Saturday, August 27, 2005
I love the cleaning ladies
I just sneaked out to get a look at the bathroom (which they are finished with) and discovered that they folded the end of our toilet paper roll into a little rosette! I am disproportionately delighted by such things.
They're here
It is noon on Saturday and I've been cooped up in my bedroom for an hour and a half. Jeff is out cold in the bed. He was awake from 4 am to 9 am, surfing the internet, playing computer games, and trying to get a solidly-asleep-me to talk to him. For the past three hours, however, he's been out cold with the help of one of those funny eye covers that they give you on airplanes and a pair ear plugs. Normally I would be poking him, jumping on the bed, and trying to get him to entertain me on this sunny afternoon, but for now we can't leave the bedroom, so I figure asleep is a good way for him to be.
We can't leave the bedroom because they're here -- the cleaning ladies are here. They're cleaning like I have never seen anyone clean before: attacking all surfaces, nooks, and crannies at an astounding pace. I'd never thought to scrub the moldings at the top of our walls before, though they are shockingly dirty. They cleaned out our fridge and freezer and asked me if I wanted them to organize and wash the insides of all of our cupboards. I can hear them scrubbing the grout in the bathroom now, and one of them said something about washing the windows in the living room. Who knew that money could buy this kind of heaven?
The path to retaining the services of cleaners was a long, emotional road. I'll admit there was initially a lot of guilt on my part. I felt like I should be able to clean up after myself (though there has been no time in my life when I have successfully been able to do that). Paying someone to clean up after me somehow felt like taking advantage -- transforming me into The Man. Then I realized I'm getting an MBA and I am The Man, so I should get over it.
I also realized that it's not taking advantage, it's a fair exchange -- money for a valued service. Their services aren't cheap. The cleaning ladies are compensated well for their time. Thankfully, my roommates and I have an ideal situation, since we can split the cost three ways. It's a good deal for us, women who tend to be so busy that we never do anything more than superficial cleaning.
I also feel like I've been pretty responsible in my choice of cleaners. I didn't go through a commercial cleaning service, such as those listed in the phone book, because I know that though you're paying a lot the workers only get minimum wage. The woman I hired has a legal work permit (she's Brazilian) and has been doing this for years. She's not underage and she's very professional. Her fees aren't the cheapest out there, and by doing the math I know that she can make a decent living doing this. I feel like the compensation is fair to her, which was important to me.
We can't leave the bedroom because they're here -- the cleaning ladies are here. They're cleaning like I have never seen anyone clean before: attacking all surfaces, nooks, and crannies at an astounding pace. I'd never thought to scrub the moldings at the top of our walls before, though they are shockingly dirty. They cleaned out our fridge and freezer and asked me if I wanted them to organize and wash the insides of all of our cupboards. I can hear them scrubbing the grout in the bathroom now, and one of them said something about washing the windows in the living room. Who knew that money could buy this kind of heaven?
The path to retaining the services of cleaners was a long, emotional road. I'll admit there was initially a lot of guilt on my part. I felt like I should be able to clean up after myself (though there has been no time in my life when I have successfully been able to do that). Paying someone to clean up after me somehow felt like taking advantage -- transforming me into The Man. Then I realized I'm getting an MBA and I am The Man, so I should get over it.
I also realized that it's not taking advantage, it's a fair exchange -- money for a valued service. Their services aren't cheap. The cleaning ladies are compensated well for their time. Thankfully, my roommates and I have an ideal situation, since we can split the cost three ways. It's a good deal for us, women who tend to be so busy that we never do anything more than superficial cleaning.
I also feel like I've been pretty responsible in my choice of cleaners. I didn't go through a commercial cleaning service, such as those listed in the phone book, because I know that though you're paying a lot the workers only get minimum wage. The woman I hired has a legal work permit (she's Brazilian) and has been doing this for years. She's not underage and she's very professional. Her fees aren't the cheapest out there, and by doing the math I know that she can make a decent living doing this. I feel like the compensation is fair to her, which was important to me.
And another thing...
Who came up with the name "fantasy" football? It sounds so silly. The word "fantasy" connotes either porn, or something involving winged horses and magical gnomes. I can't believe that the larger football community has adopted something that sounds so decidedly not-tough.
Fantasy football is dumb
For those of you who might be blessed enough to not have encountered the fantasy football phenomenon, let me try to explain it. A bunch of football fanatics get together in a league. Each person gets to draft his or her own team and then all the teams compete for the duration of the real-life football season. As far as I can figure out, scoring systems vary depending on how your league has set things up, but most are based on the real-life performance of players in the real-life games that they play for their real-life teams. Most games are set up through websites that do all the scoring automatically once you've registered the players that are on each team.
It appears to me that the primary purpose of fantasy football is to provide subject matter for shit-talking between dudes. It's also customary to wager a fair amount of money on the success of your team, so maybe a secondary purpose could be to win a little money? The dudes I know, one dude in particular, has only lost money on fantasy football, so I'm not sure I can legitimately list that as a perk of the game.
I can't help but view fantasy football in the same way I see those fantasy-based, interactive video games where techie geeks spend entire weekends battling for magical armor. Why spend so much time on pretend armor, or pretend football, when there's an entire world going on out here that's real! You could be playing a real game of football with all of your friends in the park. Then you could go get real beers and talk to each other about real current events. There are real hikes to go on, real classes to take, real books to read...
