Driving on the Other Side of the Road

As always it has been a while since I've posted. No fear though, I've got three or four posts in the queue. Their timing just won't make sense. Today's is anecdotal.

It's no secret to most people I know that I'm an avid car enthusiast. But fewer people know how I got that way. Hell, I don't even know for sure. But here's a theory.

My genetics. My grand father is a car collector with a wide range of vehicles throughout his multiple homes and 12 or 13 garage spaces. From day 1 I was exposed to this. Must have rubbed off on me a little, right? WRONG. It rubbed off on me LOT.

Here's the more anecdotal part. Every summer we spend a lot of time at our family's home on the cape. When I was small my grandfather would always  take me out in rides in the evening in the convertible or sometimes just the regular car. It was awesome. We would drive along the coast, relaxin' or talking and just enjoying the company and the scenery. I still cherish those memories with my grandfather in his cars.

But last night that tradition evolved. After dinner I felt like driving so the two of us went to the lower garage and took out MY car. And I drove my grandfather along the beach in my favorite car in my collection (my only car :p). Strange role reversal but just as enjoyable as the cliche old days were. Times change but they remain a shadow of the past. Thank god for the stability in that.

The Other Half of Summer

So I came home tonight so that I could pick up the new car with my Mom tomorrow morning. (More on that once we pick it up.) And being home made me want to do a post on being home. I've been home a TON this summer. And it's been awesome. I've loved being at school for the summer. One important thing I've noticed about spending the summer at school is that it makes me enjoy my time at home that much more.

It's like a double vacation: summer vacation at school but then I get another vacation during the time that I'm home. It's awesome! I appreciate being home more but can come and go whenever I want to see my parents, eat real food, and see friends from HS. By spending time at school and home I get the best of both worlds.

Tonight is a prime example. Came home after class and got back around 5:30. Hung out while my Mom finished making dinner and then had an awesome chicken dish with a sweet sauce, rice, and green beans grown in our veggie garden. Delicious! And way better than I eat at school :p

After a great dinner, my parents and I had an even better dessert of homemade ice cream. See how I live at home?! SPOILED by the food ;) Then we just hung out and watched this weeks ep of True Blood.

Now I just had a icy glass of homemade lemonade and watched Entourage. Besides the fact that it was kind of a lame episode it was still nice to sit here and relax. Now I'm catching up on some work online and watching old episodes of The Sopranos. It's great to be home :)

Facebook

Now Playing Hey, Soul Sister by Train via iTunes

So a few people have been shocked (as I am) that I deleted facebook. There wasn't a real, official reason. It is extremely out of character for me to get rid of something like that.

I deleted on a whim yesterday. I hand't even thought of doing it before. As recently as a week ago (during Quit Facebook Day) I thought the idea of not having facebook was ridiculous and could never imagine it. Then in the shower... random I know... yesterday I kind of decided that I didn't need or want it anymore. Even then I acknowledged I'd be back in a while. But not now... or too soon. So yesterday I spent my only twenty minutes at the computer deactivating my facebook. WHAT?! Shocking :o But there were a few things behind it that I only realized after doing it.

First, a few times a year I filter facebook friends. I usually do it during the biggest vacations of the year when I have time: winter and summer breaks. I did it a week-or-so ago. But I barely removed anyone... I realized that anyone I want to keep in touch with I usually do via chat or phone calls or just in person. Everyone else doesn't really matter enough to bother with.

Second, it's main purpose has become wasting time. My time spent on facebook completely depends on the amount of free time I have. For this reason I'm barely on it during school but summer vacation drastically changes this. This summer has been an exception and I've been too busy to spend very much time on facebook because I've been at Babson.

Third, facebook has changed a ton since I started using it during sophomore year of HS. It was a people's social network then. A few friends, status updates and pictures. Then applications came along. And for anyone who has seen "Unforgivable" on Youtube you'll recognize this... PISSING ME OFF. I hated applications only used one or two of them ever. Then came the marketing. Companies invaded facebook and I was forced to LIKE things that I didn't really give a shit about. Just because I'm interested in something doesn't mean I LIKE it or want to BE A FAN of it on facebook. My interests are too broad and large in number to keep up with all of them via newsfeed.

These changes have rendered it annoying and much less useful. I never thought I would say this but Twitter has taken a lot of what I liked about Facebook, simplified and compressed it and put it into a more useful package. The only thing Twitter is missing is Photo Albums. If Twitter had albums I would never go back to facebook.

That said, for all of you who want to know why I left facebook... I left planning to go back. That doesn't guarantee I will but I never thought I could just quit cold turkey, even if I can do things like that.

Summer!

Now Playing Daylight by Matt and Kim via iTunes

I haven't been good about taking pictures this summer and I'm trying to get a few of fun activities that we've all been doing. Thank god for the amazing camera in my new phone!

A bunch of us spent a while at the beach yesterday and it was incredible. Great weather the water was warm (for some of us) and the sun felt amazing. We spent a little time at my house for drinks and had ice cream and snacks at a beach-side restaurant. We had fun and enjoyed time with each other that we would never have time for during the school year. One of my favorite things about the summer is spending time with people that I wouldn't normally see. Usually it's because one or both of us are too busy with school and our various activities.

