Monday, February 28, 2005

So what is wakeboarding anyway?


Not me...just a trick I wish I could do. Posted by Hello

A version of the wakeboarding-related essay I included in most of my b-school applications:

Wakeboarding is similar to water skiing, only using a snowboard-like apparatus instead of skis. The shape and buoyancy of a wakeboard allow you to use the boat’s wake as a launch ramp for jumps, flips and spins. There is nothing better than spending a beautiful day on the lake, in a boat filled with friends cheering you on as you skim across the surface at 22 miles per hour, launch into the air, and stomp a new trick. From the moment I learned how to get up, I was hooked and wanted to learn as much as possible. I made two trips to wakeboarding camp in Florida to learn from the best and I’ve traveled all over California in search of the best riding spot.

As much as I enjoy wakeboarding, teaching people to wakeboard is even better. I will never forget the feeling of pure joy the first time I popped out of the water and I love sharing that feeling with others. I share their stoke as they experience that joy, laugh with them as they take those first crashes, and scheme with them as they make plans to master their new sport.

Wakeboarding also allows me to meet new people. I don’t own a boat, so I use wakeboarding message boards to network with boat owners who need a “third,” an observer to accompany the driver and the rider. To make myself more marketable as a third, I learned to drive and trailer a boat, and I always help with clean up.


By the way, if you're reading this, and you have a boat, live in So-Cal (or Chicago or Philly) and need a third, send me an email!

Anyway, there are two wakeboarding websites I spend time on...

wakeboarder.com
wakeworld.com

News, gear guides/reviews, contests, message boards, etc. All the info you need.

And in case you're interested, here's a wakeboarding glossary from wakeboarder.com

Where's Waldo...er...Wakechick?


Anderson R1 Admits So-Cal Happy Hour Posted by Hello

If you've met me, you can't play :)

Met up with a great group of fellow Anderson admits in Newport Beach for beverages and conversation. It was really nice to meet everyone and if these guys are any indication, the incoming class will be kicking ass and taking names come fall. They gave me a hard time about turning down Anderson...until they found out my decline would free up some fellowship money, then they were all about me going Chicago. I've got my fingers crossed that some of that money ends up in your pockets, guys.

Wakeboarding was a bust this morning...again. That's 3 strikes now. I have got to hit the lake soon. My regular pull just bought a house in Dallas and will likely be moving before I do, so I need to ride as much as possible in the next couple of months. I just wish the weather would cooperate. It was actually nice today, but there has been so much rain that the boat launch ramps were completely covered (and therefore closed, hence no riding for us). The manager told us that the channel that leads from the launch area out to the main lake, that had a depth of 4-5 feet this summer, is now 27 feet deep. That's how much rain we've had. Crazy.

A couple of blog readers have asked me what wakeboarding is and I realized that I never really explained it. Oops, sorry folks, I guess it's about time I do that. It's why I'm "wakechick" after all (and not because of any association with Wake Forest, right CalGrad?). I'm going to be lazy though. Pretty much every one of my b-school applications had an essay (or part of one) that talked about wakeboarding and/or my knee injury, so I'm going to post one of those next.

Sunday, February 27, 2005

Wharton visit

Currently enjoying a lazy Saturday night due to tomorrow's full agenda...wakeboarding in the morning, So-Cal UCLA admit happy hour in the afternoon, and a friend's Oscar party in the evening.

I had a really nice visit to Philly and Wharton, and I'm really happy I opted to do my interview on campus rather than locally with an alum. I feel like I have a fairly well-rounded impression of the program based on the visit, the info session I attended last summer, and all of the information available online. Next up is the Chicago Admit weekend. If I get good news from Wharton, I should be prepared to make an informed decision between March 24th and April 1st.

So, a recap of my trip...it was a quick one. It's a busy time of year at work and I couldn't take any more than a couple of days off. (Plus, I'm hoarding vacation days for a trip home to Seattle in April and I want to have some left as my time here in San Diego draws to a close, for things like packing and playing hooky to hit the beach or go to opening day at Del Mar.) Wednesday was pretty much just a travel day that started early and put me in to Philly in the late afternoon, which didn't leave me much time to sightsee around the city beyond a couple of cab rides. Iceman and I had planned to try to meet up for dinner that night, but never managed to track each other down. Got some dinner at the hotel, watched Lost & American Idol and called it a night.

Spent all of Thursday in Huntsman Hall. First up was sitting in on Abel's Macroecon/Finance class. Not the most exciting class, but the material was familiar to me from undergrad. Poor guy had a horrible cold and pretty much no voice, about half of the class was absent and the other half, despite the prof's requests, wasn't doing much of the talking to help him save his voice. The next class was a lot more interesting, a business law class with Borghese. The class is part of core and the full cohort was there. The lecture on employment law was pretty good, but it was even more interesting to see the interaction and banter between members of the cohort. It was evident that they were a tight group, much like a family, exchanging ideas and good natured ribbing.

