And .... we're done!

Packing up

On Monday, I began a task I've been dreading for weeks: packing. Fortified by lunch at Eppie's and my friend Kari's best-wishes, I dragged out the boxes I've used for my past two moves (I wanted my $3.50 worth), and surveyed the scene. It did not take long to realize how much I've accumulated in my time at Darden. There's a significant amount of new clothing; a three foot stack of cases; a shelf sagging under the weight of course-packs and textbooks; various souvenirs from recent trips to France, Egypt and China ... and much, much more. Ugh. Given my plans to head north with my boyfriend and move into a 700-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, this accumulation is a thing of grave concern. And so, for the past couple days, I have been trying to gear myself up for some heavy-duty downsizing. Thus far, I have stuffed two, large garbage bags with unwanted purses, clothes, knickknacks and books. These are going to the Salvation Army. In addition, I have filled another two, large garbage bags with junk. These are bound for the trash compactor. All in all, I am quite proud of myself. And so, as a reward, I will now put off the rest of my packing until after graduation, when I'll be fortified by a not just lunch and well-wishes, but my old friend, necessity.

Foxfield ... 6th Edition

Yesterday I celebrated my 6th (and quite possibly last) visit to the infamous Foxfield Races. Often touted as UVa's social event of the year, Foxfield offers attendees a quintessentially Charlottesville mix of early morning cocktails, horse racing and seersucker. Usually, Foxfield is a signal that spring has truly sprung -- sundresses and the subsequent sundress-tan lines are viewed as a given. Yet this year, forecasts called for rain. Now any other community would likely have clicked on weather.com, seen the thunderstorm warnings and thought better of spending an entire day trudging through muddy fields dressed in their Sunday best. But Darden, and the greater University of Virginia student body, would not be deterred. To protect ourselves (and the aforementioned sundresses) from the drizzle, we zipped into windbreakers, pulled on rain boats and fashioned makeshift shelters out of tarp, wooden stakes and duct tape. We were rewarded with a fabulous day. The drinks flowed freely, my horses won and we all walked away without those awkward tan lines.

Getting ready for the big move

When not trying to milk every last drop of fun out of our last weeks in Charlottesville, Jesse and I have begun sizing up the painful challenge that is moving from Central Virginia to Brooklyn, New York. This is a task that falls squarely under the "not-fun" category of pre-graduation activities. Like everyone I have ever met in my life, I hate moving. It involves tedious packing; carrying large, heavy objects; and worst of all, negotiating tight spaces while relying on the guidance of loved ones. Gross.
Add to this, a very strict budget, and the prospect of a 6-hour U-Haul drive, and it's almost enough to make me give up on our big city dreams and remain here in Charlottesville forever.
Such a decision is, of course, highly impractical. While allowing me to keep my lovely, "seafoam blue" sofa exactly where it is, it would mean missing out on this "empire state of mind" I've heard so much about. And a new life with my significant other. So ... U-Haul it is.

Three more weeks!

According to various status updates on Facebook, there are a mere three weeks left in my Darden career. In preparation, I've gone through all the necessary motions: I've submitted my cap and gown sizing information, made graduation weekend dinner reservations, donated to the Second Year Gift and earned the required Leadership credit (like a Boy Scout badge, but no flare!). And yet ... I'm just not ready to say goodbye. Clearly, my boyfriend is feeling this too. Coming into Q4, he sat me down and told me he wanted to get everything he could out of his remaining weeks in Charlottesville and at Darden. This, he explained sweetly, would involve taking afternoon golf lessons, visiting all local vineyards and breweries, and attending every single Darden-related social event, from the highly-anticipated Foxfield Races, to the random Huntington Village barbecue. I, of course, agreed that this sounded like a phenomenal plan. Which bring us to now ... it's mid-afternoon on a gorgeous, 70 degree day. Over the past three days, my boyfriend and I attended Darden's Spring Social at the Jefferson (an awesome event featuring live music at a recently renovated old theater on the Downtown Mall); won Darden's inaugural squash tournament (well, he did); went wine tasting and picnicking at King Family Vineyard in Crozet; and played a sorry round of cornhole by the light of some tiki torches. All in all, a very-Charlottesville, very-Darden weekend. Perhaps tuckered out from all this activity, or simply having put his Fear Of Missing Out to rest, Jesse is now hard at work on a paper (he just asked me how to spell "contentious," so I know he's actually working). Some of us still haven't earned our Leadership Credit.

Nearing the end

The signs are all around ... the diploma form stuffed into my Darden mailbox, the push to support our Second Year Gift, and oh yes, of course, the class meeting about graduation logistics ... The end, as they say, is nigh. And soon, I will leave this cocoon-like, b-school existence and make for New York City. As exciting as this is, the prospect of leaving Darden makes me pretty glum. I have truly loved my time here. Not only have I learned a ton, I've made great friends and in some small way, I feel like I've made an impact. Yet now, it's transition time. This afternoon, I'll meet with a first year who will soon take over my duties as Communications VP for the National Association of Women MBA's. And next week, the Media, Entertainment & Sports Club will host its last alumni conference call. And pretty soon, this blog will stop featuring my musings on MBA life and begin to chronicle my Big Apple adventures. Sigh.

Paris! Cairo! Luxor!

Posing at the Temples of Karnak ...

