First Week of Fall

It is still technically summer, but the open of the fall semester has also brought some relief in terms of temperature.  We had several days in a row of triple digit heat, thank goodness a cool front came through taking temperatures down to the 80s.  This week temperatures are back up but not up to triple digits thank goodness.  Enough about the weather, so this first week...

Well the first week is pretty much like any first week.  All our professors went through their syllabuses and course matrices.  No big surprises there.  The classes seem to be fairly interesting.  I'll give a more detailed review of classes in a week or so once we get into some material.  We've also been getting into groups this first week.  This has been different from last semester.  We've gotten to pick some of our own groups, which can be good and bad.  The big news is that our entrepreneurship team has come together.  We have five members, six if you count our programmer.  It was a little last minute, but I am very happy with the outcome.  The group includes one full-time MBA student, three MMBA students, and one MAcc student.  We all have different backgrounds which adds to our diversity.  We haven't finalized what idea we will be working with yet, but there are several good ones we are looking at. 

Outside of class, I've played more golf this past week than I've played the prior 8 months.  My golf game is a little rusty, but not as bad as I thought it would be.  I'm hoping I will have more time to play this fall.  The college football season starts this coming weekend and Arkansas fans are very excited about this season.  It should be a great year for the team.  The offense will be one of the best in the country, but the defense is a bit of a question mark.  We'll see what happens.  Go Hogs!

Vacation Before Fall Semester

Last week I took a week off to take a road trip with my girlfriend, Sarah.  We drove over 2,200 miles.  It was well worth it though.  We made stops in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.  We started the trip last Saturday by heading to Decatur, AL.  We stayed one night there and visited with an old friend of mine, EJ.  It's been a couple years since the last time I saw him and he now has 13 grand kids.  It was nice to catch up with him.  I used to work with EJ at the International Paper mill in Courtland, AL.

We had breakfast the next morning at EJ's house and then headed down to Auburn, AL.  We stopped there for lunch with another friend, Trey.  I've known Trey for about 8 years.  We used to hang out a lot when I lived in Alabama.

I had seen Trey last year so it hadn't been as long since visiting with him.  After lunch we left Auburn and headed down to Valdosta, GA.  We stayed in Valdosta a couple nights.  Its been about a year and half since the last time I was down there.  Most of the guys I worked with work a rotating shift so it's difficult to see everyone.  I did get a chance to go in the paper mill and visit with a couple different shifts. 

After Valdosta we headed down to Saint George Island, FL.  It's a very nice place with uncrowded beaches and a slow pace of life.  We got down there unpacked and relaxed.  We checked out some of the local sites and walked the beaches. 

We stayed three nights and enjoyed every minute.  And now it's time for the Fall semester to start. 

The Close of Summer

I am wrapping up internship and looking forward to the Fall.  This is my last week working full-time for Walmart.  It is bitter-sweet.  I've really enjoyed my time there and will miss seeing everyone.  However, I am also looking forward to the start of the semester and finishing up my MBA.  I will stay on at Walmart as a GA working 15 hours a week.  I looked at my schedule and looks like I will have Tuesday and Thursday afternoons free, as well as Friday.  I am also looking forward to the football season.  This may be the year for the Razorbacks to break loose and do something very special.  The state is electric with anticipation. 

The summer internship is a class and part of the class involves homework which includes the executive summary, internship evaluation, presentation, and poster.  Most of this is due tomorrow.  I'm currently wrapping all that up.  As I do that I reflect on the experience and it's been great.  If you are thinking of getting an MBA or any other education for that matter, remember that what you get out of it all depends on what you put into it.  The more you put in the more you get out.  I realize now that I could've gotten much more out of my undegraduate work, but at the time I suppose I lacked the maturity to take advantage of all the opportunities afforded to me. 

Anyhow, I will be taking a week off prior to the start of the Fall semester to relax.  I will be heading to Saint George Island, Florida.  This is beautiful and tranquil place.  The beach is clean, no oil, and it's not crowded.  The pace of life there is slow.  The sound of the crashing waves and the steady Gulf breeze create an ambiance that is indescribable.  Needless to say, I can't wait.