Category Archives: travel

…and the presentation

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*I try not to write “travel logs” on the blog, as I find that my writing suffers and I fear I will bore my readers. However, sometimes that is what is necessary. The following is a bit of a “play by play”, written for me in personal history fashion. Read at your own risk of boredom. And I have not put in names because, in this information age, I really don’t feel like having someone do a little Google search and find my blog because I posted the names of the company, the executives of the company, the university where I work and attend classes, or my team members or advisor. It’s not because I’m trying to be cryptic. However, you will be able to tell the company and the school from the photo.

So, it all started in January of this year. My friend, Catherine, encouraged me to take this field studies class through the School of Management. I thought about it and decided that, if I was really serious about going back to school for my MBA, this would be a great opportunity to a) see if my study habits and motivation had improved since my undergrad, b) raise my GPA, and c) see if I had what it was going to take to get through an MBA program. I went and spoke with the professor over field studies and he signed my petition to take the class (because I’m not in the management program, MBA or undergrad, I needed a petition).

I know I’ve discussed this previous to this post, but the truth is, I had no idea what I was getting into. I was taking this class, a 200 level English class (I had to retake it to get rid of the “unofficial withdrawal” on my transcript…which is the equivalent of a failing grade), and Accounting, along with working full time. I’m not sure what I was thinking, but whatever, that’s what I did.

I felt a little in over my head with the field studies class. The project we were given was basically to try and quantify the value of a company’s culture. There were two different teams assigned to this and we were each looking at it from two different angles. My team was looking at it from a financial perspective. The other team was looking at it from an HR perspective. In either situation, this is not an easy task, since “culture” is not exactly tangible, and therefore, not exactly measurable. We started out a little lost, especially me. With none of the business classes that the other team members had under their belts, I was already swimming uphill.

About two weeks into this, our self-appointed team lead, who had an “I think I’m so amazing that I can take 19 credits and be the team leader” attitude, ended up “resigning” from the class. He wrote all of us a letter explaining that he had taken on too much. Really, idiot, too much? In reality, I believe the majority of the reason he quit to be that this task seemed impossible and he did not want to be on a sinking ship, so he bailed out.We were left with a seemingly impossible task and no team leader. We still had a faculty advisor, but he’s a little hands-off (which I feel is totally appropriate for an MBA course), so we were left to our own devices.

Through a course of events I do not entirely recall, I ended up as the team lead (I still don’t know what I was thinking). I had definitely taken on too much, but I also knew that this was my shot. This was my chance to prove to myself, and whoever else, that I had what it would take to be a successful MBA student. And being the team lead didn’t mean I had to understand everything perfectly, just that I had to coordinate and make sure things were getting done.

To make an extremely long story a little less long, we figured out two ways to measure the value of the company’s culture. We wrote a report and created a Power Point presentation. The executive, we’ll call him Mr. M, who had requested that we do this study came to the university and both teams made presentations. It went well. As our advisor put it, “we hit it out of the park”.

A week later, I received an email from the Mr. M’s assistant telling me that Mr. M would like some of us to come and make the presentation to the executive committee, i.e. the CEO, CFO, COO, etc. Wow. I was blown away. After several emails back and forth, we finally settled on August. At first, it was going to just be me. I was terrified. Not that I can’t make a presentation, but the truth is, as the team lead, I made sure everything happened and I understood the results, but I wasn’t sure that I could explain it all and I certainly wasn’t prepared to answer their questions.

Thankfully, as it turned out, our advisor and another of my team members were able to come, as well. And that is how we arrived in Maryland Monday morning to give this presentation. I realize that’s a lot of background, but I felt like it would be helpful.

Before we headed across the country, we had to tighten things up a bit. We had numbers, but some of the were real time and needed to be changed. The report we turned in initially had a few errors (a common occurrence when all of the people writing/proofreading it are deeply involved), so there was some editing that needed to be done. By the time Monday morning arrived, though, I knew the information in the paper and presentation backwards and forwards.

