B-School Prep: Quizno's Article on NPR

On the ride into work today I heard the following: Quizno's NPR Article.

It really made me think about the degree I am attempting to pursue as it involved the flow of business.  An interesting perspective on franchises and corporate offices, too.  I haven't really thought about how Hallmark and my store interact on the financial side of things.  My focus is limited to the monthly inspections we get from the corporate office to make sure we're maintaining the Hallmark Core Values.

There are some materials/merchandise we must purchase directly from Hallmark.  The cards are the obvious example and honoring the gold crown coupons is similar to Quizno's buy one get one free deal.  (Because the coupons are only allowed to be used on Hallmark merchandise and we have to buy that directly from the corporation.)  Though we are reimbursed for the cost of the items sold so it's not like we're out that money like the Quizno's franchises.  We just don't make a profit from the sale of those items, so it's a loss of potential income I suppose.

I kind of feel like an apprentice watch maker on his first day.  There are these inner workings that I have taken for granted my entire life and learning some of the basics has widened my perspective of the world.  All this from just one Accounting I class, imagine what I could do with an entire Masters Degree!

Weight Watchers New Daily Points - Week#2

I won't be going for an official weigh-in today as we're having a "Team Christmas Lunch."   (I've looked at the menu for the place we're going and the Monte Cristo is calling my name.)  However, I did do a weigh-in, at home, this morning and I was pleased with the results.  I always weigh myself naked at home on weigh-in days just so I know what to expect.  With clothes, I'm usually about 2 pounds heavier at my official noon weigh-in.  So I'm estimating that I've lost .6 pounds this week.

I have to say that I am excited about that!  I had two Christmas parties this week and I definitely dipped into my exercise points to cover the Dunkin Donuts I had at my second job last night.  I am not ashamed that I indulged in the donuts as I was able to fully resist the Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake at my office party earlier that day. 

So this puts me at 3 pounds down since I started the new Daily Points with Weight Watchers.  If I can stick within my point limits through the holidays, I am confident that I could see another loss at the scale next week.  This definitely makes me feel that I can reach my lifetime goal by my birthday in 68 days, or at least get really, really close to it.

It's the prospect of maintenance that scares me.  Can I really maintain my weight, within 2 pounds, for six weeks once I switch to the maintenance phase and have more daily points?  And what about after that?  I do like that lifetime membership now comes with free e-tools.  I don't know how I would be able to maintain my weight loss without it and I didn't relish the idea of paying the $12.95  a month to keep it up.

The Times, They Are A Changin'

I saw a post on Facebook today that made me realize I'm moving into the next phase of Hallmark life.  There was a time when the "kids" would get together after work for some much needed down/bitch time.  We would go to dinners together, or hang out at some one's house, etc.  There was a time when I was invited to those.

I completely understand the need to have fun time with one's co-workers outside of work, especially at Hallmark and especially at Christmastime.  That being said, there are certain people that wouldn't make it the cathartic experience it needs to be.   I've usually straddled that line; hanging out with the "kids" or  relaxing with the "ladies."  But I might have officially crossed over that "kid" line.  I am not upset that I wasn't invited, that's not the point.  It's just a realization that time progresses and things move on.

It's sort of a Hallmark No-man's land.   I'm not quite old enough to be part of the "ladies,"  I don't have their life experiences or worries.  And I don't have the same perspective that the "girls" have anymore.  I have more concrete worries and responsibilities; a better understanding of how things work or need to work.  Hallmark isn't my career but then it's not my until I'm finished with school job either.  All the "girls' I started with, twelve years ago, have gone off into their respective careers and started families, etc.  It was about my age when my decade buddy left Hallmark to have her first child.

I wonder if she felt the way I do about Hallmark when she was in my shoes.

Weight Watchers New Daily Points - Week#1

I had my weigh-in this week and I have to say that I was really pleased.  I am officially down 2.4 pounds from my previous weigh-in.  According to Weight Watchers this is about .4 pounds too much and they are concerned I'm losing too much too quickly.  (The average weight loss should be no more than 2 pounds a week for healthy weight loss.)   I see it as a perfect storm kind of thing; my cycle has finally ended thus shedding some water weight, I've adhered to the new point plus system as closely as possible, and I'm finally getting better from this cold.  So I'm not concerned about the extra .4.

