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.

"I put you down for the vegan meal. Let me know if that's OK."

The deadline to RSVP to a wedding of a friend of a friend recently passed. She and I are not super close, but we casually keep in touch.

It was kind of a late-notice invitation, so instead of immediately saying YESYESYES (which is my natural response... because weddings are the best), I had to think about it for a minute.

It was pretty easy to refute all the cons (Must buy present? -- that is why I have an "other" budget. Flying solo? -- since when has not having a date stopped you from doing anything. Do I really need to be there? -- if you're important enough to invite, you're important enough to be there.)

But the easiest hesitation to dismiss: Will there be anything to eat? And, you know, I was a little mad at myself for a moment for even going there.

This is a lifestyle that's totally compatible with any and all special moments (provided the special moment isn't, I don't know, a pig roast. But maybe you could even make that work). 

It is not a lifestyle of restriction and denial, it is a lifestyle of mindful abundance.

Anyway, so put me down for one more in 2014. Next weekend, to be exact. So, that makes three this year.

Who's next? Do I hear a fourth?

After making a mental note to eat before leaving and to pack a couple snacks, and before popping the card in the mail, I text to let her know I'm coming RSVP (Emily Post would not approve, but pragmatism wins when you're 2 weeks out from the event).

"I put you down for the vegan meal. Let me know if that's OK."

What the kale??? How great is this gal? How great are weddings?

"The Street"

So, school is hard.

Well... work is hard. and school. and working out (erm... not working out but feeling guilty and lazy and tired for it.) and tending to the fur babies. and keeping up with Netflix. You know. Important stuff.

Anyway, we've covered how sometimes people say funny things in the MBA. Sometimes people make a comment about how it's important to consider a company's "performance on the street," as it is impacted by financial decision making and reporting and etc.
"performance on the street."
Um... do you mean the much more straightforward term "stock price"? All in attendance nod knowingly, and I'm like... did you say what I think you said? It's not that bad, it just makes me feel like I feel when people use the words "exquisite" and "exhilarating" in non-ironic, casual conversation. I think I just have weird word triggers. Evidently that is one.

Also, I picture a corporate fat cat doing a jig in a top hat and red thigh-high, high-heeled boots. Wait, the top hat is on the sidewalk collecting tuppence. Wait, the corporate fat cat is an actual cat.

Is that a normal thing to say: "the street"? I know with websites and wonks it ain't no thang, but for a human in real life? Is it just me? Is "exhilarating" a normal thing for a human IRL to say? "tuppence"? "ain't no thang"?

MBA jokes

The countdown to Year 2 continues.



Q: What did 2 Chainz study in b school?
A: Supply CHAINZ



Q: What did the two economists talk about in the cold pool?
A: Shrinkage in the private sector.



This is the part I look forward to.
No, I'm... I'm being serious.

Cold, Cruel Reality

It happened last night.

I was lounging on my couch, peacefully watching an episode of The Wire with the man after returning home from a weeknight friend dinner date, when a terrible realization disturbed my idyll.

School officially starts* in 10 days.

Sad beep is right, R2-D2.

I've been working out regularly, reading interesting/fun books, sleeping 8 hours, keeping up with my laundry (!!!) for the last month...

It's like I'm a normal, functioning adult.

But the party's over (almost.)

I'll miss you, summer.

Then I realized -- all is not lost. Week-long vacation starts in 14 days, my first class isn't for another 26 days, then graduation is in... I don't know, like 250 days or so.

It's going to be OK.



*Classes start on the 21st. Pre-coursework opens on the 15th. This is homework before classes even begin. I find this unjust.

Book Review - The Dark Knight Returns, by Frank Miller

I signed up for a Coursera course in Comic Books and Graphic Novels, and I have been working my way through the recommended reading list. This was in the top 3 books. Apparently it's a big deal?

OK. I liked it. I did. I can see how it's probably visionary and a masterpiece and stuff... but... I did not love it.

I'm not really into superhero comics, so that sort of put me at a disadvantage for appreciating this. It's not a typical superhero comic, so that helps. This was also my first Batman comic, so I didn't go into it knowing the history and relevance of this piece. I felt like I must have missed something upon finishing, so I poked around online to read others' reviews and learn more about the Batman arc. That's helped guide my hindsight.

The bad:

There were too many panels per page for my taste. I didn't love the art - I get that it's supposed to be dark, but I'm saying some drawings were literally so dark that my eyes couldn't decipher shapes or actions.

"WHAT IS THIS???"
jk, this isn't a real panel, but you get the idea.

A minor thing in the grand scheme, but one of the first groups of villains the book introduces -- the "Mutant Gang" -- was just... too much. I really can't decide if they are an 80s fluorescent vinyl nightmare or if I should just love and embrace the camp. Come to think of it, the same clownish look goes for all the villains, really... but I couldn't take them seriously.

The good:

Carrie Kelley as Robin is awesome. Because I'm not familiar with the Batman stories in comic form, I've only seen baby-faced young men like Chris O'Donnell and Joseph Gordon Levitt in the role of Robin. Where my ladies at, Bruce Wayne? It was cool to see a 13-year-old girl leave her neglectful family and take on this role. Since finishing the book, she is seriously everywhere -- on a hipster's shirt at the hipster coffee shop, the object of several San Diego Comic Con cosplays... I am way behind the curve.

Dat hair.

I did like the overall premise. Existential crises. Fate of humanity in the balance. Even super heroes grow old. To that effect, though, I found myself drawing comparisons to Watchmen, which I read first... and liked more.

I think it's like this: Pulp Fiction was this really groundbreaking, influential film, right? If you don't see Pulp Fiction until, say 20 years after it was released, but you've been watching other movies which were influenced by Pulp Fiction, when you finally see Pulp Fiction, it's like... "so?" Maybe that's not the normal reaction, but that was my reaction when I finally saw Pulp Fiction. My reaction was indifference and "you know, this kind of reminds me of Kill Bill..." OF COURSE IT DOES.

I give it a "meh," but it is a "meh" of great respect.