I Can't Breathe

Do you know that feeling? I'm holding on to the belief that it will go away, that I will survive the current madness, that the bills will get paid, the relatives will forgive being ignored, and the sun will come out tomorrow. But for today...well, today I just can't breathe.

Cold and Rainy Day

Today is a good day for staying inside and working. Of course, that's a good thing for me since I have so much work to do. Let's see...today my "to do" list looks something like this:

1. Finish creating my brother's CD cover art
2. Create a brochure highlighting the new CAPS 40 ton Air Handler Unit
3. Write up my review of another team's business plan
4. Work with my team on modifying our business plan
5. Work with team on Product Roadmap and Strategy
6. Work with team on the rewrite of our technology vision and strategy
7. Start on homework...lots and lots of homework

<sigh> I suppose I will have to admit that today is a bit of a "down" day for me. I still feel like I am working so very hard, but not getting caught up. Top all that off with the stress of finding out (soon) whether or not Leo and/or I have a shot at an overseas assignment and you've got a recipe for moodiness.

As far as school goes, I seem to be doing fine in all of my classes except one. That one class takes up so much more time than the others, and I am still barely passing the class. It is obviously because I don't understand the subject matter; I've had no experience at all with any of it. Usually I can make up for what I don't already know by working hard, studying hard, and looking things up. In this class, well, that's just not working for me. Still, to know that I'm hanging in there in the others is a really nice feeling. Not only am I learning a HUGE amount of new information this semester, but I'm also hanging on and learning how to use the learning in the things that I'm working on. Well, all except for that one class. <smile>

A refill on my Diet Coke and I'll be ready to dig in and start back at chipping away at my "to do" list. In spite of the dreary cold day, I'm THRILLED to be spending it at home, for once. I hope everyone is having a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Leo and I waited for the front to blow through before leaving Houston last night, so we got home (to Port Lavaca) a little after 1am. I woke up this morning, walked into the living room, and once again was awed by the beautiful sight out my back windows. When I stay in Houston too long without a trip home, I forget just how beautiful "home" is. I have GOT to change my plans a bit and make this trip more often!

Today's plans don't include much more that making the requisite "Happy Thanksgiving" phone calls to all the family members, visiting with Jess and Grace, and enjoying one day of relaxation. I will also take a bit of time to reflect on how things are going and be thankful for what God has given us. I know I complain a lot about my crazy life, but the truth is, I always seem to find the next job, Leo and I are both healthy, the kids and grandkids all seem to be doing well, and I am doing all kinds of new and wonderful things. Today I am so very thankful that I have all the things in life that make me happy, and I wish the same for you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Corporate Lessons

I found these "Corporate Lessons" on a blog dated August 7, 2006 and loved the posting enough to want to put a copy here. Here is the original link in case you want to check it out: OLGY's WEBLOG: Corporate Lessons.

Corporate Lesson 1

A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next door neighbor. Before she says a word, Bob says, "I will give you $800 to drop that towel." After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob. Bob watches her admirably for a few seconds and hands her the $800 dollars and leaves. The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, "Who was that?" "It was Bob the next door neighbor", she replied. "Great!" the husband says, "Did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?"
Corporate learning: If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

Corporate Lesson 2

A sales rep, an administration clerk and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out. The Genie says, "I'll give each of you just one wish." "Me first! Me first!" says the admin. clerk. "I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world." Poof! She's gone. "Me next! Me next!" says the sales rep. "I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life. "Poof! He's gone. "OK, you're up" the Genie says to the manager. The manager says, "I want those two back in the office after lunch ."
Corporate learning: Always let your boss have the first say.

Corporate Lesson 3

A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day. A rabbit asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?" The crow answered: "Sure, why not." So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow, and rested. A fox jumped on the rabbit and ate it.
Corporate learning: To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very high up.

Corporate Lesson 4

A turkey was chatting with a bull. "I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree," sighed the turkey, "but I haven't got the energy." "Well, why don't you nibble on my droppings?" replied the bull. "They're packed with nutrients." The turkey pecked at a lump of dung and found that it gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally after the fourth night, there he was proudly perched at the top of the tree. Soon he was spotted by a farmer, who shot the turkey out of the tree.
Corporate learning: Bullshit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.

Are You a List Maker Too?

There are several things that I am addicted to, Diet Cokes, driving with the radio off, foot massages by my husband (he's very good at it) just to name a few. But I am also addicted to list making. Yes, that's right. I'm addicted to writing lists. I write them at work, I write them for school, I write them before going to the grocery store, before running errands, and sometimes I just write them to write them. I'm also afraid I've passed this nasty little habit on to my children. I might be wrong about Rachael, but I am almost positive that Rebecca is a list maker too.