Monday morning, we, our advisor, my teammate and I, met in the hotel restaurant for breakfast. (I hate eating when I’m nervous, but if I don’t, I risk getting sick). We then had about 45 minutes before we needed to head over to the offices. I went up to my room and began to freak out. I decided that was counterproductive, so I then just recited my part of the presentation over and over in the mirror over the wet-bar. I am not normally a “rehearser”. I’ve always been quite good at giving presentations on the fly. That’s not to say that I don’t prepare, but I don’t have to actually rehearse it, I just have to know the information. But, I’ve never given a present to someone who runs a multi-billion dollar company either, so I felt this change in routine was totally appropriate.

Getting over to the offices was a bit of a fiasco. I thought the building was the one just across from the hotel, so we walked over there. That wasn’t it. We tried the building next to the hotel. Not it either. Finally, we asked someone at the hotel. It turned out that we had asked the bellman, who was also the shuttle driver, and he went ahead and drove us over (it really was just a two minute walk, but I was so glad to be driven and not feel like a lost dog).

Mr. M’s assistant met us in the lobby and we were then taken upstairs to get the boardroom ready. I love technology, but that was the one that was really making me nervous. What if we couldn’t get the presentation up? What if the projector didn’t work? What if? What if? What if?

Well, my fears were unnecessary. The thing is, when you’re talking about a company like this one, everything is built-in. There are tech people available to help you with anything. We had the presentation on the screen (which was not a projector at all, but a huge monitor) and we were ready to go. The company photographer came and took our picture in the boardroom (when I have a copy, I will post it). We then left the boardroom with an hour to kill while the committee met and took care of other business. We got a tour of the building and were treated to Starbuck’s down in the cafeteria.


One of the things I really like about my advisor, a quality I hope to emulate, is his ability to be calm and reassuring without being disingenuous. Of course we were nervous and we could have been discussing the presentation for that hour, getting more and more nervous. But instead, he talked to us about our lives, told us about his kids and then, just before we headed upstairs, he said something like, “Remember, these are just people. Sure, people who run a multi-billion dollar corporation, but they are still people. You know this stuff up and down. You’ve worked hard to get hear. Just be confident and we will be great.”

The meeting was right on schedule. We were invited in right at 10:00. We entered, introduced ourselves and shook hands with all of the committee. And then it was time. I began the presentation and was happy to see that everyone was paying attention and nodding as I shared the background to the study. My team member was next. She went through the first method of our valuation. I was up again to summarize that part and introduce the second method. My advisor took care of the second method. And then I wrapped things up.

The committee had some questions. Obviously, as we were using publicly available information, they have more accurate numbers to work with. All in all, the questions were about what we expected. What I hadn’t expected was how educational this part of the presentation was for me. It was absolutely fascinating to hear the executives interact with each other. It was like a dream. I just kept thinking, “this is where I was meant to be.” I realize that these people did not get into these positions overnight, and I don’t necessarily mean that I expect to be the chief officer of anything, but it was such a great discussion. People disagreed with each other and were respectful and amiable about it. People had different ideas about what to do. People had different questions for us based on what they do for the company. It was such a treat to be able to witness all of this.

And then it was over. We were done. We did get to go to Mr. M’s office and see all of his pictures. You know, the ones where he’s standing with the President…of the United States, and the First Lady, and various other well known individuals. We got to talk about where this might go. There was talk of publication in Forbes or another magazine of the same variety (I can’t remember which one). My advisor will be writing an article for the School of Management magazine…at which point, everything will have been cleared through the company’s legal counsel and I will be able to share the article.

We left feeling really good about it all. My advisor even suggested that it would not be unreasonable to expect that Mr. M might be willing to write me a letter of recommendation for grad school. That led to a discussion about grad school, when I’m taking the GMAT, what kind of things to put in my personal statement and the fact that, while for my immediate financial future, this university (the one where I work), might make the most sense, but that it would be wise to consider all of the variables before deciding where to go. He had some very good advice on the matter and gave me a few things to think about.

We arrived at the airport, had lunch together and then headed to our different gates (we were all on different flights for various reasons). As I sat at my gate, alone, I was once again left with some time to reflect on my life…you know, the deep type of reflection. I thought about how I had arrived at this point and where the future might lead. Basically, the weekend ended just as it began, with this amazing sense of peace about my life and my future.

