Braces Off!

Today was the big day! After more than 20 months, I visited the orthodontist to have my braces removed.

After performing the "normal" 4 week service on my hardware, I had my brackets removed (broken off), the remaining glue chipped away, and a final polishing of my teeth. Finally, I received my retainers (lower - bonded, and upper - Duke blue removable).

I'm sooooooooo glad this experience has come to an end! My teeth really look great. Anyone looking for an orthodontist recommendation in the Raleigh area just let me know!

WEMBA Term 3 : Weekends 2, 3, 4, and 5

What can I say?

The fact that I've been unable to blog about any of these weekends individually speaks for itself.

This has without a doubt been the most difficult term of the program so far. It's especially tough since it coincides with the holidays (I'm *so* far behind)!

Throughout the past couple of months, there has been a nonstop progression of team assignments in both Managerial Accounting and Macroeconomics. About the time I was ready to come up for air, however, midterms hit in all three classes. I'm happy to report that all of them are finally over (the last one was yesterday) and it looks like I'll finally get a few days away from it all to enjoy the holidays.

Bring on the leisure time...I'm more than ready to recharge!

Stuff On My Cat

OK, so I've been really bad about blogging lately. Well, it's Term 3 of my MBA program (the hardest term so far), so what can I say?

I couldn't resist posting about Stuff On My Cat, though. It's just an awesome site to check out when you need a quick laugh.

Enjoy!

The URL is:

http://www.stuffonmycat.com/

JetBlue WiFi from SWA Flight?

On the way back from Vegas to Raleigh (Southwest 4.5 hour nonstop), I pulled out my Dell Latitude notebook over Kansas to get some class work done for the week ahead. What else would one do over Kansas? :)

Of course, my wireless card was still enabled. To my surprise, as I prepared to disable the card to save battery life I got the "Wireless Networks Available" bubble. Huh? I thought I must be dreaming...

I viewed the network list and it said I could connect to the network "JetBlue - JFK WiFi" (full strength). I wasn't able to connect but it got me thinking. JetBlue has been rumored to be rolling out WiFi. Maybe one of their planes was in the airspace and they are testing WiFi. Who knows?

JetBlue To Offer Wi-Fi In The Sky!

WEMBA Term 3 : Weekend 1

The 3 week break between terms went by WAY too fast!

This weekend started on Thursday (a bonus day) with a great guest lecture by Martha Rogers, co-author of Return on Customer. The lecture was optional but I'm definitely glad I attended. It provided valuable insights into understanding the value of a customer and using this to make decisions.

Thursday afternoon was dedicated to "team switching" activities. First, I said goodbye to my old team (Bruce, Chad, Holly, Karthik and Manish) and then met my new team (Baoshu, Chris, Michael and Reneta). It was definitely hard for the old team to "end" our time together, but such is life...new relationships are inevitable!

Friday it was time to meet the new professors and experience Term 3 classes - Managerial Accounting, Global Financial Management and Global Economic Environment of the Firm. It's still early to tell, but Global Financial Management course may be the hardest course this term.

This was definitely a transition weekend - a new team and new courses.

Fall Getaway 2006

This weekend, Stacey and I made our annual fall pilgrimage to the NC/VA Mountains. The time away was especially valuable this year since it came between Terms 2 and 3 of my MBA program at Duke!

Friday

On Friday, we both took the day off from work and drove to Ararat, NC (near Mount Airy - aka Mayberry...about 2 hours west of Raleigh). Before heading to the Vineyard Cabin, we stopped for lunch at Steak n Shake off I-40 in Greensboro for our favorite Frisco Melts and shakes. SNS never disappoints!

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the cabin, but hoped it would be a nice place to start our trip. Little did I know that we were about to be pleasantly surprised!

Upon turning into the private driveway of the cabin, our first reaction was being frightened it was so secluded. This fear was soon erased, however, as we approached the cabin to the sound of jazz music playing via satellite radio (Watercolors - XM 71). Yes, the music was playing *outside*! The cabin was wired with a complete indoor/outdoor speaker system.

