Happy New Year!

Anyone who has ever wished they could make a special moment last for just one more second will have their chance tonight.

According to timeanddate.com, tonight will be the 24th leap second since they were first instated back in 1972. I don't fully understand the science behind it and don't change my clocks to fall back an hour, let alone one second.

As friends and family countdown to 2009, I'm thankful that I'll have an extra moment (3,2,1,1) to reflect on what 2008 has meant to me.

Christmas Dinner!

The crowns were in our Christmas Crackers. Here I am with my family just before Christmas dinner:

From left to right: Jessica, Melly, Ruth, Hunter, Aunt Ellen, Granddad, Stephan, Auntie Margaret, Alex, Dad Not Pictured: Uncle Scott

Coal in my Stocking....

My dad tells me that Santa wanted to cancel my Christmas because the North Pole is a red state...

Good thing I celebrate holidays multiple times. :)

Including the gift exchanges at work and Three Kings Day, I have three Christmases down and three more to go.

Can you guess...

...which "cookies" I brought to Bunny's cookie exchange?

Cookie Casualties...

During the snowstorm last Friday, Amelia and I discovered that our oven was broken when I tried to make dinner and the apartment began to smell like gas.

We called our landlord and let him know that our pilot light had gone out. Determined to fix our problem and armed with a lighter in his hand, he began tinkering with the oven. Sadly, it was no use. The igniter was broken and he would send a repair guy on Monday.

Alas, we have a cookie exchange to go to on Monday evening and needed to use our oven to prepare for the festivities. The most logical solution to our problem was to ask our landlord if we could use his oven (he lives in our building). When he informed us that he had plans, Amelia and I began our quest to find an oven by calling all of our closest friends within a five mile radius of our apartment.

When we found our oven (available at 10, Thanks Bo!), Amelia and I set forth to start baking only to have our plans foiled once again. We did our grocery shopping by memory and remembered everything except for the vanilla.

It was getting late so we ruled our baking extravaganza a lost cause (I'm sorry Bunny, we tried!).

MINI Parade & Toy Drive

The MINI club of WNY organized a parade of MINIs led by a fire truck from Station 12 to bring toys to the Pirate Toy Fund office on Main Street:


Channel 10 News met us at the Pirate Toy Fund office on Main Street to videotape our arrival. I was in the MINI on the right with the checkered roof!

And to get footage of us unloading toys:


The full album is here. The news story and video is here:

A Day in the Life of A Downtown Employee: Financial Crisis & Expense Control Edition

Yesterday was a cold cold day in the office. It turns out that the maintenance crew had received instructions to turn off the heat in the entire building because it was going to be a nice day.

A nice day during the month of December in Upstate, New York?!

I hope my company saved a lot of money yesterday because I'm shivering again today...

This is Why I Love Volunteering...

In April 2008, the Make-A-Wish foundation sent Barry and I (wish-granters) to Seneca Falls to find out what Richard wanted more than anything.

The conversation went like this:

Barry & Melisa: If you could have or do anything in the whole wide world, what would it be?

Richard: A clubhouse!

Barry & Melisa: If you could have a second wish, what would it be?

Richard: A playhouse!

Richard loves firetrucks and was so excited to show us the certificate he received when he was named an honorary firefighter with the local fire department. We knew that his very own station would be the perfect place to display his firefighting gear and memorabilia:


Over 100 friends, family, and community members came to Richards house today to watch the ribbon cutting ceremony for his new clubhouse, include four fire trucks and over 10 firemen.:

From left to right: Barry, Robin, Richard Sr, Melisa, Richard Jr.

Today has been an amazing day. I'll post more photos as soon as I can.

Playing Soon at a Table Near You: The Vegetable Orchestra

The Vegetable Orchestra

My Social Life is Almost Here!

My First Craig's List Posting

Amelia & I love great food but we don't always have time to cook so we created this Craig's List ad.

I'll post the responses when our ad expires in 30 days.

Perfect Symmetry*

*I didn't "fall back" so it was really 7:18am

Did you know...

...that foreign currency options expire on the Friday preceding the third Wednesday of every month at 11:59 pm EST?

A year ago today, I was wrapping up my Series 7 (financial industry licencing) exam and holding my breath as I anxiously awaited my test results.

