Europe decisions: MADE

Option 3 it is.

Barcelona to Bilbao
Bilbao to Lisbon
Lisbon to Paris

Rick Steves was sending me not-so-subliminal messages last week on his "Explore Europe" home screen.

You win, Steves.

Also, not too long after, I found this:
36 Hours in Lisbon

Perfect.

Intercontinental travel booked.
AirBnB requests sent.

I find it mildly amusing that Portugal was nowhere on my list of possible places to go when I started cooking up this crazy idea. Sometimes, that is the best.

Europe decisions

I submitted my last paper of the MBA last night at about 8:30, immediately proceeding to dance jubilantly throughout the house, proclaiming triumphant victory... At which point Jack reminded me that I still have to go to class in Europe. Minor detail.

Never having studied abroad, and hearing great reviews from friends who participated last summer, I decided to sign up for a two-week study abroad trip to France and Spain. I'll spend one week in Toulouse then a second week in Barcelona, both through the Toulouse Business School.

Needless to say, I am stoked.

I scheduled some extra time before and after, because... well, when is the next time I'll spend 3+ weeks in Europe? I am all set for Paris for 2 days before the program, and I have a week to fill after the program. With all the crazy school/work/life stuff that's been going on, I'm just starting to narrow down how to fill that week.

Considerations:
Time -- I only have one week; less than that if you factor in getting back to Paris by Friday, leaving Barcelona Sunday, and travel time in between.
Budget -- I have been saving for a while, so I have a reasonable chunk budgeted for this trip. Flights, hotels, food, and excursions, however cheap individually, add up quickly.
Interest -- There's really nowhere I wouldn't like to go. Heathrow on a stopover to Jordan is the extent of my Europe experience, so I have a lot of untouched ground to cover.
Language -- If I had a dollar for every time someone said "everyone speaks English in Europe!"... This is a more minor consideration; still I would like to be able to buy a train ticket without sounding like a complete American idiot. My Spanish is... passable. I know like 5 French words, so there's that.

The only real requirement is I must begin in Barcelona on Sunday (Saturday is OK, but Sunday is hotel check-out,) and I must end in Paris on Friday (flight is Saturday.)

Options:
1.
Barcelona to Monaco
Monaco to Bilbao
Bilbao to Lisbon
Lisbon to Paris

2.
Barcelona to Gibraltar
Gibraltar to Lisbon
Lisbon to Bilbao
Bilbao to Paris

3.
Barcelona to Bilbao
Bilbao to Lisbon
Lisbon to Paris

4.
Barcelona to somewhere in France
Miscellaneous France travels to Paris in time for my flight home

I think I like #3. There are plenty of opportunities for excursions in the Basque region (nearby Rioja wine region, majestic ocean cliffs, etc.)

Decisions, decisions...

School's out forever

I've been looking back on a lot of the casual conversations I had 18-24 months ago -- drinking a glass of wine on the couch with my partner, eating falafel for dinner with a friend, driving home from work on the phone with my mom -- the "should I or shouldn't I?" conversations before I decided "I should (probably.)"

And now this.

Graduate school has been an incredible experience, and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who has the interest, the time, and the resources to commit to herself such an undertaking. I didn't really know what I was doing with my life ("didn't"? well... sometimes "don't") so I am glad I thought a lot about it, but I'm glad I took what felt a lot like a leap of faith at the time. I still might not have it "all together," but it feels damn good to be closer than ever.

There are so many amazing things to reflect on, but I tried to narrow it down for a blog post. These 10 are my favorites.