There are some list makers who are famous. A visit to ToDoListBlog.com and you'll see that some people even write books of lists, and others share their lists with others at parties. I'm not that far gone, of course. Or perhaps I'm just a little less public with my lists. My latest list was written today, and surprisingly, was a list I wrote for someone else. I was working and studying, so Leo went grocery shopping for me. (Note: This is something he does a lot now.) Before he left, I made him a list. That's rather strange, now that I stop to think about it. Why would someone be compelled to write a list for someone else. You might laugh and say it's because I'm getting old, this list mania. Or perhaps because I think Leo is getting old and needed a list to work from. Well, truthfully, I've been writing lists all my life, from as far back as I can remember. There is something strangely comforting in list writing. I wonder if it is because it makes me feel just a little in control, a little organized, or a little well-planned. Whatever the case, I have obviously given into my addiction and accepted it as part of my life. Someday I'll share my ever-changing list of "Things I Want to Do Before I Die" with you. I'd love to see yours as well!

The Week I Wanted to Quit

I suppose I have one of these each semester. As a working woman, and a workaholic to boot, trying to pursue an aggressive college program, I guess it makes sense that it is just not possible for me to keep up with everything at once. This was the week that school was just so overwhelming, I was trying to find a way to quit and still be able to cut my losses. But, it didn't happen that way.

I suffered some major losses this week, there's no doubt about it. I made great progress in two jobs where I am working against some tight deadlines. But for school, I had too many assignments and just couldn't get them all done. I also did something I haven't done in a very long time by pulling a true "all-nighter".

On Friday, when I got home from work, I started in on one school project. I had been up since 5:30am and started on my homework at 5:30pm. I worked on getting the business plan brushed up, cleaned up, and updated until midnight. That's when I realized that something was missing and had to dedicate another hour to the effort. At 1am, I started working on an "Integrative Assignment" that involved some activities I was just not prepared (by any previous work history or by any resources I could get my hands on) to complete. I realized at 5am that I was not going to be able to answer the questions. This class only has three official "grades" for the semester, and this was one of them. In other words, I realized I was going to fail the class. In addition, I had three papers due for this class. I had already read all of the material and had my questions ready to put down on paper, but because I spent so much time trying to answer the one important assignment, I did not get them submitted.

At 5am, I took a one hour nap. You have no idea how difficult it was to respond to the 6am alarm, but surprisingly, I did it. Up and working on last minute items from 6am until the start of class at 8am, I began to get my second wind. The teacher's aide for the classes (one of my favorite people, by the way, straightforward, honest, and helpful in everything) let me know that class failure was not going to happen if I really had made an effort on the assignment. Although I trust her, I can't imagine what is going to happen about the combination problem with the "test" and the three missed papers.

The morning sessions were very interesting, and as always, I learned a lot not only from Dr. Martin's interactions with the class, but also from the online chat that occurs at the same time. By the time the lunch break rolled around, I had been up for a little more than 32 hours, with only a one-hour nap. I set my alarm for an hour later, so I could get up and be ready for the afternoon class, then went to sleep. I'm sure the alarm, and the snooze, rang over and over, but I do not remember turning them off. I had to watch the video of the afternoon session later as I slept through the whole thing.

I can't believe how difficult I've made things for myself. This is the week that I wonder what possessed me to keep going on my education. It is costing me so much money that everything I make working at two jobs full tilt is barely enough to keep me going. I pay back $700 per week (yes, that's right...per week) on one loan and $400 per week on another. We have two sets of bills, for the house and for the apartment, and a host of other little expenses. I just keep thinking that if I had chosen not to go to school again, I would have been able to pour this $50,000 into my house. It could be finished by summer without a doubt. On Thursday night, the night before the LONG one, I did something else I hadn't done in a long time, something I haven't done in years, actually, and cried myself to sleep.

Today, however, Leo came back to Houston to be with me, we watched a good movie that we have both seen before, and I realized that life is still good. Leo doesn't care that the house is not done and that we are not becoming wealthy. He cares that we get to spend time together and laugh. So, I'll see what I can do to salvage my losses this week, and try one more time to find the ganas to be able to finish this semester and get ready for the next. (¿Es obvio que he decidido practicar mi español un poco?) So, wish me luck, and be patient with me if you are having a difficult time getting in touch. I'm going to be okay, but it is still going to take a lot of time and effort to get from here to there. Tenga un buen día de dar gracias, y el dios le bendice todo.

