San Francisco of the South?

We're moving...again...

2009-08-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

So, I've started the process of moving my past posts over to my new domain. Come on over and check it out.

http://www.dalechang.com

New Adventure

2008-05-09T14:15:00.001-07:00

As school comes to a close, and work is about to start, I'm starting a new website. It's currently hosted at http://www.thechangs.info. Watch for updates!

So much to learn, so little time...

2007-07-28T07:57:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I shared some thoughts on starting my internship. I wanted to follow-up with a few thoughts, now that I have some experience under my belt and a little wisdom (emphasis on little) to share.

A few observations:

1. They don't expect you to know everything. However, they do expect you to learn it very quickly. I would argue that you learn more in consulting, in a shorter period of time, than in any other industry. For example, I learned enough SQL and VBA in the matter of 48 hours to do some heavy duty analytics.

2. Who you work with does matter. When you are spending several hours a day and several days a week with the same people, you need some level of assurance that you will at least enjoy working with your team. The name of the firm doesn't matter if you hate your family on the road. (In my opinion anyways.)

3. Flexibility is key. It is often the case that your work stream will change. Sometimes several changes during the course of a project. Isn't that what we all signed up for?

As for my experience. I love my team. We really are a family on the road. We eat together, stay at the same hotel, share stories. I've very quickly made a handful of close friends just by working and traveling with them for the past 6 weeks. The work is very challenging, but again, the people that I work with make it that much easier to bear.

That being said, I am very excited to be returning to school in a couple weeks. This particular internship has really touched, and expanded upon, nearly every single concept that I learned in my first year of school.

Separation Anxiety?

2007-06-28T22:02:00.000-07:00

So, I'm having some anxiety about dropping Sadie off at Pet Camp tomorrow. I know that she'll be fine, but this will be the first time that we have complete strangers watching over her. We've been fortunate in the fact that we have always had someone who she knew to watch over her, but this weekend is a bit different. We are all going to be out of town, and nobody can watch Sadie. She'll be sharing a run with her two summer roommates, Sierra and Foster. They're old pros at this, so hopefully they'll tell her not to worry and that Pet Camp is a fun place to be!

Time for Work

2007-06-10T11:03:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I last wrote. Since mid-April, I took my finals, moved back to San Francisco, spent massive amounts of time in Napa Valley and prepared for my first day of my internship.

I am very excited as I start tomorrow. I have this feeling almost like I did when I started school, except this time it is a lot more intense but with a lot fewer questions left unanswered.

Do you remember how you felt like when you started undergraduate? You had a ton of questions like what was going to be your major, if this school was the right choice, will you like your classmates, what will you do after you graduate, etc?

Well, entering business school, many of my questions had been answered, but the ones that were still outstanding were very important. Did I make the right decision to leave work for two years in order to change careers? Will I like the people at my school? Will I get as much out of it as I hope to?

Tomorrow, I have a new set of questions, but even more important. The questions remaining for me are:

Will I like the people that I work with? Early polls indicate that, yes, I will. I had very good interactions with representatives of the firm. As long as the people I met were a proxy for the larger group, then I will be fine.

The second question I have revolves around whether or not I will like the work that I am doing. This includes whether or not travel will be ok for my fiancee and me. I have traveled extensively for work in the past, but will it be ok this time around with a significant other. Also, will I like the client work that I am doing? I assume that it will be challenging, but I want to do something that I am passionate about. The next 10 weeks will answer this question for me.

I promise to write more. I won't be able to write about the client work I am doing, but I will be sure to let everyone know how my internship experience is going.

The Great Texas Land Grab

2007-04-16T13:19:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is already time to register for Fall classes. Last time, there was definitely a sense of panic in the air. This time around, it seems as though everyone is a bit more relaxed. Having gone through registration and waitlisting one time, people aren't as frantic to get caught up in the frenzy that is registration. That being said, I think a severe case of summer fever has really set in as well. The weather is getting nice and people are more inclined to "forget" they have class and instead enjoy the outdoors.

I'm aiming to get into some pretty cool classes, so I'm expecting some disappointment. However, I'm sure that it will all work out in the end.

Welcome Prospectives

2007-04-02T12:02:00.000-07:00

It seems odd to me that it was just a year ago that I was in Austin for Preview Weekend, checking out the program, the people and the environs that I would end up calling home for the next couple of years. Looking back, I'm glad I made the choice I did as I have had the most amazing time at McCombs.

This weekend, McCombs opened its doors and welcomed admitted students to come visit with us and understand what it is that makes McCombs unique, and in my mind, one of the best business schools in the nation. I had the opportunity to meet with many of the students that have already decided that they will be calling Austin home as well as those that were in the same situation as I was and deciding between schools.

Most of my interaction with the prospective students was in a social setting, which in reality, is the way that I would prefer to meet them. I believe that what separates the top twenty business schools in the nation is not the academics (No surprise as we all learn from the same books and cases) but the people that you meet along the way. McCombs attracts and retains quite a unique individual in that I think of the typical student at McCombs as industrious, friendly and open minded. More generally, they are the people that you would want on your team.

Now, it's back to homework and studying. I can't believe finals are coming up in a couple weeks.

Where to begin?

2007-03-27T05:50:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted, so likely, all five of my readers have assumed that I've either:

1. Lost all of my fingers and can no longer type.
2. Done nothing interesting.
3. Been so busy that I haven't had time to log on and scribe my amazing adventures.

To tell the truth, I have all of my fingers, there have been some interesting things happening and I haven't really been THAT busy. So, let me start off where I left off seemingly so long ago...

...In the last adventure of SanFranciscooftheSouth, our hero had finally accepted an offer to work for a management consulting firm in San Francisco over the summer. Since then, he has had some amazing adventures that have taken him to far reaches of the globe...

Ok, enough buildup...

After I accepted my summer offer in San Francisco, I jumped onto a plane and headed to Tokyo with my finacee's family. It was an amazing time. The trip was uber expensive, but well worth it. I had the opportunity to visit with my friend who now lives there. It's quite funny actually, as he is possibly the most non-asian person I know. A big, tall Irish guy who works for a financial services firm. Tell me that's not easy to spot in a Tokyo subway.

After returning from Tokyo, I had a couple days to ease back into school. Actually, that period of easing in is still happening. I go to all my classes, but sometimes, it's easier for me to tune out than others.

Ok, back to class. I'm hoping that I'll be a bit more of a prolific writer in the coming weeks.

Decisions Decisions

2007-03-08T15:57:00.000-08:00

So, I finally made a decision and I will be headed back to San Francisco this summer for an internship with a management consulting firm. The decision was actually much harder than expected. I had the opportunity to meet with several representatives from both firms and everybody I met was extremely smart and driven. What everybody told me was that I needed to make my decision based upon the people as they would be the people with whom I would be spending most of my waking hours.

I'm very happy with my decision and I think I chose the right company. We'll see if I made the right decision after the summer.

Sadie at Bull Creek

2007-02-06T15:35:00.000-08:00

Sadie is starting to love the water. She's not quite as agile as the rest of the dogs, but give her a few weeks, and I bet she'll give them a run for their money.

*Sorry for the bad video quality as I took it with my mobile phone.

Cold Feet?

2007-01-31T11:10:00.000-08:00

Is this what happens the morning of the wedding? I may have to hire a professional videographer to capture these "special" moments.

A Little Depressed

2007-01-27T14:13:00.000-08:00

So, I was thinking over my offer while I was in the shower today and got a little bit depressed. Seems sort of silly, but this offer brought me back to reality and that I was 25% of my way through my extended vacation.

Maybe I'll go for my J.D. after business school...

It's Good to Feel Wanted

2007-01-27T06:44:00.000-08:00

I feel a sudden sense of relief as I received my first offer for a summer internship. I've been networking pretty heavily in the management consulting arena and I'm very excited to have my first offer. In fact, the offer is from one of my target firms which makes me even happier. The people couldn't be nicer and the work that they do is very interesting to me.