**Weight Watchers Weekly will be posted sometime this weekend…so that you aren’t waiting on pins and needles, I didn’t go to the meeting this week, not because I didn’t have time, but because it’s what I needed. All will be explained in the post.

the trip, in photo form (with super long captions)

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This was the first of the self-portraits (sad that it took us until Sunday to take it). Anyway, this is the only photo that’s out of order, but I felt it would be appropriate to start with a photo of Anne and me, as that is what the first two days of the trip were all about. This was taken just before we went in to see the most ridiculously political IMAX movie I have ever seen in my life. It was Sharks 3D. What I was expecting was blood and carnage. What I was expecting was a shark to scare the crap out of me as it came out of the screen to eat me. What I did not expect was the political propaganda that poured forth from the speakers.

Don’t misjudge me, please. I love the ocean. I love sharks. I love diving with them (well, the different reef varieties…I have yet to see any other species while under the sea). It makes me sad that there are people who kill them for their fins, or teeth, or just because. I hate poachers and think they are cruel, horrible, greedy people. It makes me sad, when out diving, to see the damage people do to coral reefs. I hate that there are fewer and fewer places to dive that aren’t damaged. However, I am just not a believer in environmental propaganda, especially when I am paying to be ENTERTAINED.

Here are the lyrics to the worst song I have ever heard…in terms of annoyingness (although later on that day, in the restroom at Chili’s, I heard the Melissa Ethridge song…you know, the theme song to Al Gore’s movie, and if it weren’t for the fact that I actually do like her voice, it would definitely win…it’s a close call). Oh, and the words in italics, those are my thoughts/feelings.

Still Be Blue (which is how I felt listening to this song…blue, because someone thought this was a good idea)

Dark and light
All the shades of gray
Colors overbright (what the hell?)
We can make them fade away

If we respect the balance
of life upon the planet
The sea will still be blue

Sail away to another place
You can feel the air
Feel the wind upon your face
The sea is far below you
It seems to still be blue

If we reject the balance
of life upon the planet
The predator becomes the
prey and so it goes (aren’t all predators prey to something?)
Everybody knows that
the sea will still be blue.

lyrics by Claudia Phillips

The lyrics are bad, but if you have a death wish, go ahead and combine them with the music. Vomilicious. And this is why non-profits need marketers. They could have made this message so much easier to swallow. Instead, it was like one of those disgusting horse pills that makes you think, “Wow, being sick/malnourished from lack of vitamins really isn’t that bad compared to this nastiness.” A spoon full of sugar…Mary Poppins taught some great life lessons. Lessons that Jean-Michel Cousteau might need repeated.

Moving on…

This is Georgetown. If I could afford to move here, I would have done it yesterday. I love the feeling of a city at night, but the quaintness of all of the town homes and gardens. I seriously peeped in windows. I remember doing this on my mission, in one town specifically. I was in Yverdon, Switzerland and there was a little alley we would walk through to get home and I could just see over the fence of this one home and into the back window. I don’t know what it is about looking into a window in the evening, when the lights are on, but I feel like I’m getting a little glimpse of a fantastic secret. Mind you, this is not in the Peeping Tom sense at all (I promise, I’m not like that). It’s just fun to get a glimpse into someone’s life. And I assure you, the town homes in Georgetown are a delight. I drove through this area last year, but it was during the day and I didn’t get out to walk around. We had a lovely time walking around, shopping at Paper Source, people watching and eating. Lots and lots of eating.

The streets of G-town were also the location where our high-speed chase took place. And by “our”, I mean, where we were caught in the middle of a high-speed chase. Anne thought her car was making funny noises, but I assured her it sounded to me like a helicopter. The sound got louder and louder…and then, there were sirens. Lots and lots of sirens. We pulled off to the right (why is that people in this state, Utah, often don’t know how to do that?) and were passed, first, by a big truck with a trailer, and then by cop car after cop car, until probably 20 had passed us. I’m not exaggerating. I’m not sure if they were chasing the truck, or if he was just an idiot who didn’t get over in time. In any case, cop cars started pouring in from different directions, as well. We were at one of those intersections with streets coming from more than four directions, so it was a bit more hectic than your average intersection.

It was after this that we realized that the helicopter we had heard was part of the chase, shining a large spotlight down into the area. Unfortunately, we never did find out what had happened. My sister asked if perhaps it was a police escort. I told her I thought not. I am pretty sure police escorts don’t involve choppers with spotlights or cop cars tearing around corners and coming in from a gazillion different angles. I could be wrong. Anyway, it added a little excitement to our Saturday night.