Homework

Since I don't have time to provide any witty stories or descriptions of happy family times, I thought I would copy-and-paste my homework assignments for this 2-week period so you will know why. Enjoy. Homework and Project Work—Session 6 Sunday, October 7, 2007 to Friday, October 19, 2007

1. STC381—Legal Issues of Commercialization. Professor Allison.
   1. Burgunder text, Chapters 4 and 5. Important background reading, but the following assignment in my course packet is what we will focus on in class. I am not assigning Chapter 6, but those having a special interest in biotechnology may want to read it at their convenience.
   2. Allison Course Packet, pp. 49-70.
2. STC384—Commercialization Strategy. Dr. Timothy Ruefli. Email all assignments to both Dr. Ruefli and Erin, with “STC384” in the Subject line.
   1. Read BDSS 13, The origins of Competitive Advantage: Innovation, Evolution, and Environment, 429
   2. Read “A Diagnostic for Disruptive Innovation”, Scott D. Anthony, Mark W. Johnson, and Matt Eyring, HBS Working Knowledge, Aug. 9, 2004
   3. Read Disruptive Technology Reconsidered, Erwin Danneels, J Prod Innov Manag 2004;21:246–258
   4. Read Caterpillar Tractor Co. HBS Case #9-385-276
   5. Read Komatsu Limited, HBS case #9-385-277.
   6. Submit Catkom case by start of class on November 2.
      1. What are the economics of Cat’s business?
      2. Where in its value chain does Cat add value?
      3. What are Cat’s strengths? Weaknesses?
      4. Where in its value chain does Komatsu add value?
      5. What is Komatsu’s current (at the time of the case) business strategy?
      6. What are Komatsu’s strengths? Weaknesses?
      7. What change is taking place in the global competitive environment in the 1980s that will most affect Cat and Komatsu’s business?
   7. Wiggins & Ruefli, “Schumpeter’s Ghost: Is Hypercompetition Making the Best of Times Shorter?” Strategic Management Journal, September 2005
   8. Each student is responsible for familiarity with the Caterpillar & Komatsu cases.
   9. Technology Vision & Strategy for team project (PowerPoint slides and executive summary) due by e-mail by start of class on November 2.
   10. Economics of Strategy Exam Part #4 is due by e-mail by start of class on November 2.
3. STC394c—Managing Production and Development. Prof. Steven P. Nichols.
   1. Read Although Fisher, Marshall. March-April 1997. What is the Right Supply Chain for Your Product? Harvard Business Review.
   2. Read Krishnan, Vish and Skilbeck, Jonathan. 1999. E-Sourcing: Strategic Procurement in the Information Age.
   3. Read HBS case 9-598-109: FreeMarkets OnLine (Prepare analysis)
      1. How does FreeMarkets Online create value for its customers? How is it different from existing/traditional models?
      2. How do you assess the company’s business model (at the time of the case)? What are its strengths and businesses? Based on the data found in the Exhibits, what are the margins associated with the software and service businesses? What are the opportunities and barriers for growth?
      3. Which of the following alternatives should the company choose to grow and become profitable? Why?
         1. Horizontal market expansion or vertical market dominance?
         2. Technology and user-support subscription licensing?
         3. Networked purchasing information systems? Are there other alternatives?
   4. Online Students: Prepare the following question for discussion in the BlackBoard Forum. In-class Students: Prepare the following question in the BlackBoard Forum.
      Why are there so many intermediaries in real supply-chains?
      1. What is the physical analog of the delays in the Beer Game?
      2. What strategies do you use to win the Beer game?
      3. What makes an efficient supply chain less responsive?
   5. Do NOT mail this personal assignment to Nichols, but rather to Erin. Due on Wednesday, 28th. One report, not three. Need to have a functional analysis. Focus on buying decisions. Need to have more knowledge on the project than what is presented.
      1. Written assignments should be no more than 6 pages of double-space text plus any appendix material. [The Function Analysis (FA) assignment will allow the FA chart plus six pages of discussion and analysis.] Students should strive for quality of material presented (not quantity). Assignments will be based on
      2. Quality of Analysis. Does the assignment reflect preparation, analysis, reason and a “depth” of understanding?
      3. Insightful Recommendations (proposed course of action).
      4. Comprehensive presentation of relevant and important issues (hard and soft).
      5. Realism (does the work present a reasonable approach going beyond the numbers to include synthesis.
      6. Concise/Persuasive Presentation (clear and convincing)
4. STC395—Market Driven Entrepreneurship. Dr. Jeffery Martin and Brett Cornwell. Contact Erin with all course related communications.
   1. TEV: CHAPTER 11, “Purchasing a Business: The Search Process” pp. 189-210
   2. CR: LBOS for Smaller Companies (HBR 88113)
   3. *CR: Jim Sharpe: Extrusion Technology (Abridged) * (HBSP 9-603-084)
      1. Assess this opportunity from Jim Sharpe’s perspective. How is the deal constructed? How leveraged will he be? Will he be able to meet his obligations?
      2. What should Jim Sharpe do on his first day as owner of Extrusion Technology, Inc.?
      3. What should his action plan be for the first six months? The next twelve months? What should his priorities be?
   4. Integrative Assignment-2 (Quantitative)
   5. TEV: CHAPTER 7, “Making Business Sense of the Internet” PP. 101-120
   6. *CR: The Evolution of ECoverage*(HBSP 9-400-081)
      1. First phase (selling the vision): In your view, should Riker have spent more time up front developing a more comprehensive business plan including detailed financial and strategic analyses? Would you invest money in eCoverage at this stage?
      2. Second phase (building the site and the company): eCoverage essentially built the company as they went along, first partnering with PSIC and then taking over more aspects of the insurance process later on. Is this an effective way of setting strategy for a young e-commerce company?
      3. Third phase (getting the word out and running the company): In the two ads placed in the Wall Street Journal during September of 1999, eCoverage attacked the establishment of the industry, causing tension with its partner, PSIC. Was this a good idea? Would you invest money in eCoverage at this stage?
      4. Fourth phase (handling over the reins): What problems/tensions could arise from having a professional manager (Scott Kauffman) take over as CEO while Riker is still a presence in the company? Would you invest money in eCoverage at this initial stage?
      5. Riker started with his idea in September of 1998 and eCoverage was moving towards becoming a full-fledged operation by February 2000. Is this fast enough?
   7. WBP: Module 10, “Management/Ownership,” pp. 83 – 90
   8. WBP: Module 11, “Administration, Organization and Personnel,” pp. 91 – 96.
   9. BPG: Chapter 10, “Management and Organization” pp. 111 – 123.
   10. Business Plan Document – “Dehydrated” – Copies to Assigned Team for Peer Review