The entire interview process was pretty painless actually. They went from first round interviews to offers within 48 hours. It was pretty amazing. And to tell you the truth, the entire process was actually pretty fun. I really enjoyed the case interviews that I had as they were more discussions about past business problems, so that my interviewer could learn something about me, and I could also learn something from the experience.

I'm still going to see how the other interviews go, but I really do like this first firm. More later as things progress.

It's Wii-diculous

2007-01-27T06:40:00.000-08:00

As you may have uncovered from a couple previous posts, my fiancee is a bit obsessed with the new Nintendo Wii. She had a chance to play with it at a friend's house in December and has been on the lookout ever since. Myself, I could really care less. I've never been a big video game fanatic.

Well, as it happens, I was surfing along Amazon.com, and what pops up on my search, but a brand spankin' new Nintendo Wii stocked by Amazon.com. Pretty amazing that I got in, given that it sounds like it sold out in just a matter of minutes. Well, I ordered it and had it delivered as I was going to surprise my fiancee with her early Valentine's Day gift. (How romantic!)

She is absolutely ecstatic that I found the Wii. We plugged it in, and I think she must have played for at least 5 or 6 hours nonstop.

Sorry Charlie

2007-01-21T10:22:00.000-08:00

After visiting a few stores with unsavory people in line and limited amounts of Wii consoles available, my fiancee arrived home empty handed. Faced with the option to stand in line for several hours for the slight possibility of getting trampled and getting her hands on one of the hot units, she settled for waiting it out a little longer to get her fix.

I'm actually a little Wii-lieved since I probably would get zero studying and interview work done if that device was in our house.

The Golden Ticket

2007-01-21T06:01:00.000-08:00

For the past few weeks, it seems that every other conversation with my fiancee somehow includes how much fun she had playing Nintendo Wii at her friend's house. Well, long story short, she found out that the local Target and Circuit City stores are going to be releasing stock today. She woke up bright and early to make sure that she had her place in line. It's sort of like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, except that she's not a starving little boy, I'm not Grandpa Joe and we're not at home sipping on cabbage soup. I'm anxiously waiting for her return to see if she comes home with that prized box.

Snow Day!

2007-01-16T10:51:00.000-08:00

I just took my dog out to play in the ice/sleet/hail/snow and had a blast. Besides for playing fetch with her, we watched a couple other interesting sights, including a forest green Camaro with chains. Hilarious.

Public Safety

2007-01-15T18:14:00.000-08:00

"Due to inclement weather conditions, The University of Texas at Austin will be closed all day Tuesday, Jan. 16. All events and activities are canceled."

I guess safety first.

This is my first "Snow Day." Strange that it is in Texas.

It's The End of The World As We Know It...

2007-01-13T18:10:00.000-08:00

...and I feel fine...

Another cold front is supposed to blow through Texas tonight and the city is abuzz with activity. With a chance for frozen rain, sleet, ice and (gulp) snow, people are headed to the grocery store and hoarding food in anticipation of the oncoming storm.

In a related story, Southpawtiger, his wife and I all went out to dinner last night. He valet parked the car, and the valet told us that we had to pick up the car before midnight. When asked why so early, the informed us that because the "front" was moving through, they didn't want to be responsible for driving cars in "inclement weather."

So far, just some rain. Look for more updates as locusts come and destroy crops, the sun burns red and a couple religious zealots come to my door.

These Boots Were Made for Walking...

2007-01-05T12:13:00.000-08:00

It's official. I went to Cavender's Boot City this afternoon with my soon to be father-in-law and got set up with a new pair of cowboy boots. As silly as it sounds, these boots are actually quite comfortable. While I won't be throwing out my running shoes and Reefs any time soon, you may see me proudly wearing a pair of ostrich skin boots.

"What else did you get?"

To answer your question, I also got a nice cowboy hat and a new belt to go with my boots. Now, the belt doesn't come with a huge belt buckle like you would expect, but you never know.

So San Francisco

2006-12-25T09:42:00.000-08:00

I just wrapped up a short trip back to San Francisco to visit with family and friends for the holidays. In addition to family and friends, I also got to experience some of the things that I miss the most and that make San Francisco unique.

1. Sushi
2. Burritos
3. Great wine and Wine Country
4. Christmas Shopping in Union Square
5. Earthquakes (Yes, there were three separate earthquakes while I was there)

Call me crazy, but I'll trade terra firma and tornado alley for earthquake country anyday.

Much needed break

2006-12-20T09:35:00.000-08:00

My first set of finals went off without a hitch. The early returns are positive and I'm hoping for more of the same. But the other tests that remain are the true question marks. I guess there is nothing left to do but hurry up and wait.

I've had time to reflect on my past semester and I was pretty happy with how things progressed. I learned a ton of material during the past few months and made friends with people that I typically would not have had a chance to interact with in the past. I felt as though a large majority of my growth didn't come from in class work. Instead, it came from interactions with my fellow classmates.

One thing that I wished that I had done more of was interacting with students outside of class. I'm a pretty social person, but this semester kind of shut me down. I tried to go out as much as possible in the beginning in order to make the most of my two years at business school, but later in the semester, as classwork started piling up and priorities shifted, I found myself either at home, relaxing or in the library studying. Hopefully I can find a better balance next semester.

Personally, I've also grown up quite a bit in the past few months. The big thing is that I now am responsible for taking care of someone else. (No, not my fiancee! My puppy, Sadie...) Oh yeah, I got engaged too...

;-)

Overall, the past few months have been amazing. I'm learning a ton of new things, meeting new people, living in a new city and having great experiences. I'm looking forward to more of the same next semester.

Now it's time for a little rest and relaxation.

Bootstrapping, Pensions and Biocide?

2006-12-15T17:01:00.000-08:00

What do all of these have in common? Well, to tell the truth, not much except for the fact that they were subjects featured on my finals this week that I had very little clue how to handle. Overall, I don't think the tests were that bad. But there definitely were some rough spots; rough like the armpits of an eastern bloc woman who has never met a razor.

Next week, I have finals in Operations and Statistics.

On a brighter note, I just booked my ticket to head up to Breckenridge for a week. It should be a fun time. A couple of people from the program are headed up to Colorado to get some well deserved rest and relaxation. Most likely, there won't be much resting or relaxation, but at least we will have tried. I'm pretty excited as this will be my first encounter with snow since last season, save my trip to the Great White North. (Dallas. See prior post.)

That's it for now. My fiancee and I are heading out with Southpaw and his wifey to grab some sushi. No, not Kenichi...We're going to Uchi. If you're lucky, you might get a restaurant review too!

Just another day in the snow?

2006-12-03T07:18:00.000-08:00

With record cold hitting Texas over the past week, I was "fortunate" enough to witness Dallas in the snow a few days ago.

I was on a trip organized by the Career Center to visit several consulting companies in Dallas. One of the companies cancelled their event on Thursday evening due to weather. I also got a call from the trip leader, making sure that I was ok since the roads were supposed to be really bad and getting worse.

When I got to Dallas, the scene was almost comical. Sure, there was about 1/4" - 1/2" of snow "accumulated" on the side of the road and there were some slick spots, but the roads were nowhere near as bad as the news made it out to be. The best part was the traffic jams caused by drivers going 5mph on the overpasses. In addition, the roads were salted and sanded pretty thick.

I guess if you're not used to driving in inclement weather, it's better to be safe than sorry. But it was interesting to see a large city succumb to the forces of mother nature.

The Fall of Troy

2006-12-02T16:59:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty happy right now. Not only did UCLA beat USC, but we also denied them a trip to the National Championship. Next stop, San Francisco for the Emerald Bowl.

Group Projects and Finals

2006-11-29T14:14:00.000-08:00

We're coming into the homestretch now for the first semester at McCombs. There has been a noticeable decrease in homework due for class and a significant increase in group projects. It seems like my study team is always meeting for one project or another. I really am thankful that my team gets along so well. I've heard of quite a few groups that haven't been so cohesive, and some that have even fought over the direction of a project. Really sad. I'm not sure if it has to do with some conflicting personalities, stress, or a combination of the two. Hopefully, these situations will get better next semester.