It was restaurant week in D.C., so we took advantage by eating at this delicious restaurant. The decor was amazing. Exactly the type of elements I hope to have in my fabulous loft and/or townhouse someday. It was oh so contemporary, but very warm and comfortable. And the food, well, it left nothing to be desired.



I know carrot cake may not be the dessert you think of when you think of a posh, contemporary restaurant serving a three course meal, but I assure you it was delectable. And there was something about eating such a homegrown dessert in such modern surroundings that I really enjoyed. Can you tell I love the eating experience?

Anne staged this little photo. It’s something I’m working on. Photo composition. It’s not one of my talents, but I think I’m starting to have a better eye for it.

The bed, after climbing into it, at hotel #2 in downtown D.C. They were gracious enough to find me a room with two double beds so that Anne and I could have a slumber party.

And the sightseeing we did on Sunday. This was the beginning. I love this photo, except that I think I could’ve composed it a bit better. I’m not sure I love the placement of the flowers, but I do love the colors and that the capitol is out of focus.

So, I like to take weird pictures…like this one of my reflection in the hand dryer in the ladies’ room in the botanical gardens. Thinking about it now, I realize how weird it must’ve looked to anyone watching me. Whatever. I’m weird. I’ve accepted it and moved on. I hope you will do the same.

The botanical gardens.

This is the art museum. I didn’t go in it on this trip (I spent hours there the last time I was in D.C.) but I loved the lines of the building from this angle, so I decided to take a picture. I really should crop the top corner, but it took forever to upload these pictures and I’m too tired to bother.

Anne taking a picture of the sculpture garden.

Self-portrait #2. We literally took this photo six times (that is only the number with my camera). I know what you’re thinking. “Six times and this is the one you post?” Yes. We couldn’t seem to get the capitol in the background ever, so…this was the one.


I love this sculpture. This was a new addition to my D.C. sites. I love how the light is illuminating the book in Einstein’s hand. I love that this is a full body shot and I don’t hate it.

The Washington, D.C. temple. We stopped by to leave a package for my old roommate who’s a missionary at the Visitor’s Center. She wasn’t there, but I’m glad I made the effort.

And the last self-portrait. Probably my least fav, but it needed to be included.

Ahh, the suite where the stress began. Thankfully I did have this wonderful room in which to be stressed out. This is the hotel just across from the corporate offices. This is the room where I stared at myself in the mirror for over an hour as I recited my presentation, watching my hand movements and my facial expressions to ensure that I wouldn’t look totally lame. This is the room where I donned that fabulous suit that made me feel like I could take on the world…or at least the executive committee of the company. This is the room where I watched “You’ve Got Mail” on HBO into the wee hours of the morning in an effort to fall asleep without getting stuck in my head, a movie that always makes me angry because I hate the final scene between Meg and Tom. Does he really have to say, “Don’t cry Shopgirl,*” and did they really have to do such a bad job with the sound editing? I mean, it doesn’t sound like they are in a park AT ALL. (I didn’t used to be such a movie snob…but then I met Sarah ;-), although I knew there was something off about the sound.)

This is also the room where I got a phone call from my dad at 3:45 am wondering where I was and if I was okay. I love that living at home doesn’t mean that my dad is totally involved in my life, especially because I often don’t see him to tell him what’s going on…and he doesn’t have the greatest memory. I also love that he was worried about me. Worried enough that when he realized I wasn’t home at 1:45 am on a Monday morning (it’s par for the course for me to get home super late (or early) on Fridays and Saturdays, but not Sundays), he decided he should probably try and get a hold of me. I love that, as I told him I was going back to sleep, he said, “Love you, punkin'”. Sure, it disrupted my sleep, but there’s nothing like a little love from Nev to help stress level decrease.

*Thanks, Jules, for reminding me about the worst part. “Shopgirl”. Gag!

in pieces

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This title refers to both how I am going to post about the trip to D.C. and the state of my body after running 15 miles. I’m not a fan of travel logs or play by plays (I find them a bit, well, boring), so I’m going to try to keep things as interesting as possible. I have a million thoughts to share, so this may take a while. If you would like another perspective on any of the weekend activities, you can visit Anne’s blog.