Busy, Busy

Sorry for taking so long to post a note. However, I don't really have anything new or exciting to add...just the same stuff. We did pass a really big milestone in school, however, as last weekend was the halfway point in the program. You might think that would be enough to convince me that I'll survive the ordeal, but I still occasionally suffer from major doubts. I spent a couple of hours on the weekend watching the videos from the global "Moot Corp" competition (a business plan presentation competition). We are supposed to be preparing for our local competition now. The winners from that will move up to the Texas competition, and those winners will go on to the global one. While our project is really good, involves us all deeply, and has brought us a long way, most of the global teams have been working for several years, as opposed to several months, on their presentations. Additionally, they seem to have budgets that include fees for legal representation, traveling around the world, prototypes and mock-ups, and all kinds of things that we have had no experience with. In other words, watching the presentations depressed me just a bit. Still, I'm giving it my all, and trying to learn from what I see in the other teams. We'll just have to see what happens. I've settled in to my new routine at work now. I work less than a mile from my apartment and have fabulous hours, starting at 6:30am and ending at 3:30pm. However, I'm still so far behind in another project (at another company), that as soon as I get out, I rush across town to work from 4:00pm to 6:00pm for them. And school? Well, this week I've ignored it for the most part as I have not had any breathing room. I have gotten a bit of reading done, however, between the hours of 6:30pm, when I get home, and 9:00pm, when I can't stay awake any longer. In bed at 9, and up at 5, and it all starts over again. My daughter Rebecca has just started a blog of her own, and she's having a lot of fun with it. It's only just begun, but you can still find out a bit more about what's going on in that part of my family if you want to check it out at http://rsfaircloth.blogspot.com/. Well, I have a couple of sideline projects to work on this evening...I'm designing a cover for my brother's new country music CD and a brochure cover for Custom Air Products, so I'll be busy for a bit now. Greetings out to Azzy, who never fails to keep in touch. My apologies for not being able to Skype with you recently, but someday, I really believe that things will calm down enough for us to begin chatting again. I've lost touch with several friends over the past few months, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to start catching up soon and make up for lost time.

End of the Weekend

Big thanks out to Jessie Baldock, our next-door-neighbor, brother-in-law, and fishing instructor, for this really cool night shot of our house from his house. The big light in the sky was the full moon we've enjoyed this past week. The lights on the horizon are from the plant where Leo worked for so many years...Formosa Plastics in Point Comfort. It's a great shot of the house and the moonrise!

Greetings go out to Johnny and Martha Ramirez, who drove down from Houston and visited us for the day. We enjoyed time together, sitting on the pier, fishing, laughing, visiting, and having a really good time. We hope they will put us on their schedule and come again soon as it was an absolutely beautiful day, and so much fun.

Jessie bought a really cool bell at the auction last year to raise money for the church parking lot. He decided to hang it down at the pier. We now have a tradition that the catcher of any really big fish gets to ring the bell. Today was a lot more fun and laughter than it was a day for catching the big fish. My first catch was a nice size stingray, something that doesn't actually "count" unless nothing else is caught that day. Martha and Leo each caught a cute little hardhead (Leo's wasn't much bigger than his bait!) Jessie did something that just NEVER happens as he didn't actually catch anything. Of course, he doesn't fish to catch just "anything". But Johnny won the day by catching two small fish, neither any bigger than his hand. Still, in spite of the poor catch, we really had a blast. As we headed back to the house, Johnny accepted his award for "catch of the day" by ringing the bell. I went back to my homework, but not without a big smile for a wonderful day spent with good friends.