9 Weeks Old and Growing

2006-11-26T12:41:00.000-08:00

Sadie is growing like a weed. At last count, she packed on approximately 3lbs in the past week. Still cute as ever though! She had a couple accidents over the past few days, but that may have to do with the new surroundings in Waco. Once we get back to Austin, we'll see if that comes to an end.

Look at those paws. She's going to be a monster.

Daddy's Little Girl

2006-11-21T06:19:00.000-08:00

All was quiet on the western front last night. After a day of getting her used to her crate, she finally decided that she loved her new home. It probably helped that I hid little bits of "treasure" in her bed. It also helped that we gave up a blanket to Sadie, so that she could feel like she was sleeping with us. She was a bit exhausted yesterday, I'm guessing because she's been trying to acclimate to her new surroundings. One thing that is cool is that she is great at retrieving baby tennis balls already. She just entertains herself by chasing the ball for a while, then chasing her tail. Maybe I can get a video of that up here soon.

Daddy Needs Some Sleep

2006-11-20T18:09:00.000-08:00

Sadie is a cutie, but also a handful. She goes to the bathroom every 2 hours, so the sleep factor was an issue last night. But if there is anybody that I don't mind waking up for, it's Sadie. She's only 8 weeks old, but she already instinctively plays fetch and loves to curl up at dad's feet.

I'm a Daddy!

2006-11-19T11:30:00.000-08:00

So, I know I just got engaged, but we decided to have a little baby. The small, four legged, hairy type. Before your imagination goes into overdrive, I'll let you know, Sadie is the cutest chocolate labradoodle (Half Lab/Half Poodle)I have ever seen.

More to come, but she really is a daddy's girl...

Scooby Doo, Where Are You?

2006-11-17T08:01:00.000-08:00

Imagine this. I wake up at 9:00am and my feet and the floor around the bed are covered in blood. Considering that I'm still wearing jeans from the night before, suffice it to say that I'm a little discombobulated. Getting to the bottom of this is going to take some major detective work.

I'm going to get to the bottom of this...

And it's over...

2006-10-30T14:20:00.000-08:00

Registration has come and gone. I successfully registered for all of my classes. It was all pretty funny though. At the stroke of 4:00pm, the entire study room went quiet, except for the click-clack of keystrokes. Then either sighs of relief, or people cursing under their breath. All in all, a pretty humorous way to start a week.

Let the Madness Begin

2006-10-30T13:30:00.000-08:00

Things are already starting to brew up in the Reliant Reading Room. People are circling like buzzards, waiting for a desk with an ethernet connection to open up. There is sort of a weird buzz in the air. People are starting to get antsy.

More later after the melee.

The Mad Dash

2006-10-29T09:26:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow afternoon, at 4:00pm, students all around McCombs will be tethered to the ethernet constantly refreshing their screens and trying to gain that nano-second advantage over the other students. All of this madness is for registration. That seems a little crazy to me. I've never participated in this mad dash for classes before, but I guess it will be an experience. My thought, is that they should civilize the entire process a bit and introduce either some sort of priority system, or better yet, a bidding system. If you really want a class, bid a lot. If you are indifferent, don't bid that much. It's pretty simple.

More importantly, I need to pick my classes. I've made the conscious decision to take a pretty finance intensive course load next semester since I really have no background in finance and feel like it is one of the things that you should really learn while in school. I talked to a couple professors at McCombs, asking them their opinion on what courses I should take, and they confirmed that taking a heavy finance course load will help me in the future. I'll admit, I am a little concerned about taking finance courses in the spring with the "Future Bankers of America," but after a long conversation with my current finance professor, I feel pretty confident that I'll do fine. I had a chance to see my midterm score, and apparently, I beat out a bunch of ex-bankers and finance types. I credit my grade to dumb luck. He said it's probably since I've been putting a lot of work in and that I'm open to his teaching. I guess if I keep doing what I'm currently doing (Which is busting my hump), I'll be able to keep this trend going. So, right now, it looks like I'll be taking Advanced Corporate Finance, Investment Theory, Financial Statement Analysis, the core Strategic Management class and my Venture Fellows Practicum. A pretty busy schedule considering Venture Fellows has 3 hours of class time per week and a required 8 hours of internship hours per week.

Hopefully, the classes that I want aren't too impacted. I have a feeling I'll be ok with registration, since a lot of students will be gunning for either a spot on the Global Connection trips, or classes with Professors like Doggett and Nolen. Also, both my Venture Fellows Practicum and my core class are restricted registrations, so, I really only need to register for 3 classes with the rest of the students. I'll let you know after the madness has ended.

BANZAI!

2006-10-22T11:29:00.000-07:00

My fiancee and I just booked our tickets to Tokyo for Spring Break. Admittedly, Tokyo is not on the typical top ten list of spring break locations, but look past Havasu, South Padre, Puerto Vallarta and South Beach, and Tokyo is usually #12 or #13. (That was completely tongue in cheek.) I'm really looking forward to this trip, since I haven't been to Japan since I was a kid. (I'll delete any comments made about my current maturity level. Remember, I have complete administrative control over this blog!) More on this as the trip approaches.

Longhorns in Snow

2006-10-21T12:23:00.000-07:00

Longhorns and snow don't mix. We can't kick field goals. We can't catch the ball. We can't hold onto the ball. Stupid play call on 3rd and goal. Now we have a walk on kicker, kicking his first ball, in a snowstorm. Ridiculous.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat

2006-10-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

I just finished midterm week at McCombs and overall, it was not too bad. To tell you the truth, the content of the exams was not too bad, but the scheduling of the tests really tested my willpower. The content of the exams really tested us on key concepts in the course and the application of these concepts. Really, there were not any questions that I did not expect. Professors are usually pretty predictable in what they will ask and what they will not ask.

As for the scheduling, it really felt like a process of weeding out the weak from the strong. We had midterms every night of the week from 6pm until 9pm. My schedule for the past week was:

6:00am-6:00pm: Study
6:00pm-9:00pm: Test
9:00pm-12:00am: Relax, maybe study a bit
12:00am-6:00am: Sleep

I'm glad it's over. I'm also glad that the stress level for everyone at school has receded a bit. Everyone went out last night to blow off some steam. I could't go too crazy, since I had to make an airport run at 3:30am to pick up my finacee. It was great since everyone seemed so relaxed, but I felt as though every conversation I walked into, people were rehashing the test that they just took. A little counterproductive if you ask me. There are so many other great topics of conversation. For instance, we got the hairball idea that we were going to take a trip to Las Vegas in November. I'm not sure if that will come to fruition, but some of my best thinking has come from the inside of a dark bar.

I'm guessing that people will get wound up again for finals, but that is still about 2 months out. Ok, off to watch the Longhorns/Huskers game.

A Great Way to Start the Day

2006-10-16T14:45:00.000-07:00

Sunday was a very important day in my life. That was the day that I asked my then girlfriend to be my wife. It was quite special for both of us, as I proposed in the early morning, away from the prying eyes of everyday people, but still in the city that we had both love and call home. (That's San Francisco for those of you who don't know.)

Operating under the guise of a trip for my sister's birthday, I travelled back to San Francisco to meet up with friends and family. My fiancee was definitely wondering why I was so keen on returning to SF, since midterms were the next week. In order to throw her off the trail, we spent all of Friday and Saturday with friends and family. I think she basically gave up hope, thinking that I was really planning on waiting until after I graduated from school before I popped the question, or that this just wasn't the time.

Timeline of events:

2:30am - Get home (from sister's birthday party and late night munchies with our friend in Chinatown) and go to bed for just over an hour.

3:45am - We wake up to catch our flight. (6am flight!)

4:00am - Pack up the car to drive to the airport.

4:05am - Girlfriend falls asleep in the car on the way to the airport.

4:10am - Girlfriend wakes up and finds that we are not actually on the route she would have taken to the airport. Grouchy - asks me why I'm taking the longer way. (Not that she really knows. She has a horrible sense of direction.)

4:15am - I say that I think I might have forgotten something and pull the car over...She now realize that we are in front of the Ferry Building with the beautiful Bay and Bay Bridge in the background.

