Sunday, September 30, 2007
I'm in LOVE!
with my new bike.
see?
and, i love my:
classmates
learning team
mba program
professors
condo
friends
running
cooking
sleeping
riding
basketball
roommate
new hometown, charlottesville!
etc.
though i feel stupid 99% of the time, i still love it.
see?
and, i love my:classmates
learning team
mba program
professors
condo
friends
running
cooking
sleeping
riding
basketball
roommate
new hometown, charlottesville!
etc.
though i feel stupid 99% of the time, i still love it.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
worth 2000 words
since i've been doing nothing but studying and being generally bad at school, photographs will have to do to state "what's going on with mandy"
i try to ride my bike and i sweat a lot. i wear my u.va kit to protect myself from angry townies.
on sunday night i dressed up as a flamenco dancer at the interntional food festival, where i of course represented espana. i made natillas with gongy's recipe. (gongy was my grandmother) and i look like gongy's sister rose, who "wore makeup and jewelry like a gypsy". 
i try to ride my bike and i sweat a lot. i wear my u.va kit to protect myself from angry townies.
on sunday night i dressed up as a flamenco dancer at the interntional food festival, where i of course represented espana. i made natillas with gongy's recipe. (gongy was my grandmother) and i look like gongy's sister rose, who "wore makeup and jewelry like a gypsy".
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Finding bliss amidst the pain
the last 48 hours have been marked with intermittent periods of joy and pain.
joy in the form of two things:
1. rediscovering basketball. i haven't touched a basketball in 2 years. imagine my excitement when i felt the leather in my palm and reminded my body of the poetic motion of the perfect jumpshot. when all of my problems with my operations and decision analysis cases seemed to converge on my saturated brain, i found sweet release on the court. just me, a hoop and a ball. for 20 blessed minutes basketball was mine to discover anew. aaaaaahhhhhhh.
2. the perfect ride. with 'crossvegas fast approaching, i was definitely worried about my fitness. i dug around and found a non-pro kit (for the first time in 4 years!) and dressed myself in the colors of the brazilian flag. i switched on the ipod and took my trusty old specialized road bike (a prototype, mind you...i've got the only 53 cm in existence!) out on the road for some self-inflicted flogging. despite my fears that it would be the suckiest 2 1/2 hours of the week, it ended up being incredible. i hammered the crap out of myself and returned from my ride happy. my friend william had called me earlier that day and confirmed my suspicions: virginia was enjoying a week of absolutely perfect fall weather. add that to my gorgeous ride on the best roads in the country (my tax dollars at work!), and you have happy mandy. it made getting dressed for my evening learning team meeting almost fun.
which brings me to the pain:
my decision analysis and operations classes. such agony! this mba program has been a lesson in humility...i have never been so demoralized by the frequency of which i feel stupid. i'd say for the hours in a day when i'm not deep in r.e.m. mode, i am feeling dumb about 90% of them. the 10% is saved by my insanely-awesome ability to cook anything and everything.
hey, small victories.
and speaking of small things, here i am on my patio in my non-pro brazil kit (a gift from the brazilian fernandez sisters i met at la vuelta ciclista el salvador), posing like a ballerina in front of the morning glory that creeps along my fence. i rather like morning glories, and am glad someone else took the trouble to plant them.
speaking of pain, that picture reminds me i need to do my cardboard recycling.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Drugs and Chicken Pot Pie
This morning I awoke at 6 after 4 hours of fitful sleep. My right ear felt like it was going to burn a hole in my head. I could’t fall back to sleep on account of the pain. Since I had no one to whine to (plus, I had lost my voice completely so I merely squeaked), I proceded cry and call many of my C-ville friends and ask if they knew any doctors that would help me. My financial state is such that I cannot afford good health insurance and thus am only covered if I lose some limbs. Which doesn’t apply to the case this morning but it sure felt like it. Sucky. Couple that with the fact that I stupidly crashed myself on my BRAND NEW VANDERKITTEN hardtail yesterday (on the usual side, my left); and I was a wimpy kitty.
So I finally got a U.VA nurse on the phone who gave me some advice. In summation: drugs. Lots of them.
So I went for it. I haven’t taken this many drugs since college.
Michele Yeaton, hereafter known as Mother Theresa, brought me chicken soup and one of my favorite things in the world: her homemade chicken pot pie. See the photographic evidence of life’s finer things when you're half dead:
ps: some days i wonder why i retired from pro bike racing. this classifies as "normal behavior" for pros. oh dear.
