run around a field all day, pretending to be 16 years old. It's also an excuse to spend the next 48 hours in sheer agony.

I originally signed up to play one v-ball game and captain the kickball squad. But what *actually* happened was as follows:

8:30a-->Arrive at the field. Stretch out.
9:00a-->First v-ball game. We win a tough one in three sets.
10:00a->Get dragged onto the dodgeball "court" to have rubber balls thrown at my head for 20 minutes.
10:25a->A scheduling surprise reveals that we have another v-ball game. Back to the court to win a tough one in three sets.
11:00a->Kickball field. Lose a heartbreaker, 6-5.
12:00p->Wolf down three inches of sandwich and chug a gatorade.
12:30p->Begin complaining about blisters.
1:00p-->V-ball semifinals. We lose in three sets to the team we beat at 10:00a.
2:00p-->Pulled onto the softball field to do my best Bill Buckner impersonation. We lose in the finals.

So we came in last place, which means the MBA1s in Section 5 next year will wear pink shirts in the MBA Games. Sucks to be them...err, us.

Of course, no MBA Games would be complete without a stinky group of sectionmates invading a local watering hole. And it looks like this...
mbagames
(who stinks? we stink!)

Better luck next time!

9.08.2005

f-i-v-e.

What happens when you take 450 first-year MBAs, break them up into arbitrary sections, convince them to yell at each other for an hour during a corporate-sponsored Shout! Off, and then give $500 to the winners?

Well, this happens.

shout
(click for Shout! Off pix)

Our section...Section 5...tore it up with a medley of old school hip-hop and a not-so-veiled brown-nose job to the sponsors. And, of course, every sentence included a reference to five, cinco, go, phive, etc. When the dust settled after Round One, we went toe-to-toe with Section 6 and busted out our special "finals" cheer. Guess who won the $500?

We're loud, we're cocky, we're obnoxious. I love these guys.

standing up.

OK, so I'm mildly annoyed by the email I received from the UM Athletic Department today. It seems that the old people can't see the field. Whatever.

The University of Michigan Athletic Department has always done its best to give each student an opportunity to buy a season ticket to watch the Wolverines play football.

This year, the demand for student tickets was so great; we could not place every student in the student section. We had to place many students in the lower rows of the south end zone.

For those students who sit in sections 11, 12 and 13, we are asking you to respect the other Wolverine fans by not standing for the entire game. Students standing for long periods of time are subject to removal. While we appreciate your enthusiasm and support, we ask your cooperation in this matter. Thank you.

9.06.2005

operation: full-time student.

Today was Day One of the MBA academic adventure, with class sessions in Econ and Stats. Classes are two hours long, with everything running on "Michigan time" (aka, ten minutes late). The biggest transition for me has been getting used to technology in the classroom. Everything from profs using PowerPoint slides (and passing them out) to online course management tools. It's a brave new academic world.

In other news, my section elected me to be a representative for the UMBSA (the social planning board for B-school students). It's good to be the party chair.

9.04.2005

welcome to the big house.

Saturday in Ann Arbor means football and beer and more beer. Here's the itinerary from yesterday:
big house
(apologies for the camera phone, although it's remarkably similar to my vision that afternoon)

10:00a: Wake up.
11:00a: Throw on the maize and blue T-shirt and cap.
12:00p: The Bus. Beer consumption and pong-playing with my classmates.
1:30p: B-school Student Association tailgate at the golf course. More beer and free food at a corporate sponsored tailgate.
3:00p: Arrive at the Big House with 110,000 of my closest friends.
3:30p: Kick-off.
5:30p: After beating the crap out of Northern Illinois, back to The Bus.
9:00p: Leave The Bus to grab a burrito at Big Ten Burrito.
10:30p: More beer at a MBA1 keg party.
11:30p: Tiger Woods on the XBox with the Boys.
1:30a: Bedtime

Looking forward to Notre Dame this weekend. Look out, Rudy!

9.02.2005

hug your neighbor.

The last day of Orientation at Ross was a very satisfying and emotional one. Each section went out into the community to work on a service project. Section 5 spent the day with The Greening of Detroit, an organization whose mission is to plant trees and gardens in the depressed areas of the Motor City.

My group cleared out dozens of wheelbarrows full of brush, laid down mulch, and planted a section of a garden at an urban high school for teenage mothers. I even got to drive a tractor for the first time since I spent summers in Nebraska.
tractor
(raising hell on the urban farm)

Bodies sore and sunburned, we headed back to campus to hear from the founder of Focus: HOPE. Her speech, from the heart, moved many of my classmates to tears. Many of us (including myself) personally pledged to her that we would support her organization during this academic year.

This is what makes a place like Michigan so great. Where even business school students hold global citizenship in the highest regard.