You know what? It is hard to not become complacent when you have a few days off and January seems so far away. Well, I have tackled statistics (yuck, it seems "obvious" when I am in class, but not at all when I am at home trying to do it) and some marketing. And I got some of the HBR reading done.
Well, I must get focussed. I have a survey due in less than a week. Two assignments due in 10 days. Another assignment and an exam due 8 days after that. Fun, wow!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Take Home Exams...
I am at school trying to get myself motivated to write two papers: one on microeconomics and the other on macroeconomics. It's a take-home exam worth 40% of my final grade. And I can't get focussed. I think it would be better if I was with the folks in the Cornell-Queen's MBA program who are writing a sit-down exam as I type this. 10 questions. 10 marks each. 2 hours.
I have the outlines for both papers done. And about half of the "meat" for the first one done, too. I am not terribly passionate about either of the topics, so that might be part of the problem. When I wrote my paper for Global Business Environment, the issue was not my ability to use the frameworks, it was to narrow my scope. I had LOTS of passion for the topic. With Economics, I really think the issue is the lack of passion and the ability to apply the frameworks. Yikes!!
Well, I guess I better get my act together and make up some stuff. I can't tell you about what because that might be considered "talking with someone" and be considered academic dishonestly.
I have the outlines for both papers done. And about half of the "meat" for the first one done, too. I am not terribly passionate about either of the topics, so that might be part of the problem. When I wrote my paper for Global Business Environment, the issue was not my ability to use the frameworks, it was to narrow my scope. I had LOTS of passion for the topic. With Economics, I really think the issue is the lack of passion and the ability to apply the frameworks. Yikes!!
Well, I guess I better get my act together and make up some stuff. I can't tell you about what because that might be considered "talking with someone" and be considered academic dishonestly.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Some Quotes to Keep Me Motivated
"The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjust the sails."
- William Arthur Ward
"Live with vision and purpose. Resilient people don't wait passively for the future to happen to them--they become the future by consciously creating it."
- Joan Borysenko
"Discipline is remembering what you want."
-David Campbell
"Resilience is a reflex, a way of facing and understanding the world, that is deeply etched into a person's mind and soul. Resilient people face reality with staunchness, make meaning of hardship instead of crying out in despair, and improvise solutions from thin air. Others do not."
-Diane Coutu
"Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it [and persist at it] you can make it so."
- Belva Davis
- William Arthur Ward
"Live with vision and purpose. Resilient people don't wait passively for the future to happen to them--they become the future by consciously creating it."
- Joan Borysenko
"Discipline is remembering what you want."
-David Campbell
"Resilience is a reflex, a way of facing and understanding the world, that is deeply etched into a person's mind and soul. Resilient people face reality with staunchness, make meaning of hardship instead of crying out in despair, and improvise solutions from thin air. Others do not."
-Diane Coutu
"Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it [and persist at it] you can make it so."
- Belva Davis
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Creative Destruction
So... I haven't been here as much as I thought I would. School really made me drop the less important things, which unfortunately included this blog. I could tell you about how I seriously considered quitting the program when I had 4 assignments and an exam all within a 10-day period. That was taxing. There were also some issues with the team and one of the assignments. Our team coach had to come in and assist with an intervention. At the time, I really wondered if it was worth all the hassle and if it was worth it to miss seeing my kids and husband. I still wonder about it. They say we have completed 25% of the program. OK. I can do this.
Anyway, I have an exam due on Saturday (take home) and I have been reflecting on its macro topic: Managerial Economics. Within managerial economics, we studied microeconomics and macroeconomics and I have to write an essay on each one for the exam. In our last class, we had team presentations on selected topics in macroeconomics. One was on creative destruction, which was a theory proposed by Schumpeter (who must have been a brilliant guy because The Economist recently named a section of the journal after him).
In one of the many newsletters I get to stay on top of things, it was brought to my attention that Seth Godin has put together a free book. Yep. Free. And it is good. I see this as an example of creative destruction. Seth put together a similar book a number of years ago, which had a ton of obstacles that had to be gotten through for "payment" to be made to the various charities of choice of the essayists. It was apparently painful. In this situation, he made the book free and somehow encouraged the essayists to share their intellectual capital for free. Seth Godin is changing the landscape of book writing and publishing before our very eyes. This is an example of creative destruction. Here is the link to his blog and his free book:
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/12/what-matters-now-get-the-free-ebook.html
Anyway, I have an exam due on Saturday (take home) and I have been reflecting on its macro topic: Managerial Economics. Within managerial economics, we studied microeconomics and macroeconomics and I have to write an essay on each one for the exam. In our last class, we had team presentations on selected topics in macroeconomics. One was on creative destruction, which was a theory proposed by Schumpeter (who must have been a brilliant guy because The Economist recently named a section of the journal after him).
In one of the many newsletters I get to stay on top of things, it was brought to my attention that Seth Godin has put together a free book. Yep. Free. And it is good. I see this as an example of creative destruction. Seth put together a similar book a number of years ago, which had a ton of obstacles that had to be gotten through for "payment" to be made to the various charities of choice of the essayists. It was apparently painful. In this situation, he made the book free and somehow encouraged the essayists to share their intellectual capital for free. Seth Godin is changing the landscape of book writing and publishing before our very eyes. This is an example of creative destruction. Here is the link to his blog and his free book:
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/12/what-matters-now-get-the-free-ebook.html
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Thanksgiving Weekend
I took a break on Thanksgiving weekend. Not the whole weekend, mind you. Just enough to regret it a few days later. I found that since I "let" myself have a break, I fell out of my routine pretty quickly and my motivation went away. And it was really hard to get back into my former swing of things.
That being said, my family and I made some significant progress on the fall lawn stuff. I dug up a corner of our backyard and relocated a hosta. Alan cut down branches from our front yard tree. And he and the kids raked up leaves and we paid the kids to get them all into those brown bags. Money well spent, I say.
We also had a really nice dinner with family friends and I learned a new card game!
And did I mention that I started making my Christmas cards? Yep, it's true. I got about 10 made. Another 40-50 to go. I would not be too surprised if the store got a little visit from me this year...
That being said, my family and I made some significant progress on the fall lawn stuff. I dug up a corner of our backyard and relocated a hosta. Alan cut down branches from our front yard tree. And he and the kids raked up leaves and we paid the kids to get them all into those brown bags. Money well spent, I say.
We also had a really nice dinner with family friends and I learned a new card game!
And did I mention that I started making my Christmas cards? Yep, it's true. I got about 10 made. Another 40-50 to go. I would not be too surprised if the store got a little visit from me this year...
Friday, October 9, 2009
Le plus ca change...
The last couple of days have been tough.
I was really struggling with my Global Business Environment paper. It started off with China being really bad by buying up land in Africa to grow food and then ship it home. Then it got bigger, reflecting all of the Chinese activities in Africa. How crazy is that? I had to narrow it back down to agriculture. Needless to say, I was still working on it with mere hours to go before the deadline. In case you're curious, China ended up being good at the end of the paper, with a caution.
While I was supposed to be working on my paper, I would take breaks and indulge in my new addiction (Farmville on Facebook) and check my email.
Imagine my shock when I received an email from one of my team members announcing that he is withdrawing from the program. Now, 24 hours later, it isn't such a big surprise when I look back on things. At the time, it was a bit of a shock. Queen's invoked our team coach who scheduled a conference call with us for this morning.
That was a nice distraction from writing the paper. I sent a note to the team member, sent another note to the team members on the Annual Report Project who would be directly impacted by the departure, and then I called the team coach. I thought he should know that we have another stress on the team in the form of someone being out of the country without a confirmed return date. He didn't know about it (called it a double whammy), which makes me wonder if anyone at Queen's knew about the out of country situation. Certainly I cannot do anything about whether he ends up on academic probation. (If he misses another class weekend, that is a possibility.) I do have to make sure that any risks incurred from a project perspective are mitigated.
Then I finished my paper. At around 11:30pm, it hit the submit button. May I get a "B". Of course, an "A" would be better, but by the end of it, I didn't care anymore.
At work, one of my colleagues was finishing up his last day. I think that actually hurt more from an emotional perspective than losing the team member at school. Today was a weepy day for me.
We had our conference call and the gist of it was to restructure the work and get on with it. I don't know if that made me feel any better. Since I had already started restructuring the work for the project that I am leading, it seemed a little hollow. I think we needed a bit more in the way of grief management. Some of us did, anyway.
Later on in the day, I sent a note to someone leading another project to see if he was going to restructure his resources. He said we could talk about it on Monday night. (We have Skype calls on alternate Monday nights.) That wasn't exactly satisfactory for me. The person who left is the second on it and was paired up with someone to work on a section. If resources are being reallocated, then someone will move, probably from my pairing since we are actually three people. I don't know about the other guys, but I intend on having my work on it completed by the end of the weekend... before the Skype call on Monday. Since I am already taking on more work for the project that I am leading, I really don't want to get reallocated on another project...
Now I am finishing up my original deliverables on the Annual Report Project so that I can start my work on my new deliverables...
I was really struggling with my Global Business Environment paper. It started off with China being really bad by buying up land in Africa to grow food and then ship it home. Then it got bigger, reflecting all of the Chinese activities in Africa. How crazy is that? I had to narrow it back down to agriculture. Needless to say, I was still working on it with mere hours to go before the deadline. In case you're curious, China ended up being good at the end of the paper, with a caution.
While I was supposed to be working on my paper, I would take breaks and indulge in my new addiction (Farmville on Facebook) and check my email.
Imagine my shock when I received an email from one of my team members announcing that he is withdrawing from the program. Now, 24 hours later, it isn't such a big surprise when I look back on things. At the time, it was a bit of a shock. Queen's invoked our team coach who scheduled a conference call with us for this morning.