So I finally got a U.VA nurse on the phone who gave me some advice. In summation: drugs. Lots of them.
So I went for it. I haven’t taken this many drugs since college.
Michele Yeaton, hereafter known as Mother Theresa, brought me chicken soup and one of my favorite things in the world: her homemade chicken pot pie. See the photographic evidence of life’s finer things when you're half dead:
Today's weather was 100% glorious and I am pouting because I didn't get to ride. Wah!
I emailed my professors, begging for mercy tomorrow in terms of speaking in class. If they want me to whisper, I sure can…but who really wants to listen to a dying mouse?
I emailed my professors, begging for mercy tomorrow in terms of speaking in class. If they want me to whisper, I sure can…but who really wants to listen to a dying mouse?
Here is my class (red line designates me and my cute green loafers). Aren't we dashing? Lotsa blue shirts...
Friday, September 14, 2007
Sleepytime!
On Wednesday I sensed something coming to get me. My body was slamming on the brakes, but the anti-lock was off and I was headed somewhere nasty…fast. So instead of pausing to listen, I forged on ahead. I went and frustrated myself on my ‘cross bike. I studied hard. I jacked around on the piano in the Darden forum and tried to remember Jessica’s Theme.
So my body made me listen. That night I was visited by a heinous fever, and spent a lot of time sweating and whining about how cold I was without solving the problem by simply pulling a blanket over myself.
I walked into Marketing class looking like a zombie, and the fun compounded when I was Cold Called. For the uninitiated, it’s a Darden tradition. Watch out! The prof asks you, right off the bat, to give your recommendation on the day’s case. Now, remind you, that this is the reason we are here: we are not yet experts nor are we CEOs. We’re learning how. And a Cold Call is a way to hit the FF button. I flailed during my Cold Call. Mightily, I might add. I was already feverish, but I think I sweated a bit more on account of it. In the end, the prof took the conversation in another direction and I was out of the hot seat after 10 awkward minutes. Thankfully I’ve spent many years humiliating myself on my bicycle so my pride was used to the sting.
I suffered through Operations, and Sven was nice enough to drive me home. I then spent the hours from noon to midnight dozing on the couch. I took a break from sleep with a foiled attempt at watching The Fast & The Furious (if you have ovaries, you will like Paul Walker). Guess the lappytoppy doesn’t have “a valid DVD decoder”. I wasn’t about to call HP again, so I fell back into dreamland.
So my body made me listen. That night I was visited by a heinous fever, and spent a lot of time sweating and whining about how cold I was without solving the problem by simply pulling a blanket over myself.
I walked into Marketing class looking like a zombie, and the fun compounded when I was Cold Called. For the uninitiated, it’s a Darden tradition. Watch out! The prof asks you, right off the bat, to give your recommendation on the day’s case. Now, remind you, that this is the reason we are here: we are not yet experts nor are we CEOs. We’re learning how. And a Cold Call is a way to hit the FF button. I flailed during my Cold Call. Mightily, I might add. I was already feverish, but I think I sweated a bit more on account of it. In the end, the prof took the conversation in another direction and I was out of the hot seat after 10 awkward minutes. Thankfully I’ve spent many years humiliating myself on my bicycle so my pride was used to the sting.
I suffered through Operations, and Sven was nice enough to drive me home. I then spent the hours from noon to midnight dozing on the couch. I took a break from sleep with a foiled attempt at watching The Fast & The Furious (if you have ovaries, you will like Paul Walker). Guess the lappytoppy doesn’t have “a valid DVD decoder”. I wasn’t about to call HP again, so I fell back into dreamland.
He’s not as hot as Sven, but he’ll do on the silver screen.
I dragged myself up the stairs after midnight, and slept until 8 a.m. I’m doing the math: in the last 36 hours, I was awake for maybe 10 of them. Wow. Guess I needed that. The life of an MBA student isn’t as glamorous as a pro cyclist, I’m afraid. Less spandex, more studying, and forced sleeping. But some of this…
A replay of last weekend. Left to right: moi. Brett, AKA the guy who challenges the B-Skool dresscode on a daily basis. Brendan, part of my Learning Team and the awesomest UNC grad ever. Christine, a fellow Californian-by-birth who is wicked hot. Noah; a good buddy of one of the sweetest boys in the pro peloton, Michael Cody.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Married...no children
You know how a few weeks ago I wrote a letter to Fast, breaking up with him? Well, I went out and got married right quick. Call it shotgun. And my husband’s name is Darden. Case in point: Darden and I being in the initial stages of our relationship, we spend a lot of time together. A sort of forced-honeymoon phase. On Monday Darden and I spent 18 hours in each other’s presence. It was exhausting (new relationships can be), and he filled my head with sensitivity analyses, tornado charts and balance sheets. But we’re happy and in love and our shared goal carries us. So all you haters who think that I am “on the rebound” from my other love (bike racing): don’t be so hasty to judge. Darden and I are happy together. Without you. So there. 