Naturally the day wouldn't have been complete without blasting some great music with the windows down. It was a classic summer day with great people. My business casual summer began very slowly and pretty boring. Once the second week of June rolled around though it became just what I was looking for by staying at Babson. Of course I still miss people but it has been very entertaining and I'm sure the rest of the summer will continue that way. Here's to more beach days :)

Identity

Now playing Emaline by Ben Folds via iTunes

When I was little I read a poem or was given a poem or something written from the point of view of a young child. It was a memory, actually written by a middle-aged man. The poem described roles in life and how a person can have so many identities (both at once and at different times). Anyone in my Organization Behavior class will remember our session on this topic. Most of us are nearing the end of our student identity. It’s a fascinating concept to me that identity can change. Really, fundamentally change as a person grows and ages.

My identity as a teenager recently ended. I think that is the core reason that my 20^th freaked me out so much. It seemed like a fundamental change to who I was.

Anyways, back to the poem. This man wrote the poem and it was a description of a moment from his childhood when he observed his mother. His mother was unaware that she had an audience. I don’t’ remember any language or anything too specific about the poem but the description of his mother had nothing to do with the fact that she was the author’s mother. This was the focus of the poem. The description and verse focused on the fact that at that moment she was merely herself. The woman was alone in her own body, focused on her individual moment. She was not a mother then, she was not a wife. It must have been weird for the author to observe his mother like this. But also very educational. I remember that even as a child, I was definitely 10 or younger, this fascinated me. Now I understand why and I think it’s an interesting interaction between psychology, personality and identity.

I think one aspect of the poem that is interesting is that the mother was alone. She was herself doing whatever she felt because no one was around (that she knew of) to affect her behavior.

Is this a form of insecurity? Do people tailor their behavior to those that are around them? I hate ‘fake.’ And although I see this as a form of being fake (as opposed to your true personality/behavior) I consider this completely different and am not bothered by it nearly as much. Maybe because it’s more natural and common.

I just looked up wondering what else I had to say about this. I’m sitting in a local district court for jury duty. (ugh). People watching is prime even if there aren’t many people here. I don’t know whether it’s my psychology interest or sociology or whatever but people fascinate me. Just standing in the lobby before we even came in was nuts. Literally… some of the people there are crazy. But watching people and trying to “figure them out” is really fascinating (not fun though) for me.

I think I’ve mentioned this in a previous post. In middle school I won my first academic award and in the speech a teacher gave about me he said he was afraid that I “had them all figured out.” At the time I just thought it was funny. Now I think it’s hilarious albeit very true. I’m not claiming he was right. I’m not sure if you can really benchmark whether or not you’ve figured someone out. Although I do feel like I’m better than average at it in many ways.

Have you figured me out? I’m probably one of the few people that I can’t quite figure out. But after 20 years I’m well on my way.

Anticipation

Now Playing: Class again... Strategic Problem Solving

I'm dying of excitement for my new phone tomorrow. But I always appreciate the excitement leading up to things like this. Whether I'm getting something I'm excited for, going on vacation, or anticipating a family member visiting half the fun is always in the anticipation.

I'm not usually a member of the early adopter category but this phone is something I've waited for forever, and I'm excited to be one of the first people to have a 4G phone. No doubt I won't be the only one, many Sprint stores have already sold out of the Evo. Good thing I preordered mine last week! I had two or three phones before this one that I had planned on getting but when I found out that this one was coming out I decided to forgo them and get this one instead because it is so much more advanced and feature packed compared to the other ones.

I'm sure once I get my phone tomorrow I'll be just as excited trying it out. Playing with the fancy, HUGE touchscreen and trying to convince myself that I don't mind the touchscreen keyboard will be fun. Exploring apps and personalizing my new toy will also get me all excited. I'll have to relearn to use my own cell phone because of the new OS, which I know a pretty good amount about already: part of why I like the Android OS is how easy it is to use (as opposed to the BlackBerry which it took me MONTHS to really figure out completely). I'll spend time using the powerful camera/camcorder and figuring out how to video chat with the second, supplementary camera. So many cool things to explore with this new phone is what makes the anticipation half of the fun. I know I'll love the phone once I get it and I can't wait to enjoy it but at the same time I'm sure I'll be a little disappointed that the excitement of the anticipation is over.

Can't wait!

Fun Stuff For All of June!

Now Playing: err Class? I'm in Strategic Problem Solving

So I posted a status on facebook a little while ago that said that the next few weeks are awesome! And finally they are! The last week or two has been insanely boring. I haven't been working nearly as much as I would have liked. I haven't had class in a week and no one's been at school (including me for part of the time).

But the tides are about to change. The next two or three weeks look like they're going to be absolutely amazing. Literally one exciting thing or event after another for the next two weeks. First, tonight I'm having dinner with a friend from Babson that I haven't seen since before the end of school. We also didn't get to see each other very much second semester because of how busy we both were. Then I'm getting my long-awaited new phone on Saturday. I think I'm probably more excited about this birthday gift than I've ever been before (except if you count my license). I'll probably spend this weekend at home, depending on my work schedule. Then next week I'm going to an ice cream sampling thing in Boston with a friend from school. On Wednesday a bunch of us are going to see Shear Madness in Boston, a different, cool comedy show. Although the second half of next week is kind of quiet, it will be good to relax in preparation for Miguel visiting!