4:16am - I pop the trunk. She asks me to get her pillow while I'm back there...and quizzes me on if I left my keys at our friends' place.

4:17am - I come around and open the passenger door - She thought to give her the pillow.

4:18am - I PROPOSE!

4:19am - She cries...and says yes!

4:22am - We're on our way to the airport so we can make our 6am flights!

Not overly romantic, but very exciting and spontaneous. I did get some great advice. Sorry we didn't use them. (Thanks TK, DA, JC, JG and those I haven't mentioned)

Some other ideas that didn't happen for one reason or another.

1. Throw the ring at her and see how fast she lunges for it.

2. Wrap myself in tin foil, attach the ring to the end of a pugel stick, and ride up as her knight in shining armor.

3. Send her on a scavenger hunt where she would have to get video proof of doing the UCLA 8 Clap and sing the Texas Fight Song.

4. Actually wait until 2080. His comment had to do with a cow, milk and getting stuff for free.

Venture Fellows

2006-10-16T05:43:00.000-07:00

I found out over the weekend that I was selected to join Venture Fellows, a student run organization that pairs up students with local venture capital firms, helping students get a better grasp of venture capital through yearlong internships. This is pretty exciting for me, as I've always been interested in Venture Capital and the world of startups.

The selected group of students is a great class of people. There is quite a diverse set of backgrounds and really, some of the smartest people in the school. I'm honored to be in their company. Hopefully, what I lack in finance skills, I can make up in past experience with startups and contribute to the class.

The selection process was quite thorough, to say the least. The selection process culminated with a case writeup and group discussion of the case. During the discussion, there were lots of smart comments made and I actually felt like I hadn't contributed that much. I left feeling like I might have made a pretty big mistake by not making all of my points. Having had a chance to mull it over though, I think that by saying only key points at the right time, I actually improved my position by not taking up too much "airtime." I guess, in the end, it all worked out.

We won't find out what VC we've been partnered with until the spring, but it's great to know that I'm going to be able to get out of the classroom for a bit and actually apply some of the course education to real life scenarios. I'm really looking forward to having a real live venture capital firm as my classroom.

Midterms, Bubble Wrap, Asset Impairment, Power Tools, Lions, Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

2006-09-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

That really describes the past week for me. I've been wrapped up in discussing cases surrounding Bubble Wrap, Impairment of Assets and Valuations based upon cash flows, and studying for my first midterm. I'll be honest, there is a major time crunch happening here. Some people are handling it better than others. I would say that I haven't been stressing out as much as other people, but then again, I did spend my Friday night in the study room trying to crack the marketing case. However, in my defense, I place blame squarely on my significant other since her flight was delayed until 11:30pm on Friday.

Other than that, school has been pretty good to me. I've been going to school all day, networking with some companies that I might be interested in working at someday and also exploring other options that I may have never thought about.

One of those options is home improvement. I've grown to love the local hardware store as well as Home Depot and Lowes. In fact, I think I'm going to ask for a power drill for Christmas. All of this started when my marketing class performed a case study on the Black and Decker corporation. I remembered how much I loved playing with power tools. I went home and went on a rampage. I borrowed my friend's drill set and did the following to date:

1. Hung a huge mirror over the couch. This might sound like a minor task, but it was a good intro to the world of power tools and home improvement. After a failed attempt where the hang wire actually was shredded by the mirror hardware and the mirror crashed onto the couch, we figured out a way to safely hang the large mirror so that it wouldn't threaten to behead people relaxing on our furniture.

2. Installed curved shower rods. This, too, may sound like a minor task, but it was a lot more involved than I had thought. These shower rods had to be drilled into the tile. But that brought up an important concept that I hadn't thought about previously. Tile is brittle. And tile shatters if not drilled correctly. So I went to Home Depot and bought some glass and tile bits and the job was pretty easy. It even ended up level in both bathrooms which I was pretty pleased with.

3. Installed wire shelving and drawers in my walk in closet. Now we're starting to move up degree of difficulty. Not only did I have to get the back supports level, but I also had to do this while drilling half inch holes into our walls and utilizing what is called a Toggle Bolt. Basically, it looks like an open alligator clip that flips open once it is on the other side of the drywall. This gives the bolt the ability to support enormous amounts of weight without tearing through the drywall itself. Mission accomplished.

4. Pantry shelving. This was an interesting project since it required me to get inside of the pantry closet, which isn't much bigger than myself. In all honesty, it wasn't much different than the stuff I put in my closet, but it did ratchet up the degree of difficulty since I was working with mixed sized shelving and space requirements.

Next stop, I think I'm going to get a pair of low riding levis so I can show my butt crack and pick up plumbing.

Drunk Blogging

2006-09-06T15:32:00.000-07:00

Not that this isn't obvious, but blogging while intoxicated can lead to some pretty interesting results. I'm not sure if any of you caught this, but, yes, I had a couple of drinks when I wrote about japanese salad. In fact, I am at the local pub right now typing while sipping a tasty adult beverage. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale to be precise.

I'm actually getting a little reading done and waiting for my peer advisor to come so we can go through my resume and career plans. Not a bad life. Too bad it will be over before I know it.

Outside of that, things are going a bit better. I have a place to call home. I've met some very cool people at school. My cohort isn't filled with complete idiots. My study group is actually intelligent. And I had a chance to connect with one of my professors at his office hours. I think I'm getting a ton accomplished, but as it is with anything, there is always much more that I could be doing.

This weekend is the Ohio State game. Everything practical tells me to stay at home and get some reading done and sell my ticket, but I think that I should go to the game. After all, going to business school isn't all about school and grades. Alot of it has to do with experiencing new things, meeting new people and seeing things that you would never see at home.

I actually think I am down to a schedule. If I manage things correctly, I think I can actually start working out again. Things have been just too hectic lately.

Japanese Salad

2006-09-01T00:17:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not talking about the mini salad that you get from Benihana with the ginger dressing. Instead, I'm talking about my pitiful existence and the fact that I couldn't find proper silverware and I was forced to eat salad with two sticks that somewhat resembled chopsticks instead of a fork. Also, I was forced to check email by "wardriving" around the neighborhood since our internet service can't get turned on until September 11. An even then, they promised they will be at our new condo between 8am and 5pm. Thanks! No, I really mean it. Thank you very much. You are awesome for providing such an accurate response time.

On another note, we closed on our condo today. It feels great to be a homeowner. It feels even better to know that I'll probably qualify for in state tuition next year. But what feels best is that I actually own something and I'm not burning money in rent every month.

Well, enough for tonight. I've got to watch the video about the "Hopi River." I'll give details on that later.

Firehose

2006-08-22T16:22:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I've written. Part of that is due to the fact that I have been so immersed in accounting boot camp/housing/orientation that I haven't had a chance to really organize my thoughts. Well, that's not too good of an excuse since I don't really ever organize my thoughts anyways.

I guess I'll just give you a summary:

Accounting Boot Camp: It's like drinking from a firehose. Yes, that's an overused cliche, but it does seem like quite an accurate analogy. While I may not know for sure what I want to do, I surely know that I don't want to do accounting as a career.

Housing: Major rat-f / u / c / k! I've never heard anybody ever have a smooth and painless experience with new construction, so I won't kill you with the details. If you really want to know, call me or email me. I've got a list about the length of Crime and Punishment that sums it up.

Orientation: Fun! I'm getting to meet tons of new people. I'm also fortunate to have a CPA in my study group. There is a God!

More later. On the way to the Dean's house for dinner tonight.

Zen and the Art of Living Out of a Standard Roll Aboard for More Than Two Weeks

2006-08-14T09:51:00.000-07:00

The past two weeks have been pretty exciting. I packed up my home in San Francisco and touched five states before landing in Austin. I've also undergone some pretty variable weather, from cool, temperate living in San Francisco, to dry heat in Arizona, to thunderstorms in New Mexico and finally, my favorite, sweltering heat that makes Hades look like Ka'anapali beach with free Evian mister bottles and Hawaiian Tropic Bikini Team fanning all comers with palm fronds.