That was a nice distraction from writing the paper. I sent a note to the team member, sent another note to the team members on the Annual Report Project who would be directly impacted by the departure, and then I called the team coach. I thought he should know that we have another stress on the team in the form of someone being out of the country without a confirmed return date. He didn't know about it (called it a double whammy), which makes me wonder if anyone at Queen's knew about the out of country situation. Certainly I cannot do anything about whether he ends up on academic probation. (If he misses another class weekend, that is a possibility.) I do have to make sure that any risks incurred from a project perspective are mitigated.
Then I finished my paper. At around 11:30pm, it hit the submit button. May I get a "B". Of course, an "A" would be better, but by the end of it, I didn't care anymore.
At work, one of my colleagues was finishing up his last day. I think that actually hurt more from an emotional perspective than losing the team member at school. Today was a weepy day for me.
We had our conference call and the gist of it was to restructure the work and get on with it. I don't know if that made me feel any better. Since I had already started restructuring the work for the project that I am leading, it seemed a little hollow. I think we needed a bit more in the way of grief management. Some of us did, anyway.
Later on in the day, I sent a note to someone leading another project to see if he was going to restructure his resources. He said we could talk about it on Monday night. (We have Skype calls on alternate Monday nights.) That wasn't exactly satisfactory for me. The person who left is the second on it and was paired up with someone to work on a section. If resources are being reallocated, then someone will move, probably from my pairing since we are actually three people. I don't know about the other guys, but I intend on having my work on it completed by the end of the weekend... before the Skype call on Monday. Since I am already taking on more work for the project that I am leading, I really don't want to get reallocated on another project...
Now I am finishing up my original deliverables on the Annual Report Project so that I can start my work on my new deliverables...
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
How to Live a Healthy and Joyful Life - By Dr. Kelly Sennholz
How to Live a Healthy and Joyful Life - By Dr. Kelly Sennholz
I [Dr. Kelly Sennholz] was asked to write a list of my favorite health habits. Below is the list I created to assist you with living your healthiest and most joyful life.
Eat high fiber
A diet high in fiber provides relief or prevention of constipation, decreased risk of some types of cancer, decreased cholesterol, deduced risk of coronary disease, blood sugar control, reduced risk of type II Diabetes, and decreased risk of obesity. The varies for age and sex but in general getting 28 to 30 g of fiber a day is a good start. Take a couple of days to mentally measure the amount of fiber you're taking in.
Eat healthy fats
In general, fats from fish, flax seed oil, butter and nuts, hemp seed, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts and eggs from chickens fed a diet high in greens and insects are all good food sources of healthy fats. Healthy fats reduced inflammation in your body, improve blood clotting, create healthy cell membranes, lower bad lipids, decreased artery thickening, reduce the risk of obesity, and may inhibit cancer cell growth.
Exercise regularly
I hate going to the gym. However, I love to get my exercise by doing activities that are fun. Take a walk and look at the flowers. Join a sports team and see what you can do. Stretch yourself a little bit every day. Just move. Your body will love you and it will be fun.
Eliminate refined carbohydrates
I call these the "white foods." Most of the foods you can think of that are white (bleached flour, sugar, white pasta, candy) are not good for you. I'm not just talking about weight gain or control of calories. I'm talking about the hormonal and chemical alterations that cause in your body which lead to lifelong decreased health.
Sleep 7 to 8 hours a day
Sleep deprivation leads to decreased immunity, weight gain, depression, mood swings, vascular disease, and many more ill effects on your body. For people doing shift work, it is even a higher priority to stay in tune with your body and to listen to what it needs. Don't overdue caffeine and none after 4 p.m., bedroom for sleep and sex only, eat no later than 2 hours before bedtime, no raucous T.V. before bedtime, create a ritual that honors your life and your body (many people journal, meditate or pray right before sleep), address health issues that impede sleep (like sleep apnea, menopause, etc).
Take quality supplements
It is prudent for adults to take a multivitamin every day because of the decreased nutritional content of our food, the increased processing of our food supply, and the substitution of healthy foods with unhealthy foods. The USDA surveyed 16,000 Americans and found that not one person obtained 100% of essential nutrients such as magnesium, vitamin D, and zinc. Similarly, children and adolescents did not obtain enough essential nutrients such as folate, vitamin C, and calcium.
Reduce stress
If you have a stressful life my recommendation is insert into your day what I call "peace breaks." It can happen in your car, the bathroom, when you take a short walk around the block. Let your blood pressure fall, your mind relax, and to consciously put your attention on peacefulness and releasing any thoughts. Do this 2 to 3 times a day, especially right when you wake up and right before you go to sleep.
Be cognizant of children
Be an example of health in front of your children. Don't reward with candy. Reward with time, reading, love, and attention. Stand for healthy habits in schools. Be a mentor. So many people I know have come from hard beginnings to become truly magnificent people. The commonality in all of them is they had at least one person in their childhood who really cared.
Eat breakfast and eat a low glycemic, Mediterranean style food pattern
Eating a healthy breakfast (low glycemic, high nutrient foods) helps maintain hunger levels, sugar levels, and healthy eating throughout the day. Keeping a steady blood sugar throughout the day by eating 5 to 6 small, low glycemic, Mediterranean style meals appears to be a delicious and healthy way to maintain your physique and avoid disease.
Find passion in your life
I believe what you create with your life is your individual expression of the divine. It all counts. What matters is the love you bring to your life. Express your life with passion and know that it is received with enthusiasm. You matter more than you will ever know.
Challenge yourself
What have you wanted to do in life that you just haven't taken the time for? Is it a trip? Taking a challenge in your relationship? Reading a new book or taking a new class? Stepping just a little bit out of your comfort zone can make life exciting and full. Bring your spouse along if he/she will come. Make it a family affair. You only pass this way one time.
Create habit
The opposite of new challenges is the steady hand of habit. Creating habits can open space and energy for creativity. What part of your life feels confusing and out of control right now? What habits could you install to balance this chaos? By creating a life of habits, you also make room for challenges and inventiveness.
Have a healthy social circle
The belief systems you develop are deeply influenced by the people in your life. Who in your life supports your most deeply felt beliefs? Who in your life moves you away from your emotional, financial, spiritual and physical center? How much time do you spend with these people? If your only circle of friends is the people you work with every day, it may be time to open and widen the circle a little. Make one new friend and cultivate that friendship. Choose a friend who is loving and supportive, who fills your life with positive words and be that friend to others. Studies show that lifespan is greatly influenced by the company you keep (or lack thereof).
Laugh a lot
When is the last time you belly laughed? If it has been a while, perhaps it is time to lighten up. Look for opportunities to laugh. Make your family and friends laugh. Play a gentle, loving trick. Get tickets to a comedy club where a lighthearted comic is playing. Spending the evening laughing with your friends may put a whole new veneer on your week.
Give
I am speaking specifically of volunteering -- an act or donation that is mainly anonymous and brings worth, peace and love to the world. Here is a partial list of the reasons and benefits: make new friends, build confidence, see more of your community and the world, gain important skills and experience, relieve stress, fight boredom, make a difference in the world, and just have fun. It is truly exhilarating to be surrounded by giving, loving people in the act of improving the world for those around you.
Put these concepts in practice in your life. Find one small way to make the world a little better today. If we all do that, we have created a movement of health, love and joy. Be a part of the movement today!
I [Dr. Kelly Sennholz] was asked to write a list of my favorite health habits. Below is the list I created to assist you with living your healthiest and most joyful life.
Eat high fiber
A diet high in fiber provides relief or prevention of constipation, decreased risk of some types of cancer, decreased cholesterol, deduced risk of coronary disease, blood sugar control, reduced risk of type II Diabetes, and decreased risk of obesity. The varies for age and sex but in general getting 28 to 30 g of fiber a day is a good start. Take a couple of days to mentally measure the amount of fiber you're taking in.
Eat healthy fats
In general, fats from fish, flax seed oil, butter and nuts, hemp seed, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts and eggs from chickens fed a diet high in greens and insects are all good food sources of healthy fats. Healthy fats reduced inflammation in your body, improve blood clotting, create healthy cell membranes, lower bad lipids, decreased artery thickening, reduce the risk of obesity, and may inhibit cancer cell growth.
Exercise regularly
I hate going to the gym. However, I love to get my exercise by doing activities that are fun. Take a walk and look at the flowers. Join a sports team and see what you can do. Stretch yourself a little bit every day. Just move. Your body will love you and it will be fun.
Eliminate refined carbohydrates
I call these the "white foods." Most of the foods you can think of that are white (bleached flour, sugar, white pasta, candy) are not good for you. I'm not just talking about weight gain or control of calories. I'm talking about the hormonal and chemical alterations that cause in your body which lead to lifelong decreased health.
Sleep 7 to 8 hours a day
Sleep deprivation leads to decreased immunity, weight gain, depression, mood swings, vascular disease, and many more ill effects on your body. For people doing shift work, it is even a higher priority to stay in tune with your body and to listen to what it needs. Don't overdue caffeine and none after 4 p.m., bedroom for sleep and sex only, eat no later than 2 hours before bedtime, no raucous T.V. before bedtime, create a ritual that honors your life and your body (many people journal, meditate or pray right before sleep), address health issues that impede sleep (like sleep apnea, menopause, etc).
Take quality supplements
It is prudent for adults to take a multivitamin every day because of the decreased nutritional content of our food, the increased processing of our food supply, and the substitution of healthy foods with unhealthy foods. The USDA surveyed 16,000 Americans and found that not one person obtained 100% of essential nutrients such as magnesium, vitamin D, and zinc. Similarly, children and adolescents did not obtain enough essential nutrients such as folate, vitamin C, and calcium.
