You are currently browsing the monthly archive for August, 2007.
Yesterday morning I learned that your bus will stop to pick you up even if they’ve already passed your stop and you are still 100 yards away I assume this is more likely to happen when the driver recognizes you as a passenger on his regular route, which may be what happened this morning when I managed to flag the #28 down a good 1/2 block from my stop. I was similarly surprised to find that I was able to flag down my bus from the other side of the street, even when it meant that the driver had to wait for traffic to clear so I could cross. This, of course, only works when you can make out the bus # as it barrels toward you, a feat I couldn’t manage this morning. I missed the bus and waited 10 minutes for the next one.
Folks back home, especially those who remember me dragging in to the office each morning on Teresa Time (which I liked to think was around nine, but was in reality much closer to nine thirty), will marvel to know that I have successfully managed to leave my house by eight o’clock (sometimes even as early as seven thirty!) on class days, which this week and last is every day. I don’t think however that I will be scheduling 8:30 a.m. classes. I know better than that.
Today’s pre-MBA accounting boot camp was surprisingly engaging. It went by much faster than last week’s pre-MBA stats class. I’m not sure if it was the material or the instructor or both, but last week the minute hand seemed to crawl across the clock. So. Slow. Today, we were done almost before I knew it. Perhaps it was the problem sets and exercises that kept it engaging, or the instructor’s German lilt or her dry wit and accounting humor. Regardless, today I learned about journal entries for revenue and expense and even built an income statement and balance sheet that /gasp/ balanced. I’m really glad that I am getting this dress rehearsal before I take the class for real this Winter.
Now I’m off to see The Sound of Music onthe big screen in Grant Park. Laterz!
Started the day with Korean BBQ in Lincoln Square neighborhood. We cooked several different varieties of marinated meat over open fire pits while we nibbled on a multitude of pickled and fish flavored snackies. Ever had fish jello? I didn’t think so. Pics below.
Also, last night was the kick off event for Sans Apostrophe, what I hope will become a (ir)regular alternative outing for my non-sports-bar inclined GSB pals and I. Basically, we were sick of bars with TV’s on the walls and decided to shun all venues with an apostrophe-S in the name – McGee’s, McFadden’s, O’Malley’s, Lion’s Head Pub (you get the idea). Instead, we danced at a loungey club called Sonoteque and finished off the evening at an exclusive tables-only joint called Y Lounge. A late night, so won’t be a frequent occurance, but a welcome respite from the Lincoln Park frat bar scene. The best part? I got myself a new pair of going-out shoes. They are red and shiny and have rubber treads. Awesome!
It’s amazing how beautiful a new day can look through eyes that awake from a full night’s sleep. I went to a GSB sponsored reception at PJ Clarke’s in Streeterville last night, but skipped the after party in lieu of a restful night at home. Watched an episode of Soprano’s while I rubbed my aching feet, listened to music and read a bit from an Ethan Hawke novel (which surprisingly doesn’t suck), cleaned up a bit in my apartment and shuffled off to dreamland before midnight. The morning dawned bright and blue outside my windows and I have spent the better part of it going through my mail and organizing my playlists on iTunes. In about an hour I’m heading out of doors for a 2 mile walk to Jim and Amy’s building near Columbus and Wacker, where Kelvin will pick us up to go to a Korean BBQ restaurant in one of the northern neighborhoods. Tonight, there is a film screening of 59 second shorts at the U of C that I am thinking of attending, after which I might be persuaded to join in whatever revelries my classmates have planned for the evening. Or maybe some live music if I can find a show that sounds interesting. Tomorrow I have another lunch date with the Greek medical resident I met back in July, but nothing else on the docket as yet. Will have to plan on getting plenty of rest again tomorrow night, as pre-MBA accounting kicks off at 8:00 a.m. the following morning. More fun with new concepts!