What is even more amazing, in my opinion, is that I have been able to live out of a standard 9" x 14" x 22" roll aboard suitcase. In this bag, I have strategically packed enough clothing for me to attend orientation, social events, formal events, and networking events, while dressed appropriately for the occasion. I haven't lived like this since I backpacked through Europe for months on end with little more than a backpack full of my closest belongings. The key is to avoid seeing people too many times. Otherwise, will think that either I really love my green short sleeved button up shirt, or that I have nothing else to wear. And then the jig is up.

One thing that I did fail to pack in my beloved suitcase, however, is a standard black belt. I don't know where it is. I don't know where it went. I guess I will just have to break down and go to the store and buy one.

15 days down, 8 more to go.

Settling In

2006-08-09T08:27:00.000-07:00

I've been in Austin for about 5 days now, and I still don't believe that I live here. Part of it may have to do with the fact that I am somewhat of a transient and living out of a suitcase. All I need is a guitar, a rucksack and a sign that says "Luckenbach or Bust" and I would truly be the transient.

The other day, I was invited to go out on Lake Travis with a couple of new B-school friends. I was really geared up for a fun afternoon out on the lake, since I really hadn't done much since getting to Austin. Not 10 minutes after we put the boat in the water, some ominous looking clouds started creeping in on us. While standing on the dock, we watched as torrential rain walked its way across the lake, soaking us to the bone. Then came the lightning and thunder. Needless to say, we pulled the boat out of the water immediately. I really didn't want to die from lightning my first week in Austin.

I could really imagine the joy of some waitlisted candidate though.

"Um, is this Mary? Yes, this is the director of admissions for McCombs. We have an opening at our school for you. There was a tragic accident where five of our incoming students were killed because they were idiots sitting in a boat on Lake Travis drinking beer in the middle of a thunderstorm. Congratulations!"

The next couple days, I'm just going to be gearing up to go back to school. Boot Camp starts on Tuesday and I really need to get my mind into thinking mode. To tell the truth, I've been somewhat bored without any work to do. I'm sure that will pass though.

Shake....and Bake...WOOOO!!!

2006-08-05T08:13:00.000-07:00

Without giving too much away, Talladega Nights was one of the funnier movies I have seen in quite a while. One of the highlights for me was actually where we watched it. We spent the night in Abilene, TX, a small town in West Texas where my girlfriend lived for about 7 years of her life. Now, I know, West Texas isn't known for Nascar culture, but it does account for a large majority of rednecks, hicks, country bumpkins and about 90% of the pickup trucks in the United States.

We got into the movie theater and it was like a reunion for all the town folk. EVERYBODY KNEW EVERYBODY ELSE. In fact, many of the people, we saw just a couple hours earlier at Joe Allen's BBQ, a great restaurant in Abilene. My girlfriend explained to me that dinner and a movie really was the extent of dates in Abilene. Of course, there are variations on dates, like dinner and the mall, dinner and beers in the back of a pickup truck, or dinner and a drive through Daquiri. (Yes, it does exist.)

OK, gotta pack up and get headed out of here to Austin.

In the words of Ricky Bobby...

"I WANNA GO FAST!"

Condo Blues

2006-08-03T21:06:00.000-07:00

So, we just got word from our realtor that there was a slight screw up on the part of the City of Austin/the developer of our condo. It seems that the city gave the developer a map of the sewage system, the developer built to those specifications, but when they went to connect the development sewage to the city sewage, they did not match up. So, in the end, closing has been put out a week since the city won't grant a Certificate of Occupancy until the plumbing works. Oh well. It would have been s//h//i//t//t//y if we couldn't flush the toilet. (Pun Intended)

Hopefully, that will be the last delay. I'm not sure where I'm going to live the next couple of weeks. For all of you reading this in Austin, you may find me on your doorstep with my aerobed. Don't mind me, just step over me in the morning.

Left at Albuquerque

2006-08-03T20:33:00.000-07:00

We got into Albuquerque pretty late last night after a great time in Sedona and decided to lay low and just grab a quick bite to eat. Much to my chagrin, the only restaurants that seemed to be open in the area were Chili's and Shoney's. I chose the former. We had the bellboy unload the car completely, gave him a hefty tip for carting 37 bags, and went to grab a bite. Then I fell into the most blissful sleep in weeks. I guess the Sheraton Sweet Sleeper/Westin Heavenly Bed had something to do with it.

Today, we had a pretty busy day. After enjoying breakfast in the lounge, we set off to take a look around. The guy at the front desk recommended that we stay in Albuquerque and check out Nob Hill and a couple other neighborhoods. We ignored him and trekked out to Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, Bandalier National Monument, and Santa Fe.

First, we went to Tent Rocks, which was pretty cool. The drive in was very interesting to say the least. Directions to this National Monument were sketchy, to say the least. Here is a picture of the road into the National Monument. And here were the directions: Drive through the Cochiti Indian Reservation. Take a right at the big water tank shaped like a drum. Drive on dirt road for about 5 miles. Park your car and enjoy the view. Once you got there, the rock formations were very cool.

After we left the Tent Rocks, we made a stop in Santa Fe to grab some lunch at a great restaurant named Tomasita's. The food was amazing. Afterwards, we walked around the plaza and bought a couple gifts for friends and a couple new pieces for our condo.

We then made the short drive over the the Bandelier National Monument. This place was pretty cool. We saw the dwellings of the Anasazi Indians in Frijole Canyon near Los Alamos. It's amazing to think that an entire group of Native Americans could build their homes in the side of a cliff. The final stretch of the climb went up 140 feet on rickety ladders and stone steps. The alcove at the top was huge and the view was amazing. They even had a huge Kiva built into the stone at 140 feet above the canyon floor. To think that they climbed up and down every day is pretty amazing. I would post some pictures, but what fun would that be? Take a trip to New Mexico and make the climb yourself!

Pink Jeep Tours

2006-08-03T08:15:00.000-07:00

We took a jeep tour in Sedona through the red rocks. It was amazing. Sedona really is a beautiful place. Not too hot. Not too cold. And it has an awesome backdrop of red rock spires, plateaus, and mesas. I could sit there and look at it for hours on end.

Pink Jeep Tours in Sedona is a class act. We went out in highly modified Jeeps and took on some pretty awesome terrain. Now, this isn't exactly the Jeep Jamboree, but it does expose people to some beautiful scenery tied together with the capabilities of a properly outfitted 4x4 with a skilled driver. We were going up and down craggy roads that would pose a challenge to those on foot, let alone a modified jeep carrying seven people.

Pink Jeep Tours
P.O. Box 1447
Sedona, AZ 86339
(928) 282-5000
www.pinkjeep.com

Sedona Rouge

2006-08-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

We got an amazing rate staying at the Sedona Rouge and our room is beautiful. We have a great king size bed, a wonderful soaking tub and full size body products. My girlfriend noted that quite early on and has already made room in her bag to take them with her.

More to come on Sedona, but this seems like it will turn into a highlight of the trip.

Grand Canyon

2006-08-01T16:11:00.000-07:00

We made it to the Grand Canyon last night around 9. We missed sunset, but we did have an interesting dinner at Yippie-I-O Steakhouse just outside of the park. How do I put this. Our hotel was just a bit more upscale than summer camp.

However, the Grand Canyon is absolutely gorgeous. I highly recommend that you go if you have never gone. We only had a day there, so we took a little bus tour of the South Rim and did a little walking and peeked down into the canyon. That thing is big. And it just stretches for miles and miles. You really lose your sense of perspective there, since what seems like a stones throw is really a 5 mile chasm of open space.

The Value of a Dollar

2006-08-01T15:57:00.000-07:00

No, this post isn't about my new found appreciation for the dollar and how frugality is next to godliness. In fact, this is about gambling. The night we spent in Las Vegas, I ended up winning $1. Yes, you read that right. Up, down, up, down. Now, for the entertainment value, it was definitely worth it. I started playing at 8:00am in the morning. At that time, you often find quite a wide array of players. I've listed them below.

1. Local gambler: These you usually don't find at strip casinos since the odds there are slightly worse than off strip casinos.

