23

23

I was born in Cleveland, OH and lived there the first 7 years of my life.  From 2^nd to 4^th grade my family lived in Dallas, TX.  I have very emotional connections to both places.  When I was just a few weeks shy of turning 10, my parents told us we were moving to Columbus, OH (we almost moved to Des Moines, IA instead, yikes!).  My entire family was pretty devastated by the news but Columbus has really treated me (and everyone in my family) extremely well.  It really is an under-acclaimed gem in the heart of the Midwest/Rust Belt.  Among others, one point of pride in Columbus is its diverse economy.  Being the capital city of Ohio, there is a lot of government work here.  Given the size of it (in and out of the top spot in the country) Ohio State University drives a big part of this city.  Columbus is also strong in the financial sector with strong representation from Nationwide Insurance (my sister Maureen’s employer) and JPMorgan Chase (JPMC has the largest single-tenant office building in the U.S.A. right here in Columbus!).  Distribution is another major industry, being a strategic transportation hub to all parts of the country for tires, healthcare supplies, apparel, raw materials, you name it.  Additionally, retail (including restaurant retail) is big with headquarters including Limited (my old employer), Victoria’s Secret (my current employer), Bath & Body Works, EXPRESS (my sister Carolyn’s employer), PINK, Abercrombie & Fitch, Justice, Lane Bryant, 31 Gifts, Bob Evans, Big Lots, Wendy’s (my Dad’s former employer), White Castle, DSW (Anissa’s favorite store EVER), and Bravo/Brio Group.  I won’t get into the other details now, but with a burgeoning arts scene, healthy foodie scene, and young demographic, Columbus is a fun place to be.  So what I am getting at here is that Columbus has a lot to offer, and that’s why, sans a 1 year hiatus to Charlotte, NC, I have spent every year in Columbus since I was 10. 

On to 23.  I honestly cannot remember ever “learning” to love the Ohio State Buckeyes.  It was pure indoctrination and it is a way of life in Columbus.  Football season is year-round.  Home-game Saturdays mean that the almost 2 million people in the area are either down on campus or at home glued to the TV.  It’s actually a great time to get anything done – the roads are EMPTY.  Any shopping venue is a ghost town.  But don’t count on getting a seat at any place that serves alcohol unless you get there 2 hours before kickoff.  So 23 is the number of games in a row that the Ohio State football team has won.  I don’t care how weak a team’s schedule is; this is a big accomplishment.  I wanted to jump on this opportunity to publicly proclaim my allegiance to Ohio State football.  Aside from total brain-washing from a very young age, my maniacal support was sealed when my Dad took me to Tempe, AZ where Ohio State ended Miami’s (FL) 34-game winning streak to take the 2003 national championship.  To this date it is the best vacation I ever had.  And I have been a totally obsessed fan ever since.  The reason I mention my early background in Cleveland and Dallas is that it played a part in my Ohio State fanaticism.  We probably all know the story with Cleveland sports.  It’s mostly sad with some highlights from my Indians here and there.  I needed something to believe in.  When I lived in Dallas the Cowboys were AMAZING (Super Bowl champs in 1992, 1993, and 1995).  They taught me how exciting it was to root for winners.  Then I moved to Columbus and fell in love.  While I hold allegiances to Cleveland and Dallas sports on the professional level, I definitely follow collegiate football much more closely.  Go Browns.  Go Cowboys.  AND GO BUCKEYES!

 

Now you know one of my dark secrets.  You may love me for it.  You probably hate me for it.  But either way I don’t care.  I love my Buckeyes.

Side note:  I am currently getting my MBA at Ohio State but my undergraduate degree is from Miami (OH).  While I support Miami athletics, they are only competitive in hockey and that is the one sport for which I root for Miami over Ohio State.  #Loveandhonor to Miami!

2015

2015

In late 2012 I made a decision I had been mulling over for quite some time.  Yes, I proposed to Anissa and she said yes, but that story is for another time J  With a lot of encouragement from Anissa and my family I decided to apply to the Working Professional MBA (WPMBA) program at Ohio State. 