April Fool's 2 years, 8 months, and 12 days later....

There are times when you realize that you want something too much.  It makes you vulnerable and gives others the opportunity to use that against you.  Today, I was duped by a more than two year old April Fool's joke by the BBC.  (This is the problem with the Internet, things don't die here.)

It involved the possibility of recovering lost episodes of Doctor Who from the 60's using bounce back radio waves.  All my Doctor Who fans will know exactly how elated I was at the mere mention of this.  So excited was I that I immediately shared on Facebook and e-mailed to my fellow Whovians.  Then I notice the date and, instead of feeling incredibly stupid, feel an incredible sense of loss.  I really, really wanted this to be true.

Typing it now, I realize how silly the entire concept is  I mean radio waves degrade over time and space.  That's why I have to change from NPR Baltimore to DC when I get to work.  It's the sharing with a somewhat cool guy who will hold this against me that makes me feel stupid.  Always, always check your sources!  Then, check the dates on those sources and finally, do a Google Search.  Odds are, someone else fell for it before you did and may have written about it in hopes of saving you the same fate.  And always remember: If it's too good to be true, it usually is.

Points Plus 2012

We just got our new Points Plus 2012 packets today!  I'm kind of excited about the changes, though they aren't nearly as tumultuous as last year's presentation of the Points Plus program.  I've been struggling with losing weight for the past six months or so.  It could be emotional, laziness, or some other factor. Thankfully, Weight Watchers has made a few tweaks to the Points Plus Program and they're challenging me to get back on track.

Here's what I've learned so far:

1. Weight Watchers has recalculated daily points values for a lot of the people who were at low end of that spectrum.
2. Wine is now 3 points plus for 4 oz, instead of the 4 I've been calculating.
3. Beer is now 5 points plus for 12 oz, instead of the 4 I've been calculating.  (sad face)
4. There will now be activity goals.

I will return with updates as soon as I've lived with this newish plan a little bit.

December

I'm starting off December with a cold I caught from my sister while visiting her for Thanksgiving.  After a week of progressively worse symptoms, despite my attempts to self-medicate with DayQuil/NyQuil/Mucinex, I finally went to the Target Clinic this past weekend.  It was actually a pleasant experience.

I had some free time before my Hallmark shift and knew I had very limited PTO at my day job, so I got out of bed earlier than I felt like it and went to the Target near my Hallmark job.  I figured even if the wait for the Clinic was ridiculous at least I would already be in the area for work.  The wait was exactly half an hour and they gave me a pager so I could walk around the store or go get some tea in the café.  This proved to be the best part of the service they offered, simply because walking around kept my sinuses clearer and allowed me to feel a little less miserable.

It was determined that I should have anti-biotics.  Now, I hate to take anti-biotics unless absolutely necessary.  They are over prescribed, pumped into our farm animals, and we're in danger of letting the bacteria evolve past our ability to treat it.  But having gone more than a week with my usual cold medicines and developing a nagging hacking cough after about a week of trying to treat this, I realized that maybe there is more going on than the common cold.  So I surrendered and started the anti-biotic yesterday.  Fortunately, I can already say things are looking up.  I don't think I'm quite back to singing ability, but my voice doesn't sound like my smoker grandmother's either.

Now, I am sitting at my desk trying not to cough as often as I need to.  I know how annoying it is for everyone else in the office and I've even had one girl ban me from her area entirely.  Apparently, when I get sick even if it's only for a couple of days, because I have the immune system of steel, it's really bad and it takes everyone else several weeks to recover.  Most of us have used our PTO and are just trying to make it through these next three weeks as quickly and as healthy as possible, so I understand her paranoia.  But it still hurts my feelings a little bit.

Elephants

Have you ever sat down and realized that maybe you know too much about Elephants?

I'm going to guess the answer is, "no," for most people.  But I had that moment this weekend, visiting my sister and mother for Thanksgiving.  We were having dinner with my sister, her girlfriend, and her girlfriend's uncle when the conversation turned to Elephants as it naturally would.  Like, did you realize that Elephants walk on their tiptoes?  They have a cushion under the toes to help support them, but it means that they can sneak up on you if they want.  Which makes my mom's joke about elephants wearing sneakers irrelevant.

