Burn baby burn

This is my apartment building. While I was out today exploring my new home state (btw - Orchard Lake and the surrounding area is beautiful) I got a call from my apartment office manager letting me know that my building was on fire and requesting that I return home right away. I turned the car around a mere hour from the destination I had in mind and headed back to Ann Arbor. When I got there I was greeted by the Red Cross, some very good looking firefighters and this lovely sight. I waited around for two hours so that I could be escorted into my apartment to collect valuables, gather a change of clothes and take an initial look at the damage. For those of you who know me and my possessions ... the couch is safe. There is quite a bit of water damage and they mentioned that they would probably have to make a hole in my ceiling to drain out the rest of the water. I'm guessing that there will be new carpet and paint and some patching that goes on in the next few weeks. Luckily there didn't seem to be much smoke damage which I think would be harder to remedy than the water. Tonight finds me in the ever welcoming apartment of some of my friends in Ann Arbor, grateful that I and the majority of my possessions are fine and that I have a few more days without classes to take care of whatever comes next.

What a week

This has been an incredible week. On Monday I had the opportunity to have lunch with one of my thought idols, C.K. Prahalad. As we went around the table and introduced ourselves, our backgrounds and our interests in emerging markets there were a lot of people that talked about non-profit work, eradicating poverty, BOP and micro finance and I have to say that when it was my turn I was feeling a little out of place. My interests lie more in working with large multinational corporations to find efficient ways to deliver goods and services to the emerging markets of the world. But when I introduced myself C.K.'s face lit up and throughout the lunch conversation he kept going back to my interests and mentioned that some of the most exciting research being done in emerging markets is happening in my area of interest. I felt such a rush of validation and a renewed sense of purpose. This has long been something I an interested in and it is exciting to know that someone that I have a lot of respect for is excited about it too. Beyond the lunch on Monday, I worked organize next week's penny wars, learned about McKinsey's Middle East office, watched the season premier of The Office, went to a section BBQ, and spent some time getting cozy with t distributions and the effects of trade barriers. All in all, a pretty great week.

I make about as much sense as a ferret.

I have a problem. I have all these ideas and experiences I want to share but they are completely unrelated to each other and none of them is really long enough for a blog post. So, if you want some insight into what I find interesting or at least noteworthy when it comes to chronicling my existence, read on.

If any of you have lived in or been to Boston you have probably noticed a sign that looks like this. Ever since my family moved there I have found these signs intriguing and have often wondered who coined the phrase. On my last trip to Boston over Labor Day weekend I

promised myself that I would take a picture of one of these signs because every time I see one it makes me smile ... ah, the little things. Unfortunately I did not keep that promise (I nearly asked my mom to turn around and find me a thickly settled sign when we were half way to the airport but I decided that the picture was not worth a missed flight). This is why when I saw this sign at the end of someones driveway mere blocks from my apartment in Ann Arbor I slammed on the breaks, got out and took a picture. Ok, you're right, I didn't. I went back a few days later and got the shot but the other way makes for a better story. I don't think that this is a sign that is maintained by the city of Ann Arbor mostly because it isn't the right height and it is right next to someones mailbox which means that this family probably stole it from somewhere in Boston presumably because they enjoy the phrasing as much as I do. I've thought about taking one too but when it comes right down to it I don't think I'd be able to get it past the watchful eye of the TSA.

Fall in Ann Arbor comes early. Or maybe I haven't come to grips with the fact that it is mid-September. My bet's on the latter and yours should be too. Anyway. While walking to class bright and early Monday morning I noticed that the sidewalk I was walking on was covered in fallen fall foliage. And I thought, "what kind of tree drops its leaves in the summer?". I know ... the kind that knows its FALL. 

Yesterday while I was waiting at the bus stop an old Buick drove by at about five mph with its windows down and some sweet jazz music blasting from its stereo. The 85 year old man inside gave me a full face wink. It made me feel pretty good about myself.

Last week I went to hear Vicente Fox speak. He spoke on globalization, immigration and NAFTA but didn't express any of his more "radical" views. To be quite honest it was a bit on the boring side. The most interesting part of the night was when he opened it up for questions and someone asked if he had an RFID tag inserted in his arm so that the government could keep track of him at all times. The audience laughed at the man asking the question (he sounded like a crazy big brother is out to get you and aliens may abduct you at anytime kind of guy) but then Presidente Fox took the question and turned it into a commentary on the kidnappings and the war Presidente Calderon is waging against the cartels and what Americans could do to help. I was impressed with his kindness and care for this man and the skill with which he turned an awkward moment into an opportunity to teach. I hope that I am able to develop that skill as I grow as a leader.

Boo Yeah!

Today I broke down and did something about some general maintenance that I had been putting off on my beloved Doug-Doug. After all the trips back and forth between Chicago and Ann Arbor last month he was in serious need of an oil change. I located a Jiffy Lube which I have found to be generally reliable and started them on babying my baby. I went for the full flush out because, frankly, he needed it. In the process the friendly guys working on my car noticed that one of my headlights was out. Unfortunately they didn't have one to replace it. I decided to take matters into my own hands. I stopped at an auto supply store on my way home and got a new bulb and then I started tearing up the inside of my car. I came out a little dirty but successful and feeling super good about myself. Yay for conquering a new basic auto repair all on my own!

The First Week

I survived the first week and I liked it! And yes, it really was a matter of survival. There were classes, lots of reading and problem sets, several late nights and some fierce section competition. On Thursday I wasn't sure it was going to be possible but now having made it through Monday classes after not having spent as much time on preparing over the weekend as I felt I should have I am feeling optimistic about my abilities to find balance in my current patch of crazy. Part of that balance comes from me wrapping this up well before I have said everything I could about my professors, classes and section mates so that I can prepare to talk about one of my passions, Wal-Mart, during Strategy on Wednesday. I also need to go eat lunch.

Ponderings

How did I get from there to here? Just three weeks ago I was on my way to BC. I had plans. Now as my life is starting to settle down I am sitting on the floor in my new apartment in Michigan wondering what happened and how I feel about whatever it was that did happen. I've started orientation and have been meeting lots of people. I think I like it here but I don't think I'll know for sure until classes start. For now I'll just have to keep going hoping that I made the right decision.

Change of Plans

I am a planner. It is the very essence of my being and so I am constantly amazed at how good I am at changing all of my carefully laid plans at a moment's notice. I suppose the root cause of that lovely character trait is that I am also a really big fan of change. In fact, I love it so much I find it very difficult to stay in one place for very long (unless that place is my big, beautiful, gray, velvet sofa ... or is it a couch? and what is the difference between a sofa and a couch anyway?). It is for this reason that my having stayed in one city let alone one apartment for nearly three years is a real shocker. To be quite honest, I've been feeling a little unbalanced about it. But this week all that balance was returned in a flurry of plan changing.

Right up until Monday afternoon my grand plan for the next two years was to move to Boston and get an MBA. I had an apartment, was registered for classes, had joined online communities and virtually befriended many people I have never met before. Today, four days later, I am sitting in a computer lab at the University of Michigan blogging about change. I have undone all my Boston plans, found a new place to live, registered for classes, joined online communities and am seriously considering virtually befriending about 400 people I have never met.

This week has been crazy and I am being stretched to the limits of my ability to plan on the fly and I am sure that things will get crazier during the next week and a half. I only hope to handle it with poise and grace or at least with a healthy dose of humor.