the calm before the storm.

Graduation is a little over 24 hours away and I'm finally finding time for a break. It's been a whirlwind over the past week, primarily on the social front. My team finished -5 in the MBA Golf Scramble on Monday, good enough to finish in third place on a very windy day. Tuesday night was karaoke, lubricated by a beer or two. My disaster of an apartment is now in a little bit of order, in anticipation of visitors.

Oh yeah, I finished my coursework, too.

I'm lucky to have a big crowd join me for the weekend. Paige is coming, obviously, as are her folks from Cincy. My parents are coming along with my brother and his wife. Even my grandparents are coming from Nebraska. What can I say? My family loves graduations.

I suspect that one reason I need to rent a minivan to handle all of these family members is that I'm going to need a cheering section. I was selected to be the MBA Student Speaker at Commencement, which is quite an honor. I'm excited to share a few thoughts with a crowd of 5,000+. Hopefully everyone will laugh when they're "supposed" to.

In other news, the MBA2s nominated classmates for superlative awards (which were announced yesterday). I was nominated "Most MO" and "Most Likely to be CEO." I'm not sure what to make of this beyond the fact that apparently the company I'm going to run will have a great culture. Either that, or I'm now cursed to a career in middle management. Or working remotely.

I didn't win either award, which is fine. The "Most MO" went to a dear friend of mine, A-Train, who deserved it waaaaaay more than me. Besides, people annoy me.

Finally, still on the award front. It appears that I'll be graduating with High Distinction, which ain't bad for a guy whose last math class was 13 years ago and who spent the better part of the last two years working (for Apple, then Dell) 10-15 hours a week while taking a full load. Reject that, Stanford!

In hindsight, while it was tough to leave California for Ann Arbor, I can't imagine a better place to get my degree. Everyone here works and plays hard. We truly pushed each other inside and outside of the classroom. And in a little over 24 hours, we're going to return to the real world and take all things Michigan with us.

marital capital.

It's been said recently (see below) that Paige has built up a considerable amount of marital capital for sending me alone to Ann Arbor for two years. I certainly don't disagree.

So what should she get in return? I'm thinking a fantastic summer vacation, just the two of us, would be a great start. And I invite suggestions. Feel free to leave them in the comments section.

nine days.

Wow. It's been a while since my last post. And the reason is pretty simple: I'm graduating next week. So there's been a flurry of group projects, final presentations, individual papers, and other academic wackiness. I'm happy to report that this will wrap up shortly, which leads me to Disorientation Week.

It's just what it sounds like. A week in which graduating MBA2s unlearn everything we've learned over the past two years in a flurry of social activities. Days of golf, bar crawls, semi-formals, boozy picnics. You name it, we're doing it. And with family and friends arriving for the big day in a little over a week, it's kind of the last hurrah.

More to come as I try to wind down my short career in Ann Arbor in style.

old dog, new tricks.

With Paige in Ann Arbor for the week, Fenway was under the watchful eye of my brother and his wife in San Jose. Prior to this visit, Fen knew two tricks: sit and lie down. After a lot of hard work by his aunt and uncle, Fen added a third trick to his repertoire. Amazing! Doggie parents are so easily amused.

it's pronounced beeline.

On a cold and blustery day in Ann Arbor, there's a new sheriff in town:

After an extensive search process, it is with great pride that I introduce John Beilein as the 16th head coach of the Michigan Men's Basketball program. Please join me in welcoming John and his family to Michigan and the Ann Arbor Community!

Thanks, Bill Martin, Director of Athletics for the personal note. And good luck, John. Hopefully we'll end up better off than West Virginia.