You may even have a real girlfriend sitting next to you and your laptop, who would love for you to pay some real attention to her.
It appears to me that the primary purpose of fantasy football is to provide subject matter for shit-talking between dudes. It's also customary to wager a fair amount of money on the success of your team, so maybe a secondary purpose could be to win a little money? The dudes I know, one dude in particular, has only lost money on fantasy football, so I'm not sure I can legitimately list that as a perk of the game.
I can't help but view fantasy football in the same way I see those fantasy-based, interactive video games where techie geeks spend entire weekends battling for magical armor. Why spend so much time on pretend armor, or pretend football, when there's an entire world going on out here that's real! You could be playing a real game of football with all of your friends in the park. Then you could go get real beers and talk to each other about real current events. There are real hikes to go on, real classes to take, real books to read...
You may even have a real girlfriend sitting next to you and your laptop, who would love for you to pay some real attention to her.
Friday, August 26, 2005
Update on the jeans project
After finally reading the actual assignment handout for the pricing project, I realized that my group would not only have to be able to access information about the wholesale price of whichever brand of designer jeans we might choose, but also information regarding the actual cost of their production for the company. Obviously, none of the designer denim labels are willing to discuss this sort of thing. They don't want it to get out that you're paying $185 for a pair of jeans it costs them $10 to make.
To complicate matters, the assignment handout includes this paragraph:
"In part, this project is a test of your resourcefulness and skill inobtaining information. To keep the problem manageable, you must, however,limit your data search to materials contained in the U.C. Berkeley library system or which are freely available via the Internet."
That sentence might imply that contacting a company directly and interviewing them is off limits, which makes the project a whole hell of a lot more difficult. If it's true, we would be better off focusing on a product made by a large public company -- one that has been the focus of many articles and reports (like the new hybrid SUV by Toyota?). We're currently trying to confirm the exact limits on our research techniques.
The funny part is, that the guys in our group are still totally dedicated to the designer jeans concept. I have never seen straight men so enthusiastic about jeans that cost over $100. Their enthusiasm blossomed right after Jenny (the other female group member) explained to them that the placement of the pockets on 7 jeans is supposed to have an ass-lifting effect, making women's butts appear tighter.
To complicate matters, the assignment handout includes this paragraph:
"In part, this project is a test of your resourcefulness and skill inobtaining information. To keep the problem manageable, you must, however,limit your data search to materials contained in the U.C. Berkeley library system or which are freely available via the Internet."
That sentence might imply that contacting a company directly and interviewing them is off limits, which makes the project a whole hell of a lot more difficult. If it's true, we would be better off focusing on a product made by a large public company -- one that has been the focus of many articles and reports (like the new hybrid SUV by Toyota?). We're currently trying to confirm the exact limits on our research techniques.
The funny part is, that the guys in our group are still totally dedicated to the designer jeans concept. I have never seen straight men so enthusiastic about jeans that cost over $100. Their enthusiasm blossomed right after Jenny (the other female group member) explained to them that the placement of the pockets on 7 jeans is supposed to have an ass-lifting effect, making women's butts appear tighter.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Confession
I ordered a subscription to Us Weekly for our apartment. We are now so up on the details of Jude Law's nanny sex and what toys Angelina bought Zahara that it is embarrassing. A new magazine comes every weekend and they're basically crack in print. I think that the year's worth of Us Weekly might be an even better use of seventy bucks than the paper shredder. I am 100% serious, people.
We just had a lengthy conversation in the kitchen, over cookies and milk, about what Britney and K-Fed's options are once they run out of money. Perhaps K-Fed's career as a rap star will take off? More likely Madonna will take them in.
That conversation was followed with conjecture about what it is that Nicole Richie does when she's not having her photo taken to be printed in Us Weekly. Does her existence serve any other purpose?
Last, but not least, it was argued that Brad and Angelina likely paid Jude Law to sleep with his frumpy nanny, simply in order to get the tabloids off their backs for a little while.
No one is engaging me in this sort of back and forth about the Wall Street Journal articles I've been reading.
We just had a lengthy conversation in the kitchen, over cookies and milk, about what Britney and K-Fed's options are once they run out of money. Perhaps K-Fed's career as a rap star will take off? More likely Madonna will take them in.
That conversation was followed with conjecture about what it is that Nicole Richie does when she's not having her photo taken to be printed in Us Weekly. Does her existence serve any other purpose?
Last, but not least, it was argued that Brad and Angelina likely paid Jude Law to sleep with his frumpy nanny, simply in order to get the tabloids off their backs for a little while.
No one is engaging me in this sort of back and forth about the Wall Street Journal articles I've been reading.
You guys know your jeans
Thanks for all the brand suggestions. We decided we wanted to focus on 7 jeans (they've been around for more than five years now and their prices have had some time to fluctuate as the brand popularity grows), but the professor says we have to be able to find out the wholesale price that 7 sells the jeans to retailers for, as opposed to the price you or I might pay. After being flat out denied by the saleslady I called at the 7 showroom today ("I'm sorry, I can't divulge that information even if you are a student."), we're brainstorming ways we might be able to access this info.
Ideas? Anyone know people in retail who would be willing to help some starving MBA students?
Ideas? Anyone know people in retail who would be willing to help some starving MBA students?
Monday, August 22, 2005
Name your brand
Tonight's theme at RBlog is reader participation.