2. I partied so hard I'm still up gambler: These are a dime a dozen. They are the loud, drunk and unruly crowd. (Actually, I'm usually in this camp.)

3. I just got off the blackjack training table and I'm going to win a million dollars gambler: These are the worst since they end up screwing up the table. They split 10's, they take dealer bust cards, but worst of all, they scream out "Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner" every time they win a hand. (There is also the Whisky Tango version of this where the player will yell out "We're going to Walmart Tonight" every time they win.)

I love Vegas. It really gives you a good cross section of the universe. That is, unless you sit at the $2 table at O'Shea's. Then you get a good cross section of Arkansas.

A Little Later than Expected

2006-07-31T01:15:00.000-07:00

So, we got a bit of a late start tonight. Instead of getting an early start and make it to Vegas in time for dinner, we decided to blow that off and leave at 3pm. We just got here. As lame as it sounds, we're going to go to bed and play a couple hands of blackjack tomorrow.

The room is pretty nice. Love that Starwood is starting to manage a couple hotels in Vegas. That basically guarantees me a suite of some sort and you've got to love the bonus points!

On a side note, you should have seen the eyes of the bellboy as he came with only one cart to help us out with our luggage. We didn't even fully unload the car and we had 10 bags on the cart.

Ok, it's bedtime. But I'm going to write up a quick note on Sonic Drive In on http://changchangblog.blogspot.com

No Allen Wrench? No Problem!

2006-07-29T14:30:00.000-07:00

The greatest thing about Ikea furniture (And all other furniture made out of particle board) is that even if you packed up your set of allen wrenches, taking apart said furniture isn't much of a problem if you don't intend on using it ever again.
Directions:
1. Find a leverage point. This is the point where you can inflict the greatest amount of pressure, torquing the fasteners as much as possible.
2. Apply liberal pressure.
3. Enjoy the sound of particle board disintegrating.
4. Sit back and enjoy a beer after an afternoon of hard manly work.

Stuff

2006-07-29T11:19:00.000-07:00

You never really know how much "stuff" you have until you move. I'm in the final stretch, and I'm finding myself with a ton of "stuff." I now need to decide if I want to move it, trash it, or donate it. I'll try to write from the road, but we'll see where and when we have internet connectivity and the energy to post.

Last Day...I Swear...

2006-07-28T11:45:00.000-07:00

So, today is really my last day at my company. I swear! After a few failed attempts to actually leave the company, today will finally be the day. There isn't any more runway left for me to slowly skid into the horizon.

So, I have a little bit of a going away lunch today with a couple colleagues, and then a going away happy hour at a local bar. In the middle of all this, I'll be handling my exit interview as well as all the paperwork for my health insurance, etc.

I'll leave today a little sad, a lot excited but mostly nervous. Why did I quit my job that payed well to live off of saving and student loans? Please tell me I've done the right thing!

The last week...

2006-07-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

So, this is my last week in San Francisco. I wish I had time to be sad, or even think about anything besides the move, but I don't. But, I find that I perform best under pressure. I've got 4 days and much packing to do. I also have lunch and dinner plans straight until we move. I had planned to try to take some pictures throughout the city, but I think those plans may be nixed as I have tons of stuff to do before we leave.

Wish me luck and hopefully I don't find myself in a time crunch!

New Blog

2006-07-21T08:59:00.000-07:00

At the request of one of my friends, I have started up a new blog. Since seemingly all I really talk about is food, wine, etc, I figured I would start a blog talking about things that I having to do with food. Check it out...
Epicurious (AKA Chang Chang Blog)

Boys Summer

2006-07-18T11:40:00.000-07:00

My good friend JRG and I are up in Tahoe for a couple days, enjoying unemployment. He just graduated from Goizueta Business School in Atlanta and came out for my going away party. He'll be starting work in a couple of months and possibly relocating to SF.

So, the concept of Boys Summer started last year when JRG was an intern in SF while his wife was in Atlanta. He would be on the road all week, but we would really party hard on the weekends, much to his wife's and my girlfriend's chagrin. Maybe we'll have the same situation next summer if I get an intership in San Francisco.

I'm really going to miss Tahoe over the next couple of years. It's really nice to have a playground like Lake Tahoe just a couple of hours away. I'm confident we'll discover other things to do in Austin and the surrounding areas, but being able to take a day trip up to the mountains to ski is something that I will miss.

We're about to hit up some lunch and then hang out by the pool. Tonight, we're going to go to dinner at Friday's Station. It's one of my favorite restaurants and serves a killer French Onion Soup.

Well, wish me luck as I hit the tables. I ended up a little last night, but had to go home early. I wasn't feeling really well and the smoke, excessive alcohol and loud noises didn't really help. Hopefully I'll win enough today to pay for tuition. Ok, I'll settle with enough to buy a textbook.

Goodbyes

2006-07-15T17:45:00.000-07:00

So, we had a little going away party today on Crissy Field. It was great seeing all of my friends in one place. We had a great time, though we have a little work to do on the keg. It's staring at me right now, taunting me, as we had to bring it back to my apartment. We'll finish it in short order...This I swear. We had a great time today, and I'm glad that my parents could make it up as well. I think they had a lot of fun meeting my friends.

We'll, we're off to Napa tomorrow with a couple of friends to do some wine tasting. This will probably be our last trip up to Napa for quite a while. Pretty sad as wine tasting is one of my favorite things to do during the summer.

Bastille Day -- Part Deux

2006-07-14T20:53:00.000-07:00

So, after pacing around my manager's office for what seemed a lifetime, he finally got off of the phone and I had a chance to sit down with him. For some reason, telling him I was resigning was not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. I told him that I would be leaving the company to go pursue my MBA and he was ecstatic for me. He seemed a little sad, but I probably was imagining that. It was weird that once I told him, seemingly the news spread like wildfire. Everyone in the company knew within a few minutes.

So, my last day of work is the 21st, but I'll get paid through the 31st. Not a bad deal I guess.

I'm tired, so I guess I'll save more for tomorrow...

Bastille Day

2006-07-14T07:43:00.000-07:00

Today is my Independence Day...
More to come as the day progresses...

The Three Goats Gruff

2006-07-12T08:53:00.000-07:00

My friend sent this article to me the other day and I had to read it through a couple times. I'm actually still not sure if it is true or not. But take a quick read.

At first I thought it was some story out of "The Onion," but apparently it was put out by the Denver Post. I know that Boulder is filled with "eccentrics," but this is a little too odd. Granted, they were fried on LSD.

To all of my friends that go running/biking over bridges:

Make sure you carry $1 in your shoe.

Hora

2006-07-10T00:40:00.000-07:00

My girlfriend and I went to a Jewish wedding tonight, and I must say, they do know how to party. The evening started out with a very traditional ceremony. After the cocktail hour, people were ready to party. Suddenly, Hava Nagila comes on over the loudspeakers and the room breaks into a frenzy. I swear, I saw a 90 year old lady push her walker aside and join the dancing circle while several of the groomsmen raised and lifted the bride and groom in a joyous dance.

These guys know how to party.

I'm glad that we have such a diverse group of friends.

Zinfandel

2006-07-09T09:38:00.000-07:00

Things are a little different in Oregon. Apparently, when one orders a glass of "Zinfandel," the default is White Zinfandel. Now, I'm not one to be a wine snob, but White Zinfandel really ranks right up there with Mad Dog and Boons. It really surprised me that a 4 Diamond resort would offer such a tasty beverage.

I wonder what the vintage was on that particular box.

Homeowners...almost...

2006-07-06T12:40:00.000-07:00

As my loyal readers may be aware, we have been on the hunt for the perfect home in Austin. That day has finally come. After several trips to Austin, driving around different neighborhoods and seeing different homes, we finally made a deposit on a new condo on Guadalupe and 31st. You may ask yourself, "Why does this address sound familiar?" This was actually the condo that we wanted from the start. After a few weeks of looking at places that underwhelmed us, we went back to the start and realized what a great home this would make for us. It so happens, that the developer also relaxed some of their requirements as well and met us in the middle in terms of completion dates, hotel vouchers for delays and the amount of earnest money required. Overall, I think we did a great job.

