Putting out Fires

This Saturday I will be graduating from Arizona State University with my Masters in Business Administration. All that stands between me and that hood they throw over your neck is a class tonight, and one on Wednesday. I’ve been sitting here at my desk trying to asses how I feel about finally being done. A little sad to not be on a college campus? A little sad that I may not see very many of those people again? A little sad that I’ll have to entertain myself in the evenings?

HELL NO! I am so ready to be out of that place. I showed up, I learned, I passed. But before Saturday, I wanted to reflect a little on what I learned during my time in the MBA program.

1) Workplace conflicts can be solved with a good team building game involving legos and a time limit.

2) I will always, always hire an accountant. They earn every cent I pay them.

3) Even grown adults think that copying verbatim from the Internet is not cheating.

4) If you want a healthy work ‘culture’ all you need to do is supply free M&Ms and Mountain Dew.

5) Group work sucks ass.

6) Driving home at 10:30 at night you get to see drunks walking and driving on the freeways. Sometimes in the wrong direction.

7) Graduate students with fulltime jobs are still capable of drinking until midnight and showing up at work at 7am.

Graduate-level text books do not sell well on EBay. Or at Bookman’s. Or at garage sales. And forget about Big Brothers/Big Sisters, they don’t even want them for free.

9) When doing business in most Middle Eastern countries, never EVER cross your leg so that they can see the bottom of your shoe, and never joke about the royal family when doing business in England. (I’ll have to remember that in 3 weeks when I’m banished there for at least a month. Prepare yourself for those whiny blog posts now.)

10) You can always keep yourself awake while driving by eating a burrito from Taco Bell and singing country music at the top of your lungs (don’t tell Ryan that I do either!).

I have learned a lot in the past few years, but I’m really looking forward to seeing my husband, reading tons of books, and catching up on all of my TV shows. Freedom!

I’ve been with Ryan for about 5 years now, although it seems like forever.  (In a good way!  I swear!)  I thought I knew this man, but this weekend I found out something that made me wonder if I know him at all……………… 

My husband rushed a fraternity!  *collective gasp*  I know, I know.  Interestingly, it was the same fraternity that my party girlfriend Jen and I hung out with.  In fact, this weekend we were driving through University Heights in our college town of Flagstaff and we both pointed to the same house and said, “I went to a Sigma Chi party there”. 

Two years ago Ryan took me to Vegas for my birthday.  We were cruising through MGM on a break from losing our money and found ourselves in a hall with posters of old bands who had played on the strip.  We came across an Oakridge Boys poster and both of us, at the same time, blurted out rather embarassed that we’d been to see them in concert when we were younger.  Turns out we were at the SAME CONCERT. 

I’ve got a few other silly little stories like that, and really they only seem like a big deal to me, but it makes you wonder:  how often to people brush past their soul mates before they actually run into them?

Mika the Terrible has finally been weaned from the crate.  Well, sort of.

Today Ryan got home to find one of his fireplace gloves (leather mind you) in shreads in the middle of the living room.  Mika was then punished by going to the Naughty Zone.  (OK, maybe we watch a bit too much Super Nanny, but we’re desperate with this dog) 

What Ryan failed to notice was that the other glove was completely gone.  Never fear though.  We got it back again when she puked it all over the place about 2 hours later. 

Someone tell me kids are easier than this.