I Am The Nutcracker

This has been another week that has caused me to (jokingly) question why I decided to subject myself to the endless punishment that has become my MBA experience.

(I say "jokingly" because I self-select into the stress with all of the extra-curricular jive - case competitions, committees, advisory boards, and such.)

At the moment, however, I couldn't be happier.  Kelly is picking me up in a few minutes and we're going to the Ronald McDonald house in Chapel Hill.  I'm dressing up in a Nutcracker costume and we're going to give away tickets to the Carolina Ballet's Nutcracker performances at UNC Memorial Hall this weekend.

My stress level normalized the moment she suggested the idea.

There are a lot of things more important than my finance homework...and this is one of them.

Kelly's Birthday

Today is Kelly's birthday - which is always a great time. It's close to Halloween and just a couple days before my birthday. Plus, this year we get to celebrate at a Robert Randolph and the Family Band concert at Memorial Hall. (Even though she'll be working/watching and I'll be standing in the back by the sound booth...)

There have been a couple minor irritants this time around, though. Even though she loved it, the gift I bought for her - a new Wusthof knife and an cookbook of Florentine recipes - turned out to be eerily similar to what I bought her last year. Doh!

Also - Kelly's Facebook profile has been flooded with "Happy Birthday" wishes, which is somewhat humiliating because there's no way I'll get as many as her...

Happy birthday, Kelly Cat!

Haunted House Photos

Kelly and I volunteered at the Durham Jaycees Haunted House last week. We were both "roamers" - which essentially meant we roamed about the house finding ways to spook the patrons.

I took the "hide in the dark, jump out, and roar in their face" approach, which worked pretty well.  Kelly just ran around screaming bloody murder during the climactic ending, which - according to the guides - really freaked out the guests.

Why? Because she was dressed as an un-dead cheerleader:


Putting on our make-up.



In full costume.


I definitely dropped out of character and started laughing when I heard someone shout "Oh my God! Its a crazy cheerleader!" as they went through the house.


Thanks to DJ Waldow for the photos.

Kelly Lets The Truth Slip

Because my hairline economy is mired in an unfortunate recession, I've started keeping my head buzzed.

I've gotten a little fuzzy and Kelly has been begging to give me a fresh clipping, so I let her cut my hair tonight. When she finished cutting, she cheerfully exclaimed:
There! Now you look more like David Beckham.

I was not amused.