Much thanks goes out to our realtor, Debbie Trominski of Hindsite 20/20 in Austin. Let me know if you need a referral to a great realtor. Even during month 6 of her pregnancy, she was climbing rickety ladders and entering construction sites to take pictures of places so we could see what they looked like from the comfort of our homes in San Francisco.

But what happened during the purchasing process was beyond belief. Luckily everything came together. And that story is this:

On the Monday before Independence Day, we tour around Austin with Debbie, looking at different places, and finally went back to the Guadalupe Condos to see how far along they were with construction. After seeing that the exterior was nearly 100% complete and the inside was already almost done as well, we felt more comfortable with their timeline of August 5. With that in mind, we decide that we want to pull the trigger and buy the condo. We go back to our friends house to get our finances in order. My girlfriend tries to sell some stock options to pull together the necessary amount to put down on the condo. Much to our chagrin, the market closed at 1:00pm on Monday. With much worry in her heart, she decides to put a market order in, hoping that the stock opens up on Wednesday close to the closing price on Monday. Her friend tells her, and I quote, "Don't worry too much about it. I'm sure it will open up pretty close to where it closed. Unless something catastrophic happens in the world."

On July 4, North Korea decides that it wants to test out their new toys and fires 7 missiles into the ocean. Does that qualify as something catastrophic? Wednesday morning, the market opens down, but not horribly down, so she executes the order and gets her money. BUT, the money can't be accessed yet because of T+3, meaning she would have to wait until next Monday to have access to the cash. Her mother offers to loan her the money until it gets deposited into the account.

Her mother tries to deposit a check into my girlfriends account, but unfortunately, that money would not be accessible until the next business day! The teller tells my girlfriend's mother that in order for us to access the cash the same day, she would need to deposit cold hard cash. Hmm, that sounds interesting. Carrying enough money on your person to pay for a down payment on a house. Why not! She goes to her bank, only to discover that they are out of $100 bills. So, she gets the money and carries the amount in $50 and $20 to my girlfriend's bank.

Confused yet?

So on my side, I got a check from by broker and having opened my account in California, I find it very difficult to cash my check at the local branch office. They have to get my signature card from California faxed over so they can compare the endorsements. After 3 tries, I finally matched the signature when I was 13 years old. I guess I forgot to have big bubbly cursive letters in my new signature.

Having the cashier check in hand (Since we both forgot our checkbooks in California) we go to sign the contract. Now that is under our belt, and we're just going to be waiting for closing.

So exciting!

The Last Supper

2006-07-01T17:33:00.000-07:00

Tradition has it at my company, that the last day of the quarter, all the account executives get up early and meet up for breakfast a local greasy spoon. Yesterday was no different. I arrived at 6:00am at the restaurant with the rest of my colleagues and our managers and sat down to what would be my last team breakfast. A few people at the table were aware of my impeding departure from the company, but most really didn't have any idea. The conversation went from how people were going to do this quarter, to how good next quarter was looking and finally to what people were going to do over the long weekend.

It was during this conversation that I got a long look from one of my colleagues who is "in the know." I knew that today was essentially a day of lasts for me. It was today that I was going to close my last deal for my company. It was today that I was going to take part in the traditional end of quarter happy hour at the local pub. It was today that I was going to ring that sales bell for the final time. I admit, I was a little sad.
(So, maybe I'm being a bit dramatic as I really still have 14 calendar days on the clock. But hey, this is my blog, and I will exercise artistic license where I see fit!)

Now, I'm sitting here, ready to take off to Austin tomorrow to look for a new place to call home. I've got some bags packed with things that I won't need in the next month which we'll leave at our friends' house. We've got a list of houses that we are going to visit over the weekend. And we have plans to visit my girlfriend's parents over July 4th.

Overall, I'm happy with how things are coming to an end. I'm able to say goodbye to the people that I work with on a personal basis, and several are actually going to be flying in to officially say goodbye at our going away party. Some people may come back from their vacations and be shocked that I'm no longer there, but that shock will pass with time. It always does.

The Lonestar State

2006-06-28T12:36:00.000-07:00

Everybody is proud of where they are from. I'm proud to be a San Franciscan. One of my friends claims Philly. (Even though he is from Wilmington, DE.) And then there are those folks from Bawston. (JFH, this one's for you.) Don't even think about getting them started about the Patriots and the Red Sox. Every conversation ends with, "Well, what would Tom Brady do?" Or, better yet, "Teddy Bruschi, he's my hero."

One of my friends who is from Boston, she actually won't date someone unless they:
1. Can ski as well as she can
2. Have an "appreciation" for all that has to do with the greatness of the New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox
3. Have watched "Faith Rewarded" at least once

But nobody really has the same amount of hometown pride as those from Texas. (I guess it would really be homestate pride.) Ah, the Lonestar State. I came to this realization while looking at homes a couple weeks back. At first I just found it odd that every home had at least one Star of Texas. Sometimes it was over the mantel. Othertimes, it was done with tile work in the foyer. You really couldn't escape it. I knew that they had gone overboard when we were walking up to a nice home, and I could already see that the glass in the front door was in the shape of a star. But nay, I was wrong. I looked down, only to find that the stone steps leading up to the house...were in the shape of the state of Texas.

Yee-Haw!

AXL

2006-06-27T07:33:00.000-07:00

Looks like even Axl Rose isn't immune to the effects of "Paradise City" and "Welcome to the Jungle."

Final Countdown

2006-06-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

Aside from being GOB's* theme song, it's an appropriate title for our driving adventure to Austin. We are in the final stages of preparation, planning out our schedule and stops. We pushed up our move date by a couple days to give us some time on the road, so we are officially leaving San Francisco on July 30. So far, our trip looks like this:

July 30--Drive from San Francisco to Las Vegas. We'll get in town just in time for a late dinner and a couple hands of blackjack.

July 31--Drive from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon. We're planning on leaving Las Vegas pretty late, since we probably will get minimal sleep that night. Hopefully, we'll get to the Grand Canyon in time for dinner, then off to the rim to watch the sunset. We're staying in the park at a lodge.

August 1--Drive from the Grand Canyon to Sedona. We're researching resorts in Sedona, so if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know! We'll probably spend the day at the Grand Canyon, then make the quick drive to Sedona in time for dinner.

Edited to Add: We are now staying at the Sedona Rouge Hotel & Spa. One of our friends is the Rooms Manager there and set us up. Thanks! I'll be sure to write a hotel review once we are settled in Austin!

August 2--We'll wake up, relax, and hang out for a while. Maybe we'll take a jeep tour or maybe just get some spa treatments. Who knows, I'm pretty flexible. Then we'll make the drive to Albuquerque. We're going to use this as a home base for 2 nights, going to see a couple of the National Monuments around Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

August 4--Drive from Albuquerque to Abilene. My girlfriend lived in Abilene for a while, so we'll go to a couple places around town. Apparently, there is an amazing BBQ place called Joe Allen's. We're also planning on hitting up the Town Crier, where her family used to go every Sunday.

August 5--Drive from Abilene to Austin, our new home. At this point, our destination is still unknown. Maybe we'll be moving into our new home. Maybe we'll be an extended guest at our friends' house. We'll know after we get back from Austin on July 4.

The drive should be long, but fun. We've got alot of ground to cover, but I think we have a reasonable amount of time to accomplish everything we want to do.

*(From Arrested Development, quite possibly the most intelligent comedy that was ever on television. The show's run was short lived, largely because the average American cannot understand comedy outside of "Roseanne" and "Home Improvement." But I digress)

Hangovers

2006-06-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

I mean, really. Is there anything worse than a grade A, Prime Cut hangover? I went to the ball game last night and somehow made it to Carmen's around 11:00pm to karaoke with my favorite Filipino restaraunteurs.

For some reason, I thought I sounded great singing "Welcome to the Jungle." Some things should just be left to Axl Rose.

Planning the route...