Miguel will come on Saturday night in anticipation of my birthday celebrations on Sunday. I'm really excited to celebrate my birthday this year with a ton of friends from both Babson and Swampscott. A bunch of us from Babson are going back to our house for a cookout where Swampscott friends will meet us for the afternoon and evening. It'll be nice, all of my closest friends (with the exception of five... all of whom will be away or live far away and aren't here for the summer) will be there. I think it's especially nice because Miguel and one other friend will be here from fairly far away. I'm really looking forward to it and it will be a nice way to spend my birthday. :)

Then the next day Danny is visiting for the night at Babson which will be fun as well. Then on Wednesday some of us are going to the Red Sox game! Amidst all of this Hannah will get back which will be nice as well and will definitely prevent boredom at Babson that has been so prevalent so far. All in all June looks like it'll be a great month. I'll definitely update the blog with pictures and shorter posts about some of these happenings as they occur.

Business Casual Summer Begins

So happy to be at Babson for the summer! Great friends, lots of time with them, a little work, one class at a time, and some of the most fun possible.

Unfortunately I'm in summer mode. This might make me less likely to want to do work for class. This would be a huge shame because I have an amazing opportunity to be more successful in this class than I would be during the school year... with so much time to study!

However, I don't think this will be a problem. I've been doing 'work' for random things at school over the past few days because I've had extra time (gasp :o ) on my hands. It's going to be a business casual summer. A nice combination of class, work, and hanging out with friends at school and in the Swamp. I can't wait for it and think I'll have the best time with my favorite people in the world.

I'll use the blog to keep up with the highlights of the Summer and all the fun things that we (I) do. Check here for a few pictures but I'm sure the majority will go up on Facebook. This weekend a few of us are meeting my family and some family friends in Boston for the Earthfest concert. I'll write about it afterwards.

Yesterday I spent time at a graduation party (following Saturday's graduation) and then cruised over to my grandparents and helped them show their house for sale. They live about 15 minutes away from the grad party so it was a nice, unplanned visit with my grandparents. We went out for dinner afterwards. It was an awesome day. There was a lot of traveling and driving (always fun in my car haha). I like to think of this as reducing the cost per mile for my car. I also stopped at home before the grad party after beginning the day at Babson. (Woke up at Babo, went home, went to the grad party, then grandparents then back to Babson around 9pm). My parents had an old friend over for lunch who I hadn't seen in years so it was nice to catch up with the three of them for an hour or so.

After the last week I can't wait for the rest of the summer. MGMT said just how I feel: "I'm feelin' rough, I'm feelin' raw, I'm in the prime of my life." Prime time has started with college and will continue this summer. The summer of Business Casual :p

Hassle of the Real World

Now playing Congress By Enter the Haggis via iTunes

If someone could appreciate the music reference title that would be nice.

I'm fairly certain that we all live in the real world. Yesterday's commencement ceremonies at my favorite college made me realize how much nothing changes even with the biggest steps in life. My "people" class this year taught us that our identities change once we move on from groups. Now that the class of 2010 has dispersed they are no longer students. Although Babson isn't their home any more, it will always be a part of their lives. Professor (of the Year) Halsey said that he has taught them to be good students, not to procrastinate, a disease common among students and to be on time.

Amazingly enough the Class of 2010 will relearn these things in the coming months. But "Babson and its culture works," this is why the CEO of Manchester Bidwell Corporation admired Babson so much. It prepares us for the real world. We go on to become the most successful business people in the world with "one heck of an attitude," according to President Schlesinger. And yes "02457 is the most entrepreneurial zip code in America." In addition to the valuable business knowledge and information we're gathering here we also have practical knowledge, skills, and "an energy that runs deep... coupled with a tight-knit community," (Tif Lien) that beats every other school in America. We are #1 for Entrepreneurship after all.

Congrats 2010! We'll miss you.

Realizations

Realizations are usually pretty cool. Sometimes they're nice surprises, but other times they're nasty shocks. Regardless they usually involve a little bit of knowledge, which I would argue is always good. I had a nasty shock in the last year or so.

Since coming to college (ie it took me at least 18 years to realize this) I have noticed that I have little or no self confidence. Which is strange. I have no reason to doubt myself. I have good grades, go to a prestigious school, have an amazing and successful family, and a ton of great friends. But for some reason I still don't think I deserve this-- or not that I don't deserve it but that I didn't earn it or something along those lines. I'm not quite sure what I'm trying to say there but I think you can understand the gist of it.

This realization came to me a while ago but I never really admitted it to myself (or other people as I'm doing here) until yesterday. Three people: my roommate, a best friend, and a random person all told me (within 24 hours of each other... weird!) that I would be very successful. I realized how strange this sounded to me and how unbelievable I thought it was. I also realized that I didn't believe them. I'm trying to believe them but can't quite get there.

It's not that I don't want to be successful. I've dreamed of being happy, having money, and being "successful" (whatever your personal definition of that) my entire life. But dreaming about it doesn't mean I think I'll achieve it.

For the first 14-or-so years of my life I believed success was material: money, houses, cars, jets, and whatever else pop culture tells us it is. I think I was around 15 when I decided that although I wanted those things, what I really wanted was simply to be happy, have fun and enjoy life. It's working so far. I have the car and enough money to sustain what I want in life. Nothing more, nothing less. While neither of these things (car or money) is why I am happy (my happiness in itself is debatable depending on when you ask me)- I truly believe they make me happier.

The reason for the basis of whatever happiness I do have is very simple. I am healthy and have great family and friends. Those three things sound simple but they're HUGE. And without any one of those three I would not be happy and all the money (or cars :p ) in the world wouldn't make me happy.

