Lots of Updates

So it's been a while. I mentioned to my mom that I had a free evening and she not so subtly mentioned, "you should update your blog!" I can take a hint.

One of the reasons that I've been a bit MIA is because of the dreaded MBA internship search. It's been stressful to say the least! I had one perfectly terrible "avatar" interview (imagine a Skype interview where you can't see or hear the other person), and a lot of resumes sent out into the void to no response... and the mounting pressures of 1) the fact that an internship is required for my program and 2) taking an unpaid internship was looking like a distinct possibility, which had another set of added stresses!

I didn't blog much about it because I knew I'd sound whiny and paranoid and insecure (and WHO wants to read that?)... but as you can see I'm back on the old blog. And that's because, yep you guessed it! I have an internship! To maintain some sense of digital anonymity, all I will say is that this particular company makes an item that you put on your feet when you workout, and they tend to emblazon their products with the letter "N." It's such a great opportunity, and it's in the exact field I want to work in (Cause Marketing) and I am so excited that everything worked out. It was surreal, actually... I interviewed at 9 a.m. and had an offer at 3 p.m.!

So in other news, Spring is FINALLY coming to Boston! The snow is melting, they are refilling the ponds and fountains, and I actually wore a COTTON jacket today! So many people have asked me how I am doing with the weather here, and the answer is "still loving it!" Spring has so much promise, with the crisp air, clear skies, and fresh fresh air. It's turning out to be quite pretty:

The other exciting thing in my life right now is... I now have curtains! Seriously, this is the most exciting thing that's happened to me lately -- THIS IS WHY I DON'T BLOG! My mom was here last week, and helped me with a little DIY project to hang curtains in my room, which is as bright as noon come about 6 a.m. I'm waiting for one more panel to arrive via Target.com, but here's a little sneak peek. Once it's all done, I'll post the full before and after.

And, yes, mother. I didn't make my bed today.

Other fun things from the almost-spring... visits from some of my faves - Kim, Alex and Mary, my first Boston St. Paddy's Day (which merits its own post), and celebrating Diana's big 3-0! It seems like only yesterday we were all celebrating our 21st birthdays, and now we are planning 30th bashes. 

And that's the update. I pledge to be better in the coming months!

Bueller? Bueller?

I did a bad, bad thing today.

This about sums up my anxiety level right now.

I skipped class!

Now, this normally wouldn't seem like that big of a deal, but for me it is. It really, really is! I am having major anxiety just sitting here typing this, when I should be 2 miles away at school. This is the first time I've done this in my graduate schooling career (let's not bring up undergrad or high school attendance...).

In my defense, I have a *lot* going on right now. I have internships and scholarships with looming deadlines to apply for, an info interview with my career idol to prep for, and a dinner for 4 to cook. And laundry to do. And I should probably read up on some obscure facts before trivia tonight. And now I'm stressing myself out.

This semester so far has been deceptive. There's not a ton of work (though there is a TON of reading), and nothing seems too hard... but I have a feeling that the midterms that we have in a couple of weeks are going to rip that false sense of security wide open.

So I'm going to close this blog entry and start doing an econ problem set. Because that's what responsible students do... when they cut class.

Delinquent!

I've heard from several of you that I need to post another blog. I have been so bad this semester! Partly because I'm not doing much more than school/gym/study/cook/sleep/&repeat... and also because I couldn't find my camera battery charger until yesterday. 

Oops!

So here are a few new things in my life right now...

I went skiing in Killington last month. I loved it in the morning during my lesson, I hated it in the afternoon when I fell down 30+ times on "Easy Street" which I do NOT think was appropriately named! This was the only picture I took:

I've also randomly done a lot of Karaoke this semester. This is interesting because I cannot sing to save my life... but that did not stop me from singing a rousing rendition of "Friends in Low Places" with two of my guy friends at a recent karaoke outing. Awesome. Video exists (damn this digital era) but I've hopefully suppressed its release. I can never run for office, PS.

Here's a video of a recent late-night karaoke outing... and the third straight singing of "Total Eclipse of the Heart." Note that half of the room is singing the version from Old School, so it's got a few f-bombs in there. Why does karaoke so often come down to shouting?

I'm pretty sure we might be banned from there now.

The other most amazing thing that I have discovered is the Shellac manicure. For $10 more than a regular manicure, you get special "gel" color that is supposed to last for 3 weeks. I was totally talked into it this week by the ladies at St. Mary's Nails, and will be posting a series of photos to see how it all goes. Here's the day one photo (ignore the ugly stigmata-like scab on my hand -- cooking injury). 

And no, Mom, it's not black... it's dark purple. It's trendy.

xoxo,

Bron

Blog Love

I recently received a blog award from one of my favorite reads out there - T at Desperately Seeking Seersucker!  If you're looking for new reads, you should check her out. She's a Southern Gal with a darling little Westie, Louis, who gives all of her friends amazingly fun "blog names" to protect their identities (me? I'm not that nice!). T and I bonded back during our match(dot)com days, and I'm glad to know her now that we're both on the other side.

Anyway, it's a combo Food Tag/Beautiful Blog award, and we had the choice of picking which one we wanted to participate in. I'm going with the Food Tag, because I just got back from the grocery store and it seems appropriate (and I seem to have a fondness for photographing things I cook).