After entering the cabin, we quickly realized that the music was only the beginning. A bottle of Gallo Cabernet Sauvignon and a cheese Danish (for breakfast) were waiting awaiting us on the kitchen counter. A remote-controlled gas log stone fireplace was ready to warm us up in the living room. White terry cloth robes were arranged in the bedroom. A Jacuzzi tub was ready for use in the bathroom. And on, and on, and on...! I will save some of the details from this post, but let's just say we can't wait to go back!

Friday night, we searched for dinner in Dobson (about 10 miles from the cabin). We couldn't find the restaurant we were looking for, so we drove to Mount Airy instead, figuring it would offer more choices. We stumbled upon the Autumn Leaves Festival (a small annual street fair). We ate some BBQ from a vendor and then walked around a bit before sampling a funnel cake for dessert.

Saturday

We woke up, had a nice breakfast, and (sadly) checked out of the cabin before heading to Pilot Mountain. We spent about an hour at the overlook while enjoying the crisp, sunny fall day.

After leaving Pilot Mountain, we headed to Rag Apple Lassie Winery, where we planned on eating lunch. The food options were limited, so we decided to only stay for a tasting (reds only). We left the winery and ate a quick lunch at Arby's in Jonesville. After that, we decided to jump on the Blue Ridge Parkway ASAP to take advantage of as much daylight as possible before heading to the bed and breakfast where we would stay.

On the parkway (for a total of about 60 miles), we stopped at several overlooks where we (hopefully) got some great pictures before pulling over at Mabry Mill just before sunset. We walked around a bit there before heading to the Mountain Song Inn to check in for the night.

Upon arriving at the Inn (following poor GPS guidance along a two dirt roads), we checked in to our room and drove to Floyd, VA to have dinner at Oddfella's (recommended by the owner of the B&B - Audrey). It was a great restaurant featuring live music and innovative cuisine.

Sunday

We woke up and had a great breakfast (blueberry French toast stuffed with cream cheese, fresh fruit, bacon, and coffee). After checking out of the Inn, we drove back to the parkway (about 15 miles) to the Chateau Morrisette winery near Meadows of Dan. We spent the rest of the day here before heading back to Raleigh. We started off with a great tour of the facility (about 30 minutes) followed by a 14-wine tasting (the largest of any winery thus far). Chateau Morrisette had the most impressive facility of the three wineries we have visited during the past two months in NC/VA. They also have a great restaurant on-site. Definitely make a reservation, though! We had a great lunch there but found out the hard way (90 minute wait) that we should have called ahead!

WEMBA Term 2 : Complete!

Final exams for Term 2 are now a thing of the past!

Decision Models featured a take home final that took me over 30 hours to complete, but was very interesting (one problem each - decision trees, Monte Carlo simulation, and optimization). I learned a lot while working on these exam problems and I would say that overall, it was my favorite course this term.

The exams for Marketing and Managerial Economics were given in class. The Marketing final was entirely based on a specific case handed out two weeks prior to the exam (for team discussion). It covered most of the main concepts taught throughout the course, applied directly to the specific case and was a work of art (read: not easy)! The Economics final was about what I expected, very similar to the format of the mid-term exam.

WEMBA Term 2 : Weekend 6

This was the big "wrap-up" weekend before Term 2 final exams!

New material was still presented on Friday and Saturday, but the dominant theme (at least from my perspective) was course completion.

Our team handed in its remaining official assignments (a Decision Models optimization case and a Marketing case focused on market research). We then completed an in-class OPEC cartel exercise in Economics that enabled us to see how cartels operate to collude for the highest overall profits.

On Friday night, we had a per diem night, which meant that everyone was given cash ($30) to eat (and drink) off site! Our team went to Fowler's where we hung out on the patio with some great food and wine to share the great evening together.

After Fowler's, we walked across the street to Brightleaf Square where we found a table in front of Satisfaction's to share a couple of *free* Red Stripes (in exchange for a sing-along with the Red Stripe guy) before heading back to Fuqua for the night.

WEMBA Term 2 : Weekend 5

Friday

Today started off gloomy as the remnants of Tropical Storm Ernesto swept through the area (light rain/wind). The morning began with a discussion of optimization in Decision Models (using an Excel add-in called Solver). We then discussed pricing strategies in Economics before lunch and finished the day with an introduction to pricing from a Marketing perspective. After class, I grabbed dinner quickly before heading to a Decision Models review class and finally to a fantasy football draft. This is the first time I've really played fantasy football, so I'm hoping that I manage to not be the worst!