Another mini revelation: I am afraid to be alone (or left out) despite enjoying time alone once in a while.

Conclusions:
1) I should work on the self confidence thing. I don't know how. I'm a fan of self improvement, learning and growth and I think I can use all of those to gain confidence. But how remains a question.
2) Maybe I will be very successful? I hope so :) because my definition of success is simply happiness. So for me, very successful=very happy.
3) Cherish family, friends, and health (in that order) because they're all that matter.
4) Keep thinking like this! There's no way to improve/change without acknowledging reality first.

Separate Conclusion:
1) Don't be afraid of failure. I am right now but I want to defeat this. "You can't make 100% of the shots you don't take," is a very true quote. But I don't take a lot of "shots" because I'm afraid I'll "fail." Keep trying and I'll be "very successful" like so many people I know think I will. And instead of being surprised when people say nice stuff... just believe them and say thanks. That's gunna be a tough one for me.

G'night! :)

Favorite Color and New Colors: The (Pre-)Sunrise and Blog Respectively

Early childhood friendships often began with "What's your favorite color?" Let's be honest, we did not have much else to talk about at that age. Now that we've moved on to the stock market, weather, and sunk costs (yes, my friends and I talk like this; no, we're not deranged). So with that fact of childhood in mind, I introduce you to the new colors of The Above Mentioned. It was time for a change and I wanted something lighter without moving to white. I think this suits itself nicely and maintains my favorite blue, just to a lesser degree.

Also on the color note, I discovered my new favorite color today. Sorta. I've always been a sucker for dark blue. Classy, classic, and interesting in many different shades I've always drifted towards this color. As a child my Mom had to work very hard to convince me to get clothes that were not dark blue so that I didn't wear the same color day in and day out. Well my new favorite color is a new twist on an old favorite. Coming back from Dunkin Donuts a few minutes ago I noticed a color that nature created. About an hour before sunrise the sky stops being black and turns to an incredibly dark blue- but distinctly blue and not black. It was gorgeous. So instead of watching the sunrise today I stood and noticed the pre-sunrise sky for a moment and thought about how beautiful that was. Sunrises are so 1990s :p

Physical Manifestation of Emotion

now playing So Slow by Ari Hest via last.fm

So on the subject of emotion. Two weeks ago I decided I wanted to write a post about something that I suppose is an emotion. Or at least a physical symptom of one. You know that way you feel from excitement and anticipation walking down the stairs Christmas morning? Or the way you feel when you found out something you shouldn't and sorta feel guilty about it but are still happy you found out? I had a lot more examples but I think those are enough in addition to a description of it.

Whenever I've felt this way, including recently, the emotion or whatever has been so strong that my head was completely cleared by it and I become much more conscious of a really intense heartbeat. It's sort of shock but also a small amount of awe (especially when you find out something you shouldn't have).

This connects to my last post because I find this physical manifestation of emotions very interesting as well. What happens in a person's head to make their heart beat differently? Why does stress or nerves cause sweaty palms or shaking? Weird! But again, cool...

And I may or may not have found out something I shouldn't have ;)

Psych!

now playing Wherever by Five Times August via last.fm

Psych... you know, like what you said after trying to trick someone in elementary school? Hm, perhaps I'm nostalgic tonight. Oh well...

So I have this one class, Organizational Behavior (OB in Babson's language), that contains a lot of psychology of business. Not consumer psychology but psychology of workers/employees/bosses/managers/leaders etc. We have a simulation in about 5 hours about influence and leadership. And this class, along with life in general, has gotten me thinking about my lifelong fascination with psychology. I don't know what this interest stems from. Perhaps it's because I'm crazy (which I am) or because I like people (which I kinda don't). I do like people in the sense that their thoughts and behaviors are interesting. Basically their psychology is interesting.

What motivates people? Why do they act how they do? What makes people think the way they do? I guess I think it becomes most interesting when people can't control things. Perhaps because I'm a control freak, I don't know. Things like chemical imbalances make me question psychology and what really motivates people. Do emotions control us or do we control emotions? I also think it's interesting how some emotions are easily controlled while others are purely instinctual. And what's more fascinating- it varies between person.

I've read a lot about how genetics governs a lot of this. The cause of behavior is a big debate between environmental (upbringing or how you were raised) and genetic (purely scientific). Without any knowledge I would think that upbringing would have more control but from everything I've read the consensus is that genetics determines more about a persons psychology and behavior. Weird. And interesting.

Overanalysis has always been something I've done. I do it with everything but I notice myself doing it more often with psych and other people. In 8th grade I won an academic award and one of my teachers said for one of the speeches about me that he was afraid that I "had them all figured out." Maybe I did and maybe I didn't. But it's true that I like trying to figure people out. And it's only been recently that I've discovered why.

I try to figure people out simply to know them better, be better friends with them, and be a a better friend to them. I like being able to understand people and know their (thought) processes so that I can interact better with them. I'm not sure if this has something to do control, but there's a good chance that it does.

Next thought on my mind is that if I'm awake at 3 am thinking about this have I chosen the wrong major. PSYCH! I have definitely not chosen the wrong major. I definitely don't want to make my life about this and business is a much more appropriate career for me. But I think that within business this is an interesting area of study.