One of my group projects for micro econ is going to be about designer jeans. The project focuses specificially on pricing.
Anyhoo, I need to come up with a good list of brand-name designer jeans. I'm not really interested in general clothing designers that might also offer jeans, but more on companies that have built their business around jeans. Think over $100 per pair. I'll get you started:
7 jeans
Citizens of Humanity
Joe's Jeans
Paige Premium Denim...
What others are there?
One of my group projects for micro econ is going to be about designer jeans. The project focuses specificially on pricing.
Anyhoo, I need to come up with a good list of brand-name designer jeans. I'm not really interested in general clothing designers that might also offer jeans, but more on companies that have built their business around jeans. Think over $100 per pair. I'll get you started:
7 jeans
Citizens of Humanity
Joe's Jeans
Paige Premium Denim...
What others are there?
Beat around the hedge?
Posting my random questions has been working so well for me that I think I'm going to stick with it for awhile.
Tonight in class, I learned what hedging is (like when airlines buy hedges on jet fuel costs).
Here's my question: Does this use of the word "hedge" have anything to do with the "hedge funds" that are the topic of so many a Wall Street Journal article? What is a hedge fund?
Please note, I have entered "hedge fund" in Google and tried to come up with an explanation on my own. I didn't have much luck. I need an explanation in very basic terms.
Tonight in class, I learned what hedging is (like when airlines buy hedges on jet fuel costs).
Here's my question: Does this use of the word "hedge" have anything to do with the "hedge funds" that are the topic of so many a Wall Street Journal article? What is a hedge fund?
Please note, I have entered "hedge fund" in Google and tried to come up with an explanation on my own. I didn't have much luck. I need an explanation in very basic terms.
Poll time
Okay, RBlog readers -- I need your opinions. What color of shoes is best to wear with a navy blue suit? If it impacts your answer at all, the suit in question has pin-stripes.
If your answer to this question is not black or brown, then the second part of the question is this: Is it ever acceptable to wear black or brown shoes with a navy suit?
If your answer to this question is not black or brown, then the second part of the question is this: Is it ever acceptable to wear black or brown shoes with a navy suit?
Friday, August 19, 2005
Shread head
It occurred to me that some of you might be wondering why I'm so excited about the new shredder, or perhaps you're wondering how it is that a single girl in her twenties has had personal relationships with more than one paper shredder?
I get tons of junk mail. TONS. The majority of it is pre-approved credit card applications (most of which are already filled out with my identification information and only require a signature), but there are also all sorts of magazine subscription forms, catalogs, letters from charities wanting donations, and other such crap.
Most of it I just recycle, but anything with personal info on it -- including all of the pre-approved forms, I shred. Sometimes the forms are for pre-approved loans, not credit cards. They just come in the form of blank checks. I hate those most of all. How tough would it be for someone to pull one of those out of the recycling bin, write it to him or herself, and cash it? Not hard.
For awhile I tried calling the companies to get them to stop sending the blank checks. With as much talk as there is about identity theft lately, it seems like an obvious liability. But calling didn't work; they keep coming.
In the last two weeks I was able to fill up an entire grocery sack with junk mail to be shredded.
I get tons of junk mail. TONS. The majority of it is pre-approved credit card applications (most of which are already filled out with my identification information and only require a signature), but there are also all sorts of magazine subscription forms, catalogs, letters from charities wanting donations, and other such crap.
Most of it I just recycle, but anything with personal info on it -- including all of the pre-approved forms, I shred. Sometimes the forms are for pre-approved loans, not credit cards. They just come in the form of blank checks. I hate those most of all. How tough would it be for someone to pull one of those out of the recycling bin, write it to him or herself, and cash it? Not hard.
For awhile I tried calling the companies to get them to stop sending the blank checks. With as much talk as there is about identity theft lately, it seems like an obvious liability. But calling didn't work; they keep coming.
In the last two weeks I was able to fill up an entire grocery sack with junk mail to be shredded.
e again!
If you've read, heard, or watched any news in the last 16 hours, you probably know that Google has decided to sell off 14.2 million shares of stock, which will be worth about $4 billion.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the exact number of shares they plan to sell is 14,159,265. The digits in that number are the same digits that follow the decimal point in the value of pi. It seems the corporate culture down at Google must be a little quirky, and have a heavy math geek influence. During the company's IPO, they stated in the official paperwork that they wanted to raise $2,718,281,828. Those digits are the digits in the value for the magical number e (e is equal to around 2.718281828), from calculus.
It was exciting to find another instance of my old friend e, albeit not a naturally occuring one.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the exact number of shares they plan to sell is 14,159,265. The digits in that number are the same digits that follow the decimal point in the value of pi. It seems the corporate culture down at Google must be a little quirky, and have a heavy math geek influence. During the company's IPO, they stated in the official paperwork that they wanted to raise $2,718,281,828. Those digits are the digits in the value for the magical number e (e is equal to around 2.718281828), from calculus.
It was exciting to find another instance of my old friend e, albeit not a naturally occuring one.
Another question
Does anyone know how Google makes money? What services or products do they provide that they charge for?
Thursday, August 18, 2005
The best $65 I've spent all month
Today, while I was dealing with stack of junk mail, I permanently jammed my paper shredder. I broke it -- it was an extremely sad event. The shredder and I had been together for several years now. It wasn't powerful or fancy, but we had history. My little shredder was originally a Valentine's gift from Jeff and had a lot of sentimental value.
