The Beginning

I started my first REAL semester of my Ph.D. program this week. Hard and not as hard courses mixed in with one another. Things I've learned on my first two days:

1. There are a ton of people at Texas A&M and they all park in my parking lot. I love my convenience, and I shake my fist at myself for not signing up for a parking spot earlier. 
2. Economics has been erased from my memory, especially the micro side of it. That class is going to be interesting because it's not only economics but it's also a bunch of mathematical proofs, something that has not been my forte.
3. Research is a whole different animal. It'll definitely require baby steps in understanding the concepts presented and baby steps in analyzing the papers constructively to gain some new ideas. Such an amateur...
4. College Station water is naturally salty, which apparently can cause high blood pressure. It's like drinking solely from a septic tank. Filtering doesn't help... only reverse-osmosis treatment will take care of the salt. Here's to bottled water and recycling plastic for the next 4 years. 
5. I see Chicago references everywhere...
6. I'm also tired of sweating. 

Morning Tunes

For anyone old enough to remember pop music in the 90s... here is one that I saw at the gym this morning... first song of the day!

I remember this song because it was on an album that my 6th grade girlfriend, Sarah Butler, gave me for my birthday. How can you not enjoy the sounds of Jakob Dylan?

Things I Find Amusing: Commercials

One of the many things I find thoroughly amusing is tv commercials. Watch and listen to this commercial:

Actos Attorney by eloyrichards717

When you think of the bladder cancer due to drug usage... do you think of the peaceful sounds of Appalachian Springs?

More Dreams

Literally right before my alarm went off this morning, I had a dream that me and my two sisters went fishing in this shallow bay. My little sister, Meredith, got bored and found a jet ski, and started motoring around. This mutated orca with no tail, no dorsal fin, and very few white spots was following her around the bay and kept bumping her off the jet ski in a playful manner. She was having the time of her life.

Ice Cream Sodas

Is there a better summer time treat than a good ole fashion ice cream soda? I really only have Sonic to blame for my current fixation on the tasty treat. The combination of a cold coca cola and blue bell homemade vanilla ice cream....... perfection. Also, am I the only one who enjoys eating the foam? Seriously, every part of an ice cream soda is delicious. Added bonus: the cold feeling you get that requires the warmth of a hoodie.

I'm a fat kid.......

Quickly Jotting Down My Dream

I just had a dream I was having dinner with Barry Switzer, former Cowboys head coach, and this random kid from high school, jorel borel. Also in the dream, my DePaul orientation leader, patty, who I bumped into walking around on the streets, and a woman in an ape costume using a snow blower on a dusting of snow.... She was in an ape costume because she didn't want to change out of her granny panties? Last part is weird, but it's how my dream justified it, even thougg it doesn't make sense at all.

Original Vs. Derivative

The world of academics is an arena where you have to provide tangible contribution in order to survive. It's okay to derive material from others, but something new has to be included to be published....

I liken it to the world of comedy. No one likes an unoriginal comedian. Case in point: where is Carlos Mencia these days? ALL OF HIS STUFF WAS DERIVATIVE, and now he's gone. But then you have Eddie Murphy, who handed the baton to Chris Rock, then to Tracy Morgan and now the talented but young Don Glover is coming through... each adding something new, each remaining relevant.

The similarities continue when you think about how much material has already been produced. It's conceptually improbable to be completely original, at least from the current untrained eye. That's the goal in the next four years... learn how to be original... and maybe figure out how to be funny as well.

Here's some Don Glover Crying for you... soo good.

Tax Free? Don't Mind if I Do

One of the perks of living in Texas, is the glorious pre-first day of school weekend shop-a-thon they call Tax Free Weekend!!! Illinois is too broke to allow for a tax free weekend. I remember as a kid, being dropped off at the mall and allowed to purchase new school clothes. The one item I recall purchasing were Doc Martin sandals that were sooooooo heavy for my tiny sappling legs. They also put a nice blister on the back of my foot. Why were we all wearing Doc Martins?

Do I plan on taking advantage of the weekend? Absolutely. Too bad I'm not in a bigger city where they sell real clothes. Instead, I'll stock up on Texas A&M gear and shoes, maybe.

http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/taxpubs/tx98_490/tx98_490.html

Happy shopping!

Coding and Mumford & Sons

I'm thoroughly enjoying Mumford & Sons today. A friend of mine emailed me access to Spotify, an AMAZING music resource. I've always liked with I've heard from Mumford & Sons, but never really took the time to absorb their music. Coding is going to provide the perfect time listen to new tunes. I'm always interested in finding new artists, so please send some my way.

Here's what I've really liked:

Mumford & Sons - Cave

Mumford & Sons - Home

Forward Thinking - Where Would You Want to Wake Up Tomorrow

As promised, I'm doing the two other "fifty people, one question" videos today. The last two ask: If you could wake up anywhere, where would you wake up tomorrow?



Fifty People, One Question: Brooklyn from Fifty People, One Question on Vimeo.



Fifty People, One Question: London from Fifty People, One Question on Vimeo.