Spoiled

now playing Sad Songs by Matt Nathanson via last.fm

So in an effort to write more posts I'm going to write about something that popped into my head tonight and lead to a few other thoughts. I try write from a list of "future" posts, but they almost never actually make it online. The one's that pop into my head like this are usually more interesting and longer with better thoughts in them.

So here's the thing. Relativity and balance are interests of mine. And my being spoiled is no different. First, I don't think I'm spoiled but like I just said, it's relative. I am not the young adult with the $90,000 BMW convertible that I just drove behind. (For a point of interest... said BMW was just used to drive across campus, an activity that would have taken a maximum of 8 minutes by foot). So... relative to this, I am not spoiled in anyway at all. But I do consider myself a little spoiled.

When I say spoiled I mean materially with that age-old stupid "stuff." I am most definitely spoiled in other ways (family comes to mind first). But on the topic of stuff... I am a little bit of a snob about most things without acting too pretentious or whatever. I just prefer what's better and am used to having it. (Starting to sound like a huge brat here...). However, in many ways I think I settle very easily after first wanting the brand new best stuff. When I got a car I wanted something "good." The one that would appeal to the casual enthusiast and still have lots of creature comforts. It was the same with my BlackBerry and computer. I feel that way about food. Food is one way I am totally spoiled by my parents. Microwavable food shocked me when I got to college. YUCK! But I digress. My point is that somehow I just come to have the "better" of most things. Usually I do this on purpose, once in a while I (as my Dad would say) weasel my way into having the best.

And I think having any and all of this is what makes me a little bit of a snob. I am used to good stuff and I do not like to move backwards or downgrade. And who would? A person gets used to a certain standard and why would anyone want to settle for worse than he already has?

This has a large effect on products. Obviously my area of expertise is cars but I think it applies in many other products too. I recently wrote a post for work (GM Authority Post) about feature content in compact cars increasing. The USA is very prejudiced against small cars and their stripper status in terms of feature content. The post I wrote (read it at the link and you can skip the rest of this paragraph) says how automakers, namely GM in this case, are increasing the number of creature comforts in their small car offerings. This is to provide consumer who are shifting to small cars from (big-ass) SUVs the same feature content which they have become accustomed to.

Toyota has been doing this for a while. The best example being the Lexus IS lineup. It is the smallest Lexus but at approximately $30,000 has most of the features as the $70-90,000 LS. Interesting... and very appealing to someone like me who would have no need for the size but would like the features. Ford and GM are both embracing this philosophy which many European brands have always employed. Just another example of something done better in Europe.

But enough of my car "propaganda" as one of my friends called it recently. The point is that being spoiled isn't such a bad thing. And it can cause huge change in the product market. Usually having these features doesn't come at a huge price in comparison to traditional small cars. This is pretty cool considering the fact that I can go from my Audi to possibly something as small as a Ford Focus or Chevrolet Cruze and not lose any feature content (well... any major features).

This strategy of features at a low price will give high-end product manufacturers huge challenges in the next few years (Apple, Coach, Mercedes, J. Crew: are you guys listening?). Thing is it won't be a problem. Real snobs (not so much me) will be quite happy to pay for brands simply because of the brand. This is something I don't understand... if you can get something just as good for less money, why wouldn't you? Yes. I am a cheap snob.

Example... coming back from the mall tonight I saw a Hyundai. GASP! I liked it! And some of the new Hyundais and Kias are some of the best looking new cars one the market. Partly because they are designed by a former Audi designer (seriously) but still. I mistook it for a Saab- it looked great. And if people could get beyond brand perceptions and a false sense of patriotism (don't even get me started on the people who want to "buy American") they would be perfectly happy in Hyundais.

[Side note... I am almost a "buy american" person myself. But let's be honest. A lot of Hyundais, Mercedes, and BMWs are build in the USA, while a ton of GMs and Fords are built outside of the US of A. My point is that we're a part of a global economy so go ahead and buy whatever because it's all spread out across the world anyways.]

In terms of being spoiled, yes I sort of am. But at the same time I'm a well enough informed consumer to know what to buy, what I want, and how to buy it without being a fool. I wish more people were the same way.

Timeless Age

now playing: nothing

Two months?! Really? Time flies.

There's been a lot of tomorrows in between this and my post about goals. And I've had plenty of ideas for new posts since then. I thought I'd write a lot over spring break but things came up. Projects came and went and some more just popped up- projects are like wack-a-mole, as soon as you beat one down another one pops up.

While off campus in between being out (of my room) for 11/24hours of yesterday and 2.5 hours of today (Saturday) I heard a song that reminded me just how time quickly does go by.

I guess it had to do partially with the subject of the song. Being ready for tomorrow and embracing the future. Tomorrow is like a five year old in hide-and-go-seek. Whether I'm ready or not, here it comes. Sometimes it's more of an "OH SHIT" reaction other times I'm happier than the kid who prefers seeking. Either way tomorrow's a good thing.

It also had to do with the song and it's age. Although it's a little early to say that it made me feel old, it truly did. The song isn't that old but it definitely hasn't seen the AT40 in a while either. And it was big around the time the Killers were just getting on the radio. WEIRD.

Friends are finishing up the 20th birthdays which can only mean one thing... they're gunna start turning 21 soon. Not okay. I'm perfectly happy as a teen. At least right now stupid and reckless are excuses and not just  permanent negative personality traits. Not that I'm dreading getting older.  I'm really looking forward to this "real world" I've been hearing about for ohhhh about 20 years now, even if college is timeless. (Oh and someone said something about '10 ears from now' and I almost had a mini-meltdown. 30 is not ok with me.) We'll see how it goes, we could all use a little change (no, Allstar was not the song) and if one day means a major number change I think I can live with it.