I consoled myself by immediately running down to the neighborhood Radio Shack and buying the most deluxe shredder I could get my hands on. It worked! I haven't gotten such a charge out of shredding since the first days I had my little blue Valentine's shredder.
My new Royal Crosscut Paper Shredder can shred up to ten sheets of paper simultaneously, and it shreds credit cards! Ooooh. No job is too tough for the power of the Crosscut. It reduces eveything I feed it into confetti-like bits, instead of the standard strips. It also has wheels and makes a loud motor noise (an intimidating purr, if you will) while it's working.
Shredding is magical again.
I consoled myself by immediately running down to the neighborhood Radio Shack and buying the most deluxe shredder I could get my hands on. It worked! I haven't gotten such a charge out of shredding since the first days I had my little blue Valentine's shredder.
My new Royal Crosscut Paper Shredder can shred up to ten sheets of paper simultaneously, and it shreds credit cards! Ooooh. No job is too tough for the power of the Crosscut. It reduces eveything I feed it into confetti-like bits, instead of the standard strips. It also has wheels and makes a loud motor noise (an intimidating purr, if you will) while it's working.
Shredding is magical again.
Can anyone explain this?
Last night in class, my OB* professor said, "The problem with oil companies is that they're often making too much money." He then went on to describe the different measures they have to take to "hide" money with somewhat creative accounting.
I don't understand how a company could make too much money. Can anyone out there provide an explanation?
*If you're wondering what OB is, it's an abbreviation for Organizational Behavior. We're currently studying motivation and things along the lines of how you get people to do what you want them to.
I don't understand how a company could make too much money. Can anyone out there provide an explanation?
*If you're wondering what OB is, it's an abbreviation for Organizational Behavior. We're currently studying motivation and things along the lines of how you get people to do what you want them to.
The work website
I take back what I said about being impressed with my work website getting over 2000 hits in a month. I just realized that 2000 really isn't that many for a corporate website that's been up for at least five years. Oh well.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
I need some help
I need some help peer pressuring Clare into buying a digital camera.
These days, pretty much everyone has a digital camera. I'll admit that don't, but I would if I wasn't pouring all my money into tuition. And I definitely would if I was preggers, lived on the East Coast, and at least half the people who loved me lived on the West Coast.
We need some graphics on The Bucky Blog. You're only pregnant with your firstborn once, you know?
These days, pretty much everyone has a digital camera. I'll admit that don't, but I would if I wasn't pouring all my money into tuition. And I definitely would if I was preggers, lived on the East Coast, and at least half the people who loved me lived on the West Coast.
We need some graphics on The Bucky Blog. You're only pregnant with your firstborn once, you know?
Found the perfect swimming hole
There's a campsite up north that I've been going to for the past few summers. It's in the middle of nowhere -- part of the Plumas National Forest. Some of you have gone with me and know what a special place it is.
Last weekend, we made another trip to celebrate Kay's birthday. She has a really old, possibly unreliable guide to swimming holes in California that has a spot listed within walking distance from this campground. We tried to follow several different interpretations of the directions, but we never have been able to find it.
Until last weekend.
This swimming hole is amazing! It's got everything: crystal clear water in deep green pools, a little waterfall, logs propped across the river to sunbathe on, and big boulders to dive off. We tried to take pictures, but for reasons unknown they all came out fuzzy (see below). Perhaps it's an enchanted swimming hole?
Last weekend, we made another trip to celebrate Kay's birthday. She has a really old, possibly unreliable guide to swimming holes in California that has a spot listed within walking distance from this campground. We tried to follow several different interpretations of the directions, but we never have been able to find it.
Until last weekend.
This swimming hole is amazing! It's got everything: crystal clear water in deep green pools, a little waterfall, logs propped across the river to sunbathe on, and big boulders to dive off. We tried to take pictures, but for reasons unknown they all came out fuzzy (see below). Perhaps it's an enchanted swimming hole?
That puts things in perspective
I finally figured out how to access the hit statistics for the website I maintain at work. I found out that in the last month, over 2,000 people have visited that site. I had previously thought the number was around four, maybe five, people. This development tempts me to forget about RBlog and start reworking the material on the work site to be super snazzy. I had no idea there were so many people looking at it!
Posting from Jeff
Since I've been feeling a little frazzled with the first few weeks of classes, Jeff has offered to help find content for RBlog. Today he sent this:
"NAS PAYS TWO MILLION DOLLARS FOR A BEAT
Rap star Nas reportedly has paid a staggering $2 million for a mystery new beat created by hip hop producers the Neptunes.
A number of artists were reported to be in competition for the beat, including Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs.
It's so groundbreaking, rap veteran Busta Rhymes is convinced it will make hip-hip history.
He says, 'Those drums man. Those drums are fire! If Nas is gonna rap to this beat, it's going to be over. This will be the biggest hit in the history of hip hop.'"
I'm not sure where Jeff found this tidbit. The format looks like it came from The Daily Dish on SFGate.com, but I've got no confirmation on that.
"NAS PAYS TWO MILLION DOLLARS FOR A BEAT
Rap star Nas reportedly has paid a staggering $2 million for a mystery new beat created by hip hop producers the Neptunes.
A number of artists were reported to be in competition for the beat, including Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs.
It's so groundbreaking, rap veteran Busta Rhymes is convinced it will make hip-hip history.
