Don Nelson

A lot has been made of the Warriors (my favorite team) hiring Don Nelson -- sure, it evokes memories of the glory years of Run TMC and small ball etc. However, I guess I am not that hard to please -- to me, making the playoffs would be gravy -- let alone somewhat of a pipedream in the loaded Western Conference. His return would be considered successful in my book if only 2 things happen:

1.) Somehow convert Mike Dunleavy from a marginal WNBA player into a credible NBA player. I am not asking for an all-star, mind you...just someone who shouldn't be ashamed to call himself an NBA basketball player. If Nellie could do that, he would be elevated to Jesus stature after he converted water into wine. I think Nellie's task will be more difficult.

2.) Convince Baron Davis not to launch 845 three pointers this year while simultaneously discovering how an NBA guard can be so fat and out of shape all the time. I mean, really? You play basketball 6 months a year and you are still constantly out of shape? Lay off the nachos, Baron. And try drawing fouls every now and then, you pansy.

Job Interviews

So, after some careful contemplation, I think I'd be well-served to get a part-time job this year to do little things like pay rent, etc. I know, it's a novel idea. The question is, what exactly do I want to do in order to earn a little cash? I'm hoping to get a position with a provate equity shop, but won't hear until the first or second week of September.

Went to a private event at the Asian Art Museum last night and had a great time. Checked out some really interesting exhibits, drank some wine and enjoyed some excellent company. After that, we were going to head over to NOPA but it was too crowded.

My folks are headed to China today so I am taking them to the airport...they should have a great trip. Come to think of it, I need a vacation too...

School Starts

School started last night which was bad enough in itself, but then to deal with all the stupid, inane questions people ask in class was almost bad enough to make me stab myself in the eye with my pencil until I pierced my brain. Seriously people, there is something which is pretty cool, created not too long ago and has a bevy of information -- it's called the damn I-N-T-E-R-N-E-T. So, instead of wasting my time and tuition wondering how many companies there are in the US or how the SEC can monitor all of them, look it up -- trust me, all your classmates will thank you and you'll be spared 2nd degree manslaughter charges when all of them decide to jump off the nearest ledge.

Ok, that made me feel better.

It's definitely weird trying to motivate to study. It's so different going from a project driven, 24/7, urgent environment to one where its pretty laid-back and it is what you make of it. I am starting to think I am almost thrive off the former.

On a recreational note, I was hoping to go somewhere this weekend but since I have been out of town every weekend since my internship ended, I figured I should stick around and do some studying. Plus, headed off to LA again next weekend so wouldn't hurt to get a bit ahead in school work.

More Posts

It was brought to my attention that I should post more now that I am not working so much and have some free time on my hands. However, my weekends are filled with out of town trips and my weekdays fly by -- you'd be amazed how quickly time flies when you spend 2.5 hours at the gym, grocery shopping and cleaning up the house. Not to mention meeting friends for lunch and taking the occasional nap. Life is good.

That said, I do need to make some important life decisions in the coming weeks. All in due time, but it is occupying at least small portion of my thoughts -- not too much, mind you.

School starts next week and I'm not looking forward to it at all -- I don't know what it is, but I didn't miss is whatsoever. At all. Scary. I guess I'll go through the motions, get good grades and graduate...but it still seems like a relative inconvenience.

Gotta get out to visit my brother in Austin soon -- I hear its a fun town. Just need to find the right weekend...anyway, that's it for now. The gym is calling and I'm obligated to answer.

Vegas

I guess I should post something about my trip to Vegas. Stayed at the Wynn. Nice pool, nice club. Went to Tao for dinner -- as always, very enjoyable. All in all, a great trip.

Unreal as it seems, school is about to start again -- I'm not dreading it nor am I looking forward to it. I guess more than anything, I'm somewhat ambivalent about the whole thing. This summer really took it out of me and I need some time to re-charge before settling into the whole school mode again. For the next week, I plan to do nothing but sleep, get outdoors, work out, play basketball and see friends. And no drinking -- I think I did enough of that in Vegas to last me until 2007.

Last Day

Yes, it's the last day of my summer internship...more on that later, but as of right now I have only one thought on my mind....Vegas, baby, Vegas. Leaving tonight for a little sunshine and gambling -- honestly, what could be better? Ok, maybe winning a few hands and some sunshine, but that's hoping for WAY too much.

Relaxation

Wow, this must be how the other half lives. My weekend was spent watching "Talladega Nights," having drinks with friends, working out/playing basketball and just generally enjoying the sunshine. It's almost strange -- it is Sunday night and I feel absolutely zero stress -- it's actually the first time in 4 Sundays that I have not been in the office until 3 AM.

