Down to Business (pt.3)

In this edition I want to highlight some points that were recently addressed in the Harvard Business Review. With a typical issue of HBR you get an array of topics. The OnPoint editions are focused on a particular subject, somewhat like a crystallization study. This issue can be located here. Anyway, after two awesome years in Anaheim with FTTA, I'm a little intimidated by the thought of returning to the business scene. Maybe you can relate. Here are some things I found insightful...

the rumors are true...

North Campus, The University of Georgia (photo credits: me)

Yes, this week I registered for MAcc classes at the University of Georgia. Classes begin on August 15th. Right now the agenda looks something like this: 

• Tax Policy
• Estate & Gift/Cross-Jurisdictional Tax 
• Special Topics-Int’l Fin Report Stndrds
• Int’l Legal Transactions
• Corporate Tax
• Data Management/Adv Business Applications

This was my last full week at Bibles for America, a local non-profit organization that distributes an awesome free study Bible.  I've been working there on a special project, but coming down to the final stretch. Next week I'll go in a couple of days to wrap things up, and then embark on a cross country trek back to the land of peaches and chickens (Georgia). 

I'm stoked  excited about going back to Athens. One thing I really want to do this year is set a daily Bible reading schedule, and have companions to help keep me accountable. What really helped me in undergrad was getting involved with other christian students at UGA. It was like having a huge family, with people always there to encourage me and strengthen me in my faith. 


p.s. In honor of this momentous step I'm using the "Georgia" font; I'm also scheduled to listen to Georgia music soon, courtesy of Gladys Knight and the Pips, and maybe that classic from Louis Armstrong. 

All for now...

more dabblings

All things considered, I regard myself among more frugal sort of people. Penurious, if you will. But there are a few items, I have decided, for which such frugality receives a particular pardon. These are the must-haves of life - the items for which quality demands no exception. I would rather live on ramen noodles and have an these essential luxuries than sacrifice them to afford to eat better food, like hamburgers. Here are two examples:

Coffee
Sometimes I buy coffee roasted by Greyfriar's. You can find it at Cups Coffee. Buying my coffee pre-ground and then taking it home to Mr. Coffee was the routine, but I recently was enlightened to the terrible error of my ways. I purchased a coffee grinder, and a nice awesomely large coffee mug. Additionally, have been buying spring water which tastes better than regular tap water; there's a discernible difference. Hence, a new chapter in my coffee-consuming career has begun. I simply cannot wait to wake up tomorrow and brew a quality cup of Joe.

Ice cream
Haagan-Dazs, no questions asked. Unless you're buying for a group or party - then it doesn't really matter. You simply cannot compromise when it comes to ice cream, period. And as a matter of opinion, White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle is creme de la creme. Although, a few items receive honorable mention: Banana Pudding from Blue Bell, the Chocolate Trinity from Publix, and a particular Breyers flavor that slips my mind for the time being - it does exist.

flibbertigibbet - word of the week

Here I sit. My feet are cold from the hardwood floor. I listen, almost ostentatiously to Bach's cello suite no.1 humming into my headphones. The book I'm reading is nearly finished. It's over 500 pages. My next book should be rather different. Something like Gogol or Tolstoy. Maybe an autobiography would be nice. I would like to ask for recommendations, but my inbox is already flooded with fan mail from well-wishers and busy-body bloggers, I simply don't have time to sort through hundreds of opinionated emails from zealous readers about what book to read next. So, I'll just have to decide of my own accord.

Recently at dinner dad made an interesting announcement. After some (questionable) research, he has concluded that our surname is Jewish. We immediately determined that he has been watching too much Fiddler on the Roof, and then Stephen piped, "Well Dad if we're Jewish you owe me bar mitzvah money." That seems to have settled the discussion. I'm indifferent. First we were Scottish, then Swedish, now we're Jewish. What's tomorrow?

Tonight I'm not planning to sleep much. There are some issues that demand resolution, and today I received notice that the "Admissions Committee has recommended you for admission for the MAcc Program at the University of Georgia." Graduate school, it formerly seemed to be foreign, daunting, distant, uninviting. Now I'm accepted and it seems like just another step down this long wearisome road. The novelty of it is inarticulately fleeting. It's a huge relief, honestly.

Stories from another universe

My desk is always a mess. The clutter is unbearable and usually spills over onto the floor area surrounding me. And as if the papers and books weren't bad enough, I also have this nasty tendency to horde dishes on my desk. Every once in a while we run out of cups or bowls and I have to make several trips to my room to recover those items.