1. Conquering accounting and finance classes.
I was an English major for my undergraduate degree. Cost accounting and portfolio management are a far cry from literary criticism and Renaissance drama -- but I made it. And you know what, I did a pretty kickass job of learning.
2. Finding common ground.
Like a lot of people, I exist in a comfortable bubble of people who think a lot like I do. My friends have similar political and world views, so to enter a new group of people sometimes means being reminded that everyone does not think like me.
3. New friends.
To that same end, I met some pretty cool people, most of whom I would never have met or gotten to know without this program. It hasn't been all lectures and group homework; it's also Vegas trips, post-class beers, and weddings. Some of these relationships won't last long past graduation, and that's OK, but some will.
4. Patience. 
I've also come to appreciate my more established relationships. Friends and family being patient when I have to say no to group dinners and gatherings, work giving me a pass when I can't make it to another evening or weekend event, my partner doing extra dishes and laundry without complaint, and everyone generally putting up with me when I'm stressed out and a little crazy: these things make me even more appreciative of the wonderful people in my life.
5. Studying abroad. 
Ok, so this is future tense. I did not study abroad in undergrad, and it's not that I've had regrets... I've just wondered. At the end of this month, I'll go to France and Spain to take a couple more classes in international management and finance. More on that later.
6. Winning.
MBA-types thrive on competition (surprise!), and professors absolutely exploit this with projects in which teams are ranked against one another. I look back with such satisfaction on being on a team that "won" our simulation exercise for International Marketing, on helping to put together a "best" strategy analysis for Strategic Management, and on kicking comparative ass. Victory is so sweet.
7. Generally testing my mettle. 
Balancing school, work, family, friends, and sanity is not for the faint of heart. Especially in the last 2 months... there has been a lot of shit going on. I feel pretty awesome for getting it all handled.
8. Being educated.
Every time my mom tells me I'm the only one in our family except my grandmother to get a graduate degree (which she kind of tells me a lot)... I feel this little tug toward my grandmother (even though mom usually follows that up with "it was the only degree that didn't require any math"... *facepalm*) and proud to be part of the female majority in graduate education attainment.
9. Speaking of which -- the ladies. 
The women in the MBA program are the most awesome. Not to knock the men who are intelligent and driven in their own right, but the women make me hopeful for the future of the workforce and grateful to be a part of it. Also -- grateful to live in the time and place, under the circumstances, in which I do.
10. Vindication -- vegetarian food is better. 
I've written before about free food. I'll ever be too old for free food. Free food is awesome. There is always one vegetarian option, ordered in a much smaller portion. Without fail, the vegetarian option is gone in minutes, while the meaty entree languishes in its chafing dish, destined for the garbage. Everyone. Prefers. Vegetarian. Food.

That's a wrap, I guess.

2014 book tally

I wanted to read 25 books in 2014.
I was not so awesome. The MBA gods were unkind.

BUT I made it to 15, which is not too shabby for a full-time working professional and full-time student! I'll take it. I am updating my books page for 2015 and putting this here.

1. Divergent; Veronica Roth
• I am sad that I didn't enjoy this more. I think it's because it wasn't the Hunger Games and Tris does not even approach Katniss badass status. Maybe in the next books? We'll see if I get there... Also: less teenage lovey dovey, more overthrow of corrupt system, please.
2. Night Film; Marisha Pessl
• OK. This book, sometimes... SO SCARY. I needed lights turned on. I needed puppy cuddles. It also has a really interesting multimedia element -- there is an app you can download (I read the hardcover version, so I'm not sure how the ebook would work), and scan symbols hidden throughout the book for extra content. It's always a surprise what comes up (video? text? audio?), so that's fun. Throughout the book also, the text is interspersed with clips from magazine articles, photos with "handwritten" captions, etc. I can see how other readers might find this gimmicky or a novelty distracting from the story... but I thought it was cool. It's a mystery, so these are like little pieces of evidence that are being revealed to the reader and the protagonist side by side. Like I said, the story was very suspenseful and engaging. Other reviewers on Goodreads were disappointed in the ending, but I found it oddly poignant and just... heartbreaking. Months later, I still think about it.
3. Chew Vol. 1: Taster's Choice; John Layman (art Rob Guillory) (Yes, short volumes in graphic series count. My goal, my rules.)
• Light. Funny. Crude. Gross. Entertaining. Awesome art.
4. Chew Vol. 2: International Flavor; John Layman
• Same as above.
5. The Shining; Stephen King
• I think it was 6th grade when I got really into Stephen King books and other pulpy, imaginative, high-action fiction. Oddly enough, though, I didn't read The Shining until after watching a documentary on Netflix called Room 237. It is kind of a kooky movie. It's all about hidden symbols and diversions from King's original story which Kubrick intentionally used in the making of the movie. Kooky... but interesting. The book starts slow but gets really scary. Scarier than the movie. Something about inanimate objects taking on evil intentions (hedge animals... I just can't) which the movie did not capture and which gave me nightmares while reading the book. It is certainly interesting to see the differences between the movie and the book. Now I need to watch the movie again from the perspective of having read the book.
6. Doctor Sleep; Stephen King
• This is the sequel to The Shining, which I would definitely recommend reading first. What's with all the scary books this year? This book catches up with Danny, the kiddo from The Shining. It turns out that "shining" is much like other traits that are relatively harmless in children but become kind of devastating in adulthood. I read this immediately after The Shining. Throughout The Shining, it's pretty clear that life is really never going to get that much easier for this kid -- whatever that means -- so it's good to catch up with him. It carries on and expands on the idea of "shining" -- Danny is kind of isolated in his "gift" as a kid, but he begins to understand and meet others like him. Danny has a sort of second coming of age, which is very satisfying to read. While it's not as scary as The Shining, and I do not think it carries itself enough as a standalone (nor, honestly, does it intend to,) it's a suspenseful, enjoyable read.
7. Watchmen; Alan Moore (art Dave Gibbons)
8. Saga Vol. 1; Brian K. Vaughan (art Fiona Staples)
• Alana is a badass, Marcus is a hunk, and Hazel is a really fun narrator. I totally love Fiona Staples's art; it is so beautifully vibrant (without being cartoony) and expressive (without being too serious). I'm going to stick with this series.
9. Saga Vol. 2; Brian K. Vaughan
10. Acacia: War with the Mein (Acacia #1); David Anthony Durham
11. The Dark Knight Returns; Frank Miller
12. Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief; Lawrence Wright
13. The Goal, Eliyahu Goldratt
• Required reading for an MBA course billed as a "novel." SPOILER ALERT: if you have a multi-step process, speed up the slowest one first, before you look at any of the other steps. Now you don't have to read it. Terrible. Just... terrible. It was a novel, so I'm counting it. And it was a comically awful experience, so upping my book count is the one bright spot.
14. The Year of the Flood (Maddaddam #2); Margaret Atwood
• Awesome trilogy -- Finished Maddaddam (Maddaddam #3) in the first days of 2015, so at least I have a head start on that list.
15. The Magicians (Magicians #1); Lev Grossman
• Also fantastic! Can't wait to read the next two over the summer or 
16. The Likeness, Tana French
• In progress... never finished (oops)
17. Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat; Hal Herzog
• In progress... never finished (oops)
18. The Other Lands (Acacia #2)
• never finished (oops)