Today's calendar is much more fun as I have a light day followed by 2:30 cake.

November 4, 2008

I'm excited about the election results and Obama's leadership for our country.

I was touched and inspired by the heartfelt sincerity from both candidates.I feel so fortunate to have witnessed tonight's historic events and for the opportunity to be a part of it all.

Don't be that guy (or girl)!

Haunted Housewarming Photos!

The Haunted Housewarming photos are up!

Check out the Haunted Housewarming and other photo albums by checking out the links on the left side of my blog. :)

A Day in the Life of a Downtown Employee: Halloween Edition

My road to the White House. (This link is hysterical):

Teaching everything I (as Sarah Palin) know about the Bush doctirine:

It just goes to show that anyone can be President. Anyone:

I'm on Fire!

Happy Hump Day & Happy Birthday Internet!

I'm having a great week thus far and am looking forward to finding out if it will continue to ride the waves of good news:

First, I got the green light to delegate the data entry portion of my sales tracking responsibilities (YAY!) so that I can spend more energy expanding my skill set and helping the client managers bring in new business.

On Tuesday, I realized that I wasted too much time over the last few weeks being a pre/post exam grump. I picked up my Operations midterm yesterday and happily discovered that I was ahead of the curve.

Bank of America's Hurricane Relief Team was recognized by Alan Rappaport and Jay Springer (no relation to Jerry) on this afternoon's all hands call. Rochester is one of the smallest cities in our market (DE, NJ, NY, PA and parts of CT) so it was a pleasant surprise that four of the associates recognized this quarter were from Upstate, NY.

In other good news, I'm only one wish away from becoming a lead wish granter for the Make-A-Wish foundation!

Highlights from Peet's Pumpkin Party!

Q: How many pumpkins can fit in the backseat of a MINI Cooper?

A: 6 pumpkins can fit in the backseat of a MINI Cooper with room to spare.

Jessica (upon arrival): "This pumpkin has neurofibromatosis and was the ugliest one in the patch."

Peet:

"Jessica, get your diseased pumpkin off my Buffalo!!"

Simon Students and Pumpkins:

Byron, Melly, Jessica, and Yankee Peet

When I got home...

Amelia (helping me carry our pumpkins inside): Mel, these are so heavy and won't fit in the fireplace! What part of small to medium don't you understand?!

Mel: I did my job! The prices ranged from $4 to over $10. At $5.50, these pumpkins are medium!

Help Wanted!

We are having a Halloween Party at work next week and I've received bi-partisan support for my costume. I'll be wearing my glasses, a red suit, and Amelia is going to puff up my hair.

Please let me know if you can help me obtain the following items by October 30:

• An Alaskan accent
• A [free] McCain/Palin pin

Feel free to leave me other costume or prop suggestions in the comments!

Tag!

I've been tagged by my cousin Sarah. Here is the fifth photo in the fifth folder on my computer:

Sophie and I at her soccer game this summer.

I tag: Clark & James, you're it!

Small World!

According to LinkedIn, I know twenty two people who can introduce me (through one of their connections) to Barak Obama, twelve to John McCain, and four to Sarah Palin. If Joe Biden uses LinkedIN, he is not in my network.

Click on their names to view the candidates' LinkedIn profiles. I recommend checking out their use of summaries, specialties, and endorsements as it makes for quite an interesting read.

Thumbs down to Microsoft Word!

Dear Microsoft,

I had no idea that it was my secret desire for you to screw up the formatting on my 3 column, size 8 font, and .4 margin cheat sheet for OMG 402. Clearly, if I type a definition, formula, and example together, I must want you to separate those items and scatter them across the page to ruin other well organized thoughts.

Thank you for all of this rework. You are the bottleneck of my education.

Sincerely,
An Unhappy Melly

How would you decorate...?

...If there was an unsightly non-removable duck bill thing screwed into your bathroom door?

<--Before

&

After -->

Study Sanctuary

I have a midterm a week from Tuesday which means I'll be anti-social until approximately 10:00 pm on October 21st.

I'm spending this evening at the "Stoffel Study Sanctuary" to prepare for my upcoming exam. Aunt Sue always has dinner on the table, snacks in the cupboard, and a never ending supply of dark chocolate desserts. I also love that she doesn't think I'm too old to get tucked into bed.