By the way, "Talladega Nights" was pretty damn hysterical -- the funniest part of the whole movie is that it essentially makes fun of rednecks/hicks and their lifestyle -- yet that population probably went in droves to watch the movie. Ah, the irony.

Headed off to Las Vegas next weekend following the last day of my internship. It'll be nice to relax, do a little gambling and just relaxing by the pool. Trust me, I need it.

9 Days and Counting...

My internship lasts 9 more days -- the last few have been pretty good as the workload has lightened and we've been able to leave at a decent hour. It's good to know that the whole summer was not 100 hour weeks b.c I am not sure that is a sustainable model.

The weather has been awesome, so I am looking forward to a restful weekend enjoying the sunshine (knock on wood -- now watch, I will get staffed for the weekend). Going to go watch Talladega Nights at the recommendation of my brother -- not that he has the best cinematic taste, but he does seem to have the "stupid movies that make you laugh" genre nailed.

11 Days and Counting

That's right -- only 11 more days until my internship is over and I can resume normal sleep patterns and maybe even go on a vacation. Not that I am counting the days or anything. I thought yesterday would be an entire day off, however, it did not come to pass. I went to the office at 8:30 PM and did not leave until 3 AM. Now, I'm headed back for another round -- thank goodness for the nap room.

One additional note: In my humble opinion, Subway has to be the single worst sandwich made on the face of the Earth. I can't explain why the chain is so popular, but I've got to think people have better taste than to eat processed meat slopped onto yeasty, nasty bread. Really people, it is disgusting.

Good Weekend

Finally, a weekend with minimal work stress -- sure, I worked on Saturday but it was pretty decent work and fairly interesting. I went to the Giants game Friday night and I went out afterwards -- had a very good time and got to see how the normal people live.

As I mentioned before, I worked all day Saturday and then went to dinner at Coco500. The former Bizou, it has been remodeled extensively and the menu has undergone a major facelift. We had a nice bottle of wine and shared a vareity of dishes -- most notably, the squash bottom flatbread was unbelievable as were the sizzling prawns. Throw in some excellent service and it was a splendid outing. Granted, my guest fell asleep at the table so maybe I need to work on my conversaitonal skills, but hopefully its an anomaly.

I even got to do my laundry today at a more humane hour -- and got to soak in a few rays of sunshine outside. Have a basketball game tonight and then will stop into the office to take care of a few things before the work week commences.

New Hope?

Even though I still worked til 1 AM, today was a good day -- worked with a really cool guy and learned quite a bit. Even got a nice pat on the back for a project I did this week that admittedly did not go that well in my humble estimation. I guess its days like this that make the job worthwhile.

Off to sleep -- have a 7:30 conference call to make in the morning.

Laundry Hour

I haven't slept in nearly three days and yet I have to do my laundry -- otherwise, I'll be going to work without socks or underwear. Not pleasant for anyone.

I need to plan a vacation and get out of dodge for awhile before school and recruiting start up. Just need some time away to think about my future and what the next steps will be. Just the other day I was thinking about how people view success. I would say most people would include compensation in that equation -- but how many of those people would be happy making $1mm a year selling cars? I know I wouldn't. And that's part of the problem -- I take great pride in the company I keep so I am constantly seeking out the best firms to work out in terms of caliber of talent. Although this summer has been tough, I am surrounded by the most intelligent, driven and fiercely competitive people I have ever been around. That aspect I love. It's something I admire in people -- the ability to push themselves to try and achieve something great. I wish I had more of it in me -- but I really value life. And all the things that go along with it.

Don't get me wrong, I still crave success and competition -- I just need to figure out the right balance for me.

I've got a lot of things going on in my life these days -- some exciting, some mundane. It's not a bad balance, although it'd be nice to stop and smell the roses for once. I guess that is what my unplanned vacation will be for.

Sunshine

I can't wait to someday escape the glass enclosure I live in and actually enjoy what seems to be a wonderful summer. Funny thing is, beautiful as the city seems to be, all I will want to do is get away from here...back to the salt mines and my personal veal pen...

Missing Something

Well, I am now on my 44th hour without sleep -- getting used to this perpetual state of affairs, sad as it is. Today and tonight were really rough on me -- had a horrific day at work and just feel like the weight of the world is on my shoulders. At numerous points in the day/night, I wanted to throw my hands in the air and just give up. I feel beaten down and just want to concede -- not just from work, but from life in general (not that I will give up, b.c it's not in my nature to).

Sometimes people really let me down -- I think I'm a fairly nice kid and try to treat people well, so it always disappoints me when people don't reciprocate in kind. Just kind of disheartening.

I sat down tonight and tried to capture exactly how I was feeling -- a lot of emotions came to the forefront, ranging from frustrastration to exhaustion, but there was one thought that stood out....I miss my life.