Saturday

Today we wrapped up the topics started on Friday. It's hard to believe there's only one more class weekend left in Term 2! There was definite mention of our final exams (end of the month).

Ernesto

It looks like Ernesto is headed straight for Raleigh tonight and may make landfall as a hurricane.

We definitely can use the rain, but I hope there isn't much flooding or damage. Here's the latest forecast track, which shows the storm coming ashore near Myrtle Beach later today.

Fuqua Helps Habitat of Durham

Duke's Fuqua School of Business (where I am a WEMBA student) recently established a partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Durham called "At Bat for Habitat".

The main fundraising event for this initiative took place last night at the final home game of the Durham Bulls.

Once $50,000 is raised, Fuqua students will work together to build a Habitat house. What a great idea for team building while also giving back to the community!

Make a donation today!

WEMBA Term 2 : Weekend 4

Friday:

I was already somewhat sleep deprived after a long night of studying for today's Managerial Economics mid term. Little did I know that my definition of sleep deprived was about to radically change!

The mid term began at 8 AM and was scheduled for the duration of the class (2 hours, 45 minutes). Once that was over, I knew that lunch would be near, allowing me to survive the rest of the day.

After the exam, we learned about additional tools for sensitivity analysis and probability assessments used with Monte Carlo simulation in Decision Models and discussed our Marketing team assignment (New England Soup) and the product concept.

At the end of the day, our team decided to wrap up work on a major Decision Models case. Unfortunately, a very minor bug slipped into the model we had built, and we could not determine the cause under the stress of the situation. I went back to my room knowing our conclusion was wrong and could not sleep.

Saturday:

Fortunately, I decided to look at the model one last time and found the error (a "+" instead of a "-" in one of the formulas)! I immediately called another team member so we could fix the situation and return our conclusions to their original state. I won't say when I finally got to sleep, but will say that getting through the rest of the day was an amazing accomplishment! This was definitely my toughest 24 hours in the program to date!

Cool iPod Playlist?

I occasionally stream Virgin Radio, based in the UK, at work. They play several of my favorite artists and I'm always likely to hear more U2 there than almost anywhere else!

Today, I found a section on their site called the Top 500 Songs of All Time. This looks like it would make a great playlist (or lists) for anyone looking to freshen up their iPod. Check it out!

First Mobile Blog Entry!

This is my first mobile blog entry (from my Treo 700p). I just wanted to see if it works, given that it opens up all sorts of possibilities! So far, the Treo has been awesome and I'm loving EVDO data coverage!

Duke Students Reach Out To Durham Through Volunteer Work

I'm glad to see a *positive* story about Duke!

Being both a Duke student and employee, I see the University in the news frequently. Unfortunately, most recent reporting has been largely negative and loaded with stereotypes.

Regardless of the outcome of allegations against the lacrosse players, it is important to remember that Duke is a community that does some very good things. As this article states, "Three out of four Duke students volunteer in Durham." In addition, many faculty and staff (myself included) actively participate in the Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership in an effort to make the community a better place.

That is powerful.

WRAL.com : Duke Students Reach Out To Durham Through Volunteer Work

Time's 50 Coolest Websites!

I just read the current issue of Time, which featured an article on its "50 Coolest Websites". There are many I didn't know about (I guess that's what an MBA program will do)!

Time.com : 50 Coolest Websites

My favorites (so far):

-Wolfgang's Vault (classic rock)

-Podcast Pickle (directory)

-Zunafish (swap shop)

-Mighty Goods (stuff you didn't know you needed)

-Simply Recipes (food!)

-Yelp (reviews)

-Kayak.com (flight metasearch)

-Farecast (airfare forecasting)

-Pixsy (photo search)

Grad and Professional PLUS Loans

This article from USA TODAY is timely. I am already the proud owner (well, not really) of one of these loans. I'm glad they made this available, though, and it's at least good to see that I won't be *that* far off from the average cumulative MBA debt ($35,525) once I get mine!

