Category: I’m sure it is no surprise that the prior post was somewhat tongue-in-cheek; having 3 classes this week has been just a little slice of Heaven! There’s nothing better than going to class from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., with very minor breaks to switch classrooms and eat lunch. A little dinner, a case due in Strategy every night, a Valuation here-and-there, and some Investment homework…yeah, that’s not ideal. Hour 15 as the break-point might be generous, as I passed out Monday (?) reading a case study on my hotel room bed.
But then again, tomorrow is the last day of residency classes EVER, which means the pain is all but behind me. Not sure how to feel about that one, but hey, all good things come to an end. Or at least, I can’t keep continuing to pay $18,000 per semester for this kind of classroom “fun”! Here’s some of the other interesting things the past 3-4 days:
Why don’t you get a Ph.D?
You’ve got to love grandparents. Yesterday, I was taking a nap when I got a phone call from my grandfather. Like all bad grandchildren, I don’t call nearly enough, and up until fairly recently, my grandparents would wait for me to call them on the phone. That makes for a fairly long time between talking.
Anyway, the conversation went like most, talking about the weather and what I’ve been doing, when my grandfather broke out with this gem: “Why don’t you get a Ph.D? Is that what you are doing now? How many years would that take? The boy next door just got his Ph.D in ‘computers’, I think he’s got his stuff set up in the basement.”
I sometimes forget that the further you get away from business school culture, the idea drops off extremely quickly. “Business school” isn’t an idea that has any sticking power in the ‘older community’; I might as well be going to community college or vocational school, instead of one of the best business schools in the world. But yet, it’s that type of grounding that can keep you from being too serious or egotistical.
It’s actually a very good question, though: Why DON’T I get a Ph.D? Other than being completely tapped out from my original school loans, loans from Fuqua, and selling my home for a loss…and the loss of income required from a full-time Ph.D program…I could see myself as “Dr. Zwitch.”
There’s a LOT of businesses springing up in the CCMBA class
I referenced this a bit 2-3 posts ago, but since then, I’ve found out that there are at least 3 new businesses being formed within the CCMBA classes. Apparel seems to be the hot idea at the moment, spurred on from the custom-tailored experience and low-cost manufacturing in China. I’ve also heard some rumblings about technology, and even financial services, so it should be an interesting time in the next 12 months or so.
Me? Still don’t have a killer idea. Or even a mediocre one. Although, a classmate and I have been talking about pairing up on a book…his pictures and my writing. Stay tuned…limited edition copies start at $500 ;)
Duke Graduate Student Campout 2010
Perhaps the most exciting thing in the next few days will be the graduate student campout for Duke Basketball tickets (Men’s AND Women’s I believe). It’s basically one big endurance party, where you have to be present between 7 p.m. Friday and 7 a.m. Sunday morning for the chance to win the right to purchase tickets. In between time, I’ve been told there are all sorts of activities like a Guitar Hero competition, a DJ, sporting events, tailgating type of activities, a simulcast of the Duke football game Saturday…even if I don’t win a seat for Cameron to see Duke tear up the ACC this year, I think the campout will be well worth it.
Still loving the BBQ, but Durham also has some other gems
Finally, I’m still crushing the BBQ scene down here; I’ve probably eaten about 10 plates of BBQ since I’ve been here. I still need to make it over to the ‘Cue Shack in Durham, but I’ll wait until my wife arrives tomorrow to sample their cuisine.
If restaurants weren’t so prone to failure, I’d definitely open a Carolina BBQ joint up north. Or even this noodle place I went tonight, which was sort of a Chipotle/Qdoba/Pei Wei looking place, except it only sold noodle dishes and sandwiches. Seemed to be a popular place, even though it wasn’t near campus AND it was raining. Maybe I’ll just buy some shares in a few of these companies and call it even; who needs the hassle of making other people food all day?
