With the craze of midterms over, all that was left was the daze of the aftermath. In the wake of all the destruction was the one glimmering spot of fun on the horizon - the annual Simon Blackjack Ball.
What is it? I'd like to say it's a huge charity event with a noble cause and donations to cancer research and fighting AIDS. From what I can tell...not so much. Basically the event is sponsored by the Graduate Business Council, and everyone gets to dress up in suits and fancy dresses. This year, it was held at a local schwanky country club, Oakhill. Essentially "B-school Prom". Nice.
Well, it was a GREAT time. I had high expectations b/c I was told it was a lot of fun and, I have to admit, I wasn't dissappointed. It officially started at about 7:30, I arrived at about 8:30 in typical L.A. fashion ("Los Angeles" or "Late Asian-time" depending on your interpretation). I walked around and said my hello's and saw one of my classmates (renamed "Bob" to protect his identity...btw-Bob is Japenese...this detail will be important later on) already on the verge of happyland, and he was carrying two martinis to boot. This was a good sign for the night ahead. As it turns out, Bob alone was worth the price of admission. Fast forward 3 hrs and SEVERAL double-fisted martinis later, Bob is slumped over in a chair being used as a coatrack. We'll get back to Bob later...
Some other interesting sights and sounds at the Black Jack Ball - Professors and students alike getting dead serious at faux-gambling. A "hold-em" table with faux-money, I will not get into detail about how worthless it is to bluff in poker when your chips are worth "$1000 faux-dollars"...however, I will scoff in protest *scoff*. A talented classmate performing with the band (seriously, great voice!). An Elaine (from Seinfeld) immitation on the dance floor...I think.
All in all, it was a good chance to see my classmates all dressed up and having fun. Good times at the BJ Ball. errr...
Sooo...BACK TO BOB....Fast forward to the morning after the Blackjack Ball. I stop by Bob's place on my way out to Starbuck's at 11am since he lives 2 apartments over. First evidence of a rough night, the front door is open and boots are strewn all over the place. I proceed to Bob's room where I find a pile of blankets, an arm hanging out and a look of pain on Bob's face. The following conversation ensues, keep in mind, Bob speaks in a Japanese accent:
TC: "BAKA**!!! Wake up!!!"
(**note: baka loosely translates to "stupid" in Japanese.)
Bob: "ahhhhhuuuhhhgg....I feel I...must...vomit."
TC: "Sooo...you're alive?"
Bob: "Yes, thank you...where am I?"
That's it for now...hope all is well with everyone.
chow,
TC
Yep, you heard it right, I'm in the middle of midterms. Yikes. What I can tell you so far is that a shift in the demand curve, causes a severe brain hemorage in my frontal lobe.
Be it Friday night, Saturday night, or all weekend, you can find a good little pack of us MBAers studying somewhere on campus. Granted, it's not all work and no play. As a reward for surviving 2 midterms, some of us went out and celebrated by hitting a local bar and teaching our Japanese teammate how to say "So what, funky biatch?". I should offer up the footnote that we also bought him a mug of beer that was probably larger than his skull (this after several beers at dinner + a mug of 13% alchohol ale). Aside from a few strange looks at the bar, we all had a good time.
RED TEAM ONE (minus 1), Nick, Me, Katie, Kenji...not pictured, Neil
Another lesson learned,"you can't judge a person by the level of their whoreness". This bit of advice came up during a conversation with my classmate Rachael as we discussed the fact that you will always encounter less than savory people no matter where you go. Yes, I am a wise old sage with lots of knowledge to impart from my mountaintop.
Anyways, the books call for me amid the rata-tat-tat of Stephen's keyboard. *sigh* I must learn more before the night is done.
Hope all is well out in the real world.
Weather update!!! 34 deg F, "feels like 25".
-TC
Decrepit. Frail. Fragile. Take your pick. Right now, any of those adjectives could be used to describe me. First it was calf-fist strain. Now it's a lower back strain. "Luckily" (and I use the term loosely) it was just a strain and not a herniated disk, which I initally feared. Oh by the way, I also had a fever yesterday. Nice.
Frickin' hell...what's the deal?!?!? Did my warranty expire? What's going on here? All of a sudden, I'm more breakable? I thought I was a relatively healthy guy. GUESS NOT!
The doc I went to see my back about said it might have been the period of inactivity followed by "overdoing" it last week. Since when did it become hazardous to workout and carry a few textbooks home? Granted, "a few textbooks" + laptop + notebook = roughly 25 lbs., and my walk from the gym to my apartment is about 30 min, but still.
Oh well. I guess tomorrow I'll go shopping for a cane or one of those walkers with the tennis balls on the bottom of them.
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Artist of the moment: Rachael Yamagata, Happenstance
Food of the moment: Muffoletta
On my brain RIGHT NOW: I WOULD KILL (or at least harm quite a bit) FOR A HOT BOWL OF PHO or SOON-DOBU.
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FYI - I'm studying for midterms. Yeesh. Just thought I'd share...
Chow,
TC