Had a moment on the platform at the Chinatown stop yesterday. Was listening to Interpol’s “Pace is the Trick” on my iPod and as the train pulled up to the platform, the song reached it’s moment of zen and I was filled with this unbearable lightness of being, a crescendo of the spirit that mirrored the music. In that moment I felt at one with the music of the city itself. The rush of the train. The rhythm of my environment. The pulse and cadence of this town in motion. Beautiful moment. Beautiful Chicago. Beautiful me.
I forget which business book I read last year that said this (Blink? Tipping Point? Freakonomics?), but I do remember reading that the maximum capacity of any social network before the elements binding that community together begin to break down is somewhere around 112 (or was it 121? 120?). And if I’m remembering the reference correctly, this could be attributed to our individual capacity for personal connections. Whatever that maximum number is (12? 6? 2,907?) I believe I reached it last night at a GSB sponsored event. Up until this event, I’d been doing really well with keeping track of people’s names and personal histories. I slipped a little Monday night, struggling with the addition of 20-30 new classmates to my network, but last night I was simply maxed out. For example, I mistook a classmate from my statistics class (with whom I’d had a pretty extensive conversation and even eaten lunch with the day before) for another classmate I’d met Monday. Really it’s little wonder I am getting confused with the sheer volume of tall, blond white guys (with wives or girlfriends) in our class. And the wives and girlfriends only make the memory game even more difficult. My second gaffe last night? Was when I said goodbye to a classmate and told her husband that I’d see him in class. How gender biased of me. Oops. No major slights or mistakes following that, but plenty of “what’s your name again?” and “have we already been introduced?” I’m sure it will get easier as we interact more. And there’s plenty of that in our future. And I am looking forward to it. Already I have learned some really interesting things about my fellow GSB-ers. One is a US citizen who spent 6 years in the Israeli special forces directly following his undergrad. Another a concert pianist (and trader) from Russia. Lots of engineers and consultants. And a few marketing gurus in the mix. One left a career in experience design (!) to come to the GSB. Fascinating stuff.
The event was a GSB-sponsored cooking demo slash wine and appetizer tasting at the Chopping Block in Merchandise Mart. Most of our class are on “Random Walk,” which is GSB-speak for pre-orientation globe trots to exotic locales (like Costa Rica, the Galapogos, Figi, and Vietnam) while the rest of us toil in pre-MBA remedial classes or (like some of my classmates) spend that time improving upon their alcohol tolerance levels. Vis a vis, afterwards, we went out to a bar called English in River North. Dark wood and dim lighting (like most Chicago bars). And (unlike most Chicago bars) they were playing cool music. Mostly 90’s brit prog pop (Depeche Mode, Cure, Tears for Fears, Morrissey) v. thematic. Mom, you will be happy to know that I successfully turned down shots three times last night. As it was Wednesday. And never a good idea anyway. 
So this week has brought with it my first foray back into the classrooom. Together, 30 other first years and myself have spent 8 hours each day this week in a Pre-MBA Statistics course, which is designed to prepare us for the real deal (33001 Business Statistics, a pre requisite for many of the core courses). The first 4 hours of class time are devoted to lecture. The last part of the class is devoted to problem sets. We work on them independently and then a TA spends 3 hours going over the solutions. I’ve been consistently late each morning (note to self: don’t schedule any 8:30 a.m. classes… I always manage to miss my bus… I assume I’ll figure this part out eventually, unless I can avoid morning classes altogether) and so have had to cover the first 20 minutes of lecture notes on my own during my commute. The first two days were mind-numbingly slow, as we reviewed basic math and descriptive statistics (how to interpret and solve a basic function, how to calculate mean, median and mode). Yesterday we finally got into some half-way challenging stuff (at least it was new) with conditional probability. Today the material has been foreign enough that I’ve had to pay attention to the lecture at least 90% of the time (which is a signifcant step up from the 15-20% of my attention that has been devoted to the previous days’ lectures). Today the instructor (a Ph.D. candidate from Spain, who is studying econometrics) actually seems less bored also. He even cracked a couple of math jokes. I actually got a little excited myself yesterday. The final exercise in our problem set was labeled “Very Difficult” and I found myself turning to my classmates to sort out the logic. Pretty soon we were bouncing ideas up and down the row. It was the first time since July 21 that I’ve used my brain for anything taxing (other that keeping track of the names, faces, geographies, previous occupations, spouses, etc. of my classmates – an exponentially increasing challenge as the number of people I’ve met grows – I should make a spreadsheet to keep track!). And it was fun! Really. I spent the majority of the review session puzzling through the solution on my own and even though I never figured it out, really enjoyed the challenge. This? Is why I came to school.
