Up For Air
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
It's been nearly four months since I last posted. Wars have been won and lost in less time. Sadly, this closely correlates with the moments I have to take a breath and assess where I am, where I have been, and where I am going.
A lot has happened in the past few months. Since getting back from Oz, I packed up and moved out of the Bay for the first time in 27 years. I moved into my Park Evanston high rise apartment in Evanston, home to Kellogg, and set forth on my two year adventure in business school (which got off to a less than ingnominous start with the towing of my rental car the first morning I was there). Four days after moving in, I spent a week hanging out in Ilha Grande, a small local island community off the north coast of Brazil, as well as partying it up at the Copacabana (ah, now the Friends song makes sense). It was on this KAOS trip (since named Kwest to not besmirch the Kellogg name, apparently) that I met my first group of bschool buddies. The Ilha clan has since claimed title at school as the rowdiest, most amped up, and party-hard group of peeps. It was certainly an experience not without my own personal challenges as I tried to reconcile a group personality different from my natural instincts.
After KAOS, CIM week kicked in and I met my section, the Bucketheads. 65 strong, our rallying cry was "Bow to the Bucket!" and we owned the OLC by screaming at the top of our lungs, "Win or lose, we booze!". The entire week was a tremendous blur of adrenaline, new faces (everyone sweated the name game -- thank goodness for Todd Midura calmly sailing through). Thanks to some fantastic organization and theatrical skeelz, the Buckets rocked the CIM Talent Show with some burly men in tutus, acapella/LaBamba tunes, and one dynamite Napoleon Dynamite dance off.
As the school year rushed in, Strategy, Marketing, Decision Sciences and Accounting filled my life. Not sure if it's my natural inclination to resist learning or if it's my Engineering undergraduate training, but I've managed to dedicate 50% of my brainpower to pondering everything but class. Not the best approach, as I now face a Thanksgiving vacation centered around the books (granted, I'm now blogging, so clearly I'm not that worried quite yet). I do, however, now believe it's time for me to get some of my money's worth and pick up a thing or two from the great faculty here.
There have been so many new names and faces that I am still digesting everything. I've met some good friends here - Ian, Vid, Jess, Sarah, Megha, Brian, and Ben top the list and I can't wait to see what awaits me. The challenge is really getting to know all the interesting people here while at the same time surviving class and nailing that tricky consulting gig for the summer. Wish me luck!
And of course, there is the great Tatertot, with whom I now share this tremendous bschool experience. She's been ultra supportive and understanding during the last few months of frenziness - yet she's also reminded me of what's important (us, family, friends back home). She's been my anchor during this torrential downpour of change. And, of course, that's why she's my gal.
Now, friends, I will try to come up for air more often than four times a year. And if I'm too much a stranger, reach out and remind me that life happens outside of the craziness that resides between one's two ears.
Things I'm thankful for:
It's been nearly four months since I last posted. Wars have been won and lost in less time. Sadly, this closely correlates with the moments I have to take a breath and assess where I am, where I have been, and where I am going.
A lot has happened in the past few months. Since getting back from Oz, I packed up and moved out of the Bay for the first time in 27 years. I moved into my Park Evanston high rise apartment in Evanston, home to Kellogg, and set forth on my two year adventure in business school (which got off to a less than ingnominous start with the towing of my rental car the first morning I was there). Four days after moving in, I spent a week hanging out in Ilha Grande, a small local island community off the north coast of Brazil, as well as partying it up at the Copacabana (ah, now the Friends song makes sense). It was on this KAOS trip (since named Kwest to not besmirch the Kellogg name, apparently) that I met my first group of bschool buddies. The Ilha clan has since claimed title at school as the rowdiest, most amped up, and party-hard group of peeps. It was certainly an experience not without my own personal challenges as I tried to reconcile a group personality different from my natural instincts.
After KAOS, CIM week kicked in and I met my section, the Bucketheads. 65 strong, our rallying cry was "Bow to the Bucket!" and we owned the OLC by screaming at the top of our lungs, "Win or lose, we booze!". The entire week was a tremendous blur of adrenaline, new faces (everyone sweated the name game -- thank goodness for Todd Midura calmly sailing through). Thanks to some fantastic organization and theatrical skeelz, the Buckets rocked the CIM Talent Show with some burly men in tutus, acapella/LaBamba tunes, and one dynamite Napoleon Dynamite dance off.
As the school year rushed in, Strategy, Marketing, Decision Sciences and Accounting filled my life. Not sure if it's my natural inclination to resist learning or if it's my Engineering undergraduate training, but I've managed to dedicate 50% of my brainpower to pondering everything but class. Not the best approach, as I now face a Thanksgiving vacation centered around the books (granted, I'm now blogging, so clearly I'm not that worried quite yet). I do, however, now believe it's time for me to get some of my money's worth and pick up a thing or two from the great faculty here.
There have been so many new names and faces that I am still digesting everything. I've met some good friends here - Ian, Vid, Jess, Sarah, Megha, Brian, and Ben top the list and I can't wait to see what awaits me. The challenge is really getting to know all the interesting people here while at the same time surviving class and nailing that tricky consulting gig for the summer. Wish me luck!
And of course, there is the great Tatertot, with whom I now share this tremendous bschool experience. She's been ultra supportive and understanding during the last few months of frenziness - yet she's also reminded me of what's important (us, family, friends back home). She's been my anchor during this torrential downpour of change. And, of course, that's why she's my gal.
Now, friends, I will try to come up for air more often than four times a year. And if I'm too much a stranger, reach out and remind me that life happens outside of the craziness that resides between one's two ears.
Things I'm thankful for:
- my healthy family, tatertot, & relatives
- my pals back home, the loveboaters, the Danvillians, the Lantoids, BLers, Cal peeps, the Locusts, and Kelloggians
- the opportunity to really make something of this Kellogg experience!
- and of course, you guys, who care enough, to check in on my blog (even after being dry for 4 months)
~ dodge
posted by dodger | 1:56 PM
1 Comments:
welcome back rog, it is good to hear from you.
Post a Comment
<< Home