He says, 'Those drums man. Those drums are fire! If Nas is gonna rap to this beat, it's going to be over. This will be the biggest hit in the history of hip hop.'"
I'm not sure where Jeff found this tidbit. The format looks like it came from The Daily Dish on SFGate.com, but I've got no confirmation on that.
For NW pooches and their people
Val Mallinson, author of The Dog Lover's Companion to the Pacific Northwest, just sent me a note about two events she's got coming up for dog people in the Seattle area:
"My last two big book signings of the summer are coming up next week, so tell all your friends with dogs not to miss out!
I'll share adventures from The Dog Lover's Companion to the Pacific Northwest, host audience Q&A, and give away a $25 gift certificate to a doggie boutique at each event. These are FREE events."
Here's the scoop on the signings:
Third Place Books
Tuesday, August 23, 2005, 7 p.m.
Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park
In The Den
17171 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA 98155
206-366-3333; www.thirdplacebooks.com
Elliott Bay Books
Saturday, August 27, 2005, 3 p.m.
Elliott Bay Books, Pioneer Square
101 S. Main St., Seattle, WA, 98104
206-624-6600; www.elliottbaybook.com
Val's book is great and it's becoming very popular. Here's some of the press it's been receiving lately:
"…will make you want to pack the kibble and hit the road."
"…the descriptions will leave you drooling for all the great places to go and things to do…"
"The author and her dachshunds clearly covered every inch of territory and asked the right questions of the right people."
-- The Oregonian
"If dogs could read, they'd be reading this guide to find the Four-Paw parks"
"John Steinbeck could have used this guide for the Northwest leg of his 'Travels with Charlie.'"
-- East Oregonian
"…largely urbanized guide to enjoying life with four-legged friends. Well researched, nicely organized; includes a helpful rating system."
-- Seattle Times
"My last two big book signings of the summer are coming up next week, so tell all your friends with dogs not to miss out!
I'll share adventures from The Dog Lover's Companion to the Pacific Northwest, host audience Q&A, and give away a $25 gift certificate to a doggie boutique at each event. These are FREE events."
Here's the scoop on the signings:
Third Place Books
Tuesday, August 23, 2005, 7 p.m.
Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park
In The Den
17171 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA 98155
206-366-3333; www.thirdplacebooks.com
Elliott Bay Books
Saturday, August 27, 2005, 3 p.m.
Elliott Bay Books, Pioneer Square
101 S. Main St., Seattle, WA, 98104
206-624-6600; www.elliottbaybook.com
Val's book is great and it's becoming very popular. Here's some of the press it's been receiving lately:
"…will make you want to pack the kibble and hit the road."
"…the descriptions will leave you drooling for all the great places to go and things to do…"
"The author and her dachshunds clearly covered every inch of territory and asked the right questions of the right people."
-- The Oregonian
"If dogs could read, they'd be reading this guide to find the Four-Paw parks"
"John Steinbeck could have used this guide for the Northwest leg of his 'Travels with Charlie.'"
-- East Oregonian
"…largely urbanized guide to enjoying life with four-legged friends. Well researched, nicely organized; includes a helpful rating system."
-- Seattle Times
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Fired over a blog
I’ve noticed a lot of media coverage lately about people who have been fired because of stuff they posted on personal blogs. My mom has even taken to calling me to warn me about the dangers of blogging, though her fears are mainly focused on the opportunities blogging may present for stalkers and rapists.
People Magazine (shut up -- my roommate buys it) recently ran an article about terminations prompted by blogging. The rag reported that these three bloggers have all lost their jobs over their blogs:
Diary of a dYsFuNcTioNaL Flight Attendant
plaxoed!
Jolie in NYC
The plaxoed! guy was fired from Google, which is particularly shocking considering the fact that Google owns Blogger.com. However, if you do a Google search you can also find cases of employees getting fired for blog content at Microsoft and Friendster. It’s kind of crazy how common it is.
I have limited the amount that I discuss my job and company on this blog, though I do think my job would make for a lot of interesting blog material. I suspect that the only way blogging will get me in to trouble is by keeping me up nights, making me hit that snooze alarm one too many times in the mornings.
People Magazine (shut up -- my roommate buys it) recently ran an article about terminations prompted by blogging. The rag reported that these three bloggers have all lost their jobs over their blogs:
Diary of a dYsFuNcTioNaL Flight Attendant
plaxoed!
Jolie in NYC
The plaxoed! guy was fired from Google, which is particularly shocking considering the fact that Google owns Blogger.com. However, if you do a Google search you can also find cases of employees getting fired for blog content at Microsoft and Friendster. It’s kind of crazy how common it is.
I have limited the amount that I discuss my job and company on this blog, though I do think my job would make for a lot of interesting blog material. I suspect that the only way blogging will get me in to trouble is by keeping me up nights, making me hit that snooze alarm one too many times in the mornings.
Class is fine
Many of you have been asking how my first week of classes has gone. I’ve been a little slow on the correspondence this week, but it’s been fine. A little boring, even. Classes are less intimidating than I thought they’d be. Things have started at a slow and easy-to-understand pace. That may change soon, but for the time it’s nice to not feel completely overwhelmed.
