What’s an Orbit Worth?

The calendar says that I've been kickin' around for some 30+ worldly orbits. I've never looked forward to any single orbit like I have this one. 2010 is a personally exciting one for loads o' reasons…and one of them showed up on my doorstep this week. And here it is; a wonderful piece of tangible affirmation that, technically, allows me to put three little initials in my e-signature (MBA). …don't worry, no matter what the initials, I'll never ascend to that type of vanity.

It represents several years of juggling one of the more demanding marketing jobs in existence (…conservative estimate), a too long courtship of wife-2-be, and the additional rigors of life. Here's a list of the courses. Some contain fonder memories than others. My favorite courses were the ones that delivered strong personalities, passionate debate, and a wide range of perspectives. On the other hand, nothing was more aggravating than the quiet person(s) in class. Strong opinions drew me to Finance but the 'art of the deal' drew me to M&A. Few professions offer such a strong (and measurable) mix of art and science.

1. Principles of Accounting
2. Management People in Organizations
3. Statistics
4. Principles of Economics
5. Marketing Management
6. Operations Management
7. Negotiating
8. Global Corporate Strategy
9. Relationship Management
10. Strategic Information Fundamentals
11. Leadership and Corporate Responsibility
12. Business Process Management
13. International Business Law
14. Argumentation Strategies for Business
15. Corporate Finance: Theory, Tools and Concepts
16. Short-term Financial Management
17. Corporate Finance: Applications and Advanced Topics
18. Mergers and Acquisitions
19. International Financial Management

…and some of the reading. By no means is this all inclusive but it's all that I could get my hands during a commercial break.

People often remark that the biggest takeaways from school aren't those on the syllabus. I've never found Finance (etc) very difficult, it just requires time and attention. Now that I've completed the Masters, I've become the beneficiary of my own time – it's tough to appreciate it until you don't have it. Now, I find that I can accomplish more in a shorter amount of time than I ever thought I could. I've also gained the perspective and appreciation for 'just how hairy the beast is.' I could go on (balance, confidence, insight, blah blah blah), but instead, I'll reward you for reading this far. J Fin.

For Once, A Victory

For those of you that know women…..and I mean REALLY know women….you have to understand the art of shopping.  Or maybe it’s the understanding of the love of shopping.  Or ….perhaps the art of spending money in the name of shopping?  Hmmm…. Well in any event, I’m getting a little off subject.

Once upon a time, a young girl fantasized about her dream wedding.  Scratch the DJ record and move forward 25 years, and now this same girl realizes that every wedding fantasy comes at a cost.  Whether the cost is minimal or grand, it’s always an ADDITIONAL cost.  I have begun to realize that maybe it’s true when they say nothing in life is for free … but I know for a darn tootin’ fact that NOTHING (and I mean NOTHING) in the wedding industry is for free. 

This being said, the young girl inside of me still wants the dream fantasy wedding.  Which, much to my hubby-to-be’s shagrin, usually means ANOTHER cost. Since the beginning of the wedding planning, I have heard many things come out of my hubby-to-be’s mouth such as:

“That costs HOW much?!?!”

“Do we really need _______________________??!?!”

“You really need to watch the budget.”

“Can you fill out the Excel spreadsheet to see if that cost fits within the allotted budget.”

So, I guess this now ties in my intro paragraph.  When a woman sees something she REALLY wants (okay, maybe she just thinks she REALLY wants it) and has her heart set on it … the above questions are like a stab in the shopping bag.

SOOOOOOO…..this brings me to the day in question.  

Saturday, March 27, 2010. A beautiful, sunny yet crisp day.  

It was the day that has been designated in our Outlook calendars as “WEDDING BAND SHOPPING WEEKEND.”  And no, not the wedding band as in music (as my hubby-to-be thought originally), but rather the ball and chain symbol that remains on your finger for life shopping event.

The day started out with grumpy hubby-to-be.  I wanted to be the very first in the store as it was a SALE weekend for wedding bands!  Hubby-to-be wanted to remain in bed snoozing with the young puppy for as long as possible.  

