Christmas Season!

(One of the weirdest nativities I've ever seen, thank you BYU!)

Things have been great. I've had a decent break from school and still have quite a bit to go, I don't head back until the 11th. I'm sure I'll find some awesome stuff to do. I've already been to the Bean Museum and the BYU Art Museum, both were awesome.

I'm really enjoying hanging with Fin. He's a stellar little nephew. The little dude never slows down, it's pretty entertaining. On another train of thought, I seriously can't believe I only have one semester of school left, now if I only had a sweet job. Patients is probably the best at this point. Something will turn up, but waiting is killer. I'm also considering going to Spain for a year, we shall see. If I want to go I'd have to take an three hour Spanish exam, and see about some type of fellowship.

As far as crazy Utah adventures go, none yet. However, New Years is coming up. That can always be fun. If it ever snows I'll get some skiing in. I literally have my fingers crossed.

The Flood

Our apartment flooded. It happened the day before yesterday. It was about 8:30 a.m. and water stared poring from the ceiling. Needless to say I was praying at the time and thought the end had come. I'm glad to report that I made it, this time.

(Danger Zone!!)

The neighbors upstairs, 2nd story, had some type of washer malfunction. I live in the basement. Yep water made it's way all the way down there, and in volume.

(Upstairs, there's a total of six fans in there.)

Due to this I currently live in a triage center. The one like in ET. I try not to read the sign with the skull, or at least redifiny it to rationalize going in (lead comes from the earth so it has to be good for me).

(ET triage unit.)

Anyway here are some pictures. They say they're worth a thousand words, too bad this doesn't apply to essays!

(Downstairs, three fans. I'm taking the picture from my bedroom.)

2 AM Blogging!

I suppose I should go to sleep, but Iron Chef called - really what's more fun than watching people cook fish? Classes have been going really well, or at least I'm learning important things like how to get just the right amount of debt in a company. Believe it or not there is a magic amount, I swear it's a finance thing. That's the kind of quality you get from Brandies: http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/masters-in-finance-pre-experience-2011

That's right the school was just ranked #1 for the MAief program. Basically the pre-experience master in finance degree. Does it matter that I've never heard of any of the schools above Brandeis, probably. Does it matter that I now believe in Chiadar, heavens no! I've heard of the Financial Times - it's huge in Europe. I guess that's kind of like those t-shirts that say I'm huge in Japan!

All that aside I am enjoying it. The faculty are smart,(some even show up on TV, if you're on TV you've got to be smart, right?) and one of them reminds me of the teacher in Better Off Dead; in that same class I'm one of the two Americans in the class. I've been told I'm not the typical American most students think of. It must be my taste in clothing.

On the docket for this weekend. Discussing singleness with Mormons!!! I don't know of any other religion that sorts people into separate groups because they're single. I'm no dummy, I've done the singles thing for eight years, for the friends of other faiths that end up reading this, that's a long time (for a lot of reasons). I'm suppose to facilitate some sort of discussion on how to stay active in the church despite being single, funny right? My answer would honestly be go to a normal ward, but I think I'd be missing the point. I may report on this excitement later, I've got a feeling it's going to be great fun.

I've also started playing racquetball again. Turns out the YMCA is good for something other than getting a group of guys together that share similar life styles and inspiring them to make a song. They have racquetball courts, also a boxing ring, but I'm primarily there for the racquetball courts. I'm glad I've found someone that will tag along with me. Also, the racquetball courts at Brandeis should be fixed by spring semester, now that we've recouped the Maddoff lose.

I've also come up with some more life goals, long-term/medium-term. This is what I do in Applied Corporate Finance, that and draw snakes eating bugs.

Potatoe cannon!

Nothing really makes a guy feel more manly than shooting a gun. I count potatoe cannons in this category. Seriously, what isn't great about it. A giant contraption that can lauch a vegetable a couple hundred yards, the proper use of vegetables (just kiding I like vegetables). To make things even better the cannon I shot this weekend was made of metal. For those of you that don't know metal>plastic on the man scale...always!!!

I spent Saturday in Ipswich with one roommate and six ladies. It's always flattering when the odds are that good, but also tells a sad tale for the poor women of Boston. I'll take what I can get, but I can feign a little selectivity out here. Obviously it hasn't done too much for me or I would be co-writing a blog, but I digress.