She taught me how to focus when I was little and now my study sleepovers keep me disciplined. Thank you, Aunt Sue, for the hospitality that helped me earn two financial licenses and waive the GMAT. :)

To read more about my wonderful aunt, check out Sarah's tribute!

A Day in the Life of a Downtown Employee

The following true story is proof that men DO know how to ask for directions:

While walking to work this morning from East End Garage, a man stopped me at the corner of Gibbs Street and East Avenue to ask for directions to the nearest coffee shop. Feeling sympathetic for a gentlemen who needed a morning Cup of Joe, I didn't question his sanity as I normally would have. I let down my tunnel vision because he was walking in a straight line, didn't make suggestive comments or ask me for money.

Melisa: "Java's is a great cafe and is about two doors down on your right" (points to Java's).


View Larger Map


Gentleman: "Thank you so much, I really need breakfast. Can I ask you one more favor...?"

Melisa: (Begins to walk away assuming that he is about to ask for money)

Gentleman: "....Can you give me directions to the Genesee River? I'm trying to get to Olean and need to be home by Tuesday."

Melisa: "Left on Main, Left on Exchange. The river will be on your left."

Gentleman: (Eyes wide open, looking around and up at the sky): "Thanks so much for all of your help. I've only been in Rochester for about 5 minutes. This is a cute little town. I'm a rail traveler from Washington D.C. I took a train to Buffalo and walked here along the Erie Canal. Now, I'm going to follow the river..."

Who you going to call...?

...Herbiebusters!

When I chose my second class for this quarter, I was being faceitious when I said that my GBA 411 modeling mishaps on my final exam meant that I was destined to excel in operations:

• "When the inventory falls below one, order one..."
• "Minimize costs by producing nothing..."

I'm either settling into the Simon workload or my self-inflated ego led to "good inferences" during last week's during factory simulation. Kidding aside, I'm proud of my fellow "Herbiebusters" for the collaboration that brought us to first place.

Photos from Mississippi

Click on "View Gallery" to see photos from my recent trip to Mississippi:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=la8opbq.754vcesy&x=0&y=115tnx&localeid=en_US

Enjoy! :)

Election Results!

Thank you to everyone who voted for me during the Graduate Business Council (GBC) Part-Time Representative elections! I am very excited about representing the part-time community and working with the GBC executive board!

Congratulations to the other newly elected representatives:

• Daniel Beth, M.S. representative
• Ranbo Chen, M.S. representativ
  
• Peter Dwyer, 1st year representative
• Ricardo Medeiros, 1st year representative
• Erik Monostory, Part-time representative
  
• Jason Reminick, 1st year representative
• Myrdna Vargas, 1st year representative
  

Voter Registration Instructions

Please take a moment to visit the Graduate Business Council (GBC) website on Simon Exchange to cast your ballot in the elections for Part-Time student representative:

• Log into SimonExchange
• Click on the GBC link in the upper left hand corner to get to the GBC homepage
• At the top of left hand column, click on the link for the Part-Time student elections (under surveys).
• On the purple header row, click respond to this survey.
• Finally, click on the radio buttons next to Melisa Beauchesne

I'm Hitting the Campaign Trail!

Please remember to vote (for me) in the upcoming Graduate Business Council elections. Elections will be held online through SimonExchange September 29th-October 1st.

My name is Melisa Beauchesne and I am running for the position of part-time representative on the Graduate Business Council.

Over the summer, I served as an advocate for the part-time student community during several meetings with the student services office. I raised issues such as the timing and communication of campus events. As a result of these discussions, the most recent coffee hour was moved to a later time so that more part-time students could participate. If I am elected, I plan to work with the Graduate Business Council to develop a quarterly forum where part-timers will have the opportunity to personally share their suggestions as well as the issues we are facing.

As working professionals, the flexibility of the part-time M.B.A. program is appealing but also presents challenges for building relationships with our peers because we are completing our coursework at different paces. The diversity of our life and work experience is one of the greatest assets that Simon students have to offer. In my current role as Vice-President of Special Events for Simon Volunteers, I am spearheading the “Selfless Saturday” initiative to bring full and part-time students together while giving back to the community.

