London Bridge is falling down

I'm addicted to Fergie's newest (well, new-ish) hit "London Bridge". Although, hearing it played over the radio five times yesterday wears on the brain a bit. But I still love it.

However, can someone explain to me exactly what it means for one's "Londy, London Bridge" to wanna go down?

I consider myself somehwat hip, but I'm having a hard time putting my finger on exactly what this could mean. Does it refer to her britches? Or maybe some recent dental work? Somehow, that childhood song will never quite be the same...

Well, isn't that just special...

This past week Fuqua hosted a Mock MBA Games. Fuqua is the largest supporter of the Special Olympics of North Carolina, raising about $100,000 each year for the organization. We do this with several events throughout the year, culminating into the MBA Games, which is where we invite other business schools down to compete in field-day-type events. Think: Izzy Dizzy Bat, 50 meter dash, three legged race.

To kick off the season, we had a Mock MBA Games, where sections competed against each other. (The First Year class is divided into sections of about 70 students each, with whom you take all your first year classes...it's becomes like a little fraternity). As a Section 5 Alumni of sorts, I was one of the Second Year participants in the Mock MBA Games.

Sorry, there are no pictures posted here of me doing the Izzy Dizzy Bat Race (that picture would show me flat on my ass when I tumbled to the ground like a drunken sailor) or of the WheelBarrow Race (we rocked that one, but as the "wheelbarrow", I'm wondering if I gave everyone a good look down my shirt) or of the Tug O' War (enough said). But there is a picture of the SECTION 5 WINNING TEAM! Yes, we came in first place!

The little boy in the green was our Special Olympian. So sweet and super fast...he helped us win the 50 meter dash!

The results are in...

After much angst amid many hours of studying, I have received my Corp Fin midterm grade. (drumroll, please). 59. That's right, I failed.

Or did I?

If business school has taught me anything, it's how to spin the truth to your favor. Maybe you took a leadership role in a club, only to discover that the extent of your contribution was to hang flyers. No problem, just spin it. You were responsible for coordinating the printing and distribution of 1500 flyers, which advertised the biggest club event of the year and, as a direct result of your effort, you increased attendance at said event by 47% from last year.

So did I really fail the exam? The truth is the mean on the exam was 67.8, with a standard deviation of 17. I know from my Statistics class, which I barely passed, that anything within one standard deviation of the mean is not statistically relevant. Therefore, my 59, being within one standard deviation of a mean that was almost failing, means I am right in the middle of the pack of my classmates. And since we know everything is relative in business school, this means that, at this rate, I should earn an HP in the class, which is just one grade lower than the highest grade, an SP. (Or, at the very least, a P, which is passing).

The basic gist is that while my 59 proves that I suck at Corp Fin, the performance of my classmates proves that everyone else also sucks at Corp Fin. I suck just a bit more, but not enough to truly fail the course.

What this also shows is how much I have grown up in the past 10 years. In the past (read: high school chemistry and/or college calculus) I would have melted into a puddle of tears if/when I received a 59 on a test. I would then run to the professor's office, crocodile tears still clinging to my cheeks, and ask where I went wrong, how I could do better.

But today, no tears. I just rationalize myself a higher grade.

The Big Day

As I'm uploading these pictures onto the blog, I'm thinking to myself "How much do we just love digital photos?" Remember back in the day, about 365 of them, when everyone would have to wait anxiously to go to Target to get their pictures developed? And then you had to pay extra to have Target upload the pictures onto a CD (damn those capitalists!), just so you could then e-mail them out, one by one because the server could only handle so much file space at a time, to your friends so you could show them your genteel friend sprawled out on top of a grand piano, touching the pianist's, eh hem, "MagLight"? Oh, those were the days. Now, people have no patience. It's got to be now, now now. So fine. Here are your pictures.

The first several are of Elizabeth's bachelorette party, which, I have to say, went smashingly. The theme was Tiffany & Co. Next are pictures of the bridal party, including a lovely one of the Maid-of-Honor (me) and the Best Man. After all, the wedding could not have gone on if it weren't fo' us.

Honestly, it was a fabulous wedding. Perfectly Fabulous.

Open Season

Put on your bright orange hunting jackets and spit-shine those rifles...the season has officially begun. It kicked off tonight with the season premiere of America's Next Top Model. Go Tyra! Although what was she thinking with that leopard print dress tonight? Leopard print? That's so two years ago. You know better, Tyra.