Finally, he dragged himself out of bed but NEVER FEAR ladies … NOT without the dreaded “b” word!!!

Hubby-to-be getting out of bed: “You know when we go shopping today, you really need to check yourself with the budget before you agree to anything.”

“If you get anything custom-made, it’s coming out of your own pocket.”

“Make sure you think of the BUDGET.”

Sigh.  Words of love.  SWOON.

So, OFF WE WENT!

Needless to say, swarms of people arrived at the same time we did.  And I mean swarms. If you are like us and have never experienced a jewelry store being crowded, it was a bit overwhelming.

We were the second inside the store and off we went in search of the eternal ball and chain symbol!

ONE HOUR AND 10 MINUTES.

That’s the amount of time to search for, purchase and sign for the rings.

HUBBY’S TIME FINDING/PURCHASING A RING – 1 HOUR AND 5 MINUTES

MY TIME FINDING/PURCHASING A RING – 5 MINUTES.

Shall I say (ahem!) someone (and not me) is the prima donna of the relationship!?!?!

Anywhooo…..to make a long story short, hubby-to-be chose a ring that was MORE EXPENSIVE than the one I chose.

Yes, my friends. A whole gob-smacking, lip-licking $50 more expensive.

Now, you may think “Well, $50 is not all that much.”

Well, if you are thinking that  … THINK AGAIN.   That $50 has shuddered all of the dreaded “B” comments …. That $50 has caused me so much peace and tranquility for the weekend that I feel as though I’m at a spa in Palm Springs.

They say marriage is a compromise.  I agree … but I also say that a $50 difference that swings in your favor is PRICELESS.

Saturday, March 27, 2010.   A day that will remain forever in our wedding history books.  A victory for perhaps not all women, but this one in particular.  A day that should be on the Mastercard commercial because this day indeed was priceless.

A Very Happy Birthday for Me

Except for the 'plus 1 year' impact that birthdays have, they're almost always fun…ESPECIALLY when my wife-2-be is the one responsible for planning.

My birthday often (but not always) coincides with the Christmas break. This was one of those unfortunate years where my b-day signifies the first day back from the Christmas break. This year, Ali asked me to take an additional 3 days of vacation so that we could properly celebrate the big day. Given this request, I was guessing that this birthday may bring a gift that required travel. A million thoughts raced through my mind: Where could it be? Local? Overseas? What would be the attraction? Skiing? Beaches? Overseas? It can't be too extravagant…after all, we've got a wedding to pay for!

Ali's not very good at keeping big secrets, but she did a very good job of keeping this one. The real genius of the surprise came with only 48 hours remaining in my twenties. On Saturday, Ali gave me my first gift: a tourists driving guide to New England. What a great piece of deception?! First, I've wanted to spend more time exploring New England and second, it was a relatively inexpensive gift for us. I won't lie, I was just a little disappointed to think that I had taken off 3 days for a drive through Vermont.

Being officially thrown off the trail, I went to bed a little bitter. With only 24 hours left in my twenties, my luck significantly improved. It started with breakfast in bed. The menu consisted of bacon, eggs, and a pancake message that read, "Pack your bags." No, Vermont and its wonderful cheddar cheese was not the destination…we were Captiva bound!

We landed at Fort Meyers in the wake of climate gate. Without a doubt, this winter has dealt a blow to proponents of the global warming debate. Captiva is 26.3 degrees north latitude. The average high/low temperatures in January are 74/54. While we were there, the temperature did not rise above 54 degrees. Let's just say that it wasn't beach weather. BUT, the temp was still twice as high as the temperatures Boston…and we're not afraid of a little chill. I played golf every day; we walked the beach, found a whole sand dollar, and had drinks on the beach at the Mucky Duck.