Goals

now playing Cell Phones Ringing (in the pockets of the dead) by Willie Nile

I've read a lot about goal-setting. It's always interesting to see other people's ideas about what makes them successful and how you can succeed at realizing your goal. One thing I've always been told is that goals should be measurable. Hmm. Okay? I can definitely see why this is useful: if you can't measure something you can't truly determine whether or not you've met your goal. According to all of my reading they should also be specific. Again, understandable but I've never found either of these things to be true.

The last two New Years my resolutions have been to live 'better:' healthier, happier, more productively. Two years in a row I've kept this resolution. Why make the same one two years in a row if I've kept it? Because it can always be improved upon. Keep in mind, I've had more specific things in mind each time. But regardless, I've kept this vague, unmeasurable resolution/goal twice. And been pretty successful at it.

The "Babson" Way of Thinking

now playing Mexico by Carbon Leaf

So I go to Babson. It's the #1 school in the US (and the world?) for entrepreneurship. I have had no interest in entrepreneurship. That said, I think it's useful for my future management career. However with my new blogging/business-y job at a start-up website I'm putting entrepreneurial thinking into action. Newsflash: I LOVE IT.

Background on Me/ Life Entrepreneurship Stories:

I have never thought of myself as an entrepreneur and somehow ended up at Babson anyways. But after coming to Babson I realized I had already been an entrepreneur. When I was young (10-15) I started "businesses." Which were fairly profitable and fun. Fast forward 5-10 years and I'm 100% sure that I wanted a business degree. I chose Babson because of its innovative curriculum, beautiful campus and proximity to home. The entrepreneurship reputation had nothing to do with my decision.

One myth about entrepreneurs is that it is a personality trait. Something you're born with or a natural talent. LIES. Entrepreneurial skills can most defintley be taught. I'm an example of this. Before coming to Babson I was not creative or innovative. A year and a half later and I can think like the best the average entrepreneur and my skills are improving with every minute I spend in a Babson class. Cool. At least my 200k education is good for something :)

Good to be On the Road Back Home Again

now playing Good to be On the Road Back Home Again by Cornershop (on purpose)

I've been very reluctant to admit that Babson is like home to me. But it is. And it's because of the people here. Who I might as well admit: I consider family. I love them and have them on a pedestal above most other people.

I'm finally feeling like I'm "on the road back home again," because Babson is returning to the way it was for me at the end of first semester last year. I've got my old friends back... through their effort and mine. And we are beginning to feel like family again. Thank goodness.

I don't think it matters anymore who caused it and who started it. As long as the problems are fixed. And Stay fixed. It's nice to move on. And I feel even better to be part of the solution(s).

You all know who you are and you mean the world to me. I hope you know that even when I'm mad at you and when you're mad at me. You've meant the world to me since December 2008 and I promise that through everything that never change. And I hope you all read this. (and my other posts :p )

Symbolic Emotion

Now playing episode 4 season 8 of 24 (it's paused)

Why is the heart the symbolic center of emotion?

For homework for my Organizational Behavior class we needed to take an Emotional Intelligence assessment. The range for the highest EI was 44-55 (or something like that). I got a 44. I was pleased and not very surprised. The past year and a half has taught me a ton about myself, my emotions, other people and their emotions, and psychology as well as a level of psychological analysis which I thought one could only earn during a PhD program in psychology. But I'm happy I was able to learn so much about myself and others.

Here's my point: the symbolic center of emotion (because of love?) is the heart; I would beg to disagree with this cliche and argue that the mind is a far more important part of our body for emotion. I mean EI stands for emotional intelligence for a reason. If you're not a psychopath then you have some level of emotion and I hope that you see it comes from your head, your mind, your brain and not your chest/heart.

It's an interesting subject which I find vitally important to understanding human relationships (with oneself and others). In another life I will major in psychology and not business and be a much more mindful person than I am. For now I settle for what I am, happy and content that I can understand as much as I do about myself and other people.

Can You Create/Make Happiness?

Now playing If You Only Knew by Shinedown
and (When I'm Up) I Can't Get Down by Great Big Sea (<-- very appropriate right now)

A lot of books, experts, and philosophers say you can create your own happiness and that how you feel is your choice. To a certain extent I completely agree with this. My attitude has a lot to do with how I'm feeling emotionally. However there are definitely external (and maybe some internal) forces which the power of my mind can't contend with.

External forces can include people, environment and emotional surroundings. And in terms of internal forces I'm imagining such things as chemical imbalances which cause depression etc. These things are so strong that even attitude can't overcome them. I've experienced one or more, and as much as I love being in control: I wasn't. I couldn't have been. Control is impossible in some of these situations.

That said... right now I feel like I am in complete control. I had an AMAZING night last night and had more fun than I've had in a long time yesterday. (Just another reason that I need to stay at Babson for the summer.) I am currently happier, busier, and perhaps more stressed (but a positive, productive stress) than I've been in the past year. Feels good! It's invigorating, exciting, and simply... HAPPY! What a relief. And I think there's going to be more relief and happiness in the next few days. It can't get any better than this!

I really am lucky and even at my worst I never forget this. I have everything. I need (next to) nothing. And I'm ready to take on the day!