After that, a few first years joined up with all of the prospective students for lunch and Q&A. It was around this time that I realized that I was the only female prospective student out of about 25. Seemed kinda funny since Wharton is 1/3 women and their applicant pool is likewise about 1/3 women. I was happy to see a couple of other women coming out of interviews while I was waiting for mine. My interview went really well. It was the most conversational interview I've had. She only asked my 3 real interview questions: walk me through your resume, what do you consider is the weakest aspect of your application, and why Wharton. Other than that, it was very chit-chatty and I probably asked more questions than she did.

I forgot to mention that Wednesday night's news was all about snow, and sure enough, it started snowing around 10:30 am (and hadn't stopped by the time I left Philly). When I was finished with my interview around 2 pm, I started checking online to see what kind of delays I'd be facing at the airport. US Air was still listing my flight as on time, but the FAA site warned of minor departure delays but significant (i.e. 5+ hour) arrival delays. Our departure time would depend on the arrival of our plane and our crew. I've done this dance with the Philadelphia airport before, so I knew I could be in for a long night.

About this time, I met the man behind Wharton's online presence, Alex Brown. He was also planning to brave the airport on route to London for HUB interviews. We figured we'd share a cab, so we plotted a strategy of hitting Pub for a beer then heading to the airport early because the snow was beginning to accumulate on the roads. He fared a bit better than I with just a two hour delay.

My flight was originally supposed to leave Philly at 8 pm EST and arrive in San Diego at 11 pm PST. Late, but not so late that I would be a mess at work the next day. I got to my gate around 7:30 pm and at that point our estimated departure was 9:40 pm. Of course, our plane was grounded in Manchester NH, and the time kept getting pushed back. Lucky for me, I made a friend in the gate area so we went and got a couple of drinks until our plane arrived around 10:30 pm. At this point, anyone on an expense account had already bailed, knowing that the flight would either be cancelled or very very late. Oh, if only I had the luxury of an expense account (at least everyone who was left had a full row of seats to themselves for the flight). We boarded the plane at 11 pm and proceeded to sit on the tarmac, taxi, de-ice, and sit on the tarmac some more until we were finally wheels up at 1 am EST. Ugh.

My new travel buddy and I had some pre-flight entertainment. There was a woman on board who was absolutely *bombed*, out of her mind drunk and/or high. Given our wait on the tarmac, even though technically we were supposed to be in our seats, the crew was cool about trips to the bathroom. However, drunk chick kept getting up and getting lost...on a pretty much empty airplane. She went to the back a couple of times, then back to her seat, then pulled her suitcase out of the overhead bin and about knocked herself out, then "charged" towards the front before being escorted back to her seat. She got up again and locked herself in the bathroom. The male flight attendents jimmied open the door and took her back to her seat again, this time forcing her boyfriend/husband to sit on the outside so she couldn't get past him. She proceeded to hit him and growl at him. It was weird and somewhat entertaining, as long as she didn't get so beligerant that we'd have to return to the gate. According to the flight attendant, the dude she was with told them that she was on anti-anxiety meds and had a few drinks at the bar. Whatever it was, she had no idea what was going on and was probably going a bit schizo. Hell, by the time we landed in San Diego around 3:30 am PST, I was a bit delirious. First song that came on the radio when I got in my car to leave the airport was "Blurry"...very appropo.

Wharton...good impression, could definitely picture myself there in the fall. Philadelphia...seems like a nice enough city, but the air traffic control needs some work so they don't get so backed up in bad weather.

Funny aside...Wharton students are some busy people. So busy, in fact, that every one I talked to had no idea that snow was in the forecast. It seems that most of them don't have time for the local news; however, judging from the number of people carrying the distinctive pink paper, they consume a lot of the world's financial news. Either that, or salmon newsprint is the hot accessory in Huntsman.

Friday, February 25, 2005

Let's get ready to rumble

Don't ya just love a good pissing match? I do. I really think we need to set up a Celebrity/Blogger Death Match between Aregon & Bskewl. Go to the mattresses, fellas!

There's also been a lot non-confrontational blogging this week. I've got a lot of blog reading to catch up on after 2 days offline while I was in Philly. Currently writing up that trip, to be posted sometime this evening, if I don't pass out first. The quick and dirty: enjoyed my visit and my interview went well, but the snow in Philly made for an extra long two day trip that ended 5 hours later than scheduled at 4 am PST this morning. I'm beat.