   

Captiva is an hour away from the airport at Fort Meyers. Given the distance, we rented a car…but not just any car, Wifey surprised me with a Corvette ZHZ (a.k.a. Lola). One might guess that a Hertz edition 'vette would be a bit lacking in the muscle department, but that just isn't the case. Modern amenities like keyless entry and start are paired with 460 angry horses. Very nice. When you're behind the wheel of that much power every straightaway, corner, and green light begs for the driver to let 'er rip. 0 to 80 is a picnic for Lola. Within 5 minutes of leaving the airport, we found a Saleen Mustang… J 45 minutes later we found a Viper… J I might have to get me one of these. On the return trip to the airport we got caught in traffic next to a mom and her young son. We didn't really understand why he was laughing, smiling, and pointing at us. The mother eventually rolled down the window and told us that he thought our car was Bumble Bee from the Transformers movie. I smiled back at him, winked, and made him promise not to tell anyone.

Harbourside Bar & Grill

By the time we arrived, we were rather tired. We opted to have dinner at the closest restaurant on the resort. I had scallops and Wifey had steak. The scallops were incredible – by far the best scallops that we had during the whole trip.

  

Famous Dave's BBQ

Perhaps the best BBQ of my life – way better than Smokey Pig. I feel like I've graduated to a new level of BBQ and learned new criteria for judging BBQ. The secret? Ask them to show you their trophies. Barbecued shrimp wrapped in bacon is a local attraction in and of itself. By far, Dave's had the best – yeah, they tasted the best but they don't skimp on the quantity either. Ali had a burger with pulled pork and bacon. I had a sampler with beef brisket, pork ribs, and chicken wings.

   

Mucky Duck

We really enjoyed eating and hanging out at the Mucky Duck. We probably had 3 meals there. Our favorite item was a chicken soup that wasn't on the menu. We were at the bar waiting for a table and started talking to the owner. He moved to Captiva (from Boston) a bunch of years ago. He whipped-up a chicken soup for the staff and offered some to us too. It was creamy (but not too creamy) and all around delicious. If you ever find yourself at this restaurant, let it be known that the waitresses like to play jokes on unsuspecting patrons. For example, they squeezed fake ketchup on me and fake-spilled coffee on numerous other suckers. They also have a window on wheels that they put between loud tables. Unfortunately, I don't fully grasp the intention of this prop.

In a weird twist of fate, Momma Dukes was vacationing 10 miles away from us in Sanibel. We weren't able to connect while we were all in FL. It's only now that I realize how dangerous the conversation during Christmas dinner about Mom's FL vacation plans was.

Mills in Mass

It's taken too long for me to write of this, nonetheless, it was one of the best weekends since I've called Boston home. Thanks to D & M for making the trip and to my (awesome) fiancée for doing so much to make the weekend go smoothly.

***********************************************

I can manage approximately 10 weeks of a standard 15 week semester in conjunction with the day job before it all gets to me. How does it get to me? Foooooood. And this is why meals were the cornerstone of this weekend.

Chinese? Friday dinner. Takeout – although they do have a glorious buffet. Best place in town. UnitedHealth Foundation just released its ranking for healthiest states in these United States. Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire were all in the top 5. States don't make it to the top of this list without making some sacrifices. Chinese food from New England has a distinctly lighter taste than most areas. Kudos to both D & M for giving it a chance.

French? Saturday dinner at Pigalle. Getting there was a challenge. More specifically, it was my challenge. Turns out…there's more than one 75 Charles Street in Boston. In such cases, zip code is very important when entering the destination into the GPS. Fortunately, we were still in Boston when I finally admitted that we had driven to the wrong 75 Charles St. We were only 10 minutes late to dinner. Fiancée and I split the Arugula with Prosciutto appetizer and then went our separate ways for the entre. I had the Duck and she had the (not so) petite Beef Tenderloin and Braised Short Ribs. We were forced to cut dinner short because we had to make our way around the block to get to Blueman. We didn't have time for dessert. I'm pretty sure that I have to take fiancée back for dessert in the future.

