Just Another Study Night...

Catching up with Dan

I haven't hung with my friend Dan since July and before that it had also been at least six months since our last get together. We grabbed dinner this evening and in between bites, we joked about feeling old (we've been friends for almost 10 years!) and reminisced about high school.

We also HOUSED seven rolls of sushi and an appetizer. YUM!

It's funny how there are some friendships where it doesn't matter how much time goes by between visits because it always feels like no time has passed....

I'm a bull riding champion?

I stopped by Elsewhere Cafe on my way home from Christmas #3 to catch up with my close friend Jules whom I haven't seen since I was "living in a studio with a kitchen smaller than most people's closets" That was two years and three addresses ago.

While I was there, I found out that there are rumors circulating around my hometown that I am a bullriding champion. Not only am I bullriding champion but I also won the state finals?!

I am mortified but Jules thinks that I should keep it going by making ambiguous comments like, "That was in my past" or " I only do that on weekends."

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!).

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.

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. :)

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!

"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!

[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."

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...