... and the great pyramids

... and in front of Notre Dame Cathedral

MBA Media and Entertainment Conference

As you might imagine, recruiting for a job in the media and entertainment industry while living in Charlottesville, Va. can be a bit of a challenge. The city, while full of a multitude of delights, is far from a media hub. Because of this, my job search has taken me to New York City ("concrete jungle where dreams are made of," according to Alicia Keys and Jay-Z) on several occasions. Tomorrow, I head north again to attend the MBA Media and Entertainment Conference at New York University's Stern School of Business. According to the conference website, the event is "the premiere event for business school students focusing on the media, entertainment and technology industries." And the list of panel topics and panelists is indeed impressive. Yesterday, I signed up to attend talks on corporate strategy, a new business model for news and new media subscriptions. I have to admit, I'm pretty excited. While Darden has attracted a strong cohort of would-be media execs, it'll be great to talk to others with similar ambitions and passions.
To find out more about the conference, visit: www.mbamec.com.

20th Annual SHE Auction

Last night, NAWMBA hosted the 20th annual SHE Auction, Red Carpet Gala. The event, held at the Boar's Head Inn, included dinner, dancing and a live auction. We all had a blast raising money for an amazing cause: Charlottesville's Shelter for Help in Emergency.

Women's Leadership Week

This week, the Darden chapter of NAWMBA (National Association of Women MBAs) is holding its annual Women's Leadership Week. As the name implies, the week is devoted to encouraging conversations about women and leadership -- from the hurdles female execs may face en route to the C-suite, to the challenges of balancing work, family and personal time.
This afternoon, Tricia Griffith, group president with Progressive, flew into Charlottesville to give a talk as part of Darden's Leadership Speakers Series, and I had the pleasure of joining Tricia for lunch beforehand. In addition to detailing her more than 20-year tenure with Progressive, Tricia talked about the planning required to vacation with her husband and their six (yup, six!) children, the importance of leading by example and the merits of encouraging healthy debate among your team members. The conversation was great and it made me even more excited for the other activities on tap this week, including: tomorrow's case discussion led by Prof. Ed Freeman, Thursday's reception and fireside chat and of course, Friday's SHE Auction Red Carpet Gala!

Snow ... again

The last time I wrote about snow, I was all about it. Snow, I recall saying, inspires a sense of adventure; a feeling of newness. Hah. That was last week.
This week, I'm over it. Having just survived about 20 inches of weekend snowfall, Charlottesville is now expecting another 5 to 10 inches by Wednesday afternoon. And that, my friends, means more power outages, more aborted travel plans, more slippery roads and sliding cars, more grocery stockpiling and more shoveling. Disastrous! As the inconveniences pile up, snow has begun to lose its luster. While this California girl was once seduced by its shiny, fresh, downy facade, she has now come face to face with snow's more sinister side. The side that turns snow angels into sniffles and coughs, outdoor plans into candlelit games of Apples to Apples and dusted curbs into icy, rock hard obstacle courses. Last weekend's snowstorm was a novelty, this past weekend's was an irritation and this week's will be my undoing.

Help support a great cause!

On Feb. 19, the National Association of Women MBAs at Darden will host its 20th annual auction to support Charlottesville's Shelter for Help in Emergency. The event, which will feature a sit-down dinner, dancing, music from Blues Jam and bidding on a variety of items, will begin at 7 p.m. at the Boar's Head Inn in Charlottesville.

Tickets cost $35 per person and are available at:

http://forms.darden.virginia.edu/student/dsa/ClubEventPayments.html

Snow!

While just a few days ago the temperatures here in Charlottesville were hovering in the mid-50's, I woke up yesterday to snow-covered sidewalks and fresh flurries. I love a good snowfall and, with spring just around the corner, my boyfriend and I couldn't let this one go to waste. So off we went, plowing through the white stuff, intent on enjoying our day. Yet come to think of it, we spent our snowy Saturday much like we spend other Saturdays -- we went downtown, enjoyed a couple cups of coffee, watched a movie and went out for a few drinks on the Corner. The only real difference is that somehow the cold weather and the inches of snow underfoot made everything seem like an adventure. En route to the Mudhouse, we walked along relatively empty streets and it felt like we'd gone back in time (at least, until the snowplows hit the road). And on our way home from the bar, we slipped and slid, pushing each other into piles of snow and returned home cold and completely covered. In the midst of it all, I lost a glove, bruised my knee and tracked in some ice. A small price to pay for an awesome snow day.

Paris, Cairo, Amsterdam

Apologies for my long absence, faithful readers (you're out there, right?!). I have a good excuse. Since Sunday, the majority of my time online has been spent researching flights for my GBE this March. The GBE, or Global Business Experience, is a Darden-sponsored, credit-earning, week-long trip to learn about how business is conducted elsewhere in the world. With about 20 fellow Darden students, you travel to Argentina, Bahrain, China, Spain or Sweden, attend local b-school classes, visit foreign companies and sight see. As my longtime followers know, I didn't go on a GBE last year, opting instead for the relaxing sands of Playa del Carmen. This year, however, I am. I'm going to Egypt! And let me tell you, the itinerary looks fabulous. In between business and university tours, we see The Great Pyramids of Giza, visit the Khan el Khalili Bazaar and travel to Luxor. There's even a light show. Not kidding.

But wait, there's more! Two of my closest Darden girlfriends are also going on the Egypt GBE and we, in our infinite wisdom, have decided to take advantage of the fact that we are traveling around the world to make some strategic stop-overs. Think Paris! And Amsterdam! Sigh. It's a tough life.