Philadelphia? Sunday Lunch. Cheese steaks from Carl's. This is a bit of a divergence from the traditional Philly cheese steak. Not being a native Philadelphian, I am comfortable saying that these are way better. My go-to cheese steak is a small Teriyaki with mayo and mushrooms. Phantom ranked Carl's #8 on the list of top 10 cheese steaks in Bostonia. There are 3 critical factors that make Carl's so good.

1. Diced steak
2. Fresh bread
3. Excellent variety
4. The cheese and additional toppings is evenly mixed throughout the steak (not just gobbed on top).
5. LARGE portions. Did you notice that I only get the small?

I couldn't stop at 3.

American? Twice. Thursday dinner and Saturday lunch. On Thursday we took D & M to Mad Raven. This is one of the places that fiancée and I will miss once we move to Somerville. Good atmosphere. Good food. And we even got a good parking space. It was meant to be. On Saturday, I took D & M into deep Boston so that they would have the opportunity to see Fenway. If you haven't been to Fenway, it's a really cool stadium. We walked around the stadium to give them a feel for how small it is and to point out the green monstah, etc. One of the cool things about Fenway is that there are big sports bars tucked underneath of it. Cask 'n Flagon was under construction so we decided to have lunch at Game On. The waiters/waitresses offered terrible service, but the food is worth writing home about. Fiancée and I watched Clay Buchholz throw a no hitter in 2007 at Game On. …it was against the Orioles.

   

 

     
So that's about it for the food. The other attractions for the weekend included a tour of the oldest car collection in New England at Larz Anderson Museum, Blueman Group at the Charles Playhouse, and a the regular weekend dog walk through Catrock (M's shoes will never be the same).

There is a lot more to be said about this weekend but I realize that this blog post is already too long. Be sure to click through the Mills in Mass photo album on the left hand side for some more details and commentary. It was a terribly rainy weekend but the skies cleared up long enough to offer this sunset on Sunday night.

November Means...

Ah, November.

With each November come the official holiday season, weird rain-snows, and one step closer to graduating…again.  Yup, midterm exams and projects are all behind me leaving only 3 assignments, one final exam (Finance), and one final project (Global Strategy).  My last class is scheduled for December 17^th; the countdown is so on!  …seriously, there’s an 8 ½ x 11 sized countdown on our fridge.

Securitization has been in the dumps for the past year, but bankruptcy has been keeping the legal industry very busy.  Fiancée’s been ultra busy with one specific bankruptcy…you can guess (but I’ll never tell who it is)...which has left me with a handful of stories that no one can substantiate.  For example, the dingo and I ran into a wolf at our local hang out spot, the Paine Estate.  Yeah, a wolf.  But what’s the point of telling the story?  …I have no proof.

Paine estate has been the sight of some interesting recent activity.  While there have been numerous Cameron Diaz sightings in Boston, our tiny town is often overlooked by Hollywood.  Until now (maybe).  During one recent trip to Paine, I was ordered away from the house and back toward the parking lots.  Why?  I’ll let you be the judge:

The Man vs Food show was in Baltimore last week.  They went to Chaps Charcoal Restaurant and sampled some of the sandwiches and raved about the Chaps Pit Beef Sandwich.  Chaps is on Polaski Highway – if anyone’s been, tell me if it’s as good as they made it look on TV.  They also said that the best crabs in town were at OBrycki’s and encouraged viewers to try the Great Steak Challenge at Steak & Main.

Update: We can’t take this one horse town anymore, so we’re leaving!  We just signed a new lease in Somerville (atleast a 7 horse town).

Random Thought:  The Motorola Droid commercials start cool and quickly change into an expensive advertising mistake.

Random Update: The temperature in Rio de Janeiro is 77 degrees.

Running in the Rain

I learned how to do this photo effect last week.  It’s called selective desaturation and is really quite simple.  You don’t even need PhotoShop to pull this off…just a $.99 iPhone App called ColorSplash or perhaps less.  But, to be fair, using a real camera and PhotoShop yields much better quality and flexibility.

Fiancée and I partook in a road race this past weekend.  The Somerville 5k is our favorite race of the year.  Why?  Because this t-shirt is consistently better than any other race’s.  Oh yeah, it’s THAT good: long sleeve, good logo, cool sponsors, and always a new color (it was red this year). 