Friday, February 18, 2005

Quiet

I am all by my lonesome today at the office. All the other finance folks are out today, so it has been pretty quiet. Which is nice because I was up way too late reading last night and I'm a little sluggish today. I have a serious problem with reading "just 10 more pages", or "just one more chapter", as if it's not going to be there on my nightstand, waiting for me tomorrow.

I was really excited last night because my gym is finally offering a cool class. Lately, all they've been offering is: boot camp (yuck, getting yelled at by wannabe military dudes while doing push ups, no thanks), yoga/pilates/yogilates (too new age with not enough cardio for my taste), and spinning (those seats hurt my ka-dunk-a-dunk). Now, they have a gal who is doing hip hop cardio once a week. Great music, fun choreography, and the hour flies by. A nice break from the cardio machine + machine weights monotony I subject myself to the rest of the week.

Three day weekend! Woo-hoo. The bad news is, the weather is suppose to be crappy the whole time, so another week without a wakeboarding fix. This is getting ugly.

Thursday, February 17, 2005

Back on topic

We now return to regularly scheduled b-school related stuff, although I haven’t had any interesting blog ideas lately. No inspiration (obviously, since I wrote about socks & laundry last time!), and no new news on the b-school front. Basically, I’m bored at work and looking forward to getting out of town. Philly trip is next week, Chicago trip is the following week. It’s weird; I’m really not sweating the interview portion of my Wharton visit. I've been through enough of the MBA admissions process at this point that I feel prepared for anything. I was pleasantly surprised to get the invite, but it lacked punch after the Chicago phone call. I’ve heard the interview is mainly about fit, and like the interview, these trips are mainly about fit for me. My current offers have me kind of ambivalent about Wharton, so I’m hoping my visits help me form an opinion and prepare for the decision I may have to make between March 24 and April 1. Things could be made very clear after my trips…I don’t click with Wharton and it solidifies Chicago as my top choice. Or, it may confuse things even more. Let’s say I fall in love with Wharton & Philly, or it moves into a tie with Chicago… What if W dings me? Does it take away some of the luster of what has been a pretty awesome application experience? What if W admits me, with no scholly money or less money than Chi? Easy decision if I prefer Chi to W after the trips, tough decision if I feel the opposite. Or, the impossible happens, I cash in all of my karma chips, and the offers are comparable? What then, flip a coin???

Yes, I’m playing the “what if” game and it’s entirely counterproductive. I know I should be playing the “be patient and see what happens” game…but where’s the fun and excitement in that?

Not to mention, I still have to respond to UCLA’s offer by March 1. I think I’m going to try to get a week’s extension, so I can finalize that after my trips. Either way, it will likely be a “thanks, but no thanks.”

BTW, could Blogger be any slower??

Off topic

I read a couple of progressive political blogs, primarily the Flytrap. Not because I’m a lefty (more of a centrist slash libertarian, really); I read because I strongly dislike and lack trust in the current administration. I’ve followed links a couple of times and found other interesting progressive blogs…All Spin Zone, Rude Pundit (rude is an understatement, but it’s some funny stuff). Lately, I’ve been reading AmericaBlog & Daily Kos and they have been investigating a potentially huge story. It’s just starting to get picked up by the mainstream media, and other outlets like the Daily Show (last night’s was awesome, I highly recommend watching the replay tonight). Whether you’re a lefty or a righty, I really encourage you to read what the folks at AmericaBlog have uncovered. Fair warning that some of the material is explicit, but they’ve covered the relevant “parts” so it’s semi- work safe.

The highlights: a pseudo-journalist, known for regurgitating White House press releases and lobbing softball questions slash editorials to the press secretary and president, has been circumventing the usual FBI procedures for getting press room access, and all evidence is confirming that this guy has been using a fake name, is/was an active gay male escort/prostitute, also owes $20K in back taxes and has an outstanding judgment against him. He’s also somehow involved in the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame. This has blackmail, payola/propaganda, and national security implications, not to mention the hypocrisy of the party of family values and federal marriage amendments appearing to be in cahoots with a gay male prostitute. Something very fishy is going on here and it will be interesting to see how this plays out. Nobody seems to want to touch it at this point (Repubs, Dems, or the media), maybe because this guy has dirt on everyone. Talk about the ultimate black book. Heidi Fleiss who?

Thursday, February 10, 2005

Productive

  1. Did my taxes
  2. Submitted my FAFSA
  3. Paid off my car

Now I gotta finish my laundry so I don't have to wear dirty jeans tomorrow.