USATODAY.com : Grad, professional students can now supplement finances with PLUS loans

WEMBA Term 2 : Weekend 3

Friday:

The day started off with a short Economics quiz on Supply and Demand, followed by a discussion of the American Airlines case in marketing. Our team had quite the crisis related to our AA case submission. We realized around 11 PM (one hour before it had to be submitted online) that our write up needed to be double spaced, not single spaced! With some very quick work, another team member and I were luckily able to revise the document. Friday night, our team met to work on a retirement planning exercise (Monte Carlo Simulation) for Decision Models after a walk around the Washington Duke trail with Holly, Bruce, and Karthik and a late dinner.

Saturday:

I woke up early and enjoyed a quick run around the Washington Duke trail. Our Economics quizzes were returned (I did fine) and we covered a lot of material in preparation for the upcoming mid term. We talked about customer segmentation in Marketing and continued to expand on Monte Carlo Simulation in Decision Models.

WEMBA Term 2 : Weekend 2

Friday:

Classes on Friday began with Economics, followed by Decision Models and Marketing. I was project lead for our team on an interesting focus group assignment for Marketing that studied customer needs relating to new product concepts. After class on Friday, I attended an awesome career session on networking strategies followed by a review session for Saturday's Decision Models quiz. This may have been the longest Friday ever (I didn't check in to my room until 9 PM)!

Saturday:

The highlight of the day was a tough Decision Models quiz on trees (one approach to modeling). I am comfortable with my knowledge of using trees but am not sure of my results on the quiz. Only time will tell! There was also an interesting presentation of perception illusions presented in Marketing.

WEMBA Term 2 : Weekend 1

This weekend not only marked the beginning of Term 2, but also was spouse/partner weekend! Spouses and partners are invited to join the residency experience and participate in various activities with each other.

Instead of being housed at the R. David Thomas Center (good accommodations), we were among the "lucky" couples to be rotated off-site to the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club (four Diamond)! We checked in before class and decided to skip breakfast to mingle a bit before going our separate ways for the day.

Friday:

My first class was Decision Models, followed by Managerial Economics and Marketing Management. While each of these courses will be relevant and interesting, Decision Models looks to be the most personally stimulating (and challenging).

Stacey started the day with an ice breaker session, followed by a trip to the Duke campus store and Chapel. She then joined our team for lunch before heading to a session on communication and personalities in the afternoon. A special dinner (New Orleans theme) was then provided in the Winter Garden of the Fox Center. After dinner, we walked to the club room for some drinks and discussion, and finally to the Washington Duke for some much needed R&R.

Saturday:

We wrapped up the intro material in each class, while our spouses and partners took a morning trip to the Duke Primate Center. We all had lunch again together before the last class of the day and then headed home.

2006 Stanley Cup Champs!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!CONGRATS CANES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations to the 2006 Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes!

Last night was an amazing experience for the franchise and its fans! What an awesome season it has been!

The partying in Raleigh won't stop for the next few days!!!!

Cup Stops Here (Raleigh N&O)

Bring on the Sabres!

Last night the 'Canes eliminated the Devils 4-1 in the NHL Eastern Conference Semifinals.

It was an awesome game and I'm so glad we came back from our beach getaway weekend to be there (we pretty much drove straight to the game from the Crystal Coast)!

Go 'Canes...bring on Buffalo!



Hurricanes Dispatch Devils (NHL.com)

RDU - London: 6 hrs 39 min!

Awesome! I wonder if they'll start accepting reservations?

"In 20 years of flying, I've never even come close to seeing these kinds of speeds across the Atlantic," said pilot Alan Sowell to the Raleigh/Durham News Observer. Sowell, who owns Mid South Aviation in nearby Sanford, was at the controls of the jet during its record-setting trip on February 12, flying the transatlantic flight for investment company MVOC.

The entire trip took six hours and 39 minutes, point to point -- beating the average time by just over an hour. Both the speed and the travel time were verified by controllers on both sides of the pond.

There's A New Time To Beat For Raleigh/Durham To London (Aero-News Network)

Forbes Ranks Raleigh 2nd, Durham 8th Among Metro Area for Business, Careers

This article came out last week, but I was too busy to post it to my blog. I guess that's what happens when you're in such a great place...there's never a shortage of things to do! Go Raleigh/Durham!