2006-06-21T22:33:00.000-07:00

So, our timetable to make the drive to Austin has changed a little bit. Originally, we had wanted to take our time and take a week to a week and a half, navigating our way slowly to Austin. Unfortunately, my girlfriend needs to fly out on June 6 to go to a national training session for work. Now our timetable has been shortened from a leisurely 7-10 day journey to a much less relaxed 5 day journey. Now, driving from San Francisco to Austin in 5 days is not exactly "Ludicrous Speed," but it does force us to pick and choose what we want to see and do in those 5 days.

So far, we've mapped ourselves as far as Las Vegas. Yes, I know it is only about 9 hours away, but that really is how my mind works. I figure we can leave early on the morning of August 1 and get into Las Vegas at a decent time. What we could do is go out to dinner and call it a night relatively early. What will most likely end up happening is that we'll go get dinner, then hit the tables for a couple hours. Ok, in all reality, we will probably be at the tables until the sun comes up. (I knew I found my soulmate when I discovered that she likes to play blackjack as much as I do!) Thank God for late check out.

I'll probably want to grab a burger at In-n-Out prior to departing Las Vegas, as that may be the last Double Double Animal Style with well done fries and a neopolitan shake I have for quite a while.

Any suggestions past Vegas are greatly appreciated.

(BTW, If I don't show up at Orientation, we may have never made it past Las Vegas. UNLV has a business school, right?)

The "Muffin Syndrome"

2006-06-20T20:44:00.000-07:00

This evening, I got an urgent call from my mother. She frantically wanted to know if I had ever heard of the "Muffin Syndrome." She asked me if I had been tested because her friend's daughter was just told that she should be tested because she had freakishly long fingers. Apparently, I should measure my arms tonight! Furthermore, she informed me, people with the "Muffin Syndrome" rarely live past 45 years of age. She was obviously disturbed by this, wondering what it was and saying that she had never heard of this strange "Western" disease until today. Nobody she knew back in China or Taiwan had ever had a disease such as this!

Now, rewind this conversation back in your mind, and replay it. This time, imagine a middle aged chinese woman (Who does not speak English as her primary language) talking to her daughter's doctor. Now imagine, said chinese woman, talking to my mother and telling her of the diagnosis. (Again, my mother's native language is not English.) Now imagine my mother's urgent call to me. This simple conversation had turned into the strangest game of Telephone.

Please understand that I am in no way, shape or form mocking those with disorders of the connective tissues. In fact, just a couple weeks ago, I had my arms measured by my friend in Austin. We discovered that I am freakishly symmetrical in arm length and height. My friend's wife, however, has extremely long arms, though we came to the conclusion that she is just less evolved than most humans.

Edited to Add: At the request of one of my friends, I'd like to point you to The National Marfan Foundation. Here you can find out all sorts of information about this disease.

The NEW "New Diet"

2006-06-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

I went home the other day and discovered one of the most disturbing items on the kitchen counter. Now, I'm not one to judge what people eat as I myself have been known to eat weird things. But the concept of a "Flavor Spray" struck a nerve with me. Never in my life would I have ever considered that you could create a liquid spray that mimics the taste of bacon, carmelized onion, birthday cake and apple pie, to name a few.

God bless my mother, but she does get taken quite easily with "fad" diets. First, it was the no carb, then the all carb, then the grapefruit, then the South Beach. Never in my life would I have guessed that it would come to this. A spray diet. The concept is that you can spray whatever crappy food you are eating with this flavor spray and make it delicious.

Here's the thing. I believe that people eat for 3 main reasons: Hunger, Taste and Texture. Hunger, we can't change. The flavor spray addresses the taste. But for someone like me, who eats for a combination of taste and flavor, masking horribly textured piece of food with flavor spray (Let's just say bacon. Bacon really does make everything better.) just makes me think of doggie treats. Something just tells me that spraying edamame with Chocolate Fudge Spray isn't going to be that appetizing. Even spraying the bacon flavor directly into my mouth still isn't as satisfying as biting down on a thick, crispy piece of swine.

Chinese Chicken Salad

2006-06-18T12:30:00.000-07:00

On Friday morning, we got off the plane and went straight to California Chicken Cafe in Los Angeles. (Well, we went to the hotel first to drop off our bags, but that was merely a delay tactic as California Chicken Cafe doesn't open until 11:00am.) To put it simply, I am certain that they lace their chinese chicken salad with heroin infused dressing. If you haven't been to California Chicken Cafe before, I HIGHLY recommend it. It simply has no equal. California Chicken Cafe could effectively decimate Pluto's in San Francisco.

To this end, I actually have inquired about franchising opportunities and the owner of California Chicken Cafe really didn't want to expand outside of the Los Angeles area at this point. His reasoning was that he didn't want to sacrifice quality control by expanding beyond the reach of a quick car ride. Reasonable. Though I think that the business would absolutely kill in San Francisco.

The Excitement Stress of Moving

2006-06-17T23:21:00.000-07:00

Excitement has changed to a little bit of stress as we'll be moving to Austin in just over a month with no place to live! I know I am overreacting, but I have nightmares about living in Zilker Park with a moving box providing me shelter from the elements. Normally, I wouldn't be so concerned, but this is Austin and Austin isn't exactly known for mild summers.

I was actually in Austin last weekend and thought that I had found the perfect place. It was a beautiful condo in Tarrytown--close to everything and was in great condition. We went to put an offer in and the seller's agent told us that they had already accepted an offer and did not want to accept competing offers. We told him that we would offer above the listing price and the seller still didn't want to entertain our offer. Now, maybe I'm a bit jaded with California real estate and the concepts of overbidding and ~~unethical~~ strategic purchasing tactics, but I've never known anybody who didn't want to get more money for their home. Oh well, there will be other homes. I just hope that the person who bought the condo isn't in my class.

To that end, we just booked tickets to go to Austin over the Independence Day Weekend to look for a home. Our real estate agent (Debbie Trominski at Hindsite 20/20 in Austin) has been absolutely awesome. A couple things we have discovered in this hunt for the perfect home:

1. Always be ready to make an offer at the drop of a hat.
2. Don't get too connected to any particular home. There is a good chance you won't get it.
3. Buying a home when you aren't in the town is a difficult task. It's impossible to buy a home based upon pictures.
4. Flying back and forth gets expensive and is very time consuming. But that really is the only way you can have any confidence in buying a home. You basically just need to hope that something good comes onto the market while you are able to view homes.

Welcome to My World

2006-06-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here in a hotel room in Los Angeles having just finished lunch with my parents, my sister and my girlfriend. (Damon & Pythias in Westwood Village. Their L.A. Cheesesteak is awesome) My sister, having just graduated from UCLA, was getting ready to embark on her own adventure and join the real world and start a real job. She's going to be in New York for the next 7 weeks training with the rest of the new analysts for an investment bank. (The bank is of a German variety. So much so that they were thoughtful enough to include it in their name.) She's getting pulled from the well insulated world of academia and literally being thrown into the deep end of the Hudson to see if she sinks or swims. For someone who sleeps more than Punxsutawney Phil, I have a feeling that her transition to the world of investment banking will be a major wake up call for my sister. (Pardon the pun.)

My brother, victim of the same fate, just finished his first year of business school at Haas. (Check out his blog) He was unable to make it to my sister's graduation because of commitments to his internship in the same industry that my sister is about to join. Sad really. It would have been great to have him here. Instead, we are forced to Photoshop his picture into a "missing man" picture of my sister and me. (Ask me about it. I can send you a copy. It's a little eerie.)

Here I am, about to resign from a decent paying job, to move halfway across the country to a foreign land (Yes, Texas is a foreign land) and start hemorrhaging money as I return to school for two years.

Worth it?
Absolutely!

Nervous?
Definitely!

Excited?
You betcha!

Let's rewind a couple of months, about nine months to be exact, and start from the beginning. It was at this time, that I decided to start applying to business schools. It was an interesting experience because my roommate was also in the process of applying to schools. We spent countless hours writing essays, editing essays, re-writing essays and just generally driving each other insane because we could not escape that which was the business school application process. Our apartment served as the epicenter of all that was stressful in San Francisco. Now, most of that stress that was associated with getting into school has been replaced with excitement with a bit of anxiety.