Goodreads is seriously the only way I can keep track. Whenever I hear about an interesting book on the radio, or a friend makes a recommendation, I try to pull up the app and add it to my "to read" shelf. There are currently 353 445 books on that shelf. I will never make it through.

Business school classes love to talk about opportunity cost. Though it's definitely worth it (so far... I think... I hope,) I've been thinking a lot lately about what I'm missing in exchange for Saturday electives and Sunday study sessions. Spurts of reading over breaks are wonderful and welcome, but it's harder to really focus on the things that bring me joy (other than learning.)

Which brings me to this: It's been over a year since I've been on a legit hike. It's been way too long since I've been on any hike. So, in honor of what I'm told the kids call "Throwback Thursday," a throwback to the most legit hike I've ever done. 

My dad hiked the Deadman Canyon loop in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks a few years ago with some friends (guy stuff), and it seemed like as soon as he got back he was planning his next hike. Dad loves hiking, and not just that -- he is really smart about it. He knows what he and the group needs, and while he tracks his gear and food inventory, striving to knock off one more ounce like a golfer working on his score, he has little interest in yuppie backpacker nonsense (my characterization -- of course not his) like $700 sleeping bags. He truly and fully enjoys the journey but never loses sight of how many miles to the next campsite and hours until dusk. The things that make my dad great in hiking also make him great in life -- I could write a whole post about dadisms learned while hiking.

There's a map here of the Deadman Canyon Loop, which is basically what we did -- we deviated on our last day to cut off a few miles, but for the most part, this is the route.

Twin Lakes (above) was our second campsite. It was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen (until the next day... then again the next day, then...) It was a fairly short distance from our camp the night before (I want to say 2.2 miles?), but it is a pretty solid elevation gain (2700 ft) for so early in the journey, so we stayed to avoid altitude sickness.

My pack, complete with duct tape patch and solar panel. High and low tech, people; it is the total PACKage. I'll show myself out.

Heaven. Elizabeth Pass is in the distance, which was kind of like hell. Beautiful, strenuous, hell.

This is the view from a section of the High Sierra Trail, and it is also ridiculous.

More ridiculous scenery.

Sometime after May 2015, I'll have another adventure. Until then, I will lament in my shoddy history education and try to understand how the ef the EU works.

It's officially 2pm snack attack time when...

You are distracted by an article you think is entitled "Favorite All-Natural Vegan Doughnuts"

...only to realize it is actually "Favorite All-Natural Vegan Deodorants"

I guess that's cool, too.

workout plan

1. Take a couple weeks off from the gym due to... let's go with "extenuating circumstances." (read: work events, study sessions, plague of happy hours, and a comfy couch. Wait, forget those last two.)

2. Finally get back to the gym. Make it count.

3. Too much counting; proceed to be sore for about a week.

4. Take some time off to heal. Take some extra time off because... well, you know.

5. Repeat.