For me, the obsession with this Pachyderm really started with the free copy of Zoobooks that came in the mail.  It was always the one about the Elephant and my parents never subscribed for the others.  This was the source of most of my knowledge about Elephants and I remember it very fondly.

My favorite part about the Zoobook was the poster of all the extinct varieties of Elephants.  It told me that there was an extinct type of Elephant that was no bigger than a dog.  And part of me really wants a Bichon-sized Elephant to take on car trips with me.  Think about how awesome that would be.

My most recent information binge about the animal was a documentary about Elephants suffering from PTSD.  The elephants in zoos and circuses killing their trainers out of the blue is because of the PTSD they suffer from witnessing their parents getting shot by poachers.  The baby elephants are left with the corpse until a rescue organization whisks them away to protective shelters.  All seems fine and dandy until something causes them to snap and then they go on a killing rampage.  They method used most often to kill a human being: crush a person's chest with your massive skull.

Except for poachers and dwindling habitat, the adult Elephant has no natural predators.  The elephant's trunk can uproot a tree or pluck a single flower.   They are also considered as intelligent as dolphins and there's a zoo elephant that creates artwork. 

Counting Down to the GMAT

In exactly one month, I will take the GMAT.

I'm starting to get a little concerned about it.  I've signed up for grockit.com and the more math problems I do on there, the more my projected score goes down.

I saw the amount of work my sister is doing for school and I'm starting to worry that I will be biting off more than I can chew. 

Panic is good at this point, right?

Dad's 59th

My father's 59th birthday was this weekend and it amazes me how my parents seem so much younger than my grandparents did at the same age.  It could be because the pictures of my grandparents at that age were taken in the 80's, or it could be their behaviors.  Of course, I would never have seen the side of my grandparents that I see of my dad simply because of my age at the time.


Dad and his friend, Ona, circa Friday night



Mommom and Poppop, circa 1980's



Barbie

A friend of my sister's posted a link on Facebook today that really got my ire up.  She posted about how the Barbie Doll's measurements were unrealistic and included this photo.

First of all, let me say that the Barbie Doll measurements are in no way meant to be an indication of what a real life, full size, woman's measurement should be.  It's the nature of working with scale models.  When scaling something down, ratios have to be adjusted so that the miniature looks more realistic.  You can see from the photo that trying to take the miniature's ratios and apply them to a full size model creates a ridiculous image.  If you were to compare this full size model to an actual pre-1997 Barbie doll, you wouldn't think they were proportioned the same at all.  (I say pre-1997 Barbie Doll because she was changed in 1997 to give her fuller hips, a thicker waist, and a smaller bust.  The measurements quoted in this post were the ratios used on the pre-1997 Barbie Doll.)

Second, the post goes on to say that "Slumber Party Barbie was introduced in 1965 and came with a bathroom scale permanently set at 110 pounds with a book entitled 'How to Lose Weight' with directions inside stating, simply: 'Don’t eat.'"  People commented about how that fact takes everything that Mattel says to defend Barbie Doll and throws it out the window.  I would like to point out that this particular fact happened in 1965 and that no current Barbie Doll or any Barbie Doll introduced in the last twenty years has attempted to recreate that "dieting" tip.  (It could very easily say, "don't OVER eat," in a current incarnation, however.)   Any defense that Mattel has put up about Barbie Doll and creating unrealistic expectations has happened more recently than its 1965 Slumber Party Barbie.  Am I saying that I agree with the "dieting tip" presented in the 1965 set? No.  Do I think it's terrible that a children's toy ever had that on it?  Yes.  Do I think we can use that as evidence for why Barbie Doll is a poor toy choice for current boys and girls? Absolutely not.  Every brand is allowed to grow and change with the times, even Cookie Monster now tells kids that cookies are a sometimes food. 

In 1992, Mattel created a doll that would say 4 of 270 phrases.  One of those phrases was "math class is tough."  The American Association of University Women took offense at this and demanded it be removed from one of the possible phrases.  (FYI - this phrase is often misquoted as "Math is hard.")  Did she say she couldn't do math, or that girls in general couldn't or shouldn't do math?  I could understand demanding the removal of those phrases.  But, let me tell you, I'm studying for the GMAT right now and the part that's the toughest for me is the Quantitative, a.k.a Math.  We all have challenges we face and, yes, they are tough.  It's important to acknowledge when something is difficult and then challenge ourselves to improve.  Not every girl, or every person for matter, is inherently good at Math, or Languages, or Sports, or Cooking, or Artistry, or Computer Programming.  But you know who has done all of these things and more, successfully?  Barbie Doll.