Forbes Ranks Raleigh 2nd, Durham 8th Among Metro Area for Business, Careers (WRAL.com)

The Duke MBA - WEMBA Class of 2007!

As I begin this exciting chapter of my life, I intend to blog about my experience and progress in the program.

Today was my first day of school..."school" being the Duke Weekend Executive MBA Class of 2007. I even got my picture taken!

After packing the night before (I brought *WAY* too much stuff, of course), I made the journey from Raleigh to Durham, much like any other day's commute. Today was different, however, since I was not headed in to the office. Instead, I bypassed my usual route and drove towards Fuqua.

Upon arriving at the Thomas Center (forever after "RDTC"), I stopped in the lobby to check before joining other students for some "Fuqua Blend" (extra strong) coffee. Here, I saw many new faces, along with some that were more familiar. I spoke with several of my new classmates, including Bruce, who ended up being on my team.

Following the welcome reception, I attended an overview session describing the "ins and outs" of the WEMBA program, before heading to lunch. One of the things that struck me the most from the morning session was the concept of the MBA program
as a transformational experience that will force each of us to establish a "new normal" in our lives. I have no doubt this will prove to be the case.

After lunch, I met the faculty for each of the first three courses in the program. I am definitely looking forward to seeing more of our instructors in a classroom setting. I also learned about the Fuqua grading system and honor code. Finally, I learned all about housing policies and procedures, before being cut loose to get a picture taken, receive a book bag and additional course materials, and try out my locker combination. Yes, we have lockers!

After a short break, we all gathered for a reception at the RDTC Clubroom followed by a dinner buffet. At dinner, we finally assembled all of our teammates (Karthik, Chad, Holly, Manish, Bruce, and I) and had our first "bonding" experience. We talked for a couple of hours and shared our backgrounds with other, before heading back to the RDTC for some much deserved shuteye.

What's Inside the iPod Nano?

Have you ever wanted to see what's inside an iPod Nano? Well, the folks at MIT's Technology Review have done it for you!

Inside the iPod Nano (MIT Technology Review)

$5 Project Management SW

Axosoft is running a limited-time "social marketing experiment" in which you can get a 5-User copy of its OnTime 2006 Small Team Edition project management software for only $5!

This package usually goes for $495! Even better - 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross!

(Thanks, TACFUG!)

Buy It Now!

Downtown Raleigh Tops $846M In Private Investments

WRAL.com reports that downtown Raleigh has reached the $846 million mark in private investments and suggests this amount could triple in the next 5 years.

This is great for the Triangle!

Read the story

College Grads Flocking To Raleigh, Wake County

I saw this article on WRAL.com today and had to pass it along!

College Grads Flocking To Raleigh, Wake County (WRAL.com)

The article really says it all and reinforces my decision to come to the area almost 6 years ago (wow, I can't believe it's been that long!).

We have one of the best educated populations in the country and the changes that are occurring here every day certainly show that. I am proud to call Raleigh home!

As a side note, I have to admit it's really ironic that my hometown (Elmira, NY) newspaper regularly posts articles with the exact opposite headline - that all college grads are leaving the area.

Perhaps Elmira should look to Raleigh as an example of what it needs to do to prevent its young people from taking part in a mass exodus. Short answer: jobs, cultural activities, diversity, and lower taxes.

25 Most Interesting Webcams of 2005

EarthCam has released its list of the "25 Most Interesting Webcams of 2005". Some of them certainly aren't surprising, such as the Eiffel Tower, Egyptian Pyramids, and of course, the PandaCam at the National Zoo.

What really caught my eye, however, is that the Raleigh Convention Center construction cam made the Top 25 list! Go Raleigh! The multiple views provided by the robotic webcam are definitely cool.

EarthCam 25 Most Interesting Webcams of 2005

Raleigh Convention Center Construction Cam

Kitty Car Ride?

Happy New Year everyone!

I just had to pass this story along. It's simply too amusing not to share!

Cat Hangs Under SUV For 70 Miles

I think that one (or both) of our cats would (unfortunately) enjoy such a ride.