As our part-time student representative, I will continue to voice our concerns and seek new ways to integrate the Simon community.

Thank you for your support.

Hurricane Gustav Relief Trip: Day 5

Today was another day full of stripping, acid, and repositioning beds.

We are on track to finish early tomorrow for a fun evening in New Orleans. I might need to take a bath in turpentine before our night on the town. Whenever I think that I have removed all the paint from my skin, it keeps popping up in funny places...

Hurricane Gustav Relief Trip: Days 3 & 4

We took the first set of after photos today!!

We finished scraping the carpet glue off the floors, painted the walls and floors, and put more beds back in place! If we keep up this pace, we are going to have most, if not all, of the dorms finished by before we leave on Friday!

We watched the WLOX documentary, "Katrina - South Mississippi's Story," to remind us why we are here. The before, during, and after footage covered by local residents presents a very powerful perspective of the storm. The before footage helps us to recognize slow progress but the need for volunteers will be here for a very long time. Three years post-Katrina, the Mississippi coast is only 30% rebuild and experts estimate that it will take another 8-10 years to fully recover (statistics from www.campvictor.org).

Mississippi Nightlife

After dinner, my co-workers and I took a short walk to The Dugout, a local pub, to grab a cold beer after dinner. It was a pleasant surprise to find out that Monday night football is celebrated with FREE pork chops on the grill and jambalaya. I wasn't hungry because I had already eaten two helpings of dinner but I absolutely could not pass up the opportunity to enjoy authentic southern cuisine. It was delicious.

When I finished my second dinner, the chef introduced my co-workers and I to Connie Moran, mayor of Ocean Springs. It was fascinating to learn about her leadership in the midst of Hurricane Katrina. She urged us to consider running for public office someday. After she left, it was time for our group to get another round. As I was waiting for the bartender, a very nice elderly gentlemen (Francis) handed me $20 and said, "Thank you for all the work you are doing. Please let a citizen buy you a drink." Francis shook his head at me when I said thank you and tried to give him his change. After a lovely conversation with Francis, his wife, and a few other locals, they insisted on setting up a free dinner for our group at the Beau Rivage casino on a night most convenient for us before we depart.

I normally don't like Mondays but this one has been most excellent.

I'm having an amazing experience thus far. We are making a difference and every person we meet is so friendly with an interesting story to tell.

Hurricane Gustav Relief Trip: Day 2

The lights in our dorms came on bright and early at 6:00 am. We woke up to the smell of a hot homemade breakfast before our first day of volunteering.

We spent the morning moving 25+ bunkbeds and nightstands so that we could get the dorms ready for painting. The felt pads kept slipping out from under the bed posts so Eloise cut up large squares of carpet remnants to help us move the furniture. The carpet remnants were also great for moving people as noted by the races that Katie and I had in the hallway while two of our group members took their smoking break.

The carpet removal was finished before our arrival but we had to get on our hands and knees and use something acidic to scrape the glue off the floor. We put two coats of paint on the walls and will be reinstalling the outlet covers tomorrow. When paint splattered on me, I was thankful for my lifetime supply Bank of America clothing. We also put something that "WILL BURN YOUR SKIN" on the cement floor so that the paint will stick tomorrow. Two of my co-workers love to mother me and banned me from that substance. While they were pouring toxic chemicals, Katie and I began putting beds back where they belong in the dorms where the painting had been completed.

I'm thankful for...

• Good water pressure
• Showers
• Comfortable mattresses
• The acid didn't sting my hand for very long
  
• Jackie's common sense
• Eloise's brilliant carpet idea
  
• Connie's super-strength
  
• Katie's energy and enthusiasm
• Not falling off of the ladder while I was painting
  
• Successfully washing the paint off my body and out of my hair
  

Hurricane Gustav Relief Trip: Day 1

When my co-workers and I arrived safely in the Gulf Coast this afternoon, I wasn't sure where we would be needed the most during our Hurricane Relief trip. On the long car ride from New Orleans, LA to Ocean Springs, MI, it was unsettling to see how much debris still seems to go on for miles - I'll post photos upon my return. Camp Victor, a disaster response agency, that provides lodging and volunteer assignments was also impacted by the recent hurricanes:

"Volunteers [are] needed immediately for help restoring Camp Victor Ministry’s roof and dorm rooms after Hurricane Gustav!"