Reduce stress
If you have a stressful life my recommendation is insert into your day what I call "peace breaks." It can happen in your car, the bathroom, when you take a short walk around the block. Let your blood pressure fall, your mind relax, and to consciously put your attention on peacefulness and releasing any thoughts. Do this 2 to 3 times a day, especially right when you wake up and right before you go to sleep.
Be cognizant of children
Be an example of health in front of your children. Don't reward with candy. Reward with time, reading, love, and attention. Stand for healthy habits in schools. Be a mentor. So many people I know have come from hard beginnings to become truly magnificent people. The commonality in all of them is they had at least one person in their childhood who really cared.
Eat breakfast and eat a low glycemic, Mediterranean style food pattern
Eating a healthy breakfast (low glycemic, high nutrient foods) helps maintain hunger levels, sugar levels, and healthy eating throughout the day. Keeping a steady blood sugar throughout the day by eating 5 to 6 small, low glycemic, Mediterranean style meals appears to be a delicious and healthy way to maintain your physique and avoid disease.
Find passion in your life
I believe what you create with your life is your individual expression of the divine. It all counts. What matters is the love you bring to your life. Express your life with passion and know that it is received with enthusiasm. You matter more than you will ever know.
Challenge yourself
What have you wanted to do in life that you just haven't taken the time for? Is it a trip? Taking a challenge in your relationship? Reading a new book or taking a new class? Stepping just a little bit out of your comfort zone can make life exciting and full. Bring your spouse along if he/she will come. Make it a family affair. You only pass this way one time.
Create habit
The opposite of new challenges is the steady hand of habit. Creating habits can open space and energy for creativity. What part of your life feels confusing and out of control right now? What habits could you install to balance this chaos? By creating a life of habits, you also make room for challenges and inventiveness.
Have a healthy social circle
The belief systems you develop are deeply influenced by the people in your life. Who in your life supports your most deeply felt beliefs? Who in your life moves you away from your emotional, financial, spiritual and physical center? How much time do you spend with these people? If your only circle of friends is the people you work with every day, it may be time to open and widen the circle a little. Make one new friend and cultivate that friendship. Choose a friend who is loving and supportive, who fills your life with positive words and be that friend to others. Studies show that lifespan is greatly influenced by the company you keep (or lack thereof).
Laugh a lot
When is the last time you belly laughed? If it has been a while, perhaps it is time to lighten up. Look for opportunities to laugh. Make your family and friends laugh. Play a gentle, loving trick. Get tickets to a comedy club where a lighthearted comic is playing. Spending the evening laughing with your friends may put a whole new veneer on your week.
Give
I am speaking specifically of volunteering -- an act or donation that is mainly anonymous and brings worth, peace and love to the world. Here is a partial list of the reasons and benefits: make new friends, build confidence, see more of your community and the world, gain important skills and experience, relieve stress, fight boredom, make a difference in the world, and just have fun. It is truly exhilarating to be surrounded by giving, loving people in the act of improving the world for those around you.
Put these concepts in practice in your life. Find one small way to make the world a little better today. If we all do that, we have created a movement of health, love and joy. Be a part of the movement today!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Looking for Inspiration
"Do not think of today's failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourself a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere; and you will find a joy in overcoming obstacles."
- Helen Keller
Today is found myself to be impatient. I am waiting for someone to respond to a few emails I have sent them. They have not responded. I would check every hour or so. Between meetings. During lunch. And still no response. It has been days since I sent my request for feedback. I have come to the conclusion that email does not work for this person. Now I need a new way to communicate.
Normally, this would just be a slight irritation for me. Then I would decide to move on with what I had. But that's me working as an individual. This is different. Now it is teamwork. And the link to a team member is broken. And I need to make the call as to what the next step is. I guess I'll have to do it without feedback. And I feel bad because I really wanted this to work. Instead, as of sometime tomorrow, I might have to have to invoke Plan B.
- Helen Keller
Today is found myself to be impatient. I am waiting for someone to respond to a few emails I have sent them. They have not responded. I would check every hour or so. Between meetings. During lunch. And still no response. It has been days since I sent my request for feedback. I have come to the conclusion that email does not work for this person. Now I need a new way to communicate.
Normally, this would just be a slight irritation for me. Then I would decide to move on with what I had. But that's me working as an individual. This is different. Now it is teamwork. And the link to a team member is broken. And I need to make the call as to what the next step is. I guess I'll have to do it without feedback. And I feel bad because I really wanted this to work. Instead, as of sometime tomorrow, I might have to have to invoke Plan B.
Monday, September 28, 2009
I Took A Break
Yep, it is true. I barely opened a book yesterday. And I had a great time!
On Wednesday, Alan found a great deal at a downtown Toronto hotel which led to me driving to Toronto on Friday night, staying at a friend's house (no need to stay at a hotel when you have friends!), and visiting with five people in 2.5 days. I was good on Saturday morning. I was up just past six, like usual, and tackled my Economics reading. Then I made some progress on some Finance and Accounting homework. Then the socializing began and the books did not come out again until I got home last night.
I notice that in my last post I mentioned sending out an email to the other leads in the scary Annual Report Project. Well, I heard back from one. He indicated that my outline seemed logical, but that they were no where near that level of readiness, so he could not comment further. The other two must not check their Queen's email in the off-school time. I am a wee bit disappointed in the lack of participation. I guess I'll have to get over it since I'll be rolling out the assignment plan for my team on Saturday.
One of my team members might not have submitted part of an assignment that is due this week. I am afraid that he (no need to say "they" to protect gender since I am the only female) is struggling with Accounting and is too proud to say anything. I have followed up with the lead on the project but have not heard back from him. I didn't want to bug the team member (ie: offer assistance) if he had submitted his part directly to the lead instead of posting it to the portal. So, I feel pretty awkward about it all right now. I suppose it'll all get resolved at tonight's Skype call. And I was cautioned by our former Team Coach (yes, former, he got promoted so we have a new team coach) not to become the "team mom". Perhaps that is what I am doing... acting like the team mom. That or I am afraid that the guy is going to drop out of the program (or worse, get kicked out) and we'll be in a huge crunch to get some of his work done.
In case you are interested in what kind of homework I have going on, here's a list:
So that is what is going on in the land of school.
On Wednesday, Alan found a great deal at a downtown Toronto hotel which led to me driving to Toronto on Friday night, staying at a friend's house (no need to stay at a hotel when you have friends!), and visiting with five people in 2.5 days. I was good on Saturday morning. I was up just past six, like usual, and tackled my Economics reading. Then I made some progress on some Finance and Accounting homework. Then the socializing began and the books did not come out again until I got home last night.
I notice that in my last post I mentioned sending out an email to the other leads in the scary Annual Report Project. Well, I heard back from one. He indicated that my outline seemed logical, but that they were no where near that level of readiness, so he could not comment further. The other two must not check their Queen's email in the off-school time. I am a wee bit disappointed in the lack of participation. I guess I'll have to get over it since I'll be rolling out the assignment plan for my team on Saturday.
One of my team members might not have submitted part of an assignment that is due this week. I am afraid that he (no need to say "they" to protect gender since I am the only female) is struggling with Accounting and is too proud to say anything. I have followed up with the lead on the project but have not heard back from him. I didn't want to bug the team member (ie: offer assistance) if he had submitted his part directly to the lead instead of posting it to the portal. So, I feel pretty awkward about it all right now. I suppose it'll all get resolved at tonight's Skype call. And I was cautioned by our former Team Coach (yes, former, he got promoted so we have a new team coach) not to become the "team mom". Perhaps that is what I am doing... acting like the team mom. That or I am afraid that the guy is going to drop out of the program (or worse, get kicked out) and we'll be in a huge crunch to get some of his work done.
In case you are interested in what kind of homework I have going on, here's a list:
- Q-T Exercise done
- Twelve Angry Men paper: I only get looped in on Thursday, due date is October 6th.
- Paper on the ethics of buying land in other countries to grow food for your country when the country where you bought the land is full of starving people. I need to find a better title for that! Anyway, it's due October 8th.
- Reading for Marketing Management: 2 articles and one chapter from the text. done
- Fifteen (15) Finance and Accounting problems that will take about 45mins to an hour each. I have three done.
- The above-mentioned Annual Report Project. It's due November 17th, but will probably take the full remaining time to get it done. My assignment plan is due to the team on Saturday or sooner.
- Economics: read six chapters (four are done) and three articles
So that is what is going on in the land of school.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
There are 100 days left in 2009. What are you doing TODAY to make things happen?
What an eye-opener THAT is! What am I doing today to make things happen? What are YOU doing?
Well, today, I contacted all the leads (there are only three others plus me) on the daunting Annual Report Project. I thought that if we became a sub-team, we could make everyone's projects better. What I hope to get out of it: better ideas on how to divide the work (I shared mine with them in the introductory email); better ideas on how to establish some quality control mechanisms; better ideas on things that we want to remember to include... I thought we'd be a good sounding board for each other if any frustrations come up, too.
I am also looking at connecting with some of my friends in the Toronto area this coming weekend. There are so many good people that I know and I haven't been able to see many of them in the last year. The plan is to do homework in relative peace and quiet and then have some "friends" time. We may witness the convergence of different groups of friends if I get a good response from the email I sent out a short while ago.
Then I was reading a quote from Bruce Elkin (he's a personal coach in Victoria, BC) on flourishing and how to go about it:
So, as you go through today and the other 99 days of the year, think about what you are doing in the moment to make things happen. I'll try to reflect on that, take action, and focus on flourishing!
Well, today, I contacted all the leads (there are only three others plus me) on the daunting Annual Report Project. I thought that if we became a sub-team, we could make everyone's projects better. What I hope to get out of it: better ideas on how to divide the work (I shared mine with them in the introductory email); better ideas on how to establish some quality control mechanisms; better ideas on things that we want to remember to include... I thought we'd be a good sounding board for each other if any frustrations come up, too.
