OK, I know I've been really bootleg about updating my blog recently, so I'm going to try to make up for it with a good amount of content in this entry. It's been tough to find time to write lately because the workload has been really heavy so far this quarter. Taking 23 units when most of the other people in my class are taking 15-16 units is a BEAST!!! To make matters worse, I'm actually considering picking up a two-unit Sports Marketing class that starts in about two weeks. I know that I'd probably run myself into the ground by adding another class, but I already don't have time for sleep with my current schedule, so adding another class can't do much worse for me. I want to do as much learning as possible in these two years and stacking up classes is a good way to do so. Also, I'm trying to get as many GSB classes in as I can because the Ed School classes that I have to take put me at risk of having to sacrifice business school classes next year. It would be incredibly stupid for me to add this extra class, but I get closer and closer every day to going ahead and doing it.
As I talk to classmates, one central theme is seeming to emerge: we're all exhausted. The quarter system has a way of just weighing on a person. It's great to have the classes go by quickly and to be able to take more classes over the course of an academic year, but one consequence is that the classes load us up with work for each class session. It isn't uncommon for a person to have 100-200 pages of reading for a single day's worth of classes and, in my case, I've got that on consecutive days (Tuesday and Wednesday). Also, I think the summer internship search took a lot out of people and, for many of my classmates, that search is still going on (but that's mainly because a lot of people just now started their job search). Finally, we've had some traumatic things go on around here in the past week that have a lot of folks upset, so all of that has combined to just have folks wiped out. I hope that we can all recover because several classes have midterms/finals (finals for the 2-unit courses) next week and we all need to be as on point as possible.
Another theme of my Spring quarter so far is that I'm finding it increasing harder to spend time with a lot of the folks around here that I consider to be my "peoples". Academic operations switched up all of the class placements for students and I've ended up not having classes with a lot of my friends that I'd grown accustomed to seeing on a regular basis. I just had dinner tonight with my man Chris who I never get to see anymore because he's married and lives off campus, but it was great to spend a couple of hours catching up with him. I've also been trying to set up lunches and dinner with my other peoples that I haven't been able to connect with much, but that's getting harder to do with all of the classes, group meetings, and organizations that I'm involved in. One thing that does make me smile is that my peoples are actively trying to hang out with me too...that may seem like a small thing, but I find it to be significant because it shows that my classmates are just as concerned with the softer things like maintaining relationships as I am. There are some really good people here at the GSB with me and I really think some lifelong friendships are being forged here.
One last thing...if you are a hip-hop fan, I've got a CD that you should check out. It is entitled "Connected" and it is by a group called Foreign Exchange that is made up of a DJ named Nicolay from Europe and a rapper named Phonte from Durham, NC. Phonte is one of the three members of another rap group called Little Brother who made the best CD that I bought in all of last year. Nicolay put together some of the smoothest beats that I've heard in years and Phonte spits FIRE!!! The whole CD has a mellow, jazzy sort of vibe and it is real hip-hop, not this wack commercialized "hip-pop" that is all over the radio nowadays. They've got a single out from the CD called "Sincere", which should give you an idea of how the whole album flows and you could probably download other tracks too. I'm a big fan of supporting artists who make good music, so y'all should definitely check this joint out.