So, What Happened

Thus, gently prod, Shmoo, commenting. Wait. Is this even a real sentence? It feels like it should be. Makes sense in my mind, but I'm not really sure. Kinda like every single question on a Macro final that I just finished today. Man, I so got owned. I think it's been a while since I saw a bunch of questions where I couldn't honestly say that I 'knew' the answer. I ended up trying to figure out answers that, in the end, seemed like they made sense, but. It's all mercifully over now. Just handed in my final case write-up for another class, and the finals for this quarter are done.

Yesterday, in the middle of finals week, I had another interview, this time by video conference. It was really wierd to talk staring at two screens next to each other, one of which was me. Kinda felt like the videos they shot of us doing mock interviews as part of Career Services prep when I got to the GSB. Only, it was Live this time. But, it was an interesting conversation, and I guess it went well too, according to the feedback from the recruiter. Now, it's onto to the next stage, which is basically deliberations about my case by senior management. Not entirely sure when that will fully happen, hopefully I get some news mid-next week.

Speaking of, I will be in New Orleans all of next week for spring break, working with Habitat for Humanity,. We thankfully don't leave until sunday AM, saves me the frantic running to airport right after a final that some of my classmates are having to endure. I sure can use the extra day to de-stress. I am looking forward to next week though, I've never done Habitat before, and should be an interesting experience. I am also going with a good group of people, so that in itself will add to the experience.

OK, time to sign off. I was up most of last night studying for my final, so i'm going to head back home for some shut-eye. Enjoy your break, all ye break getters.

Goodbye, Depression. Thanks for Stopping by.

I don't fancy the compulsive obsessive Me. So, it's been banished for now. To be replaced by the seriously sleep-deprived Me. And, all is well with the world.

So, if you ever get to voicemail on my phone, you'll get a message that is something along the lines of 'hey, either i'm sleeping or my phone is dead or both. please leave a message.' This AM, it was neither and i was surprised to see a message waiting. Turns out I had it on silent as I've been, well silently, sitting in a library all night. Check the message and it was about the mild-case-of-depression inducing interviews. Call back, and what do ya know - I guess I did OK! So, it's now onto the next round, which should happen sometime next week.

I guess I can say I'm relieved. But, I also realized that I'd broken one of my cardinal rules with these interviews - Play for Low Stakes. Also referred to as the Fuck-It Rule, its observance requires the utterance of the mantra - 'Fuck It' - before you walk into, say, an interview, or the GMAT, or have five hours to write a 25-page business plan. It is meant to bring you good luck. Or, for the disbelievers, it is meant to relieve stress, putting you in a more happy place, thereby resulting in better performance on these things, hence feeding into the you make your own luck thesis.

However, it is not complete by itself. (OK, i don't know why the hell I am making all this up, but I need a distraction from starting on the aforementioned 25-page plan) There is an unmentionable addendum to Fuck It: what's the worst that can happen. However, you don't want to jinx things by thinking of that pre-facto. I guess where I found myself was a place in the recruiting process where the worst that could happen was, actually, pretty bad. In playing the Low Stakes game for the past year and half, I think I find myself now at a place where the stakes are getting higher.

Maybe it's time for me to grow up and realize that? Damn, now that's a depressing thought! Ah well, Fuck It.

OK, you can get things from kissing, people.

I should check if the dorms on campus all went strictly same-sex. I'm sitting in the coffee shop on campus and there's this couple in the booth in front of me who have been making out non-stop for like the past hour. It was kissing etc at first but now it's evolving into nsf-coffee-shop stuff. Now, there's a card-carrying voyeur part of me that doth protest at my protesting about this, but I am trying to get some long-delayed work done and this is incredibly distracting. Get a room or something already! (and don't make me want to wallow in self-pity for sitting here working instead of, you know)

Doesn't also help that I'm going through what can only be described as a bout of mild kinda, sorta depression. It's been creeping up on me since yesterday evening when I walked out of an interview for what should be one of the jobs that I really want to do next. I don't know man, I thought parts of them went well, but others were a little all over the place. But, this was technical CS stuff and I'm not sure how it's going to pan out. The wait isn't fun.

But, I have things to keep me busy, and Khaled, Taha and Feudel are keeping me good company. Shukran. My friend M and I made the second round of the Global Social Venture competition, and we have to work toward a deadline that is due tomorrow. An all-nighter has been added to the menu. We have an idea to start a non-profit, I will write more about that. It is basically a version of AdSense for Charity, with all proceeds from blogs going to charities nominated by the bloggers. I think it is pretty interesting. Later today, I have meetings with the two teams I am working with in my role as a TA. They are coming up on final presentations, and i am going to be going over their stuff. And, I am creeping up on finals week. Given that I missed mid-terms for both my classes, some work is needed to ensure that I don't flunk out of these! So, that's going to keep me busy, busy, busy for the next 2 weeks.

Then, it's on to New Orleans for Spring Break. While I will be spending time there working with Habitat for Humanity building homes, I do expect to spend some quality time on Bourbon Street. Surrounded, once again I suspect, by people making out. Ah well, circle of life or some such right.

10 Minutes. 50 States. Go

http://www.ironicsans.com/state21.html

This is pretty cool. OK, a lame way to start blogging again after forever. But, it's pretty cool, regardless. You get 10 minutes - with a countdown clock staring at you - to name all the 50 United States. I got 48, but pretty much froze for the last 2 minute with my mind going super blank.

Check it out, if you have 10 minutes to spare.