I am also looking at connecting with some of my friends in the Toronto area this coming weekend. There are so many good people that I know and I haven't been able to see many of them in the last year. The plan is to do homework in relative peace and quiet and then have some "friends" time. We may witness the convergence of different groups of friends if I get a good response from the email I sent out a short while ago.
Then I was reading a quote from Bruce Elkin (he's a personal coach in Victoria, BC) on flourishing and how to go about it:
Simply put, "to flourish" means "to be strong and healthy and to grow well, especially because conditions are right." However, we don't have to wait until the "conditions are right." We can take charge and create right conditions in numerous ways.
Going outside for 30 minutes in good weather, and consciously creating a better than 3 to 1 ratio of positive to negative emotions during the day are just two of the ways we can create the right conditions under which to flourish.
So, as you go through today and the other 99 days of the year, think about what you are doing in the moment to make things happen. I'll try to reflect on that, take action, and focus on flourishing!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Hi ho, hi ho, it's back to school I go
After a week of working on work and working on assignments, it is time to go back to school. This weekend, we get to enjoy more Global Business Environment and we are starting Financial Accounting and Analysis. And after class on Saturday, we're having lunch with the class of 2010.
We submitted two assignments this week. On Tuesday, the winery case got handed in. And a couple of hours ago, our Royal Dutch / Shell case was submitted. Phew! I still have some reading to do for the Global class. And it isn't easy to fake it. I guess I'll get there early and try to read on the treadmill.
I just finished working on the assignment plan for our Annual Report Project. I want to do it on Canadian Tire and Rona, so I hope the team agrees with me! It is only due on November 17th, but time will fly if the proposed timeline is any indication.
I wanted to make a quick entry before bed. More tomorrow!
We submitted two assignments this week. On Tuesday, the winery case got handed in. And a couple of hours ago, our Royal Dutch / Shell case was submitted. Phew! I still have some reading to do for the Global class. And it isn't easy to fake it. I guess I'll get there early and try to read on the treadmill.
I just finished working on the assignment plan for our Annual Report Project. I want to do it on Canadian Tire and Rona, so I hope the team agrees with me! It is only due on November 17th, but time will fly if the proposed timeline is any indication.
I wanted to make a quick entry before bed. More tomorrow!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Two+ Weeks on a Squishy Laptop = Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Yep, it is true. For the first time in 15 years, I am experiencing the joys of carpal tunnel syndrome. I have since returned to my "natural" keyboard and hope that the pain subsides soon. I need to look up the exercises that will help offset it.
Yesterday, I worked on the winery case and got my printer set up. Alan helped with the printer issue. As for the winery case, I spent some time looking up VRIO analysis and learned that if I hand over my credit card number, I can get lots of information. No thanks. In editing the document, I actually pulled "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" off my bookcase to look up the proper placement of an apostrophe. Anyway, I got it to Sean last night.
This morning, I took Jennifer to gymnastics. (Nicole had soccer in the summer and Jennifer didn't want to do it, so this is Jennifer's activity.) I edited the file I had sent last night while sitting at the parents' picnic table and watching Jennifer. When we got home, I reposted the document for Sean with my minor changes. Then I took the girls to swimming lessons. I read some of the Sakhalin case while they were diving and doing laps. It's a good thing that I did. (I did the "indexing" that Doug taught us during our first week of Opening Session.) After swimming, I made a batch of chocolate chip pancakes, went for a bike ride with the girls, and then headed downtown to join Sean and Dean. Dean was having trouble getting started on the Sakhalin case. None of the research we did led to any conclusions that would be in line with the questions for the case study. Once I figured out what his problem was, I referenced my indexing to give him ideas.
Alan made a great pork roast dinner with baby potatoes, carrots and asparagus. And gravy. I was very happy to make it home for it. Totally yummy!
And ever since, I have been in limbo waiting for someone to give me something to do. Either read the winery case after Sean has made his edits or give Dean more ideas. Oh well. I whipped up some chocolate cupcakes and watched some TV with the kids.
Yesterday, I worked on the winery case and got my printer set up. Alan helped with the printer issue. As for the winery case, I spent some time looking up VRIO analysis and learned that if I hand over my credit card number, I can get lots of information. No thanks. In editing the document, I actually pulled "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" off my bookcase to look up the proper placement of an apostrophe. Anyway, I got it to Sean last night.
This morning, I took Jennifer to gymnastics. (Nicole had soccer in the summer and Jennifer didn't want to do it, so this is Jennifer's activity.) I edited the file I had sent last night while sitting at the parents' picnic table and watching Jennifer. When we got home, I reposted the document for Sean with my minor changes. Then I took the girls to swimming lessons. I read some of the Sakhalin case while they were diving and doing laps. It's a good thing that I did. (I did the "indexing" that Doug taught us during our first week of Opening Session.) After swimming, I made a batch of chocolate chip pancakes, went for a bike ride with the girls, and then headed downtown to join Sean and Dean. Dean was having trouble getting started on the Sakhalin case. None of the research we did led to any conclusions that would be in line with the questions for the case study. Once I figured out what his problem was, I referenced my indexing to give him ideas.
Alan made a great pork roast dinner with baby potatoes, carrots and asparagus. And gravy. I was very happy to make it home for it. Totally yummy!
And ever since, I have been in limbo waiting for someone to give me something to do. Either read the winery case after Sean has made his edits or give Dean more ideas. Oh well. I whipped up some chocolate cupcakes and watched some TV with the kids.
Friday, September 11, 2009
What To Do, What To Do...
I was getting ready for the winery case. Sean had sent out the bullet points (based on a team meeting we had on Tuesday night) late last night and asked for some help on a couple of questions. On the bus to work this morning, I reviewed the case and flipped through two of our readings. I really liked this table on Testing the Quality of Your Strategy found in Hambrick & Frederickson's "Are You Sure You Have a Strategy?" (Academy of Management Executive, 2001, Vol. 15, No. 4.). It made you ask questions like:
Not all the questions were relevant to the winery case, which has many HR-related issues as well as some strategy issues. I thought it was a good reality check-list, though. (There are sub-questions for each of the 6 questions listed above.)
Then I went through "Looking Inside for Competitive Advantage" (Academy of Management Executive, 1995, Vol. 9. No. 4). That's where I found the elusive VRIO framework that was mentioned in class, but it seems none of us (on the team) had taken any notes on... So, for the record, VRIO is short for:
Value
Rareness
Imitability
Organization
This framework is actually quite useful for the winery case study. They produce high quality wine, limited batches (just try to find the 1999 Merlot), they are hard to imitate, and their organization, to use the vernacular, sucks.
[Michael, if you are reading this, I was sorely tempted to issue a WOTD when my Global Business Environment prof actually said "... to use the vernacular, 'sucks'"... but was too busy taking notes. It was a fast-paced class. So, I used it here.]
I was starting my VRIO analysis on the case study and did a quick email check and found that Sean had gone ahead and put the bullet points into paragraphs. We are now over the page limit so he doesn't need any extra input at this time.
Now I need to figure out what to do. Obviously, I decided to do a blog entry. For the rest of the evening, I think I'll finalize my planning on catching up on my reading. There is so much to read that I have started an Excel spreadsheet with target dates for each one. I figure I'll be in a good place if I can get my pre-work done for class weekend (4 hours of Financial Planning & Analysis; 8 hours of Global Business Environment) and get two readings done each day for the rest of the classes.
- Does your strategy fit with what's going on in the environment?
- Does your strategy exploit your key resources?
- Will your envisioned differentiators be sustainable?
- Are the elements of your strategy internally consistent?
- Do you have enough resources to pursue this strategy?
- Is your strategy implementable?
Not all the questions were relevant to the winery case, which has many HR-related issues as well as some strategy issues. I thought it was a good reality check-list, though. (There are sub-questions for each of the 6 questions listed above.)
Then I went through "Looking Inside for Competitive Advantage" (Academy of Management Executive, 1995, Vol. 9. No. 4). That's where I found the elusive VRIO framework that was mentioned in class, but it seems none of us (on the team) had taken any notes on... So, for the record, VRIO is short for:
Value
Rareness
Imitability
Organization
This framework is actually quite useful for the winery case study. They produce high quality wine, limited batches (just try to find the 1999 Merlot), they are hard to imitate, and their organization, to use the vernacular, sucks.
[Michael, if you are reading this, I was sorely tempted to issue a WOTD when my Global Business Environment prof actually said "... to use the vernacular, 'sucks'"... but was too busy taking notes. It was a fast-paced class. So, I used it here.]
I was starting my VRIO analysis on the case study and did a quick email check and found that Sean had gone ahead and put the bullet points into paragraphs. We are now over the page limit so he doesn't need any extra input at this time.
Now I need to figure out what to do. Obviously, I decided to do a blog entry. For the rest of the evening, I think I'll finalize my planning on catching up on my reading. There is so much to read that I have started an Excel spreadsheet with target dates for each one. I figure I'll be in a good place if I can get my pre-work done for class weekend (4 hours of Financial Planning & Analysis; 8 hours of Global Business Environment) and get two readings done each day for the rest of the classes.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
WOW! Did the Past Two Days Ever Fly By!
I made it to the gym for "Total Body Workout" yesterday. I was the only one there from the class, but the regular members were there.
We had a class with Julian Barling, our Leadership prof, and watched Twelve Angry Men. Now we have to write a paper on it. Dan and Aaron are the leads on it. Phew!
Then we started Global Business Environment. What a heck of a lot of reading! And another assignment to do for next week. I was so tired, I barely got any of the reading done. That meant no visit to the gym this morning. Even with spending an hour reading before class, I still didn't get it done. I'm building my plan to get it all done. In the meantime, I have some research to do for the paper on investing in Russia to send to Dean...
I am sure I'll get it all under control, eventually.