(Let's see how long this doing-homework thing lasts :p )

Analytical Insomoniac Thoughts

Now Playing Acceptance by So Contagious by Acceptance via BlackBerry

So was taking out my contacts last night and ironically thought of perspective and how mine defines who I am. It was almost laughable because I don't mean the vision type of perspective but the "life outlook" sort of perspective.

Mine's weird. I over analyze to an extreme with I undoubtedly get from my Mom (perhaps her only flaw? thanks mom :p ) But in as many ways as over-analysis is a bad thing, it is also a tremendous tool which college has started teaching me how to harness.

I don't think there's a simple way to describe perspective. I think mine's pretty good. (Not vague at all, right?) But okay here are more specifics. I am constantly evaluating everything I do based on how others view my actions. I am not necessarily changing what I do based on other people's reactions... that just becomes conformity, which is one thing I am definitely not. (Although coincidentally I often agree with the majority... hmmmm.) This out of body sort of perspective makes me a strange person, among a zillion other things. It makes me much more conscious of other people, although once in while (oh alright... often) makes me more narrowminded and critical of myself. This isn't terrible; most of the time. Last year it was a huuuge problem. This year it has proved to me a blessing.

See how things change? Finally change is a blessing. Which is another thing. I am very comfortable with habit and don't generally like change. But I have come to appreciate it and its benefits. Just because I am more comfortable with the status-quo doesn't mean I dislike variation or change. I have come to embrace it and hope I begin liking it more. Self improvement is the best kind of change and this is what I have especially embraced over the past 18 months.

But back to over analysis (interestingly this over analysis is probably the reason I started blogging... to help understand myself, all you reader people are secondary :p ).

I woke up at 2:30AM. FAIL. This is what happens when I try to go to bed early and get a good night's sleep: I go to bed early, get the same number of hours as I would normally, struggle to get back to sleep while normally failing at it. I fail at it because it feels like a waste of time... my mind would rather be working!!

This over active, over-analyzing mind is what led to this blog post which is days behind. My new job, which just happens to be blogging (more or less...) has taken up a lot of time. I've been enjoying every minute of it. Writing for that blog has served a very different purpose from this one. It has served as an outlet for creativity and analysis (similar to this one) but on a very different subject. The subject of cars is much more interesting to me than myself and I get a lot more pleasure analyzing General Motors and writing reviews than figuring out how truly disturbed I am. Haha.

On that note, it is 6AM and I have already been productive today (not bad, eh?). I am going to go change, go to the gym, and then shower/breakfast (the order of the last two are TBA.... keep and eye on twitter cus I'm sure to update somewhere in there).

Good morning! I hope you have as good a day as I am about to!

Let Me Give You a Tour!

If you click here (and look at the picture) you can see where I work! That sounds weird. Over the last few days I heard about, applied for, and was accepted for a job writing for a car blog which I follow.

The application was fairly simple but took a few days to put together. Although simple and probably not very exciting to most people, this represents a lot for me. It is a stepping stone towards my dream career. It allows me to learn from people and experience. I fully believe that experience is the best way to get better at something.

From the few things that I know about my new bosses/coworkers we have some things in common, least of which is our enjoyment of analyzing General Motors. This time of year is always particularly exciting for the car industry because of the NAIAS (see previous post), which is arguably the most important American auto show. This makes the timing of my new job even more exciting to me.

So here's the bedside version. After work on Friday night I got home and stayed up for a while futzing around online while watching TV. My RSS feed showed a new post from GMA (which along with Facebook, Autoblog, and Twitter I had already checked in the last fifteen minutes) announcing available positions. I got really excited and decided to go out on a limb the next morning and apply. I'm an early riser but stayed in bed until 1 on Saturday working on my app. Then on Sunday I modified existing resumes and wrote a cover letter. By Sunday night I had heard back! I'll have a skype meeting tomorrow (well, later today) and go from there!

Luckily for you this probably means you won't have to hear about cars in person, 'cus I'll get my fill of it online. I can't promise to eliminate all car posts from the blog though :p

Pizza

Now Playing: Everything Hits At Once by Spoon via last.fm

I can't function at night. I'm a "morning" person. On the other hand, my mind works wonders at night and I think more because I simply have the time too and I'm not distracted by err, living.

So I wasn't even going to right this post tonight or maybe not at all.

Then I ate pizza. Actually I had the title/subject in mind already but then both luck and coincidence happened in one event. So I decided I had to write this post. I walking upstairs to go to bed but decided I was hungry first. There's plenty of food in my room. Instead I walked back down stairs into the kitchen. Sitting right in front of me was a pizza. Not even kidding: half a pizza. EPIC.

Anyways, I was thinking about whether or not luck exists based on someone else's blog post. I believe in a lot of weird things (I'm borderline on karma but that's about as weird as I get). I think "you make your own luck" is a lot more true. (Then again: being born into a good/wealthy family? Can that be called luck?)

Any positive coincidence can be considered luck, which as far as I know always has a positive connotation. Ok, now that I've said that revisit the fact that luck doesn't exist. False. What I meant is that I can not be a lucky person. But a single event happening to me may or may not be lucky. It seems to me luck is merely a positive random coincidence. This makes me feel better somehow.