We’ve signed up (and paid) for this race for the past 3 years but only participated twice.  Due to a minor scheduling error, we missed last year’s race by exactly 24 hours.  We showed up on Sunday instead of Saturday.  To make matters worse, we learned of our mistake when we inquired to some lady who was wearing the ’08 race t-shirt on her way to breakfast.  She thought it was funny.  …I guess that’s what you get when you choose which non-profit to support based on their t-shirt.  Karma!

This year went much smoother.  When race registration opened some 6 weeks prior, fiancée signed us up immediately.  After all, the first 400 registrants get free t-shirts.  Little did we know at the time that we were the first 2 out of ~1000 racers to register!  In addition to free t-shirts, this guaranteed us the #1 and #2 bibs.  This may not be important to most, but we were ecstatic.  In our minds, we had already won.

The weather was terrible.  After we signed in and got the t-shirts, we debated whether or not to stay.  We ultimately opted to go for it.  My ‘conditioning’ must be paying off.  Here’s a picture of me after the ’07 race (top - landscape) and a picture of me as I finish this year’s ’09 race (bottom - portrait).

One of the shows that we watch is called Man vs Food.  It’s classy.  We gathered a new burger idea from last week’s show; instead of a bun, use a crispy cream donut!  The assembly would go something like this:

½ of Crispy Cream Donut

Bacon

Cheese

Patty

½ of Crispy Cream Donut

How awesome does that sound!?

On a slightly more frustrating note.  It’s very difficult to get Redskins coverage up here…unless they’re about ready to lose to the Lions.  Awesome.  Oh well, it’s not the first time that Washington has bailed out Detroit… 

To do, or not to do?

How do you manage your to-do list? 

On any given weekend, I like to have 3 things on my list.    These are usually things that are significant enough for me to require me to block out some time.  Alternately, it’s something that should be done to give myself a fighting chance in the upcoming week.  For example, this weekend a wanted to:

1.    Head to the orchard to formally kick-off the Fall season

2.    Finish reading for Global Strategy and make a dent in the reading for Short Term Finance

3.    Laundry

Funny thing about my lists…they have a mind of their own.  Numbers 1 and 3 were crossed-off by Saturday afternoon leaving only the reading.  I’ve been watching fiancée read her book (‘Unless’ by Carol Shields) for the past day and a half…but I’m yet to make significant progress.  Argh.  Instead, I’ve resorted to mental strategies that make me feel better about the state of my list.  My favorite strategy is to concentrate on the completion percentage:

completion percentage = completed to-do list items / total to-do list items

By Saturday afternoon, my completion percentage was 2 / 3 = 66%.  I knew that I didn’t really feel like reading case studies right now…SO…I added a new item to the list (e.g. vacuum), completed it, and crossed it off.  Once I completed that task, my completion percentage moved from 66% to 3 / 4 = 75%!  PROGRESS!!  If you’re not careful, this strategy can get the better of you.  For example, I am not above adding an item to the list (e.g. exercise) that I’ve ALREADY completed: 4 / 5 = MORE PROGRESS!  By the way, this same technique can be loosely applied to pad investment portfolios at the end of a quarter.

In other news, I really thought Luke was going to pick Malissa in the last episode of More to Love.  Ah, c’est la vie. 

Fiancée has had two favorite things this week: 1) the E*Trade commercial where the baby calls his golf buddy  a shank-a-potamus and 2) Miley Cirus’s Party in the USA.  In her honor, I’ve added it to the ‘Give it Listen’ section on the left.  Be forewarned… like it or not, it’s really difficult to get out of your head.  It was a hot weekend in New England: NASCAR was in New Hampshire; U2 was in Boston; youth hockey season started; and we had two neighbors move out (yeah!).

…tough weekend for USC, BYU, and the Pats.  On the other hand, hail to the Redskins.

Fiancée just finished her book.  It smells like she's making apple crisp.  ...I better go check it out.