The coolest thing is that going to business school is like buying a whole pack of instant friends (perhaps similar to Greek life as an undergrad?). Everyone is so gregarious by nature that it’s almost overwhelming -- especially when you’re joking around with someone over a beer and then you realize that they’re a Vice President at Wells Fargo. It's intimidating! Then again, I tend to forget just how many of my non-MBA friends have also built up super impressive careers while still young (you know who you
are -- there are a lot of you).
The coolest thing is that going to business school is like buying a whole pack of instant friends (perhaps similar to Greek life as an undergrad?). Everyone is so gregarious by nature that it’s almost overwhelming -- especially when you’re joking around with someone over a beer and then you realize that they’re a Vice President at Wells Fargo. It's intimidating! Then again, I tend to forget just how many of my non-MBA friends have also built up super impressive careers while still young (you know who you
are -- there are a lot of you).
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
The last straw
When I saw this photo, I was embarrassed for Britney. I understand that the discomfort of pregnancy can lead you to make some odd choices, but I can't come up with any possible reason to wear this bathing suit (not to mention wearing it while extremely pregnant).
However, this photo has also made me embarrassed to admit that I ever liked Britney. And I did like Britney. She used to be so young, so peppy, so unstoppable... It's all been downhill since that Federline came on the scene. This is it, though. For me, this bikini is the last straw. She has crossed a line. There will be no revisiting the shiny, magnetic success of her late teens. There is no hope left for Britney Spears.
You're dead to me, Britney.
However, this photo has also made me embarrassed to admit that I ever liked Britney. And I did like Britney. She used to be so young, so peppy, so unstoppable... It's all been downhill since that Federline came on the scene. This is it, though. For me, this bikini is the last straw. She has crossed a line. There will be no revisiting the shiny, magnetic success of her late teens. There is no hope left for Britney Spears.
You're dead to me, Britney.
Linda speaks
My friends were in a scary car crash over the weekend. Visit the Jo-tel for a picture of the wreckage. It's terrifying to think that they were in that thing!
Here's Linda's exclusive story, in coverage you won't find on the Jo-tel*:
"Shark, Matt, Patsy and I got in a very serious car accident on the way up to Shasta. Around 11:30 on Thursday night we were driving in a rented PT Cruiser about an hour south of Redding. A roll of rubber something-or-others appeared in the road and there wasn't time to swerve to avoid it. When we went over it, it blew out the front left tire so we went up on our two right tires, then slammed back down on our two left tires, then the car fishtailed severely going about 75 mph, then we flipped left and rolled through the median oleander 2-3 times and ended up upside down about a foot away from the oncoming southbound fast lane traffic full of semis and sh*t. When we finally stopped rolling/flipping/whatever and stopped, it was dead quiet for a second and then Patsy yelled 'GET OUT!' and we all scrambled to undo our seatbelts above our heads and crawl out of the broken windows and run b/c we thought the car was going to explode. Very dramatic. The paramedics came and strapped us to those boards with collars and took us to the ER to get us all x-rayed up and stuff. Then at almost 3:00 in the morning (Patsy and I with no shoes b/c they flew off in the crash) we stumbled to the Days Inn and slept for a few hours until Reid came down from Redding the next morning and picked us up. We drove to the tow company, looked at the F*CKED UP CAR, got our stuff out of the car, and went to Shasta and had a totally totally fun time for the rest of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The car accident worked well on the lake: You're floating, you want a beer, you yell out, 'somebody throw me a beer.' If they don't respond, you yell back, Will Ferrell/belligerent/Harry Carey style, 'I was in a SERIOUS CAR ACCIDENT!' Same thing when calling a bed, last hamburger, etc.
We all walked away with only bruises and cuts and some neckaches. Very very lucky. Also very lucky we were all stone cold sober because the car looked like a party on wheels with several broken booze bottles (for Shasta). The whole scene stunk like burning rubber and metal and dirt and pavement.
Wear your seatbelts! They save lives!"
*Yes, I'm trying to bump up my Google rating.
Here's Linda's exclusive story, in coverage you won't find on the Jo-tel*:
"Shark, Matt, Patsy and I got in a very serious car accident on the way up to Shasta. Around 11:30 on Thursday night we were driving in a rented PT Cruiser about an hour south of Redding. A roll of rubber something-or-others appeared in the road and there wasn't time to swerve to avoid it. When we went over it, it blew out the front left tire so we went up on our two right tires, then slammed back down on our two left tires, then the car fishtailed severely going about 75 mph, then we flipped left and rolled through the median oleander 2-3 times and ended up upside down about a foot away from the oncoming southbound fast lane traffic full of semis and sh*t. When we finally stopped rolling/flipping/whatever and stopped, it was dead quiet for a second and then Patsy yelled 'GET OUT!' and we all scrambled to undo our seatbelts above our heads and crawl out of the broken windows and run b/c we thought the car was going to explode. Very dramatic. The paramedics came and strapped us to those boards with collars and took us to the ER to get us all x-rayed up and stuff. Then at almost 3:00 in the morning (Patsy and I with no shoes b/c they flew off in the crash) we stumbled to the Days Inn and slept for a few hours until Reid came down from Redding the next morning and picked us up. We drove to the tow company, looked at the F*CKED UP CAR, got our stuff out of the car, and went to Shasta and had a totally totally fun time for the rest of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The car accident worked well on the lake: You're floating, you want a beer, you yell out, 'somebody throw me a beer.' If they don't respond, you yell back, Will Ferrell/belligerent/Harry Carey style, 'I was in a SERIOUS CAR ACCIDENT!' Same thing when calling a bed, last hamburger, etc.