By the way, today was the last day of Opening Session. I'm back at work in the morning.
We had a class with Julian Barling, our Leadership prof, and watched Twelve Angry Men. Now we have to write a paper on it. Dan and Aaron are the leads on it. Phew!
Then we started Global Business Environment. What a heck of a lot of reading! And another assignment to do for next week. I was so tired, I barely got any of the reading done. That meant no visit to the gym this morning. Even with spending an hour reading before class, I still didn't get it done. I'm building my plan to get it all done. In the meantime, I have some research to do for the paper on investing in Russia to send to Dean...
I am sure I'll get it all under control, eventually.
By the way, today was the last day of Opening Session. I'm back at work in the morning.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
I Passed My First Exam!!
You know that I have already handed in two assignments. I haven't heard a thing about them. Yet I wrote my Finance & Accounting exam this morning (from 10am to 1pm) and John (Moore, our program director and the prof for the course) has already corrected all of the exams and notified us that we all passed. We'll get our official marks after the university has entered them into the system.
Any of you might think that I would be excited to know that I passed. Certainly I am pleased. The reality is that it was anti-climatic. We went on to the next thing which is a case study about a winery. No time for high fives and congratulations. And we didn't have any wine to drink while discussing the case. Maybe I should have a glass now? Maybe not. I'll have one or two on the weekend. (That's coming up, right? I heard it was a short week.)
One cool thing. After the exam, we went down to Sushi Go for lunch. It was pretty good.
And now I am preparing for tomorrow's course on The Global Environment. Lots of stuff to read. HBR article, 3 HBS case studies, a Berkley case study, and a case study from Kelley School of Business. (I have never heard of the Kelly School of Business. It's part of Indiana University, home of the Hoosiers. You might have seen the Gene Hackman movie.) I hope to have two readings done before I go to sleep.
Well, Chelsea is dozing (she is on a couple of medications), so I will get her upstairs and I'll read while she keeps my feet hot.
Any of you might think that I would be excited to know that I passed. Certainly I am pleased. The reality is that it was anti-climatic. We went on to the next thing which is a case study about a winery. No time for high fives and congratulations. And we didn't have any wine to drink while discussing the case. Maybe I should have a glass now? Maybe not. I'll have one or two on the weekend. (That's coming up, right? I heard it was a short week.)
One cool thing. After the exam, we went down to Sushi Go for lunch. It was pretty good.
And now I am preparing for tomorrow's course on The Global Environment. Lots of stuff to read. HBR article, 3 HBS case studies, a Berkley case study, and a case study from Kelley School of Business. (I have never heard of the Kelly School of Business. It's part of Indiana University, home of the Hoosiers. You might have seen the Gene Hackman movie.) I hope to have two readings done before I go to sleep.
Well, Chelsea is dozing (she is on a couple of medications), so I will get her upstairs and I'll read while she keeps my feet hot.
Monday, September 7, 2009
It Was Great to Have a Day Off!
Yesterday was our day off. I slept in. Well, really, I woke up at 6am (which equals 5 hours of sleep if you remember that I only got home at 1am the 'night' before - and it is sleeping in when you realize I have been getting up around 5:30am) and then dozed off and on until 7:30 or so.
I made chocolate chip pancakes for the girls - our usual Sunday tradition. I tried to do some of my readings for the Execution and Implementation class that starts on Tuesday, but wasn't very successful. I have since figured out that I picked the wrong reading to start with. The document that came right after the course outline was "Updating the Project Management Bodies of Knowledge". Who the hell cares about the history behind the documentation of best practices for PM? Jeepers! (Insert your own expletive of choice to replace "Jeepers!"!!) It was so dry and tedious. I was really wondering what I was getting myself into. What happened to the whole premise of gaining practical knowledge for the workplace??
Just after lunch, Nicole was invited to go to her friend's house, so Jennifer and I went to return library books, look for clothes for me (I don't have much in the way of "business casual" as it seems to be defined by my class), and have ice cream at Dairy Queen. I bought a pair of jeans and a grey dress. The jury is still out on the dress, but I am wearing the jeans right now.
After a wonderful dinner (Alan made rotisserie chicken, steamed baby potatoes, asparagus and cauliflower), the girls and I went for a bike ride. We passed a little party going on in the little park around the corner from our house. As it turns out, it was an annual neighbourhood labour day weekend party. They had a badminton net set up, lots of rackets and birdies, frisbees, balls, food (pot luck - good to know for next year) and a decent crowd. At 8pm, they projected "Bedtime Stories" on the white house that is adjacent to the park. I knew one of the mothers there and she offered to watch the kids while I headed home to read my case study on the MS Society of Canada. Phew! I read the case, made a few notes (full analysis is not complete yet) and then headed back to the park. They must have been delayed in starting the movie because I managed to watch the last half of it. (I saw it before, at the movie theatre with the girls.) At the end of it all, the kids were thrilled to have been able to watch a movie under the open sky and I was thrilled to have some progress on my case study and let them watch the movie. Good memories had by all.
Today, I slept in a bit longer. Chelsea is not feeling well so I spent some time trying to figure out what it is. Then I hung out with the kids. I managed to get in a game of chess with each of them (they learned how to play at Camps Canada, so let me just give that camp the accolades they deserve!) before lunch. After lunch, we went for another bike ride. Then I headed to school.
We have a Finance & Accounting tutorial from 6-8pm - just in time for tomorrow morning's exam. I thought I'd come in early and get some work done on my case study and maybe a wee bit of review before the tutorial. Imagine my surprise when I arrived and there were already 3 people here! And another guy showed up about 15 minutes after me.
Well, the tutorial starts in an hour, so I better get cracking on my review!
I made chocolate chip pancakes for the girls - our usual Sunday tradition. I tried to do some of my readings for the Execution and Implementation class that starts on Tuesday, but wasn't very successful. I have since figured out that I picked the wrong reading to start with. The document that came right after the course outline was "Updating the Project Management Bodies of Knowledge". Who the hell cares about the history behind the documentation of best practices for PM? Jeepers! (Insert your own expletive of choice to replace "Jeepers!"!!) It was so dry and tedious. I was really wondering what I was getting myself into. What happened to the whole premise of gaining practical knowledge for the workplace??
Just after lunch, Nicole was invited to go to her friend's house, so Jennifer and I went to return library books, look for clothes for me (I don't have much in the way of "business casual" as it seems to be defined by my class), and have ice cream at Dairy Queen. I bought a pair of jeans and a grey dress. The jury is still out on the dress, but I am wearing the jeans right now.
After a wonderful dinner (Alan made rotisserie chicken, steamed baby potatoes, asparagus and cauliflower), the girls and I went for a bike ride. We passed a little party going on in the little park around the corner from our house. As it turns out, it was an annual neighbourhood labour day weekend party. They had a badminton net set up, lots of rackets and birdies, frisbees, balls, food (pot luck - good to know for next year) and a decent crowd. At 8pm, they projected "Bedtime Stories" on the white house that is adjacent to the park. I knew one of the mothers there and she offered to watch the kids while I headed home to read my case study on the MS Society of Canada. Phew! I read the case, made a few notes (full analysis is not complete yet) and then headed back to the park. They must have been delayed in starting the movie because I managed to watch the last half of it. (I saw it before, at the movie theatre with the girls.) At the end of it all, the kids were thrilled to have been able to watch a movie under the open sky and I was thrilled to have some progress on my case study and let them watch the movie. Good memories had by all.
Today, I slept in a bit longer. Chelsea is not feeling well so I spent some time trying to figure out what it is. Then I hung out with the kids. I managed to get in a game of chess with each of them (they learned how to play at Camps Canada, so let me just give that camp the accolades they deserve!) before lunch. After lunch, we went for another bike ride. Then I headed to school.
We have a Finance & Accounting tutorial from 6-8pm - just in time for tomorrow morning's exam. I thought I'd come in early and get some work done on my case study and maybe a wee bit of review before the tutorial. Imagine my surprise when I arrived and there were already 3 people here! And another guy showed up about 15 minutes after me.
Well, the tutorial starts in an hour, so I better get cracking on my review!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Our Second Assignment Is Over!
I had a private yoga lesson yesterday. That is only because no one else showed up. It was good. My poses got corrected, I was able to share what was comfortable and not... I will be making a point of going to yoga on class weekends. Maybe I'll even go to yoga the other Saturdays, too.
We wrapped up Marketing and then all got anxious about finishing our assignment. So it was pure pain to sit through the writing clinic and get lectured about academic integrity (the new term for academic dishonesty). Aaron was almost lucky that he was writing the Finance & Accounting exam.
Then we hunkered down and worked on our paper that was due 11:59:59 (one second before midnight). I finished a little after 10pm and then headed down to, what looks like will be our team watering hole, the bar at Baton Rouge with Lisa. We were later joined by Rob, Jack, and Brian. We had a drink, some nachos with spinach dip, and some really good laughs before splitting up and heading home. I only got home around 1am...
We wrapped up Marketing and then all got anxious about finishing our assignment. So it was pure pain to sit through the writing clinic and get lectured about academic integrity (the new term for academic dishonesty). Aaron was almost lucky that he was writing the Finance & Accounting exam.
Then we hunkered down and worked on our paper that was due 11:59:59 (one second before midnight). I finished a little after 10pm and then headed down to, what looks like will be our team watering hole, the bar at Baton Rouge with Lisa. We were later joined by Rob, Jack, and Brian. We had a drink, some nachos with spinach dip, and some really good laughs before splitting up and heading home. I only got home around 1am...
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Yesterday's Lunch
I forgot to mention yesterday's lunch. We had Indian food. And it was TASTY! Butter chicken, aloo gobi, that paneer stuff with the peas and the cheese. Yum, yum, yum. Sue (one of the fantastic people who keeps us fed, watered, and organized) said it came from a place in Byward Market that started with a "V". She said the whole name. It escapes me right now, but I am sure that I can Google it when the time comes.