I was happy to hear that there are going to be 200+ volunteers coming to Camp Victor in October. However, the dorms are a mess and Bank of America is the only source of volunteers for this week. My co-workers and I are going to spend our week ripping out carpeting, painting the walls/floors, covering electrical outlets, and moving furniture.

I introduced the "I'm thankful for..." box this evening so that we can open it and reflect during our Appreciation Ceremony/Dinner on Friday night. I am thankful that I don't have to repair the roof over my head. I am also thankful that this trip is going smoothly. We have a great and diverse set of personalities and we are all excited about our upcoming week of community service.

Budget Cuts: New Office Policy

NEW OFFICE POLICY EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 1
Due to budget cuts, this will be your new cube:

Dress Code:

1. You are advised to come to work dressed according to your salary.


2. If we see you wearing Prada shoes and carrying a Gucci bag, we will assume you are doing well financially and therefore do not need a raise.


3. If you dress poorly, you need to learn to manage your money better, so that you may buy nicer clothes, and therefore you do not need a raise.


4. If you dress just right, you are right where you need to be and therefore you do not need a raise.

Sick Days:

• We will no longer accept a doctor's statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.

Personal Days:

• Each employee will receive 104 personal days a year. They are called Saturdays & Sundays.

Bereavement Leave:

• This is no excuse for missing work. There is nothing you can do for dead friends, relatives or co-workers.
• Every effort should be made to have non-employees attend the funeral arrangements in your place.
• In rare cases where employee involvement is necessary,the funeral should be scheduled in the late afternoon.
• We will be glad to allow you to work through your lunch hour and subsequently leave one hour early.

Bathroom Breaks:

• Entirely too much time is being spent in the toilet. There is now a strict three-minute time limit in the stalls.
• At the end of three minutes, an alarm will sound,the toilet paper roll will retract, the stall door will open, and a picture will be taken.
• After your second offense,your picture will be posted on the company bulletin board under the 'Chronic Offenders' category.
• Anyone caught smiling in the picture will be sectioned under the company's mental health policy.

Lunch Breaks:

• Skinny people get 30 minutes for lunch, as they need to eat more so that they can look healthy.
• Normal size people get 15 minutes for lunch to get a balanced meal to maintain their average figure.
• Chubby people get 5 minutes for lunch, because that's all the time needed to drink a Slim-Fast.

Thank you for your loyalty to our company. We are here to provide a positive employment experience.

Therefore, all questions, comments, concerns, complaints, frustrations, irritations, aggravations, insinuations, allegations, accusations, contemplations, consternation and input should be directed elsewhere.

The Management

Packing Procrastination

Instead of packing for my move to the bachelorette pad of the century as well as my upcoming hurricane relief trip, I'm uploading photos and catching up on speeches from the convention last week.

Thanks Sarah, my younger and more beautiful (not by much) cousin for designing my custom header and footer! If you would like your own, you can get one here. You'll get extra special attention if you tell Sarah that her older and wiser (not by much) cousin sent you...

"Life's a journey, not a destination."

Between heavy traffic in Rochester, crossing the border with Red Sox Nation, and construction on the QEW, our delays seemed endless. At 6:30, Byron, Jessica, and I realized that we were not going to arrive at Roger's Stadium in time to hear Peet sing.

Garmin helped us find the nearest sports bar where we frantically and politely explained that the three of us had spent the day traveling to see our friend sing "O Canada." Upon our request, the Lone Star Texas Grill (in Mississauga), kindly turned off the Olympics and changed all of the channels in the bar to Major League Baseball so we could watch Peet's performance on television.

Unfortunately, while he was singing beautifully and throwing the opening pitch, we were watching food commercials instead of enjoying the game from our fantastic seats on the first base line. Jessica won the arrival bet when we finally sat down during the 5th inning.

Jessica and I were originally going to root for the most attractive team but that plan was discarded in the midst of our search for ballpark franks. Being a Red Sox fan seemed like fun so we cheered loudly for the away team during the 7th inning stretch.