We all walked away with only bruises and cuts and some neckaches. Very very lucky. Also very lucky we were all stone cold sober because the car looked like a party on wheels with several broken booze bottles (for Shasta). The whole scene stunk like burning rubber and metal and dirt and pavement.
Wear your seatbelts! They save lives!"
*Yes, I'm trying to bump up my Google rating.
Monday, August 08, 2005
Was it all a lie?
I couldn't help but notice that in my class tonight (my first class at Haas) there were three students taking notes on iBooks. Was it all a lie? Could I have stuck with my Mac?
I do know that there are at least two key course websites that I can't access correctly without a PC, so I'm not going to start feeling betrayed, yet. The Macs in class were just enough to raise my suspicions.
I do know that there are at least two key course websites that I can't access correctly without a PC, so I'm not going to start feeling betrayed, yet. The Macs in class were just enough to raise my suspicions.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
RB notices surge in hits
The number of visits to RBlog doubled in July. I wonder why? Ignoring popular request, I didn't write about boobs. I didn't tell anyone new about the site. Is it possible that the travails of calculus class were more interesting than I think?
Also, if you enter "RBlog" for a Google search these day, this site turns up on page five of the results. A vast improvement from the the last time I tried. Unfortunately, a search for "Rebecca Browning blog" has less than desirable results. Many of the pages that pop up are actually referencing me (for better or worse), but this one doesn't appear. The Jo-tel does, though, on page one. Way to show me up, Jo-tel.
Also, if you enter "RBlog" for a Google search these day, this site turns up on page five of the results. A vast improvement from the the last time I tried. Unfortunately, a search for "Rebecca Browning blog" has less than desirable results. Many of the pages that pop up are actually referencing me (for better or worse), but this one doesn't appear. The Jo-tel does, though, on page one. Way to show me up, Jo-tel.
Branded
During the orientation, each time a member of the faculty, staff, or the dean would talk about the Berkeley MBA, they would refer to it as the "Haas brand." For instance, in the speech promoting the career center and career counseling resources, instead of saying that the director's experience coaching Fortune 500 executives really adds to the value of the education at Haas, as I might phrase things, it was said that his experience "is helping to build the Haas brand." When the dean talked about Berkeley's overall reputation, he commented that the "Berkeley brand" is synonomous with being number one, thus he finds it unnacceptable that Haas is only sixth in the nation this year among business schools.
It left me feeling a little bit like a Nabisco cookie.
I am the product and the consumer all in one.
It left me feeling a little bit like a Nabisco cookie.
I am the product and the consumer all in one.
Engineers are taking over the world
Orientation is over. I just survived 41 straight hours of continually having the following conversation, or one of a few variant versions.
Me: "Hi there! I'm Rebecca."
Classmate: "Hi, Rebecca. I'm __________. It's nice to meet you."
[handshake]
Me: "It's good to meet you, too. Are you nights or weekends?
Classmate: "I'm nights. Tuesday/Thursday."
Me: "Oh. [shoulder shrug and smile] I'm Monday/Wednesday. Too bad. So, what do you do?
Classmate: "I'm a ________________________*."
[*Plug in your choice of title from the list below (they're a real, representative sampling):
Software Design Engineer
Database Operations Delivery Manager
Assistant Professor of Naval Science
Technical Marketing Engineer
Consulate General of Spain
Hardware Design Engineer
Senior Financial Analyst
Advance Micro Devices Design Engineer II
Toxicologist
Technical Marketing Engineer
Chief of Pediatric Heart Surgery and Surgical Director
Engineering Manager
Engineering Program Manager and CDMA System Architect
Applications Engineer
Vice President of Engineering
Senior Manager, Software Engineering
Me: "Really? Well, I certainly have met a lot of engineers this weekend... [polite, forced laughter]"
Me: "Hi there! I'm Rebecca."
Classmate: "Hi, Rebecca. I'm __________. It's nice to meet you."
[handshake]
Me: "It's good to meet you, too. Are you nights or weekends?
Classmate: "I'm nights. Tuesday/Thursday."
Me: "Oh. [shoulder shrug and smile] I'm Monday/Wednesday. Too bad. So, what do you do?
Classmate: "I'm a ________________________*."
[*Plug in your choice of title from the list below (they're a real, representative sampling):
Software Design Engineer
Database Operations Delivery Manager
Assistant Professor of Naval Science
Technical Marketing Engineer
Consulate General of Spain
Hardware Design Engineer
Senior Financial Analyst
Advance Micro Devices Design Engineer II
Toxicologist
Technical Marketing Engineer
Chief of Pediatric Heart Surgery and Surgical Director
Engineering Manager
Engineering Program Manager and CDMA System Architect
Applications Engineer
Vice President of Engineering
Senior Manager, Software Engineering
Me: "Really? Well, I certainly have met a lot of engineers this weekend... [polite, forced laughter]"
Thursday, August 04, 2005
YEEEEEEEEEEEHAW!!
This message just came in an email from my calculus instructor:
"Your final grade is 'B' and you may drop any concern about it now. Congratulations!
I am very confident in your abilities to be successful in your future studies, including those that are related to math. Good luck to you, and feel free to contact me if there is any help in math neded."
So, I guess that means the plastic surgery I was thinking of getting with the student loan money is off.
Anybody want to go get a drink?