The whole thing was at a farm. We walked through a corn maze(finishing it way too quickly), jumped on a giant pillow(got some little kids kick off so we could jump), had a hay ride(learned about evil spiders), and shot a potato cannon at various Halloween themed targets. Now I'll get back to the initial potato cannon set up. I have a point with this and an awesome ending story!

Growing up my friends and I built a potato cannon. It was amazing and none of us died. Though it was really close a couple times. Lessons were learned and I think we all learned that stepping in front of a cannon is a bad idea. We also developed phenomenal aim, really it was quite impressive. In hind site I should have been putting this energy into studying for the ACT and what not, but at the time my priorities were what they were.

We all started shooting. It was less than impressive. Wind was blamed a lot. Most women just don't have a lot of experience in the small arms category. That's right I went there! Some people got "close". I went 6th. I missed the first two, but was actually very close. I was getting harassed by a one lass in particular, I find her entertaining, but she won't date red heads(she's also a red head) and my guess is I'd end up getting stabbed, so unless she tries to seduce me, no deal!

After explaining that at Utah State I had to take a course in weaponized vegetables, and that accounted for some of my skill, I lined up my third and final shot. I pressed the button, slowly (you don't want any jerky trigger movement), and watched the potato fly. It brought back a lot of good memories with great friends. I was jerked back to reality when my potato smashed into the plywood witch! Ideally the potato would have gone through the mouth, if that would have happened I would have won a small pumpkin, since I hit the witch I won another shot, or a potato. I decided to keep the potato, as a trophy to my manliness. Poor Tom will have to prove his manliness some other way.

I should end here, but the potato tale continued. I ended up putting the potato in one of the ladies pursues, who I went to Ipswich with. I forgot it and she ended up giving it to me at church today, yep that's right she made me a man again (yep I think I'm pretty funny), but really, don't get the wrong idea, she just gave me my potato back. Naturally I didn't bring anything to store a potato to church(I really should plan ahead), so I did the next best thing. I gave it away. There was some random lady that was walking down the hall with another giant purse, can you guess what I did, there was a little ninja skill involved? Maybe the token of my manliness will make its way back to me, but my guess is that poor lady is just going to be really confused. Life really is about the small things.

Okay, so I may not be the best at blogging.

Blogging is sometimes a pain. I try, I swear I try. However, here I am a month late. I suppose you all should be happy I haven't blogged in awhile, it means I've been busy. Trying to pass on the Smith name, and genes (yeah for dating).

I finished my internship at State Street, it was a great internship. Luckily I was in a group that was really diverse. We dealt with equities, fixed income, real assets, and other types of investments. I mostly just got to see this from a distance, being an intern an what not I ended up doing intern work. Yep, stuff other people didn't want to do. Hopefully I wow-ed some people and end up getting a job. Portfolio Management wouldn't be such a bad gig, it just takes awhile to make it.

It looks like I'll end up having to get my CFA if I want to make a career in the asset management biz. It takes three years to finish it all up, more if you fail a test once, so I'll probably be at it for 5 years. Once you finish the CFA stuff you end up being paid fairly well. That is assuming our entire capitalist system doesn't explode (fingers crossed).

I dated a girl since Aprilish and we just parted ways. We were very different people. Part of it was I come from a family that teases and as it turns out some people don't communicate affection through teasing. I grew up in a family where stabbing someone with a pin meant you cared. Granted I never did this, but I'm always kind of expecting it. I suppose the teasing means everything is okay, when there isn't teasing there may be a problem.

Deep sea fishing was fun. I plan to go again soon. Unfortunately, all I caught were dogfish, a small shark creature. I will be returning to the sea shortly. I figure I have to go back until I finally catch something that I can keep. I suppose I could have kept one of those little sharks, but the crew of the boat seemed pretty keen on throwing them back. My guess is they aren't good eatin.

I'm excited for school to start up again. It'll be nice to be one step closer to being done. Who knows, I might even graduate in another recession, win! I just hope the financial sector isn't the one the is hurt the worst this time, I don't think it will be, but you never know.

Le Mois de Juin

I'm always learning new things. Sometimes it surprises me. Example of things I've learned since last month: ladies really do like French accents, awesome stuff about Multi Asset Class Solutions (job stuff), and more on what I want to do with my life.

Mostly I've been learning the ropes of the metro. It's really not too bad. I'm planning to do the whole public transport thing next school year. I should be able to study while commuting, which should help. Starting my last grad school year should be nice. I plan to work for awhile, 3 years, then go back for more school. I'm also starting my languages classes in July, which I'm really stoked for.