It's Always Something

I'm sitting in my living room at home looking at the coming storm. The clouds are building to the south, the sky is darkening, and although I've only seen some lightning in the distance, I can hear the thunder now and then. It's actually a very beautiful sight...I really love watching the storms come. Just saw some crazy fisherman head out in his boat. I fully expect to see him back within the hour, drenched and unhappy, but hey, maybe his weather radar is better than mine.

You'd think I'd be in a happy mood. This is the second time I've been home in the last 6 weeks, and I was thrilled to sleep in my own bed again. But, things are not as rosy as I would wish. I had car trouble on the way home last night (electrical problems) and spent nearly an hour on the side of the road waiting for help to arrive. It was dark by the time we left the truck there, with all of my work and homework loaded in it. We'll be headed back in a few minutes in order to get it towed to the shop, and for me to pick up my stuff so I can get back to work, but I'm sure that activity will happen in the midst of the storm.

I can see the rain already on the water between us and the causeway...it will be here soon.

Things are going well, they really are, but I am still a bit overwhelmed. It takes everything I have to get things done for my Big 3 activities.

Here comes my fisherman, racing back to the dock! The rain will definitely hit him before the boat's out of the water (my prediction).

Activity One is school. It takes about 15 hours per week for me to do my homework, and that's only because I'm a really fast reader. It takes another 15-20 hours of work to complete project work; TONS of research, review of others' work, paper writing, process mapping, and so much more.

I won again...the boat is still being trailered and the rain is come down. Poor guy was in the water no more than 20 minutes.

Activity Two is my marketing job. I've worked part-time for this guy for a while now and do a bit of everything for them. At the moment, I'm working on some targeted powerpoint presentations, an inspection checklist for his quality inspector, a bid log that can be accessed from the field, and more. The problem here is, this is my second job, the one that was tiding me over until my BIG contract came through. But they like my work, so they keep giving me more, and I like them, so I keep agreeing to it.

It is raining so hard now. I can't see what the problem is, but the fisherman is really having a hard time getting his boat out of the water. Poor guy...he obviously really wanted to fish today!

Activity Three is my new job, a nice contract for some steady work at a site less than a mile from my apartment. I am working with 10 buildings or so full of labs and work areas. My job is to barcode all of their chemicals, enter them in the chemical inventory database, ensure they have up-to-date MSDS sheets, saved digitally in the database, and put a plan in place to make the process of tracking chemicals as they come and go on the site a permanent one. One little caveat...they expect this process to be fully implemented by the beginning of the year. Yikes!

Hey, I think I see what the fisherman is doing...I think he's waiting to see if the storm will blow over. The boat is on the trailer, but still backed up to the water, and the guy is in his truck. I think he's just waiting. My prediction on this one is that he'll leave within the half hour. This does not seem to be a little shower to me. I think it's here to stay.

So perhaps you can see my problem here. I have lots of work, work that I love, but too little time to do it in. My time is scheduled almost to the minute every day. (Yes...the writing of this note is on my calendar and I've given myself 30 minutes for it.) I rarely answer my phone, I don't chat on Skype unless it's scheduled and has something to do with the Big 3, I don't cook, wash clothes, clean house, go to the movies, or visit with friends. I read so much each week that my readings all seem to cross over on to each other, and I read (audio books) at least one book a week that is of my own choosing and has not been assigned to me. I think I will be okay, but am not always sure of this fact. I depend on Leo to take care of EVERYTHING that I can't do, the unfairness of which is not lost on me...I just can't figure a way out of it.

Oh well, I did NOT mean to go on and on about this, but it does help me, in a way, to put it down "on paper". Being able to articulate it helps me to see more clearly what I'm up against and strategize how to handle it all better. I really did not mean to "vent" on you guys though.

It's a full fledged storm now. The man in the truck and the boat on the trailer are still sitting at the dock, but only because, like me, he must be a bit crazy. There's no way he's going to be able to get back in the water this morning.

My scheduled time is up and now I have to move on to the next thing on my list...creative financing in order to pay for vehicle repairs that I was not counting on. After that comes Business Plan work, then Scenario Building, work on two spreadsheets, and some project management stuff to schedule out how we are going to get the chemical inventory process accomplished in only three months. <sigh>

It is storming now, not letting up at all, as the fisherman and his boat drive away. Yes, I'm really happy to be at home today...what a beautiful storm.