"Your final grade is 'B' and you may drop any concern about it now. Congratulations!
I am very confident in your abilities to be successful in your future studies, including those that are related to math. Good luck to you, and feel free to contact me if there is any help in math neded."
So, I guess that means the plastic surgery I was thinking of getting with the student loan money is off.
Anybody want to go get a drink?
RB launches a new blog
I've been putting together a new blog over the past few days. The Bucky Blog is a gift to Clare and Ross -- to celebrate their first pregancy. I wanted them to have a place where friends and family around the world could check in and find out how things are going with Bucky. I'm now pressuring Clare to get a digital camara, so we can watch her expanding belly and other baby preparations. Hopefully, that will happen soon.
You can visit The Bucky Blog at http://www.thebuckyblog.blogspot.com. Please keep the comments relatively clean, though. Grandparents-to-be might be visiting the site.
You can visit The Bucky Blog at http://www.thebuckyblog.blogspot.com. Please keep the comments relatively clean, though. Grandparents-to-be might be visiting the site.
It's over
I had my calculus final last night and I'm feeling pretty good about it. There was only one question that I absolutely couldn't solve (damn that implicit differentiation!). I may have solved others incorrectly, though. I figure any extra credit I earned on the problems we did in class last week can make up for those points that I lost.
I was the last person to finish the test. Since it was just the two of us, my instructor starting asking me a bunch of questions about when I start at Haas and what my classes will be. When I told him that my first class is Monday night, he smiled at me and said, "So you don't really have the option to fail here, do you?" He also told me that I'll have to figure out implicit differentiation for microeconomics, my first course.
On my way out of the room, he patted me on the backpack and said, "Don't worry. You'll start on Monday."
I was the last person to finish the test. Since it was just the two of us, my instructor starting asking me a bunch of questions about when I start at Haas and what my classes will be. When I told him that my first class is Monday night, he smiled at me and said, "So you don't really have the option to fail here, do you?" He also told me that I'll have to figure out implicit differentiation for microeconomics, my first course.
On my way out of the room, he patted me on the backpack and said, "Don't worry. You'll start on Monday."
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Posting from a PC
For the first time ever, I am posting to RBlog from the Inspiron. The keyboard is so compact it's almost difficult to type. I guess I'll get used to it. Also, RBlog doesn't look as nice on a PC. The fonts and things don't come out as fancy. Actually, they come out super ugly and kinda hard to read. Maybe I should change them. How many of you have been reading RBlog from a PC all this time? Did you ever find yourself hating the fonts?
Also, the connection seems much slower than on my Mac. That shouldn't be true, right? It's the same wireless service.
I need to stop hitting this weird other mouse button. Ack!
Sometimes I don't think I deal with change very well.
Also, the connection seems much slower than on my Mac. That shouldn't be true, right? It's the same wireless service.
I need to stop hitting this weird other mouse button. Ack!
Sometimes I don't think I deal with change very well.
Monday, August 01, 2005
Yes, I am a sixth grader
How funny are these directions that came with a picture-hanging hook that I ordered from Pottery Barn?!
"For safety and ease of mounting, installation is recommended using two people.
Mounting Instructions:
1. Hold mounting plate at desired location. With a pencil, mark on the wall inside of each screw hole. These marks will be used to determine the location of your mounting hardware.
2. Stud mounting is always best, so try to position over a stud if possible. Use a stud finder to locate a stud in desired location..."
Yes, these instructions actually made me giggle. Yes, it has been a long day.
"For safety and ease of mounting, installation is recommended using two people.
Mounting Instructions:
1. Hold mounting plate at desired location. With a pencil, mark on the wall inside of each screw hole. These marks will be used to determine the location of your mounting hardware.
2. Stud mounting is always best, so try to position over a stud if possible. Use a stud finder to locate a stud in desired location..."
Yes, these instructions actually made me giggle. Yes, it has been a long day.
Career counseling
I need to figure out a job I could get where I would be doing similar work to what I do now, with similarly cool, creative people, but that pays much better and is a little higher profile. I'm open to suggestions. Anyone?
Anyone?
Please, no painfully predictable jokes in the comments box.
Anyone?
Please, no painfully predictable jokes in the comments box.
A math lesson from Clare
Clare recently wrote me this as a part of a larger discussion about when she'll stop barfing:
"Here's a little math for you -- pregnancy is really forty weeks, not nine months, so when you divide forty by three you get 13.33 weeks a trimester. If you divide nine months by three it's three months a trimester. But, technically a month is 4.28 weeks. Multiply that by nine and it only equals 38.57 weeks. Really a pregnancy is longer than people think . . .and I'm not really even sure what week I'm in."
I wonder if there's a calculus function with a derivative that predicts the baby's gestation and weight. They seem to be able to figure out everything else with calculus. Maybe the pregnancy function could involve the magical, natural number e.
"Here's a little math for you -- pregnancy is really forty weeks, not nine months, so when you divide forty by three you get 13.33 weeks a trimester. If you divide nine months by three it's three months a trimester. But, technically a month is 4.28 weeks. Multiply that by nine and it only equals 38.57 weeks. Really a pregnancy is longer than people think . . .and I'm not really even sure what week I'm in."
I wonder if there's a calculus function with a derivative that predicts the baby's gestation and weight. They seem to be able to figure out everything else with calculus. Maybe the pregnancy function could involve the magical, natural number e.
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