Off to do today’s problem sets. Whee!
I have a bus to catch in 20 minutes and still need to finish dressing, so here goes.
Woke to thickest haze outside my window this morning, and the relief of knowing that Playa del Carmen has (according to all online reports) been spared the worst of Hurricane Dean.
Second day of Pre-MBA stats today. Yesterday’s lesson was kind of a joke. A math review. But today promises to present a few additional challenges. Conditonal probability, etc.
Yesterday’s post-class reception was kind of fun. Lots of new faces to greet, names, hometowns, former professions to remember. The most amusing part of the evening though (for me) was the way that I became the de facto leader of an uptown post-reception excursion to a tapas joint. I’d certainly not been the official organizer prior to stepping foot in the reception, but soon at least a dozen people had approached me to see if I could hep them figure out a) where they were going, b) how they were getting there, or c) (if they were driving) who would be riding with them. It was around this point, 20 minutes after the reception had ended and all were still milling around aimlessly, that I realized it was time for someone to step forward and lead the herd. So I made a general announcement – “Drivers, raise your hands and walk to the far side of the room. If possible, hold up the number of seats available in your vehicle on your fingers. Riders, these are your drivers. Go find a ride. Come see me if you need directions for public transportation.” Pretty simple, but someone had to make it happen. Folks back home might not be surprised to see me emerging as the leader of the lost, but it is still something of a surprise to me.
Have to go catch that bus. So for now I leave you with this thought. (Something I saw on my walk back from brunch at Wishbone Saturday.)
So are you Chicago. So are you.
Lesson Number 1. Never. Ever. Under any circumstances (and this is important) exit the green line at Ashland. Especially not if you are by yourself. I fortunately was not. Which was even more fortunate considering that I was completely turned around and thought I was walking west when I was really walking south. But we found a busy well-lit intersection with the po-po parked nearby and waited for a cab there. The only reason you might decide to get off at the Ashland stop on the green line is if you were planning to visit the Women’s Treatment Center on that corner. Or because you wanted to hang out with the other crack addicts gathered out front. Otherwise, it’s really just a very bad idea.
Number 2? Hookah lounges are fun. And social. And very relaxing. So is wine.
Lesson number 3? My classmates are smart, perceptive and opinionated. We have a lot to learn from each other.
And the final lesson of the evening? No matter what the circumstances, where you are, who is asking, or how much you have already had to drink, shots are always a really bad idea. Fortunately (at least to my knowledge) everyone made it home last safely last night. And the only real casuality appears to be my camera, which is MIA as of this morning. The next time someone says “will you do a shot?” my answer will be a resounding and decided “no.” My only comfort is that I wasn’t the one puking out the window of the cab on the way home.
[Quick update. Michelle helped me remember that I last used my camera in the Rainbo Club on Damen. I called. The camera has been found. Picture taking will re-commence shortly.]
Yesterday, Michelle introduced me to the experience of having afternoon tea at the Drake Hotel.
In the photo above, Michelle and I pose in front of an ornate arrangement of bird of paradise blooms in graduated colors. To our left is the tower of treats presented by our server Azmir – savory sandwiches of cucumber and tomato, ham with herbed cream and asparagus, egg salad, and roast beef with fried onions, also scones, sweet walnut and banana bread, and the traditional accoutrements of devon cream (which honestly tasted and performed more like your basic heavy whipped) and strawberry jam. We each were brought a pot of tea – mine a vanilla bean black with bits of bean pod floating amongst the tea leaves and Michelle’s a paler yet more aromatic tropical green. After we had been there a few minutes, a harpist began to play. And it was lovely.