Birthday Party Fun

In spite of the fact that I didn't have any free time, I took some time off yesterday and Leo and I went to our grandson's birthday party. My granddaughter Madison turned 7 a couple of weeks ago, and grandson Mason will be 5 next weekend. We drove to Liberty and enjoyed watching the kids play, visiting with friends and family, and forgetting about school and work for just a few hours. The biggest thing the weekend did for me was remind me that there is "life out there", and as soon as I get through trying to be SuperWoman and get it all done in the shortest time possible (an MS in a single year while working full-time away from home) I believe I'm going to have to learn to be a "grandma" all over again. I will CERTAINLY make more time for my kids and grandkids!

Here are some photos I just HAVE to share:

Mason, a redhead, is sporting his new "buzz cut" here as he plays in the coolest little neighborhood water park. Mom had to cut his hair before the party since sister Madison did quite a chop job playing with him a few days before. She had taken her school scissors and convinced him that she should give him a haircut. The new haircut was such a mess, Mom decided just to buzz it all off and let it grow out again. Mason's an easy-going kid, though. He had no problem with the chop cut nor the new buzz job. The haircut was just fine with him.

Madison is my little angel, but certainly not in the "typical" sense. She is headstrong and vocal and loves to be the center of attention. She also has quite her own sense of style, but can often be convinced to modify it as she is also eager to please. No matter how long it's been since we've seen each other, she always greets me with a big smile and hug as if it's only been days. Yesterday when I arrived, she immediately ran up to me to ask if I brought my bathing suit and was going to get in the water with them! She is a beautiful child, blue-eyed with long blonde hair, and always full of questions.

Here are my two M&Ms (Madison & Mason) playing in the water. The water park was so very nice. It was just a small coated concrete slab with all kinds of pipes, spouts, water falling from above, water squirting from below, buckets dumping water unexpectedly, and all of it in constant motion as the water flow increased and decreased continuously. This is the kind of place the kids could play all day, without much interruption from parents and the like, and keep themselves entertained. (And it was MUCH better than any tv show or video game.) While the kids played the parents and family sat under the trees and visited. All in all, it was a beautiful day and we had a wonderful time.

This is a photo of my girls and I. For those of you who don't know me (and I know that some of the blog readers don't), I am the woman on the left. I'm sorry if it is a surprise to you that I am such a large woman...it's one of those things that sometimes takes people by surprise. But, enough of that...I'll talk about it more another time. Rachael is in the middle, and is the mother of my two grandchildren. She is 24, lives in Liberty where she runs (she is the Office Manager) a law office there. Rebecca is my oldest, 11 months older than her sister, and lives in the Austin area. The girls are close, and close to me in that we talk regularly, but I don't see them nearly enough to keep me satisfied. After May, however...

Well, there you have it. When I'm complaining by week's end how I did not finish all of my homework or did not get enough sleep this week, you'll know that it's because I took one day off from my busy life so I could practice being a grandma again...what fun we had!

Hurricane Update

So sorry I've been too busy to post recently, but after receiving several inquiries, I thought I should take a minute to report that we were not disturbed by the recent hurricane. Humberto came quickly and surprised us all. Had it come in just a few miles west of where it did, we could have experienced some serious effects. As it was, we got some dark clouds and very little rain. In other words, we were lucky. Hope to post again soon, but must go now. (Life is waiting.)

Pouting in Houston

Only a few minutes after the front door closed last night, I was regretting my decision to stay in Houston for the weekend while Leo went home. It's just that both my workload and my schoolwork load are piling up around me. I knew that if I went home, I'd be tempted to do something other than work. I'm making progress this morning, it's true, but I'm awfully "pouty" about the whole thing. I just called home and Leo didn't answer. Is he fishing now? Are they catching some nice reds? Did he see any deer this morning? Were the hogs feeding when he arrived at home last night? Arrgh! I don't have time for this, so I'm going back to my study of "negligence" by next looking at Brown v. Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. No, it's not really boring, it's actually quite interesting if the truth be known. But would I rather be fishing and hanging out with the guys? You Bet! Catch one for me, guys!

A Day in the Country

We spent much of today at my sister's house in the outskirts of Danbury (Texas). Less than 35 miles away from the apartment, she lives closer than I originally thought. My brother-in-law, the cook in the family, treated us to a lunch selection that included grilled steaks, chicken fajitas, sausage, and shrimp. We enjoyed the food and company as well as an afternoon of visiting with the family. My nephews were as much fun as always, and we made arrangements to go back tomorrow night (while sis is out of town) to help with a few of the back-to-school details. All in all, we had a wonderful day.

Novel Diversions

Have I ever mentioned that I am an avid reader? I have? Oh...sorry. This week, even though I've been scrambling to get all my readings for school and my homework completed, I did squeeze in enough time to wrap up several books. When I'm not in school, I sometimes go through a phase of reading a number of books in a short time. Don't know why, but I do. In the last two weeks, here are the books I've read:

"At Risk" by Patricia Cornwell

Not one of her best works, I still found the story a delightful diversion from the standard Cornwell fare. Don't know whether to recommend it or not, but truthfully, I enjoyed it.