I'll never be lucky or unlucky. I'm more of a reason-based person. I think that's why I prefer kharma. There's definitely something real about balance with reason on either side (karma explains why things happen and gives reason to be/do good) this balance is even more appealing to me. In reality, I don't believe in karma either, only the ideas, actions and mindset which it promotes. Maybe if luck created this motivation, I'd believe in it too.

Now I just need a little luck to make the name of that song I wanted to download appear. Or maybe by coincidence FNX (my new now-playing) will play it...

Long Time No C(ES), With A Little NAIAS

Now playing: Diamonds on the Souls of her Shoes by Paul Simon (new feature of this blog)

(CES is Consumer Electronics Show and NAIAS is North American International Auto Show, you're welcome :p )

I managed to work three things into my title, pretty good, you think?

Ok first... it's been a while. In fact, I didn't blog for all of December. Unless you count twitter. Which I really don't. So yeah. Sorry about that. I had planned on doing a 2010/ New Year Blog. I didn't. And a friend reminded me that I missed it. (double meaning, you find it. And thanks, J, for pointing this out.)

Skip ahead to now and I'm actually kind of happy I missed it... seems like a little bit of a cliche. So instead I'm going to write about two of my favorite subjects in one. In vague forms progress and cars. In this case by progress I mean technology, and more specifically (and because it's me) in cars. CES and NAIAS (remember those from the first line?) have been going on at the same time recently and both have been really interesting because of progress. Also because of how integrated they are. Also, Babson teaches innovative thinking. If there's any subject in which innovative thinking is most important it is in the tech industry. Case in point: where/what to combine with technology. Who would have thought to add PC capabilities to the cell phone? Not me... but smartphones're one of the fastest growing cell phone markets. And tech in cars, don't even get me started.

And that's what brought me back to my blog: MyFord/MyLincoln. Wow! I am sooo thankful I added Ford stock to my portfolio/IRA/401K before it exploded. Lucky me! Now I can retire.... oooor not so much. For those unfamiliar check out the link at the bottom of the post to see what MyFord is.

As a self-proclaimed car enthusiast/aficionado I am mildly averse to tech in cars. I think they should be for driving and simple driving pleasure. However, as a practical business student I acknowledge that cars are all things to all people and safety systems that bring your car to a complete stop because you are too inept to are a good, practical idea to some people, if not to me. However, one of the biggest benefits to the personal computer is customization (you know, to make it personal :p ) I am a total control freak so I love anything I can customize and make my own.

But when it comes to cars I do not like anything after-market. For those who know car-speak everything I have has to be OEM (original equipment manufacturer). (example: I drive an Audi therefore every part in my car is manufactured by Audi). To a certain extent (and in an OEM manor) I do like my car to be custom. Boring things such as the color. However, companies aimed at people my age (maybe customization boomed with the tech generation?) like Scion have capitalized on making customization the norm. (Random question: does this eliminate it's appeal?) To a certain extent very few Scions are the same because there are literally hundreds of thousands of favorty available customizations. This is more mechanical: wheel/rim options, break caliper colors, interior carpeting, stereo etc.

This is where (My)Ford is welcomed to the blog post. Finally. MyFord is the technological equivalent to Scion's customization. It is mostly software with a couple big computer screens in your dashboard. It builds on Ford's successful Sync (by Microsoft... google it if you want to learn about it). And creates a customizable car. However, not just one car. Because you can save your customized MyFord settings and carry them to any car. Cool? YES! Just my kind of customization! MyFord has four categories which is as specific as I'm going to get in describing it: Phone, Navigation, Climate, and Entertainment. Clearly these can be expended on with (sub-)categories. Opening up completely new doors for the future. Indirectly this can even sync (no pun intended) with the internet. Here's how: my BlackBerry (and recently, your iPhone) has a facebook application which syncs contacts pictures, contact info, etc which then goes into your phonebook in MyFord. Some day, if anyone ever gets me to buy an American car, let alone a ford, you may call me on my car (sounds weird, huh? thanks technology haha) and the facebook profile picture which you chose will appear on a screen in my dashboard AND/OR control panel. Wow. And to think that approximately 100 years ago automotive tech was so primitive that Henry Ford said you could have any color you wanted, as long as it was black. (My point is that you could only get one color back then, now the person calling me (in my car no less) chooses what picture shows up in my car. WOW.)

But I digress. Customization was supposed to be the point. As I get older, wealthier, and more buying power I am more intrigued by technology because it is more exclusively customizable. My blackberry is very customizable right down to the specific ring tone which I use for text messages. My car isn't quite as customized. Probably the most unique thing about it is the manual transmission, or maybe the color of the inside or outside. In reality it's probably actually the bumper stickers (which I count as customization but they don't need to be OEM :p ).

I'm not quite sure if this blog post has a point. Actually... wait it does. And the moral of the story was foreshadowed when I made the comment about how some people like/want/need (marketing core concepts?) a car that can bring itself to a complete stop. The point is this: there is a ton of technology out there. Some of it good, some of it bad. A lot of its goodness or badness is in the eye of the beholder (and for me, based on how that beholder uses the tech.). I think braking systems which stop a car are bad technology. I think MyFord type systems are good. (They can been seen as distracting and therefore bad as well...) In an ideal world everyone (including me) would use this tech. in a safe, appropriate way making it a great milestone for technology in automobiles.

Bottom line: tech depends on what product it's in and how it will be used. And whether it fits your personality and interests. MyFord fits me. So hopefully it will be available in a General Motors product.

MyFord Info Link:
http://bit.ly/83tQ36