My Horoscope for Today
This could certainly apply to anyone one in the world, as most horoscopes do. I just thought this one was appropriate:
Change can be stressful, and that applies to changes for the better, too. It means leaving behind what was familiar and embarking on a new way of life. And you definitely have some changes (for the better) heading your way. So how can you minimize the stress and maximize the positive? You can acknowledge that things might be crazy for a little while. And that things will settle down soon. And, yes, that things are most definitely going to be different around here.
So... I hereby acknowledge that things might be crazy for a little while.
Change can be stressful, and that applies to changes for the better, too. It means leaving behind what was familiar and embarking on a new way of life. And you definitely have some changes (for the better) heading your way. So how can you minimize the stress and maximize the positive? You can acknowledge that things might be crazy for a little while. And that things will settle down soon. And, yes, that things are most definitely going to be different around here.
So... I hereby acknowledge that things might be crazy for a little while.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Today Went Quick
Nearly everyone had a rough start today. Many of us were beat... probably from the stress of getting the first assignment in. Lots of yawns and I had 2 cups of coffee.
We started Marketing today. It was part of our Role of the General Manager course, which is also the course we had our strategy assignment in yesterday. Very interesting stuff today. I had a brief thought that maybe I should pick Marketing as my elective. And I HATED marketing before today.
The team met to discuss our individual assignment, which is Marketing and due tomorrow night at 11:59. I will be doing my draft tonight and, of course, finishing it tomorrow.
Our accounting tutorial has been moved to Monday night, which is OK because it meant I could see the kids for a couple of hours before they go to bed. We watched Material Girls and the tail end of Herbie: Fully Loaded.
Well off to work on my outline!
We started Marketing today. It was part of our Role of the General Manager course, which is also the course we had our strategy assignment in yesterday. Very interesting stuff today. I had a brief thought that maybe I should pick Marketing as my elective. And I HATED marketing before today.
The team met to discuss our individual assignment, which is Marketing and due tomorrow night at 11:59. I will be doing my draft tonight and, of course, finishing it tomorrow.
Our accounting tutorial has been moved to Monday night, which is OK because it meant I could see the kids for a couple of hours before they go to bed. We watched Material Girls and the tail end of Herbie: Fully Loaded.
Well off to work on my outline!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
The First Assignment Is IN!!!!!
There used to be a day when I could whip off a 1000 word document in a few hours and do just fine. This time around, it wasn't as easy. First, the team started off pretty disorganized. We all had different definitions of being prepared for it. Then we approached it as a team instead of breaking out into sub-teams to work on the individual sections. So a few learnings came out of yesterday.
We did this little brainstorming session about improving a tie. One of use had to be a time-keeper/observer. It was funny watching Aaron hold his tongue. It was very hard for him to not jump in and participate.
After class, we had our first Administration Meeting. As a team, we are getting better at telling each other what we think, which I think is great! We dealt with a few irritants and got a few things decided and then everyone disbanded. Everyone except Sean and I: the lead and second for the first team assignment. We submitted it at around 9:45pm. It was due at 10pm. It was just under 1000 words, which was great. Just about at the end, I commented that we didn't say anything about a particular item... Sean looked at the clock and we decided to let it go. All the same, I think we did OK on our paper. I'll get to stay in the program a little bit longer.
Oh yeah. I made it to the gym, but a few minutes too late for "Total Body Workout", so I did 20 minutes on the treadmill. The killer yoga / pilates lady is supposed to be back tomorrow. That's if tomorrow is Friday. Like I said before, I have no concept of time.
Well, I have a chapter, an HBR article, and an IBM case study to read for tomorrow and it is already past my bedtime. I'll skim something before I fall asleep.
We did this little brainstorming session about improving a tie. One of use had to be a time-keeper/observer. It was funny watching Aaron hold his tongue. It was very hard for him to not jump in and participate.
After class, we had our first Administration Meeting. As a team, we are getting better at telling each other what we think, which I think is great! We dealt with a few irritants and got a few things decided and then everyone disbanded. Everyone except Sean and I: the lead and second for the first team assignment. We submitted it at around 9:45pm. It was due at 10pm. It was just under 1000 words, which was great. Just about at the end, I commented that we didn't say anything about a particular item... Sean looked at the clock and we decided to let it go. All the same, I think we did OK on our paper. I'll get to stay in the program a little bit longer.
Oh yeah. I made it to the gym, but a few minutes too late for "Total Body Workout", so I did 20 minutes on the treadmill. The killer yoga / pilates lady is supposed to be back tomorrow. That's if tomorrow is Friday. Like I said before, I have no concept of time.
Well, I have a chapter, an HBR article, and an IBM case study to read for tomorrow and it is already past my bedtime. I'll skim something before I fall asleep.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Catching Up!
They (whoever "they" are) say that going for an MBA makes you become more efficient. So how's this? I'm going to cover two days in one entry!
Julian Barling, our Leadership prof, was a hoot! So, it wasn't so bad having class with him for 12 hours yesterday. Yes, you read that right. We had twelve straight hours of the same guy in the same day. Don't ask me what I learned. I don't remember. I do know that he is coming back next Wednesday and that we have an assignment based on the movie The Twelve Angry Men.
The sad thing that happened is that someone decided to withdraw from the program. Believe me, the thought has crossed my mind a couple of times, so I certainly empathized with him. Queen's handled it all very discreetly.
I got home around 9pm and had a chance to say goodnight to my girls. They were still sort of awake when I crept in to give them kisses. It had been their first day of school, so we talked about their teachers and what they did and who was in their classes. And then they asked me if I liked my teacher. (It's like they just realized what "Mommy is in school" means.) I explained that I have had five teachers so far (six as of today) and that they all seemed nice.
I tried to read the cases that I needed done for today before I went to bed last night. My eyes started closing about half-way through the Microsoft case, so I called it a day. You know what that means, though. I woke up and had it on my mind. I skipped the gym and found a quiet place to sit and read and take notes. I was the most prepared person on the team for our meeting about the assignment tonight. Not so sure it was worth missing the gym though.
I cried at school today. Someone asked me how my girls' first day went and I started to answer and my eyes welled up (is that the right term Michael?). She gave me a hug, and I was on the verge of tears all day.
Today we started our work on the Role of the General Manager. It's a junior strategy course. Porter's 5 Forces model and stuff. (We do Porter tomorrow.) Today, we covered some sort of congruency theory. It's supposed to be a model to help you make sense of things. Well, as we worked on our Microsoft case (which required referencing the Congruency Model), I think we got it all confused. By "we", I mean my whole team.
Anyway, Sean was the Lead and I was the Second and it was tough. The two quietest people in the team were leading. It was challenging. The more senior (in job level) people were biting their tongues and trying to diplomatically help the others improve. I don't think it was taken that way. I might have kicked in and tried to facilitate, but the reality is that I was too busy trying to make sense of what everyone was saying and incorporating it into our report. (The Second does the initial typing at the team meeting and the Lead is supposed to take the document and clean it up and make sure all the salient points are addressed. There is usually a back & forth between the Lead and the Second and when the document is nearly done, it goes to the team. We aren't going to follow that on this one.)
We didn't finish so we invoked our team norm of work-life balance and packed up. We'll finish it tomorrow. (It's due at 10pm.)
Well, that's it for now. I have another case and some Harvard Business Review articles to read. I hope to read at least one thing before I fall asleep. I want to go to the gym in the morning.
Julian Barling, our Leadership prof, was a hoot! So, it wasn't so bad having class with him for 12 hours yesterday. Yes, you read that right. We had twelve straight hours of the same guy in the same day. Don't ask me what I learned. I don't remember. I do know that he is coming back next Wednesday and that we have an assignment based on the movie The Twelve Angry Men.
The sad thing that happened is that someone decided to withdraw from the program. Believe me, the thought has crossed my mind a couple of times, so I certainly empathized with him. Queen's handled it all very discreetly.
I got home around 9pm and had a chance to say goodnight to my girls. They were still sort of awake when I crept in to give them kisses. It had been their first day of school, so we talked about their teachers and what they did and who was in their classes. And then they asked me if I liked my teacher. (It's like they just realized what "Mommy is in school" means.) I explained that I have had five teachers so far (six as of today) and that they all seemed nice.
I tried to read the cases that I needed done for today before I went to bed last night. My eyes started closing about half-way through the Microsoft case, so I called it a day. You know what that means, though. I woke up and had it on my mind. I skipped the gym and found a quiet place to sit and read and take notes. I was the most prepared person on the team for our meeting about the assignment tonight. Not so sure it was worth missing the gym though.
I cried at school today. Someone asked me how my girls' first day went and I started to answer and my eyes welled up (is that the right term Michael?). She gave me a hug, and I was on the verge of tears all day.
Today we started our work on the Role of the General Manager. It's a junior strategy course. Porter's 5 Forces model and stuff. (We do Porter tomorrow.) Today, we covered some sort of congruency theory. It's supposed to be a model to help you make sense of things. Well, as we worked on our Microsoft case (which required referencing the Congruency Model), I think we got it all confused. By "we", I mean my whole team.
Anyway, Sean was the Lead and I was the Second and it was tough. The two quietest people in the team were leading. It was challenging. The more senior (in job level) people were biting their tongues and trying to diplomatically help the others improve. I don't think it was taken that way. I might have kicked in and tried to facilitate, but the reality is that I was too busy trying to make sense of what everyone was saying and incorporating it into our report. (The Second does the initial typing at the team meeting and the Lead is supposed to take the document and clean it up and make sure all the salient points are addressed. There is usually a back & forth between the Lead and the Second and when the document is nearly done, it goes to the team. We aren't going to follow that on this one.)