Byron tried to protest when Jessica and I suggested that we move to highest seat in the nosebleed section to finish watching the game. The voice of reason was outvoted and the three of us proceeded to climb to the top of the stadium. Our new friend, Val, the security guard, took our photo after he informed us that we could not have an entire section to ourselves.

We were craving Dippin Dots so the three of us left the nosebleed section and the stadium to get our beloved ice cream. When it was nowhere to be found, we decided to try poutine, an authentic Canadian dish, which seemed like a reasonable alternative at the time. We ran into our concession stand friends from Massachusetts at an Irish Pub and we were all happy when I received a confirmation via text that the Red Sox had won the game.

When Jessica, Byron, and I got back to the hotel we ordered a second dinner to go with our Simon celebratory champagne. We raised our coffee mugs for a toast to friendship and how much we have all learned in just one year. The night was filled with great conversation, laughter, and late night TV.

I was the first person to fall asleep and the first person awake in the morning. Not wanting to disturb Jessica or Byron, I went to the front desk to request a clean cup to quench my thirst. The hotel clerk mumbled something so I repeated my question. He still spoke softly but this time it seemed like he was talking slowly because he wanted me to read his lips. When I got back to the hotel room, I realized that I was still wearing the complimentary earplugs that I put on before I went to bed.

We spent our lazy morning laughing about our newly created memories. Byron stayed in Toronto another night and Jessica and I hit the road in time to get McDonald's breakfast. Traffic was still horrendous as the QEW was stop and go at 20 MPH and didn't clear up until we passed the Lewiston bridge.

To pass the time, Jessica and I began blaring Christmas music and wishing nearby cars a Merry Christmas. Most people responded with raised eyebrows, a five second pause, and reciprocal holiday greetings. Occasionally, we received dirty looks which prompted us to turn up the volume of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and start dancing in our seats. We were a sight to behold and were usually able to make the most grumpy people smile. At long last we made it to the customs booth with the least amount of questioning that either of us had ever experienced:

::Jessica pulls up and slightly lowers the volume to our Christmas Music as she gives the customs officer our identification::

Jessica (to the customs officer): "If people are crossing the border in a good mood today, it's because of us."
Customs Officer: "What was your business in Canada?"
Melisa: "We were spreading Christmas cheer!"
Jessica: "If we are going to be waiting at the border until Christmastime, we might as well have Christmas spirit!"
Melisa: "Oh! And, we went to the Red Sox game."
Customs Officer: "Did you bring anything back?"
Jessica: "Nope. Nothing, not even money."

::Customs Officer returns our ID, waves us on, and tells us to go ahead. Jessica turns up the music.::

Jessica and Melisa (waving): "Merry Christmas!"
Customs Officer (smiling): "I'm a Yankees fan but Merry Christmas to you, too!"

Although we didn't make it to our final destination as early as we had hoped, we had a lot of fun getting there. Friends that couldn't make it were missed. Overall, we had a wonderful time in Toronto and much needed break from our recent exam stress.

When we try this again, we'll arrive in time to hear Peet sing and might even catch a bit more of the ball game.

Congratulations Byron!

Congratulations Byron for being the first person in our study group to become a matriculated member of the Simon community!

3 M.B.A. Students and a social worker are going to kick off our summer vacation by taking Toronto by storm as we celebrate in style! We are traveling to see our good friend Peet, and fellow Simon student, sing the Canadian national anthem and throw the opening pitch for the Toronto Blue Jays.

This is going to be a fun filled weekend with multiple reasons to celebrate!

MINI Rick Shaw does rounds in Beijing

Thumbs up to MINI Cooper's creativity in promoting its newest model, the MINI Cooper Clubman, during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The full article on the rickMINI is here.

Once again, MINI is leading the way in fuel efficiency.

20%

My final was on Wednesday and it felt like I was hit by an oncoming train. I'm not alone. It was scheduled to end at 8:30 but I think about 75% of class was still working at 11:00pm.

I'm frustrated because I know that I knew the material but I don't do very well under pressure. I can already tell that Simon is going to help me get better at thinking on my feet. It isn't good enough to simply understand the material as I need to know how to apply what I have learned on a moment's notice.

I'm (unsuccessfully) trying not to dwell on everything I wish I could have, should have, or would have done differently. On a positive note, moments like Wednesday night remind me why I'm here. As much as I love when I pick up on things right away, I don't want to attend a school if everything comes easily and I'm not challenged.