"Predator" by Patricia Cornwell.

Now this was one of the standard gory, detailed, intriguing Kay Scarpetta mystery thrillers. A great read, although quite long and complex. While the editorial reviews didn't particularly favor this book, once again, I beg to differ. I really did enjoy it.

"Florence of Arabia" by Christopher Buckley

I know I mentioned reading this last week, but it really was a lot of fun. It was so good, in fact, that I've picked up another by the same author and hope to be able to read it before Friday morning. It is called "No Way to Treat a First Lady".

"Teeth of the Tiger" by Tom Clancy

Leo and I are working on this one together, so it is taking longer than normal. Still, I think that the trip to Austin on Thursday will give us time to finish this excellent (but long) story.

Others on hand, but I don't know whether I'll be able to finish anytime soon.

"Autumn Bridge" by Takashi Matsuoka

"Inside the Kingdom" by Carmen Bin Ladin

"Maximum Ride" by James Patterson

"Mary Mary" by James Patterson

My Homework

I thought you might be interested in seeing what my homework assignments generally consist of. This amount is typical (if there is such a thing) of what a 2-week period looks like, as far as the reading goes, but because it is being assigned prior to meeting these instructors, it is a lot "lighter" than normal on the amount of work that needs to be turned in. Enjoy.

1. STC381—Legal Issues of Commercialization.
   1. Allison & Prentice, Chapters 1-4.
   2. Participate in a threaded discussion of issues related to this session's reading assignments on the Blackboard Reading Discussion forum.
2. STC384—Commercialization Strategy.
   1. A listing of team members and a brief description of the technology is to be submitted via e-mail by September 1.
   2. BDSS [Textbook: "Economics of Strategy"] Introduction
   3. BDSS Primer: Economic Concepts for Strategy (review), 9
   4. BDSS 1, The Evolution of the Modern Firm (Skim), 43
   5. BDSS 2, The Horizontal Boundaries of the Firm: Economies of Scale and Scope, 74
   6. Porter, M., “What is Strategy?” HBR OnPoint Article #4134
   7. Fabtek HBS Case (#9-592-095) and Questions
3. STC394c—Managing Production and Development.
   1. HBS case 5-704-497: Strategic Inflection: TiVo in 2003
   2. Hagel, John III and Singer, Marc. March-April 1999. Unbundling the Corporation. Harvard Business Review.
   3. Morris, Charles R. and Ferguson, Charles H. March-April 1993. How Architecture Wins Technology Wars. Harvard Business Review.
   4. Jolly, Vijay K. 1997. Chapter 6 in Commercializing New Technologies, Getting from Mind to Market. Boston: Harvard Business School Press (STC380 text).
   5. Prepare the following questions for discussion:
      1. What factors facilitate and complicate the adoption of TiVo’s product? Who is the ideal candidate for TiVo’s product?
      2. What are Tivo’s competitive strengths and weaknesses? Where does TiVo fit in the entertainment value network? Who are its allies? Enemies?
      3. What is your evaluation of TiVo’s plans and execution to date (at the time of the case)? What is your assessment of its positioning and differentiation? Do you propose any changes that would help the company sustain and scale itself in this market, and appropriate gains from its innovation?
      4. What is the reason for the prevailing view that it is hard for a proprietary system to be open? Is it possible for a non-proprietary system to be profitable? For a proprietary system to be open?
      5. What according to the authors of “Unbundling the Corporation “ are the compromises inherent in a bundled company?
      6. What are the risks in unbundling a company? (What are the weaknesses of unbundled firms?) Is there any other way to overcome the above compromises without unbundling a company?
   6. In addition, each team will present a 5 minute presentation about their technology, product, customer, and “manufacturing environment” (product realization). The teams may prepare, but this will be an informal (not graded) presentation.
4. STC395—Market Driven Entrepreneurship.
   1. The Ernst & Young Business Plan Guide: Read pp 1-14 and 47-56.
   2. The Entrepreneurial Venture: Read Chapters 1 and 14
   3. Posted to Course Documents, Session 1: Complete the Student Profile Form and email back to Erin. Download and skim the document on How to Read a Financial Report
   4. Some of you already have a book called Writing Business Plans That Work. That was a last minute addition, and only a few of the onliners have a copy. The rest of you will be receiving that and one other book in class next week. If you have the book, read pages 13-34. For the rest of you, I will scan and post a copy to Course Documents tomorrow morning.
   5. There will be three brief notes/cases that will be posted to BB no later than Friday. Please take a look at those, paying particular attention to the one titled A Note on Case Learning.

Internet Connection in Houston

FINALLY! I'm connected!