We didn't finish so we invoked our team norm of work-life balance and packed up. We'll finish it tomorrow. (It's due at 10pm.)
Well, that's it for now. I have another case and some Harvard Business Review articles to read. I hope to read at least one thing before I fall asleep. I want to go to the gym in the morning.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
I Was Wrong
It wasn't our last Finance & Accounting class before the exam. We had 8 more hours with a different teacher today. I think THAT is the last Finance & Accounting before the exam. Except for the tutorial, which I think is later on this week, but I don't remember. I have no concept of time.
Pilates was tough. I felt kind of silly, but I wasn't the only one feeling silly. I could feel the pain of yesterday's yoga while I was engaging different muscles with Pilates and then felt everything tightening up over the course of the morning. "Try something new" is our motto and I certainly have done so.
We had salmon for lunch. I guess we needed the brain food to get through the classes! It was tasty. It's hard not to eat when they give us such good food.
After class, we (four of us) went for a walk along Bank Street, looking for something for dinner. We were picking up for two others, and Abdul is observing Ramadan, so he went home. We went into this deli type place and ordered simple food. I had a tuna sandwich with pickles. Tasty. Especially since I didn't get around to eating it until after my Fitness Assessment. (I should get a workout plan sometime in the future.)
I joined the guys in the room we booked and did a practice case as my study effort for F&A. I kind of whipped through it rather quickly, but did fine except for a minor adding error. I think I got the hang of T accounts. (Or "Q-T" accounts, since it is Queen's.) Then Vicki (classmate who did her fitness assessment at the same time as me) and I went and had a beer down at Baton Rouge and ran into a couple of the guys from class.
Well, tomorrow is a LONG day. It's 12 hours of Executive Leadership. And all I have done for it was read "The No Asshole Rule". I had a quick peek at the binder and it looks like there was 50-100 pages of cases and articles to read... I think I might have to skip "Total Body Workout". Of course, I will probably be unable to walk after yoga, Pilates, and the fitness assessment anyway.
Pilates was tough. I felt kind of silly, but I wasn't the only one feeling silly. I could feel the pain of yesterday's yoga while I was engaging different muscles with Pilates and then felt everything tightening up over the course of the morning. "Try something new" is our motto and I certainly have done so.
We had salmon for lunch. I guess we needed the brain food to get through the classes! It was tasty. It's hard not to eat when they give us such good food.
After class, we (four of us) went for a walk along Bank Street, looking for something for dinner. We were picking up for two others, and Abdul is observing Ramadan, so he went home. We went into this deli type place and ordered simple food. I had a tuna sandwich with pickles. Tasty. Especially since I didn't get around to eating it until after my Fitness Assessment. (I should get a workout plan sometime in the future.)
I joined the guys in the room we booked and did a practice case as my study effort for F&A. I kind of whipped through it rather quickly, but did fine except for a minor adding error. I think I got the hang of T accounts. (Or "Q-T" accounts, since it is Queen's.) Then Vicki (classmate who did her fitness assessment at the same time as me) and I went and had a beer down at Baton Rouge and ran into a couple of the guys from class.
Well, tomorrow is a LONG day. It's 12 hours of Executive Leadership. And all I have done for it was read "The No Asshole Rule". I had a quick peek at the binder and it looks like there was 50-100 pages of cases and articles to read... I think I might have to skip "Total Body Workout". Of course, I will probably be unable to walk after yoga, Pilates, and the fitness assessment anyway.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Quick Post Before Pilates
The days are blending into each other. I really don't know what day it is. It's a good thing that there is a flip chart by the door that has the date on it to remind me.
Yesterday just flew by... Pilates was actually Yoga yesterday. And let me tell you that while it felt OK at the time, my body is in pain today.
We had our last Finance & Accounting class before our exam next week. I think I'll manage OK. Things blended into meeting with the team and personal coaches while eating lunch. Then we went over how to read a case. That'll take some practice. From there, right into meeting as a team with our coach. Somehow, we got the director of the program as our coach. Not quite sure how that happened. That took us to 9:30 at night...
Now I am off to Pilates and then will have a full day of Finance and Accounting...
Yesterday just flew by... Pilates was actually Yoga yesterday. And let me tell you that while it felt OK at the time, my body is in pain today.
We had our last Finance & Accounting class before our exam next week. I think I'll manage OK. Things blended into meeting with the team and personal coaches while eating lunch. Then we went over how to read a case. That'll take some practice. From there, right into meeting as a team with our coach. Somehow, we got the director of the program as our coach. Not quite sure how that happened. That took us to 9:30 at night...
Now I am off to Pilates and then will have a full day of Finance and Accounting...
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Thoughts on Day 3
Day 3 kinda flew by!
Let me tell you about the breakfast... It was a warm breakfast, outside of the norm of continental breakfast that we had been having the first two days (which felt like at least a week). We had sweet potato frittata with roasted baby potatoes. For carnivores, they also had ham and bacon and a ton of breads for toast and a fruit platter. Having not slept much the night before, I also had 2 coffees... And they were the only two I had all day. Andrew (in the Cornell-Queen's program) popped by to say hello. It's his school weekend, too. (Of course, I don't have any concept of time. Don't quite realize it is the weekend given the surreal nature of being in school all day.)
We had a morning of Team Building. This was us working on a couple of cases do deal with conflict. The cases were based on real-life examples of students in the program. One was a freeloader, riding the coat tails of the team and not contributing. (The team let it go on, so they were all at fault.) The other was this guy who had just never been told of the niceties of being on time for meetings and so on.
After lunch (beef or vegetarian stew with celeriac mashed potatoes and spinach salad), we started some of the more concrete work: Finance and Accounting. Nearly everyone in my team was picked to answer a question on the case we worked on. I think we'll be doing fine with numbers.
Got home early (around 6:30pm) and I was grateful that Alan had delayed dinner so that we could all eat together. I watched a movie with the kids, got them to bed, made my moves in my ongoing games in Lexulous (version of Scrabble in Facebook), and then worked on setting up a calendar in Word for a bit. Glanced at my accounting homework and read the case for today's "How to Read a Case" workshop.
Now I am getting ready for my first-ever Pilates class. It starts in 45mins, so I better get moving!
Let me tell you about the breakfast... It was a warm breakfast, outside of the norm of continental breakfast that we had been having the first two days (which felt like at least a week). We had sweet potato frittata with roasted baby potatoes. For carnivores, they also had ham and bacon and a ton of breads for toast and a fruit platter. Having not slept much the night before, I also had 2 coffees... And they were the only two I had all day. Andrew (in the Cornell-Queen's program) popped by to say hello. It's his school weekend, too. (Of course, I don't have any concept of time. Don't quite realize it is the weekend given the surreal nature of being in school all day.)
We had a morning of Team Building. This was us working on a couple of cases do deal with conflict. The cases were based on real-life examples of students in the program. One was a freeloader, riding the coat tails of the team and not contributing. (The team let it go on, so they were all at fault.) The other was this guy who had just never been told of the niceties of being on time for meetings and so on.
After lunch (beef or vegetarian stew with celeriac mashed potatoes and spinach salad), we started some of the more concrete work: Finance and Accounting. Nearly everyone in my team was picked to answer a question on the case we worked on. I think we'll be doing fine with numbers.
Got home early (around 6:30pm) and I was grateful that Alan had delayed dinner so that we could all eat together. I watched a movie with the kids, got them to bed, made my moves in my ongoing games in Lexulous (version of Scrabble in Facebook), and then worked on setting up a calendar in Word for a bit. Glanced at my accounting homework and read the case for today's "How to Read a Case" workshop.
Now I am getting ready for my first-ever Pilates class. It starts in 45mins, so I better get moving!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
...And Welcome to Day 2.
Reflections on day 2...
It feels like we've been together a whole lot longer than 2 days. Certainly that is a function of the team building exercises that we've been doing.
I was less tired at the end of day 2 than I was at the end of the first day. I now realize that it was because I became wired (not as a result of drinking coffee - I had only one cup after lunch) which resulted in not falling asleep when I first went to bed and then lying awake watching the clock starting around 4am.
What we did
We worked on an Arctic survival exercise where you rank order 15 items needed for survival. I was not very good at it as an individual. As a team we worked great together! That means that we got a WAY better score. It helps to have engineers who have been in the terrain that the "crash site" was in. That's how we learned that a compass is useless if you are surrounded by iron ore. And having a forester on the team who said you would wander around forever lost if you tried to navigate around the lakes.
Then we set the groundwork for establishing our team's Mission, Goals and Norms. Once we were set loose to actually do the work, we decided to go for a walk and get some fresh air. It was after 4:30pm and we had been going pretty much non-stop. So, a little stroll along Sparks Street got us moving and some fresh air into our bodies. We then worked on our Mission, Goals and Norms and finished a little bit earlier than we had scheduled. I wonder if we sacrificed effectiveness for efficiency. I guess we'll find out when we meet with our team coach on Sunday night.
Notes to self...
Girly shoes are not good for extended walks on city streets. Especially with fast walking guys.
Work on finding your voice... Those guys can really take over if you let them.
It feels like we've been together a whole lot longer than 2 days. Certainly that is a function of the team building exercises that we've been doing.
I was less tired at the end of day 2 than I was at the end of the first day. I now realize that it was because I became wired (not as a result of drinking coffee - I had only one cup after lunch) which resulted in not falling asleep when I first went to bed and then lying awake watching the clock starting around 4am.
What we did
We worked on an Arctic survival exercise where you rank order 15 items needed for survival. I was not very good at it as an individual. As a team we worked great together! That means that we got a WAY better score. It helps to have engineers who have been in the terrain that the "crash site" was in. That's how we learned that a compass is useless if you are surrounded by iron ore. And having a forester on the team who said you would wander around forever lost if you tried to navigate around the lakes.