Maybe this is an indicator that I need "training." Yes, that thing. I don't know. Just a few minutes ago I noticed that gallon of milk sitting on my desk for - well I'm not sure how long. It was from the cereal. The cereal. I remember now; there had been already a bowl (and cups and plates for that matter) on my desk, so I ran to the kitchen to bring cereal and milk.

Milk shouldn't be left on my desk over night. I put it back.

Things on my mind...

My blog is expecting a new visitor so I decided to tidy up a bit.


Warren Buffet has a book I really want to read, The Snowball. I have the book and would like to start reading it but two things prevent this; 1) I haven't the time 2) It's preoccupied currently such as it is being used as a prop to elevate my monitor.

Also, there is a book on my desk about some ridiculous thing called a FairTax. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer right? Yup, I should read it.

Song: I Don't Mind
Album: Cherry Tree EP
Artist: The National

I've decided to start posting an occasional picture or two. This week in pictures; but only one or two, so as to keep a slight trickle of viewership. That would be good I think.

Ready for my third glass of gingerbread egg nogg, a close cousin to the potentially better tasting boiled-custard. Which, dear reader, do you prefer?

I've followed the election pretty closely, but after Tuesday I'll be so happy to have this issue closed. It's very time consuming to keep track of every endorsement, poll, and op-ed piece that lands itself in the Time or the Journal.

This weekend hosted the notorious the GA-FLA game, so I took advantage of the weekend and rented 5 movies. Originally I was only going to rent 3, but it's not too much more expensive to get 5, so I went back through and picked out two more - turns out those two were my favorites. Roman Holiday with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. Also rented a John Wayne movie, The Searchers. Then there was Notorious, an Alfred Hitchcock movie that warrants recommendation.

I'm tired of writing. It requires too much thinking...

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe

Not having a car is less miserable than one might imagine. At least in Athens. Today I biked to my favorite coffee shop, Cups Coffee, and studied there a bit before proceeding to my home meeting...ON MY BIKE!!!!

Yes, that was gratifying. Its dangerous, especially riding after sunset. To an alarming extent, I enjoy the thrill of it biking 25mph (a speeding radar sign thing clocked me today), but risks are offset by the fact that I'm being environmentally-conscious; such a deep concern to me.

Today I caved and bought the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, named I believe after the city where it comes from. It was expensive, and chosen at random. Not all coffee tastes the same, but I don't have the experience to differentiate. So its basically pointless to try to evaluate my tastes when my experience in this world of fresh coffee is so limited. Tomorrow at 5:30am though...we'll find out what it means to drink coffee. And it should be good, since the status quo for the last 2 weeks has been Folgers. I'm about ready to dump that crap in the trash - its bland and if there is such a thing as synthetic coffee grinds...they embody it. Well I'm off. Waking up early requires you go to bed before 2am, a plan I'm at risk of compromising. Cheerio!

Memphis Basketball

The NCAA Championship was played just a few nights back, and as far as I'm concerned the Tigers won. Maybe they didn't win on the scoreboard, but they played their hearts out, and won ours. In a compelling bid for the national title, they captured our emotions and took us for an unforgettable (though we try) ride, culminating in a horrifying, cataclysmic ending. But who cares about that score? CDR showed character and heart, playing with humble prowess and his "little ole man tricks." Dozier played hard and had impact. Anderson nailed some beautiful 3's. Derrick Rose displayed graceful control, wooing the nation with his uncanny raw talent. Even Joey Dorsey was smiling; out there to have fun, but with dominating intensity. And who can forget that electrifying steal when he blazed past Alrich to finish with a dunk?

Despite the treacherous ending, we still love those guys. I didn't watch OT (It would have been too painful). But let's be honest, it was an exhilarating game. They showed talent and heart, and proved Memphis can compete at any level. The Tigers are no longer strangers to the NCAA tournament, they're hardened veterans, and they'll be back.

The Chess Fad

Here are two books I have recently acquired and hope to delve into soon. The King's Gambit has the most enthralling opening chapter, and promises to be a rewarding read. Bobby Fisher has also been of deep interest of late, I find his obsession with chess to be quite intriguing. Even his statement "chess is life" warrants some attention. Apparently he was an outspoken anti-Semite, but I can't help but pity Fisher. Clearly there were issues in his head, but they were likely perpetuated by his being plunged into the dark world of competitive chess.

So Hoffman's King's Gambit might explain how chess affects people, how deeply chess captures people, and the Bobby Fisher book provides an in-depth case study to solidify the resounding consensus - that chess players are of an entirely different species.

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."

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).

spring break

Spring Break, thats when you see the light at the end of the tunnel. We get a week off and then return to put the finishing touches on another year of college. Now past the 3/4's mark, the weather is starting to brighten up, and life seems more interesting....or maybe I just haven't gotten over the spring break high.