1. What is your favorite dessert? Anything with bananas in it! Probably Bananas Foster if it's a fancy place... or low sugar banana jello pudding if I'm on the cheap.


2. Ever tried to cook something and fail miserably? My dad would REALLY get a kick out of answering this question. Actually, he'd probably be laughing too hard to type anything coherent. I am REALLY GOOD AT COOKING I swear, I just seem to screw up when he's eating it. So much so, that even when I get it right he swears there is something wrong with it. A recent example? I added salt twice to my favorite non-mayo Barefoot Contessa potato salad this summer... making it almost inedible. Sorry!


3. Is there a dish you haven't made yet but really want to? I'm going to copy T on this one and go with "Thanksgiving Turkey." While I might try it this Thanksgiving with my roommate... I want to "really" do it one day with my grandma's made-from-scratch stuffing, which involves a meat grinder and other accessories that I don't have here. It sounds totally disgusting - onions, celery, apples and raisins - but trust me it is so good! It's the perfect mix of sweet and savory. Coincidentally, this is another food that I love and my father hates. Go figure!


4. What is your favorite food? This is like asking someone to pick their favorite child. I'm going to go with Pizza. I could seriously eat Pizza every day and not get tired of it. I like it so much, I'm going to capitalize it every time I type it from now on. 


5. What is your least favorite food? That's easy - EGGS! My poor grandfather is spinning in his grave right now... but yes I hate HATE eggs. While I did train myself to like omelettes this summer while trying to do South Beach... still don't like 'em. Even the smell makes me want to vom.


6. Do you have any seasonal meals you like? Pumpkin Bread, Christmas Fudge and Brazelis. Yum!


7. What is your comfort food?  Home made chili with lots of sharp cheddar cheese and oven fries. And it has to be the Carroll Selby's mix in the brown paper bag, made "extra tomatoey."


8. Chocolate: milk, dark or white?  I'd have to rank them 1) milk, 2) white and then 3) dark. 

This was fun! I'm tagging all of my lovely followers on this one... Happy Eating!

Project 365: 73/365

I know I'm behind on my blogging.

It's because I live here: homeworkland.

A Real Update... for a Change

When I get around to posting today's photo, it will be number 50! I can't believe how fast these last 7 weeks have gone by!

School has pretty much settled into what I think is going to be its routine. It looks like this: wake up, eat, shower (etc.), re-read materials for class, pack a lunch, head to campus, eat said lunch, class, study time, more class, walk home, make dinner, study, sleep. 

And you wonder why a lot of my photo posts are back-dated!

I'm finally able to answer one question definitively though - what classes are you taking? Since we're in the first year core curriculum, we don't get to pick or schedule our own classes, so I've never been able to give a good answer to that question. I'm taking classes in Organizational Business, Marketing Management, Finance, Accounting, and Statistics. These are the courses that take up the bulk of my week. I'm also enrolled in a Career Management course, Executive Skills, and my Career Community. 

One of the most frustrating things about the scheduling here is that it's not predictable. Ask me where I'll be on  a Monday at 1 p.m., and I can only tell you SMG room 322. It might be Marketing, it might be Stats. It might be a 90 minute class, it might be a 3 hour class. Sometimes we think we have Marketing, but our Stats professor shows up. It can be a little hard to keep straight, so I just have to take it one week at a time in terms of scheduling. Thankfully, the Graduate Programs Office sent each cohort a Google calendar with our schedule, so it's not impossible to keep track of.

We had our first big project due last week, which we completed with our teams. It was a case analysis on Meg Whitman at eBay, followed by an analysis of one of the international countries where eBay operates. It was a ton of work, and the first substantial assignment we'd completed with our teams. We had a marathon four-hour class on Friday for all of the presentations, and then headed to the pub after to blow off some steam. It was really great how many people came up and complimented our team, and me personally as well. I was really flattered! Public Speaking isn't something I'm bad at (thank you Mormon church), but it's not exactly something I'd do for fun!

We're gearing up now for our Integrated Project, which is the biggest part of our grade in pretty much all of our classes. The gist is - we have to pick a consumer product brand, evaluate it, and make a proposal to revitalize that brand and decide whether or not our "company" should purchase it. Once that really kicks off, I fully expect my life to end as I know it!

I've also been fighting my homebody tendencies since coming to Boston, trying to be social and make friends. It's so hard when my bed is so comfy and my TV so large! Just kidding. It's definitely a different scene here than in LA - a lot more casual (I have only worn heels out once!) and not so clubby. I'm trying to work the Groupon/Living Social deals to be able to stretch my student budget over all of the things I want to do. 

It's funny, after Labor Day, it's like a switch was flipped. It's now Fall - cool and crisp, yet still sunny and clear out. This is definitely new... and nice... but it's hard to not go out and buy lots of boots and cozy sweaters. I can't wait until I have an income again! 

Anyway, more later. If there are any specific questions you have, send them my way via e-mail or in the comments, and I'll do a big question answering post this weekend. 

The First Post

After 23 years of living in California, I decided to quit my job and move across the country to Boston to go to business school. I'm keeping a blog to document this time in my life, and help keep anyone who is interested informed about what I'm up to! I'm also participating in Project 365 - a commitment to take and post one photo a day to document a year in my life.

So I'm going to try and keep it interesting, and try to post often. In return, if you could all leave me encouraging and wonderful comments, that would be awesome! :) 

xoxo 

Bron