Also notable about the day? On our way north, we shared a Red Line train with some alarmingly (already) drunk Cubs and Cardinals fans who were ostensibly on their way to Wrigley Field, which I have heard is an experience in and of itself, though one of an entirely different nature than the one we had at the Drake.
After tea, we wandered Michigan Avenue, enjoying the blue skies, cool breezes and public art. Was particularly fascinated by the sculpture pictured below, which also fascinated a group of school children who climbed in and out of its small passageways as though it were there for their amusement alone.
Notable things about yesterday:
1) Beautiful breakfast of scrambled eggs. Michelle spoiled me.
2) Finally shipped Jim’s birthday present. Hopefully it arrives in time for Sausage Fest ‘07. (My “gift” with purchase? A twenty minute dissertation from the shop keep on the pros/cons of the UPS Store franchisee business model.)
3) Michelle bought really cute shoes on State Street. I bought jeans at H&M. They are black. Have not yet decided if this is retro hip, fashion forward, or just plain wrong. But they fit. As jeans should.
4) Happy hour with classmates at McFadden’s. Another frat boy paradise. This time in Gold Coast. New faces. Lots of them. And drinks. Ditto.
5) Photo opp with Illinois State Representative Ken Dunkin (I complimented his suit. He bummed a clove. Then requested another for the road. All I got was his business card. And this photo.)
6) Dancing at Berlin with Michelle’s friend David (could not convince any classmates to abandon the Viagra Triangle for the gay club scene, so we did this on our own)
Today, we are planning tea at the Drake, a trip to Borders and possibly a visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art. Later on, we’re meeting David and his BFF for dinner, hopefully somewhere yummy. No late night dance parties for us this evening, but possibly foot rubs. Sweet!
Because I am ready to start the “real” blogging, I give you this list, which should bring you up to speed on the last 17 days. So, without further ado, here are the things I have done since I arrived in Chicago July 31:
1) Consumed beautiful breakfasts at Dodo, Milk and Honey, Yolk
2) Received excellent service and lagniappes to go from Hot Chocolate
3) Made sweet mouth love to authentic pan-Asian at Joy Yee’s
4) Walked an estimated 10 miles a day
5) Watched my pants get bigger and bigger (relative to my dwindling waist line)
6) Enjoyed modern photography at the Art Institute
7) Attended Lollapalooza in Grant Park
Visited More frat-boy bars in Lincoln Park than I’d care to mention
9) Enjoyed long talks with friends back home
10) Cultivated a burgeoning Chicago-based social network on Facebook
11) Made a habit of Hobie Cat sailing on Lake Michigan
12) Attended a rained out orchestra concert in Millenium Park
13) Enjoyed excellent espresso (and lunch date with cutie medical resident) at La Sur
14) Participated in a Wilco sing-along in Lakeview
15) Shopped on State Street
16) Perused the exhibits at the Chicago History Museum
17) Got my ass handed to me in a ballet class near UIC
18) Wowed 6 of my new classmates with a simple dinner of roast chicken at home
19) Slept on an air mattress for 1.5 weeks
20) Got overwhelmed looking at the course catalog
21) Painted my apartment
22) Stuck out like a sore thumb but loved every minute of it at a hipster bar (Rodan) in Wicker Park
23) Navigated the CTA
24) Experienced (daily) transit delays due to construction
25) Pirated WiFi from neighbors
26) Discovered (and promptly promised to forget) Weed Street club scene
27) Made friends with the concierge(s) in my building
28) Studied my new Cartoon Guide to Statistics
29) Panicked on page 54
30) Learned (to my dismay) that the Grand Lux is a sister franchise of Cheesecake Factory
31) Was not at all impressed with the inventory at the Apple Store on Michigan
32) Learned that Shaumberg (and Ikea) is very, very, very far away by public transportation
33) Brought immunization records up to date with vaccinations at the student health center
34) Missed my stop on the Metra
35) Discovered that there really is nothing to do in Hyde Park
36) Gazed at the Sears Tower through my window