 

 

I got in and started classes in January 2013.  It seemed to all happen so fast.  And since January I just cannot seem to keep track of time.  Life is whizzing by and I’m pretty sure school has something to do with it.  I mean, how many of us got our undergraduate degree only to lament how fast those few years flew by?!  So I started trying to figure out why time was flying by so quickly.  When you’re busy, the clock always seems to be ticking away twice as fast.  So I wanted to quantify just how busy I’ve been with school and here’s what I came up with.

1.       As of December 9^th I will have earned 20.5 credit hours this year, or 43% of the required 48 for my degree.

2.       Ohio State ruffled the feathers of the WPMBA students when it switched from quarters to semesters recently.  With a shortened summer offering, Ohio State offered “sprint” courses in May (during the 4-week “time off” for students to recharge) to supplement the offerings in the June/July timeframe.  Why am I telling you this?  Because I have not had more than 2 weeks off of school since I started classes over 10 months ago.  And the 1 2-week period I had in August was full of preparing for the start of Fall semester including early assignments, readings, etc. (keep in mind this is a working professional program – I am still working full time while getting this degree).

3.       Since I began, I have taken 12 exams, given 6 formal presentations, written 1 comprehensive marketing plan for a not-for-profit start-up organization, written 4 formal negotiations and 1 formal debate, and met with my project groups outside of class about 30 times.

4.       I have been to class 2 times per week for 40 weeks this year except for 7 weeks this summer when I went 3 times per week.  In total I have spent 262 hours in class, excluding any out-of-class presentations, exams, groups meetings, etc.  It is estimated that students spent 3 hours out of class for each hour in class.  I think I spend more like 2 hours, which means I’ve spent somewhere around 525 additional hours on schoolwork, whether it was reading, writing, doing practice problems, or researching.

5.       Including in-class and out-of-class hours, and all those exams and group meetings I think I’ve spent 20-25 hours/week on school since I started.   Assuming I work 40 hours per week (ha, I wish!) that would be a 60-65-hour week every week without a break.  I’m ready for the month off between the end of Fall semester and start of Spring semester!

So now that I have some numerical context for what I’ve done in school this year, I feel much more accomplished and quite proud.  In all my futility, I do actually have something to show for my efforts even if I don’t have my degree yet.  So when will I graduate?  My plan is to graduate in May, 2015.  Our wedding is in July 2014 so I have planned to take off the Summer 2014 semester.  I will have 3 more semesters once I finish out this semester on December 9^th (Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015).  This will not be an easy path (I actually need to increase the number of classes I take each semester to hit my goal), but I know I can do it.  With great support, superior organization skills, and determination I am REALLY looking forward to commencement in May, 2015!

 

1

I work in the retail industry in the Finance Department of Victoria’s Secret.  In the retail world, each week starts on Sunday and ends on Saturday.  Therefore Sunday is day 1.  Over the past couple years I have come to adopt Sunday as my personal day #1.  With a full-time job, taking evening courses for my MBA, planning a wedding, and settling into a new house I have a lot on my “to-do” list.  I use Sunday to reset my priorities each week.  I always try to do whatever I can Sunday to clear my mind and set myself up for success the rest of the week.  This includes a lot of mundane things like doing laundry, stocking the refrigerator and pantry for the week, cleaning around the house, and taking care of our yard.  It also includes getting to the gym (mostly so I don’t feel guilty when I can’t make it most days during the week) and wrapping up any leftover homework I didn’t finish Saturday.  It includes getting to church as well.  Anissa and I go either first thing at 7:30am or last thing at 5:00pm.  I find that my days are super productive when I get to 7:30am mass, and I love going out to breakfast afterward with bottomless coffee and reading the newspaper.  But sometimes my body needs more rest than this allows, which is why I love an evening mass.  It is a great capstone after all my crazy errands and chores and just gets my mind right for the week.  After evening mass Anissa and I generally go out for a quick dinner and that leaves a couple hours left in the day to relax and watch some TV or read a book.  This might sound like a manic Sunday, especially on a day that is known for lying on the couch and watching football, or putting on the golf channel to lull me into a long catnap.  While most people probably think of Sunday as the end of the weekend, I like to think of it as the start of my week.  I set my mind, body, and spirit for the week and have found that I am a happier person throughout the week as result.

True story!

 

This made me laugh - debilitating self-pity no more!