The Month of May

I made it, 2 semesters left! I have to admit this last semester was tough; mostly because I commuted every day. I'm planning on ending that next semester. Luckily, I didn't end up doing too much damage to my GPA, just a little. Besides, what’s life without a little self imposed challenge?

Luckily, I don’t have to move for the summer. I ended up getting internship offers in Las Vegas and in Boston. I’ll be staying in Boston! I’ll be working at an asset management firm – think the guys who put together mutual funds. I’m really excited, as it will make me more marketable, or turn into a career.

I’ve been keeping busy socially, maybe too busy. The jury is still out on that one. My parents came this month which was fun, since they brought with them the ability to buy good food. Also, we went to the Blue Man Group, a life changing experience! As a note, I’m not really a theater fan, but this was amazing. I’ll probably even go back. Maybe become a Blue Man Group understudy…

Currently I’m in the process of trying to find an apartment a little closer to Brandeis. Some people can commute; I’m learning I have some limitations…so much wasted time! Driving and studying doesn’t work, and yes, I’ve tried.

Being in Boston for the summer should be a lot of fun. One of the activities I really want to try out is deep sea fishing. I’m also looking at taking some Turkish classes over the summer. I guess I’ll see how motivated I am, or busy I end up being.

I promise to become a better blogger. Let’s be honest, picture will probably never happen, until I get married. However, I’ll try to remedy the frequency of posts a little bit. One part of this blogging thing that I don’t quite understand is who is my audience? I don’t really know who I’m writing for, besides my family. I guess blogging helps keep my writing powers sharp. I suppose it’s worth it just for that.

April Required Blog Post

Not too much new has been going on. Mom and Dad came to visit, which was awesome! I got some great meals and some free touristy stuff. They’re always a lot of fun.

The dating life continues. I decided to vent something. Primarily this friend stuff women try to pull, ridiculous! If I take you out two to three times and you decided you’re not interested, but want to try to be my friend, forget it. In my opinion it’s kind of emasculating. Obviously if you like me enough to try to have a friend relationship, you like my personality. Yet you don’t want to date? It makes me laugh.

Women are adamant that men are shallow, probably true, but they're on par with us. I’ve heard tons of women have a height requirement at 5’10” to 6’. Women are also pretty vocal about this. However, if a man so much as mentions some type of physical characteristic he’s looking for he’s a pig or somehow shallow? I grew up in a family where I truly saw my parents as equal. Thus I tend to think that rules that apply to one sex should apply to the other. When they don’t, it drives me nuts!

Also, I never ever thought of my height as prohibitive, until I came out to Boston. I’m 5’8”, a little below average, but I’d like to think I’m not short, and I’m in pretty good shape. However, it would appear that this is not within the acceptable realm. I’m a fairly handsome guy, so I don’t have that working against me. The problem as I see it is the dating pool out here has expectations that are not realistic. I’m pretty sure they don’t even know what they’re looking for.

Luckily I have a few ways I sort. My roommate helps immensely. If a girl will go out with my roommate, at least once, I figure she’s worth considering. However, if he asks her out again and then ends up in the friend zone listening to her problems, I’m not a fan. I basically told him he was allowing women to cheat. Usually the role he fills is what a boyfriend is for. If you’re getting that type of male listening ear, except family members, without having to date, well that is cheating.

That's enough of my dating rant. Can you tell I love it? It's way better once you date one person for a long period of time. This semester is coming to a close. This school year has been tough, but I've learned a ton. I have an internship for the summer, in Vegas. I know Vegas in the summer is no place for a red head. I'm holding out for another internship that would be in Boston. Hopefully, they pick me as an intern and I don't have to fry my brains out.

The Boat Show

I did something this last weekend. It involved a lot of white people. Really expensive stuff, fancy shoes, fancy jackets, and fancy pants. It involved a lot of silk cloth and wood. The people measure distance in knots and rigging wasn't about races. Can you guess where I went? I went to the Boston Boat Show!

There were lots of boats! I've always had an affinity for the ocean. I'm not exactly sure why. I guess I find it therapeutic. If you get the opportunity I highly recommend attending an event like this.

The best part was they actually let you inside of the boats! You had to take of you're shoes off, but still, it's the easiest way I've ever hear of to get on a yacht. I also ended up getting free 1 year subscription to Yachting.

