Little Rocks

It’s the decision nobody wanted to make; turn back, or press on? One choice inevitably leads to regret and frustration, the other to risk and chance. We stopped and deliberated for nearly an hour. The decision, James decided, was to turn back. What polarizing consequence. What demanding authority. How do you make such a decision and stand by it? Even now I’m waffling at the thought of the opportunity costs emerging. What wasted time; such a squalid situation! Mark is silent. Joey is somber. James is resolute, and I’m still wavering – torn between alternatives with decision parameters that are uncertain. I hate this role. I hate being the one who keeps Mark from attending the funeral.

I'm from Barcelona

One of the most delightfully obscure bands I've stumbled upon lately is a peppy little group from Sweden, I'm from Barcelona. Plagued with a somewhat redundant band title, their music is initially quite obnoxious, busy and indelibly repetitive. But their unique sound grows fast on the curious listener; the same lyrics repeated over and over in the song "Treehouse" make the song simple, but hardly boring. The rhythm varies enough to keep you fast on your toes. I enjoy the almost comical song, "Britney," a sort of parody about yesterday's celebrated pop icon. And my favorite perhaps, "Oversleeping," which resonates deeply with the experience of the typical college student. Their egalitarian lyrics triumph in "We're from Barcelona" which features a full supporting cast of harmonizing vocals - supposedly all friends of the lead singer.

The economy, stupid

I've invented a new study area in the deepest corner of my bedroom. Yesterday I shelled out major cash for some Starbucks Verona Bold coffee. May have to start making a pot a day, but who can argue with the productivity boost we derive from caffeine. And it tastes so yummy!

I added a new feature to the blog, imeem has a feature where you can embed music, so right now I have another National song featured. At the rate I've been listening though, this song will be yesterday's news (like over-indulged ramen).

I'm not sure about the political race; I'm no election pundit, but I've humbly observed that people either like Obama or the don't, yet with Clinton it's either they hate her or they love her. How is that? I think even Democrats must concede that she's had a far more polarizing effect on their party than any other candidate to run; agreed?

Obama vs McCain would be interesting. I've heard people say that the Democrats couldn't possibly screw up this election. Should they really be that arrogant? Who do they blame for Bush being re-elected? The entire incompetent-State of America I suppose? I honestly think that whichever Democrat wins will have his work cut out for him. And the work hasn't even begun, I would propose. Thats all for now; just a brief outburst of opinion. Don't want to vomit my opinions everywhere.

The National

NPR scored big when they featured The National in concert at the 9:30 club on the admired broadcast, "All Songs Considered." I'm listening to the show again, for the nth time. You can hear them live here.

They close with a medley of encores. About Today is the song that makes me consider breaking out in tears. The steady drums, nostalgic voice - it all works very well. Its a diamond in the rough, one in a million. The opening lyrics are the most touching, as is the violin sounds toward the end.

How close am I,
To loosing you?

Systemic Accounting

1. Determine the objective
   
2. Seek the facts
3. Question the facts
4. Review procedures
5. Analyze the results
   

Aphorisms Compiled

"Voracious reader, competitive scrabble player, occasional artist and writer, avid chess player; hopeless romantic - is that me? In a nutshell." Weell not quite, but I like that part at least. Sounds good so far. "An easygoing socialite, tactful, resourceful; well-versed in etiquette, narcissistic." Stop! You're getting ahead of yourself there. Too presumptuous!

I'm also qualifiedly the "under-ambitious accounting student struggling to meet self-imposed standards and bring his academic destiny to fruition. With eclectic and fluid musical taste, he prefers to move rapidly through art, music, and time - ah, the avant-garde?"

"Remarkably unorganized and unashamedly candid. He blunders through complex and delicate social encounters but manages to emerge unscathed. For his ego is far too protected; much removed from these events. Chagrin escapes him, but the flourishing narcissistic-side of this humble man is ne'er tempered. He remains cerebrally self-absorbed and boldly over-confident."

Food of the Weak

We ate pretty well at the cabin, despite a strict budget. So I believe the food warrants an entry, because the food was, just as my blog - timeless. Of note was the baked jalapeños peppers, stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon. Extremely spicy but I wouldn't hesitate to make them again. Pictures soon to come. We also adventured further into the gluttonous world of fried oreo cookies This time I managed to control myself and only ate 4, (or 5 was it?).

Cabin Summary

We spent the latter half of spring break in Ellijay, GA. The Chan's cabin was a splendid retreat from our Athenian responsibilities; so relaxing. Don't get me wrong, we faced monumental decisions and tasks along the way - like whether to grill the chicken or the hamburgers for dinner and when to take out the trash.

I kidnapped Daich's camera and was able to photograph a good bit of the action. You can see more pictures here.

Gender Economics

Speaking of supply/demand economics, there are many less guys at UGA than girls. The ratio is something like 4:6. The significance of this ratio is that most guys can have girlfriends, while some girls will inevitably be left out of the dating game. Essentially, among the 80% of students who are interested in having relationships (gender proportional for our purposes), this represents 48% of the total females and 32% of the total males. Seems like this would favor the guys and cause the bottom 16% of the females to remain single. Over time, the guys come away with more attractive girls than they would otherwise have (in a normal populations distribution).

Dinner with the Dean

I really, really, really want to see Henry Kissinger. The Secretaries of State; Henry Kissenger, James Baker, Warren Christopher, and Madeline Albright are coming at the end of this month. I enjoy famous people.

Cynthia Cooper was in town this week. Got to have dinner with her after the presentation and the North Tower reception. The East-West Bistro was quite an experience. Dean Sumichrast attended; He and Dennis Beresford were at my table, along with Dr. Gauthreaux from ILA. Very classy gentlemen. I was honored and very much impressed.

I haven't met many famous people in my short career. Peter Singer from Yale signed my copy of One World, his liberal globalization-ethics-issues book. Malcolm Gladwell signed my copy of The Tipping Point, another classic and New York Times Bestseller. Terry Bradshaw came to Atlanta to speak for Maximum Impact; some of us ILA students took pictures with him.

It's a barrage of B-list celebrities, but meaningful none the less. These are interesting people to engage, and I'm fascinated by how much we can learn from those who have traveled those roads that lie before us.

Notes from Good to Great

His placid persona hid an inner intensity, a dedication to making anything he touched the best it could possibly be - not just because of what he would get, but because he simply couldn't imagine doing it any way. p.25

The real problems....lay in the fact that management had failed to keep pace with innovation. p.34

If people join the bus primarily because of where it is going, what happens if you get ten miles down the road and you need to change direction? You've got a problem. But if people are on the bus because of who else is on the bus, then it's much easier to change direction: "Hey, I got on this bus because of who else is on it; if we need to change direction to be more successful, fine with me....Great vision without great people is irrelevant."

"Waiting to see which way the wend blew."

"steeped in the traditions..."

How to be rigorous:
1. When in doubt, don't hire - keep looking
2. When you know you need to make a people change, act
3. Put your best people on your biggest opportunities, not your biggest problems

Words of the Day;

ne·far·i·ous /nɪˈfɛəriəs/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ni-fair-ee-uhs] –adjective extremely wicked or villainous; iniquitous: a nefarious plot.

sa·ga·cious /səˈgeɪʃəs/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[suh-gey-shuhs] adjective

1.	having or showing acute mental discernment and keen practical sense; shrewd: a sagacious lawyer.

2.	Obsolete. keen of scent.