Monique is definitely going to cause some drama (no no drama, we don't want no drama) up in here with her beauty rituals. And while the producers portrayed Melrose as high-maintenance and irresponsible, I really think that was a one-time mistake on her part. My favorite, out of the gates, is Brooke. How adorable and full of energy is she? Sweet, adorable, chocolate-covered Brooke.

Can't wait until tomorrow night...Gray's Anatomy! What? Do I have all my shows' season premieres marked on my Outlook calendar? Why yes. Yes I do.

Make Love, Not War

In an attempt to think about something other than Financial Statement Analysis and Corporate Finance (no joke, I woke up at 4:20 this morning, turned on the light, and attempted to take Scott's laptop (read: pillow) away from him so I could balance my Balance Sheet), I read an article in the Scientific American Special Edition on Becoming Human.

The gist of the article is that Bonobos like to have sex. (Who said Anthropologists don't have more fun?). A Bonobo, because you're wondering, is a closely related ape, more graceful than a chimpanzee. The amazing thing about their sex lives is that they are the only primate, other than humans, known to have sex for a non-reproductive reason. In fact, they have sex with each other - even with bonobos of the same sex - in order to maintain harmony in a competitive society.

Which is the same reason we use sex. Not only do we do it to produce offspring, but we do it to "cement mutually profitable relationships between men and women." Bonobos apparently do this for the same mutually profitable relationships - to ease competition for food, form female alliances (they are a more matriarchal society than, say, chimpanzees), and to patch over any "disagreements".

Much other behavior among Bonobos is reminiscent of that among humans, including mother Bonobos lifting their babies up in the air by placing the mother's feet on their babies stomachs...kind of like playing airplane. Pretty amazing stuff.

Oh, this is the life!

Most people would jump at the chance to take a day-and-a-half off of work and enjoy themselves in the glorious city of Savannah. I know I would. Savannah is one of my favorite cities, at least in the U.S. And I did just that. Take a day-and-a-half off from school and fly down to this wonderful place to be in my best friend's wedding.

So, you ask, am I wandering the charming squares chandeliered by spanish moss growing in the tall oaks? Am I toasting in the cute pubs and bars that line Savannah's streets? Perhaps I am spending my Friday on the beaches of one of Savannah's tiny islands? No, my little friends. None of the above.

Instead, I am enjoying the inside of the Garden Hotel, stuck in my room as I attempt to finish a take-home midterm exam for Financial Statement Analysis. At this point, you may be asking yourself "Why did Laura, who hates numbers and loves the abstract, take Financial Statement Analysis?" My only answer has something to do with trying to be a well-rounded MBA graduate, which may or may not have been a fantasy induced by an opium-smoking hookah party.

So I have 2 hours to get as much done on this take-home midterm (which is due Monday) before the rehearsal. So no ghost-walks for me tonight. Just FSA, a church, and, oh yeah, lots of drinking. (In that order).

Little Miss Sunshine

On this very rainy, very angry, night, Scott and I just returned from seeing Little Miss Sunshine. I had heard the reviews from Sundance and seen the ads. And I'm here to confirm...it truly is one of the best movies I have ever seen.

Every actor in this film does a phenomenal job. The storyline is amazing and it's one of those movies that makes you feel good about yourself and your place in the world. It makes you appreciate your own quirks and realize that, no matter how bad things may seem or get, it's all going to be OK. And it's absolutely hilarious.

So here's another review from just a lowly blogger - go out and see Little Miss Sunshine. I think you'll agree it's money worth spending.

I talked to Ernesto. He says Hola.

Ernesto has sent some rain our way these last few days. It's wind-driven rain that makes you want to curl up under the covers and read Corporate Finance.

I think it's very equitable of the Hurricane Weather people to include Hispanic names in their list of hurricane identification. But why just include English and Hispanic names? Why not represent more of our country's fabric?

We have a large Chinese and Chinese-American population that should be represented, plus, it would solve the problem of trying to find names for odd letters like "Q" and "X". We chould have Hurricane Xiaohui or Hurricane Qi.

And let's not forget our Indian friends. Hurrican Sameer and Vidya have a nice ring to them. The list could go on to include names from other Asian and Mid-East countries, Russia and Slovic nations. These would be must more interesting then Hurricane John.

Granted, it might take a little while for public acceptance. But I don't think people will much care when hurricane is blowing down their door. At that point, does it really matter that it's Hurricane Qi or Hurricane John? Plus it's not fair that we're continuing the American image of destruction by having hurricanes named after American-sounding names.

Let's expand our horizons, represent our country well. And greet our hurricanes with a bow and a "Nihao".