So, let’s go ahead and get started with the run. I have some thoughts pre-run, but I’ll save those for later.

First of all, 6:00 am comes very early when you are in the Eastern Time Zone, but still on Mountain Time and you don’t get to bed until 1:30 am. And it seems even earlier when you you sleep in a bed that is so comfortable, you really believe you could just live in it.


But somehow I managed to roll my butt out of bed and get ready for the run. (P.S. and by the way, when you are packing for a three day trip that involves running 15 miles and a presentation which requires professional clothing, you feel like you are the world’s worst over-packer.) It didn’t hurt that the aforementioned Anne was picking me up, so I had to be ready to go. Apparently that was her motivation as well.

Anne arrived on time, looking as bright eyed and bushy tailed as myself, and we were off. Part of what made getting up less difficult was the anticipation of meeting Anne. We have been running blogger buddies for a while now and we will be running St. George together, so it was so fun that I got to meet her and we got to run together. You are all missing out. We both had little “runner” gifts for each other. She gave me a fabulous arm band, which I used and I discovered that sweat bands really do help, although because it was Under Armour, I really did look like a walking (well, running) advert for the company with my tank top and pants to match.

The run was absolutely fantastic. Everyone here in Utah had warned me of the heat and humidity, but I got very lucky and was able to run in about 75 degree weather with very low humidity. It was great! What was even more great, though, was the amazing sites I got to see while running.


Have I ever mentioned how much I love technology? Like the fact that my phone can take pictures. The photos are courtesy of my camera phone. I have to say, it did pretty well for what it is. I don’t know what the little black marks are in some of the pics, but I didn’t feel like editing them out.

This is a picture of the Washington Monument from whatever bridge we ran across to get over the Potomac.

Anne told me what this building was, but I can’t remember. I do know that it reminded me of buildings in France and so, I loved it. (I know there are haters out there, but I am not one of them).

Duh.

Duh, again.

I will probably edit this one to get rid of the little black blob because I really love this picture of the capitol. Impressive for a camera phone.

Jefferson Memorial (I think) from the bridge on our way back.

Hain’s Point

So, that was our run…at least what we saw. It seriously was an amazing experience to run around our nation’s capitol and see all of these sites. Hain’s Point (the last pic) is my new favorite. You may not be able to tell from the picture, but it’s a man emerging from the ground (or sinking, maybe). Absolutely breathtaking, as were the 15 miles we ran, as in, dying for breath. We were both ready to be done at the end. 15 miles is a long way to run. I can’t believe we are going to have to do that, plus 11.2 in order to finish the marathon.

Having not run with someone in a very long time, it was fun to discover that a) I really do enjoy having a running buddy, and b) I can now chit-chat while running, as opposed to just listening. I do feel bad that Anne had to be the one present while I made the latter discovery. Sometimes I just can’t shut up. By the end of the run, however, we were both speechless.

The good news is that, while I was in lots of pain the rest of Saturday, the rest of the trip I was just fine…an indication that I am training how I should be. No blisters at all, just some fantastic under arm chafing. Anne and I were discussing the stages of chafing afterward. It really is fascinating. I wish I had taken pictures of each stage, but I only got this one, of the final stage…the crusty, painful, scabby stage. (It may not look that bad, but “the torture, I assure you, was acute”.)
The best part of the run, besides the fact that it was over and that there were 6 cold water bottles and an ice-pack waiting in Anne’s car because she’s brilliant, was going back to the hotel and getting in the pool. Seriously fabulous!

*My playlist is relatively the same as it has been for the past 3 long runs, so…you can check the 13 miler for details. Yes, we were both listening to our iPods with one ear, and each other with the other. My multi-tasking abilities are uncanny.

it’s over

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My weekend in D.C. is coming to an end. One fabulous blogger has been met. 15 miles have been run. One gourmet meal has been consumed. One high speed chase has been witnessed. Two movies have been watched (one, the fabulous “Stardust”, the second, shark propaganda to the max…song included). Three fabulous nights have been spent in gorgeous beds. One presentation to the executive committee has been made. All in all, it’s been great. Details to follow!