Yes, in 1965, she was given bad dieting advice and shared it with her girlfriends.  Who hasn't?  When we focus on this one aspect of Barbie Doll, we forget all the other things she's done to inspire and empower girls.  A key phrase I remember from Barbie Doll commercials in the 80's was, "We girls can do anything."  She was the President of the United States, an Ambassador for World Peace, and a UNICEF Summit Diplomat.  She's had humble beginnings as a McDonald's Cashier, then worked her way from a Secretary to a Business Executive.  She may have found Math to be tough, but she was still able to be a Pilot, an Astronaut (twice), and a Computer Engineer.  She's been a Firefighter, a Police Officer, a Life Guard, a Military Service Member of four United States Branches of Service, and a Canadian Mountie. Barbie Doll is a blank slate onto which we project our hopes, our dreams, and our fears.  She is a reflection of our culture through the last 50+ years.  The things we don't like about the Barbie Doll are the things we don't like about ourselves, as individuals and as a culture.

Halloween Weekend in Baltimore

I was finally able to visit Westminster Hall Burying Ground and Catacombs, where Edgar Allan Poe is buried.  Every Halloween, Westminster Hall holds a celebration that allows visitors to tour the church, catacombs, and graveyard after dark.  This year it happened to be on Sunday, October 30th from 6 - 9pm and I was lucky enough to attend.

My friend, N, went with me and we stood in line for about an hour and a half before we were able to gain entrance.  I wasn't very impressed by the entertainment inside the church and we missed a lot of the other events (i.e. a reading of the Tell-Tale Heart in the Graveyard) while we were in line.  But occasionally an Edgar Allan Poe impersonator would entertain the people in line (he also gave a reading inside the hall).  The tour guides gave a lot of detailed information and entertaining stories about the residents.  I didn't realize that the church had been built after the fact, which is how the "catacombs" were created. I've driven by Poe's grave several times and I always note it to visitors, but I hadn't actually gone to the church or the site.

There was something very thrilling about being in the graveyard.  People were waiting in line while we roamed amongst the dead under the stars.  "Edgar" would walk around the graveyard, from time to time, and talk to people gawking at his grave.  It was a little bit spooky, a lot of fun, and absolutely perfect for Halloween.

Down

I've been trying to pull myself up and for the most part I'm doing very well.  Things have improved in the last few months and I feel like I am getting back to normal for the most part.  But this past week I've felt really sad and down.  I don't know if it's recent events or my own negative head space or the fact that it's almost pitch black when I get out of work or some combination thereof.  I just know that pretty much every day this past week I've been about three steps from crying.  Mostly a similar thought pattern takes me there, but I'm not 100% sure what has unearthed that particular strain. 

It just feels like a wave has come along and shifted the sand beneath me when I felt like I'd just gotten some solid footing.  It's okay, I always get back up again.  It's just annoying when I find myself knocked down with a mouth full of saltwater and another wave fast approaching.  But I'll get up and eventually ride one of those in to safety.

GMAT - Practice Test the First

According to the preliminary GMAT test I took on http://www.grockit.com/ this weekend, my projected score is between 550-650.  The actual score I received on this weekend's practice test was a 630.  Though, this was due, mostly, to my verbal and reading comprehension skills.  Out of a total 38 math questions, I got 9 correct.  It seems that I have forgotten everything from high school Algebra, Geometry and Pre-Calculus.  Yes, I transferred from a school that didn't start Geometry until 10th grade so I was somewhat behind my peers at my new school and never even got a whiff of a Trig textbook.

Taking this test, reminded me how much I'd forgotten.  There were things I used to use at my DTB job, like finding the area of a room so we could estimate how much to charge for carpet, etc.  But those things don't jump immediately to my mind.  And things like SAS (Side, Angle, Side) are familiar and I know I need them to help me solve a problem but I can't remember how or what it even means.  It makes me feel old and rusty, with just a little bit of stupid.

My sister said that the first practice test is supposed to make me feel this way.  That this is where I figure out how to improve for the actual test and that in a couple of months, after focusing on these problem areas, I will much better.  She also promised that the questions in the prep books are harder than the actual test.  I'm not sure how I feel about this, but I bought an entire workbook of GMAT "Quantitative" problems to help me.  I have $250 riding on this, not to mention possible B-school, I can't fuck it up now.