Although the idea of saying "home" would be nice... home, is a concept that's hard to grasp when you haven't had time to get your roots deep into the soil. Chicago was nice for 8 years, but time flew by and so many transitions seemed to occur that nothing  quite felt like home. When I say transitions, I mean moving away from family and friends, starting completely new, going to college, then starting work. A lot of big things happened in the last 8 years... I digress.

My answer to the question is more luxurious than home (I'm a poor student in College Station, there's hardly anything in College Station that you could call "luxurious"). Where I'd really like to wake up is in the nets of a luxury catamaran (like this one http://www.gunboat.com/90-gallery.php#), anchored off of a remote island off the cost of Belize or Costa Rica with 25 of my closest friends (one of which being someone who knows how to sail and navigate, preferably not by using the stars, the open seas) to the smell of something tasty on the grill. Of course there are more desires, like no mosquitoes biting or birds bothering us... but that's within the second tier of requirements.

My answer stems from 2 places: 1) a high school friend of mine did this, and I've been jealous ever since. 2) I went on a sail boat this weekend, and it was a blast. I've always wanted to learn how to work a sail boat, and I love the open water. And, who doesn't want to party on a private luxury catamaran?

Chicago Skyline from Lake Michigan

Who wants to come with? Where you would want to wake up tomorrow?

Addition to Prior Thought... My Frequent Childhood Wish

When I was younger, I was little... very little. So little, in fact that when we were lined up in order of height for a full middle school panoramic photo, I was the second shortest kid in 6th grade, girls included. I think in 7th grade I was bumped up to 5th shortest. I was always itty bitty. Here's a photo of me and my sisters. I was probably somewhere between 6 and 8.

Needless to say, short has been my thing... always on the cusp of being below average in height. I'm okay with it now, it fine... it's fine...

If the videos in the previous post were published when I was younger, I would have said to be taller. Not 6 feet tall, just a few inches. It was always a wish of a few inches, never greedy. And when the song "I Wish" by Skee-Lo came out... that made me wish harder. As a matter of fact, I used to pray to be taller... thinking that I'd be granted my prayer because it couldn't have been too hard to for God to be like, fine... bang! three inches over night. For some reason, I have the picture of me under my dinosaur comforter within my bunk beds, praying with my eyes tightly shut. It's a little embarrassing looking back at it now... but I'm sure there were many embarrassing prayers that God had to listen to. Hope I entertained you, God.

By the End of Today, What Would I Wish Would Happen

A few years ago, I found these videos where they recorded 50 people answering a question. Today and tomorrow, I'll answer the two questions they asked in the 4 videos they produced.

The first two videos they produced asked the question: By the end of today, what would I wish would happen.


Fifty People, One Question: New Orleans from Fifty People, One Question on Vimeo.


Fifty People, One Question: New York from Fifty People, One Question on Vimeo.

What I wish to happen by the end of the day is to make a memory. How many days go by with such insignificance? They're just a day checked off the list, a day older, but nothing "real" or substantial happens? How great are the days something sticks with you for a while? It's like the perfect meal capped off with the perfect fat kid snack dessert that you can have only once in your life, but you don't know you're having the best meal of your life until you're actually experiencing it. Then, after it's over... the taste lingers and the cravings begin.

What would you wish to happen by the end of today?

Los Angeles - Biased Hatred, Beautiful in Lights

My best college friend is named Marilena. She's the greatest, most loyal and sweetest person you'll ever meet, and she was such an extremely great friend to me during the four years at DePaul (still is one of my best and most trusted friends). Here's a picture of her and me in our Halloween 2006 costumes.

She decided to move away to Los Angeles in 2007, after we graduated. To this day, I have a biased hatred towards the city for causing such a great physical barrier between us... that and it's a huge city that is impossible to maneuver around. What it does have going for it is an abundance of absolutely fantastic artists who portray the city in a magnificent way. I stumbled across this video on Vimeo:

LA Light from Colin Rich on Vimeo.

I suppose I could give a +1 to LA, or at least the artist.

A Part of the Past Life

I wouldn't be where I'm at professionally without a little help from the people at Crowe Horwath. The valuable work experience was a great start. Thanks everyone at Crowe!

Pictured from left to right and back to from: 

Adam, Matt, Nick, Seth, Marylou, 

Me, Susannah, Nina, Kristen, 

Stephanie

(photo and editing credit: Meredith L. Wong)

The Introduction

HELLO! And, welcome to the World of Wonger.

A friend of mine, Julie, and I were talking about blogs this weekend because she's taking a magnificent open ended around the world trip... like Magellan but without the potential of scurvy or impending death by locals... and I'm hoping she publishes and shares her adventures in a blog.

As for me, I've decided to start a blog because I, too, am starting a new journey in life (though most people might not think it's as glamorous) as a PhD student at Texas A&M University's accounting program. It's likely that I'll write about anything... things I've learned, observations, thoughts, experiences or cool things I've found.

I hope to develop a hook to keep you entertained and reading, but if I'm flying solo in this journey... at least it's documented!

One love, and enjoy.