I hit Costco this weekend. I love that place. I always buy my gas there and I usually pop in to the warehouse to see if there are any books or DVDs worth purchasing. I picked up the Friday Night Lights DVD (great book, OK movie), and I got new socks. What it is about new socks? They just feel so good. My dad and I are of the same opinion: if we were to become incredibly wealthy, our splurge would be a steady supply of new socks. The socks I scored at Costco for cheap are these nice Fila short sport socks, and they are so cushy and have like this built in arch support (or at least they feel like they do). Anyway, we'll see how they wash up. Usually socks don't feel as good after they've been washed, but I've got my fingers crossed this time.

Speaking of socks, my friends and I have developed a theory about socks that disappear. You know how it seems like the washer eats your socks, usually just one from a pair? They vanish without a trace. If your washer or dryer were actually eating them, eventually there would be mechanical problems with the appliance. Socks disappear. There has to be something more sinister. Well, what if it's a conspiracy among sock makers that one or two socks out of every pack is made of vaporizing fibers so one sock eventually *poof* disappears? Wouldn't that be a racket? If they're not doing it yet, someone should look into this, there is a boatload of money to be made.

I was talking to a friend the other day. He doesn't have an MBA, but he was at Stanford recently recruiting MBAs for his company. It was interesting talking to him about the butt kissing going on at their reception and about students stumbling through the case interviews. He wasn't impressed; he felt most of the people he talked to had little experience and bloated resumes. I got the feeling it changed his opinion about my decision to get an MBA. I felt kind of protective at that point, like I had to defend my decision and defend MBA students at a program I didn't apply to/have any interest in. It was weird, but it put things in a different perspective that I will have to keep in mind when I start interviewing for internships.

Yeah, did I mention it's late and I'm waiting on laundry and I'm bored? Jeez, this post was all over the place...and, now you're all saved from my ramblings by the dryer buzzer!

Monday, February 07, 2005

For my female readers

(or guys who need gift ideas for their ladies)

A friend of mine started making handbags for herself about a year ago. She developed a couple of nice basic designs and had a knack for finding great fabrics, so of course they got noticed. She now has a website and this has become her part time business while she is in graduate school. Check it out at Janova Design.

Sunday, February 06, 2005

The sea was angry that day, my friends

The weather had been beautiful here all week. The Santa Anas were blowing, so we had sunshine and 70 degree temps. My friends and I made plans to go wakeboarding, thinking it would be an awesome weekend. I haven't been riding since mid-December so I was jonesin' for some time on the water. Last night when I checked the weather report, it called for mostly cloudy skies with temps in the low 60s and no rain. All systems were go for a morning on the lake before the Super Bowl.

So much for that. It was completely blown out when we got to the lake. Chop, some whitecaps, 50 degrees, raining off and on. The wind calmed down for a little while, so we launched the boat and B. tried to make a go of it. That didn't last long. It was awful. If it's like this next weekend, I may start to lose it. I need a wakeboarding fix.

Since I had to get up early this morning to go on my futile wakeboarding mission, I had a mellow night on the couch last night. Finally watched Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. Hysterical movie, laughed my sober ass off.

As for the Superbowl, let the dynasty talk commence. Good defensive game, not the blowout some were expecting. The coin toss was interesting. They had a kid do it, which was supposed to be cute, but the coin flipped maybe once in the air, if at all. Fair toss? Probably not. Commercials and halftime show were tame like everyone told us they would be. There was a serious overuse of chimps this year. The Blockbuster Online ads were driving me crazy. If you're going to spend all that money for multiple 30 second Super Bowl spots, you'd think you'd want more than one ad version so you don't bore and start pissing off an audience expecting cutting edge, entertaining ads. Just a thought. I thought the Mustang ad was pretty clever, a good way to build buzz for a car that won't be release for another couple of months.

Friday, February 04, 2005

Wharton trip

Just 5 hours after receiving the good news from Philly, my trip is booked...flight/hotel/interview, it's all done. And I found some deals, too! Scored direct flights to/from Philly on US Air for $218, then got a room at the Wyndham for $81 (tax included) via Hotwire. I guess it helps that it's February, but when you're flying out of a vacation/destination city like San Diego, it can be hard to find deals even in the winter.

Checked the weather in both Philly & Chicago...looks like there is typically a 30+ degree difference between those cities and San Diego in February/March. It's 76 degrees and sunny and I'm wearing flip flops today. Guess it's time to pull my old winter gear out of storage :) Aside from my ski gear, it hasn't seen the light of day since March 2003.

Just when I thought it wasn't going to come...

that magical little email shows up in my inbox.

Wharton wants to get a look at me in person, and I'd like to get a look at Wharton in person. More to come as I make plans...