We won't be defeated!

Lessons learned from the Crystal Ball:

1). Price can't be raised indefinitely.

2). Units are important.

3). It is unlikely that the optimal profit is in trillions.

4). When stating assumptions, always assume that your answers are correct.

5). Budgets are constraints.

6). Partial people don't exist even if you have a bun in the oven.

7). Attempts to reduce inefficiencies with trial and error resulted in more confusion when Solver Sensitivity yielded the same results as Data Sensitivity.

8). If(# of "if statement" parenthesis >=6, there is a problem, 0 problems).

9). It isn't profitable to pay people to go to your amusement park.

10). 48+ hours is too much time to spend on one problem.

11). Maximizing risk in an investment portfolio is not a good objective.

12). A model riddled with errors occasionally produces the best result.

13). It is possible to get the wrong answer with correct formulas.

During ACC401 we learned that, "You can make good inferences and bad inferences. More credit will be given for good inferences."

We hope that our mistakes will help us make good inferences on Wednesday.

14). Post Final Update 1: Order 1 when your inventory falls below 1 is not a good strategy to minimize lost sales.

15). Post Final Update 2: If the best way to minimize costs is to produce nothing, the objective needs to change.

Pre-Exam Rant

I miss the real Java City...

On Wednesday, my study group's attempt to boycott the 4th consecutive week of split pea soup ended in defeat by the closed cafe in Goergen Hall. I surrendered to a Fiber One bar, the most appealing choice in the vending machine.

This morning started off well with my traditional pre-review McDonald's breakfast with Jessica. After a two hour review of data sensitivity and tornado charts and another hour to go, I was ready for a tasty cup of coffee which was impossible because Java City is closed on weekends during the summer quarter. The vending machine made me choose between coffee, cappuccino, or espresso with sugar and/or lightener.

What is lightener and why does it belong in my coffee?! I paid full price for a glass half full that tasted like chalk.

I'll be in a better mood tomorrow because we will be getting together for a post-review Study BBQ, my most favorite way to prepare for exams.

[productive] Lazy Day & Guilty Pleasures

Yesterday was a wonderfully lazy day. I slept in, spent the day in comfy clothes, and I caught up on a bunch things around the house.

It has been far too long since Amelia and I have had a good ol' fashioned girls' night. We cashed in one of her birthday coupons: "Good for one batch of Melly's world famous vodka sauce," and ate hot fundge sundaes while watching Juno or a Sex and the City marathon.

It's back to work today and spending quality time with spreadsheet modeling. I enjoy my class but I am also looking to having a social life again (starting August 14) during my month off from Simon.

C-Dawg's Post M.B.A. Career Plans

"My post-M.B.A. plans cumulate to myself holding a C.E.O. position of a leading pharmaceutical company, on par with Bausch and Lomb or Johnson & Johnson, by the age of 46. I expect that with my knowledge accumulated at this fine institution, I'll climb rapidly through the ranks in the Business world. My past education, being a B.S. degree in Biology and three years of academic research on Alzheimer's Disease, have given me a wealth of knowledge in the inner working of the Biological sciences arena. As such, when complemented with an M.B.A. from a world renowned school I will be an unstoppable force focused on a single goal and armed with the ammunition to succeed."

Lesson In Brevity

While working on my Simon application essays, I received the following note in the mail:

"Melisa,
Thanks a lot for the money. I really appreciate it. Can't wait to bug you about being so short. Miss you.
Love,
xxxx" -written by my cousin who recently graduated from high school

It made me smile as I was trying to make my own sentences concise and clear.

And The Winner Is...

It was great to see that voter turnout was higher than anticipated. The winner is:

Choice #1: YAY!

This was an exciting race with a few unexpected turn of events. Due to a glitch in some voting machines, one vote was divided equally among all three nominees. An additional hopeful emerged, hoping to secure a place on the ballot as a write-in candidate.

The final results are listed below:

• 61.90% : "YAY!"
  
• 19.05% : "YEAAH!"
  
• 19.05% : "YAAAH!"
• 00.00%: "YEEHAW"

The formal concession was sent via iPhone at 10:49am.