Side Note:  http://www.grockit.com/ seems to be a pretty cool site.  It helps people get ready for the SAT, GMAT, GRE, LSAT, AP Test, etc.  And it's at least one study resource that will let me work on things no matter where I am as long as I have a computer.  No need to lug all my books with me when I go to work or hang out at my dad's.  It also keeps track of my work and lets me know my strengths and weaknesses so I can work effectively.  I was also pleased to learn that for every subscription purchased, they donate a subscription to an underprivileged students program for those that didn't have a Ms. Hastings to get them through the SAT.  So I am helping myself get to a better future and helping someone else get to theirs.  It makes me feel better about the $29.99 a month I'll be paying for the subscription.

In Case You Didn't Believe Me....



Mom and Dad 1977




Annette and Frankie


They could be body doubles....

Happy Birthday Annette!

In honor of her 69th birthday, Annette Funicello has launched annetteconnection.

I was very excited to see this on my Facebook feed today as Annette was always one of my role models growing up.  How could she possibly be one of my role models you say? Seeing as she was famous in the 60's & 70's and I was born in 1981 I can understand how you would be confused.  But you fail to take into account that my sister and I grew up watching the Beach Party and Disney movies of the 60's and 70's.  We used to think that mom was like DeeDee and dad was like Frankie.  Then they divorced and no matter how many times you hear Annette sing the Parent Trap, it just isn't going to work out.  Of course, seeing as my father and my mom are still friends to this day, I guess my parents really did turn out like Frankie and Annette, IRL.

What made me even more excited than the launch of her website was the discovery of this gem in the news section:

Annette's new Fan Mail Address:

 

Annette Funicello

c/o Postmaster

Shafter, CA 93263

OMFG!!  I can write to Annette and tell her how much I adored her in the Beach Party movies.  (And when I adore someone, they stay adored.)  I can tell her about the life lessons I learned from watching her other films and how I strive to live my life in a manner that she would find pleasing.  Because that's not creepy at all.  Seriously though if I could go back in time and be best friends with any celebrity, it would be her.

Uncomfortable Work Experiences

Today is the day I set aside to have a talk with one of my co-workers.  Our receptionist had been helping me out with data entry into our warranty database.  For the first few months or so, I would double check her work and make sure everything was entered correctly.  Once I was sure she grasped the concepts I stopped checking.  On Monday, my boss called me into her office because she was finding some inaccurate warranty information in the database.  I started looking through the information and discovered that most of the information entered in 2011 was inaccurate.  (Warranty dates were calculated incorrectly, vendor information was wrong, customer information was wrong, and two invoices were entered as one.)  My boss asked me to talk with our receptionist about it and explain why we wouldn't need her to enter invoices anymore.  I said I would and I completely agreed with her.

But now that it's come down to it, I don't want to hurt this girl's feelings either.  My boss asked me again yesterday if I'd talked to her about it and I said I would today since it would give her a couple of days before she had to come back in.   This makes me wonder if my boss is looking to see how I handle this situation which makes me even more nervous about it.  I hate the idea of making anyone feel badly about themselves or just bad in general.  Then to think it's some kind of test for me as well makes it worse.  I might be over thinking that last bit.  It could simply be that my boss realizes this is my thing and doesn't want to step on my toes.

So I've practiced with my other co-worker.  Her suggestion was that I offer to retrain the girl and give her another chance, but I got the feeling from my boss that she would rather the information be accurate from the beginning.  An unreliable database does not give our department legs to stand on when arguing a different issue.  But I can't just say to this girl you can't do this anymore without giving her a chance to correct her mistakes and redeem herself.  Hopefully my boss understands.

