Where's Nate?

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

9.24.2006

at the top of the heap.

One of the few things in Ann Arbor ranked higher than our #6 football team is the Ross School of Business. That's right, we're the top-ranked business school in the country according to the Wall Street Journal. That's pretty cool. You can argue with the methodology of this ranking (which prefers reputation in the eyes of recruiters) all you want. The fact is that this is a pretty special place with amazing students and faculty. And a giant hole where the old B-school used to be.

where are harvard (#14) and stanford (#18)?

Add this to Middlebury's #5 ranking among the best national liberal arts colleges, and those tuition dollars are starting to make a bit more sense.

9.20.2006

rapids.

So even though it was over a month ago (which is crazy), I have thought often about running the Middle Fork of the American River with our Mtrek. And here's a bit of photo documentation:


That's me in the back right of the boat. Laughing my ass off. What better way to bond with new found friends than in 45-degree water and Class IV rapids?

9.18.2006

greener grass.

An interesting article today on BusinessWeek Online about Intel and Yahoo! and major ad campaign launches. The Yahoo! dilemma is an interesting one. With Google currently controlling the search market, Yahoo! is pushing users to set yahoo.com as their homepage. It remains to be seen whether or not this grabs incremental users or simply maintains and delights the current user base.

9.15.2006

tommy trojan, tommy trouble.

On the eve of one of the biggest college football Saturdays of the season, Yahoo! Sports has published a long article that seems to confirm that all is not well in the City of Angels. Allegedly, Reggie Bush and his family accepted $100k in "financial benefits" from marketing agents during his tenure at USC. Uh-oh.

(A side observation. Since when did Yahoo! Sports ascend in credibility to the point where it is cited as a source on ESPN and CBS News. Media company, indeed.)

One of the more inflammatory articles suggests that USC should be stripped of the title they captured during the 2004 season. While this seems a bit extreme, Pete Carroll and the Trojan Athletic Department shouldn't get off scot-free if these allegations are factual. One thing is for certain, when SC squares off against Nebraska tomorrow evening, little of the chatter will be about what should be a good game.

Here's my personal dilemma. I'm a lifelong Huskers (the land of my entire extended family) fan who has adopted USC (where my brother and sister-in-law taught me the two finger salute). While I say I want a "good game" I won't know my true feelings until kick-off. And it's likely to be more scarlet and cream than cardinal and gold.

Oh, and Michigan and Notre Dame are facing off in South Bend tomorrow. Guess what I'll be doing from 3:30pm until midnight. Here's to going 3-0, Blue.

9.13.2006

real men of genius.

I'm not a huge fan of passing around stuff like this. But considering that no fewer than a dozen people have sent me the following link, it's worth sharing: Bud Light Commercials. Highlights include: Mr. Gasoline BBQ Starter, Mr. Silent Killer Gas Passer, Mr Jean Shorts Inventor

You get the idea. And if you have some spare time, you'll get the idea early and often.

9.07.2006

so long, relish wheel.

Sad news last week from Middlebury was related to me by no less than five Midd alums from all corners of the country. It appears that a staple of the Addison County lifestyle, Dog Team Tavern, burned to the ground under semi-suspicious circumstances. This was THE place to take Mom and Dad on Parent's Weekend. It was a popular date spot for undergrads who could scrape enough pennies together. And it was a landmark for yours truly, who parked in the Dog Team lot every summer evening to fly-fish on the New Haven River for browns and brookies.

It's crazy to think that a place so pure and simple left such a lasting impact on me. Perhaps it's the taste and smell of the sticky buns served immediately before every meal. Or the infamous relish wheel that seemed to float around the restaurant and magically arrive at your table. Or the way you ordered upon arrival, like a Colonial-era taqueria on steroids.

Places like this are becoming increasingly elusive. Which is why we should embrace what we have and celebrate what we had.

UPDATE: Here's a comprehensive article from the Burlington Free Press.

9.04.2006

the calm before the storm.

The last few days in Ann Arbor have been a blast: football games, golf, meeting the new class, having an occasional beer, buying textbooks. The usual pre-term stuff.

Meanwhile, I'm desperately trying to get back into the academic swing of things. Which has been relatively easy given the light reading load I have this week. For example, two of my five profs have asked us to "review the syllabus." Cool.

After doing my homework, it's clear that my "Crisis Management" course is going to be a weekly event. Here's the deal. Every week a CEO or Chairman from a major corporation (we're talking Fortune 100 companies) will present to our class. And each student prepares for the class and plays a role in the discussion. For example, next week we're talking to a CEO of a major fast food company and one of us will participate as if we were a major documentary director who made a film about eating food at said establishment every day for a month. Get it?

I'm not sure I do, yet. But given the topics, speakers, and high level of talent in the classroom, it should make for excellent ratings.