Then we set the groundwork for establishing our team's Mission, Goals and Norms. Once we were set loose to actually do the work, we decided to go for a walk and get some fresh air. It was after 4:30pm and we had been going pretty much non-stop. So, a little stroll along Sparks Street got us moving and some fresh air into our bodies. We then worked on our Mission, Goals and Norms and finished a little bit earlier than we had scheduled. I wonder if we sacrificed effectiveness for efficiency. I guess we'll find out when we meet with our team coach on Sunday night.
Notes to self...
Girly shoes are not good for extended walks on city streets. Especially with fast walking guys.
Work on finding your voice... Those guys can really take over if you let them.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Day One Is Complete!
WOW! What a day!
The theme for the next few days is High Performing Teams. Shawna O'Grady is our professor and she is good. And she throws in some jokes from time to time to keep us listening.
After an overview of the objectives and an overview of the Queen's model for high performing teams, we found out who our team members were and did a "getting to know you" exercise. In our teams, we each had to talk for one minute about an assigned topic, with four topics to cover. For example, the first round was stating our name, where we come from, where we work, our job title and what a typical day looks like. Stuff like that times four.
Then we got sent to another breakout area where we did a Bombardment Exercise. We had to talk about 6 successes (which we identified prior to going to the breakout area) and our team members had to come up with five positive qualities about us. And then they had to tell us the qualities while kneeling in front of us and then put a sticker with a caption for each one onto a bullseye chart. That was very humbling for everyone. Imagine getting praised for roughly 15 minutes straight by people who barely knew you. Imagine if you could do this at work! That would certainly break down any barriers that currently exist and you find a more positive platform to operate from. Of course, now we have to live up to our team members' "ideal" of us formulated from this exercise.
Oh yeah. There are 28 people in the program; 4 groups of 7. There are only 5 females in the group. My calculator says that's 17.8% of the group. If you are doing your math one degree further, you'll realize that one group would have two women. That's not my group. I am the sole chicky with 6 guys. Two are engineers (one is the president of his company), one is a seasoned executive, one is a surgeon (cancer is his specialty), one is a junior general manager, and one is an internal consultant to the federal government.
My group was so involved in the bombardment exercise that we almost missed lunch! Sure, Tracy came to remind us that lunch was available, but we decided to go through with everything first. Fortunately, they extended lunch by 15 minutes, so I had time to wolf down some cold chicken (it was supposed to be cold) and a stuffed zucchini (it was hot) and some salad. And I grabbed a bit of chocolate cake to keep my energy up.
We spent the rest of the afternoon learning about our HBDI profiles and talking about the different colours. My profile has changed since I first did it a year ago with work. I went from a 2121 to a 2112. I joked with the two engineers on my team (who sit in my row) that they must have knocked the socks off of "blue" (analytic) and they weren't too surprised to see my green-red profile.
Anyway... It was a long day. And tomorrow will be even longer. We go to 9:45pm. Yikes!
Inspiration for today:
"You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear. Do it! Develop an appreciation for the present moment. Seize every second of your life and savor it. Value your present moments. Using them up in any self-defeating ways means you've lost them forever."
Wayne Dyer
The theme for the next few days is High Performing Teams. Shawna O'Grady is our professor and she is good. And she throws in some jokes from time to time to keep us listening.
After an overview of the objectives and an overview of the Queen's model for high performing teams, we found out who our team members were and did a "getting to know you" exercise. In our teams, we each had to talk for one minute about an assigned topic, with four topics to cover. For example, the first round was stating our name, where we come from, where we work, our job title and what a typical day looks like. Stuff like that times four.
Then we got sent to another breakout area where we did a Bombardment Exercise. We had to talk about 6 successes (which we identified prior to going to the breakout area) and our team members had to come up with five positive qualities about us. And then they had to tell us the qualities while kneeling in front of us and then put a sticker with a caption for each one onto a bullseye chart. That was very humbling for everyone. Imagine getting praised for roughly 15 minutes straight by people who barely knew you. Imagine if you could do this at work! That would certainly break down any barriers that currently exist and you find a more positive platform to operate from. Of course, now we have to live up to our team members' "ideal" of us formulated from this exercise.
Oh yeah. There are 28 people in the program; 4 groups of 7. There are only 5 females in the group. My calculator says that's 17.8% of the group. If you are doing your math one degree further, you'll realize that one group would have two women. That's not my group. I am the sole chicky with 6 guys. Two are engineers (one is the president of his company), one is a seasoned executive, one is a surgeon (cancer is his specialty), one is a junior general manager, and one is an internal consultant to the federal government.
My group was so involved in the bombardment exercise that we almost missed lunch! Sure, Tracy came to remind us that lunch was available, but we decided to go through with everything first. Fortunately, they extended lunch by 15 minutes, so I had time to wolf down some cold chicken (it was supposed to be cold) and a stuffed zucchini (it was hot) and some salad. And I grabbed a bit of chocolate cake to keep my energy up.
We spent the rest of the afternoon learning about our HBDI profiles and talking about the different colours. My profile has changed since I first did it a year ago with work. I went from a 2121 to a 2112. I joked with the two engineers on my team (who sit in my row) that they must have knocked the socks off of "blue" (analytic) and they weren't too surprised to see my green-red profile.
Anyway... It was a long day. And tomorrow will be even longer. We go to 9:45pm. Yikes!
Inspiration for today:
"You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear. Do it! Develop an appreciation for the present moment. Seize every second of your life and savor it. Value your present moments. Using them up in any self-defeating ways means you've lost them forever."
Wayne Dyer
It's the BIG DAY!
I have been awake since 4:30am. I guess am either anxious or excited or a bit of both. I finally decided to get up after an hour of watching the clock.
Breakfast starts at 7:30am. Yes, they feed us. Class "stuff" starts at 8:30 and goes until 6:15pm. I've been warned by Alan - who works with a guy who is in the Cornell-Queen's MBA program - to expect that there may be an impromptu dinner with my new team afterwards. So, I don't know when I am getting home tonight.
Many thanks to Alan who will be shouldering many of the responsibilities while I am in Boot Camp. And many thanks to my girls who will be brave while they miss me. I will miss all three of you, too!
Well, I best start getting ready! Wish me luck!
Breakfast starts at 7:30am. Yes, they feed us. Class "stuff" starts at 8:30 and goes until 6:15pm. I've been warned by Alan - who works with a guy who is in the Cornell-Queen's MBA program - to expect that there may be an impromptu dinner with my new team afterwards. So, I don't know when I am getting home tonight.
Many thanks to Alan who will be shouldering many of the responsibilities while I am in Boot Camp. And many thanks to my girls who will be brave while they miss me. I will miss all three of you, too!
Well, I best start getting ready! Wish me luck!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tomorrow's the BIG DAY
I start my MBA studies tomorrow. I must be a little stressed because I have have a kink in my neck and can't turn my head very far. I am still excited, though!
We don't need our laptops and I've been told that it is advisable to wear pants. And since the first day is spent on "Creating High Performance Teams", I can guess that we'll have some team-building activity that would not be all that fun if I was wearing a skirt.
I need to test my new pens and mechanical pencils to make sure that they work.
I hope that future posts will be more entertaining for you all!
We don't need our laptops and I've been told that it is advisable to wear pants. And since the first day is spent on "Creating High Performance Teams", I can guess that we'll have some team-building activity that would not be all that fun if I was wearing a skirt.
I need to test my new pens and mechanical pencils to make sure that they work.
I hope that future posts will be more entertaining for you all!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Getting back into it
Well, I've been away from this blog for a while. Mainly because I start my MBA studies this coming Thursday. I've been either reading the books that Queen's sent me or trying to take care of the things that would distract me from my studies (like washing baseboards...)! Anyway, I was visiting a friend's blog and she had this "meme" on hers, and I thought it would be a good way to jump back in!
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris. (Can I put it in italics if I want to go back?)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. Knitting
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill.
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon. Oh you must be joking.
28. Ridden a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset. Several.
31. Hit a home run. ...Being able to hit a ball first would be good...
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language. Tried to learn German once.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing. Only at a rock climbing gym.
40. Seen Michelangelo's David in person.
41. Sung Karaoke. Don't ask.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre.
55. Been in a movie. (I might have been in an obscure IMAX film that was being filmed when I was in St. Anthony, NL.)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen. I have sorted food for the Food Bank.
61. Sold Girl Guide cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood. My veins are small. They asked me to not come back.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a cheque.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job. It was really downsizing. They closed my office.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book. (I have had an article published in a magazine!)
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper. Lots of times when I was a kid. I must have been cute!
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating. (Do fish count?)
88. Had chickenpox. Twice. Really.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club. Started a book club no less.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swum in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a law suit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
99 things meme
Nicked from Kniterary.
Things you've already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven't done and don't want to - leave in plain font
1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland/world.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
Nicked from Kniterary.
Things you've already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven't done and don't want to - leave in plain font
1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland/world.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris. (Can I put it in italics if I want to go back?)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. Knitting
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill.
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon. Oh you must be joking.
28. Ridden a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset. Several.
31. Hit a home run. ...Being able to hit a ball first would be good...
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language. Tried to learn German once.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing. Only at a rock climbing gym.
40. Seen Michelangelo's David in person.
41. Sung Karaoke. Don't ask.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre.
55. Been in a movie. (I might have been in an obscure IMAX film that was being filmed when I was in St. Anthony, NL.)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen. I have sorted food for the Food Bank.
61. Sold Girl Guide cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood. My veins are small. They asked me to not come back.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a cheque.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job. It was really downsizing. They closed my office.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book. (I have had an article published in a magazine!)
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper. Lots of times when I was a kid. I must have been cute!
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating. (Do fish count?)
88. Had chickenpox. Twice. Really.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club. Started a book club no less.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swum in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a law suit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
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