October 20th - Ten Years Later

Ten years ago, I made a decision about my personal life.  I checked off one of life's milestones and haven't looked back since. I was completely mad for this guy.  And even though I had been religious in my middle school/early high school years, I came to the realization that I really wanted to have sex with my boyfriend.  It was something of an internal struggle for several months because I knew what I'd been taught but my heart was telling me something completely different.  I couldn't resolve these conflicting desires (the desire to be "good" and the desire to be with my boyfriend) so, I talked about it with my mother, my source for spiritual guidance, and her only advice was that, while she would prefer I not have sex before marriage, it was my own life and I had to make the decision for myself.  She also encouraged me to consider any and all consequences and judge whether or not I could handle them.  Then, I talked about it with my aunt, my source for worldly guidance, and her advice was that I should make sure to protect myself.  She also asked me if I was sure this was the right person.  She said that that particular event in life would be something I'd always remember and the person I was with would forever be connected to that memory. 
And, looking back now, that was probably the best advice I could have gotten on the subject.  It is the first piece of advice I offer to the new crop of youngins, after reminding them to make sure they protect themselves of course.  Because it is now ten years later and I do remember that day. When I think of that moment in my life, it is connected to the person I was with.  And you know what?  Even with the things that happened after and even with the way that relationship ended, I don't regret making that decision.  And I celebrate that decision on this particular date every year and re-evaluate how I feel about it.  I can still say that it was a positive choice and I'm grateful that I wasn't completely ignorant of the impact that decision would have on my life.  I'm glad that I had people I could talk to openly and honestly about it and that I took my time to think instead of following whatever impulse I had in the moment. 

But thinking about how I viewed sex then and where I am now, I can't help but laugh at myself.  If I were able to go back and talk to my 20 year old self, I don't know that I could say anything that would have made that decision easier.  The person I was then is most certainly not who I am now.  I know that this was part of a chapter in the volume of my life and so much of where I've been plays a part in where I am going.  I truly believe we are the sum of our life experiences and I hope that I will continue to make positive decisions that will help me to grow and change over time.  That I can look back ten years from now and realize that I've matured so much.  I hope that I don't look back on decisions and cringe with embarrassment or regret.  And I hope I can love who I will be at 40 just as much as I love who I am at 30 and who I was at 20.

GMAT

Yesterday, I officially signed up for the GMAT.  I will be taking it on December 29th at 11:00am.  I wish I could say I wasn't nervous about the entire thing.  I mean, I know that is common for test taking in general but I am nervous about the amount of work that will need to get done before my actual test day.  I just paid $250 to take the GMAT and if I don't put in the serious effort it will be a waste.  My friend, A, urged me to actually sign up for the test when I was complaining about my lack of motivation in studying.  She said that if I was signed up for it I would take it more seriously and if I figured if it worked for weight watchers (where I'm paying money for something so I feel compelled to stick with it) it would work for this.  It's a step in the direction of grad school.  A major step, leaving my comfort zone and taking a risk.  Granted, it's a calculated risk, but it's scary nonetheless.

A also suggested that I start out with taking a test just to gauge where I am.  I had thought I would read through the study book first and then take the test, but her suggestion makes a lot of sense.  I'll be taking a computerized practice test this Saturday around the same time I will take the real one and then I'm planning on taking another computerized practice version on December 2 to see what I need to really focus on before the actual test.  In between those I'll take paper or other computerized tests, if I can find free ones, to practice.  But these two I will approach as I would a real test day. So wish me luck. 

I'm not really sure what this will mean for NaNo this year.  My primary focus should be on the GMAT...so maybe when I need a break I can work on something creative?

Digital Meltdown

I just finished reading this "Digital Overload is Frying Our Brains" - Wired Article and I feel it has a very valid point.  I read a quote once, possibly by Mark Twain but I'm not sure now, about how the telephone was the most unnatural thing.  The point of that quote was that anyone could command your attention with the ringing of the bell in your telephone; no matter what one was doing one would stop to answer the phone.  I honestly wish I could find that quote now because it struck me as so very true when I read it that I have often considered it. 

This most recent article (but can't find now, of course) I've read sort of goes along with that thought.  The point of the article is that we are so plugged in these days that we don't have the down time our bodies and brains need to recharge and think effectively.  It talked about those a-ha moments in the shower and how some of our quiet space is slowly disappearing and our brains don't have time to work through things.

It made me wonder if I should start meditating.  Because I know I am too connected.  I check Facebook far too often and I always have my phone with me.  I could be ten times more efficient in my every day life if I didn't want to see if people are talking to me.  The article did say that, as human beings, we have this natural desire to feel connected to other people but that the social media and cellphones interrupt other things we need as human beings.  It might be good for me to clear my mind once in a while, especially with the GMAT studying on my plate.