Do you have any idea how difficult it is for me to work (or play) without it? It's been a nightmare...especially when homework deadlines were looming. But now, well, today I'm back online, using my own connection, and running several (3) computers all at once. In other words...I'm in heaven.

After the fishing excitement over the weekend, it was really hard to come back to town. Still...I have projects and people waiting on me, so it just had to be done. Every day, I look at my UT homework for the upcoming weekend and for the semester, and every day I wonder just how I am going to survive it all. The topics look exciting, the new instructors appear to be wonderfully innovative and accomplished, and I'm looking forward to learning and achieving more. On the other hand, work is as busy as ever, more projects are added to my "pile" every day, and personal "problems" (taxes, bills, two houses needing a good cleaning) don't seem to be going away any time soon.

So...today I'm getting all set up for another couple of weeks of hard work. This week, I will have to work a couple of long days, and I have a TON of reading assignments to knock out before Friday. Leo and I will be heading to Austin on Thursday evening in preparation for Friday's class (I want to meet my new instructors in person, so this will be an in-class weekend for me), then we'll be home on Sunday to start another round of "can she survive working and going to school at the same time". Wish me luck!

Leo's Big Catch

We were having a great time down at the pier, although we weren't catching anything. I caught a crab, and Jess caught a stingray and a croaker. We were about to give up and shut down for the night when something hit Leo's line and doubled his pole over. Wow...we were sure it was a big stingray, but those are always fun when they want to battle, so Leo got ready for the fight. About that time, my line hit with the same force. Now it looked like we both were up for a bit of a battle.

Now Jess is by far the most experienced fisherman among us, so he went into full coaching mode. "Don't worry about the drag...it's fine." "Don't fight him...just keep tension on the line and he'll wear out before you do." "Keep your pole up...don't point the line at him or he'll get away." It was all good advice and we were thankful for it.

About 5 minutes into my battle, my fish took a run toward us. I was keeping up, and even saw a fin break the surface, although he was running parallel to the dock and heading for the grass. Then, all of a sudden, my line broke. My battle was over.

Leo was sweating by now, and the sun was going down. We usually don't stay out past this point in the evening as the critters and snakes start to come out, and it's a long walk back to the house in the dark. But...we couldn't give up yet. Even a good stingray would have been a welcome sight. What a battle this guy put up! Twenty minutes later, when we saw him break the surface, we realized this was not a stingray at all. By the time Leo was able to wear him out enough for Jess to net him, we saw Leo had landed an incredibly large (considering we fish from a dock in our own back yard) black drum.

Of course, we had no camera with us, so we put the big guy in a live well while Jess made a run up to his house for a camera (mine is in Houston). By the time he got back, we were taking photos and measurements in the dark, but with a little bit of work we got all the details. This guy was 36" long and weighed a bit over 25 lbs. Although he had been in our custody for a while, because of the live well, we were able to get him back into the water and watch him make a few faltering attempts before he was strong enough to swim away. What a battle and what a good time! Here are the photos:

Leo and Jess trying to get an accurate measurement.

Now for an accurate weight.

Now that we've had our fun, it's time to let this guy go. Jess does the honors...

Exhaustion after the battle. Note the measuring tape in Leo's hand...he carried it back to the house that way to make sure we were reading the tape correctly. We were. 36" long...what a catch!

Storm's a Brewin'

Home for the weekend for the first time in a really long time...Whoopee! It's an absolutely beautiful day. But the weather reports have us all a little worried. Hurricanes are a fact of life here, something that comes along regularly. However, because of their nature, people along the coast learn to evaluate them based on how close they hit. That's a little misleading though, since it's often the fringe storms that cause the most damage.

A lot of people want to know whether we'll leave when the storms come. That's never something I consider...I never leave. And the storms that blew through in late September of 2005 strengthened my resolve as more people were killed in "running" than were affected by the storms themselves. Nope...I'm safe here, the winds are my only concern, and I would be more stressed by leaving and wondering about what's happening at home than by staying, so it's no question for me. I'll be here.

Today, Leo and Jess are planning and scheming about the storm preparations. They are tying things down, moving things that can be moved, and walking the yard time after time looking for problems. I will be heading back to Houston on Sunday, but if hurricane Dean hits anywhere along the coast, I'll be back home before it hits.

The game plan now is to check in regularly and watch the progress. It's an easy thing to obsess over, but that's not really my style (and, I don't have the time for it!). So, now it's on to other things...homework, work, and the like. Talk to you soon.

Final Grade Posted

My final grade arrived, and in spite of my concerns, it was an "A". Whooppee! Admittedly, not my finest semester, but again, working full time, attending school in Austin, pursuing a Master's Degree in what amounts to an accelerated program, and an "A-" (91.69) average overall...you can bet I'm happy about it. Whooppee!