Christmas break is so close I can almost smell it!

With only 2 more days of regular classes until we start finals, my attention span is fading fast.
Luckily we have plenty to keep us busy.
I feel the need to keep you involved with what is going on in our classes:

One brightside to the economic downturn going on is that it provides us with lots to discuss in class. This morning in our retail finance class we reviewed current articles on retailers and discussed what problems they are facing, what led to this current state, what could retailers do to make sure they will survive times like this. In this class we also recently just turned in the final part to our retailer site evaluation project where we were able to utilize the Gadberry Group's household data for locations.

In accounting we are working on our last group project before our final next week. For our assignment we are evaluating Lowe's financial statements.

Our Leadership/management final is Monday! whoo hoo! One class will be done!

Currently as I type, I am in tlog strategies clas looking at a total cost analysis for intermodal transportation.

Ok...well speaking of being in class...I'm going to go back to trying to pay attention.

An end to a busy week!

I haven't taken the time to post in a couple of weeks, so I thought I might give an explaination and catch you up.
A week ago Thursday was the kick off to the FedEx International Graduate Logistics Case Competition. This competition brings 12 of the top logistics programs together from around the world to compete right here in Fayetteville. It's a great networking opportunity with fellow students and employers. Executives and representatives from companies such as Unilever, ABF Freight, FedEx, Walmart, General Mills, Transplace, and more attend this event.
For the first time in 12 years of the competition, our team from the Walton College placed in the top 3!
So, anyway, I was at that event all the way thru late Saturday night with one day left to prepare for the school week which included one project, a presentation, a paper, and a test being due! Needless to say I am so happy it's Friday and that next week is Thanksgiving!!!

Well, now I'm off to celebrate! Have a good weekend!

Birthday TLOG celebrations

Horray!! It's Thursday!! This is very exciting for several reasons...
To begin with it is not only my birthday, but Nhan's (Classmate), Fran's (my sister-in-law), and Emily's (a friend). What can I say, November 6th is a big day! To make it bigger...Fran (mentioned above) has a baby due today! The little one hasn't showed up yet, maybe too much pressure, I don't know. :)

So today in class we have a guest speaker. Burton Weiss and others from USA Truck came in to talk about the strategies they are implementing in order to move from a "good" to a "great" company.

Busy busy bees

This semester is already half over and I feel like it has just begun. Mid-terms are finally over which is very nice and I took most of the weekend to relax and enjoy some time with some friends in-town for homecoming. I even got to carve pumpkins for like the first time in maybe 20 years. It was really fun, even though my pumpkins were made fun of (by myself included). However, I'm fine with letting a year go by before I am expected to do this again. :) Here are my pumpkins... In both of the pictures they're the ones on the far right...

So, I haven't filled you in yet about my assistantship. I am working part-time for Land O' Lakes for the summer (yes, the butter and cheese) for their Walmart account. While I have been spending most of my time analyzing sales through Walmart's retail link system, my boss has given me a fun project to work on recently. I am preparing the presentation for a line review with a Walmart buyer. If the buyer accepts these products, Land O' Lakes will have a great opportunity in a total new category for the Walmart team. The line review is next week, so hopefully all goes smooth.

Well, the fun weekend of Halloween and a Razorback win is over, and it's back to the books tomorrow. Luckily no tests this week, hopefully I'll get caught up on some projects that are coming due soon.

A taste of a day in tlog

So, wow! I believe that a major part of school is learning not only what you want to do in life, but more importantly, what you do not want to do.
Today, I have added one more item to the "do not want to do" list. Binary Programming!! I do not want to do this for a living.
I know this after working on an assignment for our Tlog modeling class which ended with an awesome problem about binary programming. Oh, well, it's over now.

For my next Tlog class (strategies): Today we had a recruiter in to talk to us about Crane Worldwide Logistics. That was kind of fun!
After he was done we discussed the major opportunities that lie inbetween the industries of Express, LTL, and TL shippers!!! (Add this to the list I am not interested in!)

Class is over now! Whoo Hoo!

procrastination...not recommended

On Wednesday (that's in two days) is our first test in accounting. It is Monday night after 6 and I have yet to begin studying....so, I thought, what a great time to add a blog entry. :)

Once my test is over, this is going to be a pretty good week. I am attending a workshop on executive interviewing on Wednesday night, which is just in-time b/c I have my first real interview on Thursday. I will be visiting a company I made contacts with at a networking event held by the Walton MBA last week. I'm excited b/c I think this company will really fit into what I am looking for once I get out of school. I'll keep you posted.

Well, I really need to get busy with studying now...sorry so short.

BBBBQ and career fairs!!! Whoo Hoo!

So, my favorite week in Fayetteville, AR has arrived!!! Today was the first day of Bikes, Blues, and BBQ! For those of you not from this area, this is the largest charity bike rally in the nation. There will be about 100,000 motorcycles in Fayetteville and about 300,000 people will visit the event!! Even though I know nothing about motorcycles, I know I love good food and music!

It's now Wednesday and it's been a pretty busy week so far. Monday night we had a special networking event to meet with prospect employers. My classmates and I all made posters to show off our summer internship experiences as company represntatives came around and visited with each of us. I made some contacts with some companies that I had previously not considered, so that was great! Tuesday was our career fair where several companies come to recruit both MBA students and undergrads. Some examples of attendies are: colgate, nestle, walmart, target, j.b. hunt, campbells, etc. I was able to make a second contact with the employers from the previous night and feel like I have really made some progress.

Well, it's now about 9, and I have put off my homework long enough. I'll post some pictures of BBBBQ later this weekend for all to see.

Hooray for Thursday!

There are several great blogs out in the e-world that you could be reading right now, so I just feel privileged that you are visiting mine. Make sure to check back often as I will be updating posts at least twice weekly.

So here we are already in week 4 of the semester and I feel like we just began last week.
I know this sounds weird, but I'm excited for an extended class session tonight. Our Retail Finance class is having a 3 hour session to learn how to run a location intelligence software program. We have a guest visitor from the Gadberry Group who will teach us all he can in the limited amount of time about finding the right data needed to make wise retail location decisions. Hopefully I will be able to actually apply this information in order to help my current employer decide on future locations.

Once this extended session ends, the weekend begins! The hogs have a big test this weekend with Alabama in town. Go Hogs! I'll be back with more updates next week.