(The Yacht I'll own soon! A boat is a boat)

Chillaxed

I had this whole week off. Guess what I did? Nothing! How lame is that. I got sick on Tuesday and am now on the mend. Luckily, I don't stay sick for long. My body has a knack for fixing itself quicker than most. It takes me about half as long to recover after getting sick. My guess is my survivability was enhanced due to my childhood. Getting hit by cars and such tends to keep you at the evolutionary edge, or something like that.

The highlight of the week was a date I went on Wednesday. It was awesome and super fun. I'll definitely ask her out again. However, I am confronted again with one of my prejudices. Growing up I always vowed I would never date a red head. This might be a subconscious attempt to keep my narcissism in check. I have since broken this vow. I don't know how I feel about this. My life is one experience after another of me ending up doing something I said I would never ever do. I've ended up eating my words more times than I can count.

I know other red heads that have similar sentiments. I'm unsure why. Are we scared of creating some sort of uber-pale offspring? Is there some type of evolutionary block, or is the scarcity of other red heads keeping the possibilities of dating other red heads down? I don't know. This past date was with a fellow red head, and it went well. There are a few other red heads in my "dating pool" that I might ask out. However, it is oftentimes more of an extreme challenge for myself. Going on a date with a fellow red head is akin to doing something that might cause me some sort of physical harm, like skydiving. Yeah it is exhilarating, but there is a possibility I might get killed. Sometimes it is worth it, just for the thrill.

Fun Times at San Dimas High!

Going to an International Business School where only 30% of us are American is fantastic. I learn all kinds of new things. Just the other day I came home with 4 duck tongues. I left them on the counter and now one is missing. I didn't tell my roommates what they were. To be honest, it looks like a beef jerky packet. I wonder who ate it, and I wonder if they'll eat another. I might give it a go, but to be honest, they are a little bit scary. Who knew there was a market for individually wrapped duck tongues! I could maybe understand bulk, for stew and such, but individual tongues?!

Enough of that. Now to the real meat of my post. There are plenty of students that attend my school that are either from communist countries or were once part of the Soviet Bloc. As an interesting note, Chinese students are required to take Principles of Marxism as undergraduates. There are also plenty of students from Russia, Bulgaria, Eastern Europe, etc.

Okay the stage is now set. I was in the Bloomberg lab working with my Chinese partner. We were figuring out some numbers on a case about bad real estate loans. The fun started when student 1 and student 2 started chatting. Student 1 was trying to polish pronunciation of some questionable phrases in student 2's language. It was immensely entertaining. You never know; knowing those phrases may come in handy.

The conversation moved to the how both of these students countries had a past with communism. It was entertaining to listen to their perspectives. Student 1 described the reactions of his grandmother when he tries to explain that communism didn't work. Apparently, she's still committed to the cause. However, I think it is awesome her grandson is studying finance at US university. Marx must be turning over in his grave. Student 2 was talking about how hard it is to have a high powered government job, unless you're connect to the main communist governing body.

I'm amazed by the diversity of the student body. It is great to see the ironies, histories, and struggles of so many different countries. I hope that the students enjoy their stay in the US, and learn a little bit more about how the US works. I enjoy the other student. Knowing the backgrounds of other people is helpful and I think is broadening my view of the world.

Welcome 2011!

How about that? I missed January! I'm off to a great start. Unfortunately for those that read my blog I don't do New Year's resolutions. This means I'm not bound by any type of commitment to blog.

Also, I've been trying to come to terms with some blogging etiquette. A large amount of my time is spent dating, or at least that's where the best potential stories come from. What are my limits? I fear the page creepers. Recently I removed my blog address from my facebook account and made it so people couldn't search for my blog. I'm reversing this. Though I'm not sure I should. i primarily did it so various HR places couldn't find me when they run my name through search engines. Though it may come up for other more incriminating searches. I think I may have done this too late. I checked my blog stats and I've been found through google.com.uk. I also wanted some privacy; primarily because I wanted to start ranting about my dating life. By the way, if any potential employers read this I promise not to write any thing about work. Only how awesome it is!

As for writing about dating, I'm afraid I'd meet the girl of my dreams and she would read about one of our early dates - they're never great - and end the relationship. I guess if she did it over that she wouldn't really be that great. However, if that did happened I would move to a cabin in Montana.

This is a basic finance problem. I'm averse to the risk of getting caught, but the benefit of writing awesome stuff, dating, almost makes it worth it. I just need to figure out my A. I see some up side and some down. I'm really looking to be a blog superstar, and I'm fairly sure my dating stories would get me there. I'm sure my future post on women criteria will be a hit. Yes, I will provide a decision making tree.