Thank you to all who came out to vote. The polls are officially closed.

How do you spell....?

What is the correct way to spell the word that Jessica shouts with enthusiasm when she throws her arms up in the air? Your choices are:

1. YAY!
   
2. YEAAH!
3. YAAAH!

Please vote in the comments section for the official spelling of Jessica's trademark line.

2 Simon Promises

While contemplating spreadsheet models and the wonders of Crystal Ball , two members of my study group and I made promises to each other:

1. When we all get into the program, we are painting the town red. Clark is going to wear a suit; Jessica and I will fancy it up. The other group members will soon be informed of this plan. And they will love it. YAY!
   
2. When we all graduate, we are going to spend a week in Marco Island painting the town with every color in the rainbow. Super YAY!
   

CAKE!

There aren't many reasons to bake a cake with multiple layers and a three page recipe on a 90 degree day in an apartment without A/C. However, there are some traditions that can beat the heat.

Ali and I had originally planned to get together in May to celebrate our shared birthday but the best laid plans don't always work out. Between Ali's recent trip to Spain and my exam schedule, yesterday afternoon was the first date that worked for both of us. And of course, no birthday celebration is complete without candles. Ali and I decided to bake a cake called "Berry Surprise" because our kitchen escapades are always full of mishaps and surprises.For example, this cake wasn't supposed to be a layer cake but it was only half an inch high when we took it out of the oven which made it challenging to hollow out half an inch to make room for the filling. Believe it or not, it was still delicious. Just ask my roomie.

When we finished baking the "Berry Surprise, " the fans she bought us in Spain did not keep us cool in the apartment which had also been baking at 350 degrees. We walked to Spot Coffee for iced beverages because it was cooler outside than it was in her apartment. Upon our return, we discovered that my car was parked in the middle of a parade route and we watched the festivities from Ali's bedroom window:

When the parade was over we decided to watch Labyrinth, an old 80's classic, while we sat down to enjoy our goat cheese salad and vegetarian twice baked potatoes. We had a great afternoon and are looking forward to choosing another recipe with lots of ingredients and multiple steps for our next kitchen adventure.

Congratulations Amelia!

Congratulations to Amelia for being chosen to represent SPCC on Rochester's Preventive Coalition!

I have no doubt that she will do a fantastic job and this was also an excellent opportunity for her to redeem one of her birthday coupons: "Good for a celebration (for ANY reason) at Lola's - Melly's Treat." We had a great time catching up at dinner, putzing around the mall, and finally relaxing at her house this evening.

On a completely unrelated note, my passport arrived this afternoon. It came a few hours before I received an email tracking update from "donotreply@state.gov" to alert me that my passport had been mailed. Hmm...

17.5%

I just completed my 4th midterm and am officially 17.5% finished with my degree! Even though it is a small milestone, I think it is a reason to celebrate. I felt more prepared for this exam than ever before (and have been happy with my grades thus far). When I walked out, I didn't feel like like I was sinking on the Titanic or had just been run over by a bus. Between office hours and tri-weekly study sessions, I know that I couldn't have possibly worked any harder.

I will never forget how proud I felt on Sunday night/Monday morning. Our study group had planned a study BBQ to get through our optional problem set. When Jessica and I touched base in the morning to plan our grocery run, we promised each other that we would not go to bed until we had finished all of the problems. Our BBQ started at 3:00 and we were all diligently working and helping each other when we got stuck. After we finished our burgers and massive amounts of ice cream, it wasn't long before our group members began to finish up. The first person finished at 7:00 and everyone else had finished by 9:00. Jessica and I were still struggling with problem 4 and were determined to keep each other motivated to complete the problem set. We stopped at Starbucks for a mental break because we knew we would be up for awhile. As the night dragged on, our light bulbs were finally going off and keeping us energized. Problem 9 was the first time we didn't consult each other or the solutions. At 1:45am we both hit "Run Solution" at the same time and held our breath as we checked our answers against the Professor's. Upon realizing that we were both correct, we jumped up, hugged each other, and screamed (not very quietly) with excitement. Shortly after that, we heard both of her dogs barking and her husband's footsteps as he tried to shoosh Phoenix and Farrah back to bed. True to our word, we kept our promise and completed the 10th and final problem at 2:11 am.