In other news, I am trying to ride my ‘cross bike fast (so you could say I’m still seeing Fast on the side a little bit. Darden doesn’t know…yet…but I think he might suspect something’s up when I disappear for a few hours most afternoons).Fast and I have been incorporating some barriers and curb-jumping. Don’t even get me started on how bad I suck. Svennycakes was nice enough to work with me a little on my skillz…but I amazed him by falling over a lot. Things he thought would be simple for me to grasp aren’t. I guess it’s the way my brain is built. Like a pile of Legos. I experience the same thing with my dearest Darden. Even the easiest algebraic equations stump me until I digest their reasoning…then I master them. But it takes a lot longer than most people. I didn’t get a beautiful jumpshot by shooting from outside the key: I started under the basket with the almighty bank. Same with biking…I have to start ridiculously small and simple. Frustrating for those teaching me but oh well. They don’t have to start in the front row at ‘Cross Vegas, rockin the race!
I still love my new husband.
And Darden is so very good looking.
In other news, I am trying to ride my ‘cross bike fast (so you could say I’m still seeing Fast on the side a little bit. Darden doesn’t know…yet…but I think he might suspect something’s up when I disappear for a few hours most afternoons).Fast and I have been incorporating some barriers and curb-jumping. Don’t even get me started on how bad I suck. Svennycakes was nice enough to work with me a little on my skillz…but I amazed him by falling over a lot. Things he thought would be simple for me to grasp aren’t. I guess it’s the way my brain is built. Like a pile of Legos. I experience the same thing with my dearest Darden. Even the easiest algebraic equations stump me until I digest their reasoning…then I master them. But it takes a lot longer than most people. I didn’t get a beautiful jumpshot by shooting from outside the key: I started under the basket with the almighty bank. Same with biking…I have to start ridiculously small and simple. Frustrating for those teaching me but oh well. They don’t have to start in the front row at ‘Cross Vegas, rockin the race!
I still love my new husband.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Illustration
as to why blogging and self-portraiture with a digicam are so amateur:
i look like i just got attacked by hornets after doing a line of coke.
i look like i just got attacked by hornets after doing a line of coke.Wow, it's Friday and everybody is boring
mike murphy at t.n.d.c., overjoyed about his sixer of sol. the guy the right is sporting a cheerwine shirt, which made me a bit nostalgic for the south's original cherry soda, my former sponsor. it's cherry different!today was our first career discovery forum. i dragged my ass out of bed after a late night of t.n.d.c. i slapped on some pliner heels, my favorite camelhair skirt, and stumbled to darden. i am ashamed to admit that i took a small nap during our keynote intro speaker. he was nice and interesting and all, but couldn't compete with the mathematical reality of "4.5 hours sleep". i sat between nate collier (rad dude on my learning team) and mike murphy and we politely whispered snide comments to one another. i love my classmates.
scott, matt and i. at any given point, you can get a scott in a picture. they make up approximately 95% of our male classmates.
i then went to lunch with shotputter adam nelson. what an awesome guy! he and i had a lot to talk about, being serious athletes trying to make the transition at one of the best business schools in the world. he had amazing clarity of thought, and listened patiently to me as i carried on about life/love/school/work/biking over burgers at five guys. i love that place: you can throw your peanut shells on the floor.
after lunch i escaped from campus, having had enough of the blue shirts. the day's dress was "business casual", which translates to "boring" for girls and "light blue button-down (an upgrade from the late-90s end-on-end blue oxford)" for boys. i swear on jefferson's grave that 90% of the guys in my class were sporting some variation of the light blue offender. it looks cute in isolation, but en masse i'm OVER IT. ian ayers, however, kept it real in a smartly-striped french-cuffed chocolate shirt with dapper slacks to go with his jaunty hair. he is simply adorable even though he is not my boyfriend.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
This just in: North Carolina teens lead the nation in spelling
if you're going to insult someone, spell it right.
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